Hermann Sudermann

“ Theodemir.
Sire, we have none to give.
Teja.
And thou, Euric, with all thy wisdom? Euric. Sire, I have served the great Theoderic. And yet he would have had none to give.
Teja.
Come then, I know.... It is easy and quick to be understood: Die!... Why look ye at me with such mistrust?... Do ye not yet understand me? Think ye I require ye to wrap yourselves in your mantles, like cowardly Greeks, and beg your neighbours for a thrust in the back? ”

“ Am I not truly a born lover? These wise men knew that; therefore they taught me my calling.... Or believe ye, it was your duty to beguile your King in the weariness of camp life; as the great Justinian dallied in golden Byzantium, and sent forth his eunuchs to slay Gothic men? Ha, ha, ha!
Bishop.
My King, take heed lest thou be angry.
Teja.
I thank thee, friend. Yet that signifieth nothing. It is but my marriage humour.... But now I will speak to ye in earnest-- (Ascends to the high seat of the throne.) ”

“ When did you ever bow yourself to force? When did passion build you a throne on the ruins of the universe, the only throne to win which is more than an idle pastime, on which in splendid grandeur, instead of all the queens, sits Woman! And if a drone playing in colours ever indeed won a smile from you, take from me but your crown, for I, oh Queen, am--a man! ”

“ I will not that even one man be softened by the tears and cries of women. Athanaric. Sire, that is inhuman which thou requirest, to take no leave of our wives.
Teja.
Take leave of them, me notwithstanding, but remain dumb as ye do it. He that hath wife and child here, let him go to the Wagenburg, and provide himself food and drink, for the women delight to keep a remnant between their fingers. This let him share with the unmarried, and be joyful when he can. Euric. And what should they say to their wives, Sire, since already thou hast strictly forbidden communication? ”

“ Theodemir.
Yea, Sire. (Exit.)
TENTH SCENE.
TEJA. ILDIBAD.
Teja.
Now, my old man, we should have nothing further to do upon this earth. Shall we talk?
Ildibad.
Sire, if I might beg a favour for myself.
Teja.
Still favours, at this time?... I believe thou wouldst flatter me, old companion!
Ildibad.
Sire, I am old. My arm would grow weary with bearing a spear, more quickly than is good for thy life. And by my fault shouldst thou not fall, Sire.... If no one else sleeps, think not evil of me, and let me sleep away the two hours. ”

“ Theodemir.
Two boys, Sire!
Teja.
And thou didst not go?
Theodemir.
I waited on thy call, Sire.
Teja.
What hour is it?
Theodemir.
The ninth, Sire.
Teja.
And what do they who are free--the unmarried, and they whose wives are not here?
Theodemir.
They lie by the fires and are silent. (Exit Ildibad.)
Teja.
See to it that something is brought to them also. I already ordered it. Will they sleep?
Theodemir.
No one will sleep.
Teja.
At midnight, come and fetch me.
Theodemir.
Yea, Sire. (Makes as if to go.) Teja (with a shade of anxiety) . Theodemir, stay!... Thou hast always been my adversary. ”

“ The Queen.
You call yourself poor and yet you are rich. You might be equal to the rulers of this earth. Yet what avails the kingdom of your vision? The splendid gift of confidence is wanting to you.
The Painter.
How, your Majesty?
The Queen.
Like a Harpagon, you guard the treasures of your soul, lest any of your feelings should be stolen. No one risks it--Jean, give me my smelling-bottle. ”

“ Ildibad.
Treason.
Teja.
Yea, verily! Yea--meat and wine so much as each one will, at long white tables--I shall have it divided--and Sicilian fruits for the women, and sweetmeats from Massilia. (Sinks reeling upon the seat of the throne, and gazes absently into the distance.) The Men. What aileth the King? Look to the King!
Balthilda.
Surely he is hungry, mother. (Approaches him. The men draw back.) My King!
Teja.
Who art thou, woman? What wilt thou, woman?
Balthilda.
Can I help thee, Sire?
Teja.
Ah, it is thou, the Queen! Pardon me; and pardon me, also, ye men. (Rises.) ”

“ Balthilda.
Sire, may I not offer thee the food, and the wine?
Teja.
Nay, nay!... Hearken, Balthilda: without, by our fires, are warriors--they are hungry--I am not hungry.
Balthilda.
Sire, give them what thou pleasest ... give them everything!
Teja.
I thank thee, Balthilda. (Raising the curtain.) Ho there, watch! Come in, but prudently so as not to wake the old man.... (Watcher enters.) Here, take this basket with food and wine, and divide it honestly.... Say your Queen sends it.
Watcher.
May I thank the Queen, Sire?
(Teja nods. Watcher shakes her hand heartily. Exit.) ”

“ Teja.
Ay, indeed, the wives! Of them I had not thought at all. Euric. But now to-morrow, we shall stand in battle, and on the second and third day, if we hold out so long, so that astonishment and fear at the miracle will lay hold on the Byzantian and all the rabble of Huns and Suevians which he draggeth after him.... We cannot utterly destroy them, but we can bait them with our blood till they be weary.... And when no one on that side is able to hold spear and bow, then shall the hour come when the Eunuch will have it said: "Depart in peace." How many of ye are then still left? ”

“ On the golden throne of Theoderic, where mercy sat in judgment, can I, alas! not take my place; for that is being chopped into firewood at Byzantium.... Neither smiling like Totilas can I pardon, for no one longer desireth our pardon.... From the glorious nation of the Goths, there hath sprung a horde of hungry wolves therefore it needeth a wolf as master. Thou, Bishop, didst call me the spirit of divine wrath, which I am not.... I am but the spirit of your despair. As one who all his life hath hoped for nothing, hath wished for nothing, I stand before you, and so I shall fall before you. ”

“ The body delicate--the cheeks thin; for Nature when she fashions her best, makes no boast of vigorous strength.... The wish overpowers me--Before I die, sir, I must paint you.
The Marshal.
You seem altogether mad.
The Painter.
I beg you to grant me a respite. I shall be glad to let you kill me, yet only after your portrait is finished.
The Marshal.
And by your creation, you hope to obtain all manner of favour, and quietly to escape. You are cunning indeed.
The Painter.
It is the peculiar pleasure of magnanimity to suspect the magnanimity of others. ”

“ Theodemir.
I was, Sire. For a long time I have ceased to be.
Teja (stretches out his arms) .
Come! (They hold each other in a close embrace; then they clasp hands.) I would fain hold thee here, but truly thou must go to thy wife. (Ildibad again enters.) And forget not to have food brought to those who are gazing at the fires. They should have occupation. Brooding profiteth not in such an hour. ”

“ Theodemir.
King, wound us not.... The last drop of our blood belongeth to thee. Cast us not into the pot with these old men. Euric. We old men fight as well as they; and love, young man, as well as they. ”

“ Balthilda.
Beloved, doest thou justly?
Teja (surprised) .
Nay! (He sets the throne up again, leads her to her former place, and places her head against the seat.) There indeed thou art well seated--yea!... And we trespass not against this trash. If the Bishop had seen that--he, ha, ha, ha! Wait, I will eat again!
Balthilda.
There, take!
Teja.
Still--remain quite still! I shall fetch it for myself. (He kneels upon the podium beside her.) Now I am quite upon my knees before thee.... What is there that we do not learn!... Thou art beautiful!... I never knew my mother! ”

“ The Marquises.
Oh, your Majesty!
The Queen.
Yes, indeed! Look for the man who without hope of meretricious gain knows how to devote himself faithfully to noble service, and who without honeyed phrases gracefully pursues what is dear to his soul; as for you--you could borrow for yourselves a little of love's fire merely from the confectioner's kitchen. ”

“ If our heart does not tremble in our hand, if into the flood of forms which stream from it, no flash of inner lightning shines, how shall we express in these colours life's image, the storm of the passions, the shy play of slight feeling, the desperate vacillation of exhausted hope, and all the rest of our inner life? In these seven blotched colours (points to the palette) where the whole wide universe is portrayed, where if our senses are starving for truth, is phantasy to look for food and deliverance? ”

“ Exeunt the watchers.
(Bishop lets go the hands of the bridal pair, and turns back to Amalaberga.)
(Teja stands gloomy and brooding. Balthilda casts a shy imploring look around her. Painful silence.)
Ildibad (softly) .
Now must thou say something, King, to welcome thy young wife.
Teja (softly) .
Must I? (Taking one of the choir-boys by the nape of the neck.) Not so vehemently, boy; the smoke cometh up into our nostrils. What dost thou when thou wieldest not thy censer?
Boy.
I wield my sword, King.
Teja.
That is right. But make ye haste with wielding the sword, or ye may easily be too late. ”

“ Teja.
The thing will come to pass for the most part otherwise than thou dost imagine it, Theodemir. Yet I am glad that among the Goths, such inspiration still abideth. Euric. Also to me, King, grudge not a word; for I have indeed seen golden days.... Thou art not only the boldest, thou art also the wisest of all.... Had we now faltered, so should we all have fallen without defence, by the murderer's sword ... And not only we, but the sick--and the children--and the wives. ”

“ Second Camp Watcher.
Gold! Pah, gold! Of gold I have enough myself. In my cellar at Canusium, I have buried a treasure--eh! ... thou! The wives behind there in the Wagenburg must have meat left ... wine too, they must still have.
First Camp Watcher.
Yea, the wives are there well enough--thou hast none, I suppose.
Second Camp Watcher.
A Greek dishonoured mine, and I stabbed him to death! (Pauses.) Good! The wives must have meat; they must have wine too. But how long that-- (Noise and clash of weapons, slowly approaching.) There, the marriage is surely ended. ”

“ I am a man of death. The world lies behind me--a many-colored picture which God has bestrewed with crumbs of white bread, where each one snatches up and devours and yet does not satisfy his appetite. Only in intoxication can a child of fortune know how the flowers beneath bloom and wither. ”

“ Bishop, I treated thee basely this evening. Forgive me and have my thanks, for surely I also know why the Goth loveth death.... (Grasps his sword.) Now be ye ready? Have the farewells been said?
Theodemir.
Sire, we have disobeyed thy command. Which of our wives betrayed it, and which of us told it, that cannot be determined. Enough, they all know it.
Teja.
And then have cried ah and woe?
Theodemir.
Sire, they have silently kissed the blessing of death upon our brows.
Teja (exclaims half to himself) .
They also! (Aloud.) Truly we are a nation of kings. It is our misfortune. So come! ”

“ Don't stay too late.
(Exit Jean.)
FOURTH SCENE.
THE QUEEN. THE PAINTER.THE DEAF MAID OF HONOUR (who seats herself behind the screen) . THE SLEEPY MAID OF HONOUR (who falls asleep directly on a chair near the door on the left) .
The Queen.
Well, master, tell me: what is Genius doing?
The Painter.
Oh, your Majesty, he is pursuing Beauty.
The Queen.
Yet since Beauty lingers no more on earth, your genius will soon grow weary.
The Painter.
How so? Does your Majesty think it roams in the sky? It lingers just at the goal and cries: Oh behold! and what thou beholdest, that give to eternity! ”

“ Of wives I know nothing. Farewell! (Enter Theodemir and Ildibad.)
Bishop.
Farewell--and God be gracious to thy soul!
Teja.
I thank thee, Bishop.... Ah, there art thou, Theodemir. (Exit Bishop Agila.)
NINTH SCENE.
TEJA. THEODEMIR. ILDIBAD (in the background, occupied with the King's weapons, going noiselessly in and out) .
Teja.
What are the warriors doing?
Theodemir.
They who have their wives here, are gone to the Wagenburg.... There they will surely eat and drink and play with their children. ”

“ Look upon me, Queen--I must call thee by thy title of a half-hour, for, by God! I hardly yet know thy name. I pray thee, look upon me! Dost thou know me?
Balthilda.
Thou art the King, Sire.
Teja.
Yea. But for thee I should be man, not King.... And knowest thou what manner of man standeth here before thee?... Behold! These arms have been hitherto plunged in reeking blood, not the blood of men shed in manly strife, I speak not of that, that honoureth the man--blood of unarmed pale children, of-- (shudders) --Thou shalt have great joy, if I come with these arms to wind them about thy neck.... ”

“ Teja.
Then let that suffice. Your Queen shall soon enough learn how, in misfortune, friends quarrel among themselves. And as ye pass through the camp, tell the warriors, the only thing that frets the King this day this day of joy, is it not?--is that he hath not the power to offer them a worthy marriage feast ... or yet perchance-- Ildibad.
Ildibad.
(Who on the right has secretly spoken in bewilderment to a watcher who has just entered.) Yea, Sire.
Teja.
What have we still in our stores, old man?
Ildibad (controlling his emotion) .
Truly, thou hast given away almost all thy provisions. ”

“ The ships come never more.
(Balthilda strokes herself on the cheeks, and then stands motionless.)
Teja.
But we men are going forth upon the field, to fight.
Balthilda.
That can ye not do--that is surely--impossible.
Teja.
We must. Art thou the Queen, and perceivest not that we must?
Balthilda.
Yea--I--per--ceive--it.
Teja.
The King fights in the foremost rank, and we shall see each other no more alive.... Knowest thou that?
Balthilda.
Yea, I know it!... (Silence. They look at each other.) ”