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Libretto Translation
Book and Lyrics
by Michael Kunze. The usual translation disclaimer applies.
6. In front of Chagal's inn
A late winter's morning. Gleaming light. The sun is so warm
that Chagal, Rebecca and Magda have come outside to carry out their daily
duties in the fresh air. Chagal is sawing wood, Rebecca is plucking a goose and
Magda is chopping turnips.
Rebecca:
Everything's bright
When the snow sparkles in the sun.
Magda:
Time passes quickly
When one sits outside in the fresh air.
Chagal:
My saw slips gently through the cedar
Rebecca:
While I'm plucking the goose, the feathers fly.
Magda, Chagal and Rebecca:
Everything's good
When the sun drives the frost away.
And whatever else hurts you,
Fresh air makes the work easy.
Magda (looking at Chagal):
What a delight, to brandish the knife
Magda, Chagal and Rebecca:
Today, everything must succeed!
Koukol, Count von Krolock's hunchbacked servant, appears.
Chagal, Rebecca and Magda fall silent when they see him. The women leave
everything where it is and flee into the house. Chagal bows obsequiously to
Koukol. Background music plays during the following dialogue.
Koukol:
Hello.
Chagal:
At your service, Mr Koukol. What can I do for you on this
glorious morning?
Koukol:
C…cand….dles…
Chagal:
Candles? That's not likely I'm afraid. We're short of them
ourselves. The long winter, you understand…
Sarah looks out of her bedroom window. Chagal, who has his
back to the house, doesn't notice her.
Koukol (angrily):
Ho…Hah…Ahriiii…ogahh…hoooh. [I'm not sure if that's
translatable or not…]
Chagal:
That's all very well Koukol. Don't get so worked up! Did I say
I didn't have any candles? It'll just take me a minute to find a few. Wait
here!
Chagal goes into the house. Koukol tries to clearly
gesticulate to Sarah that she should be ready for the coming night.
Koukol:
To…night…you will come….t-tonight…
Chagal returns with a bundle of candles, which he hands to
Koukol.
Chagal:
You're welcome, Koukol. Two dozen, not dripping. My
greetings to His Excellence. Remind him occasionally of the outstanding bill…
Koukol:
Uhroougha…oguhh…hoooh. [Again, I can't translate that]
Koukol turns round angrily and limps quickly away. Chagal
spits. At that moment, Alfred and Abronsius come out of the house door. Soon
after, Rebecca and Magda also come back.
Abronsius:
What a shame, that the man's already gone.
Who was that then?
Chagal:
A cripple.
Abronsius:
But you're afraid of him.
I will solve the riddle.
Logic, logic!
Only logic leads to the truth.
Alfred notices Sarah standing at the upstairs window. He waves
to her. Because of that, Chagal becomes very attentive. He makes an angry
gesture to Sarah, telling her that she should go back inside. Sarah does this.
Walking round in circles, Abronsius scrutinizes the suspicious Chagal, Rebecca
and Magda, who have all taken up their work again. Alfred does everything he
can to get another look at Sarah.
Abronsius:
What is this fear for? Of whom? Why?
Where did the man come from? Why are you silent?
No answer. Professor Abronsius fixes his eyes on Rebecca,
who carries on as if she hasn't noticed.
Abronsius:
And who among you
Was so mean
And hit me tonight
Over the head?
No answer. Rebecca, quite innocently, whistles the
"morning song."
Abronsius:
No one can confuse me
For I only count the facts,
No one can mislead me
For I only trust precision,
I seek the truth,
And the truth will bring clarity.
My mind is unerring
I study the positive,
I am never superficial,
I always look deeply
Because the truth
Will always bring clarity.
My thirst for knowledge is never satisfied
As long as doubts still nibble at me.
I allow no secrets,
I don't listen, I question:
How and what and who and where and when?
How and what and who and where and when?
Magda, Chagal and Rebecca:
Everything is easy
When the day begins with music,
Lots is achieved
When you can forget your worries.
It must not be
Annoying and bothering today,
It is a stupid question.
Abronsius:
When suspicion awakes in me
It hides something from me
I try with all my power
To find out the truth.
I began in the cradle
To force open my toys,
In an impetuous thirst for knowledge,
I dismantled the cuckoo clock.
Whether it was the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus,
I didn't let myself be deceived.
At school I soon found out
That all teachers lie.
No answer that they gave me
Could ever satisfy me,
I dug into books
And I studied the riddles of nature.
I believe in reason,
It will eventually triumph.
And the Professor's Guild
Ignores my knowledge.
But I hate emotion,
No one can provoke me.
Without ever looking after myself,
I stay on track to find the truth.
My mind is unerring,
I study the positive,
I am never superficial,
I always look deeply,
Because I collect evidence
And judge motives.
Yes, I serve every wise man
For progress and human culture.
While the others repeat the Professor's self-importance, he
basks in their ****
Magda, Chagal, Rebecca, Alfred:
His mind is unerring
He studies the positive,
He is never superficial,
He always looks deeply.
Because he collects evidence
And judges motives.
Yes, he serves every wise man
For progress and human culture.
While Chagal and Rebecca sing the melody faster and faster,
Professor Abronsius' voice climbs into a sort of coloratura, like an opera
singer.
Chagal, Alfred, Rebecca, Magda:
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
Abronsius (simultaneously):
I seek the truth!
I seek clarity!
For progress and human culture!
I seek the truth!
I seek clarity!
For progress and human culture!
I seek the truth!
I seek clarity!
For progress and human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
(alone):
When you pluck a goose,
There's soon a roast.
Where there's ice and snow,
No tomatoes grow.
Where are noises every night
You cannot sleep.
And where there's a hunchback
There is a Count!
(to Alfred):
I would bet the Nobel Prize
That this hunchback serves him.
Why didn't you follow him?
Even a child could see what will happen…
Logic, logic!
Who asks, I tell them logic:
How and what and who and where and when.
Chagal, Alfred, Rebecca, Magda:
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
For human culture!
Abronsius (simultaneously):
My mind is unerring
I study the positive.
I am never superficial
I always look deeply at nature.
Then I collect evidence
And I serve every wise man
For progress and human culture.
I seek the truth!
I seek clarity!
For progress and human culture.
I seek the truth!
I seek clarity!
For progress and human culture.
All:
For culture!
The day is over, the sun sets. It slowly becomes dark.
Scene change.
7. Top floor of Chagal's inn
The evening of the same day. Dressed only in a shirt,
Alfred stands in the bathroom and pours hot water into the tub. He hears Sarah
singing.
Sarah:
Ah-ah-ah. Ah-ah-ah. Ah-ah-ah. Ah-ah-ah.
In the guestroom, Professor Abronsius is lying on the bed,
dressed and asleep. Sarah walks along the corridor from her room to the
bathroom door. Alfred has poured the last bucket into the bathtub. Looking up,
he notices that Sarah has come into the bathroom.
Sarah:
I'm sorry!
Alfred (embarrassed):
Oh, good evening.
Sarah:
You want to bathe. Am I interrupting?
Alfred:
No. Not at all.
Sarah:
You are really very nice.
So you will forgive me.
Locked up in a room full of garlic,
I am always alone.
Alfred:
You mean your father locks you up in your room?
Sarah:
Certainly.
Even though I'm almost eighteen.
A sponge falls to the ground from Sarah's housecoat. They
both bend down to pick it up. Sarah gets there before Alfred. She picks the
sponge up and holds it against his cheek.
Alfred:
A sponge.
Sarah:
It's so soft…I love it.
Alfred:
Yes. It's a lovely sponge.
Sarah (giving him the sponge):
I'm giving it to you. I've got two.
Alfred (taking it):
Thank you. Thank you very much. Can I give you something as
well?
Sarah:
Can I ask for something?
Alfred:
Yes. What?
Sarah:
You've got what I'd like…
It's healthy to do it.
At least I like to do it
At least once a day,
Once a day.
So be a dear for me,
Please let me have it!
Alfred (confused):
You mean…??
Sarah:
…No one need know.
Alfred:
Now, then maybe…
Sarah:
Good, oh good
Then I'll get undressed
And fulfill my dream.
Then I'll groan with pleasure…
Sarah pushes the amazed Alfred out of the bathroom and
closes the door.
Sarah:
…in the bath full of bubbles.
Lighting change. Sarah takes her housecoat off and steps
into the foam-filled bathtub. Alfred battles with the temptation to peek
through the keyhole.
Sarah:
Ah-ah-ah…
Alfred:
She's quite coquettish
But she is also lovely.
I would like to stay with
For at least a lifetime,
A lifetime…
Sarah:
Ah-ah-ah…
Suddenly, the music dramatically changes its character.
Count von Krolock appears on the roof of the inn and looks down at Sarah
through an open skylight. She is paralysed with fear.
Count von Krolock:
Good evening,
Don't be afraid of me.
I am the angel
Which you long for.
The wait is nearly over,
Because I'm inviting you.
At the ball of the year,
We'll dance through the night
Until your longing makes a woman out of you.
Count von Krolock glides from the roof into the bathroom.
Sarah is visibly fascinated. Alfred, who can no longer resist the temptation
and is finally peering through the keyhole, doesn't know what to think of what
he's seeing.
Count von Krolock:
Or would you rather
That everything stayed as it is?
Do you think it will ever be enough for you?
I don’t think it will ever be enough for you.
Would you rather pray
Until you are grey and bitter?
Do you think it will ever be enough for you?
You know that it will never be enough.
They warn you about sin and danger
But you are already suspicious
That their assurance
Was a big fraud.
It was all a lie,
What they promised.
Everyone has deceived you
As they corrupted you.
But I'll give you what is missing:
Count von Krolock climbs onto the edge of the bath and
comes dangerously close to Sarah.
Count von Krolock:
A journey on the wings of the night
In the true reality,
In the euphoria of the darkness.
Make your heart ready!
I invite you to the midnight ball.
I'll give you what is missing:
A journey on the wings of the night,
So you can escape mundanity,
In the euphoria of fantasy.
It will soon be ready.
I invite you to the midnight ball!
Alfred understands at once what is happening.
Alfred (hysterically):
Professor! Professor! He's in there!
Abronsius:
Who?
Professor Abronsius jumps to his feet and flings open the
bathroom door. Count von Krolock has vanished without trace. The music stops.
Sarah washes her arm innocently, as if nothing had happened.
Abronsius (to Alfred):
What nonsense are you talking, boy? Are you fantasising or
what?
Professer Abronsius sees a snowflake float through the room
and closes the open skylight. At that moment, brought by Alfred's shout, Chagal
and Rebecca rush into the bathroom one after the other. The immediately
understand what has happened.
Chagal:
What…?
Alfred:
He was there. I swear.
Chagal:
For Heaven's sake! Sarah! Did he…?
Rebecca:
Oh, oh!!
Chagal:
Now we're in a mess. Haven't I told you a thousand times,
you should stay in your room?!
Sarah (defiantly):
I wanted to have a bath.
Chagal throws a hand towel at Sarah and carries her across
the corridor to her room. Rebecca runs after them.
Meanwhile, Professor Abronsius, assisted by Alfred,
inspects the bathroom.
Abronsius:
Can you smell that? The smell of decay! Didn't I say? But
he didn't bite her. He wants to seduce her, the cad. Blood tastes better when
it's given freely.
Meanwhile Chagal is with Sarah in her room. He closes the
door from the inside. Rebecca stays in the corridor. Professor Abronsius
continues his examination. Alfred looks into Sarah's room through the keyhole
in the bathroom door.
Chagal:
Why can't you do as you're told? Do you want to drive me
crazy?
Sarah:
No!
Chagal:
Oh! I'll teach you to obey me…
He lays Sarah over his knee and beats her.
Sarah:
No! Ow! Ow!!
Rebecca (behind the door, in the corridor):
What are you doing, Yoine? [presumably some sort of term of
affection?]
Chagal stops hitting Sarah.
Chagal:
Now will you be a good girl?
Sarah:
Yes Daddy. Definitely Daddy. I promise. I'll never bathe
again, never!
Chagal leaves the room and slams the door.
Blackout.
Scene change. Snow falls on the lonely inn. Time passes…
8. In front of Chagal's inn
The same night, several hours later. Koukol creeps towards
the inn. Sarah comes to the window and sees him. Koukol gestures to her and
points at a bundle he's brought with him, which he hides in the snow before he
leaves. Sarah disappears from the window. She leaves her room and comes out of
the front door to see what Koukol has brought her.
Sarah has just picked up the bundle when Alfred comes out
of the house. The music becomes romantic. Alfred is completely lost in his
thoughts about Sarah. He looks longingly up at her window, without realising
that she is standing behind him.
Alfred:
Under this roof
Lives the loveliest person in the world.
Can it be chance
That we met here?
Sarah, are you awake?
Please come to the window!
I'm standing here in the moonlight
Wishing I was with you.
Sarah goes over to Alfred. Surprised, he turns around.
Sarah:
Not so loud!
Yes, I'm here.
Don't make a noise
Or my father will hear.
Alfred:
Can it really be?
Sarah:
It's quite late.
Alfred:
You and I alone!
Sarah:
I can't stand it any longer.
Alfred:
I'm happy.
Sarah:
No one must know!
Alfred:
I wanted to see you!
Sarah:
I feel suffocated inside.
Outside is freedom.
There, where the horizon begins,
There's a land
Where all miracles are possible.
Alfred:
No wall can separate us,
There's no barrier we can't overcome.
Come with me
Because with you
I can go to the stars.
Outside is freedom
And hope which you don't have here.
Outside is freedom,
Far away from anything that separates us.
Sarah and Alfred:
What they call life begins.
Sarah:
How romantic
To stand in the moonlight.
Unfortunately I've already been invited.
You can come a little way with me
But promise that you won't tell anyone.
Alfred:
Where do you want to go?
Sarah:
It's a secret of mine.
Alfred:
Not through the forest!
Sarah:
If you're afraid, stay here.
Alfred:
It's dark and cold.
Sarah:
That doesn't matter to me.
Alfred:
You'll get lost and freeze to death in the snow.
Sarah:
I know where I'm going.
Alfred:
The wolves come out at night.
Sarah:
I'm bored to death at home.
Sarah and Alfred:
Outside is freedom
There, where the horizon begins,
There is a land
In which all miracles are possible.
Alfred:
No wall which can separate us.
No barrier that we can't overcome.
Stay with me,
Because with you…
Sarah and Alfred:
…I can go to the stars,
See into the future.
Outside is freedom,
A happiness that knows no limits.
Outside is freedom,
Far away from anything that separates us,
What they call life begins.
Sarah:
Oh, I've just thought - I've forgotten my sponge.
Alfred:
Your sponge?
Sarah:
Be a darling, please go up and get it for me!
Alfred:
You mean I should…
Sarah:
My sponge. You'll have to get it!
Alfred:
Tell me where it is.
Sarah:
In the bath.
Alfred:
I'll be back soon…
Alfred goes into the house. Sarah opens the bundle. It
contains a pair of red boots. She holds them high admiringly.
Sarah:
Red boots! Now I can go to the Count's castle and dance…
She takes off her old slippers and slips her feet into the
boots. The music takes on a waltz rhythm.
Sarah closes her eyes dreamily while she spins in a circle
with her arms outstretched. At the same time her dream-vision appears on
another part of the stage: Sarah's image spins like she does. More Count von
Krolocks surround her and dance alternately with her.
On the top floor of the inn a window is opened; Alfred
appears at it a moment later.
Alfred (calling in a low voice):
Sarah! Sarah! I can't find it!
The dream vision disappears. Sarah is startled.
Sarah:
It doesn't matter!
Alfred:
Sarah!
She hesitates for just a moment, then runs away. Alfred
comes away from the window and out of the inn. He runs a short way in the
direction in which Sarah went. When he
can't see her any more, he stands still.
Alfred (panicking):
Sarah!!
Alarmed by Alfred's cries, Chagal rushes out of the house,
followed by Rebecca. Both are wearing nightshirts.
Chagal:
What is it? Where is she?
Alfred:
I…I don't know.
Chagal sees Sarah's shoes, left behind in the snow. He
lifts them up and shows them to Rebecca.
Chagal:
Her shoes!
It's happened -
He's taken her,
He's abducted her from us.
Rebecca is thunderstruck. Chagal hands her the shoes.
Rebecca:
Oh! My poor child!
Chagal:
I'll get her back.
Alfred:
Where has she gone?
Chagal:
He can't steal my daughter!
Rebecca:
You want to go to the castle?
That's dangerous!
Chagal:
I'll bring her back!
Chagal runs away.
Rebecca:
What are you going to do, Yoine?
Chagal turns around again, comes back and tears a bulb of
the garlic necklace which hangs around Rebecca's neck. He bites into it and
finally sets off on his way.
Rebecca:
Yoine, watch out! Be careful!
Blackout.
9. The lounge of Chagal's inn
The afternoon of the next day. The usual guests are sitting
at the tables, depressed. Magda is sweeping the floor. A little later,
Professor Abronsius and Alfred come down the stairs, armed for an excursion.
Guests:
Garlic, garlic
In soup and in cream cheese.
Garlic, garlic
Goes from the stomach right to the bone marrow.