Brecht Collected Plays: 1: Baal; Drums in the Night; In the Jungle of Cities; Life of Edward II of England; & 5 One Act Plays: "Baal", "Drums in the Night", "In the Jungle of Ci (World Classics) (14 page)

MURK
still singing off
: Pull your finger out, my lads, and make the party go. Anna!

BALICKE
alone
,
lights a cigar
: Thank God for that. All snug as a bug. What a damn grind! You have to drive her to bed. Calf love for that corpse! My clean shirt’s soaked with sweat. Now I can take them all on. Pram’s the word.
Exit
. Mrs, a shirt!

ANNA
off
: Friedrich! Friedrich!
Enter quickly
. Friedrich!

MURK
in the doorway
: Anna!
Dry
,
uneasy
,
with hanging arms like an orang-outang
. Do you want to come along?

ANNA
: What’s the matter? What are you looking like that for?

MURK
: Do you want to come? I know what I’m asking. Don’t play-act. Straight answer!

ANNA
: I should think I do. Odd, isn’t it?

MURK
: Fine, then. I’m not so sure. Twenty years I lodged in attics, frozen to the marrow; now I wear buttoned boots, look for yourself! I sweated in the darkness, by gaslight, it ran into my eyes; now I go to a tailor. But I’m still unsteady,
the wind blows down there, there’s an icy draught down there, one’s feet get chilled down there.
Goes up to Anna without touching her
,
stands swaying in front of her
. At last the superfluous flesh is increasing. At last the red wine is flowing. At last I’ve got there! Bathed in sweat, eyes shut, fists clenched till the fingernails cut into the flesh. It’s over! Security! Warmth! Off with the overalls! A bed, white, broad, soft!
As he passes the window he glances fleetingly out
. Come to me: I’ll unclench my fists, I’ll sit in the sun in my shirtsleeves, I’ve got you.

ANNA
flies to him
: Darling!

MURK
: Sex kitten!

ANNA
: At last you’ve got me.

MURK
: Isn’t she there yet?

BABUSCH
off
: Come on, come on! I’m the bridesmaid, folks.

MURK
winds the gramophone once more. It again starts ‘Ich bete an die Macht der Liebe’: I’m the best possible fellow if only they’ll give me my head
.
Exeunt both, in close contact with each other
.

FRAU BALICKE
swishes in
,
in black
,
arranges her bonnet in front of the glass
: Such a huge moon and so red …And the children, dear God! Yes, yes …we’ve much to be thankful for in our prayers tonight.

At this point a man with a muddy dark blue artillery uniform and a stumpy pipe appears in the door
.

THE MAN
: The name is Kragler.

FRAU BALICKE
supports herself, with trembling knees
,
against the table the mirror is on
: Good heav …

KRAGLER
: Well, no need to look so supernatural. Did
you
chuck away good money on a wreath too? Pity. Beg to report: set up shop as a ghost in Algiers. But now the corpse is most horribly hungry. I could eat worms. What’s the matter, Ma Balicke? Idiotic song!
Stops the gramophone. Frau Balicke continues to say nothing and simply stares at him
.

KRAGLER
: Don’t faint all at once. Here’s a chair. There ought to be a glass of water about.
Goes humming to the cupboard
. Still know my way around pretty well.
Pours wine
.
Wine! Nierensteiner! Plenty of life in the old ghost, eh?
Sees to Frau Balicke
.

BALICKE
off
: Come along, old girl! On the move! How beautiful you are, my angel!
Comes in
,
stands taken aback
. Well?

KRAGLER:
Evening, Herr Balicke. Your wife’s not feeling well.
Tries to make her drink some wine, but she turns away in horror
.

Balicke looks on uncomfortably for a moment
.

KRAGLER:
Won’t you have some? You won’t? It’ll pass in a moment. No idea I was so fresh in the memory. Just back from Africa, you see. Spain, fiddle with passports, and all the rest of it. But where’s Anna?

BALICKE:
Leave my wife alone, for God’s sake. You’re drowning her.

KRAGLER:
As you say.

FRAU BALICKE
takes refuge with Balicke, who stands upright: Karl!

BALICKE
severely
: Herr Kragler, if you are the person you claim to be, would you mind telling me what you are doing here?

KRAGLER
shocked
: You realize I was a prisoner of war in Africa?

BALICKE:
Hell!
Goes to a small cupboard
,
drinks a schnaps
. That’s fine. You would be. A damned disgusting business! What d’you want? My daughter announced her engagement less than half an hour ago.

KRAGLER
staggers
,
a bit unsure
: What do you mean?

BALICKE:
You’ve been away four years. She’s waited four years. We’ve waited four years. Now time’s up and you’ve had your chance.

Kragler sits down
.

BALICKE
not quite firmly, unsure but making an effort to preserve his dignity: Herr Kragler, I have commitments this evening
.

KRAGLER
looking up: Commitments …? Distractedly. Yes …Slumps back
.

FRAU BALICKE:
Don’t take it too hard, Herr Kragler. There
are lots of other girls. That’s the way it is. You must grin and bear it.

KRAGLER:
Anna!

BALICKE
curtly
: Mrs!
She goes hesitantly to him, he suddenly firm
: Bah! Sentimental stuff, let’s go.
Exit with his wife. The maid appears in the door
.

KRAGLER:
Hm! …Shakes his head
.

MAID:
Herr and Frau Balicke have gone out.

Silence
.

Herr and Frau Balicke have gone to the Piccadilly Bar for the engagement party.

Silence. Wind
.

KRAGLER
looking up at her
: Hm!
He gets up slowly and laboriously, looks round the room. Walks around silently, with bent head, looks through the window, turns round, slowly takes himself off, whistling, without his cap
.

MAID:
Here! Your cap! You’ve left your cap behind!

Big window at the back. Music. In the window a red moon. When the door opens, wind
.

BABUSCH
: This way to the menagerie, folks! There’s plenty of moonlight. Up Spartacus! Bullshit! Red wine!

MURK
enters with Anna on his arm, they take off their things
: A night like in a story-book. Shouting round the newspaper offices. The coach bearing the happy couple.

ANNA
: It’s no good, I feel horrible today. I can’t control my arms and legs.

BABUSCH
: Cheers to that, Friedrich!

MURK
: This is where I’m at home. Damned uncomfortable in the long run but absolutely slap-up. Look after the older generation, will you, Babusch?

BABUSCH
: Right.
Drinks
. You look after the next.
Goes out
.

ANNA
: Kiss me.

MURK
: Nonsense. Half Berlin’s looking.

ANNA
: Doesn’t matter. Nothing matters when I want something. Don’t you find that?

MURK
: Not for a minute. Nor do you.

ANNA
: You’re common.

MURK
: That’s right.

ANNA
: Coward!
Murk rings, enter a waiter
.

MURK
: Atten … shun!
He leans across the table, knocking glasses

over, and forcibly kisses Anna
.

ANNA
: You!

MURK
: Dis … miss!
Exit waiter
. Am I a coward?
Looks under the table
. And you needn’t push your feet at me now.

ANNA
: What’s got into you?

MURK
: Honour and obey, that’s it.

BALICKE
enters with Babusch and Frau Balicke
: There they are. Service!

ANNA
: Where’ve you been?

FRAU BALICKE
: There’s such a red moon tonight. I’m quite upset because it’s so red. And more shouting round the newspaper offices.

BABUSCH
: Pack of wolves.

FRAU BALICKE
: See that you two get together.

BALICKE
: In bed, Friedrich, eh?

ANNA
: Mother, are you all right?

FRAU BALICKE
: When do you think of getting married?

MURK
: In three weeks, Mamma.

FRAU BALICKE
: Shouldn’t we have asked more people to come and celebrate? This way nobody knows. But they ought to know.

BALICKE
: Rubbish, I say, rubbish. Because the wolves are howling? Let them howl. Till their tongue hangs red between their knees. I’ll shoot them down, no question.

BABUSCH
: Murk, help me get the cork out.
Quietly to him
: He’s there. Arrived with the moon. The wolf with the moon. From Africa.

MURK
: Andy Kragler?

BABUSCH
: The wolf. Not funny, is it?

MURK
: He’s in his grave, that’s all. Pull the curtains.

FRAU BALICKE
: Every other doorway your father found a boozer to tumble into. He’s got a monkey on his back all right. There’s a man for you! What a man! He’ll drink himself to death for his children, that man will.

ANNA
: Yes, but what makes him do it?

FRAU BALICKE
: Don’t ask, child. Don’t ask me. Everything’s upside down. The world’s coming to an end. I must have a kirsch at once, child.

BALICKE
: That’s only the red moon, Mother. Draw the curtains !
Waiter does so
.

BABUSCH
: You had a hunch?

MURK
: I’m ready down to the last button. Has he been to their place?

G

BABUSCH
: Yes, just now.

MURK
: Then he’ll come here.

BALICKE
: What are you two cooking behind the bottles? Park yourselves here! Engagement party!
All sit around the table
. Get cracking! I haven’t time to feel tired.

ANNA
: Ha, the horse! Wasn’t that funny? The middle of the road, and he just stopped. Friedrich, get out, the horse has packed up. And then in the middle of the road the horse standing. And trembling. It had eyeballs like gooseberries, though, all white, and Friedrich prodded its eyes with a stick and made it hop. It was like a circus.

BALICKE
: Time’s money. It’s damned hot here. I’m sweating again. I’ve sweated one shirt through today already.

FRAU BALICKE
: You’ll land us in the workhouse with the laundry bills, the way things are going.

BABUSCH
munching prunes from his pocket
: Apricots are ten marks a pound now. Well, well. I shall write an article about prices. Then I’ll be able to buy apricots. Suppose the world does come to an end, I’ll write about it. But what are the others to do? If the whole Zoo district blows up I’ll be sitting pretty. But the people …!

MURK
: Shirts, apricots, the Zoo. When’s the wedding?

BALICKE
: In three weeks. Wedding in three weeks’ time. I have spoken. Heaven has heard it. We all agreed? All agreed about the wedding? Right, then ready, steady, go, the happy couple!
They clink glasses. The door has opened. Kragler stands in the doorway. The wind makes the candles flicker and dim
.

BALICKE
: Now, now, why so shaky with the glass? Like your mother, Anna?

Anna, who is sitting opposite the door, has seen Kragler. She sits hunched up and looks fixedly at him
.

FRAU BALICKE
: Good heavens, what’s made you fold up like that, child?

MURK
: What’s that wind?

KRAGLER
hoarsely
: Anna!

Anna gives a subdued scream. All now look round, leap to their feet. Tumult. Speaking at once
:

BALICKE
: Hell!
Pours wine down his gullet
. The ghost, Mother!

FRAU BALICKE
: God! Kra …

MURK
: Throw him out! Throw him out!

Kragler has remained swaying in the doorway for a moment; he looks sinister. During the short tumult he comes quite quickly but clumsily up to Anna, who is now sitting alone holding her glass shakily before her face, takes the glass away from her, props himself on the table, and stares at her
.

BALICKE
: He’s drunk.

MURK
: Waiter! This is a disturbance of the peace. Throw him out!
Runs along the wall, pulls back the curtain in the process. Moon
.

BABUSCH
: Be careful. He’s got raw flesh under his shirt still. It’s stinging him. Don’t touch him.
Bangs the table with his stick
. No scenes here, please. Leave quietly. Pull yourselves together and leave.

ANNA
has meanwhile left the table and throws her arms round her mother
: Mother! Help!

Kragler goes round the table unsteadily after Anna
.