that help me
to keep the situation
under controclass="underline" He now raises his tone. The light becomes brighter. The other Kaspars are still silent. Everyone must be free
Everyone must be part of the scene
Everyone must know what he
wants
for the nonce
no one
may miss the drill
no one
may kill
himself in the morning
everyone must do his living
everyone must do his best
everyone must reach the rest
no one may walk across bodies
no one may stand in the lobbies
everyone must be able to spy
into everyone’s eye
everyone must grant
everyone
what is his. The other Kaspars on the sofa begin to emit peculiar noises whose significance is unmistakable. The audience hears suggestions of stylized sobbing, imitation wind sounds, giggling. Everyone must be
his own man
everyone must see
to the bottom of the can
everyone must watch firmly
the other’s lips
no one may blindly
trust the other’s flips
everyone must see
the other’s good side too
no one may willy
nilly
pooh pooh
what pleases
the other one
everyone
must let
himself be led
no one may let
lies to be spread
about anyone. To some extent simultaneously with Kaspar l’s speaking, the audience hears grumbling, croaking, lamenting, falsetto singing, owl-like hooting coming from behind him. Everyone must work
on himself
everyone must shirk quarreling
with his inner self
or with others
everyone must not forget to care for others
everyone must think of the future and share
everyone must feel
everyone must feel
secure The audience hears rustling, leaves slapping against each other, ululations, roaring, laughter, humming, purring, warbling, and a single sharp scream. Everyone must wash his hands before eating
everyone must empty his pockets before a beating
in jail
no one may dump his pail
on his own doorstep
no one may eat out of the other’s lap
everyone must care for his brother
everyone must be combed for the meal mother
no one may let the other whimper and wail
everyone must lend a fingernail
no one may drink coffee
from the saucer or sink
everyone must wave to his neighbor and wink
everyone must cut his nails before lunch
no one may make life a misery for the other bunch
no one may soil
the clean doilies
everyone must clean his nose
everyone should smell like a rose
no one may make fools of others with jokes
no one may laugh at other blokes
no one may laugh at others
no one may tickle
during the burial
no one may scribble
on toilet walls no one may crinkle
the law books
everyone must listen to everyone
everyone must feel for everyone
everyone must tell everyone his name In the meantime, the noises and sounds in the background have risen to such an extent that Kaspar in front must raise his voice more and more. At the end of his rhymes, the other Kaspars are still sitting quietly on the sofa — trilling, twittering, clearing their throats, groaning, heckling, etc. But these sounds have let Kaspar’s speech become so loud that the last words resemble the thunderous ending of a speech.
LXIII
The Kaspars in back are quiet for the moment. Kaspar in front begins to sing, perhaps falsetto. Slowly but surely the prompters chime in, in canon fashion, which, however, is not resolved. They sing softly and delicately, so that Kaspar is intelligible throughout. Kaspar sings like a true believer. No one may bite the fork with his teeth no one may mention murderers at dinner no one may transport private persons in the official car everyone must be worth everyone’s while no one may call a man by another man’s name no one may live unregistered everyone should buy heavy goods only on the way home no one may ridicule anyone just because he has thick lips no one may tap anyone on the shoulder no one may stick a knife between anyone’s ribs everyone must call a cop on the street officer sir The Kaspars in back also sing along, but not words, only sounds. Nor do they really sing. They screech, yodel, buzz, trumpet, draw snot into their noses, smack their lips, grunt, burp, ululate, etc.: all of it in rhythm with the song. Now they grow gradually louder. None of the furniture may catch dust no hungry man may stand in line and rest no adolescent may loiter no beanpole may reach the height of the high- voltage wires no flag may flutter like a goiter in the wrong direction all morality must come into being I trust during work every animal that remains what it is must yield to the animal that sheds its skin on the field every word that does not mean well must be cut. The Kaspars in back become louder still. One of them unwraps his package, the paper rustling loudly in the process, takes a nail file from the package and begins filing his nails. Another Kaspar repeats the process, rustling the paper even more loudly and taking an even bigger file out of his package to file his nails with. Filing noises can already be heard. No elbow on the table no fish with the knife no parasite with the fingers no spoon with its side to the mouth no solace for tired eyes no truffles uncooked every bum in jaiclass="underline" kill every paradox Kaspar I is speaking again: The prompters sing what Kaspar utters, and the other Kaspars squeak, bark, make the sounds ofrain and storm, blow up bubble gum till it bursts, etc. No shit on a real stick no genuine finger for licking every fresh fish for frying every true person in the clear about everything every truly healthy fruit fling in the can everything unessential down the drain
LXIV
He stops speaking. There is silence. Then Kaspar says: What was it
that
I said
just now?
If I only knew
what it is
that I said
just now!
If I only knew
what I said