FLORA DUB How peaceful they look, lying there! If she were still alive, she would remember me once, throwing flowers at her. He wasn’t particularly fond of floral parades, of course. If I’ve come, it’s to show them I’ve no hard feelings.
GRUMBLER (in foreground)
Almighty God, Lord over great and small,
You use small-minded men to test the great,
used this great man to test their pettiness.
Through that which he demanded and endured
he failed the test. Now You have called him home.
Was this Your purpose when you first devised
the blissful counterpoint of life and death?
And can the mortal foe, that rabid mob,
now storm the uplands of eternity?
Can grief no longer be a spark divine
when murderers proclaim it as their own,
making the blood they’ve shed a crimson jewel,
the tears of heartfelt grief a worthless paste,
a sham that Judas flaunts to hide his sneers?
If so, then we have reached the end of time
and face Your judgment. Let them pay the price
and everywhere the misbegotten feel
that it is finished! Let their blood be shed,
while mourning their demise with God’s own tears.
(Meanwhile the religious ceremony has begun with extreme solemnity. All the royal household assembled in the hall can be seen kneeling in prayer, the three children of the murder victims sobbing at the front. From time to time the priest’s voice can be heard. The organ begins to play. One of the ten, who have by now worked their way completely into the hall, suddenly turns to his neighbour and says in a loud voice)
JOURNALIST Where’s Szomory? We need atmosphere!
(The organ ceases to play. People pray silently, interrupted only by the sobbing of the three children.)
JOURNALIST (to his neighbour) DESCRIBE HOW THEY PRAY!
ACT I
Scene 1
Vienna, at the corner where the Kärntnerstrasse meets the Ring. Flags flying from windows. Soldiers march past to cheers. General euphoria in August 1914 after the ultimatum to Serbia has precipitated world war. Everyone wants to be part of the action.
NEWS VENDOR Ex-tra-aa edi-shun—!
SECOND NEWS VENDOR Ex-tra-aa edi-shun! Both communiqués!
DEMONSTRATOR (who has broken away from a group singing the Prince Eugene March. His face flushed and already quite hoarse, shouts uninterruptedly) Serbia — we’ll murder ’er! Serbia stinks! Up Habsburg! Hooray! Up Serbia!
INTELLECTUAL (spots the mistake, gives him a dig in the ribs) Eh? What do you think you’re—
DEMONSTRATOR (confused at first, thinks for a moment) Serbia — we’ll murder ’er! Serbia stinks! Up! Down with Habsburg! Serbia!
(A second group mills around, a prostitute among them, directly behind her a disreputable character trying to snatch her handbag.)
RUFFIAN (shouts continuously) Hurrah, hurrah!
PROSTITUTE Hands off! You scoundrel! Let go or I’ll—
RUFFIAN (lets go of her handbag) Why aren’t you cheering? Call yourself a patriot? A whore, that’s what you are, and don’t you forget it!
PROSTITUTE A bag-snatcher, that’s what you are!
RUFFIAN You slut! We’re at war, in case you didn’t know! A whore, that’s what you are!
FIRST PASSERBY United we stand, please! United we stand!
CROWD (beginning to take notice) She’s a whore! What did she say?
SECOND PASSERBY Blow me if she ain’t said summat against the House of Habsburg!
CROWD Grab her! Give her a thrashing! (The girl has managed to duck into a passageway and disappear.) Ah, let ’er go! That’s not our style. Up Habsburg!
FIRST REPORTER (to his companion) Quite an atmosphere! What’s going on?
SECOND REPORTER You ain’t seen nothing yet.
FIRST ARMY SUPPLIER (together with another, standing on a Ringstrasse bench) We can see them better from here. Don’t they look splendid marching past, our brave soldiers!
SECOND ARMY SUPPLIER Wasn’t it Bismarck who said — it’s in today’s paper — our boys, don’t you just want to kiss them?
FIRST ARMY SUPPLIER You know they’ve even called up Eisler’s eldest?
SECOND ARMY SUPPLIER Get away! Have you ever heard the like of it! And them so rich! Was there nothing they could do?
FIRST ARMY SUPPLIER Apparently they’re trying now. He’ll probably go up and wangle it.
SECOND ARMY SUPPLIER And if the worst comes to the worst — you wait and see, he’ll end up buying him that motorcar he’s always dreamt of.
FIRST ARMY SUPPLIER Though that can turn out badly, too.
FIRST PASSERBY How do you do, Director General!
THIRD PASSERBY (to his companion) Did you hear? Know who that is? A director general in plainclothes. He’s in charge of the generals, so watch what you say.
FIRST OFFICER (to three others) Evening Nowotny, evening Pokorny, evening Powolny — the very man! You know all about politics. Come on, tell us, what do you think?
SECOND OFFICER (with walking stick) Well, I put it all down to the encirclement.
THIRD OFFICER Y’know what? — That’s spot on.
FOURTH OFFICER Absolutely — I was at a bash in the mess last night—! D’you see the latest Schönpflug cartoon? Fantabulous!
THIRD OFFICER Y’know, the paper says war was unacceptable.
SECOND OFFICER Unpreventable, it said.
THIRD OFFICER Unpreventable, of course. I just misread it. Anyhow, what are your plans?
FOURTH OFFICER Well, with any luck I’ll get attached to the War Ministry.
FIRST OFFICER You’re a great one for the girls, you should join us. I went to hear Mela Mars at the Apollo last night — Novak of the 59th was telling me he’d heard I’d been put forward for a silver medal.
NEWS VENDOR Tagblatt! Great victory at Chabatz!
FOURTH OFFICER My congratulations — did you see her? Very tasty, and no mistake! — Hang on, I’ll just — (exit.)
THE OTHERS (calling after him) See you later at Hopfner’s, then!
A VIENNESE (holds forth, standing on a bench) — and so we had to avenge the Archduke’s ashes — no bullshitting! — and so, my fellow citizens, I say unto you — let us rise up as one, with banners fleeing, and unite with the Fatherland in its hour of destiny! Encircled as we are by enemies on all sides! We’re fighting a war of self-potence, I tell you, a lowly whore — I mean holy war! Behold our brave boys boldly confronting the enemy, regardless, behold them out in the field facing the foe head-on, answering the call of the Fatherland — and that means defying the vagaries of the weather — just look! And so I also say — if you count yourself a citizen, it’s your duty to chip in, however little — right away! Shoulder to shoulder, on the spot! And that means, follow their example, yes sir! And so I also say — stand together as one man! Let the enemy hear it loud and clear: it’s a lowly whore of self-potence! Like a phoenix we stand — that means, they can’t penetrate! We’re on top and Austria will arise like a phalanx from the all-consuming flames — if you ask me! We’ve been marched off to war in a just cause, no two ways about it, and that’s why I also say: Serbia — we’ll murder ’er!