Scene 15 by Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux Lyrics
15
CARISE, EGLÉ
CARISE (Approaches and looks at EGLÉ who is dreaming.): What are you dreaming about?
EGLÉ: I’m dreaming I’m not in a good mood.
CARISE: Are you sad?
EGLÉ: I’m not sad at all, I’m over sensitive.
CARISE: About what?
EGLÉ: You told us before that when you are with someone you never know what’s going to happen?
CARISE: That’s correct.
EGLÉ: Well, I don’t know what’s going to happen to me.
CARISE: But what’s the matter with you?
EGLÉ: I suppose I’m angry with myself: I’m angry with Azor — I don’t know what’s the matter with me.
CARISE: Why angry with yourself?
EGLÉ: Because I had a plan I was going to love Azor forever, and now I’m afraid I’m not going to.
CARISE: Would that be possible?
EGLÉ: Yes — and I’m angry with Azor, because it’s his behaviour that started it.
CARISE: I suspect you want to quarrel with him.
EGLÉ: You just carry on answering me like that every time, I’ll be angry with you too in a minute.
CARISE: You are in a bad mood; what has Azor done to you?
EGLÉ: What has he done? We agree to separate, he goes, he comes back, immediately, he wants to be there all the time, and in the end what you told him would happen to him will happen.
CARISE: What? You’ll stop loving him?
EGLÉ: Of course; if the pleasure of seeing each other goes when you’ve had it too often, is that my fault?
CARISE: You told us you were sure that could never happen.
EGLÉ: Don’t split hairs with me; what did I know? I was sure because I was ignorant.
CARISE: Eglé, it can’t be his overeagerness to see you that makes his proximity so irksome, you haven’t known him long enough.
EGLÉ: Quite a while; we’ve already had three conversations together, and apparently it’s prolonged encounters that are forbidden.
CARISE: You still haven’t said what actual wrong he’s done.
EGLÉ: Oh! He’s done the odd one or two, he’s done I don’t know how many: number one, he forbids me; my hands are mine, I think, they belong to me, and he decides they shouldn’t be kissed.
CARISE: And who was it wanted to kiss them?
EGLÉ: Some friend he’d acquired all of a sudden, he’s called Man.
CARISE: And he’s attractive.
EGLÉ: Oh! Gorgeous, nicer than Azor, and he even offered to stay and keep my company; and that lunatic Azore wouldn’t let him have either the hand, or the company, told him off and dragged him away all of a sudden, without asking what I wanted: Ah! ah! So I don’t run my own life right now, I can’t be trusted now, afraid someone might love me now he is?
CARISE: No, but he is afraid that his friend might attract you.
EGLÉ: Well, all he’s got to do is attract me more then, because if it’s a question of being loved, I’m very happy to be, is that clear, and if instead of one friend, he had a hundred, I’d want them all to love me, that’s what I like; he wants me beautiful just for him, and I, I think that I should be anybody’s.
CARISE: Listen; your loathing for Azor has got nothing to do with all that, but it has got everything to do with the fat that you currently love his friend more than you do him.
EGLÉ: D’you think so? I suppose you could be right?
CARISE: Eh! Tell me, don’t you feel any shame at all about being unfaithful?
EGLÉ: Apparently yes; I’m blushing; I’m still ignorant that way you see.
CARISE: Ignorance has nothing to do with it; you promised, and often, to be faithful to him.
EGLÉ: Listen, when I promised that, he was the only one, he shouldn’t have stayed the only one, I didn’t count on there being a friend.
CARISE: Admit it, that’s no argument for changing your mind — as you yourself once pointed out.
EGLÉ: Alright, it’s not up to much; but there is one really good one, which is that the friend’s better than Azor.
CARISE: Still fooling yourself; the reason you prefer him is not that he’s better, it’s that he’s new.
EGLÉ: A quite considerable advantage, don’t you think; or doesn’t being new count? Doesn’t being someone else count? At least it’s fun, it’s attractive in a way Azor isn’t.
CARISE: Plus the new arrival is going to fall in love with you.
EGLÉ: Exactly, he is going to fall in love with me, I hope, that’s rather attractive too.
CARISE: Whereas Azor isn’t going to fall in love with you.
EGLÉ: Well no, he loves me already.
CARISE: What a funny reason for a change of heart! I’d lay good money you’re not happy with it.
EGLÉ: I’m not happy with anything; on the one hand changing hurts, on the other, it’s a pleasure; I can’t stop myself feeling one any more than the other. They both matter to me; which do I owe most? Should I hurt myself? Should I please myself? Tell me. I dare you.
CARISE: Ask your heart; it’ll tell you how much it hates infidelity.
EGLÉ: You’re not listening; my heart hates it, my heart recommends it, it says yes, it says no, it’s in two minds; and all I’ve got to do is choose the most convenient option.
CARISE: Do you know what you should do? Avoid Azor’s friend; let’s go, come on, you don’t have to struggle like this —
EGLÉ (Seeing MESRIN coming.): No; but we’ve left it too late: look, the struggle’s on it’s way over — the friend is unavoidable.
CARISE: Never mind, force yourself, be brave, don’t look at him.
CARISE, EGLÉ
CARISE (Approaches and looks at EGLÉ who is dreaming.): What are you dreaming about?
EGLÉ: I’m dreaming I’m not in a good mood.
CARISE: Are you sad?
EGLÉ: I’m not sad at all, I’m over sensitive.
CARISE: About what?
EGLÉ: You told us before that when you are with someone you never know what’s going to happen?
CARISE: That’s correct.
EGLÉ: Well, I don’t know what’s going to happen to me.
CARISE: But what’s the matter with you?
EGLÉ: I suppose I’m angry with myself: I’m angry with Azor — I don’t know what’s the matter with me.
CARISE: Why angry with yourself?
EGLÉ: Because I had a plan I was going to love Azor forever, and now I’m afraid I’m not going to.
CARISE: Would that be possible?
EGLÉ: Yes — and I’m angry with Azor, because it’s his behaviour that started it.
CARISE: I suspect you want to quarrel with him.
EGLÉ: You just carry on answering me like that every time, I’ll be angry with you too in a minute.
CARISE: You are in a bad mood; what has Azor done to you?
EGLÉ: What has he done? We agree to separate, he goes, he comes back, immediately, he wants to be there all the time, and in the end what you told him would happen to him will happen.
CARISE: What? You’ll stop loving him?
EGLÉ: Of course; if the pleasure of seeing each other goes when you’ve had it too often, is that my fault?
CARISE: You told us you were sure that could never happen.
EGLÉ: Don’t split hairs with me; what did I know? I was sure because I was ignorant.
CARISE: Eglé, it can’t be his overeagerness to see you that makes his proximity so irksome, you haven’t known him long enough.
EGLÉ: Quite a while; we’ve already had three conversations together, and apparently it’s prolonged encounters that are forbidden.
CARISE: You still haven’t said what actual wrong he’s done.
EGLÉ: Oh! He’s done the odd one or two, he’s done I don’t know how many: number one, he forbids me; my hands are mine, I think, they belong to me, and he decides they shouldn’t be kissed.
CARISE: And who was it wanted to kiss them?
EGLÉ: Some friend he’d acquired all of a sudden, he’s called Man.
CARISE: And he’s attractive.
EGLÉ: Oh! Gorgeous, nicer than Azor, and he even offered to stay and keep my company; and that lunatic Azore wouldn’t let him have either the hand, or the company, told him off and dragged him away all of a sudden, without asking what I wanted: Ah! ah! So I don’t run my own life right now, I can’t be trusted now, afraid someone might love me now he is?
CARISE: No, but he is afraid that his friend might attract you.
EGLÉ: Well, all he’s got to do is attract me more then, because if it’s a question of being loved, I’m very happy to be, is that clear, and if instead of one friend, he had a hundred, I’d want them all to love me, that’s what I like; he wants me beautiful just for him, and I, I think that I should be anybody’s.
CARISE: Listen; your loathing for Azor has got nothing to do with all that, but it has got everything to do with the fat that you currently love his friend more than you do him.
EGLÉ: D’you think so? I suppose you could be right?
CARISE: Eh! Tell me, don’t you feel any shame at all about being unfaithful?
EGLÉ: Apparently yes; I’m blushing; I’m still ignorant that way you see.
CARISE: Ignorance has nothing to do with it; you promised, and often, to be faithful to him.
EGLÉ: Listen, when I promised that, he was the only one, he shouldn’t have stayed the only one, I didn’t count on there being a friend.
CARISE: Admit it, that’s no argument for changing your mind — as you yourself once pointed out.
EGLÉ: Alright, it’s not up to much; but there is one really good one, which is that the friend’s better than Azor.
CARISE: Still fooling yourself; the reason you prefer him is not that he’s better, it’s that he’s new.
EGLÉ: A quite considerable advantage, don’t you think; or doesn’t being new count? Doesn’t being someone else count? At least it’s fun, it’s attractive in a way Azor isn’t.
CARISE: Plus the new arrival is going to fall in love with you.
EGLÉ: Exactly, he is going to fall in love with me, I hope, that’s rather attractive too.
CARISE: Whereas Azor isn’t going to fall in love with you.
EGLÉ: Well no, he loves me already.
CARISE: What a funny reason for a change of heart! I’d lay good money you’re not happy with it.
EGLÉ: I’m not happy with anything; on the one hand changing hurts, on the other, it’s a pleasure; I can’t stop myself feeling one any more than the other. They both matter to me; which do I owe most? Should I hurt myself? Should I please myself? Tell me. I dare you.
CARISE: Ask your heart; it’ll tell you how much it hates infidelity.
EGLÉ: You’re not listening; my heart hates it, my heart recommends it, it says yes, it says no, it’s in two minds; and all I’ve got to do is choose the most convenient option.
CARISE: Do you know what you should do? Avoid Azor’s friend; let’s go, come on, you don’t have to struggle like this —
EGLÉ (Seeing MESRIN coming.): No; but we’ve left it too late: look, the struggle’s on it’s way over — the friend is unavoidable.
CARISE: Never mind, force yourself, be brave, don’t look at him.