Синяя птица / The blue Bird. Уровень 1

Where are your father and mother?

Tyltyl (pointing to the door on the right). They’re sleeping there.

The Fairy. And your grandfather and grandmother?

Tyltyl. They’re dead.

The Fairy. And your little brothers and sisters. Have you any?

Tyltyl. Oh, yes; three little brothers.

Mytyl. And four little sisters.

The Fairy. Where are they?

Tyltyl. They are dead, too.

The Fairy. Would you like to see them again?

Tyltyl. Oh, yes! At once! Show them to us!

The Fairy. I don’t have them in my pocket.

But you will see them when you go through the Land of Memory. It’s on the way to the Blue Bird, just on the left. What were you doing when I knocked?

Tyltyl. We were eating cakes.

The Fairy. Have you any cakes? Where are they?

Tyltyl. In the house of the rich children. We were just playing. Come and look, it’s so lovely. (He drags the Fairy to the window).

The Fairy (at the window). Do you envy them?

Tyltyl. Why?

The Fairy. Because they are eating the cakes.

Tyltyl. Not at all; they’re rich. But isn’t it beautiful over there?

The Fairy. It’s no more beautiful there than here.

Tyltyl. It’s darker here and smaller and there are no cakes.

The Fairy. It’s exactly the same, only you can’t see.

Tyltyl. Yes, I can; and I have very good eyes. I can see the time on the church clock and daddy can’t.

The Fairy (angrily). I tell you that you can’t see! How do you see me? Well, answer me, will you? I want to know if you can see! Am I pretty or ugly? (The silence).

Won’t you answer? Am I young or old? Are my cheeks pink or yellow? Perhaps you’ll say I have a hump?

Tyltyl. No, no; it’s not a big one.

The Fairy. Oh. Have I a hook nose? Did I lose one of my eyes?

Tyltyl. Oh, no, I don’t say that. Who put it out?

The Fairy (more and more irritated). Nobody! You wretched, impudent boy! That eye is much finer than the other; it’s bigger and brighter and blue as the sky. And my hair, do you see that? It’s fair as the corn in the fields, it’s like gold! Do you see it on my hands?

Tyltyl.

Yes, I see a little.

The Fairy (indignantly). A little! Sheaves! Armfuls! Waves of gold! I know there are people who say that they don’t see any; but you’re not one of those wicked, blind people, I can hope?

Tyltyl. Oh, no; I can see your own hair.

The Fairy. People are very odd! Since the death of the fairies, they see nothing at all.