by Torsten Schwanke
SUSANNA
SABINA
A maid
A servant
Nun
Choir of nuns
A rat
Nightingales, Moonlight, Wind and Blossoms
Scene: Monastery church
(Trembling streaks of moonlight; in the depths of the high altar the eternal light, in the niche at the front left of the wall in front of the image of the Crucified, a massive burning candle. Susanna lies in prayer before the flower-decorated altar of the Queen of Heaven, which stands at right angles in the niche next to the Crucifix altar, her forehead resting on the lowest step, her arms spread across the upper steps.)
SABINA
(a few steps behind her)
Sancta Susanna!...
(She puts her hand on Susanna's shoulder. Susanna straightens up.)
SABINA
Night has fallen!....
SUSANNA
(distant)
There is a sound...
SABINA
The organ resounds!...
SUSANNA
I feel...
As if bottomless depths sounded...
And heavenly heights...
SABINA
You come here...
You are with God!
SUSANNA
I... was...
SABINA
You are ill...
You are praying...
You are barely alive on this earth...
You have a body too!
(Susanna rises, stares at her)
SABINA
(Puts her arm around her…)
Come!
(The tower clock chimes brightly once; the night wind shakes the windows, the branches rustle.)
SABINA
(Inside herself)
Hail Mary!...
SUSANNA
(Starts up)
Who is speaking?
SABINA
The night wind throws the flowers
Against the windows.
SUSANNA
Something was calling...
SABINA
The tower clock struck...
I said Hail Mary...
A window bangs, the night wind breaks in
With a singing, fading sound;
Leaves and branches rustle
And rustle down to a whispering murmur.
(Susanna turns to the dark choir, hands stretched downwards from her body, silent.)
SABINA
A window pops open!...
I'll close it!
SUSANNA
Let her go...
(She breathes heavily)
SABINA
The great lilac bush -
Can you smell the blossoms?
(She breathes...)
They smell all the way here!
It blooms in white and red umbels...
Oh... such umbels...!
I will have it torn away...
Tomorrow... if it bothers you!
SUSANNA
It doesn't bother me...
It blooms!...
(A woman's voice chokes in lust.)
SABINA
The meadow under the flowers!
I will forbid the path...
SUSANNA
(Listens)
She... is not alone!
(Sabina crosses herself)
SUSANNA
(Breathes heavily, starts to cross herself, but the movement freezes.)
Whether she... would come?!
SABINA
Who?!...
SUSANNA
Hm.
(Sabina folds her hands, startled.)
SUSANNA
(Puts her hand on the bedchair.)
I... want her... in conscience... to speak...
(Sabina folds her hands, lowers her head and leaves. A trap door closes softly)
SUSANNA
She...
(A woman's scream of terror fades; the branches rustle.)
SUSANNA
Lilacs are blooming!...
(The trap-door closes softly with a wafting resonance; softly shuffling footsteps approach. Maid behind Sabina, trembling, looking round shyly, hands folded.)
SUSANNA
Hail Mary!...
(Maid sinks to her knees, bent low to the floor.)
SUSANNA
Child!...
MAID
(Lifts her head and stares at her.)
I... I don't know!
(She bursts out crying and slides against the centre pillar with her hands folded, trying to hide behind it.)
SUSANNA
I mean you no harm!
You were... under the Lilacs?!...
MAID
(Has become very quiet, stares at Susanna.)
I… would not!…
He… would!...
(She lowers her head)
SUSANNA
(Heavy)
He?!...
MAID
(Raises her head and stares at her, then laughs brightly.)
My William... holy one...
(She pauses, startled, shyly crouching; the laughter and the words echo from the vault... twice... three times... in a jumble... in disappearing ghostly echoes. - Susanna looks at her motionlessly; then she is overcome by a sudden, silvery laughter that fills her whole figure with life; the laughter echoes from the vaults in silver bells and melts away in trembling wings.)
SUSANNA
(Goes to the maid, puts her hand on her shoulder, lifts her head and looks her in the face.)
Get up!...
(Maid stands up with folded hands.)
SUSANNA
Do you really love him?
MAID
(Clasps her fingers together, shy, laughing softly, ashamed)
Oh... holy mother... oh...
SUSANNA
I... want to see him...
(Sabina raises her hand. The maid stares at Sabina and shudders. A loud pounding on the door in the choir... three times... and a shouting voice. Everyone flinches. Sabina drops her arm.)
MAID
(In liberating, restrained jubilation)
The is he!
(Sabina goes into the choir; a key closes heavily, a door creaks and falls dully into the lock, a restrained male voice speaks angrily. Heavy footsteps endeavour in vain to muffle the sound. A young servant, cap turning in his hand, standing in the centre between the pillars, eyes lowered shyly to the ground, with timid defiance.
SERVANT
I want to get my girl!
(Sabina emerges from the darkness behind him. Susanna stares at him, then suddenly turns round and goes to the altar. Deep silence, the girl creeps to the servant; he puts his arm around her; with shy, booming steps, the two leave, followed by Sabina. The key locks, the door creaks open, a gust of wind rumbles between the pews, the door slams shut, the key screams. The candle in front of the Crucifix goes out, flickering and trembling. Susanna stares into the darkness, from which the white face of Sabina now floats closer between the bed chairs.)
SUSANNA
(Cries out)
Satan!... Satan!...
(Sabina stands paralysed for a moment, then rushes forward and stands in front of Susanna with her hands clasped in convulsions.)
SABINA
Susanna!!!
(Susanna puts her hand on Sabina's shoulder and bows her head.)
SABINA
(Shaken)
Sister Susanna!... Sister!...
You must rest!
(She wants to lead her away.)
SUSANNA
(Sits down on the steps of the altar.)
Light the candle!
SABINA
What?
SUSANNA
Light it...
(Sabina takes a wax stick from the niche and goes into the choir; she turns back in a confused hurry.)
SUSANNA
What is...?!
SABINA
(In breathy fear)
I... can't...!
(She pushes very close to Susanna. Susanna rises and looks into the darkness.)
SABINA
(crouches down on the steps)
I don't... it's blowing... it's going...
SUSANNA
The night wind...
SABINA
It's humming... it knocks...
SUSANNA
The organ... the flowers...
(She takes the wax stick from her hand)
SABINA
Sancta Susanna...
(Crouches down and cramps her hands in front of her face. Susanna walks slowly forwards between the prayer chairs, where she disappears completely into the darkness; the eternal light fades behind her figure. From the darkness, a light slowly approaches at the same height, the light of the wax stick that Susanna carries in front of her. Susanna lights the candle.)
SABINA
(Rests her head on her hand)
It was a night... it was a night...
like this... thirty... forty years...
it was a night like this...
(She stands up rigidly, gazes into the void and raises her hand imploringly. Susanna turns round and stares at SABINA.)
SABINA
The night wind sang...
SUSANNA
The... night wind... sang...?
SABINA
The... blossoms... beat.
SUSANNA
The... blossoms... beat...?
SABINA
And I was young...
SUSANNA
Young...?
SABINA
Consecrated to the Lord...
(Susanna lowers her head to her chest.(
SABINA
Here I was on my knees... like... you...
(A nightingale strikes loudly)
SABINA
(She cries out hoarsely)
Blessed one!...
(She covers her face with her arms and drops her arms. Susanna lifts her head, stares at her with wide, frightened eyes.)
SABINA
(the words pressed, staring into space)
Pale... without breast veil and headband...
Naked... so she came...
(A nightingale lures from afar.)
SABINA
Therefore...
(She points to the right with a stiff arm)
She walked up the steps...
And didn't see me...
She climbed the altar...
And did not see me...
In hot haste...
She pressed her naked body
Against the Crucified...
And did not see me...
She embraced him with her white-hot arms
And kissed his head...
And kissed... and kissed...
(The two nightingales cheer near and far, loud and persistent.)
SABINA
(Crying out)
Blessed one... I called... I only called her...!
Then she fell down... she fell...
(The nightingales suddenly fall silent.)
SABINA
We carried her away...
Her upper body half-turned
Towards the Crucified
And her hands stretched out ...
Since then the candle has been burning...
Eternally... the candle of atonement...
Since then the scarf girds the loins...
The loins... there...
(She points into the darkness behind the Crucifix.)
There she... she... walled in...
Flesh and blood... in wall and stone...
Do you hear her?!... do you hear...?!
I heard... I heard her... for a long time...
Always... earlier...
(She points into the darkness to the high altar.)
There...
(Just puts her hands in front of her face.)
Almighty Father in Heaven!...
(The candle has gone out.)
SUSANNA
(Stares)
I've lit it again!....
(She rests her hand on the altar. Sabina slowly lowers her hands and stares at her. A rat crawls out of the darkness.)
SABINA
(Sinks to her knees in horror, pointing at the rat.)
The... rat!...
(Susanna turns her head towards the rat and stands spellbound in paralysing trembling. The rat runs across the altar and disappears on the other side behind the crucifix.)
SUSANNA
(Turns to Sabina after a while, trembling and shuddering, takes her hand from the altar in a mechanical movement... her hands stretched away from her body to the floor... freezing…)
Do you hear it...?
SABINA
(Horrified)
Do you... hear...=
SUSANNA
You... hear...
The voice...
SABINA
I... hear... nothing!
(She makes a move to scream, but remains hoarse with horror.)
I hear... nothing!
SUSANNA
(Ghostly repeats)
Confess!... confess!...
(she stands with her back against the cross.)
He... says... what?!...
SABINA
(in utter horror)
What...?!
(Susanna moves her head towards the cross.)
SABINA
(Folds her hands, stammering)
Hail... Mary...
SUSANNA
He says nothing...?
(Sabina shakes her head in mute horror. Susanna extinguishes the wax stick that is still burning in her hand and places it on the altar, performing all the movements mechanically; then she steps down from the altar... step by step... silently... stops close to Sabina. Susanna briefly laughs with silvery happiness... a delicate polyphonic echo mingles with the fading singing of the wind and the rustling of the branches... tears off her breast veil, headscarf and bandage; her long hair falls over her bare shoulders.)
Sister Sabina... I am beautiful...!
(The wind blows strongly, the branches rustle violently and the nightingales chirp brightly. Sabina sinks to her knees, her folded hands raised high.)
SUSANNA
Sister Sabina... I am beautiful!...
SABINA
Sancta Susanna!...
SUSANNA
Sister Sabina... I am...
SABINA
(Rises stiffly and rigidly, becoming firmer with every word)
Chastity... Poverty... Obedience...
(Susanna falls silent, staring at her, her hand heavy on the bedchair. Sabina walks firmly past her into the darkness; the window slams shut violently, the jubilant song of the nightingales, the rustling of the trees and the singing of the wind dies away abruptly. Sabina returns.)
SUSANNA
(Jumps up and grabs her by the window)
The window...
(Sabinba lifts the large cross of the rosary towards her.)
SUSANNA
(staggers, staring at the cross, step by step back to the altar.)
I... I see the... shining body...!...
I see... Him descending...
I... feel His arms spread...
SABINA
(Holds up the cross.)
Chastity... Poverty... Obedience...
(Each word echoes clearly from the vaults, finally all three blurring into one another and fading away.)
SUSANNA
(Cries out and stares round)
Who is speaking?....
SABINA
Me!
SUSANNA
I... never said that!...
(Sabina holds the cross out to her.)
SUSANNA
(Tears the loincloth from the Crucified)
So help me my saviour against you!
(She sinks to her knees and looks up at Him. The rat falls down behind the arm of the cross into her hair. Susanna screams and hits her forehead on the altar. The rat crawls over the altar and disappears behind it. The St. Michael's bell rings loudly through the vaults, interspersed with the muffled chime of the twelfth hour. Susanna stops, runs her hands wildly through her hair and crawls down the steps of the altar on all fours, fleeing in horror. With the last chime of the hour, the Horebell falls silent.)
SABINA
(Lowers the cross)
Hail Mary!...
A new day!...
(Susanna crouches on the lowest altar step with a stubborn look on her face. Soft footsteps shuffle and murmur prayers. The procession of nuns enters.)
NUN
Kyrie eleison...
CHOIR
Kyrie eleison…
NUN
Regina coeli...
CHOIR
Ora pro nobis...
NUN
Virgo virginum...
CHOIR
Ora pro nobis...
(The moonlight, which until now fell in bright streaks through the windows and cast bluish lights on the prayer chairs, goes out; it becomes completely dark. The nuns come forward to the holy water font, falter as they come across Sabina, who stands motionless in the centre aisle between the pillars and looks at Susanna. The prayer falls silent; the nuns gather in silent movement in a wide semi-circle around Susanna; finally they all stand still in silent awe.)
NUN
(silently takes a step forward)
Sancta... Susanna!...
(Susanna strikes upwards straight as an arrow.)
NUN
(Lowers her head)
Sancta Susanna...!
SUSANNA
There are stones behind the courtyard...
(Old nun looks up.)
SUSANNA
(Firmly)
You shall straighten the wall for me!...
(The old nun slowly sinks to her knees, spreading her arms wide. The choir follows her. Sabina stands rigidly looking at Susanna.)
SUSANNA
(Suddenly strong)
Yes, O Jesus!...
(Old nun jumps up. Choir follows her. Old nun lifts the cross of her rosary over her head. Choir follows her.)
NUN
Confess!...
SUSANNA
Yes.
SABINA
(Lifts the cross)
SABINA and NUN
Confession!
SUSANNA
Yes...
SABINA and NUN
Confession!
(The word echoes three times from the vaults, the church windows tremble, the storm howls outside.)
SUSANNA
Yes!
(The echo of the word is swallowed up by the previous one.)
NUN
(in ecstasy)
Lord Jesus!
NUN and SABINA
Lord Jesus!
NUN and SABINA and CHOIR
Lord Jesus!....
(Echo.)
(Susanna stands tall, in pristine majesty.=