Plays: the Father; Countess Julie; the Outlaw; the Stronger Part 34

THORFINN. Did you notice my wife?

ORM. I never notice other men's wives.

THORFINN. How kindly and mild she was.

ORM. She pitied you.

THORFINN. Pitied me?

ORM. Yes, because sorrow that laughs is the laughter of death, she thought.

THORFINN. Woman cannot think.

ORM. No, not with her head, but with her heart. That's why she has a smaller head but a bigger breast than we.

THORFINN. Forebodings of evil torture me.

ORM. Poor Thorfinn.

THORFINN. My child! Orm! When she comes do you bid her drink from the horn to Asa-Odin.

ORM. The fox scents against, the wind. I understand.

THORFINN. Be ready--they come.

ORM. Be not hard with the child, Thorfinn, or you will have me to reckon with.

[Valgerd and Gunlod enter. The latter heavy with sleepiness.]

GUNLoD. Welcome home, father.

THORFINN. Do you speak truthfully?

GUNLoD. [Silent.]

THORFINN. You are ill, are you not?

GUNLoD. I am not quite myself.

THORFINN. I fear so.

ORM [Waning a drinking horn over the fire]. Come, Gunlod, and empty this sacred horn to Odin who saved your father from s.h.i.+pwreck.

[All empty their horns except Gunlod.]

THORFINN [Tremblingly]. Drink, Gunlod.

[Gunlod throws the horn on floor and goes to Thorfinn and buries her head in his lap.]

GUNLoD. Hear me, father. I am a Christian. Do with me what you will--my soul you cannot destroy. G.o.d and the Saints will protect it.

[Thorfinn is beside himself with grief and rage. Rises and pushes Gunlod away from him and tries to speak, but words fail him. Sits on his high bench again in silence. Orm goes to the women and speaks quietly to them. They go toward door. Suddenly Gunlod turns.]

GUNLoD. No! I won't go. I must speak that you, my father, may not go to the grave with a lie--for your whole life has been a lie! I shall sacrifice the child's respect--love I have never felt--and prove to you what terrible guilt you have gathered on your head. Know then, you have taught me to hate--for when did you ever give me love--you taught me to fear the great Erl Thorfinn and you have succeeded, because I tremble before your harshness. I respect your many scars and great deeds, but you never taught me to love my father. You always thrust me away when I wanted to come to you--you poisoned my soul and now you see G.o.d's punishment. You have made me a criminal--for such I am at this moment, but it cannot be otherwise. Why do you hate my belief? Because it is love and yours is hate! Oh, father, father, I want to kiss the clouds from your brow. I wanted to caress your white locks and make you forget the sorrows that whitened them. I wanted to support you when your steps began to falter--Oh! forget what I have said--open your arms [falls on her knees] and take me to your heart. Look at me tenderly--just once before it is too late. Speak one word--[springs to her feet] Oh, your glance freezes me! You will not! I shall pray for power to love you.

[Bursts into tears and goes out, followed by Valgerd, Orm goes forward to Thorfinn.]

THORFINN. Sing for me, Orm.

ORM. Orm sings nothing but lies.

THORFINN. Lie then.

ORM. Was the truth so bitter?

THORFINN. What do you say?

ORM. Never mind. You shall hear more from me later.

THORFINN. Orm, you are my friend!

ORM. H'm--of course!

THORFINN. I lack peace.

ORM. There are two ways to gain peace: one is never to do anything one regrets--the other never to regret anything one does!

THORFINN. But if one has already done what one regrets?

ORM. Thorfinn! That is to say, you regret your harshness toward your child?

THORFINN [Angry]. I regret nothing. And as far as the child is concerned you had better hold your tongue!

ORM. Hear you, Thorfinn--have you ever thought about what your life has been?

THORFINN. Thinking is for old women--doing has been my life.

ORM. What do you intend to do now?

THORFINN. What do I intend to do now?

ORM. Yes.

THORFINN [Shaken, is silent.]

ORM. You see how even a little thought struck you--think then if a big thought should come. Why don't you dare to look back? Because you are afraid of the sights you would see.

THORFINN. Let the past remain buried.

ORM. No, I shall tear the corpses from their graves and they shall stare at you with their empty orbits until you quake with anguish and fear--and you shall see that with all your strength you were not a man.