Tímarit Þjóðræknisfélags Íslendinga - 01.01.1963, Page 88

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TÍMARIT ÞJÓÐRÆKNISFÉLAGS ÍSLENDINGA
myself that my human nature keeps
me from doing what I want, isn’t
there reason to believe that I shall
be able to live a truly integrated
life—the life of the spirit alone—
only after the soul has departed the
body?
Firejly: It is much more urgent for
you to ascertain whether you can’t
live in spiritual and physical har-
mony. I know you desire to change
so that you can be happy, but the
will is weaker than weakness itself.
The only lasting change is the one
which is not subject to your will,
because such a change is consistent
with yourself.
Worm: But involuntary changes are
engendered by influences from with-
out.
Firefly: Yes, imagine that Butterfly
refused to go with you, left you, and
took up with Ant, your master and
enemy.
Worm: I can’t imagine anything so
preposterous.
Firefly: What would you do in the
event it happened?
Worm: I should turn my back on
her, despise her, thrust her out of
my mind, and kneel before you.
Firefly: You don’t know how you
would react. Perhaps you would do
what you least expected, something
you thought you couldn’t do or didn’t
have in you. Circumstances produce
from the secret place which man is,
various unexpected and unknown
reactions, just as new undertakings
call forth previously unkown talents.
Worm: Hush! Hush! There come
Ant and Butterfly. (Points to the
right.) And good God help me—
they are walking hand in hand.
Firefly: The type of love you have
for her she can of course find in
others. Why should she make any
sacrifices for the sake of your love?
In many ways, Ant surpasses you:
he has a strong and sound body; be-
sides, he is your master. Butterfly is
swayed by such considerations.
Worm: She is obviously not going to
keep her promise to accompany me.
Firefly: Don’t kneel now, but come
quickly; I will go with you. (Goes
out to the left.)
Worm: Yes. (Follows her hesitat-
ingly.) No— (Stpos; looks back;
takes the hoe and begins hoeing.)
Ant and Butterfly enter from the
right; he is wearing dark-brown,
tight-fitting clothes; she, a grey
dress with dark-red trimming.
Ant: It could be said that I own
every bone in Worm’s body; I have
kept him alive and have had him
with me since he was young.
Butterfly: You have kept him in
bondage and used force against him.
Ant: It goes by an entirely different
name.
Butterfly: A pretty name that has
an ugly meaning.
Ant: The civilization of the ants
wouldn’t be considered the greatest
in the world if we hadn’t made
others subject to us and if we hadn’t
known how to use power and the
law of the fist.
Butterfly: Power over the lowly is
never lofty.
Ant: All power is power over slaves.