Tímarit Þjóðræknisfélags Íslendinga - 01.01.1963, Blaðsíða 96

78
TIMARIT ÞJÓÐRÆKNISFÉLAGS ÍSLENDINGA
to come here who can wake him
up. (Goes out.)
A moment’s silence; then there is a
soft knock at the door.
Worm (sits up in his bed): Who
are you?
A Voice (resembling an echo): Who
are you?
Worm: My name is Worm.
The Voice: My name is Worm.
The door opens of its own accord.
Outside, darkness is seen.
Worm: Why didn’t you leave me in
peace?
The Voice: The sleep of death has
no dreams.
Worm: Now I had best dream no
more.
The Voice: Life is lovely for one
dream of bliss—a dream which
death could not afford you. If death
had dreams, it would not be death
but life.
Worm: WThat is death?
The Voice: A dreamless sleep.
Whenever you are not dreaming,
you are dead.
Worm: What is life?
The Voice: A dream while you sleep.
Worm: What is a dream?
The Voice: You don’t know what a
dream is until you wake up.
Worm: I want to wake up!
The Voice: You want to fall asleep.
Worm: Shan’t I awake in death?
The Voice: It won’t be you who will
awake when I die.
Worm: Can’t I ever wake up then?
The Voice: You will awake when
you know yourself.
Worm: But death begins where
dreams end.
The Voice: While sleeping, you can’t
distinguish between a dream and
reality. Perhaps you will discover
upon awakening that what you
thought was real is a dream and that
what you thought was a dream is
real.
Worm: Then happiness may consist
in my knowing myself.
Tlie Voice: That—nothing else—is
the true meaning of happiness.
Worm: If I knew myself, I might
wake up in perfect health in the
orchard with Firefly.
The Voice (resembling Worm’s
own voice even more): I am awake
in the orchard with Firefly.
Worm (jealously): You?
The Voice: Now I have found Fire-
fly, my sweetheart and my refuge,
whom I have loved dearly for a long
time without your knowledge.
Worm (furious): Then you are my
enemy.
The Voice: Oh, with what joy Fire-
fly has welcomed me, embraced me,
and kissed me.
Worm (on the verge of tears): I
could never have imagined that she
would do a thing like that. Fickle,
unfaithful, treacherous Firefly. This
is the death blow; now I have no
longer any reason for living.
The Voice: Go on living, so that
Firefly and I may continue to live
together and love each other. Live,
to make us happy.
Worm (paralyzed): I am not cap-
able of such self-denial and self-