8/13/2019 Texte Orfeu
1/1
Carol - Orpheus descending
CAROL: I used to be what they call a Christ-bitten reformer. You
now what that is! - A ind of
benign e"hibitionist...I deli#ered stump speeches$ wrote letters
of protest about the gradual
massacre of the coloured ma%ority in the country. I thought it
was wrong for pellagra and slowstar#ation to cut them down when the
cotton crop failed from army worm or boll wee#il or too
much rain in summer. I wanted to$ tried to$ put up free clinics$
I s&uandered the money my
mother left me on it. And when that 'illie (c)ee thing came
along * he was sent to the chairfor ha#ing improper relations with
a white whore * +,er #oice is lie a passionate incantation. I
made a fuss about it. I put on a potato sac and set out for the
capital on foot. his was in winter.
I waled barefoot in this burlap sac to deli#er a personal
protest to the go#ernor of the state. Oh$I suppose it was partly
e"hibitionism on my part$ but it wasn/t completely e"hibitionism0
there
was something else in it$ too. You now how far I got! 1i" miles
out of town * hooted$ %eered at$
e#en spit on2 - e#ery step of the way * and then arrested2 )uess
what for! Lewd #agrancy2 3h-huh$ that was the charge$ 4lewd
#agrancy$5 because they said that potato sac I had on was not a
respectable garment...'ell$ all that was a pretty long time ago$
and now I/m not a reformer
anymore. I/m %ust a 4lewd #agrant.5 And I/m showing the
41.O.6.1.5 how lewd a 4lewd #agrant5
can be if she puts her whole heart into it lie I do mine2 All
right. I/#e told you my story$ thestory of an e"hibitionist. 7ow I
want you to do something for me. ae me out to Cyprus ,ill in
my car. And we/ll hear the dead people tal. hey do tal there.
hey chatter together lie birds
on Cyprus ,ill$ but all they say is one word and that one word
is 4li#e$5 they say$ 4Li#e$ li#e$li#e$ li#e$ li#e25 It/s all
they/#e learned$ it/s the only ad#ice they can gi#e. - 8ust
li#e.... +1he opens
the door. 1imple2 - a #ery simple instruction...
Ruth$ he 9ffect of )amma Rays on (an-in-the-(oon (arigolds ;aul
t allbuttoned * and he wanted to now why illie>s out of school
so much. I wish you>d go bac to?ools. I lied ?ools better. I
told him you were ill$ and he wanted to now what ind$ so I told
him you had leprosy. You should ha#e seen his face. ,e was so
cute. And I told him you had
ringworm and gangrene. And I told him you had what (other>s
last patienthad...whatchamacallit! ;soriasis! Yeah. 1omething lie
that. And then I told him to go loo in
the history and then he>d find out. 'hene#er they go loo up
the history then they don>t bother
me anymore @cause they thin I>m cray. And I told him the
disease you had was fatal and therewasn>t much hope for you. he
history is %ust a little folder with the story of our li#es in it$
that>s
all. I read the whole thing last term when (iss ,anley dragged
me into the record room because
I didn>t want to climb the ropes in gym and I told her my
sull was growing. Lower2 ,igher2 I
wish you>d mae up your mind. If you>d switch bac to ?ools
it might be worth it$ but ugh2hese are awful. You now$ I really did
thin my sull was growing. 9ither that or a tumor. 1o
she dragged me out of gym class$ and she thought I couldn>t
read upside down while she was
sitting opposite me with the history. 6ut I could. Oh$ it says
you>re di#orced and that I wentcray...and my father too a heart
attac at 1tar Lae...and now you>re a widow. And it says that
I e"aggerate and tell stories and that I>m afraid of death
and ha#e nightmares...and all that stuff.
