the bargain.
ACHRAS ( smelling it). Ouf! One thing’s quite certain, look you, it ain’t no polyhedron.
Ubu Enchained
(Ubu Enchaîné)
Five Acts
Translated by Simon Watson Taylor
To the several MASTERS
who acknowledged
his sovereignty while he was king
UBU ENCHAINED
offers the homage of
his shackles
PA UBU. - Homstrumpot! We shall not have suceeded in demolishing everything unless we demolish the ruins as well. But the only way I can see of doing that is to use them to put up a lot of fine, well-designed buildings.
CHARACTERS
Ubu Enchatné remained unperformed until 1937, when ti was presented at the Théâtre de la comédie des Champs-Elysées, Paris, in a production directed by Sylvain Itkine, with sets designed by Mad Ernst and music composed by Frédéric O’Brady.
This translation was first performed by the Traverse Theatre Club, Edinburgh, on September 1st, 1967 with the following cast:
POLICEMEN, WRECKERS, PEOPLE
Directed by Gordon McDougall
Designed by Gerald Scarfe
Lighting by André Tammas
Effects by Ivor Davies
Music and special lighting effects by Mark Boyle and The Soft Machine.
This translation was adapted for radio by Martin Esslin and first broadcast on the BBC Third Programme in July 1967.
Act One
SCENE ONE
PA UBU, MA UBU.
PA UBU comes forward and says nothing.
MA UBU. What! You say nothing, Pa Ubu! Surely you haven’t forgotten the Word ?
PA UBU. Psch ... aw, Ma Ubu! I don’t want to say that word any longer, it got me into too much trouble.
MA UBU. What do you mean - trouble ? The throne of Poland, the great bonnet, the umbrella ...
PA UBU. I don’t care for the umbrella any longer, Ma Ubu, it’s too hard to handle. I shall just use my science of physics to stop it raining I
MA UBU. Fathead! ... The property of the nobles confiscated, the taxes collected three times over, my own inspiring presence at your awakening in the bear’s cave, the free ride on the ship which brought us back to France where, by pronouncing the glorious Word, you can be appointed Master of Phynances whenever you choose! We’re in France now, Pa Ubu, this is hardly the moment for you to forget how to speak French.
PA UBU. Homstrumpot, Ma Ubu, I spoke French while we were in Poland, but that didn’t stop young Boggerlas from ripping open my boodle, did it, or Captain M’Nure from betraying me most shamefully, or the Tsar from scaring my phynance charger by his stupidity in letting himself fall into a ditch, or the enemy from shooting at our august person despite our instructions to the contrary, or the bear from rending our Palcontents asunder even though we addressed the savage beast in Latin from on top of our rock, or indeed, you, madam our spouse, from dilapidating our treasures and even filching our phynance charger’s dollar a day fodder allowance !
MA UBU. You should forget such minor setbacks. What will we live on if you no longer want to be Master of Phynances or king?
PA UBU. By the work of our hands, Ma Ubu!
MA UBU. What, Pa Ubu, you intend to beat up the passers-by and rob them ?
PA UBU. Oh no, they’d only hit me back! I want to be kind to the passers-by, useful to them, in fact I want to work for the passers-by, Ma Ubu. Now that we are in the land where liberty is equal to fraternity, and fraternity more or less means the equality of legality, and since I am incapable of behaving like everyone else and since being the same as everyone else is all the same to me seeing that I shall certainly end up by killing everyone else, I might as well become a slave, Ma Ubu!
MA UBU. A slave! But you’re too fat, Pa Ubu!
PA UBU. All the better for doing a fat lot of work. You, madam our female, go and set out our slave apron, and our unmentionable slave brush, and our slave hook, and our slave’s shoe-polishing kit. But as for yourself, stay just as you
ACHRAS ( smelling it). Ouf! One thing’s quite certain, look you, it ain’t no polyhedron.
Ubu Enchained
(Ubu Enchaîné)
Five Acts
Translated by Simon Watson Taylor
To the several MASTERS
who acknowledged
his sovereignty while he was king
UBU ENCHAINED
offers the homage of
his shackles
PA UBU. - Homstrumpot! We shall not have suceeded in demolishing everything unless we demolish the ruins as well. But the only way I can see of doing that is to use them to put up a lot of fine, well-designed buildings.
CHARACTERS
Ubu Enchatné remained unperformed until 1937, when ti was presented at the Théâtre de la comédie des Champs-Elysées, Paris, in a production directed by Sylvain Itkine, with sets designed by Mad Ernst and music composed by Frédéric O’Brady.
This translation was first performed by the Traverse Theatre Club, Edinburgh, on September 1st, 1967 with the following cast:
POLICEMEN, WRECKERS, PEOPLE
Directed by Gordon McDougall
Designed by Gerald Scarfe
Lighting by André Tammas
Effects by Ivor Davies
Music and special lighting effects by Mark Boyle and The Soft Machine.
This translation was adapted for radio by Martin Esslin and first broadcast on the BBC Third Programme in July 1967.
Act One
SCENE ONE
PA UBU, MA UBU.
PA UBU comes forward and says nothing.
MA UBU. What! You say nothing, Pa Ubu! Surely you haven’t forgotten the Word ?
PA UBU. Psch ... aw, Ma Ubu! I don’t want to say that word any longer, it got me into too much trouble.
MA UBU. What do you mean - trouble ? The throne of Poland, the great bonnet, the umbrella ...
PA UBU. I don’t care for the umbrella any longer, Ma Ubu, it’s too hard to handle. I shall just use my science of physics to stop it raining I
MA UBU. Fathead! ... The property of the nobles confiscated, the taxes collected three times over, my own inspiring presence at your awakening in the bear’s cave, the free ride on the ship which brought us back to France where, by pronouncing the glorious Word, you can be appointed Master of Phynances whenever you choose! We’re in France now, Pa Ubu, this is hardly the moment for you to forget how to speak French.
PA UBU. Homstrumpot, Ma Ubu, I spoke French while we were in Poland, but that didn’t stop young Boggerlas from ripping open my boodle, did it, or Captain M’Nure from betraying me most shamefully, or the Tsar from scaring my phynance charger by his stupidity in letting himself fall into a ditch, or the enemy from shooting at our august person despite our instructions to the contrary, or the bear from rending our Palcontents asunder even though we addressed the savage beast in Latin from on top of our rock, or indeed, you, madam our spouse, from dilapidating our treasures and even filching our phynance charger’s dollar a day fodder allowance !
MA UBU. You should forget such minor setbacks. What will we live on if you no longer want to be Master of Phynances or king?
PA UBU. By the work of our hands, Ma Ubu!
MA UBU. What, Pa Ubu, you intend to beat up the passers-by and rob them ?
PA UBU. Oh no, they’d only hit me back! I want to be kind to the passers-by, useful to them, in fact I want to work for the passers-by, Ma Ubu. Now that we are in the land where liberty is equal to fraternity, and fraternity more or less means the equality of legality, and since I am incapable of behaving like everyone else and since being the same as everyone else is all the same to me seeing that I shall certainly end up by killing everyone else, I might as well become a slave, Ma Ubu!
MA UBU. A slave! But you’re too fat, Pa Ubu!
PA UBU. All the better for doing a fat lot of work. You, madam our female, go and set out our slave apron, and our unmentionable slave brush, and our slave hook, and our slave’s shoe-polishing kit. But as for yourself, stay just as you
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