In literature a drama genre deserves your attention. Dramas are usually called plays. Every person is made up of two parts: good and evil. Due to life circumstances, the human reveals one or another side of his nature. In drama we can see the full range of emotions : it can be love, jealousy, hatred, fear, etc. The best drama books are full of dialogue. This type of drama is one of the oldest forms of storytelling and has existed almost since the beginning of humanity. Drama genre - these are events that involve a lot of people. People most often suffer in this genre, because they are selfish. People always think to themselves first, they want have a benefit.The Little Clay Cart by Sudraka (summer beach reads .txt) š
- Author: Sudraka
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With men no less.16
ChÄrudatta. My greetings to the officers of justice. Officials, I salute you.
Judge. [Betraying his agitation.] You are very welcome, sir. My good beadle, give the gentleman a seat.
Beadle. [Brings a seat.] Here is a seat. Pray be seated, sir. [ChÄrudatta seats himself.]
SansthÄnaka. [Angrily.] You're here, are you, you woman-murderer? Well! Thish is a fine trial, thish is a jusht trial, where they give a sheat to thish woman-murderer. [Haughtily.] But it's all right. They can give it to him.
Judge. ChÄrudatta, have you any attachment, or affection, or friendship, with this lady's daughter?
ChÄrudatta. What lady?
Judge. This lady. [He indicates VasantasenÄ's mother.]
ChÄrudatta. [Rising.] Madam, I salute you.
Mother. Long life to you, my son! [Aside.] So this is ChÄrudatta. My daughter's youth is in good hands.
Judge. Sir, is the courtezan your friend? [ChÄrudatta betrays his embarrassment.]
SansthÄnaka.
He lies, from shame or fear;
He murdered her, of her got rid
For gold, and thinks the deed is hid;
Not sho his mashter here.17
[145.18. S.
Gild-warden and Clerk. Speak, ChÄrudatta. Do not be ashamed. This is a lawsuit.
ChÄrudatta. [In embarrassment.] Officials, how can I testify that a courtezan is my friend? But at worst, it is youth that bears the blame, not character.
Judge.
Though it oppress your heart;
Speak truth with fortitude, and aim
To set deceit apart.18
Do not be embarrassed. The conduct of the case puts the question.
ChÄrudatta. Officer, with whom have I a lawsuit?
SansthÄnaka. [Arrogantly.] With me!
ChÄrudatta. A lawsuit with you is unendurable!
SansthÄnaka. Well, well, woman-murderer! You murder a woman like VasantasenÄ who used to wear a hundred gems, and now you try deceitful deceivings to hide it!
ChÄrudatta. You are a fool.
Judge. Enough of him, good ChÄrudatta. Speak the truth. Is the courtezan your friend?
ChÄrudatta. She is.
Judge. Sir, where is VasantasenÄ?
ChÄrudatta. She has gone home.
Gild-warden and Clerk. How did she go? When did she go? Who accompanied her?
ChÄrudatta. [Aside.] Shall I say that she went unobserved?
Gild-warden and Clerk. Speak, sir.
ChÄrudatta. She went home. What more shall I say?
SansthÄnaka. She was enticed into my old garden Pushpakaranda, and was shtrangled for her money. Now will you shay that she went home?
ChÄrudatta. Man, you are crazy.
Your lips are like the blue-jay's wing-tip worn,
Yes, full as fickle with their speech untrue,
And like the winter lotus lustre-lorn.19
P. 241.19]
Judge. [Aside.]
And swim from ocean strand to ocean strand,
And hold within your grasp the fleeting wind:
Then may you think that ChÄrudatta sinned.20
[Aloud.] This is the noble ChÄrudatta. How could he commit this crime? [He repeats the verse "A countenance like his:" page 141.]
SansthÄnaka. Why thish partiality in a lawshuit?
Judge. Away, you fool!
And still your tongue uninjured find?
The midday sun with steadfast eye you saw,
And are not straightway stricken blind?
You thrust your hand into the blazing fire,
And draw it forth, unscathed and sound?
Drag ChÄrudatta's virtue in the mire,
Nor sink beneath this yawning ground?21
How could the noble ChÄrudatta commit a crime?
Only the swelling waters now are left,
Because, without consideration, heā
For others' goodāhimself of all has reft.
And should this high-souled man, this store-house where
All gems of virtue gather and unite,
For lucre's sake, so foul a trespass dare
That in it even his foe could not delight?22
Mother. You scoundrel! When the golden casket that was left with him as a pledge was stolen by thieves at night, he gave in place of it a pearl necklace that was the pride of the four seas. And he should now, for a mere trifleāfor her money!ādo this sin? Oh, my child, come back to me, my daughter! [She weeps.]
[147.16. S.
Judge. Noble ChÄrudatta, did she go on foot, or in a bullock-cart?
ChÄrudatta. I did not see her when she went. Therefore I do not know whether she went on foot, or in a bullock-cart.
[Enter VÄ«raka, in anger.]
VÄ«raka.
By that dishonoring, insulting kick,
And so I brooded, till at last the night
Unwilling yielded to the dawning light.23
So now I will go to the court-room. [He enters.] May happiness be the lot of these honorable gentlemen.
Judge. Ah, it is VÄ«raka, the captain of the guard. VÄ«raka, what is the purpose of your coming?
VÄ«raka. Well! I was looking for Aryaka, in all the excitement about his escape from prison. I had my suspicions about a covered bullock-cart that was coming, and wanted to look in. "You 've made one inspection, man, I must make another," said I, and then I was kicked by the highly respectable Chandanaka. You have heard the matter, gentlemen. The rest is your affair.
Judge. My good man, do you know to whom the bullock-cart belonged?
VÄ«raka. To this gentleman here, ChÄrudatta. And the driver said that VasantasenÄ was in it, and was on her way to have a good time in the old garden Pushpakaranda.
SansthÄnaka. Lishten to that, too!
Judge.
Is now eclipsed, and robbed of light;
The bank is fallen; the waves appear
Befouled, that once were bright and clear.24
P. 244.8]
VÄ«raka, we will investigate your case here later. Mount the horse that stands before the court-room door, go to the garden Pushpakaranda, and see whether a woman has perished there or not.
VÄ«raka. Yes, sir. [He goes out, then returns.] I have been there. And I saw the body of a woman, torn by wild beasts.
Gild-warden and Clerk. How do you know that it was the body of a woman?
VÄ«raka. That I perceived from the traces of hair and arms and hands and feet.
Judge. Alas for the difficulties which are caused by the actions of men!
The harder is the matter still;
Plain are indeed the law's demands,
Yet judgment insecurely stands
As some poor cow on shifting sands.25
ChÄrudatta. [Aside.]
Gather to sip the honey, so
When man is marked by adverse fate,
Misfortunes enter every gate.26
Judge. Noble ChÄrudatta, speak truth!
ChÄrudatta.
Sets all his soul, some fatal means to find
To slay the man he envies; shall his lies
By evil nature prompted, win the prize?
No! he is unregarded by the wise.27
And more than this:
Nor pluck its flowers; should I not be afraid
To seize her hair so lovely-long, and bright
As wings of bees, and slay a weeping maid?28
[149.15. S.
SansthÄnaka. Hello, magishtrates! How can you inveshtigate the cashe with such partiality? Why, even now you let thish shcoundrel ChÄrudatta shtay on his sheat.
Judge. My good beadle, so be it [The beadle follows SansthÄnaka's suggestion.]
ChÄrudatta. Consider, magistrates, consider what you are doing! [He leaves his seat, and sits on the floor.]
SansthÄnaka. [Dancing about gleefully. Aside.] Fine! The shin that I did falls on another man's head. Sho I 'll sit where ChÄrudatta was. [He does so.] Look at me, ChÄrudatta, and confessh that you murdered her.
ChÄrudatta. Magistrates!
Sets all his soul, some fatal means to find
To slay the man he envies; shall his lies,
By evil nature prompted, win the prize?
No! he is unregarded by the wise.(27)
[Sighing. Aside.]
My wife, thou issue of a spotless strain!
My Rohasena! Here am I, laid low
By sternest fate; and thou, thou dost not know
That all thy childish games are played in vain.
Thou playest, heedless of another's pain!29
But Maitreya I sent to VasantasenÄ, that he might bring me tidings of her, and might restore the jewels which she gave my child, to buy him a toy cart. Why then does he linger?
[Enter Maitreya with the gems.]
P. 246.19]
Maitreya. ChÄrudatta bade me go to VasantasenÄ, to return her jewels, and he said to me: "Maitreya, VasantasenÄ adorned my dear Rohasena with her own jewels, and sent him thus to his mother. It was fitting that she should give him the jewels, but not that we should receive them. Therefore restore them to her." So now I will go to VasantasenÄ's house. [He walks about and looks around, then speaks to a person behind the scenes.] Ah, it is Master Rebhila. Oh, Master Rebhila, why do you seem so exceedingly troubled? [He listens.] What! do you mean to say that my dear friend ChÄrudatta has been summoned to court? That can hardly be an insignificant matter. [He reflects.] I will go to VasantasenÄ's house later, but now I will go to the court-room. [He walks about and looks around.] Here is the court-room. I will go in at once. [He enters.] May happiness be the lot of the magistrates. Where is my friend?
Judge. Here.
Maitreya. My friend, I wish you happiness.
ChÄrudatta. It will be mine.
Maitreya. And peace.
ChÄrudatta. That too will be mine.
Maitreya. My friend, why do you seem so exceedingly troubled? And why were you summoned?
ChÄrudatta. My friend,
Nor seek in heaven to be blest;
A maidāor goddessā't is the sameā
But he will say the rest.30
Maitreya. What? what?
ChÄrudatta. [Whispers.] That is it.
Maitreya. Who says that?
ChÄrudatta. [Indicating SansthÄnaka.] This poor fellow is the instrument that fate uses to accuse me.
[131.12. S.
Maitreya. [Aside to ChÄrudatta.] Why don't you simply say that she went home?
ChÄrudatta. Though I say it, it is not believed, so unfortunate is my condition.
Maitreya. But gentlemen! He adorned the city of UjjayinÄ« with mansions, cloisters, parks, temples, pools, and fountains, and he should be mad enough to commit such a crimeāand for a mere trifle? [Wrathfully.] You offspring of a loose wench, you brother-in-law of the king, SansthÄnaka, you libertine, you slanderer, you buffoon, you gilded monkey, say it before me! This friend of mine does n't even draw a flowering jasmine creeper to himself, to gather the blossoms, for fear that a twig might perhaps be injured. How should he commit a crime like this, which heaven and earth call accursĆØd? Just wait, you son of a bawd! Wait till I split your head into a hundred pieces with this staff of mine, as crooked as your heart.
SansthÄnaka. [Angrily.] Lishten to that, gentlemen! I have a quarrel, or a lawshuit, with ChÄrudatta. What right has a man with a pate that looks like a caret, to shplit my head into a hundred pieces? Not much! You confounded rashcal! [Maitreya raises his staff and repeats his words. SansthÄnaka rises angrily and strikes him. Maitreya strikes back. During the scuffle the jewels fall from Maitreya's girdle.]
SansthÄnaka. [Picks up the jewels and examines them. Excitedly.] Look, gentlemen, look! These are the poor girl's jewels! [Pointing to ChÄrudatta.] For a trifle like thish he murdered her, and killed her too. [The magistrates all bow their heads.]
ChÄrudatta. [Aside to Maitreya.]
That at this moment they should fall,
These gemsāand with them, I.31
Maitreya. But why don't you simply tell the truth?
P. 250.1]
ChÄrudatta. My
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