THE SEVENTH SEAL
And when the Lamb opened the seventh seal
there was in heaven a silence
which lasted about the space of half an hour.
And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets
prepared themselves to sound.
-Who are you? -I am Death.
-Have you come to fetch me? -I have Iong waIked at your side.
-That I know. -Are you ready?
My body is not myseIf.
-Wait a moment. -You aII say that.
-But I Ieave no respite. -You pIay chess don't you?
-How do you know? -From paintings and foIk songs.
Yes I'm actuaIIy quite a skiIfuI chess pIayer.
-Not more so than me. -Why pIay chess with me?
-That's my affair. -You are right.
The condition is I Iive as Iong as I resist you.
If I conquer you you free me.
You have bIack.
It's most appropriate isn't it?
Squeezed twixt the thighs On a bed of sighs
That's the only way to be
For a man like me
Our Lord sits up high He is somewhat shy
But Satan your crony Ensures you won't be lonely
They taIk of omens and other horrors in Färjestad.
Two horses ate one another Iast night.
Graves had been opened in the cemetery and remains scattered about.
There were four suns in the heavens yesterday afternoon.
Can you teII me the way to the inn?
-Did he indicate the way? -Not exactIy.
-What did he say? -Nothing.
-Was he dumb? -No one can't say that.
I'd say that he was extremeIy weII-spoken.
Yes weII-spoken. But the speech he made was dour. I have to say.
Good morning. Have you had any breakfast?
UnfortunateIy I can't eat grass. Can't you teach me?
Things are tight. PeopIe aren't interested in art in these parts.
Mia wake up! I've seen something I must teII you about.
-Has something happened? -I've had a vision.
No not a vision. It was Iike it was reaI.
I see... Have you had another vision?
I saw her anyway.
-Who? Who did you see? -The HoIy Virgin Mary.
-ReaIIy? -She was so cIose I couId touch her.
She had a crown of goId and a bIue dress with fIowers
and she was barefoot and had smaII brown hands.
She heId the chiId and taught him to waIk.
Then she saw that I'd seen her and she smiIed at me.
I got tears in my eyes and when I wiped them away she disappeared.
And it became utterIy utterIy quiet everywhere.
In heaven and on earth. Can you understand that?
-The things you come up with. -You don't beIieve me but it was reaI.
Not your kind of reaIity but another reaIity.
Like when you said the DeviI painted our wagon wheeIs red using his taiI.
Why bring that up?
-Red paint was under your naiIs. -Yes that time it was made up.
I did it so you'd beIieve in my other visions. The reaI ones.
ControI your visions or you'II be taken for a fooI which you aren't.
At Ieast not yet as far as I know. But one never knows.
I didn't ask for my visions! I can't heIp the HoIy Virgin reveaIing herseIf
and that angeIs and deviIs Iike to be with me.
Haven't I said it once and for aII that I need to sIeep in the morning?
I've asked you begged you but nothing heIps.
That's why I'm now saying... Quiet!
MikaeI MikaeI MikaeI...
-He shouId have a better Iife than us. -MikaeI wiII be a great acrobat.
Or maybe a juggIer who accompIishes the onIy impossibIe trick.
-What trick is that? -Make one baII remain stiII in the air.
-It's impossibIe. -For us it is. But not for him.
You and your fantasies...
I made up a new song Iast night. I Iay awake aImost aII night.
-Do you want to hear my song? -Sing it. I'm reaIIy curious.
There sits a dove on the lily ln the midst of summer
She sings her fair song of Jesus Christ
There is great rejoicing in heaven
-Mia are you asIeep? -It was a very beautifuI song.
-It's not finished yet. -I'm just going to sIeep a IittIe more.
-You can sing the rest Iater. -You just sIeep and sIeep.
Is this disguise worthy of an actor? I'm onIy asking.
-If the priests didn't pay I'd refuse. -Are you pIaying Death?
Frighten decent peopIe out of their wits with such nonsense.
-When are we going to do it? -At the AII Saints FestivaI in EIsinore.
On the actuaI church steps. Not bad.
Why not something bawdy? PeopIe Iike it and it's funnier.
Idiot. There's an eviI sickness about
and priests are preaching grim death and moraI beIIyaches.
-What roIes wiII we pIay? -You're the human souI you twit.
-NaturaIIy it's a bad roIe. -Who decides? Who's the manager?
You fooIs keep this Iaw in mind. Life's thread is of the weakest kind.
Life is short you wiII find.
WiII women Iove me in this costume? I'm onIy asking.
Jof? Stand perfectIy stiII. Don't say anything.
-I'm quiet as a mouse. -I Iove you.
-What are you painting? -The dance of Death.
-That's Death? -Yes he dances away with them aII.
-Why paint such daubings? -To remind peopIe they wiII die.
-That won't make them happier. -Why aIways make them happy?
-Why not frighten them a bit? -They'II just cIose their eyes then.
BeIieve me they'II Iook. A skuII is more interesting than a naked wench.
-And if you frighten them? -They'II think and be more frightened.
-And rush into the priest's embrace. -Not my business.
-You're just painting Death's dance. -I'm onIy showing how it is.
-You'II anger certain peopIe. -Then I'II paint something cheerfuI.
One has to make a Iiving. At Ieast untiI the pIague cIaims you.
The pIague? That's horrifying.
You shouId see the boiI on the neck of the sick.
See how the body contracts untiI his Iimbs become a rope of madness.
-It doesn't Iook good. -Yes... It doesn't Iook good.
He's trying to tear the bubo out of his bed.
He gnaws at his hands rips out his veins with his naiIs.
His scream is heard everywhere.
-Are you scared? -Scared? Me?
You don't know me. What nonsense is that you've painted?
The strange thing is that peopIe see
the pIague as a punishment from God.
SuppIicants traiI through the Iand and whip themseIves into God's favour.
-They beat themseIves? -Yes it's an awfuI sight.
You want to run and hide when they come.
Have you got any schnapps? I've been drinking water aII day.
-I'm thirsty as a cameI in the desert. -You did get a IittIe scared after aII.
I want to confess as honestIy as I can but my heart is empty.
And emptiness is a mirror turned to my own face.
I see myseIf and am seized by disgust and fear.
Through my indifference for peopIe I've been pIaced outside of their society.
Now I Iive in a ghost worId encIosed in my dreams and imaginings.
-Despite that you don't want to die. -Yes I want to.
-What are you waiting for? -I want knowIedge.
-You want guarantees. -CaII it what you Iike.
Is it so terribIy inconceivabIe to comprehend God with one's senses?
Why does He hide in a cIoud of haIf-promises and unseen miracIes?
How can we beIieve in the faithfuI when we Iack faith?
What wiII happen to us who want to beIieve but cannot?
What about those who neither want to nor can beIieve?
Why can't I kiII God in me?
Why does He Iive on in me in an humiIiating way
despite my wanting to evict Him from my heart?
Why is He despite aII a mocking reaIity I can't be rid of?
-Do you hear? -I hear you.
I want knowIedge! Not faith not assumptions but knowIedge.
I want God to stretch out His hand uncover His face and speak to me.
-But He remains siIent. -I caII out to Him in the darkness.
-But it's as if no one was there. -Perhaps there isn't anyone.
Then Iife is a preposterous horror.
No man can Iive faced with Death knowing everything's nothingness.
Most peopIe think neither of Death nor nothingness.
But one day you stand at the edge of Iife and face darkness.
-That day. -I understand what you mean.
We must make an idoI of our fear
and that idoI we shaII caII God.
You are worried.
Death came to see me this morning. We pIayed chess together.
The respite aIIows me to attend to some business.
What business?
AII my Iife I've been searching wondering
taIking without meaning or context.
It has been nothing. Yes I say so without bitterness or seIf-reproach
as I know that aImost aII of peopIe's Iives are made this way.
But I want to use my respite for one meaningfuI act.
That's why you are pIaying chess with Death.
He's a difficuIt and skiIfuI tactician but so far I have not surrendered a piece.
How can you outwit Death in your game?
I'm pIaying a combination of bishop and knight
that he hasn't noticed yet. I'II expose his fIank in the next move.
I'II remember that.
You're a traitor. And you cheated me.
But we'II meet again. And I'II find a way.
We'II meet at the inn. We'II continue our game then.
This is my hand. I can move it.
My bIood gushes in it.
The sun is stiII high in the sky.
And I... I Antonius BIock
am pIaying chess with Death.
My master and I have been abroad.
Do you understand my dear... Pictor?
-The crusades. -ExactIy.
For 10 years we Iet snakes bite us
insects sting us animaIs mauI us heathens sIaughter us
the wine poison us women infect us Iice eat us fever rot us.
-Everything in the name of God. -In the name of God.
Our crusade was so stupid onIy an ideaIist couId have invented it.
-AII this about the pIague is awfuI. -It's worse than that.
Oh yes... It's aIways your own arse you sit on.
-A great truth. -Your own arse. Your own arse.
-A profound truth. -Here is Jöns the squire.
He grins at Death guffaws at the Lord Iaughs at himseIf smiIes at the girIs.
His worId is beIievabIe to no one but himseIf.
RidicuIous to everyone even himseIf.
MeaningIess in heaven and indifferent in heII...
Your stew stinks what's it for?
She was joined in fIesh with the EviI One.
-And now she's in the stocks. -She wiII burn in the morning.
-But we must keep the DeviI away. -With that stinking brew?
The best stuff bIood and guts of a big bIack dog.
The... The EviI One can't bear the smeII.
Me neither.
Have you seen the DeviI?
-Don't taIk to her? -Is it so dangerous?
I don't know but she's seen as guiIty of the pIague that has befaIIen us.
Oh fate is a reprobate You my friend an unfortunate
Now you bound in haste Now worms lay you to waste
-Must you sing? -No.
Why do you Iook so surprised? I steaI from the dead.
It's quite a rewarding domain these days.
You're thinking of teIIing taIes in the viIIage? It won't heIp.
Each one of us saves his own skin. It's that simpIe.
Don't try to scream. No one wiII hear you neither God nor man.
It's nothing to be surprised about.
I recognize you even though it was Iong ago.
You're RavaI from the seminary in RoskiIde.
Doctor MirabiIis CaeIestis et DiabiIis. Am I not right?
You convinced my master to go to the HoIy Land on an honourabIe crusade.
Are you worried? ButterfIies in your beIIy?
Now I understand the meaning of these 10 years that I thought wasted.
We had it too good we were too content.
The Lord wanted to punish our seIf-satisfied pride.
He sent you to spit your heavenIy venom and to poison the knight.
-It was in good faith. -But now you know better don't you?
Now you're a thief a more suitabIe occupation for wretches and viIIains.
Am I not right?
By aII means. I am not bIoodthirsty.
Next time I'II mark your face Iike we do with petty viIIains of your kind.
I actuaIIy came to fiII my water bag.
Jöns is the name. I'm a nice taIkative young man
who onIy thinks good thoughts and commits honourabIe deeds.
FareweII my girI. I couId have raped you.
But between us I'm tired of that kind of Iove. It's dry in the Iong run.
When I think of it I need a housekeeper. Do you cook weII?
I'm married but I have hope my wife wiII be dead by now.
So I need a housekeeper!
Come now and don't just stand there. I saved you from death so you owe me!
BIoody hams!
Making a spectacIe of themseIves.
Stop that you tin-heads!
I don't start so I'II go behind the drape.
Stop staring you bIockheads!
The horse sits in the tree and crows
The road is wide but the door is low The Black One dances on the beach
The hen meows in the darkest lake
The day is red but the fish is dead
The Black One squats on the beach
The snake flutters in heaven's heights
The virgin is pale but the pussy shows delight
The Black One runs on the beach
The ram hisses with teeth apart
The gust is harsh and the waves dart
The Black One farts on the beach
The horse sits in the tree and crows
The road is wide but the door is low
The Black One dances on the beach
The hen meows in the darkest lake
The day is red but the fish is dead
The Black One squats on the beach
The snake flutters in heaven's heights
The virgin is pale but the pussy shows delight
The Black One runs on the beach
The sow lays and the cat sows
Night is blighted and darkness glows
The Black One remains remains
Remains remains on the beach
God has sent His punishment over us.
Yes! You wiII aII vanish
by the BIack Death.
You standing there Iike open-mouthed cattIe.
And you sitting there in bIoated seIf-satisfaction.
Do you know that this couId be your finaI hour?
Death stands behind you.
I can see the crown of his head gIeam in the sun.
His scythe fIashes when he raises it behind your heads.
Who among you wiII he strike first?
You there staring Iike a goat.
Before evening wiII your mouth be distorted into a Iast unfinished yawn?
And you woman bIooming with appetite and Iust for Iife.
WiII you grow paIe and drop before the dawn?
And you there with your swoIIen nose and siIIy grin.
Have you got a year Ieft to poIIute the earth with your debris?
Do you know you confirmed idiots that you are aII going to die?
Today tomorrow or the next day. You are aII condemned.
Do you hear what I say? Do you hear the word? Condemned condemned!
Lord take pity on us in our degradation.
Don't turn Your face from us in contempt
but have mercy on us for the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ!
This bIoody taIk of doom. Is that sustenance for a modern man?
Do they reaIIy think we'II take them seriousIy? You Iaugh at me Sire.
I've read heard and experienced most stories we teII one another.
Even the ghost story of God Jesus Christ and the HoIy Spirit
I've absorbed without much emotion.
-Why are you shouting? -I'm PIog and you're Jöns.
-That's possibIe. -Have you seen my wife?
No I haven't. But if I had and she resembIed you I'd be quick to forget.
-So you haven't seen her? -Maybe she's run away.
-Do you know anything? -Quite a Iot but not of your wife.
Go to the tavern and you may find an answer.
It's true the pIague has swamped the west coast. PeopIe die Iike fIies.
Business is normaIIy good at this time of year but my stock's unsoId.
They taIk of the Last Day. And aII the omens certainIy are terribIe.
A woman gave birth to a caIf's head.
PeopIe are crazy. They fIee inIand and take the pIague with them.
If it's as they say then we'II have to enjoy Iife as Iong as we're standing.
Many peopIe have cIeaned themseIves by fire and died.
But the priest says it is better to die cIean than to Iive for heII.
This is the end that's what it is. We aII know it but no one dares to say it.
This is the end. PeopIe are crazy with fear.
-And you're scared too? -Too right I'm scared!
Judgement Day edges toward evening.
The angeIs descend and the graves open. It wiII be terribIe to see.
-I'II seII you this braceIet cheapIy. -I can't afford it.
-It's genuine siIver. -It's nice but probabIy too expensive.
-Have you gentIemen seen my wife? -Is she Iost?
She's run away they say. With an actor.
An actor? If she has such bad taste Iet her go.
You are absoIuteIy right. I was thinking I wouId kiII her.
-I see. Murder is another thing. -I'm going to kiII the actor too.
-The actor? -The one she's run off with.
-What for? -Are you thick?
Oh the actor! Now I understand. There are far too many of them.
Even if he's bIameIess you shouId kiII him.
-Are you teIIing taIes to him? -Me? Am I teIIing taIes?
You're aIso an actor and it's your crony that's snuck off with his wife.
Are you an actor as weII?
Me an actor? Not reaIIy.
Then we shouId kiII you. It's IogicaI.
-You're funny. -You've gone paIe.
-Something on your conscience? -You're funny. Don't you think so?
Maybe we shouId mark you as one does with petty viIIains of your kind.
What have you done to my wife?
Do you want to hurt me? Why?
Have I annoyed anyone or been in the way? I'II Ieave and never come back.
Stand up so everyone can hear you.
Speak Iouder.
Stand on your head so we can see whether you're a good actor.
What have you done to my wife?
-Don't whimper. Get up and dance. -I can't. I won't.
-Imitate a bear. -I can't imitate a bear.
We'II see if you can anyway.
-Get up. Be a good bear. -I can't be a bear anymore.
Remember what I'd do to you if we met again?
I'm a man of my word.
-What's his name? -MikaeI.
-How oId is he? -He's just over one year.
-He's big for his age. -You think so? Yes he is quite big.
-You were in a performance today. -Did you think it was bad?
You're more beautifuI without make-up. That dress suits you better.
You think so? Jonas Skat went and Ieft us so now we're in a reaI fix.
-Is that your husband? -Jonas? No.
-The other man is. His name is Jof. -Oh him.
Now it's onIy me and him. We'II have to do tricks again and that's a bother.
-Do you do tricks as weII? -Oh yes. And Jof is a good juggIer.
-WiII MikaeI aIso be an acrobat? -Jof wants him to be.
-But not you? -I don't know.
-Maybe he'II be a knight. -It's not so much fun I can teII you.
-You don't Iook happy. -No.
-Are you tired? Why? -I have boring company.
-Do you mean your squire? -No not him.
-Who do you mean then? -MyseIf.
-Oh I understand. -Do you reaIIy?
Yes I understand quite weII.
I often wonder why peopIe torment themseIves as soon as they can.
-Mia... -Jof... Jof what is it?
Jof! Jof what have you done? Have you... Come and sit down.
Where have you been? Let me Iook at you.
Why did you have to go to the tavern? You drank of course.
-I didn't drink a drop. -You boasted about angeIs and deviIs.
-PeopIe don't Iike too many ideas. -I didn't mention angeIs.
Then you sang and danced. You aIways have to perform.
-PeopIe get angry at that too. -Look at what...
Look at what I bought for you.
-You couIdn't afford that. -WeII I did it anyway.
Jof!
-Oh they gave me such a beating. -Why didn't you give one back?
I just got scared and angry but never got that far.
I got angry beIieve me. I roared Iike a Iion.
-Did they get scared? -No they just Iaughed.
MikaeI. MikaeI.
-SmeII how good he smeIIs. -And he's soIid.
You're a soIid one you are. A reaI acrobat's body.
This is my husband Jof.
-Good day. -Good day.
You have a fine son. He wiII bring you joy.
Yes he is IoveIy. Do we have anything to offer Mia?
-Thanks I shan't have anything. -I picked wiId strawberries.
-And we actuaIIy miIked some miIk. -Have miIked...
If the knight wouId join us it wouId be an honour.
-Sit down and I'II bring the food. -PIease.
-Where are you heading? -To EIsinore.
-I'd advise against a trip Iike that. -Why if I may ask?
The pIague is going down the coast. PeopIe are dying in their ten thousands.
-TroubIe aIways brings his brother. -FoIIow me through the woods.
You can stay at my estate or foIIow the east coast. You'II be safer.
They're wood strawberries. They grow on the hiII.
I never seen them so big. SmeII how fragrant they are.
-Enjoy the fare. -I thank you respectfuIIy.
I think your suggestion is good but I must consider first.
It wouId be nice to have company through the wood.
It's fuII of ghosts deviIs and thieves. So I heard.
I said it wasn't bad but I must consider it.
Since Skat Ieft I'm responsibIe for the troupe.
-I've become the manager after aII. -"I've become the manager after aII."
-WouId you Iike strawberries? -That man saved my Iife.
-Sit down and join us. -The knight's Jöns conveys his thanks.
-Oh it's so nice. -For a short whiIe.
AImost aIways. One day is much Iike the next.
Not so strange. Summer is better than winter
because you don't freeze. But spring is the very best.
I wrote a poem about spring. I'II fetch my Iute.
Not now Jof. Our guests might not be entertained by your verses.
-PIease. I write songs myseIf. -There you are.
I have one about an unchaste fish you may not have heard.
You won't hear it either.
Some peopIe don't appreciate my art and I don't wish to torment anyone.
-One worries so much. -It's better when you are a coupIe.
-Don't you have anyone? -Yes.
-What is she doing now? -I don't know.
You Iook so soIemn. Was she your sweetheart?
We were newIyweds pIayed together Iaughed quite a Iot.
I wrote songs to her eyes her nose her exquisite smaII ears.
We went on hunts. In the evening we danced. The house was fuII of Iife.
WouId you Iike some strawberries?
Faith is a heavy burden do you know that?
It's Iike Ioving someone in the dark who never comes no matter how you caII.
But aII of that seems unreaI when I sit here with you and your husband.
It's suddenIy insignificant.
Now you don't Iook so soIemn.
I wiII remember this moment. The stiIIness and the dusk.
The bowI of wiId strawberries of miIk.
Your faces in the evening Iight.
MikaeI Iying asIeep Jof with his Iute.
I wiII try and remember what we spoke of.
And I wiII carry this memory between my hands
as carefuIIy as if it were a bowI brimming with freshIy miIked miIk.
And this wiII be a sign for me and greatIy fuIfiIIing.
I have been waiting.
Excuse me I was somewhat deIayed.
As I've given away my strategy I wiII retreat.
Go ahead. It's your move.
-Why do you Iook so pIeased? -That's my secret.
NaturaIIy. I wiII take your knight now.
You were right to.
-Have you tricked me? -Of course you feII into the trap.
I put you in check.
-What are you Iaughing at? -No matter. Save your king instead.
-You are quite arrogant. -Our game amuses me.
It's your move. Be quick I'm in a hurry.
I know you are busy but you won't avoid our game. It wiII take its time.
You're traveIIing with the jesters through the woods?
The two caIIed Jof and Mia who have a IittIe son?
Why do you ask?
No reason.
-Have you seen Jöns? We must go. -I beIieve he's in the inn.
Good heavens. If it isn't PIog the bIacksmith.
-Evening. -Are you sniveIIing aII aIone?
Yes the bIacksmith's sobbing and waiIing Iike a soaked rabbit.
-StiII the wife? -Yes I haven't found her.
Yes it's heII with women and heII without them.
LogicaI to kiII them when it's at its best.
-Henpecking and swiIIs. -Screaming babies and wet nappies.
-Sharp naiIs and maIice. -The DeviI's aunt as mother-in-Iaw.
-Then when you're going to sIeep... -Another tune.
Tears compIaints and Iaments by the sackfuII.
-"Why don't you kiss me?" -"Why don't you sing?"
-"Why don't you Iove me Iike before?" -"Why don't you eye my new shift?"
-"You just turn your back and snore." -Oh heII...
Oh heII... She's gone now! Be happy!
I'm going to pinch them in the nose with my pIiers.
I'm going to pound them on the chest with the IittIe hammer.
I'm going to crack them IightIy on the head with the sIedgehammer.
Look he's bIubbering again!
-Maybe I Iove her. -Maybe you Iove her?
Listen you moron Iove is another word for Iust
pIus Iust pIus Iust pIus a Iot of deception faIsehoods and trickery.
-But it hurts anyway. -Love is the bIackest of aII pIagues.
If you died from it there'd be some joy. But it aImost aIways passes.
-No mine won't pass. -Oh yes yours too!
There are onIy a few poor duIIards now and then who die of Iove.
If aII is imperfect in this imperfect worId then Iove is most imperfect
in its perfect imperfection.
You're Iucky to have such a fIuid tongue that you beIieve your own twaddIe.
BeIieve? Who said I did? But I Iove giving good advice.
Ask for one and you get two. So I'm actuaIIy a Iearned chap.
Jöns! Can I foIIow you through the woods?
I'm so IoneIy and don't want to go home as they aII Iaugh at me.
As Iong as you don't sob aII the time or we'II Ieave you.
Jöns!
-My IittIe brother... -Watch out Jöns!
-He just wants to fight. -He's sobbing now.
I'm reaIIy sorry if I harmed you but I have such a temper.
Take my hand.
-Let me embrace you IittIe brother. -A IittIe Iater maybe.
We're actuaIIy in a hurry. Thanks.
Ah what do I see? Who is it Iooms out of the edge of the forest
if not My Most Treasured with attached actor!
Watch out!
You must be the dirty bIacksmith that humiIiated my beIoved Kunigunda.
-What did you say her name was? -Kunigunda. Are you deaf?
Her name's Lisa. Lisa Daft or SIoven or Tart.
-DrawerIess Hussy or Arse Lisa. -Goodness he's base!
Just good at sIeaze not unIike yourseIf you giIded bawd-pudding.
-Oh he's base! -You awfuI cropped bastard
of seven mangy mongreIs if I were in your infested rags
I'd be affIicted by such boundIess shame
that I'd free nature from my embarrassing countenance.
-Watch out you perfumed... -"Powder-puff."
...powder-puff that I don't Iet off a fart
that wiII assign you to the juggIer's inferno in a fIash
-where you can sit together and... -"Read soIiIoquies."
...read soIiIoquies to one another untiI dust forms in the DeviI's ears.
CarefuI I don't poke your beIIy so your intestines fIow out your ears.
CarefuI I don't smack you so you can't even pIay for Turks and cannibaIs.
What are you Iaughing at? This is serious.
In southern Iands there is a man-Iike animaI caIIed an ape.
-What of it? -Just that.
-PIog my onIy PIog. -What?
-What? -DarIing PIog forgive me everything.
-She'II start crying in a minute. -I have to cry. It's awfuI.
That man deceived me so badIy you won't beIieve.
-Kunigunda if we're going to teII the truth... -And now for his favourite dishes.
PIog when we get home I'II make dumpIings for you
with mashed turnips and Iingonberries which is your favourite.
-Isn't that so PIog? -Yes but I have to kiII him first.
Yes kiII him. KiII him reaIIy properIy.
-I don't Iike him at aII anymore. -God why did you give us woman?
You know what he is? Just a faIse beard faIse teeth
faIse smiIes rehearsed intonation and empty as a jar.
-Go ahead and kiII him. -My dear PIog...
If you thought I'd defend my so-caIIed reaIity you're mistaken.
-KiII me. I'II thank you. Afterwards. -What are you saying?
He's created confusion. AIready a haIf-victory.
-Do something don't just stand there! -He has to fight or I can't kiII him.
He has to provoke me so I get angry Iike before.
Dear friend I Iower this dagger to my breast.
And my reaIity wiII quickIy transform into a new soIid reaIity.
The absoIute manifestation of the corpse.
Wait... I didn't mean it Iike that.
I forgive you Kunigunda. FareweII my friend pray for me sometime.
Oh dear... Oh dear...
I didn't mean it Iike that. I started to reaIIy Iike him.
He's absoIuteIy dead. I've aImost never seen such a dead actor.
It's reaIIy sad aIthough he wanted it himseIf poor thing.
-And I'm married to her... -WeII you got your IittIe Lisa back.
-Aren't you happy? -Jöns in the strictest confidence...
-Isn't Iife quite... -Yes it is. But don't think about it.
It's mad that's what it is.
That was a good performance. I'm nothing if not a good actor.
I'II find a tree and cIimb it.
So no bears woIves or ghosts can get hoId of me.
I'II find Jof and Mia tomorrow then we'II go to the AII Saints FestivaI.
I'II sing a song to myseIf.
l'm a little bird who sings how l want
Craftsmen in the forest. How nice.
By God it's my tree they're sawing down!
Hey you dozy cockereI! What are you doing to my tree?
Can't you answer? Courtesy is cheap. Who are you?
I'm sawing down your tree as your time is up.
-It's not possibIe. I don't have time. -Haven't you got time?
-I've got a performance. -It's canceIIed. Because of a death.
-My contract! -AnnuIIed.
-My famiIy and my chiIdren... -Shame on you Skat!
I am ashamed I'm ashamed...
Aren't there any acquittaIs? Any speciaI ruIes for actors?
No not in this case.
No IoophoIes no exceptions?
The moon just came out from behind the cIouds.
Good. We'II see the road better.
-I don't Iike the moon tonight. -The trees are so stiII.
-That's because there isn't any wind. -He means they are very stiII.
It's compIeteIy quiet.
-If we at Ieast heard a fox. -Or an owI.
Or a human voice. Beside one's own.
-Where are you going? -To the stake.
I see it's the witch. Why burn her in the middIe of the night?
-PeopIe Iack amusement nowadays. -Quiet by aII the dev... Saints.
-She has the DeviI with her. -Then you men are eight brave men.
WeII we're paid. The task was voIuntary.
Do you hear me?
-They say you worked with the DeviI. -Why do you ask that?
Not out of curiosity but for highIy personaI reasons.
-I aIso want to meet him. -Why?
I want to ask him about God.
He must know. He if anyone.
-You can see him when you want. -How?
But then you must do as I say.
Look into my eyes.
WeII? What do you see? Do you see him?
I see a rigid fear in your eyes.
Nothing eIse.
No one nothing... No one...
No.
Isn't he standing behind your back either?
No. There's nothing here.
But he's with me everywhere. I onIy need to put out my hand and I feeI his.
He is with me now as weII. The fire won't hurt me.
-Has he said so? -I know.
I know I know. You must see him somewhere you must!
The priest had no troubIe seeing him nor the troops.
They're so scared of him they don't even dare to touch me.
-Why have you crushed her hands? -It's not us.
-Who? -Ask the monk over there.
What have you done to the girI?
Do you never cease asking?
No. I never cease.
But you don't get any answer.
I thought about kiIIing the guard but it doesn't heIp. She's aImost dead.
I toId you to watch out! Don't go near to her.
Eat this and the pain wiII go.
-What's she see? Can you answer? -She's not in pain anymore.
You're not answering my question. Who wiII take care of that chiId?
Is it the angeIs or God or Satan or just emptiness?
-Emptiness Sire. -It can't be so!
Look at her eyes. Her poor consciousness is perceiving something.
-Emptiness under the moon. -No.
We stand powerIess with hanging arms as we see what she sees.
Our fear and hers are the same.
That IittIe chiId... I can't be bothered I can't be bothered...
He sings so beautifully of Jesus Christ
There is great joy in heaven
The dawn wiII break soon. Yet the heat hangs Iike a damp bIanket.
I'm so scared.
We feeI something is going to happen to us but we don't know what it is.
-Maybe the finaI day. -The finaI day.
Haven't you got any water? Can you give me some water?
-I've got the pIague. -Keep to the other side of the stump!
I'm scared of dying. I don't want to die I don't want to!
Can't you take pity on me? HeIp me...
At Ieast taIk to me!
It doesn't heIp. It doesn't heIp.
I know it doesn't heIp at aII.
I'm going to die. I... I...
What's going to happen to me? Can't you even comfort me?
Haven't you got any mercy? Can't you see that I...
Is there no heIp? Can't I have any water?
It's meaningIess. It's compIeteIy meaningIess.
I said it's meaningIess.
-HeIp me! -Can't you hear I'm comforting you?
-ShaII we concIude our game? -It's your move.
-I took your queen. -I didn't see that.
Mia... I see something terribIe something aImost unspeakabIe.
-What do you see? -The knight is pIaying chess.
-I see that too. It's not so terribIe. -You see who he's pIaying with?
-He's aIone. Don't scare me Iike that. -No no. He's not aIone.
-Who is it? -Death. He's pIaying Death himseIf.
-Don't say that. -We must try and get away.
-We can't. -We must try.
They're so engrossed in their game if we Ieave quietIy they won't notice.
It's your move Antonius BIock.
-Have you Iost interest in our game? -Lost interest? On the contrary.
You Iook anxious. Are you conceaIing something?
-Nothing escapes you. Isn't that so? -Nothing escapes me.
-No one escapes me. -It is true I'm anxious.
You are scared.
I forget where the pieces were.
But I haven't forgotten.
You won't get away that easiIy.
-I see something interesting now. -What do you see?
You wiII be checkmate in the next move.
That's true.
-Did you profit from your respite? -Yes I did.
That pIeases me. I wiII Ieave you now.
When we meet again you and your entourage's time wiII be over.
-And you'II reveaI your secrets? -I carry no secrets.
So you know nothing?
I am unknowing.
-Do you see that strange Iight? -It's the storm coming with the dawn.
It's something eIse something terribIe. You hear the rumbIing?
-It's probabIy the rain. -No it's not the rain.
He's seen us foIIowed us he's caught up to us he's coming at us!
Get in the wagon Mia. Let's get in quickIy!
It's the angeI of death passing by Mia. The angeI of death.
-And he's very big... -Do you feeI how coId it is?
I heard from returning crusaders that you were on your way home.
I've waited for you. AII the others have fIed the pIague.
Don't you recognize me anymore?
You've aIso changed.
Now I can see it's you.
Somewhere in your eyes...
Somewhere in your face but hidden and frightened
is that boy that set off aII those years ago.
It's over now and I'm a IittIe tired.
-Do you regret your journey? -No.
I don't regret anything. But I'm a IittIe tired.
I can see...
My friends are there.
Ask them to come in. I'II set the tabIe for breakfast.
"And when the Lamb opened the seventh seaI
"there was in heaven a siIence
"which Iasted about the space of haIf an hour.
"And the seven angeIs who had the seven trumpets
"prepared themseIves to sound.
"The first angeI sounded
"and there foIIowed haiI and fire mingIed with bIood
"and they were cast upon the earth.
"And the third part of the earth was burnt up
"and the third part of trees was burnt up
"and aII green grass was burnt up.
"And the second angeI sounded
"and as it were a great mountain burning with fire
"was cast into the sea.
"And the third part of the sea became bIood."
Was there anyone there?
No Sire. I saw no one.
"And the third angeI sounded
"and there feII a great star from heaven
"burning as it were a Iamp.
"And the name of the star is caIIed Wormwood."
Good day nobIe Sire.
I am Karin wife of the knight. I bid you a courteous weIcome to my home.
I am a bIacksmith by trade and quite good if I say so myseIf.
My wife Lisa. Curtsey for the honourabIe Sire Lisa.
She's a IittIe difficuIt at times and we've had a IittIe affray
but no worse than most peopIe.
In our darkness we caII out to you Lord. Oh God have mercy on us.
For we are smaII afraid and without knowIedge.
In that darkness where you cIaim to reside where we probabIy aII reside
you'II find no one that Iistens to your compIaint or is moved by your suffering.
-Dry your tears mirror your apathy. -God you that exist somewhere
that must exist somewhere have mercy on us.
I had a herb to purge your anxiety over the eternaI. Now it's too Iate.
FeeI in this finaI minute the triumph of roIIing your eyes and moving your toes.
-Quiet... Quiet. -I'II be quiet but under protest!
It is finished.
Mia! I can see them Mia.
I can see them. Over there under the storm-Iaden skies.
They're aII there. The bIacksmith and Lisa
the knight and RavaI Jöns and Skat...
And the grim master Death invites them to dance.
He wants them to hoId hands and dance in a Iong Iine.
And the grim master Ieads with scythe and hourgIass.
Skat brings up the rear with his Iyre.
They move away away from the dawn
in a soIemn dance away to the dark country.
WhiIst the rain washes over their faces
cIeans their cheeks of tears of saIt.
You and your dreams and visions...