1 Jon Fosse Too Late Libretto Translated by May-Brit Akerholt
2 CHARACTERS Older Woman, around sixty-seventy years of age Middle-Aged Woman, around forty years of age Man, around fifty years of age Shadow Younger Woman, around thirty years of age
3 A bed at the front, well lit, and at the back, a painting on a wall, painting equipment on a table next to it OLDER WO stands by the bed And the day has begun a day like all days All days begin like this Always this pain Always this longing Always this waiting And it s all just phrases said before and then I should do something I must always do something She makes the bed And such a lot it turned out to be And so breaks off. That s life the way it is you must want to you must strive short pause how empty all the words are want to strive A Middle-Aged Woman and a Man enter, hand in hand, behind the Man walks another man, his Shadow. The Older Woman looks at them And it was such a good time Yes it was good The Man embraces the Middle-Aged Woman And how kind he was sort of childish The Older Woman smiles So simple yes really simple and a little stupid yes perhaps The Man lets go of the Middle-Aged Woman Do I get a kiss MIDDLE-AGED WO No you don t get a kiss
4 as if disappointed I don t get a kiss MIDDLE-AGED WO No you don t get a kiss Never again Don t I MIDDLE-AGED WO No you don t Don t you love me anymore Pause. The Middle-Aged Woman walks towards the Man, they kiss each other, a long kiss OLDER WO They were my best years She looks at the bed, stands motionless My best years Quite short pause And why did I breaks off Why did I do it Why Because I breaks off because I because Louder voice Because Because Because Quite short pause Because I had to The Man and the Middle-Aged Woman let go of each other, and walk forwards hand in hand I love you so much MIDDLE-AGED WO And I love you And those beautiful children we have MIDDLE-AGED WO Two are already grown-up
5 Quite short pause But then the little one came It s quite incredible I can't believe it Everything just happens everything becomes what it becomes MIDDLE-AGED WO And I m so old No no you re not old But that it can happen That we can happen They kiss each other MIDDLE-AGED WO That we could happen That we happened MIDDLE-AGED WO But we happened Why do I say things like that Quite short pause Everything happens everything just happens And I m so tired And then the children happened MIDDLE-AGED WO And now you re earning good money yes you have for a long time of course Everything had just happened short pause and I m so tired just tired MIDDLE-AGED WO continues yes we have everything we need
6 We have plenty of room We have each other We have our children Pause. As if a little doubtful No how could it have happened But it has happened MIDDLE-AGED WO It has happened But I don t like it when you leave me I always want to be with you But yes you know yes my work claims me the day claims me MIDDLE-AGED WO a little sullenly Yes Always the same Every day the same But soon I shall sleep MIDDLE-AGED WO Yes well So breaks off MIDDLE-AGED WO Yes I must do what I must I just have to yes earn money so we can live yes here too yes in these rooms MIDDLE-AGED WO I suppose you must But that
7 I am so tired so tired I just want to sleep MIDDLE-AGED WO continues yes that you go out and are important out there out there in the big world and I I have to stay in here here here in these rooms I suppose that s how it is breaks off MIDDLE-AGED WO You go out and there are other women out there they are young younger than me I only care about you Always the same again and again But soon I shall sleep MIDDLE-AGED WO I hear you say that Always only you MIDDLE-AGED WO But those young beautiful women they are there Yes MIDDLE-AGED WO You think they are beautiful No not like that short pause
8 why can t you breaks off MIDDLE-AGED WO And I have to stay in here always here always here with the children they re noisy they re screaming they re messy they breaks off, short pause nappies yes it s a few years ago now but now it is exactly the same all over again Always nappies Year after year and always nappies And you you go out out in the world out in the world and there you are important important to the other women to the young women they look at you do you wonder what they think and how can I know what you think what you do for I am here you are there I am here in these rooms and you are there out there in the big world and I am here always here always here always you are there I am here you are there there with the young beautiful women and I am here in these rooms I am here with the children
9 Always the same The same and the same There are almost only men there yes out there in the big world as you say MIDDLE-AGED WO And then the young women Yes yes before breaks off MIDDLE-AGED WO Before they get locked inside with children with children in rooms like this Always the same But soon I shall sleep Don t MIDDLE-AGED WO Isn t that how it is Why can t I go out and be important in the big world It s breaks off MIDDLE-AGED WO It s because that's how it is Quite short pause You re always saying that Why can t you say something else I must go I must go to work I mustn t be late MIDDLE-AGED WO Yes well yes you go
10 I must go but tonight I can sleep And sleep is so good Soon I shall sleep Just sleep MIDDLE-AGED WO continues Just go Go Go Why can t we part leave each other as friends Pause MIDDLE-AGED WO Yes alright then She gives him a hug, and the Man exits. Pause. The Middle-Aged Woman stands there looking down. The sound of a crying child. The Older Woman walks towards the Middle-Aged Woman, stops. The Older Woman and the Middle- Aged Woman look at each other, they look down, they look at each other again. The Middle-Aged Woman exits OLDER WO Was I right Was I wrong Was life better She laughs to herself As if life was better Quite short pause As if life was better Quite short pause. The sound of a child crying stops I did what I did I did what I had to do I did what I thought I had to do that was all I could do that was all I could think I didn t think I could do anything else that s what I thought that s what I did The Middle-Aged Woman enters MIDDLE-AGED WO First it was my father and then it was him my husband the man I m married to
My mother who walked around in those rooms and my father who walked around out there in the big world in the proud world those fine things those expensive things my mother between all those expensive and fine things just things just my mother and me between those fine things in those expensive rooms And my father who was out there And my mother and me My mother who walked around there I who walked around there And my father who paid for it all and we just walked around there And now Now its me me who just walks around here walks around here with the children and he who walks around out there out there with all his money with all those young girls What happened to me I used to draw I used to paint I was so good at drawing I went to art school I wanted so much I saw something Quite short pause I wanted something I breaks off, short pause and then he was there he stood there and then everything was changed everything was something else I was no longer myself I was someone else I was him as he always says 11
12 I am you and as I always answer I am you OLDER WO I am you I am me Now I am only me Silly talk I am only me I wanted so much and then it turned out breaks off. The Middle-Aged Woman exits I am too old I was too old I couldn t paint I couldn t do it couldn t paint how I wanted to It was too late I couldn t do it It wasn t how I thought it would be It wasn t what I wanted but I tried you could say that yes that I tried I wanted to I tried but what does it matter that you want to that you try that s not how it is The Man enters, and the Older Woman looks at him And he was beautiful And he was not a bad man But bright no that he wasn t Perhaps he was even a little stupid smiles a little to herself. The Man walks around But where are you Aren t you here Pause Don t go and hide now We re not kids anymore
13 We don t play hide and seek anymore where are you The Middle-Aged Woman enters There you are So good to see you again So good to be back home I am so tired so tired And I shall soon sleep MIDDLE-AGED WO And your work went well Yes yes everything was good but tiring it is tiring yes as always MIDDLE-AGED WO Yes I am so tired But I can soon sleep And you MIDDLE-AGED WO It s all been as usual I ve got nothing to tell as usual No no me neither Can I give you a hug She doesn t answer You don t want a hug Not a hug Not MIDDLE-AGED WO No
14 You don t want to MIDDLE-AGED WO No The Man goes and sits down on the bed, and the Older Woman goes and stands next to him and strokes his hair. He looks down You are out there between the beautiful young women I am so tired so tired But I can soon sleep MIDDLE-AGED WO continues and I walk around in here in these rooms in these expensive rooms with the rowdy boisterous children the same day in and day out day in and day out I am so tired so tired But sleep is so good And I shall soon sleep MIDDLE-AGED WO continues yes I know I keep saying it I repeat myself and repeat myself these rooms these children these expensive rooms these rowdy boisterous children and you who go you who come What can I do What can I do to make it better MIDDLE-AGED WO What you can do Pause. The Man stands up What can I do
15 to make it better for you we have everything we need and more is there something you want shall I buy you something MIDDLE-AGED WO Maybe I am so tired so tired MIDDLE-AGED WO continues Yes maybe What do you want MIDDLE-AGED WO reluctantly I don t know I don t quite know I have to think about it Just say it MIDDLE-AGED WO I want freedom What do you mean The good sleep s freedom short pause the good sleep MIDDLE-AGED WO continues yes freedom yes I want to be in the world out there I don t want to be locked inside in these rooms Quite short pause I want to make those paintings I want to make breaks off, But can t you make them here
16 MIDDLE-AGED WO Who ll look after the children then Someone else can do that we can breaks off. Pause You don t enjoy being with the children Pause You don t want to be with the children with our children with our beautiful children Pause. The Man walks towards the Middle-Aged Woman Now Now I want a hug Why do I say that I don t mean it I am so tired so tired continues And tomorrow tomorrow when I get home I ll bring something beautiful something beautiful and expensive for you Something you ll like Why do I say that continues Something I know you ll like MIDDLE-AGED WO How can you know that I know you MIDDLE-AGED WO You knew me But I m not the one you used to know puzzled I don t know you anymore
17 MIDDLE-AGED WO You knew me You re no longer the same MIDDLE-AGED WO I ve begun to understand You re still young young and beautiful even if breaks off MIDDLE-AGED WO Even if I m close to forty You look much younger And it s not that long ago since our youngest child was born MIDDLE-AGED WO But the others they manage themselves they go to school they don t need me anymore Of course they need you Pause But now I want a hug Why do I say that I don t mean it The Man and the Middle-Aged Woman look at each other, he walks to her, embraces her, she doesn t put her arms around him. Why do I do that The Man lets go of her, and he leaves OLDER WO walks to the Middle-Aged Woman Why was I like that Why am I like that MIDDLE-AGED WO Why am I like that Why do I say things like that He only wants what s best for me OLDER WO He only wanted what was best for me
18 MIDDLE-AGED WO I don t understand myself OLDER WO I have never understood myself MIDDLE-AGED WO He only wanted a hug OLDER WO I don t understand me I didn t understand me then and I don t understand me now I breaks off MIDDLE-AGED WO For he is beautiful For he is kind and he always says that he is away so much away just to earn what we need for me and the children to live well he is away out there with those beautiful young women and I I am no longer young And what has become of me I have walked around here I walk around here I can t take it and the children yes apart from the little one The sound of a crying child, and the Middle-Aged Woman exits. Pause. The crying stops. The Man enters She s not here But where is she Where can she be And why is she like that before yes when I came home from work always yes always
19 we gave each other a hug and we kissed each other and then where is she she is so beautiful so good I love her so much But it isn t true It isn t like that It is just breaks off. Pause. The Man walks around, and the Older Woman walks over to him, strokes his cheek, his back, embraces him, stands and holds him. The Middle-Aged Woman enters. The Man walks towards her, and the Older Woman goes and sits down on the bed Now I want a hug MIDDLE-AGED WO You want a hug Yes MIDDLE-AGED WO So you want a hug The Man goes and embraces the Middle-Aged Woman and holds her, she keeps her arms hanging down. They stand like that for a long time Why do I do such things The Man lets go of her and leaves. The Older Woman stands up, smooths the bedclothes, walks into the room OLDER WO And now now I m alone and the children they yes they I don t understand why they visit me so rarely why they ring me so rarely it s as if there was something wrong with me as if something was wrong Quite short pause And I am alone
20 Always alone The Middle-Aged Woman exits But I like to be alone Of course I do I prefer to be alone But that s just something I say Something I must say I must say that I prefer to be alone I must say that I was right I must say that I did the only right thing What I had to do The only thing I could do The only thing short pause yes the only Pause. The Man enters, hand in hand with a Younger Woman happy Yes this is how it is YOUNG WO happy My how lovely it is such nice big rooms Yes Yes they re alright YOUNG WO It s not it s not that the rooms are important it s what fills the rooms it s love which is the most important I shall never leave you Yes yes YOUNG WO And love is what we have We have love
21 YOUNG WO And love shall we have Love we shall always have love YOUNG WO We shall never part Never shall we part YOUNG WO I shall never leave you Not like she did The other one short pause Imagine leaving your husband your children But I shall never leave you or the children yes if we have children And I shall never leave you YOUNG WO I shall never leave you like the other one did I can t bear to think about her the other one I shall never leave you YOUNG WO continues she who is the mother of your children short pause, questioningly is it really true that suddenly she just stood there with two suitcases and said she wanted to leave The Man nods Don t say her name
22 YOUNG WO continues And then she left The Man nods. I don t want to say her name I don t want to remember her name I don t want to mention her I don t want to think about her Don t think about her don t say her name YOUNG WO But the children yes they remind me breaks off The children are themselves That s life at its greatest that is the greatness of life that people are born completely as themselves from the time they enter this world they are themselves they have their own soul look like themselves are themselves YOUNG WO Yes I can t understand it It is the wonder of life It is the light of life It is breaks off. YOUNG WO No no no it is breaks off. The Man embraces her, and she embraces him, they kiss each other, they stand like that for a long time, they let each other go, they move away a little. I m so grateful for you
23 I was so alone all alone and alone you are like no one I was no one I was no one until we met And I was no one Pause YOUNG WO I feel whole I feel no not like myself yes like myself like myself in you It is you who is I Always the same but the same is never the same nothing is the same everything changes and a word never means the same YOUNG WO And I am you You said that to the other one too her yes breaks off Don t think about it YOUNG WO questioningly You did Don t think about it YOUNG WO I can t help it
24 Don t think about it Now it s you only you who are my world YOUNG WO Yes They embrace each other, and exit, hand in hand. Long pause. The Middle- Aged Woman enters with two suitcases, she puts them down, walks around, looking. The Man enters What is it Why have you packed MIDDLE-AGED WO I m going You re going MIDDLE-AGED WO Yes Where are you going MIDDLE-AGED WO Home to my parents To your parents MIDDLE-AGED WO Yes But you ve never liked your parents you re always saying that your father yes that he yes treated as you say both you and your mother as if you were dolls as if yes as if you weren t human beings MIDDLE-AGED WO
25 I m going How long will you be gone And who ll look after the little one MIDDLE-AGED WO You ll have to find someone who can look after him one of those young women out there in the world one of those beautiful young women one of those you look at drool over You re going MIDDLE-AGED WO I m going And I m not coming back You re not coming back MIDDLE-AGED WO I m never coming back I want to be alone But the children You have three children you have a small child The sound of a child crying MIDDLE-AGED WO Do you hear what I m saying Don t you understand anything Don t you understand a thing You want me to say it word for word yes I can do that I short pause am short pause going short pause and short pause I short pause am short pause
26 never short pause coming short pause back The Man goes and sits down on the bed, next to the Older Woman. The Middle- Aged Woman picks up the suitcases and exits. Pause. The Man stands up and exits. The Older Woman stands up, moves into the room OLDER WO I had to I couldn t take it I couldn t bear it it wasn t breaks off, but is it true is it really true yes that yes that I couldn t bear it and then. The child stops crying yes I don t want to think about it rather not but my father He said I was mad The OLDER WO laughs You re not right in the head You re mad Go back home to your husband to your children You have a good husband good children And my mother she said nothing almost nothing just a few quiet words Quite short pause And my father who got me two rooms He said I don t want you living here Fend for yourself Here s the key Here s the address Quite short pause And my mother
27 my mother who gave me money She said my father had asked her to do it But he didn t want to come himself No I don t want to think about it Quite short pause And here in the rooms my father bought here here short pause always here just always here always here The Older Woman walks over to the painting, begins to paint. The Man enters, walks over to her, stands a few metres away from her You got a better life You set yourself free you set yourself free from me from your children And you set me free Quite short pause You gave me love I look up to your strength I m not telling the truth Why aren t I telling the truth I breaks off I look up to your ability to do what you had to Why am I lying How can I bear to do that But why don t I hurt her as much as I can You did what you had to That s all you could do He puts a few notes on the table. That is my greatest joy She is so free so free The Young Woman enters
28 YOUNG WO I m so grateful for you for our child for our beautiful child that it turned out like this that it turned out to be you and our child And I m so grateful for you I am so grateful for you I don t know who to thank yes you yes you most of all you beautiful you I want to thank God continues I shall thank you but that it turned out like this that we of all of all those who exist of all those who are there all so many that of all of all those that it should be you that it should be you and me and our child YOUNG WO You and our child and me That which rules in secrecy that is what I thank YOUNG WO I thank God Pause I must look in on our child
29 But first a kiss YOUNG WO Yes They kiss each other, they hug each other for a long time and she exits I am so grateful God for her for all she has given me for the love that exist the love that fills everything that is in everything and everyone the love we are and which is why we exist I thank you God I thank you for the grace you have given me I thank you God for the grace you have gave The Man and the Shadow take up positions, stand and look straight ahead, into nothingness. The Older Woman lifts up the painting, looks at it OLDER WO It is beautiful I was good at something I was good at something if only I was given the time if only I was given the time to do it If I only could be on my own I could paint And the paintings are larger than I am The paintings are larger than I could be that was what I wanted I wanted to be larger than myself not to be myself but to be something other than myself something totally other I wanted to be part of the other part of the greater just a part But was it worth it
How much pain haven't I caused And now he is dead And my parents are dead how ugly how ugly am I and then the inheritance from my father yes and from my mother of course from her too. The Young Woman enters and goes and takes the Man with one hand and the Shadow with the other and the paintings yes how ugly yes they are ugly I can t paint and no one almost no one laughs wants to buy my paintings no one wants to exhibit them almost no one and not without reason laughs so I laughs paint over one painting after the other I paint one painting And then I paint over it I always start over again over again over again over again and that is right for nothing shall remain everything shall come into being and everything shall disappear short pause. She paints over the painting with white paint. Then she goes and sits on the bed. Pause And now he s dead He is gone Forever gone Quite short pause It s several years now since he died the years go so fast 30
31 and I was told that I wasn t welcome at his funeral Everything disappears Pause. She lies down on the bed, pulls the doona over her You are my happiness YOUNG WO And you mine Only you You are my happiness I thank you Yes yes yes only you The kiss for a long time. Black