Bereczky Erzsébet (szerk.): Imre Madách: The Tragedy of Man. Essays about the ideas and the directing of the Drama (Budapest, 1985)
Imre Madách: The Tragedy of Man - full text of the drama - Translated by Joseph Grosz
HIPPIA (to the corpse) Would you prefer a kiss? LUCIFER Well, kiss him then, And steal the obol hidden in his mouth! HIPPIA If I kissed you, why should I not kiss him? (She kisses the corpse.) PETER THE APOSTLE (suddenly emerges from the background) Woman, stand still! You breathe the Black Death in! ALL (rise in horror from their places.) The pestilence — oh horrid death — let’s go! PETER THE APOSTLE You craven nation of a wretched race! As long as fortune smiles above your heads, You are, like summer flies, impertinent, Trampling on God and virtue with contempt. But when misfortune knocks upon your doors, When God’s almighty Finger touches you, Then you become, like cowards, pentitent - Do you not feel the punishment of heaven Descend on you? Now look, just look around! Your city dies, and strange barbarians Trample your golden crop into the soil. Order decays; there nobody commands, And nobody obeys. Robbing and murder Openly walk among your citizens — Behind them helpless fear and palid grief, From heaven and earth no comfort, no relief. You cannot silence with voluptuous joys 191
