Contents ( 46)
- War Horse
- Contents
- First Performance
- Characters
- WAR HORSE
- Author’s Note
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- War Horse Songbook
- The Devonshire Carol
- Only Remembered
- The Scarlet and the Blue
- Snowfalls
- Brisk Young Ploughboy
- Rolling Home
- Stand To
- Goodbye Dolly Gray
- About the Author
- By Nick Stafford from Faber
- Copyright
Enter Colonel Strauss and Doctor Schweyk.
Dr Schweyk (covered in blood) Dieser Hof wird eine Durchgangstation. Wir bauen einen Krankenwagen. Wir versammeln die Verwundeten hier und bringen sie zum Spital. [The farm is to be a clearing station. We’re making an ambulance. We collect the injured from here and take them to the hospital.]
There are soldiers adapting a farm cart, marked with a prominent red cross.
Strauss Herr Hauptmann? Kann man diese Pferde an so einen Wagen anspannen? [Can you harness this cart to these horses?]
Friedrich Herr Oberst, diese Pferde können den Karren nicht ziehen, der eine ist ein Vollblut und der andere ein Jäger – [Colonel, these horses won’t be able to pull a cart, they’re a thoroughbred and a hunter –]
Strauss Tun Sie es einfach. Morgan können Sie zurück zu ihre Einheit. [Just do it. You can rejoin your unit tomorrow.]
Friedrich Hauptmann. [Sir.] Another impossible thing for you to do, boys. If you pull this ambulance, you won’t be charging into the English guns tomorrow. I know. I know. He might as well ask me to pull it. You’ve probably never seen one of these things, never mind worn it. But it might save your life – for a bit. I wish I could make you understand. Come on, Topthorn.
Friedrich tries to harness Topthorn to the cart. He fails. Friedrich has to placate Topthorn.
Friedrich Tut mir leid. [I’m sorry.]
Dr Schweyk Also werden die Verwundeten sterben? [So the wounded will die?]
Song: ‘Brisk Young Ploughboy’ (p. 96).
Friedrich Das sind die falschen Pferde. [They are the wrong horses.]
Friedrich tries with Joey. Success!
Was? [What?]
Dr Schweyk Sehen Sie! Sie wissen ja gar nichts über Pferde! [See! You don’t know anything about horses!]
Friedrich (to Joey) You’ve done this before? To use a beautiful hunter like you as a carthorse. Now I know the English are mad.
Schweyk leads Topthorn. Yes, he will comply now that Joey’s led him.
Enter Paulette. She’d like to pass unnoticed.
Another soldier demands Paulette’s papers. These have been issued by the occupiers and she needs them to move any distance at all. She effectively has to carry a passport, and also formally apply to travel longer distances than the everyday.
Walter Papiere! [Papers!]
Dr Schweyk (scribbling receipt) Wir brauchen ihren Karren … verstehen Sie? Das. Das hier. Wir nehmen das. [We need your cart … Do you understand? This. This. We’re taking this.] Madame, nous besoin ça … Ich weiss das Wort nicht. [I don’t know the word.] Nous besoin this.
Paulette Je fous ça avec toute la paperasserie de merde. [I’ll put it with all the other useless bits of paper.]
Exit Paulette.
Dr Schweyk Sie, Hauptmann. Spannen Sie bitte das andere Pferd ein und fahren Sie diesen Krankentransport zum Spital. [You, Hauptmann. Please harness the other horse and drive this ambulance to the hospital.]
Friedrich Ich? [Me?]
Dr Schweyk Ja. Sie haben den Oberst gehört. Morgen können Sie zurück zu ihre Einheit. Befehle. [Yes. You heard what the Colonel said. You can rejoin your unit tomorrow. Orders.]