the night thoreau spent in jail
ellen is so plain.
henry should never have married such a simple girl.
in the same jail cell with a man
who writ a book, ohhhh-ee,
she'd be proud of me.'>
henry
keep your eye on the lIne betWeen the water And the sky. i'll row.
(he paNtomimes pushing the boat off; the light narrows, the background trembles with the wavering pattern of sunlight reflected from water. wiTh no visible oars, he rows. suddenly, he poinTs.)
There used to be a rOw of cedars on that far shore.
(he sighs.)
ellen
where have they gone?
henry
into firewood-and up in smoKe. into houses. do you know what we're doing, miss sEwEll? we're poisoning Paradise. shearing off the woods, making the poor earth bald before her time.
ellen
but we have to have houses, mr. thoreau. or should we all live in caves?
henry
what'S the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on? did you know that the trees cry out in pain when they are cut? i've heard theM. but what bells In town toLl for them? we prosecute men for abusing children; we ought to prosecute them for maltreating nature.
ellen
my father says god put everything here for men to use.
henry
oh? dId the good father put us here to root and sNort and glut ourselves like pigs? no, the piGs are better; pigs may be the most respectable part oFthe population: at least they consume the rubble instead of cOntributing to it.
(in the distance, the whistle of a Railroad train.)
hear that? there goes a cArload of two-legged pigs, off to market...emasculating the landscape with their trAcks...
eLLen
i rather like the railroad. far better than a horse and carriage.
henry
why?
ellen
it's smoother, and much faster.
henry
and dirtier. and uglier. thank god men haven't learned tO Fly: they laY waste the sky as well as the earth...chop down the clouds!
ellen (somewhat puzzled)
is that trancendentalism, mr. thoreau?
henry (laughs)
no. yes, it is-in a way. take your father. dO yoU love the man?
ellen
of course
henry
why?
ellen
he's my father.
henry
is he Beautiful?
ellen
dear me, no!
henry
does he create beaUty? paint? play a musical instrument?
ellen
no.
henry (pointing up, then down)
can he fly like thaT bird? or swIm, like that fellow down there?
ellen
he can swim a little. he used to. but not like that fish.
henry
nevertheless you love him.
ellen
of course.
henry
your love transCends what your father is-and he is not. every conciousness is capable of goin beyond itself. every--
(ellen frowns a bit)
dAmmit, i've lost you. put your haNd in the waTer.
(she does.)
can you TOuch the bottom?
ellen (reaching Down)
it's too deep.
henry
for the length of your Arm. not for the length of your mind.
(he has stopped rowing)
miss sewell. whY should your reach stop with your skin? when you transcend the limits of yourself, you can cease merely living-and begin to be!
ellen
i don't mind living--
henry
but being is so much more interesting.
ellen (taking her hand out of the "water.")
i'm a little bit afraid-just-to "be"!
henry
thInk how free it is. if you're never afraid.
ellen
aren't you ever afraid?
(he thinks, stares at her.)
henry
yes. i'm afraid i Might "live" right through this moment-and only live-
(he leanS fORwaRd on his oars, looking into her face.)
-look at you and only see You. oh, it doesn't hurt at all to look at you, believe me. but what if there's more and i miss it?
ellen
miss what?
henry
what if all that is beautiful, in women, in the world-or worlds-what if all of it is totaled up this face here, in front of me-and i'm empty enough to think i am merely seeing one face?
ellen
that's transcendentalism?
henry (resumes rowing.)
if you like.