Monologue

B Monologue from The Buddha: A Drama in Five Acts and Four Interludes

From The Buddha: A Drama in Five Acts and Four Interludes by Paul Carus

male · philosophical · 1:47 min

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My dear Yasodhara, change is the law Of being. Now we prosper, but the wheel Goes round and brings the high into the dust. (Y: You suffer from bad dreams;) Listen to me. (They sit down.) In this luxurious palace and these gardens, Surrounding it, was I brought up with care. I saw naught but the fair, the beautiful, The pleasant side of life. (Y: I know, Siddhattha-- I know it very well.) You know, my father Has kept me ignorant of evil things. I might have thought that such is life throughout, But I began to doubt and asked for leave To see the world outside these palace walls. Not without difficulty did I gain Permission, and with Channa in a chariot I drove away--when suddenly before me I saw a sight I'd never seen before. There was a man with wrinkled face, bleared eyes, And stooping gait, a sight most pitiable. (YASODHARA is much moved.) While I was horror-struck, Channa passed by Indifferent, for he had seen such men. Too well he knew the common fate of all; But I, the first time in my life, did learn That, if we but live long enough, we all Shall be such miserable wretched dotards.

About this piece

20s · sadness · identity · fate · suffering · change

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