I AM THE WIND
A Young Vic/Théâtre de la Ville-Paris co-production, co-commissioned by Wiener Festwochen, les Nuits de Fourvière/Département du Rhône, Festival Grec 2011 – Barcelona and Festival d’Avignon
This production of I Am the Wind was first performed at the Young Vic in May 2011.
Jon Fosse
I AM THE WIND
English Language Version
by Simon Stephens
OBERON BOOKS
LONDON
WWW.OBERONBOOKS.COM
First published in 2011 by Oberon Books Ltd
Electronic edition published in 2012
Oberon Books Ltd
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Reprinted in 2012
This version of I Am The Wind copyright © Simon Stephens 2011
Translated from the Norwegian Eg er vinden copyright © 2008 by Jon Fosse and Det Norske Samlaget.
Jon Fosse is hereby identified as author of this play in accordance with section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. The author has asserted his moral rights.
Simon Stephens is hereby identified as author of this version of this play in accordance with section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. The translator has asserted his moral rights.
All rights whatsoever in this play are strictly reserved and application for performance etc. should be made before commencement of rehearsal to Casarotto Ramsay & Associates Limited, Waverley House, 7-12 Noel Street, London W1F 8GQ (info@casarotto.co.uk). No performance may be given unless a licence has been obtained, and no alterations may be made in the title or the text of the play without the author’s prior written consent.
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PB ISBN: 978-1-84943-071-5
EPUB ISBN: 978-1-84943-609-0
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The boat and the actions that surround it should be evoked or
suggested rather than represented mimetically.
Contents
Characters
Chapters
Characters
THE ONE
THE OTHER
THE ONE
I didn’t want to
I just did it
THE OTHER
You just did it
THE ONE
I just did it
Short pause
THE OTHER
It just happened
But you were
so afraid it would happen
Short pause
You said that to me
quite short pause
You told me about it
THE ONE
I know
Pause
THE OTHER
And then it happened
Quite short pause
Exactly that which you were afraid would happen
Quite short pause
Exactly that which you were afraid you would do
quite short pause
it happened
Short pause
THE ONE
It did
Pause
THE OTHER
It’s awful
THE ONE
I’m fine
THE OTHER
Really
THE ONE
I’ve gone now
I left with the wind
THE OTHER
You left
THE ONE
I’ve gone
Short pause
I’m not here any more
breaks off
THE OTHER
You’re not here
THE ONE
No I’m not here
Short pause
THE OTHER
But
THE ONE
What
THE OTHER
Okay
short pause
right
short pause
but life
quite short pause
it’s not too bad
is it
quite short pause
there are so many places
you could be
THE ONE
short pause
Yeah there are
or maybe there’s
nowhere
quite short pause
but then you have to
well
quite short pause
people have to be somewhere
short pause
I can’t bear the noise
quite short pause
I can’t bear the noise other people make
I can’t bear the noise of everything
quite short pause
it weighs me down
it overwhelms me
Quite short pause
THE OTHER
You want to be on your own
THE ONE
I can’t be on my own
THE OTHER
You can’t be on your own
you can’t be with anybody else
THE ONE
I can’t bear all the noise
THE OTHER
You need quiet
THE ONE
I need quiet
quite short pause
and I want
everything to be less visible
Visible
THE ONE
Everything’s so visible
everything can be seen
the things that people hide with what they say
the things maybe they don’t even know about themselves
I see all of that
THE OTHER
You don’t want to be around other people
THE ONE
No
THE OTHER
But you don’t want to be on your own
Why don’t you want to be on your own
THE ONE
Because if I’m on my own
then all I can see is myself
and all I can hear is myself
quite short pause
And I don’t like that
quite short pause
obviously
quite short pause
I mean
breaks off
THE OTHER
Isn’t it better though
THE ONE
No it’s not better
quite short pause
of course it’s not better
quite short pause
it’s worse
THE OTHER
Don’t you like yourself
THE ONE
No
THE OTHER
You don’t like other people
and you don’t like yourself
THE ONE
Yes
short pause
that’s about the size of it
Pause
THE OTHER
What is it you don’t like
about yourself
THE ONE
I don’t like that I’m worthless
THE OTHER
You’re worthless
THE ONE
Yes
Pause
THE OTHER
How can you say that
Of course you’re not worthless
You’re worth so much
THE ONE
Alright I’m not worthless
short pause
but if I’m on my own
quite short pause
and all I can hear is myself
right
then
breaks off
THE OTHER
Then what
THE ONE
Then there’s nothing there
quite short pause
and then I start getting heavy
THE OTHER
You start getting heavy
THE ONE
Yes
THE OTHER
Heavy
THE ONE
I turn into a rock
quite short pause
and it gets
the rock
gets heavier and heavier
quite short pause
I get so heavy
that I can barely move
quite short pause
so heavy that I
that I sink
quite short pause
down and down
quite short pause
down under the sea
I sink
down to the bottom
and then
quite short pause
I just lie there
at the bottom of the sea
Heavy
Motionless
THE OTHER
And then
right when you’re a rock
quite short pause
then
then you don’t say anything
THE ONE
I can barely speak
quite short pause
it’s a struggle
to get a single word out
to extract a single word
quite short pause
and then
when the word is out
when the word has been spoken
it feels so heavy
quite short pause
that it drags me down too
quite short pause
it makes me sink and sink
THE OTHER
Is that what it’s like
The words get heavy
THE ONE
Yes
Short pause
THE OTHER
But why is it like that
THE ONE
It’s just the way it is
Short pause
THE OTHER
You’re a rock
Quite short pause
And you’re grey
like a rock
THE ONE
Yes
quite short pause
like
breaks off
No not exactly
THE OTHER
What
not exactly
THE ONE
Not grey
THE OTHER
What do you mean
THE ONE
You said grey
It’s not grey
THE OTHER
No
THE ONE
No because it’s nice
grey
THE OTHER
Nice
THE ONE
Yes nice
and ugly
quite short pause
grey is the bare little islands and reefs
look out there
look over there
You see the little islands and the reefs
They’re all grey
THE OTHER
It’s nice
quite short pause
and ugly
THE ONE
Yes
THE OTHER
Like the fog
THE ONE
yeah like the fog you see out
in the ocean
a bit like the fog
quite short pause
perhaps
Quite short pause
No it’s not grey
like the fog
quite short pause
more like
THE OTHER
What
THE ONE
continues
more like
okay
yeah maybe
yes maybe more like a concrete wall
THE OTHER
It’s like everything is just a concrete wall
THE ONE
I’m a concrete wall
that’s breaking into pieces
THE OTHER
That must hurt
THE ONE
Of course it hurts
THE OTHER
Does it just hurt
THE ONE
Yes
THE OTHER
All you are
quite short pause
is a concrete wall
that’s breaking into pieces
THE ONE
And falling apart
quite short pause
falling into rubble
THE OTHER
You’re rubble
THE ONE
No I’m the breaking
no not that either
THE OTHER
The cracking
THE ONE
Yeah in a way
quite short pause
maybe
quite short pause
maybe I’m the cracking
THE OTHER
You’re the cracking
THE ONE
Yes
quite short pause
or
quite short pause
all this is just words
just something you say
THE OTHER
You’re a concrete wall
That’s cracking to pieces
THE ONE
It’s just words
Pause
THE OTHER
But
quite short pause
okay will you tell me
quite short pause
what makes it better
why you like
to go
quite short pause
out on the water
THE ONE
Well I could
Short pause
THE OTHER
Well do
THE ONE
I
pause
I
right
short pause
can you see over there
the little islands and the reefs
over there
points
those cliffs
the grey ones
the pure grey cliffs
quite short pause
and can you see the rocks on the beach
big
round
grey
can you see them
quite short pause
there
over there
THE OTHER
Yes
THE ONE
And can you see that cove
quite short pause
there
where the little island sort of spreads its legs
quite short pause
where it makes a cove
points
over there
can you see that
THE OTHER
Yes
THE ONE
We could anchor there
The boat would be safe there
Quite short pause
Do you want to
Quite short pause
Do you want to go there
THE OTHER
Ok
ay
short pause
we could do
THE ONE
Come on then
THE ONE pushes the tiller and the boat glides slowly towards the cove.
THE OTHER
It looks quite nice there
Quite short pause
And the sea looks calm
Quite short pause
All the islands and the reefs
And the ocean
quite short pause
out there
quite short pause
is that the open ocean
THE ONE
Yes
THE OTHER
And then
right in front of us
between us and the ocean
on this side of that little island
is a nice sheltered cove
THE ONE
And we can cast anchor there and
quite short pause
if we want to
we could stay there till tomorrow
THE OTHER
Is it safe there
THE ONE
The weather’s perfect
THE OTHER
The wind won’t pick up
I mean there’s a bit of fog
Isn’t there out there on the ocean
THE ONE
No
quite short pause
no I don’t think so
THE OTHER
Are you sure
THE ONE
Well you can never be quite sure
Pause
Let’s sail there
THE OTHER
Okay let’s
THE ONE
You want to
THE OTHER
Why not
THE ONE
Great
Pause
THE OTHER
You like everything to be silent don’t you
THE ONE
Yes
Quite short pause
THE OTHER
Is that why
you like
being at sea so much
THE ONE
Maybe
THE OTHER
Do you like being at sea so much
because you want everything to be silent
THE ONE
I don’t know if I do want it to be silent
And there are noises on the water too
Creaking
Fluttering
Screeching
Short pause
THE OTHER
But you don’t like noise
THE ONE
No
quite short pause
or
breaks off
THE OTHER
And it’s quiet on the water
quite short pause
the sounds are really quite quiet there
THE ONE
Yes
quite short pause
in a way
it is quiet out there
THE OTHER
But when life lives things can be heard
things can be seen
That’s just how it is
THE ONE
That’s right
Pause
THE OTHER
And you don’t like that
Pause
You don’t like that life lives
Pause
Because if you had liked that
breaks off. Pause
But you like being on the water
THE ONE