Sailing on the seven seas
THE SHIPMASTER
Yes
quite short pause
yes on the seven seas
THE GUITAR PLAYER
But now you’re here
quite short pause
yes I mean
here
here where I am
And it’s not a ship
THE SHIPMASTER
Yes I’m here
THE GUITAR PLAYER
And you’re the master of ships
that sail the seven seas
THE SHIPMASTER
Yes I am
THE GUITAR PLAYER
But you can’t do that here
THE SHIPMASTER
But we are on a ship
we are on the sea
Quite short pause
THE GUITAR PLAYER
But there’s no sea here
And this is no ship
THE SHIPMASTER
Well then
THE GUITAR PLAYER
hesitates
Well
quite short pause
yes
yes perhaps we are on a sea
perhaps this is the sea
becomes happy
because we’re on the sea
right
isn’t that right
Quite short pause
Perhaps that’s how it is
Quite short pause
THE SHIPMASTER
Yes
yes that’s how it is
THE GUITAR PLAYER
Yes
THE SHIPMASTER
That’s what the sea’s like
THE GUITAR PLAYER
Yes
quite short pause
yes perhaps that’s how it is
THE SHIPMASTER
We’re on the sea
We’re on a ship
Or perhaps we’re not
Because there’s no one else here
quite short pause
and on a ship
there are many people
THE GUITAR PLAYER
questioningly
There’s no one else here
THE SHIPMASTER
No
quite short pause
or perhaps
perhaps there are some others here
THE GUITAR PLAYER
But you just said
that that there were many here
that’s what you said
and you said
yes yes that we were on the sea
I don’t understand you
It was you who said we were on the sea
that we were on board a ship
You were so sure
just now
quite short pause
and then
yes finally
yes I believed you
yes I believed we were on the sea
that we were on board a ship
THE SHIPMASTER
Yes
Pause
And we are
We are on a ship
That’s how it is
I’m the shipmaster
and now we’re on the sea
And if you want
I can tell you where on the sea we are
how far north we are
how far east we are
THE GUITAR PLAYER
Are we northbound
I thought we were southbound
THE SHIPMASTER
You should know things like that
not think
Short pause. A man (The Man) enters, stops, stands and looks down
Haven’t you been
on the sea before
THE GUITAR PLAYER
No
quite short pause
no I haven’t
THE SHIPMASTER
Yet you were so sure
that this is not the sea
THE GUITAR PLAYER
Yes
THE SHIPMASTER
You shouldn’t have been
so sure about it
The Shipmaster and The Guitar Player move further away from each other. Long pause. The Shipmaster talks into space
I am the shipmaster
Pause
I am the master of ships
big ships
quite short pause
I have sailed ships
across the seven seas
big ships
little ships
quite short pause
through storms and calm waters
THE GUITAR PLAYER
talks into space
Do you like the sea
THE SHIPMASTER
I like the sea
and I don’t like it
THE GUITAR PLAYER
Don’t you want to talk about it
THE SHIPMASTER
Yes
yes of course
THE GUITAR PLAYER
So answer me
say one or the other
THE SHIPMASTER
I like the sea
THE GUITAR PLAYER
Why do you like it
THE SHIPMASTER
It’s not possible to say
why I like it
THE GUITAR PLAYER
Why not
THE SHIPMASTER
Because the sea’s not like that
quite short pause
the sea is
yes
yes not something you like or don’t like
yes in a way
the sea is just something that is
quite short pause
and it is
yes a little like I am myself
it’s as calm and happy and beautiful
yes as the calm sea
can only be
and then it’s
tricky and tough
and furious
yes as only the sea can be
quite short pause
and then
yes quite commonly
it’s grey and cross
and minding its own business
quite short pause
yes that’s the way of the sea
THE GUITAR PLAYER
And is it like that here
THE SHIPMASTER
No
THE GUITAR PLAYER
But still
yes this place does look like
the sea
still we are on the sea
THE SHIPMASTER
Yes it does
Yes we are on the sea
THE GUITAR PLAYER
But here there are neither
storms nor calm waters
quite short pause
here there’s just nothing
THE SHIPMASTER
But that too is the way of the sea
yes
yes in its way
that’s what it’s like
Short pause
Yes perhaps it is like that
Pause
That’s the way of the sea
Quite short pause
And I’ve been on the sea
since I was quite young
THE GUITAR PLAYER
But why are you and I
the only ones here
THE SHIPMASTER
It’s not like that
THE MAN
I’m here
Pause. The Man sees The Woman and walks towards her
THE GUITAR PLAYER
No
no perhaps it’s not like that
Long pause
THE SHIPMASTER
I am the master of ships
I sail on the seven seas
THE GUITAR PLAYER
I am the guitar player
Pause
THE MAN
to The Woman
But how nice to see you
Quite short pause
I’ve been waiting for you
quite short pause
yes it feels as if
I’ve been waiting
all these years
quite short pause
and then
then you just stand there
yes so suddenly
THE WOMAN
Yes good to see you
THE MAN
To think we’d meet here
THE WOMAN
Do we know each other
THE MAN
Yes
quite short pause
yes I suppose we do
in a way at least
we know each other
THE WOMAN
Yes