Rose of Persia
Dialogue Following Song No. 17 — Act II
The Sultan enters. Everyone is prostrated.
- Sultan:
- Are the Royal Slave Girls and Officials
all present?
- Vizier:
- Yes, O King!
- Sultan:
- Where is the man Hassan?
- Vizier:
- O King, he is still sleeping from the effect of
Bhang.
- Sultan:
- Last night he boasted he was as good as
I!
- Vizier:
- Shall he die, O King?
- Phys.:
- For the lie, O King?
- Exec.:
- Shall I, O King? (Drawing
scimitar.)
- Sultan:
- No, no.
- All:
- We hear you and obey.
- Sultan:
- When he said he was as good as I he may have spoken
the truth. He is the first man who has ever said such a
thing — to my face; and he has given me an idea. Take
him, while he still sleeps, and dress him in a royal robe,
and put a crown upon his head — (Taking off his
own crown) — and when he wakes, see that he finds
himself seated on the throne.
- Vizier:
- The throne, O King?
- Phys:
- Your own, O King?
- Sultan:
- Yes.
- All:
- We hear you and obey.
- Sultan:
- And see that he is treated exactly as if he were Sultan — in every respect. See that you treat me exactly as if I
were not Sultan — with no respect. You can
begin at once by assuming a perpendicular position.
- All:
- We hear you and obey.
- Vizier: (kneeling).
- O King, it will be impossible to treat
another as we should treat you!
- Sultan:
- Oh, no, not at all. If I find the experiment successful, I
shall leave him here to be grovelled to, while I go for a
few weeks to the seaside, disguised as a cheap tripper.
The truth is — I don't want to offend you — but I'm a
little tired of you all — just a leetle bit tired of seeing
everybody crawling about on their stomachs.
(Lifting up Vizier.) I don't blame you. I know you
can't help it. I know you're unhappy now, because
you're not cringing, aren't you? Well, well, I won't be
cruel — down you get.
- Vizier: (kneeling).
- O King, this is not a natural attitude.
But it is natural to be unnatural when Kings are about.
- Sultan:
- Exactly. It's human nature. Bless you, there's nothing
new in that. People talk about Society nowadays being
artificial. Not a bit. Modern manners are only original
human nature some years in bottle.
Page created 4 April 1999