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El locutorio (“Contrapunto para dos voces cansadas”) (1976), Jorge Díaz
Counterpoint for Two Tired Voices (or The Visiting Room) (1992), translated by Catherine Boyle
One Act Play
- Edition
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Boyle, Catherine. 1992. Counterpoint for Two Tired Voices (or The Visiting Room). Travesia: Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies, Volume 1, Issue 2, 4–29
pp. 10-12 - Context:
- This extract is taken from near the middle of this one act play.
- Sample text
-
- HIM:
Elisa, do you think we ever made love?
- HER:
I’m certain of it. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten already?
- HIM:
No. But it’s as if it was different people. I remember each touch, each emotion, but as if they belonged to these other people. We had children. Didn’t we?
- HER:
Yes.
- HIM:
And how ... what’s gone wrong?
- HER:
We’re old.
- HIM:
Is that all ...?
- HER:
That’s all. It’s quite simple, really. We’re very old and you’re in this ... sanitorium, where they look after you better than I could.
- HIM:
Yes, we’re old, but you still cling onto the same old fantasies: you insist that I’m the one inside. It’s better that way. I’m glad you believe that. (Almost to himself) It would be far, far more cruel if you realised that you’re the one that’s shut away.
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A bell rings off stage.
- HER:
That’s the end of the walk around the yard. It’ll soon be time for afternoon tea.
- HIM:
How do you know if you’re only a visitor?
- HER: (Gently.)
You told me. How else could I know? I’ve never been in the yard.
- HIM:
Elisa, you don’t think we could be having the same conversations every Saturday and then forgetting them, do you? It would be awful if we were repeating ourselves without realising.
- HER: (Encouraging.)
No, last Saturday you told me how you’d dreamt about me.
- HIM:
Yes, that’s true. We were both naked in my mother’s old bathtub, and we were playing with each other.
- HER:
Do you think it’s allowed to dream dreams like that?
- HIM:
How do you mean?
- HER:
Well, there must be rules here.
- HIM:
Of course there are, there are rules everywhere. But dreams are innocent. Nobody can stop people dreaming.
- Copyright
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The above sample taken from the translation Counterpoint for Two Tired Voices (or The Visiting Room) (1992) by Catherine Boyle is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Entry written by Gwendolen Mackeith. Last updated on 5 October 2010.
