Publisher's Synopsis
Erdgeist (Earth-Spirit) A Tragedy in Four Acts FRANK WEDEKIND At rise, is seen the entrance to a tent, out of which steps an animal-tamer, with long, black curls, dressed in a white cravat, a vermilion dress-coat, white trowsers and white top-boots. He carries in his left hand a dog-whip and in his right a loaded revolver, and enters to the sound of cymbals and kettle-drums.) Walk in! Walk in to the menagery, Proud gentlemen and ladies lively and merry!With avid lust or cold disgust, the veryBeast without Soul bound and made secondaryTo human genius, to stay and see!Walk in, the show'll begin!-As customary, One child to each two persons comes in free. Here battle man and brute in narrow cagesWhere one in haught disdain his long whip lashesAnd one, with growls as when the thunder rages, Against the man's throat murderously dashes, -Where now the crafty conquers, now the strong, Now man, now beast, lies cowed the floor along;The animal rears, -the human on all fours!One ice-cold look of dominance-The beast submissive bows before that glance, And the proud heel upon his neck adores. Bad are the times! Ladies and gentlemenWho once before my cage in thronging crescentsCrowded, now honor operas, and thenIbsen, with their so highly valued presence.My boarders here are so in want of fodderThat they reciprocally devour each other.How well off at the theater is a player, Sure of the meat upon his ribs, albeitHis frightful hunger may tear him and he itAnd colleagues' inner cupboards be quite bare!-Greatness in art we struggle to inherit, Although the salary never match the merit. We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching expe
