Classics revisited.
Out of mothballs here is Hecuba a special request.


For Philip Nikolayev

Hecabe in a Mike Leigh cum East Enders speak, followed by Hesperides in an
undefined American accent



Hecabe
Prologue

"Hey Guv"
"What?"
"Eureka!"
"Uh?"
"You've only gone and found it at long last."
"Oh the boys will be pleased at the Met. I could kiss you son"
"I'd rather you didn't! What is it anyway?"
"You've only gone and found the play "Hecabe"."
"What's so special about that?"
"Only this my lad, it's got the names and activities of all what happened.
I told the superiors, I told them for years, all those intellectuals with
their fancy networks and systems, heads in bleedin' clouds, I told them
nothing, are you listening, there is a lesson for all of us, beats hard
solid graft. And they always said I was barking up the wrong tree ---
laughed they did, well bark I can, because this my son, is Hecabe! Them
going out to their hoity-toity soirees and dating yuppies, well the force my
son is bigger than that you see this poem, it's all about the drug empire of
Costa del Sol and London, and other places."
"Who's Hecabe?"
"Sad case, my boy, come on read it."
"Who's this geezer Euripides?"
"Oh they are codes, all codes. Hecabe she's in hospital a raving loony, she,
well, she had nineteen children."
"God!"
"Yeah it was something, and most of them turned to crime, inevitable,
inevitable. She was the wife of Priam, now that's a name for a drug baron!
Anyway go and get us a cuppa and we'll read the rest. This is fucking
brilliant, tragedy though, a bloody tragedy."

Hecabe

Hecabe "Polydorus is that you? What are you doing here? You should be with
Polymestor, didn't your father take you there? What is it? What do you know?
Come here to mother, come to your old mum. You are deathly pale, not feeding
you, are they? I thought he had the dosh? Come and kiss your worn out mum,
all this trouble, my back, my heart, the old ticker won't last, come here
and give your mum a kiss. What's all that sand on you? What have you been
doing? Polydorus what is it, look you have seaweed on you, your eyes,
there's no light, don't look like that, you'll give your old lady a fright,
now don't be silly -- oooh I've come all over chilly, it's you, you stupid
bugger, you've gone and scared me. God, you are freezing. What's that? I
can't touch you! My hand has passed through you! A ghost! A ghost, you are
dead. Dead. Polydorus no..don't leave, not now. Not now!"
Chorus "Wake her up, wake up the silly cow. She's having one her nightmares
again, she kicks about like a dog in or cat in a basket, mad she is, that's
where's she's going to land, in the loony bin. In the funny farm, certified
mad, raving. All because her darling Priam, the lowdown creep was shot dead.
Look at her, talking in her sleep!"
Hecabe "I saw him, I tell you. As plain as day, it was Polydorus and he had
been murdered, that swine had double-crossed us, the rotten bastard. He
wanted the bullion all to himself, after Priam was killed, and our house
taken, he decided to bump off my darling Polydorus! So he would be able to
keep all that precious gold."
Chorus "Now, now, Hecabe you're having one of your dizzy spells, you get
them at your age, look calm down and look who's here, she's here, your
daughter Polyxena."
Polyxena "Mother? You look distracted. What's the matter? What's wrong? Why
did you shriek? --- it's enough to make anyone freak out.
Hecabe "It's you darling, thank God you've come to see your mother. All
along, I knew you would look after me. You are such a good 'un."
Polyxena "Mother, I've got to talk to you?"
Hecabe "That's nice.
Polyxenia "It's serious. They want me to go.
Hecabe "You can't! You can't darling. I won't let you go! Look at me in the
face. Say it honey, you won't. You can't! I'll go instead. . .yes that's
what I'll do. I'll go. They want me dead. I'm Paris's Mum, I am the one who
they want, Paris gave him the dodgy smack, and watched him inject himself in
the tender part of his heel. If you go they won't let you back. I'll go! You
my lovely daughter! Don't do this to your mum, I'm not well! Come here!"
Polyxena "I know it's been bad, ever since we lost Dad, and the house, and
everything, but you poor thing, I am the one to make the sacrifice, you did
all you could to make me a lady, you sent me off to public school, you
bought me everything, so that no one would suspect I was an East Ender.
Bloody nobility, those were your words to describe me, a princess. Well now
I am going to act like one.
Hecabe You young fool! You fool!

Stephen Pain




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