The Last Moon
Act Unique in six scenes in Sardinian
Language
By Ignazio Salvatore Basile
Translaction in to English by
the same author
Characters
Itzocar Tribe’s
Chief of Nure- Brother to dead king Gonario
Irìsa His Wife
Damasu Son to Itzocar
and Irìsa
Gula Daughter to
Itzocar and Irìsa
Alàshia Sister to Gonario
Aristea Daughter to king
Gonario’s sister , Alàshia
Nakigia Gonario ‘s Widow
and sister –in-law to Itzocar
Rumisu Nakigia’s Son
–Throne’s pretender
Bithia Nakigia’s
Sister - Priestess of Nure
Iolao Bithia’s Son
Anù High
Priest at Nure
Elki Anù’s
Son and Soldier’s Chief
Soldiers
and People
King Gonario His
Phantom
THE PLOT
On
the tribe of Nure reigns Itzocar, who rose in command twenty
years before, when his brother Gonario, suddenly died.
In
so doing Itzocar has however willfully ignored the rules regarding the
succession imposed by ancient tradition , who foresaw the Regency of Gonario’s
widow, Nakigia, at least until the grown
age of his son Rumisu, still a child at the time of death of the king Gonario.
Trying
to legitimize and strengthen the usurped power Itzocar and authoritative Anù,
Member of the Council of elders of Nure, combine a double marriage: Damasu,
designed by his father Itzocar to succeed him on the throne, will marry Aristea
(who is daughter to deceased King's sister, Alàshia), while Elki, son of
Anù will marry Gula (daughter of Itzocar).
But
Nakigia, widow to Gonario, who is
contrary to weddings, invited to depose the gifts on behalf of Anù, invites the
nobles, priests and the people waiting for the awakening of Bithia Priestess (
mother of Iolaus), who has been doing the rite of incubation, waiting for a
forseen dream, to refuse the wedding at
least until Bithia’s reveil.
Rumisu,
son to deceased King Gonario and to Nakigia , aims to remove Uncle Itzocar in
the command , feeling empowered.
While
Nakigia exposes his call to wait, Bithia awakens and describes his dream of
doom: a Sun swallowed by the Moon(Song of Bitia).
Immediately after bursts on the scene Rumisu
accusing Uncle Itzocar to have usurped the command (song of Rumisu).
At
the end of Rumisu’s song, Damasu enters
in defense of his father Itzocar.
The
two men fight hand-to-hand.
The
winner will be Rumisu. The loser Damasu abandons the village.
Rumisu,
ripped the stick and the mantle from his uncle Itzocar, that will follow with his
wife Irìsa the defeated son, sits on the throne and invites Aristea to join him
at his side.
But Iolaus and Aristea announce their love.
And while the people and the guards, let the two lovers pass by, sadly Rumisu
will leave the scene defeated by his own lust for power.
The
ghost of King Gonario appears to underline the right rules with the song of Akinta Kamar.
When
Gonario goes out of scene, all the people will dance, celebrating the Last
Moon, before the sun takes over the power for ever.
(the scene opens to the central square of the
nuragic village of Nure. In the background, a
sacred well of nuragic period and in the distance the towers of the village;
the half moon shines in the blue sky; a mixed group are dancing a nuragic appropriate dance of good luck wishing
at the double promise of marriage between Damasu and Aristea and between Elki
and Gula.
The choir will be singing the following air)
Come on, bright and pregnant
Come to the aiming water
Come on, come on, lights from the sky
Itzocar
(standing up and beating the sheep’s stick for thrice, calling for silence)
- People
of Shardana! Listen to me! I, Itzocar, King
of Nure, today I promise by the present
announcement the wedding of my son Damasu with the nice princess Aristea ((Aristea, will cover her face
with the veil; later on this sign, soon interpreted
as shyness, will be revealed a gesture of refusing !)
And when
the Moon is sank in the sacred well, nobody
will be able to deny this promise I’m
doing in front of you; I call everybody as witnesses as I confirm the promise with the gifts that
my wife Irìsa will pose hereafter in the
well;
Irìsa (she
stands solemnly up and goes to put the presents by the sacred well; then one
ancill will give her a veil whom with she will tie one the couples)
-
You will be tied together for
all your life, in luckiness and sadness! For ever and ever!
Anù (leaving
the priest’s assembly will repeat the same Itzocar’s words, inviting Nakigia, being
him a widower, to deal the bribes)
-
And I, Anù, Mayor between the Mayors
of Nure, announcing and pronouncing the weddings of my son Elki with the beloved king’s Itzocar daughter ,
the nice Gula(he will stare at Gula who according to tradition will hide her own
face with the veil) and because I’m a widower it’s up to the first Priestess Nakigia
to present the gifts in front of the people!
Nakigia (
she will
solemnly occupy the center stage, which will be promptly released, but without
taking any the gifts of Anù and leaving
drop off the veil brought to her for tieing the other couple ).
- Is not that the way we used to
present our weddings in the sacred well of Garlo in this country! Not even for
the ancient habits and not really while our
priestess Bithia is still consulting our Gods! (everybody will turn
towards the sacred tub of prediction where Bithia is staying, while the heads
and the priests shall lift buzz of discontent and protests; but the protest
stops while leaping from the sacred cavern
from which Bithia, cataplexy, comes, sustained
by the vestals to occupy the center stage and
begins to sing)
