Page:Thea von Harbou Metropolis eng 1927.pdf/117

 METROPOLIS streams, Freder began to speak. He told his hieod the story of Maria. from the moment of their first meeting in the "Club of Sons," to when they saw each other again right down under the earth in the City of the Dead-his wailing for her in the cathedral. his experiences in Rotwang's house, his vain search, the curt "no" at Maria's home. up to the moment when, for her sake. he wanted to be the murderer of his own father-no, not for her sake: for that of a being who was not there, whom he only believed himself to see.... Was that not madness-?" "Hallucination, Mr. Freder...."

uHallucination-? I will tell you some more about hallucination. Josaphat, and you mustn't believe that I am speaking in delirium or that I am not fully master of my thoughts. I wanted to kiU my father. . .. It was not my fault that the attempt at parricide was unsuccessful. . . . But ever since that moment I have not been human. . . . I am a creature that has no feet, no h"l'ds and hardly a head. And this head is only there etemaUy to think that I wanted to kill my own father. Do you believe that I shall ever get free from this hell-? Never, ]osaphat. Never-never in all eternity. I lay during the night hearing my father walking up and down in the next room. I lay in the depths of a black pit; but my thoughts ran along behind my father's steps, as though chained to his sales. What hol'ror has come upon the world that this could happen? Is there a comet in the heavens which drives mankind to madness? Is a hesh plague coming, or Anti-Christ? Or the end of the world? A woman, who does not exist, forces herself between father and son and incites the son to murder against the father. ... It may be that my thoughts were running themselves a little hot at the time.. .. Then my father came in to me. .. ." He stopped and his wasted hands twisted themselves together upon his damp hair. "You know my father. There are many in the great Metropolis who do not believe-Joh Fredersen to be human, because he seems not to need to eat and drink and he sleeps when he wishes to; and usually he does not wish to ... They caU him The Brain of Metropolis, and if it is true

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