PARABOLIC COMMEDIA

Craig R. Tavani

a.k.a ZanniTAVANI

someMimics Theatre in Community

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

NARRATOR & a number of ZANNI

A note on the term “parabolic commedia” –
It should be obvious that I am making explicit reference to Commedia dell’arte, given that the major characters throughout are zanni. Also obvious should be the explicit reference to the parables of Jesus of which most of these scenes are creative readings. The term “parabola” describes the path of a thrown ball, and the word “parable” comes from this. It is interesting to note that another writer, unknown to me prior to entitling this piece “Parabolic Commedia,” did use a similar locution, calling Shakespeare’s THE TEMPEST a “parabolic comedy-poesy” in his chapter entitled “‘The Tempest’ and ‘The History of the Wind’” of his book The Shakespeare-Secret, which can be found on-line at http://www.sirbacon.org/btempesthistorywinds.htm:
“The words are full of drastically comical poetry and yet so full of profound knowledge and thought. It is submitted that this passage belongs to the most characteristic of anything which one can imagine within the boundaries of parabolic comedy- poesy.”

PARABOLIC COMMEDIA

PROLOGUE

NARRATOR:
There are those who are wise …
Z :
… and then there are … the rest of us.
NARRATOR:
It’s funny how folly can follow us and find us acting foolishly.
Z :
We may be wise in our own eyes,
but others will see through that disguise.
Z :
Their perception unmasks us
and makes a mockery of our deception.
NARRATOR:
Most of us, most likely, may want to be masters,
supposedly to enjoy the service of others.
Z :
Truth be told, however,
all of us are simply servants of someone other than ourselves,
Z :
none of us self-sufficient to stand alone.
Z :
Such a servant character is actually typical of being human,
Z :
for it serves us right to submit to another’s will.
Z :
There being only one Master who made us to become wise;
Z :
it is us who make fools of ourselves instead.
NARRATOR:
To simplify the situation,
let’s see how some stories might settle how we see ourselves.
These are stories of servants,
Z :
some wise (though they certainly may seem silly),
Z :
some others … not so wise.
NARRATOR:
We’ll call these servants Zanni, a traditional name for clownish characters like those you are about to see.
Some zanni are more stupid than others,
but all of them figure out fantastic ways to be foolish.
Consider the form of these stories to be parabolic
- telling stories is like throwing a ball
Z :
(if you catch our meaning).
Z :
Call them “parables” if you will
Z :
– and if you won’t, call them what you will;
Z :
you’ll catch on eventually.
NARRATOR:
Call all of this commedia, a comic form of theatre that professes
to be a funny way of making money
whether or not it makes any sense.
Z :
And if you cannot pay us money,
we hope you will at least pay attention,
… just in case we stumble upon the truth.

SCENE 1

NARRATOR:
Take care in how you act out your faith:
doing things merely to be seen by others
will get you no reward
from the Master of this Good Realm.
Thus …
Z :
Whenever you do some charitable act, do not act like a hypocrite –
trumpets blaring before you on streets
and in other places where people meet –
… just to be praised for what you seem to be doing.
To tell you the truth, hypocrisy has its own reward
– whatever that is, which is not much.
Z :
But when you do care enough to give,
act like your left hand has no idea what your right hand is doing,
so that your gift may be in secret.
Z :
And your Master, who sees in secret, will reward you.
Z :
Whenever you pray, do not act like the hypocrites –
because they love to pray while standing up in meetings
and on street corners
… so that people can see them.
Z :
To tell you the truth, hypocrisy has its own reward
– whatever that is, which is not much.
Z :
But whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, …
… and pray to your Master in secret.
And your Master, who sees in secret, will reward you.
Z :
When you pray, do not babble repetitiously like Goofballs –
… they think that by their many words they will be heard.
Z :
Do not be like these hypocrites,
for your Master knows what you need before you ask him.

So put your petition this way:
Good Master,
may your name be honored, may your realm begin where we are,
may what you will be done here as it is everywhere in your Good Realm.
Daily give us the bread we need for the day, and forgive us our debts,
as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors.
And do not let us be led according to our failure to be faithful, but set us free from our folly.
If you forgive others for their indebtedness to you,
your Good Master will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others,
your Master will not forgive you your debt.
Z :
When you exercise some strict discipline,
do not act like hypocrites –
… looking sullen, making unattractive faces …
… so that people will see you as being under strict discipline.
To tell you the truth, hypocrisy has its own reward
– whatever that is, which is not much.
When you fast, groom yourself in the best way possible
– at least wash your face –
so that, when you are under strict discipline,
it will not be obvious to others, …
… but only to your Master who is in secret.
And your Master, who sees in secret, will reward you.
Z :
Do not heap up treasures for yourselves
where moth and rust destroy
… and where thieves break in and steal.
NARRATOR:
Your treasure should be invested in the Realm of the Master,
where moth and rust do not destroy,
and thieves do not break in and steal.

INTERLUDE

NARRATOR:
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Z : [DOTTORE persona]
The eye is the lamp of the body.
If then your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.
But if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be full of darkness.
NARRATOR:
If what you depend on for light is dark, it will be a vast darkness!
Z :
No one can serve two masters,
Z :
either he will hate the one and love the other,
or …
Z :
he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
NARRATOR:
You cannot serve the Master if you are mastered by money.
Therefore I tell you this – have no worry about your own life,
what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear.
There more to life than food and more to the body than clothing.
Z :
Look at the birds in the sky:
They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, …
… yet our Good Master feeds them.
Aren’t we more valuable than they are?
Z :
And which of us by worrying can add even one hour to life?
Z :
Why do we even worry about clothing?
Think about how the flowers of the field grow;
they do not work or spin.
No one is clothed like one of these!
Z :
Yet this is just wild grass –
here today and tomorrow tossed into the fire to heat the oven!
Z :
Will our Master clothe us just as well?
NARRATOR:
Even better! You have so little faith!
There is no need to worry.
Z :
‘What will we eat?’
Z :
‘What will we drink?’
Z :
‘What will we wear?’
NARRATOR:
Foolish zanni fear they will lack such things,
for they have no faith in their Master.
However, the Good Master knows what is needed.
Make the goodness of His realm your first priority;
it is then that all these things will be given to you as well.
So then,
Z :
do not worry about tomorrow, …
Z :
… for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Z :
Today has enough trouble of its own.
NARRATOR:
Zannis must not engage in heated disputes
over foolish and ignorant controversies.
Z :
We know it only breed fights among us.
NARRATOR:
So reject doing it!
Be kind toward all, aptly teaching one another with patience – correct opponents with gentleness.
Z :
If we turn from our foolishness,
perhaps the Master will forgive us?
NARRATOR:
He may give you the opportunity to turn from your foolishness;
you can then know how to be faithful
so that you will come to your senses.
Z :
Zanni are to be subject to their own masters in everything,
They are to do what is wanted and not talk back.
Z :
No pilfering! Zanni are not supposed to be embezzlers!
NARRATOR:
In showing good faith in everything,
zanni bring credit to the Good Realm of the Master.

SCENE 2

NARRATOR:
What is the Good Realm is like?
Z :
A master wanted to settle accounts with his zannis.
Z :
As he began settling his accounts,
a zanni who owed ten thousand talents was brought to him.
NARRATOR: [DOTTORE persona]
This was quite a large sum of money!
A silver talent was worth approximately 6,000 denarii
(with gold talents worth at least 30 times that much)
[the other ZANNIs become uneasy as this explanation drones on and on]
One denarius being the usual day’s wage for a worker.
The denarius was a Greek monetary unit (also a unit of weight)
with a value which fluctuated,
depending upon the particular monetary system
which prevailed at a particular period of time
[the other ZANNIs, after unmasking and consulting with one another,
pick him up and carry him offstage]
Z :
Because he was not able to repay it,
Z :
the master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, children,
and whatever he possessed,
and repayment to be made.
Z :
Then the zanni threw himself to the ground before him, saying,
‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you everything.’
Z :
The master had compassion on that zanni
… and released him,
and forgave him the debt.
Z :
After he went out, that same zanni found one of his fellow zannis
… who owed him one hundred silver coins.
Z :
So he grabbed him by the throat and started to choke him,
Z :
saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’
Z :
Then his fellow zanni threw himself down and begged him,
‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you.’
Z :
But he refused. Instead, he went out and threw him in prison until he repaid the debt.
Z :
When the other zannis saw what had happened,
they were very upset …
… and went and told their master everything that had taken place.
Z :
Then his master called the first zanni and said to him,
Z :
Foolish zanni! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me!
Should you not have shown mercy to your fellow zanni,
… just as I showed it to you?
Z :
In anger his master turned him over to the basanistes
… until that zanni repaid all he owed.
Z : [confused]
The basanistes?
Z : [DOTTORE persona]
The job of the basanistes was to elicit the truth by way of torture.
NARRATOR:
So also the Good Master will do to you,
if you do not forgive your fellow zanni from your heart.
Z :
One faithful zanni lived in anguish
over the debauched folly of faithless zanni.
This zanni was tormented in his faithful soul
by the foolish acts he saw and heard
while living among fools day after day.
However, the Master,
knowing how to rescue all faithful zanni from their trials,
rescued him,
and likewise knows to reserve the foolish zanni
for punishment at the day of judgment …
… especially those
who indulge their fleshly desires and who despise authority.

SCENE 3

NARRATOR:
Some zanni came to the master, who is very rich,
to inform him of accusations that his assets were being wasted.
Z :
So the master called in the zanni managing his assets
Z :
and said to him, [PANTALONE persona] ‘What is this I hear about you?
Turn in the account of your administration,
because you can no longer manage my assets.’
Z :
Then the zanni said to himself, ‘What should I do,
… since my master is taking my position away from me?
I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m too ashamed to beg.
… I know just what to do so that,
when I am put out of management,
people will welcome me into their homes.’
Z :
So he contacted his master’s debtors one by one.
Z :
He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
Z :
The man replied, ‘A hundred measures of olive oil.’
Z :
The zanni said to him,
‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.’
Z :
Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’
Z :
The second man replied, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’
Z :
The zanni said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’
Z :
The master … commended the dishonest manager!
… because he acted shrewdly.
NARRATOR:
There are zannis who are more shrewd than others in dealing with their contemporaries.
I tell you,
make friends for yourselves by how you use worldly wealth,
so that when it runs out
you will be welcomed into households of the Good Realm.
Z :
The zanni who is proven faithful in very little
is also faithful in much,
and the zanni who is dishonest in a very little
is also dishonest in much.
If we are not trustworthy in handling worldly wealth,
how can we be trusted with true riches?
And if we aren’t trustworthy with another’s property,
how can we be responsible for our own?
Z :
No zanni can serve two masters,
for either he will hate the one and love the other,
or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
NARRATOR:
You cannot serve the Good Master if you are mastered by money.

SCENE 4

NARRATOR:
A zanni comes in from the field after plowing
or shepherding sheep.
Z :
Would any master say,
“Come at once and sit down for a meal”?
NARRATOR:
The master instead would say to that zanni, [PANTALONE persona]
Get my dinner ready!
… and make yourself ready to serve me while I eat and drink.
Then you may eat and drink.
NARRATOR:
He won’t thank the zanni because he did what he was told, will he? So it is with zannis …
Z :
When we have done everything we have been commanded to do, we should say:
We zannis deserve no special praise;
we have only done what was our duty.
NARRATOR:
What do you think of this? A master had two sons.
Z : [PANTALONE persona]
He went to the first and said,
‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’
Z :
The boy answered, ‘I will not.’
But later he had a change of heart and went.
Z :
The father went to the other son and said the same thing.
Z :
This boy answered, ‘I will, sir,’
… but did not go.
NARRATOR:
Which of the two did his father’s will?
Z :
The first.
NARRATOR:
There you have it.

SCENE 5

NARRATOR:
One rich old landowner had an abundant harvest.
Z :
so he thought to himself,
‘What should I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’
Z :
Then what did he do?
Z :
He said, ‘I will do this:
I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones,
where I will store all my grain and my goods.
I will have plenty of goods stored up for many years;
relax, eat, drink, celebrate!
Z :
But the Master said to him, ‘You fool!
This very night your life will be demanded back from you,
but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
NARRATOR:
So it is with the one who selfishly stores up riches and goods,
but is not rich toward goodness.

SCENE 6

NARRATOR:
If any of you had a hundred sheep,
what would you do if you lost one of them?
Z :
Any one would leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture …
Z :
… and go look for the one that is lost
… until that one sheep is found.
Z :
Then he would rejoice that he has found the lost sheep!
Z :
He would place it on his shoulders … and return home.
Z :
Returning home, he would call together his friends and neighbors,
Z :
telling them,
‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost.’
NARRATOR:
I tell you, in the same way there will be joy in the Master’s realm.
Z :
… over just one zanni?
NARRATOR:
Yes! There will be joy in the Master’s realm
over one zanni who turns from foolishness to faithfulness
than over ninety-nine seemingly faithful zannies
who have not acted like fools.

SCENE 7

NARRATOR:
Or what about this:
Z :
A zanni has ten silver coins.
She loses one of them.
Z :
What does she do then?
Z :
She lights a lamp, sweeps the house, and searches thoroughly …
Z :
… until she finds it!
Z :
Then when she has found it,
she calls together her friends and neighbors,
Z :
saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’
NARRATOR:
In the same way, I tell you,
there will be joy in the Master’s household …
… over one zanni who turns from being foolish to being faithful.”

SCENE 8

NARRATOR:
A Master had two sons.
Z :
The younger of them said to his father,
Z :
Father, give me the share of the estate that will belong to me.
Z :
So the Master divided his assets between them.
Z :
After only a few days, …
Z :
the younger son gathered together all he had …
… and left …
Z :
He went on a journey …
… to someplace far, far away.
Z :
And there he squandered his wealth …
Z :
… with a wild lifestyle.
Z :
Evenually, that second son spent everything.
Z :
A severe famine took place in that place far away …
… and the second son began to be in need.
Z :
So this foolish fellow went to find work
for some farmer in that far-away place.
Z :
The farmer sent him to his fields …
Z :
… to feed pigs.
Z :
The second son, while feeding the pigs,
longed to eat the carob pods the pigs were eating ….
Z :
… but none of them gave him anything.
Z :
Eventually the second son came to his senses.
Z :
he said,

‘How many of my father’s hired workers
have food enough to spare,
but here I am dying from hunger!
I will get up and go to my father and say to him,
“Father, I have sinned against your whole realm and against you.
I am no longer worthy to be called your son;
treat me like one of your zannis.” ’
Z :
So he got up and went to his father.
Z :
But while he was still a long way from home …
… his father saw him, and his heart went out to him;
… he ran and hugged his son and kissed him.
Z :
Then his son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned
– against the Good Realm and against you;
I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
Z :
But the father said to his zannis, ‘Hurry!
Bring the best robe, and put it on him!
Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet!
Bring the fattened calf … and kill it!
Let us eat and celebrate,
because this son of mine was dead, and is alive again
– he was lost and is found!’
Z :
So they began to celebrate.
Z :
Now his older son was in the field.
Z :
As he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing.
Z :
So he called one of the zannis and asked what was happening.
Z :
The zanni replied,
‘Your brother has returned, and your father has killed the fattened calf
because he got his son back safe and sound.’
Z :
But the older son became angry and refused to go in.

Z :
His father came out and appealed to him,
Z :
but he answered his father,
‘Look! These many years I have worked for you – like a zanni!
Never have I disobeyed your commands.
Yet you never gave me even a goat so that I could celebrate with my friends!
But now this son of yours comes back!
He devoured your assets – with prostitutes! – yet you killed the fattened calf for him?’
Z :
Then the father said to him,
‘Son, you are always with me, and everything that belongs to me is yours.
It was proper to have a party, to celebrate and be glad,
for your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost and is found.’”

INTERLUDE

Z :

[a ZANNI is wearing a sandwich board sign

declaring “The Day of Judgment is coming!”]

Who knows when Judgment Day will come?
Z :
No one …
Z :
– not even the angels –
Z :
… no one knows that day and hour … except our Good Master.
NARRATOR:
Watch out that no one misleads you. Just be ready,
… because that Day will come at an hour when no one expects it.

SCENE 9

NARRATOR:
There was a master who owned some land where he planted a vineyard.
Z :
He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower.
Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went on a journey.

Z :
When the harvest time was near,
At harvest time he sent a zanni to the tenants
to collect from them his portion of the crop.
Z :
But those tenants seized his zanni, beat him,
and sent him away empty-handed.
Z :
So he sent another zanni to them again.
Z :
This one they struck on the head and treated outrageously.
Z :
He sent another,
Z :
and that one they killed.
Z :
This happened to many others,
and they treated them the same way.
Z :
Some of whom were beaten, …
Z :
… others were killed.
Z :
He had one left,
… his one dearly beloved son.
Finally he sent his son to them,
saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
Z :
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves,
Z :
‘This is the heir.
Come, let’s kill him and the inheritance will be ours!’
Z :
So they seized him, … killed him, …
and threw his body out of the vineyard.
NARRATOR:
Now when the owner of the vineyard comes,
what will he do to those tenants?
Z :
He will utterly destroy those fools!
Then he will lease the vineyard to other tenants
who will give him his portion at the harvest.

SCENE 10

NARRATOR:
Who then is the faithful and wise zanni?
Z : [PANTALONE persona]
The master puts the faithful and wise zanni in charge of his household,
Z :
to give the other zannis their food at the proper time.
Z : [PANTALONE persona]
Happy is that zanni whom the master finds at work when he comes.
Z :
I tell you the truth,
the master will put him in charge of all his possessions.
Z :
But …what if the zanni were foolish?
Z :
That zanni might say to himself,
‘My master is staying away a long time.’
Z :
Then he begins to beat his fellow zannis
… and to eat and drink with drunkards!
Z :
Then what happens when that zanni’s master returns?
Z : [PANTALONE persona]
The Master will surely come
on a day when that zanni does not expect him!
At some unforeseeable hour, the master will come and will cut that zanni in two.
NARRATOR:
He’ll be assigned a place with the hypocrites,
Z :
… where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

INTERLUDE

Z :
Someone is hungry – have you food to give?
Z :
Someone is thirsty – have you something to drink?
Z :
Someone is a stranger – have you hospitality?
Z :
Someone is naked – have you clothing to give?
Z :
Someone is sick – do you care?
Z :
Someone is in prison – have you time to visit?


SCENE 11
NARRATOR:
At the time of judgment, what will the realm of the master be like?
Z :
Ten zannis took their lamps …
Z :
… and went out to meet the Master.
Z :
Five of the zannis were foolish, …
Z :
… and five were wise.
Z :
When the foolish ones took their lamps,
did they take extra olive oil with them?
Z :
They did not.
Z :
The wise ones, however, took flasks of olive oil with their lamps.
Z :
Then the Master was delayed … a long time,
Z :
… they … all … became drowsy … and … fell asleep.
Z :
But at midnight there was a shout! ‘Look, the Master is here! Come out to meet him.’
Z :
Then … all the zannis woke up … and trimmed their lamps.
Z :
The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’
Z :
The others replied ‘No. There won’t be enough for you and for us.
Go instead to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
Z :
But … while they had gone to buy it, [LOVER persona]
… the Master arrived, and …
Z :
those who were ready went inside with him to the wedding banquet.
Z :
Then the door was shut.
Z :
Later, the other zannis came too, saying, ‘Master, master! Let us in!’
Z :
But … he replied, [LOVER persona] ‘I tell you the truth, I do not know you!’
NARRATOR:
Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour.

SCENE 12

NARRATOR:
The realm of the Master is like …
Z :
A man going on a journey summoned his zannis.
Z : [PANTALONE persona]
Entrusting his property to them,
he gave to each according to his ability –
Z :
to one he gave five talents,
Z :
to another two talents,
Z :
and … to another only one talent.
NARRATOR: [DOTTORE persona]
This was quite a large sum of money!
A silver talent was worth approximately 6,000 denarii
(with gold talents worth at least 30 times that much)
[the other ZANNIs become uneasy as this explanation drones on and on]
One denarius being the usual day’s wage for a worker.
The denarius was a Greek monetary unit (also a unit of weight)
with a value which fluctuated,
depending upon the particular monetary system
which prevailed at a particular period of time
[the other ZANNIs, after unmasking and consulting with one another,
pick him up and carry him offstage]
Z :
Then he went on his journey.
Z :
The one who had received five talents went off right away
and put his money to work and gained five more.
Z :
In the same way,
the one who had two gained two more.
Z :
But … the one who had received one talent went out
and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money in it.
Z :
After a … long time, …
Z :
the master of those zannis came and settled his accounts with them.
Z :
The one who had received the five talents came and brought five more,
saying, ‘Master, you entrusted me with five talents.
See, I have gained five more.’
Z :
His master answered, [PANTALONE persona]
‘Well done, good and faithful zanni!
You have been faithful in a few things.
I will put you in charge of many things.
Enter into the joy of your master.’
Z :
The one with the two talents also came and said,
‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me.
See, I have gained two more.’
Z :
His master answered, [PANTALONE persona]
‘Well done, good and faithful zanni!
You have been faithful with a few things.
I will put you in charge of many things.
Enter into the joy of your master.’
Z :
Then the one who had received the one talent came
Z :
and said, ‘Master, I knew that you were a hard man,
harvesting where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed.
I was so afraid! I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’
Z :
But his master answered, [PANTALONE persona]
‘Fool! What a lazy zanni you are! So you knew that
I harvest where I didn’t sow and gather where I didn’t scatter?
Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and
on my return I would have received my money back with interest!
Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten.
Throw that worthless zanni into the outer darkness!
Z :
… where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
NARRATOR:
For the one who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough.
But the one who does not have,
even what he has will be taken from him.

SCENE 13

NARRATOR:
Get dressed for service and keep your lamps burning;
be like zanni waiting for their master’s son
to come back for the wedding celebration,
so that when he comes and knocks
they can immediately open the door for him.
Z :
Happy are those zanni whom their master finds alert when he returns!
NARRATOR:
I tell you the truth, the Master’s Son will dress himself to serve,
have the zanni take their place at the table,
and will come and wait on them!
Z :
Happy are those zanni whom the Master’s Son finds alert,
no matter how or when he returns!
Z :
It is like the time someone broke into our house
– if the zanni in charge of the house
had known at what hour the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into.
Zanni must be ready,
because the Master’s Son will come when we do not expect him.
NARRATOR:
Who then is the faithful and wise zanni managing the house?
That is whom the master puts in charge of his household zanni,
to give them their allowance.
Z :
Happy is that zanni whom his master finds at work when he returns.
NARRATOR:
I tell you the truth,
the master will put him in charge of all his possessions.
Z :
But what if the zanni in charge says to himself,
‘My master is delayed in returning’?
He begins stuffing himself with food,
drinking and getting drunk, beating the other zanni.
NARRATOR:
The master of that foolish zanni will sure to come back on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not foresee,
and will cut him in two,
and assign him a place with the other faithless fools.
That zanni who knows the master’s will
but does not get ready or do what his master asked
will receive a severe beating;
the zanni who acts out in ignorance,
doing things the master considers worthy of punishment,
will receive a light beating.
From everyone who has been given much, much will be required,
and from the one who has been entrusted with much,
even more will be asked.
The Master’s Son will come again!
A host of messengers will herald his glorious return.
Z : [PANTALONE persona]
When he does come back,
he will then will sit in the place of judgment,
… with all zannis assembled before him.
Z : [LOVER persona]
He will separate one from another …
Z :
like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,
putting the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Z :
Then the Master’s son will say to those on his right, [LOVER persona]
‘Come and be happy! You have a share in my Father’s inheritance.
This whole realm has been prepared for you from the beginning.
Z :
For what reason are you doing this?
Z : [LOVER persona]
I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you invited me in,
I was naked and you gave me clothing,
I was sick and you took care of me,
I was in prison and you visited me.’
Z :
Then those who are faithful will answer him,
Z :
‘Master, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you something to drink?
When did we see you a stranger and invite you in,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?
Z :
And the master will answer them,
I tell you the truth,
just as you did it for one of the least among you,
you did it for me.’
Z :
Then he will say to those on his left,
‘Depart from me, you cursed fools!
For When I was hungry, did you give me anything to eat? No.
When I was thirsty, did you gave me anything to drink? No.
When I was estranged, did you receive me as a guest? No.
When I was naked, did you did clothe me? No.
When I was sick, when I was in prison, did you visit me? No.
Z :
Then they too will answer,
‘Master, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison,
and did not give you whatever you needed?’
Z :
Then he will answer them, ‘To tell you the truth –
by not doing it for anyone you thought were of the least of these,
neither did you do it for me.’
NARRATOR:
Those who are foolish,
those who do not act on behalf of the least among them,
Z :
… will depart into eternal punishment,
Z :
… but those who are faithful, those who do whatever is needed, …
will enter into eternal life.

EPILOGUE

Z :
Give food to those who are hungry.
Z :
Give drink to those who are thirsty.
Z :
Invite the stranger in.
Z :
Clothe those who are naked.
Z :
Take care of those who are sick.
Z :
Visit those in prison.
NARRATOR:
Just as you do it for others,
you do it for the Master of this Good Realm.

I have been calling you zannis,

for zanni have no idea know what is going on

in the mind of the Master;

but now I am calling you friends,

for all things that I have heard from the Good Master

are now made known to you.