SCENB EIGHT

wORKERS' CHORUS:
81
SONG OF THE EIGHTH ELEPHANT

Seven elephants worked for Major Chung

And an eighth one followed the others.
Seven were wild and the eighth was tame
And the eighth had to spy on his brothers.
Keep moving!
Major Chung owns a wood
See it's cleared before tonight.
That's orders. Understood?
2

Seven elephants were clearing the wood

The eighth bore the Major in person
Number eight merely checked that the work was correct
And spared himself any exertion.
Dig harder!
Major Chung owns a wood
See it's cleared before tonight.
That's orders. Understood?

3
work
Seven elephants got tired of their
Of shoving and digging and felling.
the seven he employed
The Major was annoyed with telling.
But rewarded the eighth one for
What's up now?
wood
Major Chung owns a tonight.
See it's cleared before
That's orders, Understood?

elephants, not a tusk in their heads

Seven excellent order.
eighth's were in
The
used his wits, slashed the seven to bits
So eight laughed harder.
Major had never
And the
88 THE GOOD PERSON OF SZECHWAN
Dig away!
Major Chung owns a wood
See it's cleared before tonight
That's orders. Understood?
Shui Ta has lounged forward, smoking a cigar. Yang Sun has
laughingly joined in the chorus of the third verse and quickened the
tempo in the fourth verse by clapping his hands.
MRS YANG: We really owe everything to Mr Shui Ta. With
wisdom and discipline, but with hardly a word of interfer
ence, he has brought out all the good that lay in Sun! He
made no fantastic promises like his much overrated cousin,
but forced him to do good honest work. Today Sun is a
different person from what he was three months ago. Ithink
you will admit it!"The noble soul is like a bell, strike it and
it rings, strike it not and it rings not', as our
forebears used
to say.