Madame Butterfly: A Tragedy of Japan

Madame Butterfly [Impassively, her eyes narrowing]:

Speak concerning marriage once more, you die! [She fans herself. Suzuki salaams and backs quickly toward the door. Madame Butterfly claps her hands and Suzuki pauses.] Don’ come back! Lef-ten-ant B. F. Pik-ker-ton don’ come back! Ha! Me! I know w’en he comes back—he told me. W’en he goin’ ’way, he say in tha’s doors: “Madame Butterfly, I have had ver’ nice times with my Japanese sweets heart, so now I goin’ back to my own country and here’s moaney—an’ don’ worry ’bout me—I come back w’en ‘Robins nes’ again!’” Ha-ha! Tha’s w’en he come back—w’en robins nes’ again.

[She sways her head triumphantly from side to side, fanning herself.]

Suzuki [Not impressed]:

Yaes, I didn’t like ways he said it—like those . . .

[She imitates a flippant gesture of farewell.]

Madame Butterfly [Laughing]:

Aha, that’s ’Merican way sayin’ good-bye to girl. Yaes, he come back w’en robins nes’ again. Shu’h! Shu’h! [She claps her hands with delight. Suzuki, with a look of unbelief, starts to go.] Sa-ey! Why no “shu’h” on you face for? Such a fools! [Looking towards the window.] O look! Suzuki—a robins. The firs’ these Spring! Go, see if he’s stay for nes’.

Suzuki [Looking]:

It is a robins, O Cho-Cho-San!

Madame Butterfly [Running to the window]:

O! O!

But he’s fly away.

O! How they are slow this year! Sa-ey, see if you don’ fin’ one tha’s more in-dus-trial an’ domestics.

Suzuki [Looking out]:

There are none yet.

But soon they nes’ now. Suzuki, w’en we see that ship comin’ in—sa-ey—then we goin’ put flowers aevery where, an’ if it’s night, we goin’ hang up mos’ one thousan’ lanterns—eh-ha?

No got moaney for thousan’.

Wael, twenty, mebby; an’ sa-ey, w’en we see him comin’ quick up path—[imitates] so—so—so—[lifts her kimono and strides in a masculine fashion] to look for liddle wive—me—me jus’ goin’ hide behind shoji [making two holes with her wet finger in the low paper shoji and peeking through] an’ watch an’ make believe me gone ’way; leave liddle note—sayin’: “Goon-bye, sayonara, Butterfly.” . . . Now he come in. . . . [Hides.] Ah! An’ then he get angery! An’ he say all kinds of ’Merican languages—debbils—hells! But before he get too angery, me run out an’ flew aroun’ his neck! [She illustrates with Suzuki, who is carried away and embraces her with fervor.] Sa-ey! You no flew roun’ his neck—jus’ me. [They laugh in each other’s arms.] Then he’ll sit down an’ sing tha’s liddle ’Merican song—O, how he’ll laugh. . . . [She sings as though not understanding a word of it.]

Too bad those robins didn’ nes’ again. [She dies.]