Sophie's world - The musical

Sofies verden

This is a page dedicated to the musical of "Sophie's world" in which Morten Harket plays the role of Socrates. The book is by the Norwegian writer Jostein Gaarder and has had a great success all over the world. I have chosen some parts and left others just as to give you an idea of how Socrates is described. I have to add that I have translated the passages myself from the Italian, so there may be plenty of errors. Translating a book is not that easy, and I beg your pardon in advance, first of all the author's.

So, here are the words of the song. They appear in English and also translated in German, even if the meaning is slightly different.

A JESTER IN OUR TOWN

ATHENIANS SLEEP LIKE A SLUGGISH OLD HORSE

BUT I AM THE FLY THAT BITES THEM

I KNOW THE SPOTS WHERE IT STRINGS THEM THE WORST

IT MAKES THEM SO CROSS TO BE ROUSED FROM THEIR REST

THAT THEY TROW ME OUT LIKE AN UNBIDDEN GUEST

FOR DOING FOR THEM WHAT GOD THINKS THE BEST

YOU CAN RAGE AT AND BEAT ME, OR WISH I WAS DEAD

BY MURDERING ME YOU CAN STAY SAFE IN BED

BUT AS LONG AS THERE'S BREATH LEFT IN ME

STILL THE STORY I'LL TELL WILL BE:

JUST THINK!

YOURSELF!

YOUR INNER VOICE IS THE GUIDE YOU SHOULD HEED

THEIR REASON TELLS EVERYPNE WHAT THEY NEED

TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT - THAT'S THE TICKET,

AND SHUN ALL THAT'S EVIL AND WICKED

A JESTER IN OUR TOWN! A JESTER IN OUR TOWN!

A TEASING AND BUZZING AND SHARP BITING FLY

WHO'S ASKING HIS QUESTIONS SO KEEN AND SO SLY

AND HEAVEN HELP THE PUZZLED REPLIER

FOR HE WILL END UP IN THE MIRE

WISEST IS HE WHO KNOWS

THAT IN FACT HE KNOWS NOTHING AT ALL

BUT PLACES HIS TRUST IN HIS INNER VOICE

RELYING ON THOUGHT TO GIVE BIRTH TO HIS CHOICE

FOR HE'LL KEEP HIS SPIRIT UNTAINED

THOUGH HADES ITSELF TORMENT IT

A JESTER IN OUR TOWN! A JESTER IN OUR TOWN!

A TEASING AND BUZZING AND KEEN BITING FLY

WHO FLOORS EVERY IDIOT AS EASY AS PIE

AND HEAVEN HELP THE PUZZLED REPLIER

FOR HE WILL END UP IN THE MIRE

WHO FLOORS EVERY IDIOT AS EASY AS PIE

AND HEAVEN HELP THE PUZZLED REPLIER

FOR HE WILL END UP IN THE MIRE!

WILL END UP IN THE MIRE!

A JESTER IN OUR TOWN! A JESTER IN OUR TOWN!

A TEASING AND BUZZING AND KEEN BITING FLY

WHO FLOORS EVERY IDIOT AS EASY AS PIE

AND HEAVEN HELP THE PUZZLED REPLIER

FOR HE WILL END UP IN THE MIRE!

THE MIRE! THE MIRE!

GOOD HEALTH!

German version:

EIN JOKER IN ATHEN

SOKRATES

ATHEN; DU BIST WIE EIN SCHLAFENDES PFERD

UND ICH BIN DIE PFERDEBREMSE

ICH STECH DICH DA; WO ES NACHDRÜCKLICH STÖRT

ALSBALD WACHST DU AUF UND BIST TIEF EMPÖRT

UND WIRFST MICH HINAUS DIESEN UNRUHEGEIST

NUR WEIL ICH DAS TAT, WAS GOTT RICHTING HEISST

DU KANNST SCHÄUMEN VOR WUT UND HASSEN DAZU

UND BRINGST DU MICH UM DU KANNST SCHLAFEN IN RUH

DOCH SO LANGE ES NOCH ATMET IN MIR

BITT ICH DRINGEND UND RATE DIR

DENK SELBST!

DIE INNRE STIMME VERNIMM UND BEHALTS

VERNUNFT IS MENSCHENS SEELEN SALZ

SIE MAHNT DICH ZU ÜBEN DAS RECHTE

UND MEIDEN DAS BÖSE UND SCHLECHTE

CHOR

EIN JOKER IN ATHEN!

EIN LÄSTINGER; STECHENDER, HÜPFENDER FLOH

ER STELLT EINE FRAGE UND SETZT SICH INS OHR

DA HILFTS UNSERM MANN KEIN SINNIEREN

DENN ER WIRD SICH IMMER BLAMIEREN

SOKRATES

KLUG NEEN ICH DEN, DER WEISS

DASS ER EIGENTLICH GAR NICHTS WEISS

SICH AUF SEINE INNRE STIMME VERLÄSST

UND HÄLT SICH AM TROST DES GEDANKEN FEST

SEINE SEELE GEHT HEIL IN DEN HADES

AM ENDE DES LEBENPFADES!

CHOR

EIN JOKER IN ATHEN!

EIN LÄSTINGER; STECHENDER, HÜPFENDER FLOH

ER STELLT EINE FRAGE UND SETZT SICH INS OHR

DA HILFTS UNSERM MANN KEIN SINNIEREN

DENN ER WIRD SICH IMMER BLAMIEREN

ERWISCHT EINEN NARREN SO GANZ APROPOS

DA HILFT UNSERM MANN KEIN SINNIEREN

DENN ER WIRD SICH IMMER BLAMIEREN

EIN JOKER IN ATHEN!

EIN LÄSTINGER; STECHENDER, HÜPFENDER FLOH

ER STELLT EINE FRAGE UND SETZT SICH INS OHR

DA HILFTS UNSERM MANN KEIN SINNIEREN

DENN ER WIRD SICH IMMER BLAMIEREN

Taken from Jostein Gaarder's "Sofies verden", Italian version from page 74 to 77.

Who was Socrates?
Socrates (470/469-399 b. C.) is maybe the most enigmatic character of the whole history of philosophy. Even if he didn't wrote one single line he was one of the philosophers, which influenced most the occidental current of thoughts. He is also known by people some have nothing to do with philosophy, maybe for his tragic death.
We know that he was born in Athens and that he spent the most part of his life in the streets and in the squares talking to the people he met: "The country and the trees can teach me nothing, while I learn from the men in the town", said he. Often, when he was immersed deep in his reflections, he stood there for many hours.
During his life he was known as to be a mysterious personality and when he died, he were defined as father of many different philosophic currents. In spite of his being so enigmatic and ambiguous, a lot of different thinkers could refer to his teaching.
It is sure that he was very ugly: he was short and fat, with bulging eyes and snub-nosed. But, internally was he a marvellous man, it was said. "…"
While he played the role of the one who known nothing, Socrates obliged the people he met to use the reason: he could so "simulate" to be ignorant, or to make so as if he were more stupid than he really was (the famous "Socratic irony"). In this way Socrates always managed to underline the weakness in the Athenians' way of thinking. Remember that this could happen in the middle of a square, also publicly: anyone who discussed with Socrates risked to seem a fool and to become the laughing-stock of the people. It is also not so strange that little by little Socrates were considerate as irritating and annoying, above all from the ones who were in power. At the process he declared that: "Athens is like a big thoroughbred horse, but exactly for the greatness is he a bit lazy and he needs to be goaded by a horsefly" (What do you do with a horsefly, Sofia? Can you tell me?)

A divine voice
It was not for tormenting his fellow men that Socrates kept on to bite them on the calf. There was something inside him that, in some ways, allowed him not to act differently. He often repeated that he had a "voice", a "divine and demoniac spirit" inside. Socrates refused for instance to have to deal with the death sentence of a man and to denounce the political opponents. This cost him his life in the end.
In the year 399 before Christ he was accused "to introduce new gods" and to "take young people to perdition" and so he was processed. "…"

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