Quotes from work
The Blue Bird

Maurice Maeterlinck Original title L'Oiseau bleu (French)

The Blue Bird is a 1908 play by Belgian playwright and poet Maurice Maeterlinck. It premiered on 30 September 1908 at Konstantin Stanislavski's Moscow Art Theatre, and was presented on Broadway in 1910. The play has been adapted for several films and a TV series. The French composer Albert Wolff wrote an opera based on Maeterlinck's original play, and Maeterlinck's innamorata Georgette Leblanc produced a novelization.

“You know, my brothers, the nature of our business. The child you see before you, thanks to a talisman stolen from the powers of Earth, is able to take possession of the Blue Bird and thus to snatch from us the secret which we have kept since the origin of life… Now we know enough of Man to entertain no doubt as to the fate which he reserves for us once he is in possession of this secret. That is why it seems to me that any hesitation would be both foolish and criminal… It is a serious moment; the child must be done away with before it is too late…”

Maurice Maeterlinck The Blue Bird

The Oak
The Blue Bird (1908)

“Don't be alarmed … They are a little annoyed because Spring is late… Leave it to me; I will settle it all.”

Maurice Maeterlinck The Blue Bird

The Cat
The Blue Bird (1908)

“Never mind… Don't cry… I will catch him again… [Stepping to the front of the stage and addressing the audience. ] If any of you should find him, would you be so very kind as to give him back to us?… We need him for our happiness, later on…”

Maurice Maeterlinck The Blue Bird

Tyltyl
The Blue Bird (1908)

“He's not quite blue yet, but that will come, you shall see!”

Maurice Maeterlinck The Blue Bird

Tyltyl
The Blue Bird (1908)
Context: He's not quite blue yet, but that will come, you shall see! … Take him off quick to your little girl...

“I know that you are looking for the Blue Bird, that is to say, the great secret of things and of happiness, so that Man may make our servitude still harder.”

Maurice Maeterlinck The Blue Bird

The Oak
The Blue Bird (1908)
Context: I know that you are looking for the Blue Bird, that is to say, the great secret of things and of happiness, so that Man may make our servitude still harder. … I do not hear the Animals... Where are they?... All this concerns them as much as us... We, the Trees, must not assume the responsibility alone for the grave measures that have become necessary... On the day when Man hears that we have done what we are about to do, there will be terrible reprisals... It is right, therefore, that our agreement should be unanimous, so that our silence may be the same...