Funera
I
Rites
JEAN GENET
AT THE
very moment her mistress was stirring in her bed-at
just eight o'clock-the little servant walked out of the icy post-mortem
room into the radiant sunlight. Just ahead of her was the hearse.
The priest had arrived breathless; he was late, but he had come.
In these little provincial towns the priest always accompanies the
body to the church. When the home of the deceased is too far from
the parish house, the priest comes half-way. He and the family,
ambassadors of two rival sovereigns, both wonder-working, together
decide upon the place, out among the open fields, where death and
God are to meet. On this particular morning, the priest was accom–
panied by two choir boys who walked in front of the hearse, on
which had been placed the tiny coffin with its star-shaped wreath
made of blue and white beads. As you have surmised the two choir
boys, dressed in black cassocks and white surplices trimmed with
wide bands of old lace, have the faces of Riton (the younger of the
two) and Erik. Behind the hearse walked the little servant, followed
by an undertaker's helper.
"A casket is a basket, I am walking behind a basket."
It was very early in the morning when, arriving at the hospital
and walking through the outer gates which a sleepy porter had come
to open for her, the servant had found herself in a flower-garden
festive in the morning sunlight (it was just seven o'clock when she
arrived) . There, standing in front of the door of the hospital, was
the pauper's hearse; it looked to her like the skeleton of the rich man's
hearse but she did not mind. Harnessed to it was a rather sorry look–
ing horse, unblanketed. The little servant went inside. The hospital
attendant greeted her without any ado. He had been chatting with
the driver and the undertaker's man. The driver said to the little
servant:
"We're a bit ahead of time; we have until half-past seven for
the service."
The servant thought: "So the service is to be held here."
Though she had not voiced this reflection, the driver had heard
her, for he added: "I'm talking about the 'Our Father,' which is
