Chapter IV: Part III: The Child

CAROLS

_Second Action_ 1. Joseph’s Carol.
_Third Action_ 2. Fairy Round.
_Fourth Action_ 3. Luck Song.
_Fourth Action_ 4. The Tree-Child’s Lullaby.
_Seventh Action_ 5. “We Three Kings of Orient Are.”
_Eighth Action_ 6. The Bell, the Sword and the Laughter.
_Eighth Action_ 7. Dance-Carol of the Evergreen.
_Tenth Action_ 8. Ballad of the Kings and the Pedlar.

In modified small-scale productions of the Masque, where it may be impracticable to render all the music in its completeness, the Carols alone may be sung. In that event, the Choruses should not be wholly omitted, but may be rendered as Choral Poems spoken in chanted speech by properly qualified leaders (at Stage A and Stage B), as indicated in the “Guide to the Evergreen Tree” pamphlet, referred to in the Announcements on the last page of this volume.

_THE COMMUNITY CHORUS_

is in two divisions, as follows:

CHORUS A, in White: Men and Women: located near Stage A.

CHORUS B, in Red: Men: located near Stage B.

_TIME AND PLACE_

TIME

The Time is laid on a night shortly after the birth of Christ.

PLACE

The Masque takes place in Four Regions, indicated by Two Stages, and Two Aisles, the Audience being located between the two stages.

Stage A represents the Place of Outcasts: a knoll, with path, in the Wilderness, before the Evergreen Tree.

Stage B (located opposite Stage A) represents the Place of Empire: the Gateway and Steps to the Palace of Herod.

Aisle I (located on the right of Stage B, as one faces Stage A) represents a Pathway from the land of Herod into the Wilderness.

Aisle II (located on the left of Stage B and parallel to Aisle I) represents another Pathway into the Wilderness.

See Ground Plan opposite page 69.

_From the Gospel of Saint Matthew: Chapter II_

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came Wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”

When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled....

And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, “Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.”

When they had heard the king, they departed; and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was....

And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

Now when they were departed, behold an angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I tell thee: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.”

And he arose and took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt....

Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the Wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the borders thereof, from two years old and under.

THE EVERGREEN TREE

FIRST ACTION

(“Who Keepeth Watch?”)

_STAGE A: THE PLACE OF OUTCASTS_

It is night.

In a dark place of the wilderness, a tree is growing.

Before it is an open space on a knoll, from which—left and right—a path leads down away into the desert.

At one side, in shadow, sit ELF and GNOME.

At centre, in starlight, stands TREE, half emerged from dim boughs.

[Sidenote: _First Chorus: A,1. Chorus of the Wilderness_]

_CHORUS_

_Who keepeth watch in the lone wilderness_
_For the coming of a sign?_
_Who sendeth her roots down into the dark places_
_Seeking the springs of life,_
_And is restored:_
_And lifteth up her boughs in prayer of quiet,_
_And lo, they are filled with starlight?_
_The Tree: the Tree keepeth watch for the coming of a sign._
_Who waiteth very patiently in the night desert_
_For dawn of a new morrow?_
_And the wild beasts draw near unto her: they are tired_
_But none is afraid,_
_For her lap is like to a mother’s, where little children_
_Play till they weary and sleep:_
_There dryads bring her their dreams,_
_And the fairy folk are at home.—_
_Who liveth very old, alive with young green,_
_And waketh her heart with song for the coming of light?_
_The Tree: the Tree:_
_The Tree keepeth watch in her heart for the coming of light._

(A long wailing cry resounds from the dark.)

THE VOICE

Hi-ih!

ELF

What’s that?

GNOME

That is Wolf.
He’s coming from the desert. He is lonely.

ELF

Why is he coming here?

GNOME

Tree is here.
All the creatures come to Tree, when they are lonely.

ELF

Even Tree seems lonely to-night,
With eyes that look far away.—
Tree, what are you watching for?

TREE

A star.

ELF

But the sky is filled with starlight.

TREE

I am watching for a new star.
I have been waiting for it a long while.
I think I shall see it again soon.

GNOME

Again?—Have you seen it before?

TREE

Yes: once:
One night, not long ago,
I saw it rising in the east, across the desert.
It made a path of wonderful shining.
Then it stood still in the sky—far over yonder!—
And seemed I heard shepherds singing.

(WOLF enters.)

WOLF

Hi-ih! It’s a cold night.
I want to come out of the wind.

GNOME

Ask Tree.

WOLF

High-o! Green-and-alive!
Can a fellow come out of the wind, here?

TREE

Welcome, Wolf.

WOLF

And what may you three be talking about?

ELF

A star.

GNOME

A new star in the east.

(Noises of puffing and growling are heard.)

THE NOISES

Ooff!—Ah-yarrr!

ELF

Who now?

GNOME

That’s Bear and Lion coming.
They’re tired and sleepy.

(BEAR and LION enter. Bear carries a bee-hive; Lion, a large bone.)

BEAR

Ooff! Ooff! Where’s a hollow to sleep in?

GNOME

Ask Tree.

TREE

Welcome, Bear! Break a bough for your pillow.

WOLF

(Edging away)

Hi! Not my tail!

LION

Ah-yarrr! I’m tired of killing.
Where can I bury my bone?

GNOME

Ask Tree!

TREE

Welcome, Lion. Lay your head on my roots and rest.

LION

Yarrr! It’s a night of cold.
You kill nothing, Bear: how do you keep so fat?

WOLF

His belly is full of wild honey.—
Here! he’s soft and round:
Keep him in the middle.

BEAR

Three are warmer than one. Go to sleep.

(WOLF and LION lean against BEAR. Slowly all fall into slumber
and low snoring.)

THE THREE

(Murmuring together)

Hi-yo!—Ooff! Ooff!—Ah-yarrr!

ELF

And why do you wish the star to come, Tree?

TREE

Because of my dream.

GNOME

What dream?

TREE

Because I have dreamed a new star will come in the night;
And will gather all the old stars out of the heaven
To sparkle upon my branches.
And there they shall sing all together.
And in the midst of them the new star
Shall laugh aloud,
Shall laugh like a young child,
And my boughs shall be as sheltering arms to make him a home.
And there we shall dwell no more, dreadful in the desert,
Where wild beasts kill one another, and weary of killing;
And there shall be no more lonely things;
But there shall be carolling of stars and a young child’s laughter;
And I shall be the angel in his home.

ELF

The wild beasts are fast asleep.

GNOME

Nothing is stirring in the world.

ELF

Yes: look! I think I see—

GNOME

Where?

ELF

Don’t you see—there! through the dark:
It is moving towards us.

GNOME

I think I hear some one singing.

ELF

It is drawing nearer.

TREE

O my dear dream!

ELF AND GNOME

Is it the new star?

TREE

Yes; but it has fallen down out of the heaven.
It has made itself very small and lowly.
It has made itself into a little lantern,
To light the feet of them who wander in the wilderness.

ELF

See!

GNOME

Hark.

SECOND ACTION

(The Lantern in the Desert)

_AISLE I: A PATHWAY INTO THE WILDERNESS_

Moving toward the Tree, a Procession enters singing.

First comes JOSEPH in white. He holds high a tall staff, from which a swinging lantern shines. Behind him comes, in pale blue, MARY, attended by SHEPHERDS in white. These carry lighted candles and long crooks, and they are ranged about a MANGER, borne in their midst.

[Sidenote: _Carol 1. Joseph’s Carol_]

JOSEPH

_As Joseph I was walking,_
_I heard an angel sing:_

JOSEPH AND SHEPHERDS

“_This night shall be the birthnight_
_Of Christ our heavenly King._

_His birth-bed shall be neither_
_In housen nor in hall,_
_Nor in the place of paradise,_
_But in the oxen’s stall._

_He neither shall be rockèd_
_In silver nor in gold,_
_But in the wooden manger_
_That lieth on the mould._

_He neither shall be clothèd_
_In purple nor in pall,_
_But in the fair white linen_
_That usen babies all._”

JOSEPH

_As Joseph I was walking_
_Thus did the angel sing;_

JOSEPH AND SHEPHERDS

_And Mary’s Son at midnight_
_Was born to be our King._

THIRD ACTION

(“Somebody Is Coming!”)

_STAGE A_

Tree and the FAIRIES have watched and listened eagerly.

TREE

(To ELF and GNOME)

Look, look! The light is coming here.
Rouse up the wild beasts,
And let us make a welcome for these wanderers.

[Sidenote: _Carol 2. Fairy Round_]

TREE, ELF, GNOME

(Sing in a round)

_Wolf, Bear, Lion!_
_Wolf, Bear, Lion!_

_Are you awake?_
_Are you awake?_

_Somebody is coming!_
_Somebody is coming!_

LION

(Waking and rubbing his eyes, joins in the round)

_Who can it be?_
_Who can it be?_

BEAR

(Rolling to his feet with an “Ooff!” imitates LION)

_Let’s go and see!_
_Let’s go and see!_

WOLF, BEAR AND LION

(Scrambling down the path)

Hi-ih! Ooff! Yarrr!

TREE

Peace, wild folk! Make a welcome for these new comers.

LION

(Grinning savagely)

Welcome, they are! My mouth waters for them.

WOLF

(To LION)

Hi! Let me pass.
I’ll pick a bone with you—after the meat’s gone.

BEAR

You talk loud, but you keep your tail between your legs.

WOLF

That’s more than _you_ can do—with yours!

LION

Now for a new kill!

FOURTH ACTION

(The Light-Child)

_APPROACHING-SPACE and STEPS A; Then, STAGE A_

Approaching along the path, JOSEPH and his GROUP pause, confronted by the BEASTS.

JOSEPH

God save you, Sir Lion!

LION

Save yourself, Sir Man—if you can.

WOLF

Look sharp: there’s more there behind.

BEAR

They carry a trough there. What’s in it?

SHEPHERD

Keep off!—Aim your blows, fellows: strike!

(The SHEPHERDS, with their crooks, drive back the BEASTS. JOSEPH
intervenes.)

JOSEPH

Stay, good Shepherds! Put away your crooks.
Fear nothing, Mary.
These wild folk crave our leave to behold the Child
And do Him homage.

LION

Man-child!—Yarrr!

JOSEPH

(Pausing before the Evergreen Tree)

Pray you set down the manger. Now, Sir Beasts,
And you, Elf Folk, will it please you draw near and look in?

(On either side the SHEPHERDS draw back, revealing at centre
the MANGER, out from which a wonderful glow shines upward,
touching the faces of the SHEPHERDS and hushing the BEASTS with
awe.)

TREE

The light! The light!

[Sidenote: _Second Chorus: A,2. Light of the World_]

_CHORUS_

_Where sleepeth till dawn-break the light of the new morrow?_

_Alleluia!_
_Lo, as a babe, it sleepeth in a little manger:_
_Light of the World! Alleluia!_

_The dark is his cradle;_
_The beasts come about him;_
_The stars in their watches_
_Are covered with cloud._

_Home hath he none;_
_The desert receives him—_
_The place of outcasts_
_And lonely things._

_No sound is heard there_
_Save shepherds singing;_
_The lords of earth_
_Avert their faces;_
_Dark—dark is his cradle._

_Yet surely will dawn break with light of his new morrow:_

_Alleluia!_
_Yea, for the babe that sleepeth in a little manger_
_Is Light of the World: Alleluia!_

(The FAIRIES and BEASTS peer in the MANGER with awed delight.
Murmuring aloud, they speak to JOSEPH.)

ELF

May we not dance for him?

GNOME

And make gambols?

LION

May I give him my bone? ’Twill make him a rare toy!

BEAR

Ooff!—If he lie in my lap, my fur will warm him.

WOLF

Look-ee! If I wag my tail for him, he will laugh.

JOSEPH

Hush! He is asleep. Please do not wake Him.

(The BEASTS draw back. Kneeling down with ELF and GNOME, all
Five sing together.)

[Sidenote: _Carol 3. Luck Song_]

THE BEASTS AND FAIRIES

_While this Light-Child sleeping lies,_
_Word or murmur never wake him!_
_But when he shall open his eyes,_
_Mirth and antics we will make him._
_Amen!_

JOSEPH

Thank you, friends, for your courtesies;
But now the night grows old, and we are weary of wandering.
Out of the land of Herod we are fled, and go into Egypt.
Mary and Joseph are we, and Jesus, the little Child,
Whom these good Shepherds bear with us in his birth-cradle.
Now we must needs find shelter for the babe to rest.

TREE

Now welcome, Mary and Joseph, and Jesus, the little Child!
Rest you, I pray, with these Shepherds, under my boughs.

JOSEPH

Gentle Tree, you say kindly.

SHEPHERD

(To MARY, with gladness)

Here Herod can never harm Him, Lady dear.

TREE

Who is Herod, that he would harm a little child?

JOSEPH

Herod is lord of the world—there, in the land we have fled from.
Mighty is he, yet afraid: for out of the east
Three Wise Men followed a star to this poor manger,
Telling Herod a little child should inherit his kingdom.
Mighty is Herod, yet trembles now on his throne,
And wishes this Little One death.

SHEPHERD

But shall never find Him!

JOSEPH

Nay, for none in Herod’s kingdom knows
Where Child and Mother and Manger and guiding Star
Are vanished away. Only you, dear folk of the desert,
Share now our secret.

TREE

And shall ward it full well.
So enter into my shelter, with your good Shepherds,
Joseph and Mary and Manger-Child—and rest.

(TREE and MARY pass behind within shadow. As the SHEPHERDS with
the MANGER follow, a sweet, lulling VOICE sings from within.)

[Sidenote: _Carol 4. The Tree-Child’s Lullaby_]

THE VOICE

_Babe of my love,_
_Lull thee to rest!_
_Bird of my heart,_
_Night is thy nest._

_Evergreen bough,_
_Shadow my babe!_
_Shelter my bird,_
_Evergreen bough!_

_Star of my dreams,_
_Soon thou wilt shine:_
_Dream of the stars,_
_Splendor be thine!_

_Evergreen bough,_
_Shine with my Star!_
_Shelter his dreams,_
_Evergreen bough!_

(JOSEPH, pausing a moment before he follows, speaks to his
lantern.)

JOSEPH

Now lantern, that dost hide His holy light,
Show forth on high thy little Master’s star!

(He blows out the lantern.

Instantly a shining Star appears on the top of the Tree.
Staring upward with gestures of surprise, the CREATURES murmur
aloud.)

BEASTS, ELF AND GNOME

The star! The star!

(In wonder, while the CHORUS sings, they follow after the
others.)

[Sidenote: _Third Chorus: A,3. The Star_]

_CHORUS_

_Where shineth in whiteness the star of the new Master?_
_Alleluia!_
_Lo, from the tree that sheltereth a child’s dreaming_
_Shineth His star: Alleluia!_

_CHORUS_

_Where sleepeth till dawn-break the light of the new morrow?_
_Alleluia!_
_Lo, as a babe it sleepeth in a little manger:_
_Light of the World! Alleluia!_]

FIFTH ACTION

(“Sword of the World”)

_STAGE B: THE PLACE OF EMPIRE_

Gateway and Steps in front of HEROD’S Palace.

With spears and in armor, the CAPTAIN and the HOST OF HEROD are assembling.

With deep, pounding reverberation, VOICES of the male CHORUS conflict with the far, high singing of the other CHORUS, now dying away.

[Sidenote: _Fourth Chorus: B,1. The Might of Herod_]

_CHORUS_

_Herod—Herod—Herod—Herod, the mighty_
_Lord of the world!_
_Hail him, hail him, hail him Herod the Master!_
_Bow to his will!_

_His power what star can confound?_
_Or cloud can darken his splendor,_
_Who bindeth his brow with the lightning_
_And girdeth his loins with the storm!_

_For he maketh the world of men_
_The winnowing floor of his glory:_
_And he weareth the mail of the Most High,_
_And shareth the mantle of God.—_

_Millions obey him,_
_Man is his tool._

_Forth on his errands_
_Fly his red legions;_
_Domes of his dwelling_
_Glow in the dawn._

_Fire—fire_
_Forgeth his empire;_
_Slaves—slaves_
_Rear his dominion;_
_Sowing and harvest_
_Bleed in his furrows;_

_Peace is his footstool,_
_War is his crown._

_Herod—Herod—Herod—Herod, the mighty_
_Lord of the world!_

(Beside the gate, the CAPTAIN of the HOST strikes a deep-toned
gong and calls aloud.)

CAPTAIN

Herod! Herod, the most High!

(HEROD comes forth with his Followers. Clad in long robe of Tyrian
purple, he wears on his head a gold helmet. In his hand, he holds
a great staff, surmounted by a globe of the world.)

HEROD

Who calls so loud at my gate?

CAPTAIN

I, Captain of the Host of Herod.

HEROD

Why do you cry on my name?

CAPTAIN

For I am come at your bidding, King of Men.
Lo, we are here to do your command.

HEROD

My command I gave you, to bring unto me three Wise Men,
Kings of the East. Show them before me now.

CAPTAIN

Most High, they are not here. We have made far searching
But they are vanished away.

HEROD

Where are they gone?

CAPTAIN

No man has seen.

HEROD

Where shines their star?

CAPTAIN

Heaven has no sign.

HEROD

Where was he found—the child they worshipped?

CAPTAIN

Lowly he lay, in a poor manger.

HEROD

Now bring him before me!

CAPTAIN

He too has departed.

HEROD

My command! My command! My command!
Have ye not slain him? Speak!

CAPTAIN

Herod, most High, how shall the vanished be slain?
No sign gives us token
Where child and mother and manger and guiding star
Are vanished away.

HEROD

Powers of my crown and throne! Am I not Herod,
Herod, the Mighty? Who shall defeat my power?

[Sidenote: _Fifth Chorus: B,2 & A,4. The Wrath of Herod._]

(Close by, from the Place of Empire, deep CHORAL VOICES
reiterate HEROD’S boasts of triumph; far off, from the Place of
Outcasts, they are answered in antiphony by high, sweet CHOIRS,
affirming his defeat.)

[Sidenote: _B,2, Reiterative_]

_CHORUS B_

_Herod, our lord and king! Who shall defy his command?_

[Sidenote: _A,4, Antiphonal_]

_CHORUS A_

_A star! A star shall confound him._

HEROD

Am I the Sword of the World, and shall a weakling disarm me?

[Sidenote: _B,2, Reiterative_]

_CHORUS B_

_How shall the crook of a shepherd shatter the sword of a king?_

[Sidenote: _A,4, Antiphonal_]

_CHORUS A_

_A child! A child shall disarm him!_

HEROD

Hath God anointed me, yea, and shall a babe disinherit?

[Sidenote: _B,2, Reiterative_]

_CHORUS B_

_Lo, shall the light of a manger outshine his glory of palaces?_

[Sidenote: _A,4, Antiphonal_]

_CHORUS A_

_A dream! A dream shall survive him!_

HEROD

Now, by my host of power! he shall not escape me—
This babe low-born, but for his sake shall all
The hosts of childhood perish. Go forth and slay them,
All newly born of women, that he among them
May not escape, and all who shall resist
My power, young men or old, brothers or fathers,
Destroy them likewise—yea, with red fire and spear
And burning sword-blade. Go! My will is God’s,
For I am Herod—Herod, lord of the world!

(Raising his sword, the CAPTAIN makes sign to the HOST, who
lift high their spears. As the CHORUS breaks into song, they
depart, marching, while HEROD reënters his palace.)

[Sidenote: _Sixth Chorus: B,3. Song of the Persecuting Host_]

_CHORUS_

_Go forth, ye host of power!_
_Lay waste, lay waste the lowly!_
_For Herod’s might is a blazing tower,_
_And Herod’s wrath is holy._
_Yea, Herod’s wrath_
_God’s ire it hath_
_As he rends the weak asunder._
_Go forth upon his fiery path_
_Go forth, ye host, in thunder!_

_The strong, the strong shall reign!_
_Unleash the hounds of pain,_
_And loose their cry_
_Where the wounded lie_
_And the weakling race are slain._

_Go forth, ye host of power!_
_Destroy, destroy the dreaming!_
_For none may pause for a dream to flower_
_Where Herod’s might goes streaming._
_Yea, Herod’s might_
_God maketh His right_
_When the weak of the world go under._
_Go forth upon their darkling flight,_
_Go forth, ye host, in thunder!_

_CHORUS B_

_Herod, our lord and king! Who shall defy his command?_

_CHORUS A_

_A star! A star shall confound him!_]

SIXTH ACTION

(The Befriending)

_STAGE A_

Now, from the Place of Outcasts, CHORAL VOICES sing, while once more JOSEPH, MARY and SHEPHERDS bearing the MANGER appear, coming forth from the shelter of the Evergreen. With them TREE also appears.

[Sidenote: _Seventh Chorus: A,5. Glory and Serenity_]

_CHORUS_

_Glory and serenity,_
_Beauty of desire,_
_Bless to-night this holy tree_
_And our candle fire._
_Tree of our hearts, behold!_
_How the dreams of a child in your boughs unfold_
_And the weary of earth put off their pain_
_Where the Child of our love has lain._

JOSEPH

Shepherd, the morrow’s light will soon begin
To wake the desert world. Here we have lain
This night in quiet refuge; yet through sleep
I heard far off the host of Herod rage
Against this Child His kingdom. So once more
Let us go forth our way, till He is safe
Beyond the war-lord’s might.

SHEPHERD

Yea, let us go,
Yet not till we have thanked this gentle Tree.

JOSEPH

Dear Tree, you have befriended in his need
This little Child new-born. So—for His sake—
Your gracious boughs shall evermore be green,
Nor ever in winter lose their April sap,
But freshly, at this season of His birth,
They shall be fragrant of the hallowed dreams
His happy heart bequeathes you.

TREE

He was welcome,
And I will deck my boughs with infant joys
In his remembrance.

SHEPHERD

So we say—God keep you!
And not ‘Goodbye’!

JOSEPH

(To TREE)

Nay, still another token
We leave with you: His star—to be henceforth
A morning star of song for other children
Who rest from Herod’s wrath. So you shall be
No more a forest sprite, but a hallow’d angel—
His shining angel with a sheathèd sword
To guard all childhood’s home. Keep here his star:
Farewell!

TREE

O fare you well, dear wanderers,
That have fulfilled with love my lonely dream!

(With lighted candles, in processional, the SHEPHERDS with
MANGER, MARY and JOSEPH depart toward the desert. While the
CHORUS sings, TREE stands gazing after them.)

[Sidenote: _Eighth Chorus: A,6. Glory and Serenity_]

CHORUS

_Glory and serenity,_
_Beauty of desire,_
_Blend the song of men set free_
_With their children’s choir._
_Child of our hearts, behold!_
_How the dark is strewn with your fairy gold_
_And the bitter of soul lay-by their spleen_
_Where the Tree of our love grows green._

(TREE goes within.)

SEVENTH ACTION

(The Three Wise Men)

_AISLE II: ANOTHER PATHWAY INTO THE WILDERNESS_

Entering from its farther end appear, in procession, the THREE WISE MEN, and their FOLLOWERS. Lighted by torches of their Attendants, this PAGEANT OF THE KINGS moves onward in oriental splendor.

Each KING wears a crown of gold.

The crown of the youngest, BELSHASAR, is set on a turban. He is clean shaven, pale and recluse. The garb of him and his Group has a tone of asceticism.

The crown of the middle-aged, MELCHIOR, is placed on a helmet. He is thick-set, black-bearded and sharp-eyed. A martial glitter touches him and his Group.

The crown of the oldest, CASPAR, is set on a high-peaked hat with wide flapping brims. His beard is silver white, his face ruddy and wrinkled with laughter. His ample gown is gorgeous with red dyes and jewels. Like him in jocular splendor are his Followers.

As they approach the place of the Tree, KINGS and FOLLOWERS come singing a carol, led by the KINGS.

[Sidenote: _Carol 4. Trio and Chorus: “We Three Kings of Orient Are”_]

BELSHASAR, MELCHIOR AND CASPAR

_TRIO_

_We three kings of Orient are:_
_Wending home, we traverse afar_
_Field and fountain_
_Moor and mountain_
_Seeking for our lost star._

_CHORUS_

(Of the THREE KINGS and their FOLLOWERS)

_O Star of Wonder,_
_Star of Night,_
_Star with royal beauty bright!_
_Eastward leading,_
_Home proceeding,_
_Show once more Thy perfect light!_

_TRIO_

_Where the guiding glory once shone_
_Dark we wander onward and on,_
_Watching, hoping,_
_Dimly groping,_
_Seeking the light that’s gone._

_CHORUS_

_O Star of Wonder,_
_Star of Night,_
_Star with royal beauty bright!_
_Eastward leading,_
_Home proceeding,_
_Show once more Thy perfect light!_

EIGHTH ACTION

(“Which, O Lord, is Wisest?”)

_STAGE A_

The THREE KINGS enter before the Tree, their Followers grouped on the right. As he comes, KING CASPAR lifts his voice in a carol, solo, in which BELSHASAR and MELCHIOR soon join with him. Each of them, in his singing, acts out the sung carol in his bearing and movement.

[Sidenote: _Carol 5. Solo and Trio. The Bell, the Sword and the Laughter_]

CASPAR

_Lord of life! how pleasant ways_
_Are thy paths of danger,_
_Leading down from Herod’s place_
_By an ox’s manger:_
_Lo, there lay a little child_
_Rosy ’neath the rafter.—_
_Ahaha! how glad he smiled!_
_Lord, how blithe his laughter!_

MELCHIOR

_Laughter! Nay, I heard none laugh._
_Whom thou heardest—say now!_

CASPAR

_Him, the child, where mid the chaff_
_He lay on the hay-mow._
_Sure, Belshasar, thou didst bend_
_Nigh him and thou heardest._

BELSHASAR

_Caspar, nay: I comprehend_
_Not one thing thou wordest._

CASPAR

_Ohoho! Still, Lord, I hear_
_Music of that laughter._

MELCHIOR

_Daft thou ever wert: I fear_
_Still thou growest dafter._
_Nothing heard I, by my soul_
_But a sword its clanging._

BELSHASAR

_Nay, a bell, I heard it toll:_
_On a cross ’twas hanging._

MELCHIOR

_Now, am I not Melchior?_
_By my crown its keeping!_
_’Twas a sword that dangled o’er_
_Where the babe lay sleeping._

BELSHASAR

_Nay, a bell—a passing-bell:_
_Lonely was its ringing._

CASPAR

_Ahaha! I heard full well_
_‘Merry Christmas!’ singing._

CASPAR, BELSHASAR AND MELCHIOR

(Sing together)

_Lord, how may we wise men tell_
_How to clothe our starkness?_
_Song and sword and passing-bell_
_Lure us through the darkness._
_Send us sign of hidden things—_
_Thou who naught despisest!_
_Lo, of us three crownèd kings,_
_Which, O Lord, is wisest?_

VOICES OF ELF AND GNOME

(Echo in song, within)

“_Which, O Lord, is wisest?_”

(In songful laughter)

_Óhoho! Aháha!_

CASPAR

Lord, Lord, Thy sign! Harken, wise men, my brothers:
Laughter, laughter He sends us for a sign!

BELSHASAR

Nay, voices of the desert places!

MELCHIOR

Mockings of midnight!

ELF AND GNOME

(Enter, laughing lyricly)

_Óhoho! Aháha!_

CASPAR

Heigh! What is here? Elf!—Gnome!

BELSHASAR

Keep back! They are imps of evil.

MELCHIOR

Stay! Do not speak with them. Hush!

(CASPAR pays no heed, but greets the FAIRIES, who return his
greeting with blithe bows.)

CASPAR

Now, neighbors, God rest you merry!

ELF

Welcome, Wise Man!

GNOME

Welcome, Sir King!

MELCHIOR

(To BELSHASAR)

He speaks with them.

BELSHASAR

(To MELCHIOR)

Come. He is lost!

(They draw away.)

GNOME

Where are you from—ye Kings?

CASPAR

From the East, returning home from Herod’s land.

ELF

What went you there for to do?

CASPAR

To worship a new-born Child.

GNOME

How did you find your way?

CASPAR

We followed a star.

ELF AND GNOME

(Nodding to each other)

A star!

CASPAR

Yea, but our path now has lost it.—
Why do ye laugh there so merry?

ELF AND GNOME

(Pointing)

Look up!

CASPAR

The star! The star!
Ho, Melchior, Belshasar, look up!
His star—the star we have lost—is found:
Behold, it shines on the tree!

MELCHIOR

I see no star.

BELSHASAR

’Tis darkness all.

CASPAR

What! Can you see nothing shining yonder?

MELCHIOR

Nothing. Your eyes are bleary with night.

BELSHASAR

Nay, he’s grown old and merry and cracked.

CASPAR

Deaf to His laughter, blind to His star!
God save you, Wise Men! Let me grow old
And merry and cracked,
And talk with His wild, silly creatures.

(Enter WOLF, BEAR and LION.)

BELSHASAR

(To MELCHIOR)

Come farther!—Wild beasts they draw near.

(They move aside into shadow.)

CASPAR

Halloa, goodman Bear! Good even!

BEAR

(Forlornly)

Ooff! Ooff! My honey hive’s empty.

LION

Look you! My bone is picked bare.

WOLF

I’ve never a bone left to pick,
And I’m losing the fur on my tail.

CASPAR

Heigh, Master Wolf, Sir Lion!
How come ye so down at heart?

LION

The Light-Child is gone on his way.

WOLF

When a fellow can’t sing, he feels hungry.

CASPAR

Nay, neighbors, the Light-Child is with us;
He smiles from His twinkling star
Yonder, yea laughs in His light
And bids us make merry together
For joy of His shining.—Hoho!
Bring hither my music, good fellows!
Bring hither my fiddles and cakes
To make Him a feast night.

(From among CASPAR’S FOLLOWERS, cakes and instruments are
brought before him. To WOLF, BEAR and LION he gives each a
cake; to ELF and GNOME a stringed instrument.)

Here, neighbors,
Have each of you now a sweet frosting:
Here’s moon-cake and sun-cake and star-cake,
To mind us His birth-time. And you—
Here’s tune-strings to play, while we sing
To praise this good tree of His star.

(TREE enters, winged, all in white.)

ELF

Look, look! Tree now is his angel.

TREE

Welcome, dear passers in darkness!
The Light-Child is gone on His way,
But He leaves you His star, to make glad
Your path in the wilderness.—Welcome
Under His star!

CASPAR

Thank you, Tree.
His star hath made merry our hearts
To dance in His light—aye, to sing
As we enter your place of His dreams.
Come, neighbors, now blithe be our carol!

(With his sceptre for baton, CASPAR leads in dance and song
WOLF, BEAR, LION, ELF and GNOME, the BEASTS holding their
cakes, the FAIRIES playing their instruments. Joining in their
blithe dance of devotion, the old KING clutches the great flap
of his crown, to keep it from joggling off.)

[Sidenote: _Carol 6. Dance-Carol of the Evergreen._]

ALL

(Sing, to the strongly stressed dance-rhythm)

_O Evergreen, our Evergreen!_
_Thy boughs are brave and bright o’ sheen,_
_Thy bark and wood are live and strong_
_And bonny with the berry._
_So we will sing our even-song_
_And dance for thee, like king and queen.—_
_O Evergreen, dear Evergreen!—_
_To make thy heart be merry._

_O Even-song, our Even-song,_
_Thy notes this holy night belong_
_To Him who came to heal our teen_
_With love and starry leaven._
_His childhood keepeth ever green_
_All hearts of creatures here that long—_
_O Even-song, dear Even-song—_
_To make our earth His heaven._

(Following TREE, they dance joyously within. Outside, MELCHIOR,
BELSHASAR and their Followers wait in the dimness.)

BELSHASAR

A bell! I hear a bell tolling.

MELCHIOR

A sword! The clang of a sword!

NINTH ACTION

(Outcasts)

_STAGE B AND AISLE I_

From the right of HEROD’S Gate sounds the tolling of bells—from the left, the clangor of swords.

During this, HEROD comes forth and stands on his dais. There, in shifting light and darkness, HELMETED MEN with swords hurry to him, confer in pantomime and depart.

Then, as HEROD stands looking down from his height, there passes below him a PROCESSION OF OUTCASTS, which—moving from Aisle II to Aisle I—passes on along Aisle I toward the Place of the Tree. When the last of this dirgeful Pageant has gone by him, HEROD returns in darkness within the gate.

The Procession of Outcasts is accompanied by FOUR MASKED FIGURES in symbolic garb, and consists of the FOLLOWERS of these, walking before and after a stretcher, borne at the middle of the Pageant. First of the Four is a Female Figure, SONG, who leads the Procession, looking upward; last, is a Male Figure, POVERTY, bowed in stature. The other two Male Figures walk at the head and foot of the stretcher, the first being SORROW, staring before him, the second one—DEATH, who bears a muffled babe in his arms, lulling it, with a calm smile.

On the stretcher a Poor Man lies wounded—a PEDLAR, with his pack for a head-rest. He wears a red jerkin and great boots and a workman’s cap. His beard is brown. His face is pale, his side bandaged. In one hand he holds a broken sword. The Man is CLAUS, whose Wife, RUTH, walks beside him, in peasant garb. At his other side walk two small tattered Figures—a BOY and a GIRL, their children.

As all pass slowly onward, the OUTCASTS chant their song-dirge, out of which rises momentarily, first, the Voice of RUTH, then of CLAUS, while at times Full Chorus gives deeper volume to the singing. Rhythms of tolled bells and of clanging swords accompany the two Semi-Choruses.

[Sidenote: _Ninth Chorus: A,7. Dirge of the Outcasts._]

THE OUTCASTS

(Semi-Chorus of Women)

_Bells, bells of the dark!_
_Tongues of iron and terror!_
_Toll no more, no more,_
_Bells of my breaking heart!_

RUTH

_Beautiful I bore him,_
_Babe of my life and milk:_
_Wonderful I wore him,_
_Yea, as a scarf of silk:_
_Terrible—terrible—_
_They tore him!_

THE OUTCASTS

(Semi-Chorus of Women)

_Bells of my breaking heart,_
_Toll no more, no more,_
_Tongues of iron and terror,_
_Bells, bells of the dark!_

_FULL CHORUS_

(Men and Women)

_God!—God of the broken heart!_
_Lord of the tolling bell!_
_God, our God, if thou art, if thou art,_
_Tell us, our Father, tell:_
_How darkly long_
_Shall the reign of the strong_
_Endure, to make of Thine earth our hell,_
_Ere thou, O Lord of the bleeding dart,_
_Rise in Thy light, to quell?_

THE OUTCASTS

(Semi-Chorus of Men)

_Swords, swords in my soul!_
_Tongues of fire and horror!_
_Clang aloud, aloud,_
_Swords of my burning heart!_

CLAUS

_Newly born I named him_
_Babe of my joy and ruth:_
_Kin of heart I claimed him,_
_Yea, as my star of youth:_
_Murderous—murderous—_
_They maimed him!_

THE OUTCASTS

(Semi-Chorus of Men)

_Swords of my burning heart!_
_Clang aloud, aloud,_
_Tongues of fire and horror,_
_Swords, swords in my soul!_

_FULL CHORUS_

(Men and Women)

_God!—God of the burning soul!_
_Lord of the clanging sword!_
_God, our God, from Thy kindling goal,_
_Answer us, answer, Lord!_
_How far and blind_
_Shall the kings of our kind_
_Beguile our hearts on their paths abhorred,_
_Ere thou, O Christ of a race made whole,_
_Come in Thy world-accord?_

TENTH ACTION

(The Wounded Pedlar)

_STAGE A_

While the OUTCASTS have been approaching, CASPAR has come forth from the Place of the Tree and watched them coming.

Now, where he joins BELSHASAR and MELCHIOR, the THREE KINGS call, in song, to the dim Figures who draw near.

[Sidenote: _Carol 8. Trio and Solo. Ballad of the Kings and the Pedlar_]

THE THREE KINGS

_Who are ye that come singing in darkness,_
_Outcast in the desert so late?_

CLAUS

_O Kings, it is me, Claus the Pedlar,_
_And these be my children and mate._

THE THREE KINGS

_Who are those there, your comrades, beside you:_
_Those shadows, say, who should they be?_

CLAUS

_They be Death, and his young brother, Sorrow,_
_And his old brother, Poverty._

THE THREE KINGS

_Nay, but who is that other amidst them,_
_That lifteth her face: What is she?_

CLAUS

_That is Song, and she is their sister_
_Who waiteth upon them, all three._

(CLAUS, RUTH and the two CHILDREN have now joined the THREE KINGS.)

CASPAR

_Goodman, why are the eyes of your woman_
_So weary of look and so wild?_

CLAUS

_He hath broken our home, hath King Herod,_
_And killed us our new-born child._

_Now tell us, ye Kings that be Wise Men,_
_Now tell us, where darkly we roam:_
_What right hath a king of a pedlar_
_To rob him his child and his home?_

MELCHIOR

_A king hath the right of his power_
_To raise high his glory and crown._

CLAUS

_Then it’s Claus hath the right of a pedlar_
_To pull his high glory adown._

CASPAR

_A king hath his host and his captains_
_To shatter the weak with his horde._

CLAUS

_Then it’s Claus he will be his own captain_
_To sharpen the edge of his sword._

BELSHASAR

_Nay, a king hath the might of his lordship_
_’Tis death for his slave to defy._

CLAUS

_Then it’s me hath the right of my manship_
_To master his might or to die._

_For ’tis God is my King and not Herod,_
_And God he keepeth no slave;_
_And liever than live Herod’s henchman_
_I’ll lie a free man in the grave._

_So I dared him his host and his captains,_
_And struck for my babe a sword blow;_
_And ’tis here they have broken my body;_
_With Death now right soon must I go._

CASPAR

Nay, cheerly, Claus! Cheerly, goodwife and kiddies!
Now you have wandered to a lucky place.
Our Evergreen shall heal your hurt. Run, Elf,
And fetch him balsam gum to balm his wounds.

(ELF runs within.)

CLAUS

No balsam gum can heal us our lost babe.
Ruth, wife, where lieth now his little body?

RUTH

Death holds him fast. Death holdeth him forever.

MELCHIOR

Herod is king. Ye should have awe of kings
And bow before them.

BELSHASAR

We are kings and wise,
And warn you what you owe to Herod.

CLAUS

Herod!
I have paid back to Herod all I owe him—
The red blade of this broken sword.

CASPAR

Brave said!
Give me the hasp. See, we will hang it here
On this green bough, to be your shining cross
Of freedom and remembrance—yea, a sign
For Herods, when they pass, to pause and think on.

MELCHIOR

(To BELSHASAR)

He flouteth what we say!

(BELSHASAR shrugs, but motions MELCHIOR to listen. ELF returns.)

CASPAR

So, Pedlar Claus,
Lay-by thy pack, and rest you here till morrow;
Tend him, good Elf and Gnome. Now, mother, bravely!
These beasties shall make hospitality
And share their holy frost-cakes with your children,
Wiping their eyes with love: And these war-weary,
Glad of our Evergreen, shall take new hope
From yon clear star.

(He helps CLAUS to rise and supports him to the foot of the
Tree, where he places his pack for CLAUS to recline. The
stretcher is borne away. Far off, a long blast sounds.)

BELSHASAR

Hark, hark! What trumpet calls?

MELCHIOR

’Tis Herod’s host. Take heed!

RUTH

God shield us now!

(She turns toward CASPAR, who comforts her and the CHILDREN.)

ELEVENTH ACTION

(The Persecuting Host)

_AISLE I AND AISLE II_

Pouring forth from the Place of Empire, the HOST OF HEROD and their LEADERS, with spears held high, come marching on both pathways toward the Tree, singing in chorus as they march.

[Sidenote: _Tenth Chorus: B,4. Song of the Persecuting Host_]

_CHORUS_

_Go forth, ye host of power!_
_Enslave, enslave the humble!_
_’Fore Herod’s host their hearts shall cower,_
_Their builded hopes shall crumble._
_Yea, Herod’s host_
_Shall trample them most_
_Where they build their shrines of wonder.—_
_Go forth with Vengeance’ war-red ghost,_
_Go forth, go forth in thunder!_

TWELFTH ACTION

(The Morning Stars)

_STAGE A_

Staying his Followers, the CAPTAIN OF THE HOST approaches the THREE KINGS by the Tree.

In his hand he bears the Staff of Herod.

CAPTAIN

Halt here!—Behold them. They are found.
Stand forth, ye Kings of East! What make ye
So far from Herod’s throne?

MELCHIOR

We journey home.

CAPTAIN

Know ye not Herod’s wrath, what ’tis!—
Why brought ye not your tidings back
To him? Where is the Manger-Child?

MELCHIOR

We know him not.

BELSHASAR

Our trail we lost.
His star is dark.

CASPAR

Nay, shineth yonder!

CAPTAIN

(Staring)

Where shineth?

BELSHASAR

He is old and daft.

MELCHIOR

Hail, Captain of our lord his host!
Welcome you are in Herod’s name.—

CLAUS

(Rising painfully)

Nay, curst is he in Herod’s name.—
Give back my babe!

CAPTAIN

(Strikes him with his staff.)

Take hence thy life!

(CLAUS falls back motionless. DEATH draws near and bends over
him.)

DEATH

Come, Claus: Awake! Thy babe is here.

CLAUS

Friend Death, now raise me up.—Methought
Thou hadst been deaf and dumb, but now
We speak together.

DEATH

Here I hold
Thy little babe.

CLAUS

(Taking the muffled child)

O little babe,
Now are we both in Death his arms
Safe held from Herod’s wrath. Be glad
Thy father was not Herod’s slave.

(In his great cloak DEATH leads him away. RUTH stares after them.)

RUTH

Claus! Claus!—Now Death hath taken him.

CASPAR

Poor woman, do not weep for Claus.
Friend Death is kind.

RUTH

Now are we left
Alone, and none to shield us.

CASPAR

Yea,
A king shall shield ye.

CAPTAIN

King! What king
Would shield these Herod’s outcasts?

CASPAR

One
That’s old and merry and cracked, and wears
This crown of Caspar, king of babes
Made fatherless.

MELCHIOR

(To the CAPTAIN, shrewdly)

You hear?

BELSHASAR

He’s mad!

CAPTAIN

Nay, give me sign what manner wise men
And kings you are. Make sign, ye three,
Now to this staff; for, by its power!
All lesser kings who bow them not
To Herod’s staff shall lose their crowns.
Bow! Bow ye low to Herod, lord of the world!

MELCHIOR

(Bows low to the staff.)

Herod, most High!

CAPTAIN

Thy crown keep safe.

BELSHASAR

(Bows low to the staff.)

Herod, the Mighty!

CAPTAIN

Keep thy crown.

CASPAR

(Remains standing, and smiles.)

Herod, the Poor!

CAPTAIN

What now! How name ye
Herod—the poor?

CASPAR

Is he not poor
To lose him both my brothers’ crowns,
And needs ask alms of me, old Caspar?—
Ho, take him this my crown, poor Herod!
And this, my sceptre, yea, and this
My cloak also, and bid him keep
His staff for kings of sadder heart
To bow them to. Mine is too merry.—
Now, kiddies, come: where be your cakes
And frosting?

(Having put off his King’s robe, sceptre and crown, CASPAR now
appears in his under-jerkin of red, with long boots, like a
Peasant.)

MELCHIOR

(To BELSHASAR)

Mad! Stark gone!

CAPTAIN

(Tossing aside the robe, sceptre and crown, speaks to his
Followers.)

Lay-by
These tokens, men! Your spears! Your spears!
This wise man shall learn wisdom now
In Herod’s name.

BELSHASAR

(Interposing)

Forbear! He raves.

(HE and MELCHIOR draw the CAPTAIN momentarily aside.)

RUTH

(To CASPAR)

Alas! How can you help us now
And have no kingdom?

CASPAR

Ha, my dears!
A joyful heart finds many a job
Can earn a kingdom.

(Taking the little BOY and GIRL, one on each knee, he speaks to
them and their Mother.)

Cheerly, woman!
Thy goodman plied a goodly trade.—
Poor Claus he was a pedlar: Ho!
A pedlar now will Caspar be,
And take thy goodman’s pack and name,
And ply his trade of children’s toys
By neighbor chimneys, house to house,
With jingling bells in winter air;
And hearth to hearth the mirth shall spread
Around the fire, and yule logs blaze,
And apples toast, and stockings spill
With candy dolls and popping tricks;
And tiptoe boys and girls shall peep
To spy the pedlar with his sack,
And pay his wage in wonder coin
Left on the hearthstone; and through all
The evergreen and evergreen,
Around the tree of light shall run—
With fairy twinklings of His star—
The laughter of a Manger Child.

(Rising, he lifts the CHILDREN in his arms.)

Up, kiddies, now, with Pedlar Claus
To find His kingdom!

CAPTAIN

(To BELSHASAR, brushing him and MELCHIOR aside)

Nay, no more!
He bowed not down, and shall pay dear
For Herod’s anger.

CASPAR

(Swinging the Pedlar’s pack upon his back)

Ho, good hearts!
Now, Sorrow, come! and Poverty!
And you, dear Song, that serve on them!
You, Elf and Gnome, and desert beasts!
Ye children all, both old and young,
Come, gather by this holy Tree
And share with Pedlar Claus his pack!

CAPTAIN

(Mocking)

Ho, Claus, the Pedlar-King! Hail Claus!

THE HOST OF HEROD

Hail, Claus, the Pedlar-King! King Claus!

(They crowd toward him; his cap is struck off.)

CAPTAIN

(Raising the cap on a spear)

Lo, Claus, his crown! Behold the crown!

THE HOST

Hail to the crown! The Pedlar’s crown!

CAPTAIN

Ye Spears of Herod, spill him wine!
Yea, with his blood anoint him!

(Pointing their spears, the HOST turn to rush upon CASPAR, when
suddenly A BLAZE OF LIGHT checks and astounds them: silverly
A BLAST OF TRUMPETS sounds; the Evergreen branches burst into
bloom of stars, while TREE, as ANGEL, comes forth, holding
sheathed a shining Sword, its hasp in a Crown of Holly.)

TREE

Stay!
Bow, Host of Herod! Bow ye down
And hail our Saint of Evergreen:
Hail _Santa_ Claus!

(TREE places the Holly Crown on CASPAR’S head. A BURST OF
SLEIGH-BELLS sounds, filling the air with their circlings of
silver music.)

THE CHILDREN, FAIRIES AND BEASTS

(Shout with wild joy)

Hail, Santa Claus!

THE CAPTAIN AND THE HOST

(Falling back, murmur in awe)

Hail, Santa Claus!

(Overwhelmed, they bow down. Choirs of shrilly gladness break
forth in Chorus, as the jingling sleigh-bells change to PEALING
CHIMES.)

[Sidenote: _Eleventh Chorus: A,8 and B,5. Chorus of the Christmas Tree_]

[Sidenote: _Part I. (Chorus A) The Pedlar-King_]

_CHORUS_

_Hail—Santa Claus!_
_Saint of our Evergreen!_
_Hail, dear Pedlar of starry joys!_

_On your own shoulders_
_Now you have lifted_
_All the world’s weariness—_
_Pack of old burdens,_
_Sack of our sorrows:_
_Lifted it, stored anew,_
_Crammed with enchantment,_
_Bursting with merry_
_And magical laughter,_
_Wonder of children—_
_Mirth of our Lord!_
_Hail, dear Pedlar—_
_King of our Evergreen:_
_Santa! Santa!_
_Holly-crown’d saint of us!_
_Hail, eternal_
_Wise man and child!_

(During this Chorus and while it continues, SANTA—with beaming
face—opens his great pack and distributes forth gifts to the
CHILDREN, the OUTCASTS, and the HOST OF HEROD, who now rise
joyfully and press round him. CHORUS now answers CHORUS across
the assembled People, the deep voices of the Men’s Chorus (B)
now singing in Antiphony.)

[Sidenote: _Part II. (Choruses A and B) The Tree_]

_CHORUS A_

_Who wakened her heart with song for the coming of light?_
_Who harked for the morning stars their singing together?_

[Sidenote: _Antiphonal_]

_CHORUS B_

_The Tree! The Tree!_
_The Evergreen Tree!_
_The light of her heart hath blossomed—_
_Hath bloomed with stars_
_In the places of desert._

_CHORUS A_

_Who nourished a dream in the lone wilderness,_
_Where wild beasts kill one another and weary of killing?_

[Sidenote: _Antiphonal_]

_CHORUS B_

_The Tree! The Tree!_
_The Evergreen Tree!_
_The power of her dream hath blossomed_
_With blinding stars_
_In the hearts of the terrible._

_CHORUS A_

_Herod, lord of the world! Who hath defeated his power?_

[Sidenote: _Antiphonal_]

_CHORUS B_

_A star! A star doth confound him!_

_CHORUS A_

_Herod, sword of the world! Who hath surmounted his cunning?_

[Sidenote: _Antiphonal_]

_CHORUS B_

_A child! A child hath disarmed him!_

_CHORUS A_

_Herod, wrath of the world! What hath o’erthrown his dominion?_

[Sidenote: _Antiphonal_]

_CHORUS B_

_A dream! A dream hath survived him!_

[Sidenote: _Part III. (Choruses A and B) The Child_]

_CHORUS A_

(Appearing in their over-garments of WHITE, look toward the
place of HEROD while they sing.)

_Where are ye that through the blindness of the slaughter,_
_Through the terror and the tempest of the night,—_
_Where are ye that bowed you down to a helmet and a crown?_
_Have you seen the Child His stars?_
_Have you heard the morning stars—_
_His stars that sing around the Tree of light?_

_Will you hasten? Will you heed?_
_Will you bind His wounds that bleed?_
_Will you build his works of joy and charity?_
_Are you risen? Do you hark?_
_Are you coming through the dark—_
_Are you coming, are you coming to the Tree?_

_CHORUS B_

(In their over-garments of RED, rise from the place of their
singing, and move forward in procession toward the CHORUS IN
WHITE.)

_Here are we that knew the blindness of the slaughter,_
_Knew the terror and the tempest of the night:_
_Here are we that bowed us down to a helmet and a crown,_
_But we’ve seen the Child His stars,_
_We have heard the morning stars—_
_His stars that sing around the Tree of light._

_We will hasten! We will heed!_
_We will bind His wounds that bleed;_
_We will build His works of joy and charity._
_We are risen, and we hark!_
_We are coming through the dark—_
_We are coming, we are coming to the Tree!_

(As they approach the Tree, the Singers of CHORUS B lay off
their RED over-garments and join the CHORUS IN WHITE. The two
CHORUSES now form one.

Joined, in their singing, by the HOST OF HEROD, the OUTCASTS,
and by ALL THE ASSEMBLED PEOPLE, they raise their Voices
together.)

_ALL_

_Child of God, forgive the blindness and the slaughter!_
_Child of Pity, calm the terror of the night!_
_Yea, and all that bow them down to a helmet and a crown—_
_Let them see, like us, Thy stars!_
_Let them join the morning stars—_
_Thy stars that sing around the Tree of light!_

_Child of Heaven, now we heed!_
_We will bind Thy wounds that bleed;_
_We will build Thy works of joy and charity._
_We are risen in Thy right:_
_We are singing through the night—_
_We are singing, we are singing to the Tree!_

_Alleluia!_
_Amen!_

Bow, Host of Herod! Bow ye down
And hail our Saint of Evergreen:
Hail _Santa_ Claus!]

_CHORUS_

_Child of Heaven, now we heed!_
_We will bind Thy wounds that bleed,_
_We will build Thy works of joy and charity:_
_We are risen in Thy right,_
_We are singing through the night—_
_We are singing, we are singing to the Tree!_]

COMMENTARIES ON THE MASQUE

(Not drawn to Scale)

(For Standard Outdoor Production—Alterable for Indoors)]

SUGGESTIONS FOR COMMUNITY PRELUDE AND EPILUDE

I.—PRELUDE

In producing this Masque, different communities will doubtless wish to observe different ways of assembling to prepare and begin its production.

Some, especially those given on a small scale, may need and desire no prelusive form of ceremony, in action, speech or song.

For productions given on a larger scale, however, since a receptive and devotional state of feeling is greatly to be desired for its proper rendering and its impression upon those who witness and take part, it is strongly recommended that some kind of brief, general Song Overture of the people be held just before the Masque begins.

With this need in mind, the suggestions here made by the author are given for whatever service they may render to the desired end.

As Prelude to the production of “The Evergreen Tree,” the following kind of Song Overture and informal Ceremony are suggested for such large-scale types of the Masque’s production as are witnessed and performed by all classes, races, ages and creeds of the community.

After night-fall, on a winter’s evening, let us imagine men, women and children of a town or city gathered together out of doors in a public square or park, or indoors within some level-floored structure, to assemble by the community Christmas Tree, and to join in general singing under a leader.

The Leader will gather the best trained singers at a central place (indicated by the roped-off circle in the Ground Plan on the page opposite), and will start the community singing, or guide its spontaneous beginnings under his leadership.

The trained Chorus will perhaps sing the “Adeste Fidelis,” or “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing,” and the carollers will raise their voices in such old Christmas songs as may best appeal to them. So, perhaps for twenty minutes or half an hour, the singers will hold an informal Overture, in which all the gathered people may have joined.

Meanwhile, or beforehand, the Chorus will have put on their outer garments of red and white (designed according to Mr. Jones’ costume suggestions), and will have divided into their two separate bodies—(1) the mixed voices, Chorus A, and (2) the male choir, Chorus B.

Then the Chorus Leader, or some one appointed by him, when the Masque is almost ready to begin, will rise at the centre—visible above the heads of the Chorus and the people—and will speak to the assemblage, perhaps in his own words, or perhaps—using some portion or all of the speech here given—he will speak substantially as follows:

THE CHORUS LEADER

Neighbors and Friends—we have been singing together:
Wherever friends sing together out of their hearts
There God sings with them.
We believe many different ideas, many differing creeds.—
To-night let us forget how we differ:
Let us remember only how we believe in one great thing—
One Spirit in common—and this is its holy name:

SINGING TOGETHER.

In old, old times, when plays were sung by the people,
They built for them altars, sacred places of singing;
And before their dramas began,
They used to pray there
And ask a blessing on the players, on the chorus and the people.
And there, on those altars, they wrote the name of their Lord.

Friends, we are gathered here now by an old, old altar:
The altar of Song—
Song of the people: old, young; happy, sad; rich and poor.
We cannot see it with our eyes,
But we know it in our hearts;
And there we can read what is written—the name of our Lord,
Whose hallowed name is called

SINGING TOGETHER.

Now out of our Singing will rise an Acted Pageant
To tell an old story newly—
The story of a Child.
Over yonder, by the Christmas Tree—there is the Wilderness,
The Place of Outcasts:
Over there—is the Gate of a Palace: the Palace of Herod—
Herod, the mighty king in the Bible,
His place of Empire;
And there—and there—are two Paths, that lead to the Tree.

Now let us sing one more carol,
And take our places;
Then listen, and watch for a sign, while the Chorus sings:
And when all is over—each of us, all together,
Let us raise up our hearts and voices to one great Spirit
That will make of us all one people:
The Spirit whose glorious name is

SINGING TOGETHER.

So concluding, the Chorus Leader and his Assistant Leader will accompany their Choruses (the one—Chorus A, the other—Chorus B) to the places where they sit during the Masque (indicated on the diagram) in front of their respective stages.

As they go to their places, the Choruses will sing the carol “Good King Wencelas.” Then, when all is still, the Masque of “The Evergreen Tree” will commence with the Chorus of the Wilderness.

II.—EPILUDE

At the conclusion of the Masque, it is not advisable that any other formal ceremony should follow.

The participants, the children and the people will naturally be gathering about Santa Claus and partaking of the gifts from his pack, or otherwise sharing in happy festivity.

In order, however, that the Masque shall not end in a general, disordered scattering of the assemblage, it is recommended that those in costume, including the Choruses (now united), shall march in good order to the places of their costuming, or to such other places as the Director of the Masque may designate, singing together stanzas of the Masque hymn—easily learned, in unison, to the appealing music of Arthur Farwell—

“Glory and serenity,
Beauty of desire,
Bless to-night this holy tree
And our candle-fire.”—etc.

THREE MONOGRAPHS

I.—DRAMATIZING COMMUNITY SONG

BY PERCY MACKAYE

The allurement of the communal field in drama is its freshness of opportunity—its infinite potential variety.

Definitions have not yet hedged it; criticism has not yet charted, nor pedagogy catalogued its boundless horizons and creative streams; commercialism has not yet invaded its unstinted harvests, to store and can them for the market, under the labels of middlemen.

So, in approaching this realm of “The Evergreen Tree,” I have felt something of that thrill of discovery which must more often have been felt in earlier days on American soil: a feeling, I think, such as John Muir once told me he experienced when he gazed first, from the top of a great tree, over uncharted miles of the redwood region. Only here I have seemed to look upon the conjoining of a great, structural continent—the Drama—with a primal sea—the tides of Community Song, now carolling in quiet inlets, now choral with tempestuous music from fathomless deeps.

If, then, I were to suggest the nature of this kind of community drama by a topographical line, rather than by a definition of theory, I would do so perhaps by a line such as this:

wherein the rising pyramid would represent an emerging contour of that continent (the Drama), whose base is submerged and fused with those singing tides (Community Music).

So perhaps, as dramatist, I might suggest the coming together of those two realms or “movements” of social art, to which my friend Arthur Farwell refers in his comments, as composer.

Obviously, this coming together implies a new technique of the community dramatist—a technique not for a hollowed amphitheatre (that of the traditional theatre), but for a level assembly place (that of the cathedral): where visually, from a floor thronged with choral communicants, there rises a sharp focal point of dramatic action—a small raised stage, for such few acting characters as are typical of the community dramatic ritual.

So the setting of the Masque takes form according to its nature (as indicated by the Ground Plan opposite page 69, and by the worded description in the front of this volume). And so, as the dramatic architect by his design shapes the conditions for the coöperation of the composer, he shapes also the conditions for the coöperation of the scenic producer—in this case, Robert Edmond Jones, whose fresh and fertile genius becomes in a production as significant for the eye as the creative ardor of Arthur Farwell does for the ear.

In the following pages, each of these representative artists describes briefly his distinctive approach and viewpoint toward the ensemble production. As well as may be in brief space, we hope thus to suggest—for all who read the Masque with a view to its performance on however simple a scale—something of our own feelings for the right creative and interpretive approach to this fresh field, in which we are planning to coöperate personally in at least some one production of “The Evergreen Tree.”

In the pioneering attempt of this Masque, my own purpose is to dramatize community singing—for conditions of our own time, especially in America, during this new, formative period which the world war has begun.

In other lands and ages of folk art, community song has been dramatized, as it can only be dramatized vitally, by artists moved by the spirit of religion; and relics of such forms still survive amongst us in rituals of the churches. But these rituals necessarily have attained their growth—nobly classic at their best, at their worst—dully disintegrated.

Now new forces of an age religiously urgent for democracy demand a re-creation of the forms of folk art, plastic to the living currents of the new time. These currents, though continuous from the past, widen now between strange banks and other horizons; though perennial, they require fresh coördination.

The carol, for instance, and the ballad—old forms of folk art—survive with us only in their archaic appeal. We in America cannot hope or wisely desire to revive them for what they once were—spontaneous expressions of continuous communal life in villages and peasant heaths, for that life has gone from us, not to return. But we can do this—and in so doing, give them new life. We can relate them definitely to a form of art for us still living and indigenous—to the drama, and essentially to that community kind of drama which is but now beginning its renascence of world forms portentous for the future.

So in “The Evergreen Tree,” perhaps for the first time, I have embodied the acted carol and the acted ballad as structural parts of a dramatic unity—a communal dramatic unity, to which the forms of folk music are allied and essential.

Here, then, comes into being a new kind of music drama—far removed from the connotation of opera—a _Song Drama_ of the people. From this, speech will not be absent; but it will necessarily be related to the simplicity of folk song and folk poetry, in being rhythmic and chantable in its cadences—taking on forms of spoken poetry definitely related to the people’s poetry of song.

This Song Drama, too, of its nature—though susceptible of splendid pageantry—will depend, for its dramatic conflict, far less on wills opposed in visual action than on contrasted emotions of song—of choral song, thus bringing again the Chorus back to its rightful place, heard and visible, among the people—as with the Greeks; only now for us it becomes a _double_ Chorus, oppositional in will and definitely divided in two parts (the antiphonal Choruses, A and B, of this Masque, costumed also in visual contrast), until its parts become reconciled in emotion, when—both aurally and visibly—the two unite, as at the end of “The Evergreen Tree.”

This much at least expresses my conception of a new art implied in the present work—not as an _a priori_ theory, nor as a generalization for others—but as the working method which has seemed for me best adapted to perform a definite task in the community field involved.

The theme of the Masque I will only touch upon here to say that, in inventing its legend of Caspar and Claus, I hope I may not wholly miss that unconscious approval, which would be dearer than any other—the belief of the children.

Cornish, N. H., September, 1917.

II.—COMMUNITY MUSIC AND THE COMPOSER

BY ARTHUR FARWELL

The birth of our national self-consciousness in music, from the creative standpoint, occurred less than twenty years ago. Not until the last two decades did the prodigious musical studies of our young people at home and abroad produce composers in sufficient quantity to make American music, its character and potentialities, a national question.

Even so brief a period as this has, however, sufficed to witness a succession of distinct phases in our national musical attitude and achievement, phases so strongly contrasted as to represent radical changes of artistic tendency and almost complete reversals in belief and direction of effort.

The last and greatest of these changes is that one which has withdrawn attention from the composer as an abstract phenomenon, and from fruitless theories of American music, and has centered it upon the immediate service which music can render to the people of our nation. In the long run, the nation cannot go one way and its music another. That the ideal in the spirit of music must sooner or later, in this country, be reconciled to and wedded with the ideal of the spirit of democracy, is an idea which has met with general acceptance only in the last three years, although it has been ardently championed by a few individuals for nearly two decades.

Taking its rise in the compelling necessity of this principle, the “community music” movement has swept the country in the last few years, plunging it anew into violent discussion, annihilating personal theories and products of the musical hot-house, demanding the wholesome and the true—and giving the people expression.

In this movement the composer of the music for “The Evergreen Tree” has been immersed. In the communal dramatic work and ideas of Percy MacKaye, he has recognized a similar development in the art of the theatre. It was inevitable that these two movements should come together and unite their powers in seeking to make a helpful contribution to the quest for a drama—and should it not truly be a music drama?—that shall serve most appropriately the deep need of the American people for expression in such a form.

Anything which may prove to be of worth in my compositions for “The Evergreen Tree,” I owe to the new influx of life which I have received from my contact with the soul of the people, as revealed in the movement which is making us a singing nation.

Cornish, N. H., September, 1917.

III.—DESIGNS FOR “THE EVERGREEN TREE”

BY ROBERT EDMOND JONES

The drawings in this book will prove most helpful if they are thought of merely as notes to be amplified or varied according to the special needs of each community production.

Different communities will develop the main scheme in various ways.

The production indicated here is on a large scale in the open air; but the arrangement of stages and aisles is equally impressive in the smallest church.

Facilities for lighting will vary widely in different communities.

Don’t be discouraged if you haven’t an elaborate electric equipment at your disposal. Think how beautiful the Masque might be, done by candle-light in an old country meetinghouse!

The costumes are extremely simple, and depend largely for their effectiveness on the dignity with which they are worn.

The two _Choruses_ wear surplice-like over-garments, red or white. _Elf_ suggests a butterfly: _Gnome_, a beetle: _Tree_, a Fra Angelico angel. _Wolf_, _Bear_ and _Lion_ wear masks, rudely made, like mummers of the Middle Ages. _Wolf’s_ tail is attached to a belt, which he pulls from side to side.

GNOME
TREE
ELF

TREE wears green hose bound with silver thongs, a green smock on which the tree symbol is embroidered in silver, and flat silver wings. Later, TREE appears in a white smock with the symbol in gold. GNOME wears loose green trousers, a long tunic striped black and white and two long coats, orange over green. The hood has eyes of red, white and black at the sides. ELF wears a white smock with silver bells (mute) and butterfly spots of red and black. ]

BEAR
WOLF
LION

The three beasts wear masks of white cloth stretched over a foundation of cardboard or buckram. WOLF wears a blue-and-white striped jerkin over blue leggings bound with white, and a big gray tail, fastened to a belt. BEAR has a padded gray coat over loose padded leggings. LION’S jerkin and hose are gray, with fringes and thongs of red. ]

JOSEPH
MARY
SHEPHERDS

JOSEPH, MARY and the SHEPHERDS wear semi-circular cloaks over long, loose under-robes. JOSEPH’S cape is white over a blue robe; MARY wears blue over white; the SHEPHERDS are in white. JOSEPH’S cap is blue with a white band; his lantern has star-shaped panes.]

HOST OF HEROD
HEROD
CAPTAIN

HEROD wears a triple gold crown and a heavy robe of scarlet on which is a black design edged with white buttons. His staff is gold. The drawings for the CAPTAIN and the HOST show the costume adapted to army use. The HOST wears a scarlet tunic over the Khaki; the CAPTAIN a great scarlet cloak edged with a scimitar design in white. The CAPTAIN’S shield is silver and black; the other, silver and scarlet.]

BELSHASAR
CASPAR
MELCHIOR

BELSHASAR: a cloak of blue, banded with white, over a long black robe; a high-crowned turban, blue and white. MELCHIOR: a blue cloak with zigzag trimmings of black and white, a black gown, a black-and-white helmet with a red hood. CASPAR wears a high-peaked hat of brilliant orange and a great orange cloak trimmed with bands of red and white and large white buttons. Underneath he wears a costume exactly like that of CLAUS: long high boots and a red jerkin trimmed with conventionalized holly leaves in green and edged with white fur. All three kings wear gold crowns.]

FOLLOWERS OF BELSHASAR
FOLLOWERS OF CASPAR
FOLLOWERS OF MELCHIOR

The costumes of the FOLLOWERS recall those of the three kings, but are more simply made: the FOLLOWERS OF BELSHASAR wear blue capes over black gowns, white hoods and tall, blue hats; the FOLLOWERS OF CASPAR wear coats of orange banded with white over green gowns sashed with red, and orange hats; the FOLLOWERS OF MELCHIOR have black gowns and blue capes with black-and-white designs like those on MELCHIOR’S costume.]

SORROW
SONG
DEATH
POVERTY

SORROW, POVERTY and DEATH are in black and white. SONG wears white with bands of blue, and a wreath of white flowers in her hair. The FOLLOWERS have costumes cut exactly like those of their leaders, but of gray instead of white. The FOLLOWERS of SONG carry long silver trumpets.]

RUTH
CLAUS
THE CHILDREN
CHORUS B

RUTH wears a white jacket over a red bodice and a gray skirt over a black-and-white striped under-skirt. CLAUS has high boots, a red jerkin edged with white fur and a red cap also edged with white fur. There should be no green trimming on his jerkin. His costume and RUTH’S should be extremely ragged and the two children should be roughly wrapped in rags. CHORUS B wears a short red coat with white bands and a design of spear-heads on the shoulders. When this coat is removed at the end of the Masque, the white coat of CHORUS A is seen. This bears a tree in green on either shoulder.]

Nearly all the other costumes consist of a simple, cloak-like undergarment, over which are worn tunics and robes to characterize the Host of Herod, the Shepherds, the Followers of the Three Kings, or the Outcasts. There is nothing realistic in these clothes: they merely _suggest_ the characters, broadly, as if they were made by children for a child’s play. They may be carried out by any dressmaker in inexpensive materials—muslin, cambric, cheesecloth, flannel—keeping always to a few brilliant, flat colors: strong red, strong blue, black and white, gray, and orange.

Make these costumes yourselves: use your own ingenuity in cutting and draping them: wear them with a sense of what each costume means. Then your ceremony will be beautiful.

New York, September, 1917.

_ACTION OF “THE EVERGREEN TREE”_

The Masque is performed in Twelve Actions, taking place as follows:

First Action: Stage A (Chorus; Speech).

Second Action: Aisle I (Carol; Processional).

Third Action: Stage A (Carol; Speech).

Fourth Action: Approaching Space and Steps A; then Stage A (Chorus; Carols; Speech).

Fifth Action: Stage B (Chorus; Speech).

Sixth Action: Stage A (Chorus; Speech).

Seventh Action: Aisle II (Carol; Processional).

Eighth Action: Stage A (Carols; Speech).

Ninth Action: Stage B and Aisle I (Choral Song; Chorus; Processional; Pantomime).

Tenth Action: Stage A (Carol; Speech).

Eleventh Action: Aisle I and Aisle II (Choral Song; Processional).

Twelfth Action: Stage A (Chorus; Speech).

ANNOUNCEMENTS IN REGARD TO THIS MASQUE

THE MUSIC

for the Choruses and Carols of “The Evergreen Tree” has been composed by

ARTHUR FARWELL

and is Published, with the Words of the Same, by

THE JOHN CHURCH COMPANY

39 West 32nd Street, New York City. Price $1.50

THE PRODUCTION

of the Masque can be adapted to any scale of expense, simple or elaborate, and to any practical number of participants, few or many. With a view to assisting any community, army camp, or naval station, to organize and adapt a production to its own local conditions,

“A GUIDE TO ‘THE EVERGREEN TREE,’”

a Series of QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS relating to all phases to the Masque’s production, has been compiled by PERCY J. BURRELL, under sanction of the Author, Composer and Costume Designer, and will be sent, by The John Church Company, on request, free of expense to any one interested.

NO PERFORMANCE WITHOUT PERMISSION first having been obtained, and NO PUBLIC READINGS, where money is charged for admission, can legally be given.

PERMISSION MAY BE OBTAINED to produce this Masque, or to read it in Public, by applying to the Masque Organizer of “The Evergreen Tree,” 39 West 32nd Street, New York (Care The John Church Company), who will be glad to supply further information and to arrange, wherever practicable, for personal conference in regard to productions.