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_ ACT II
SCENE. Room in Ogre's tower. Princess Winsome kneeling with arm around Dog's neck.
Princess.
Art thou my brother? Can it be
That thou hast taken such shape?
Oh turn those sad eyes not on me!
There must be some escape.
And yet our parents think us dead.
No doubt they weep this very hour,
For no one ever has escaped,
Ere this, the Ogre's power.
Oh cruel fate! We can but die!
Each moment seems a week.
Is there no hope? Oh, Hero dear,
If thou couldst only speak!
But no! Within this tower room
We're captive, and despair
Must settle on us. 'Tis the doom
Of all dragged up yon winding stair.
[Drops her head and weeps. Enter Godmother, who waves wand and
throwing back curtain, displays a spinning-wheel.]
Godmother.
Rise, Princess Winsome,
Dry your weeping eyes.
The way of escape
Within your own hand lies.
Waste no time in sorrow,
Spin and sing instead.
Spin for thy brother's sake,
A skein of golden thread.
Question not the future,
Mourn not the past,
But keep thy wheel a-turning,
Spinning well and fast.
All the world helps gladly
Those who help themselves,
And the thread thou spinnest,
Shall be woven by elves.
All good things shall speed thee!
Thy knight, the Faithful Feal,
Is to thy rescue riding.
Up! To thy spinning-wheel!
[Disappears behind curtain.]
Princess.
All good things shall speed me?
Sir Knight, the Faithful Feal,
Is to my rescue riding?
[In joyful surprise.]
Turn, turn, my spinning-wheel!
(She sings.)
Spinning Wheel Song
1. My godmother bids me spin,
that my heart may not be sad.
Spin and sing for my brother's sake,
and the spinning makes me glad.
2. Spin, sing with humming whir,
the wheel goes round and round.
For my brother's sake, the charm I'll break,
Prince Hero shall be found.
Spin, sing, the golden thread,
Gleams in the sun's bright ray,
The humming wheel my grief can heal,
For love will find a way.
[Pauses with uplifted hand.]
What's that at my casement tapping?
Some messenger, maybe.
Pause, good wheel, in thy turning,
While I look out and see.
[Opens casement and leans out, as if welcoming a carrier
dove, which may be concealed in basket outside window.]
Little white dove, from my faithful knight,
Dost thou bring a message to me?
Little white dove with the white, white breast,
What may that message be?
[Finds note, tied to wing.]
Here is his letter. Ah, well-a-day!
I'll open it now, and read.
Little carrier dove, with fluttering heart,
I'm a happy maiden, indeed.
(She reads.)
"O Princess fair, in the Ogre's tower,
In the far-off Summer-land
I seek the South Wind's silver flute,
To summon a fairy band.
Now send me a token by the dove
That thou hast read my note.
Send me the little heart of gold
From the chain about thy throat.
And I shall bind it upon my shield,
My talisman there to stay.
And then all foes to me must yield,
For Love will find the way.
Here is set the hand and seal
Of thy own true knight, the faithful--Feal."
[Princess takes locket from throat and winds chain around dove's neck.]
Princess sings.
The Dove Song
Now, flutter and fly, flutter and fly,
Bear him my heart of gold,
Bid him be brave little carrier dove!
Bid him be brave and bold!
Tell him that I at my spinning wheel,
Will sing while it turns and hums,
And think all day of his love so leal,
Until with the flute he comes.
Now fly, flutter and fly,
Now flutter and fly away, away.
[Sets dove at liberty. Turning to wheel again, repeats song.]
Princess repeats.
My Godmother bids me spin,
That my heart may not be sad;
Spin and sing for my brother's sake,
And the spinning makes me glad.
Sing! Spin! With hum and whir
The wheel goes round and round.
For my brother's sake the charm I'll break!
Prince Hero shall be found.
Spin! Sing! The golden thread
Gleams in the sunlight's ray!
The humming wheel my grief can heal,
For Love will find a way.
[First messenger appears at window, dressed as a Morning-glory.
Morning-glory
Fair Princess,
This morning, when the early dawn
Was flushing all the sky,
Beside the trellis where I bloomed,
A knight rode slowly by.
He stopped and plucked me from my stem,
And said, "Sweet Morning-glory,
Be thou my messenger to-day,
And carry back my story.
"Go bid the Princess in the tower
Forget all thought of sorrow.
Her true knight will return to her
With joy, on some glad morrow."
[Disappears.]
Princess sings.
Spin! spin! The golden thread
Holds no thought of sorrow.
My true knight he shall come to me
With joy on some glad morrow.
[Second flower messenger, dressed as Pansy, appears at window.]
Pansy.
Gracious Princess,
I come from Feal the Faithful.
He plucked me from my bower,
And said, speed to the Princess
And say, "Like this sweet flower
The thoughts within my bosom
Bloom ever, love, of thee.
Oh, read the pansy's message,
And give a thought to me."
[Pansy disappears.
Princess sings.
Spin, spin, O golden thread!
And turn, O humming wheel.
This pansy is his thought of me,
My true knight, brave and leal.
[Third flower messenger, a pink Rose.]
Rose.
Thy true knight battled for thee to-day,
On a fierce and bloody field,
But he won at last in the hot affray,
By the heart of gold on his shield.
He saw me blushing beside a wall,
My petals pink in the sun
With pleasure, because such a valiant knight
The hard-fought battle had won.
And he kissed me once on my soft pink cheek,
And once in my heart of gold,
And bade me hasten to thee and speak.
Pray take the message I hold.
[Princess goes to the window, takes a pink rose from the messenger.
As she walks back, kisses it and fastens it on her dress. Then turns to
wheel again.]
Princess sings.
Spin, spin, O golden thread,
And turn, O happy wheel.
The pink rose brought in its heart of gold
A kiss, his love to seal.
[Fourth messenger, a Forget-me-not.]
Forget-me-not.
Fair Princess,
Down by the brook, when the sun was low,
A brave knight paused to slake
His thirst in the water's silver flow,
As he journeyed far for thy sake.
He saw me bending above the stream,
And he said, "Oh, happy spot!
Ye show me the Princess Winsome's eyes
In each blue forget-me-not."
He bade me bring you my name to hide
In your heart of hearts for ever,
And say as long as its blooms are blue,
No power true hearts can sever.
Princess sings.
Spin, spin, O golden thread.
O wheel, my happy lot
It is to hide within my heart
That name, forget-me-not.
[Fifth messenger, a Poppy.]
Poppy.
Dear Princess Winsome,
Within the shade of a forest glade
He laid him down to sleep,
And I, the Poppy, kept faithful guard
That it might be sweet and deep.
But oft in his dreams he stirred and spoke,
And thy name was on his tongue,
And I learned his secret ere he woke,
When the fair new day was young.
And this is what he, whispering, said,
As he journeyed on in his way:
"Bear her my dreams in your chalice red,
For I dream of her night and day."
Princess sings.
Spin, spin, O golden thread.
He dreams of me night and day!
The poppy's chalice is sweet and red.
Oh, Love will find a way!
[Sixth messenger, a Daisy.]
Daisy.
O Princess fair,
Far on the edge of the Summer-land
I stood with my face to the sun,
And the brave knight counted with strong hand
My petals, one by one.
And he said, "O Daisy, white and gold,
The princess must count them too.
By thy petals shall she be told
If my long, far quest is through.
"Whether or not her knight has found
The South Wind's flute that he sought."
So over the hills from the Summer-land,
Your true knight's token I've brought.
[Gives Princess a large artificial daisy.
She counts petals, slowly dropping them one by one.]
Princess.
Far on the edge of the Summer-land,
O Daisy, white and gold,
My true love held you in his hand.
What was the word he told?
He's found it. Found it not.
Found it. Found it not.
That magic flute of the South Wind, sweet,
Will he blow it, over the lea?
Will the fairy folk its call repeat,
And hasten to rescue me?
He's found it, found it not.
Found it, found it not.
Found it, found it not.
He's found it!
[Turning to the dog.]
Come, Hero! Hear me, brother mine;
Thy gladness must indeed be mute,
But oh, the joy! We're saved! We're saved!
My knight has found the silver flute!
(Sings.)
"Spin, Wheel, Reel Out Thy Golden Thread"
Spin, wheel, reel out thy golden thread,
My happy heart sings glad and gay,...
Hero shall 'scape the Ogre dread,
And I my own true love shall wed,
For love has found a way,
For love has found a way.
[Curtain.] _
Read next: Act 3
Read previous: Act 1
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