Scene VI—The Flight into Egypt

“And the angel of the Lord appeared 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 bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy him.’ When he arose he took the young Child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, ‘Out of Egypt have I called my son.’” (St. Matthew, II: 13, 11.)

These incidents, so simple, vivid, and beautiful when reverently interpreted as shadow plays, seem to carry something of the age-old mystery of the shadow.

Scenes from the human shadow play, "The Shepherdess."

237In the East, shadow plays are an intimate part of the everyday life of the people. In the Western world they have, so far, meant very little. European artists have already discovered their possibilities and are even carrying the shadow into the world of the movie, revealing new fields as a challenge to our creative efforts.

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