FIRST ACTION (“Who Keepeth Watch?”)

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.