قراءة كتاب Shorter Bible Plays

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‏اللغة: English

Shorter Bible Plays

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المؤلف:

Benton Rita

دار النشر: Project Gutenberg

الصفحة رقم: 5

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Go thy ways.
Thou shalt repent thee before many days.

First Idolater (pointing upward mockingly):

I see a cloud in the sky; it grows.
Perchance, it is your flood. Who knows?
Get into the ark lest it wet your toes.

All the Idolaters (laughing): Get into the ark lest it wet your toes. (They dance out with Japheth.)

Noah (arms upraised):

Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth,
For the hour of her desolation cometh!

(Turns to other sons.)

Have done, ye men and women all,
Hie ye, lest the water fall.
Of clean beasts, seven shall be,
Of unclean, two; thus God bade me;
The flood is nigh, I plainly see;
Wherefore hasten ye,
And see now that each beastie be in stall.

(Shem and Ham go out. Noah turns his back and laments):

And Japheth hath forsaken me—my son!
O my son Japheth, O my son, my son!

Noah's Wife (mocking):

Why dost thou grieve? The Lord hath promised thee,
Thou shalt be saved and all thy family.

Noah (turning):

Yea, it is well, and God doth not deceive.
He will return again, I do believe.

Ham (returns):

The animals are in the ark,
Save those which Shem now bringeth. Hark!
Hear ye the roaring and the bark?

(Loud roarings heard outside.)

(Enter Shem with procession of animals. Ham aids him drive the animals. First of all enters a solitary Dragon.)

Noah: Where is your mate, good Dragon? Tell me—where?

Dragon (with a mournful flap of his claw):

She is eating up the village over there.
She bade me ask how many there would be
Within the ark?

Noah: My sons, their wives and me.

Dragon: I cannot add.

Noah: In all there will be eight.

Dragon (mournfully):

Alack, alack, good Noah, it is fate.
I fear she would not enter if she knew.
She eats a man a day; ye are too few.

Wives (to Noah, with horror in their faces): O father!

Dragon:

Do not fear; too few ye be,
And eke too thin, to suit my wife and me.

(Crawls out.)

Shem (bringing other animals up):

Sir, here are monkeys, frogs and bears,
Kangaroos, giraffes and hares,
Elephants also in pairs.

(Goes out.)

(The Bear sits down facing audience, and scratches his nose. The Monkey runs away; he is brought back. The other Monkey climbs on roof of ark and pulls the ear of Giraffe as that beast looks out of window. They drag the Elephant in with great difficulty. Noah counts off the animals as they enter.)

Noah:

Enter monkeys—frogs—bears—
Kangaroos—giraffes—hares—
Elephants also in pairs—
Stop! Stop! Too many rabbits far there be.

Rabbit (one of a group of little white rabbits): O sir, I only brought my family. (Weeps.)

Noah: Where are the lions? (One Lion stalks in; Wives flee.) Thou art late; turn ye, O Lion; seek your mate.

(Whereupon the Lion shall turn to audience and roar

A SON OF NOAH

Click for larger image.

until his mate shall run to him, and both shall enter the ark together.)

(If so be that any child shall cry or whimper when he heareth the lion roar, then shall the lion remove his mask and say, "Good child, be not afraid.")

Noah:

Now all are in, I plainly see
The ark can nowise fuller be,
Save should my son return to me.

(Japheth enters running.)

Japheth (kneeling):

Lo, I have sin-ned against thee;
I pray forgiveness heartily,
And do repent me sore.

Noah (embracing him):

Haste ye, haste ye, son-ne dear!
The sky grows dark; the flood is near;
And waters 'gin to roar.

(The waters begin to rise. This may be shown by a painted curtain, by folds of green tarlatan or in any way the wisdom of the producer may suggest. Noah's Wife begins to look uneasy and regards the sky.)

Noah:

You are here