Classic Poem

Cast

Kelpies
Frosties
Fairies
Paolo
Virginia
Cupid


SCENE I.

SEASHORE AT THE MOUTH OF A CREEK

Paolo--
Heart free, care free and free to roam am I
Wherever fancy leads beneath the sky.
I'll rest awhile and watch the kelpies play,
They will be sporting on the sands to-day.
Perhaps they'll tell me what my heart desires
To know, and Cupid's dart inspires.

[Kelpies come up from the sea and sing in chorus:]

Join with us, dance with us, prance with us
Over the sea.
Roam with us, flee with us, be with us
Where we may be

Sing with us, walk with us, talk with us
Carelessly gay.
Come with us, play with us, stray with us
Where we may stray.

Paolo--
Pray, kelpies, tell me what you find of joy,
In what of work or play your hours employ.

Kelpies' Chorus--
You can sing of the lakes and mountains
And the freedom of open plains;
But for spaces wide and untrammelled
The ocean alone remains.

In the cradle of ocean surges
We rock to heart's content.
We've played on countless beaches
And roam the sea's extent.

1st Kelpie--
The sights that we view on our travels
Are marvels that fill with delight;
But chief is the phosphorescence
Of the foaming seas, at night.

Paolo--
I wish you would tell of those flashes
That are such a wonderful sight.


Phosphorescence


1st Kelpie--
Sparkling and darkling, dust of the milky way,
Shifting and drifting, firefly legions at play;
Fading and glowing, lights of a starry maze,
Coming and going, drift of a luminous haze.

Tangling and spangling the waves with a wealth of light,
Spraying and straying silently through the night;
Dusting and flashing a light in our yeasty wake,
Glowing and splashing wherever the waves we break.

Lacing and tracing the path of the evening breeze,
Blazing and raising a light on the breaking seas;
Ebbing and flowing, an ocean of liquid light,
Finding and showing the reefs in the blackest night.

Paolo--
There's much in what you say appeals to me;
What else may you have learned along the margin of the sea?

1st Kelpie--
There is a cove, secret from passing eyes,
Beautiful as a dream of Paradise;
Where, sheltered from the stormy waves that stray
Unfettered down the sea's wide open way,
The seaman oftentimes doth moor his barque
In shaded bays, peaceful by day or dark.
For there the salty tide finds calm repose,
Sheltered from every boisterous wind that blows;
And ripples, like faint shadows on a glass,
Play lightly where the fitful breezes pass.
Elsewhere the mirrored shores inverted stand,
Trees foot to foot, hand clasping hand;
And all the flitting clouds their faces see,
Till sea and sky seem one in harmony.
In that well guarded spot few sounds intrude
To mar the quiet of its solitude.
The beat of surges at the entrance seems
A distant murmur from the land of dreams;
While crickets chirruping and song birds gay,
From valley and from hillside sound their lay.

Four miles of coastline do those arms surround
Of cliff and delta, wood and open ground;
Where stately fir and cedar trees are seen
In contrast with the lighter shades of green;
While on the rocks thick moss and lichen grow,
And rough arbutus shrubs their shadows throw.

When sunset edges all the clouds with gold,
And sea and shore with jewelled wealth untold,
Those rocky cliffs a fitting setting form
To hold that gem of ocean (safe in storm);
And changing lights, warm and elusive, wear
To match the shading of the sea and air.

A maid lives there, who often roams this way;
We're here to greet her when she comes to-day.

[Enter Virginia.]

Kelpies--
Virginia, come and play with us awhile;
Come, be our queen and on our revels smile.
Or if we may but help you o'er the stream,
Our labours shall a moment's frolic seem.

Virginia--
Kelpies, too long you've roamed on mischief bent:
Too long you've made the sky your nightly tent.
I've oft been warned to shun your careless way
And from your pranks and revels warned to stay.
I dare not try to cross the swollen tide
Unless some stronger arm is close beside.

[Paolo approaches]

Permit my arm to be this guide and stay:
Pray give me leave to help you on your way.

Virginia--
Kind sir, if you will take me by the hand,
I'll thank you to assist to that far strand.
No--Don't you lift me up--I didn't mean--
Well--If you must--

[Carried over]

How strong your arms have been.

Paolo--
Virginia, did I hear the kelpies say?
Yes, that's my name. What is your own, I pray?
Call me Paolo, and if I may be
Of any further help fair maid to thee,
Allow me to attend you on your way.

Virginia--
Thank you, I need no further help to-day.

[Exit Virginia.]

Kelpies--
Join with us, dance with us, prance with us
Over the sea.
Roam with us, flee with us, be with us
Where we may be.

Paolo, turning from looking after Virginia--
I'm in no mood to join your frolics now;
Perhaps some other day you'll show me how
You ride the combers on the ocean swell.
I must be going now, Kelpies farewell.



SCENE II.

WINTER LANDSCAPE

[Paolo wandering disconsolate on snowshoes--Frosties bobbing
up and down behind bushes and snowdrifts.]

Paolo--
What goblins, what strange forms are these I see?
I thought the haunts of men and sprites to flee
And far from every human habitation
Find solace for my grief mid desolation.

Stand forth yon elf and speak, that I may know
These are no tricks that on my fancies grow.

[Frosties all dance out on the snow--Master Frosty steps forward
with greeting:]

M. F.--
I'm the master of the Frosties' band,
On outpost duty from the Arctic land;
You need not fear,
'Tis friends are here.
Your lonely sorrow we can understand,
And would in sympathy just clasp your hand.
If for your grief
You find relief
In telling us the cause of all your woe,
Your confidence we will respect, I know;
And we'll be true
As skies are blue.

Paolo--
It is a story of a winsome maid
That yester eve across my pathway strayed.
That I was shy I can't deny;
But if it will not weary you to hear,
I'll try and tell you what I found so dear,
When o'er a stream
As in a dream
I helped Virginia to the further shore,
And lost my heart to her for evermore.


Last Night My Heart Was All Aglow

Paolo--
The mist with pearls had beaded
Each wayward strand of hair;
And the light in her eyes was like sunshine.
Would I had asked her there!

Refrain--
Last night my heart was all aglow,
I loved, I loved Virginia so;
But wintry dawn has brought despair
Of ever winning maid so fair.

Frosties' Chorus--
Last night his heart was all aglow,
Last night he loved Virginia so;
But wintry dawn has brought despair
Of ever winning maid so fair.

Paolo--
And now when days seem dreary,
And hope begins to wane,
My thoughts run back and I wonder--
Will we ever meet again.

Ever my heart is yearning
For a voice that is far away:
For a smile that is bright and cheering
As sunshine and waves at play.

[Enter Cupid.]

Paolo--
Good morrow, Cupid. (C.) I salute thee too.

Paolo--
What errand brings you out amid the snow?
Perchance you've lost your way, rash Cupid. (C.) No.
The harbinger of spring to lovers true,
I started out while yet the snowflakes flew.

Paolo--
You're late I fear, my hopes have sunk too low.

Cupid--
Let not your drooping spirits fail, faint heart
Did never yet assume that valiant part
That finds a way in spite of what befall
And wins at length to beauty's citadel.

Paolo--
Thanks, Cupid, for your words of lofty cheer;
My heart responds, I see my pathway clear.


My Darling

I'll take Virginia in my arms and kiss her
On lips and cheek and brow;
I'll tell her how I love her, miss her,
And when, and why, and how.

I'll draw my darling to my heart and hold her
In fond and close embrace;
I'll whisper softly how I've longed to fold her
In all her girlish grace.

I'll look into her eyes, their love light showing,
Small need of words we'll know;
For tender glances sprung from hearts aglowing,
With meaning overflow.

Cupid--
Such sentiments as these I quite approve:
I'm hopeful for the outcome of your love.

Cupid (turning to Frosties)--
Who are these furry folk that round us stand?
They seem like members of the Frosties' band.

Frosties (in chorus)--
We are the elves of the Northern Light,
Of the ice blink and the snow;
We deck the moss with a silver floss,
And make the frost flowers grow.

We place the fetters on stream and rill
And encase the lakes and seas:
We spread a carpet o'er vale and hill
And drape the leafless trees.

Cupid--
Won't you just tell dear Frosties
In the language of song to-night
Of those beauties and silent wonders
That dwell in the Northern Light.

Sing of some thrilling vision
Of those beams in endless train,
Like the bars of a thousand searchlights;
Sing to us Frosties again.


The Northern Lights

Master Frosty--
Across the starry arches of the heavens
Like mighty spokes of a revolving wheel;
Or organ pipes that grouped in stately silence
Await some master's touch to wake their peal;

The Northern Lights had strayed far down the vistas
Of mellow air that mark the temperate zone;
Their searchlight beams above the northern skyline
A magic arch of changing lights had thrown.

They marched across the sky in long procession:
From east to west their standards were unfurled,
Summoning visions of the Arctic winter
And whalers prisoned in a frozen world.

Then formed a tent, across the starry heavens,
Woven of interlacing beams of light
Flung lightly o'er the arches which supported,
High overhead, the canopy of night.

Once more a wide and undulating archway
Expressed in quivering jets of frosty flame,
Against the background of the midnight shadows,
With play of countless brilliant flashes, came;

While dark below flowed on the silent ocean:
An anchored barque swayed slowly on the swell.
And here and there a phosphorescent glimmer
Showed where the trailing seaweed rose and fell.

Cupid--
I thank you, Frosties, for your song and story
About the Northern Lights in all their glory;
But time is hasting on, I must be going.
The sun through lengthened days is warmly glowing.
Farewell Paolo too: what shall I say
When I shall meet your maiden on my way?

Paolo--
Haste, Cupid; haste: fly forth on rapid wing
Bearing your dainty bow and feathered darts;
And with the graceful practise of your arts
Whisper into my darling's ear, or sing
The sweetest messages that love can bring;
And weave such tender dreams as spring imparts
Where youth and beauty know each others hearts
And feel the thrill that from such joy can spring.
Sweet cherub, when you wing your arrow's flight,
Speed it away with thoughts of love from me;
And when it finds the heart that beats with mine,
Full welcome to that breast I know 'twill be.
When you reveal my message in love's light
It's: (Dearest will you be my valentine).

Cupid--
This errand suits me well, I'll not delay;
But to the land of flowers will wing my way.


Farewell to Cupid

Frosties' Chorus--
We are glad to have made your acquaintance
And wish you had longer to stay;
We are glad, we must say, to have met you,
And wish you good luck on your way.

Farewell, my Cupid,
Love speed you on your way.
Farewell, dear Cupid,
And au-revoir we'll say.

'Tis the time of the northward migration
And ahead of the birds we must fly
To where days are of endless duration;
So in chorus we bid you good-bye.

Farewell, my Cupid,
Love speed you on your way.
Farewell, dear Cupid,
And au-revoir we'll say.

(All in chorus)

Farewell to you, farewell to all, farewell to-day;
Paolo, Cupid, Frosties each farewell must say.



SCENE III.

SPRING LANDSCAPE

[Virginia sitting on a bank of grass and spring flowers, with a
band of fairies dancing around her in a ring.]


Spring Draweth Near

Fairies (in Chorus)--
Spring is coming, hear the humming
Of the bumble bees;
Life is waking, buds are breaking,
Love is in the breeze.

Refrain--
Fairies sing for the spring
Draweth near;
Mirth and song now belong
To the year.

Birdies wooing, ring doves cooing
From each budding bough.
All things mating, no one waiting,
Love is calling now.

Larks are singing, swallows winging
North, their rapid flight.
Winter's ending, spring is sending
Warmth and love and light.

Virginia--
What strange emotions fill this breast?
What flitting shadows of unrest
Disturb me so?
I have not ceased to long and dream
Since I was lifted o'er that stream
By Paolo.

In strong arms' clasp what can there be
To thrill the heart in fancy free
And leave behind
A joy that is akin to pain,
A longing to be held again
By arms entwined?

[Enter Cupid during last words.]

Cupid--
Good morning to you all, a fairy ring
Delights my heart; I'll wait and hear you sing.

Virginia--
We're glad you're back, you should avoid the snows
Dear careless boy; some day you'll freeze your toes.

[Cupid fitting arrow to his bow--]

Virginia--
No, don't you shoot your arrow; 'tisn't fair!
You've learned too much already, spare oh spare
My heart from further pain you cruel boy;
What balm have you for wounds that peace destroy?

Cupid--
Forbid the thought of Cupid causing pain;
Nought else I seek but bringing joy again.
I have a secret message to unfold
To you, the sweetest lover ever told.
I'll whisper softly in your dainty ear,
So soft that even fairies will not hear.

[Cupid whispers his message.]

Virginia--
Oh Cupid! (C.) How you blush, your burning cheek
Tells plainer still than even lips can speak
Of tenderness for Paolo that glows
Within your heart, and now quite overflows.


Blushing

Fairies--
Blush of the early morning
Heralds the coming day,
Heralds the beam of sunshine
Chasing the dark away.

Refrain--
Blushing, blushing,
Roses of deepest dye;
Flushing, flushing
Red as the sunlit sky.

Blushes those cheeks suffusing,
Cupid's enchantments prove;
Prove that the little archer
Whispers to you of love.

[Enter Paolo.]

Fairies--
Paolo here at last!
Where has he been in hiding?
He ought to be ashamed,
But we must not be chiding.

Paolo--
I'm glad to find you all so bright and gay,
Please, fairies, sing before you run away.

Fairy--
We've played so long, the hours of morn will pass
E're we can sip the dewdrops from the grass
And glean the jewels from the lily's cup.
The sunbeams now are gathering them up.

Then we must weave some garments for our queen.
No lighter gossamer was ever seen
Than spider web woven by fairy hands
To wear when dancing on the moonlit sands.

So now good-bye, we all must skip away;
(We'll take dear Cupid with us, if we may,
To catch the butterflies and paint their wings.)
We wish you all the joy that springtime brings,

[Fairies and Cupid Exit]

Paolo, turning to Virginia--
'Tis thoughts of you have sped me on my way;
Virginia, dear, I seek your hand to-day.

[Paolo, taking Virginia's hands, looks into her eyes.]


Reflections

Paolo--
Deep in your eyes are glowing
Lights that are soft and true;
While in their centre mirrored
Is the love that I feel for you.

Refrain--
Though but reflections
Mirrored in loving eyes,
Such pretty fancies
Deepen our glad surprise.

Love lights so true and tender,
Framing my picture there,
Rival in warmth and splendour
Flashes from jewels rar