zvt:- ■ ' ''■■yr ^- Cantent A Drama in Three Acts, Vy H.W.GUENTHER .*■" The Shadow of Content by -"^^^^ H. W;'~Guenther Copyright applied for BAYLOR UNIVERSITY PRESS Waco, Texas 1922 Dedicated respectfullv to Miss Beatrice Dauphin JUL 29 7d ClA6i)G268 THE SHADOW OF CONTENT Dramatis Personae Hans, a shepherd boy in the Alps mountains. The Fairy. Hans' aged father. Act I —On the mountain. Act II — On the mountain. Act III — In the cave. Explanation HE SHADOW OF CONTENT is an allegory in which Hans represents mankind and the Fairy that influence which ever tries to guide its des- tiny. The Alpine rose is the key which opens the cave of human desires. The search for the flower points out the struggle of the human race for something better in life. The cave shows the splendor of man's dreams. It also portrays the vanity of earthly riches. The father is presented to remind mankind what it owes to the past. The Shadow of Content ACT I Scene I~A beautiful range of mountains in the rear. Singing is heard, so that the echo grows louder, then fades awag. It is earlg morning. George is a gouth, herd- ing his father's sheep. After singing for some time, he seats himself on a rock, and falls into deep meditation. A fair]) god-mother, representing Fortune, touches him on the shoulder. FAIRY Ah, little George, 'tis true, 'tis true That to some boys the world seems blue. Far o'er the hills your heart is set Far, far away you long and yet GEORGE Yes, I am very tired of this, The world seems dull, I feel amiss That far away in some fair clime Is found a grand old world sublime. I long for it. 'Tis there we find The fairest treasures of every kind THE SHADOW OF CONTENT FAIRY Of every kind. Your boyhood heart Is yearning for that treasured mart. Dear George 'tis yours. GEORGE Tis mine indeed, The fleecy clouds that o'er me speed Sail on; they're free; they're not confined. Their course is not at all outhned, But boundless as the rolling sea They wander on; their lot is free. FAIRY And free you are, my little boy; The whole world sings with you in joy. Look how it laughs when you are glad; See how chagrined to find you sad. George, 'tis within you fate decrees. If you are bound, or like the breeze You flit on high in realms your own Where pangs of force are quite unknown. THE SHADOW OF CONTENT GEORGE And still I cannot pine to leave. Some force is ever there to cleave And whisper, "Little boy, please stay, Don't set out on the rocky way Of life. Your father, aged with care Would have another load to bear. Your mother's sleeping on the hill, (A dove coos) Her mem'ry lives; 'tis with me still: These thoughts stand out — stand out so clear That they like Uving ghosts appear; And oft when evening shadows gleam And all at once as in a dream I see those gravestones twinkle far; Yes, twinkle like the evening star. It drives away all love to go. FAIRY Some inward voice then whispers no? THE SHADOW OF CONTENT GEORGE It whispers no, but with it all, I hear the clearer, clarion call. FAIRY The call that summons you away, That would reveal another day. George, you are young; youth yearns to roam; The child cares little then for home. Day after day, this lonely plain Caused you to while your hours in vain; Slow hours they were from sun to sun. GEORGE I'm happy when each day is done; I'm happy for I feel at rest. When brightly glows the golden west. FAIRY The golden west where God has sown The golden grains, and they have grown So far, so broad, have grown so high That they form pillars to the sky. THE SHADOW OF CONTENT GEORGE The lovely sky, where earth below Is greeted by the heavenly glow; Oft have I fancied I was there. FAIRY lucky boy, how fair, how fair. The fairy disappears and George looks at the mountain tops in deep meditation. Dur- ing this meditation he utters a soliloquif. GEORGE Beyond that peak, on the other side, lies the valley of content. Could I but bring myself to a determination to say good-bye to father, upon whom the years have left a back bent with age, and a head wrapped in locks of silv'ry gray. How can I leave! How can I go! And mother — how well I remember when she kissed me farewell! That last day! Those last words! What has home been since? What is home with- out a mother? Ah, if I could but follow my THE SHADOW OF CONTENT desire, and satisfy that ever-present impulse to see the world, I feel that happiness would be mine. Boy that I am, I reaUze fulwell that herding sheep is like the man who stands aghast and allows chance after chance to pass. Beyond, I know a smiling world is beckoning me on. Fate can but speak; can she suppress that burning hope that causes man to act? To reach beyond and grasp the jewels that lie at hand? Would that I could be contented here. But I can't. FAIRY I feel that I can read your mind. GEORGE Fm sure that on it you would find All kinds of thoughts and hopes and fears, FAIRY Our fears build hopes throughout the years. THE SHADOW OF CONTENT GEORGE And yet each year means less to me; I seem to be less boy, less free. FAIRY George, I can feel within you creep That joy, that wish which makes you leap For gladness; you, who want to do To build a mansion firm and true. I'm with you, George, where plain meets hill, Where heart is touched by love's mad thrill Out where some spirit guides you on, Guides gently on, GEORGE Until 'tis done. Until a grander view is ours. THE SHADOW OF CONTENT FAIRY A pathway in a sea of flowers, Flowers that have plucked the rainbow hue, And washed themselves in cups of dew. Ah, George, you see beyond this life, Beyond this vale of earthly strife, And yet within you, at your hand, Lies all that Hves in any land. But you, my boy, list as I speak, There're ever joys for those who seek. Upon that lonely mountain side In regions where you are the guide You'll find a flower so grand and fair, There's not a hue on earth so rare. There's only one, but that one brings The treasures, joys, and wealth of kings. Look, seek, my boy, pass not this by. Seek near, seek far, great treasures lie At hand; set out this gem to find. GEORGE Tis but a jewel of a kind? THE SHADOW OF CONTENT FAIRY Tis but one kind. Within it dwells The bubbling power of living wells. GEORGE And are these treasures all my own? FAIRY They're yours, all of them, yours alone. Seek while the morning sun does shine; Seek that the mountain rose be thine. Curtain. ACT II— SCENE I Act II, Scene /, shows George still seeking for the rose. The fair^ comes to him. FAIRY Still you are seeking high and low, To find the treasured flower's glow. Nearby it smiles, somewhere it blooms, Scatt'ring aloft its sweet perfumes; The love for pleasure lures you on. GEORGE I've searched from sun to sun. FAIRY You've searched, but like the world about, Your searching has been done in doubt; The world has Uttle faith in things. GEORGE And still within it fair hope clings. FAIRY It clings, but like the shadows, fades. THE SHADOW OF CONTENT GEORGE And naught remains but merely shades? FAIRY No, no, my boy, 'tis more than dreams, Night scatters with the morning's beams, The morning's beams. GEORGE How grand are they Once they have driven night away. FAIRY But were it not for baneful night How could you love the morning hght? A chorus of beautiful voices is heard in the rear, coming seemingly over the hills. The fair^ disappears. GEORGE Hark, hark, I hear a sweet refrain The echoes of some moving strain THE SHADOW OF CONTENT Like heavenly tones. Like tones above, They seem enclosed with chords of love, maker of such wondrous tones, Dost thou dwell here in earthly zones? In earthly zones where art is poor. Where you are but a madman's lure. End of Scene I George seats himself on another rock, while the chorus grows fainter and fainter until no sound is heard. Curtain. ACT II, SCENE II George is sleeping. The sun is setting. The fair^ comes in and observes the sleeping boy. FAIRY How now, how peacefully he sleeps; He slumbers while the treasure creeps Untouched in nature's wild domain. Bathing in sunshine and in rain. Seek, seek, within you lies the power. How can he seek at such an hour; THE SHADOW OF CONTENT Nay. nay, he's sought the live-long day. He's but a boy — he loves to play. Farewell, dear child, hope lingers nigh; Hope leads to victory by and by. The fair^ holds out her hand toward the sleep- ing bop. This represents the world, which, having riches almost within its grasp, is still unable to realize the fact, and peacefullp, unconcernedli;, it slu m- bers on. After an extended pause, the curtain falls verp slowli;. After a brief period the curtain rises again. A stiff breeze is blowing, which, with the waving shrubbery, makes the moonshine verp effective. The Mating of sheep helps to create the atmosphere. A shepherd's horn sounds from the distance. The af- ter-effect of the echo is singular. George is sleeping. After a few momenta, he gets up, but soon goes back to sleep. He is restless, and talks in his sleep. He appears as one having a difficult problem on his mind. THE SHADOW OF CONTENT GEORGE How beautiful! How fair it gleams! It's mine! It's mine! Can it be true? Go on! Go on! Leave me alone! Where rings that bell? happy me! Curtain falls, while George is agitated. ACT II, SCENE III Earl^ morning. George awakes from his sleep and rubs his epes. GEORGE How fair the morning dawns. I feel Enraptured by its tingling peal. Some spirit whispers to my soul Today will bring me to my goal. It seems I found the treasured prize Lodged on a summit near the skies Upon the mountain's top-most peak It grew — it bloomed where none would seek. Pause .... The fairjf enters. THE SHADOW OF CONTENT FAIRY Ah, little George, fine is the morn; Fair gleams the day when fame was born. Up in some rocky cavern nook, Or close beside some babbling brook Our little flower might smile away. GEORGE Grow where we used to run and play. FAIRY And dreams sometimes tell secrets too; They tell if only people knew. In a rockp nook George finds the beautiful mountain rose for which he has sought so long, GEORGE Ah, there it is, how fair it gleams. No mortal ever dreamt such dreams. Sweet flower, the days Fve sought for thee Shall ever live in memory. Days that oft even lacked in hope; Days when I tramped the mountain's slope. THE SHADOW OF CONTENT FAIRY You've found the flower that brings you fame In friends, in riches, and in name. How tenderly it blooms; how rare Its fragrance on the desert air. Incessantly you've sought and sought Well-earned the honor it has brought. GEORGE The search is merrier than the prize. The child runs after butterflies. It loves the chase — it craves the fun It finds reward in what is done. FAIRY The goal is but a means to gain Those things in life worth while; in main We find that service is to live, To sacrifice, to do, to give. THE SHADOW OF CONTENT GEORGE And you have been so good to me Your watchful care meant victory. Without the helpful words you gave I'd still be but a drudging slave. Verp impressively George plucks the treas- ured prize. As he does so, a halo of light flash OS, indicating that some potent force is in action. Curtain, End of Act II ACT III This act opens with a magnificent scene, show- ing all kinds of riches in the ivap of sil- ver, gold, diamonds, and eoerjDthing that man could wish for. The flower has ac- complished this, because it represents the Dame of Fortune. The little fairp, as the moving force of the emotions, repre- sents the flower as the symbol of man's longings. George is the human world clamoring for the j'ops of life, but through these longings it forgets the essentials which made the present status possible. The cave is the ideal hope and desire of mankind. FAIRY There, George, you have your heart's desire You're master of a great empire. It's yours; you sought; you found the key, Pick what you want; take what you see. The birds are singing as you go; The flowers are happy, for they know That boundless wealth lies just ahead. Pick not those lures which time might shed THE SHADOW OF CONTENT But as you follow in the quest, Be sure you don't forget the best. That little flower is e'er your friend. While it is yours, it will defend. It will protect you near and far, It leads you as a guiding star, A star which twinkles far away. GEORGE I scarcely know just what to say. FAIRY Ah, how it glitters, how it shines. That gold is from the choicest mines. George proceeds to fill his pockets. He has passed a large pile of copper and silver, because the gold was verg, very bright. George picks up the treasured rose and continues his Journeg through the cave of human desire. Thei; wander along slowly until thei) come to an enormous supplp of diamonds. THE SHADOW OF CONTENT FAIRY Ah, don't forget those grand old times, When you sang dear old shepherd rhymes; When father's love was ever near The old home ties you held so dear. A choir of harmonioua voices sings softly and loivlp. The scene is veri; touching be- cause George sees again in his reflections the little thatched cottage with its mea- ger equipment: the struggling parent, for whom the few remaining dai;s are num- bered; the mother of whom he thought so often, now sleeping on a deserted hill- side with but a tiny gravestone to mark her place. Even in the midst of a profu- sion of wealth, George feels unhappi) and he longs for the little shepherd abode, lowli) though it be. The fair}} tries to encourage him. FAIRY George, look, admire, put to the test; Choose, choose, but don't forget the best Whate'er your heart's desire may be. THE SHADOW OF CONTENT In his meditation George has forgotten his flower. The fairg has no right to tell him further than to suggest the fact to him. His impulsive enthusiasm, together with his reluctant longing for home, has stood out over his mind. Whether the forces of the good fairy have been counteracted hi) the delvings of an evil brother, is not developed, but the fact is George forgets the best. The good fairy does her ut- most to call him back. FAIRY Man's eyes are often blind to see And know those things which lie at hand, He longs to greet some foreign land; And oft the prize for which he fights Is lost in dizzy mountain heights. ACT III, SCENE II The glittering diamonds have taken George's mind off of everything except the thought that now he is immensely wealthy. He seems to have an attitude of indifference towards the kind fairy. He is no longer the same shepherd boy we saw on the rugged hillside. THE SHADOW OF CONTENT GEORGE Throughout this common stuff called gold, Still greater wealth lies in your fold — Lies at your door. These diamonds rare Are sparkling treasures everywhere. FAIRY They sparkle everywhere, but lest You pass along and leave the best: Look well once more, look well again Tis pitiful to work in vain. GEORGE To work in vain when riches lie Within the compass of your eye. George proceeds to empti) his pockets of the gold and exchange precious diamonds therefor. GEORGE Is this thing real? Am I awake? FAIRY It*s yours, dear George, it's yours to take. THE SHADOW OF CONTENT GEORGE It's mine! It's all my own I know From every crevice fountains flow. Look how they sparkle in the light! FAIRY They're precious in the stormy night. GEORGE Ah, wealth beyond the power of kings; It's wealth that comes from mortal things; They're riches that I longed for much, They come as if by Midas' touch; The scornful world lies far behind; It's lost its power to seek and find. George /s stuffing diamonds everywhere, and he has about completed matters. He is readp to go home and enj'op his new priv- ileges. GEORGE How now, I have my coffers filled. FAIRY Has every longing hope been stilled? THE SHADOW OF CONTENT GEORGE Been stilled, and now the home-fires call. I must return to childhood's wall; I go; I bid farewell to thee; Wealth here lies endless as the sea. Both George and the fairy pause a moment to survep matters. George is ready now to depart from the cave of human desire. The fairy smiles in such a tender fashion that George is deeply touched. FAIRY The parting of the ways has come. You see again your cottage home; Farewell, my boy, and in your zest Be careful not to leave the best. As George, laden with his sparkling diamonds, steps out of the cave, he realizes that he has forgotten the little flower. As he does so, the fairy disappears, and in place of the diamonds, he finds dust. He sits down in despair and plans the jour- ney homeward. THE SHADOW OF CONTENT ACT III, SCENE III George at home. His father has died in the meantime, and he is a loneli; soul in the world. GEORGE Fool that I've been, 'twas but a dream I lived within that brilliant gleam; Man cannot even hope to share His building castles in the air. The fates of human hopes decree That man must always servant be. And though his hopes be far or near He rules but in an earthly sphere. I'm like an infant in the night, I'm searching for the light — the light. .1^^ ^^ LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 015 898 419 2