Ex Libris C. K. OGDEN < THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS BY EVA GORE-BOOTH POEMS Crown 8vo. 5s. UNSEEN KINGS Crown 8vo. 2s. 6d. net THE ONE AND THE MANY Crown 8vo. 2s. 6d. net THE THREE RESURRECTIONS AND THE TRIUMPH OF MAEVE Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d. net LONGMANS. GREEN, & CO., 39 Paternoster Row, London New York and Bombay THE EGYPTIAN PILLAR MAUNSEL & CO., Ltd., Dublin THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS BY EVA GORE-BOOTH LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 39 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON NEW YORK, BOMBAY, AND CALCUTTA 1907 All rights reserved TO AMY KEMP HELEN NEILD AND ESTHER ROPER 1001636 " Whenever the elementary body is at rest, asleep, or unconscious the sidereal body is awake and active . . . There are some . . . whose souls are so exalted that they can approach the highest spiritual spheres at a time when their bodies are asleep . . . The greatest mysteries are thus laid open to the perception . . . and we may be enabled to see the Mysteria Dei . . . and such things have happened not only to Christians^ but also to the heathens^ to Jews^ Saracens^ Mamelukes^ Persians and Egyptians" PARACELSUS. " The limits of the soul thou shall not discover though thou shouldst journey on every path." HERACLITUS. PERSONS (As performed in St. Georges Wood, Hazfemere, July 27, 1907.) ST. GEORGE OF CAPPADOCIA KING OF EGYPT . CLEANTHES, Sabra's Greek lover NEKHTU AMEN, Priest of Osiris SABRA, Princess of Egypt PRIESTESS OF Isis MAIDENS T. HOLMES I. BAILEY A. S. CLARK I. SOUTHALL E. FlTTON H. LOWY (G. DUCKWORTH K. GEORGE M. BRANFOOT . SMEED E. WlLLOUGHBY E. LOWRY M. WRIGHT U. BROCKBANK J. TAYLOR .G. SOUTHALL M. PEDDLE Costumes arranged by M. MENNELL SCENE. A wood in Egypt before the shrine of Isis. The Litany to Osiris is from "The Book of the Dead" (Translation : E. Wallis-Budge). COUNTRY PEOPLE CHORUS LEADER THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS ACT I A wood in Egypt. The Shrine of his is in the front on the left side of the stage. On the right there is a tree sacred to Osiris. In the background on the left is another great tree, on the right, a hut. A winged sun is over the door, the PRIESTESS OF Isis stands on the threshold gazing into her magic mirror. A procession of country people carrying great red blossoms come and kneel before the shrine. Song of the Country People Help us, thou lonely Dweller in the Wood, Whose subtle fingers moving fast disturb 12 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS The magic roots of every healing herb, In every poison plant the Secret Good Hid at the heart of 111 Comes forth and blossoms at thy potent will. We bring to thee a crimson poison flower That flaunts above red barley and white grain, And stains all Egypt in the dragon's power, Watered with blood of men and women slain By him the monster vile That riseth with the flood of the broad Nile. Oh ! by our mournful sighing and dread woe, And fields all scorched and burnt and desolate, THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 13 The Holy River that with blood doth flow, And all the flaring stars that mock our fate, Find thou some balm to shed On those poor souls who mourn the newly dead. Priestess of Isis, pale and patient-eyed, Dwelling in peace under her cold green trees, Thou who dost read the stars' unfathomed pride, Hast thou no pity on such woes as these ? To Mother Isis cry, For those of us who are about to die. We lay the Poison flowers before thy shrine Knowing thy power over all living things, i 4 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS Thou from the hard earth wrestest bread and wine And teachest the Brown Bird the song she sings : O Mother I sis, shalt thou not distil A draught of sweetness from this root of ill ... A COUNTRY WOMAN You who know all things, Dweller in the Wood, Help us or else we die. ANOTHER My child is slain, The little joyful one that played all day In the bulrushes near the river's edge. THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 15 A MAN The dreadful snake that rose out of the slime Breathed once its blasting venomous flames of fire On the white flower of my beloved's face And turned the Lotus petals into stone. A GIRL No man dare reap the harvest in the fields, At sunset toiling was my mother slain. A MAN Yea, the dread snake has eaten all our years, Seed time and harvest and the stored corn ; Famine and blight and hunger rule the land. 1 6 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS A YOUNG MAN My father was cup-bearer to the King, Dwelling in safety behind palace walls, Yet did he love his children, and at night Would steal out from the long slow-waning feast In the star-guarded palace on the hill To visit us, alas ! on that dark road The dragon slew him. A WOMAN (wailing) Ah ! the snake has slain All those I love. AN OLD MAN Yea, all our crops are dead, For the great blight and poison of foul breath Has burned and shrivelled the land. THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 17 A WOMAN There is none To help us, only thou who fearest not And art wise, oh thou Dweller in the Wood. PRIESTESS What does the King ? A WOMAN He hears our prayers, And boasts and fears and flatters on his throne Whilst the months pass and the fierce snake grows fat With all the lives and harvests of the poor. [There is a sound of voices and laughter in the distance^ and a golden ball is B 1 8 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS flung out of the wood and falls at the feet of the PRIESTESS OF I sis she takes the golden ball and gives it to the young woman. PRIESTESS Take thou this golden hall and go thy ways Unto thine own house where the child was slain, Lay it among the reeds at the stream's edge Under the sycamores and wait thou there The wise one whom our Mother I sis sends ; All ye who mourn, seek ye the riverside And tell your bitter news to her who comes For your deliverance. Forgetting not the while, THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 19 Oh sorrowful ones, the alms and tribute due To Isis. [The country people come forward talk- ing together. The PRIESTESS still stands near the door of her hut. A WOMAN Alas ! I dreamt that she would save the land. ANOTHER So small a thing to take a golden ball Down to the water's edge and wait for her. A MAN And not forget the Temple's dues and alms. B 2 20 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS A WOMAN These people think of nothing but their dues. A MAN How can a ball help us ? 'tis but a toy For children. A YOUNG WOMAN Alas ! there is no child . . . No child of mine to play in the dark house Under the sycamores. [They go out as the PRINCESS SABRA comes in running to look for her ball. SABRA Oh ! wise and holy Dweller in the Wood, Thou who seest all things in the magic glass . . . Old Mother, where is now my golden ball ? THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 21 PRIESTESS It lies among the reeds at the stream's edge Under the sycamores near the dwelling place Of Anu. SABRA (looking for her ball'} Art thou sure, how canst thou tell ? Thy magic wood has swallowed all my joy, The ball we tossed from hand to eager hand, The ball that flashed like sunlight through green leaves, And now thou bid'st me seek it far away How can it lie so far from where it fell ? Now all the summer hours pass away Like wind-blown clouds while I still search in vain And your black wood has hidden my delight 22 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS Yet will I call the others we will seek Down at the water's edge among the reeds. PRIESTESS If thou wouldst find it thou must go alone. SABRA Alone I go, oh thou mysterious one, And I sis be my guide. [SABRA goes out. ST. GEORGE comes in surrounded by the PRINCESS'S MAIDENS. They crowd round him, chattering. FIRST MAIDEN Who art thou wandering in this holy wood ? THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 23 ST. GEORGE I am a stranger from a distant land, St. George of Cappadocia. SECOND MAIDEN Stay with us, Dear stranger, thou shalt dance and play and sing With the King's daughter under magic boughs. ST. GEORGE Alas ! I seek a battle ; your soft ways And languid sweet princesses are but toys Fit for the weak and idle, not for me. THIRD MAIDEN Great battles shall be thine . 24 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS ANOTHER And gentle hours Of sunshine and bright dreams and fair green boughs And rivers in the moonlight. . . . FOURTH MAIDEN In your land With the harsh name is every man unkind, And none the comrades of the gay and wise. . . . ST. GEORGE 1 would not be unkind. . . . FIRST MAIDEN Oh ! stay with us In our dear garden but a little while. THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 25 THIRD MAIDEN You must be a great hero ; we would hear A tale of fair adventures. . . SECOND MAIDEN See, his sword Gleams in the sunlight flashing out sharp rays. . . . FOURTH MAIDEN Tell us of battles with fierce warriors, ten to one, Or giants in some cloudy castle high, Or demons rising from a burning lake. ST. GEORGE I came to slay a dragon . . . 26 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS ALL (startled] Oh, a dragon ! . . . FIRST MAIDEN Dear stranger, stay with us a little while. SECOND MAIDEN And pluck the golden apples from green boughs THIRD MAIDEN And tell us tales of all thy glorious deeds. ST. GEORGE Nay, if I stayed with you I could not slay The Dragon. . . . Lo ! I have journeyed -here from a far land ; I follow but an ancient prophecy, THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 27 Seeking a very mournful pale princess Whose destiny is written in the stars Bound up with all the sorrows of the world. FIRST MAIDEN (shaking her head) That is not our beautiful Sabra. . . . SECOND MAIDEN Ah ! no, she is very gay and wise. THIRD MAIDEN And her hair shines in the sunlight. . . . FOURTH MAIDEN Do not leave us, St. George. FIRST MAIDEN Come and help us to find our golden ball. 28 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS ST. GEORGE Alas ! my princess is not here farewell, kind friends, Farewell. [ST. GEORGE goes out. The MAIDENS look for their ball among the bushes and go out in the opposite direction talking as they go. FIRST MAIDEN He will not find his sorrowful pale princess In Egypt. SECOND MAIDEN He is one of those who make long journeys. THIRD MAIDEN He dreams much of glorious deeds. THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 29 FOURTH MAIDEN He will not help us to find the golden ball. FIRST MAIDEN Didst thou search well the thicket on the hill ? [The PRIESTESS stands at the door of the hut looking out. SABRA comes in empty-handed and very sad. PRIESTESS Oh, Princess Sabra, where is your gold ball ? SABRA Alas ! the ball is naught I gave it her, The woman waiting for me in the reeds 30 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS By the water's edge, alas ! for I have seen Sorrow and hunger and death and bitter tears. PRIESTESS All these things have the gods laid on thee . . . SABRA On me ? PRIESTESS On thee, oh Princess, for they who have seen sorrow have the heart to feel hunger, and the soul to know death, and the eyes to weep. SABRA Oh why should these things be ? THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 31 PRIESTESS There was a man here now who called himself Slayer of Dragons little is done by the sword But thou, oh Princess ! art called to a hard deed. SABRA Thy words are strange I know not of this deed, My soul is troubled, surely I would gaze In the magic glass and read the inner will Of Isis and the meaning of these things . . [SABRA looks in the magic mirror. SABRA (with sudden horror} Who are these who draw lots for their lives ? 32 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS My comrades, yea, and I myself am one. Alas ! I dare not look . . . PRIESTESS Nay, fear is vain And childish : what seest thou in the deeps ? SABRA I see great pain and anguish in all hearts, Yet do I know they have no cause for fear ; She that is me hath won the prize, she holds The little scroll shut tightly in her hands. . . . ( Moritura, moritura . . .' the mournful eyes Of dark Osiris gaze into my soul ; Is death so terrible ? . . . It is not they Who will die. . . . [CLEANTHES comes in, reading from a scroll ; he is followed by the MAIDENS. THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 33 CLEANTHES Alas, alas, oh Priestess of Isrs ! a terrible doom has come upon us ; even now has the King's proclamation gone forth. Nekhtu Amen, the Priest of Osiris, hath declared that the gods are very wroth, and therefore do they allow the .Dragon to lay waste the land. There is naught that will appease them save the death of one who is innocent of all ill one of those who tossed the golden ball to and fro under the sycamores. Therefore lots are to be drawn by the Princess's maidens, and she on whom the lot falls must die by the power of the Dragon. Save the King's daughter. Only she need not fear she shall not take part in the drawing of lots. This is the King's command. 34 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS SECOND MAIDEN The King is in great fear, so he would slay Someone. THIRD MAIDEN Alas, alas, for the black doom and death Of one who is innocent, oh cruel fate ! A VERY YOUNG ONE I do not want to die I am afraid. ANOTHER We are all innocent why should we die ? ANOTHER Only the King's daughter need not fear THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 35 SABRA For her there is no need to draw lots . PRIESTESS Nay, let it be as Osiris wills. FIRST MAIDEN My mother is very old, she has none but me To tend her. Ah, sorrowful was the day I came to serve the Princess. SECOND MAIDEN There is one Who loves me as his life : if I am slain, Lo ! he will die of grief. C2 3 6 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS THIRD MAIDEN We have done No evil, why should we die to save men From their own dreadful deeds ? SABRA Is death so dreadful, friends, and life so fair ? A VERY YOUNG MAIDEN (coming forward] Oh, Princess on thy high-set throne, no doom Can reach thee : what knowst thou of death ? SECOND MAIDEN Life seems not fair until one sees the face Of death. THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 37 FOURTH MAIDEN Yea, who amongst us is not brave When no man threatens ? FIRST MAIDEN It is well for thee. Yea, only the King's daughter need not fear. SABRA (turning away) Osiris guides the soul that does not fear Through the dark hall of death. CLEANTHES (coming towards her] Oh Sabra, hast thou then forgotten all Our love that thou dost follow this blind doom ? 3 8 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS SABRA Cleanthes, dreamest thou of joyful love In the midst of all our grief and bitter woe ? CLEANTHES Sabra, there is a dreadful purpose in your eyes. SABRA My eyes are sad because of the dark snake That wastes the land ; I mourn for all the poor. CLEANTHES I can see your soul in your eyes, Sabra, You cannot deceive me with vain words. SABRA What do you see in my soul ? THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 39 CLEANTHES The dark will Of suffering and death. SABRA Is not that will Everywhere in the world ? CLEANTHES But yesterday Your soul was clear as a swift crystal stream ; Now do I see all griefs that darken the wide world Reflected there . . . SABRA Cleanthes, understand The god has spoken in my secret soul, Therefore the stream murmurs mystic words, 40 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS And the deep waters mirror a strange form, And all the currents of my being surge And hurry onward to the starlit sea. CLEANTHES Thou seekest death, yet have the great gods willed That the King's daughter should not bear this doom. SABRA Nay, the King wills to save her whom he loves, But the gods will otherwise. CLEANTHES Dark the doom And terrible thou seekest ; it is strange, THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 41 But yesterday thou wert so gay and wise, And yesterday thou lovedst me, but now . . . SABRA The gods have spoken . . . CLEANTHES The gods have turned thy very heart to stone. SABRA Nay, not my heart, Cleanthes, not my heart ; Farewell, and yet again farewell. [She goes out. CLEANTHES stands for a moment thinking. 42 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS CLEANTHES The King will not suffer her to abide Amid pale shadows in the underworld ; His mighty word and absolute command Shall save her from this doom ; she shall not die . ACT II Scene the same as in Act 1 The KING and CLEANTHES KING Cleanthes, all your prayers are vain, as vain As the vain tears of an old broken King. CLEANTHES There's none can help her now save thou, oh King. 44 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS KING I cannot help her, I am very old. Remember that each one of all these girls In deadly peril has friends and lovers yea, And an old father or a mother, one Who fain would die with her . . . One who would weep And pray to me as thou art praying now . . . CLEANTHES Thus dost thou give thy daughter unto death Oh, shame on thee, old man ! hast thou no love For her who is too young and gay to tread The gloomy corridors and mystic halls Of dark Osiris she who but yesterday Was playing ball under the sycamores ? THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 45 KING It is her will, Cleanthes . . . may Osiris judge Between her and thee ! . . . perchance she yet may live. CLEANTHES Blind not thine eyes, oh King, unto the truth, All of her strength she gathers and her will Unshrinking fronts the death she draws to her ; I know it by the curved line of her chin And the pale light of her resolved brow ; It is on Sabra that the lot will fall Unless thou save her. [Procession of the God Osiris, led by the PRIEST NEKHTU AMEN and the PRIESTESS OF Isis. SABRA and her MAIDENS are last in the procession. 46 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS SONG. (MAIDENS) Osiris, lord of the shadows of night and the sands of the days that have run, One of us gazes her last on the blue of the sky and the cheerful sun. We suffer we know not why, we have dreamed of no evil and done no wrong, Osiris, grant that she who must die shall be one of the wise and strong. Let not the soul of a child be torn from the light of her radiant hour, Break not, oh dark Osiris, the stalk of the delicate half-opened flower. THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 47 There is none shall have pity upon us, and the gods shall not spare us or save ; But Osiris grant that the lot of death shall fall on the true and the brave. Let her go down to the underworld with a smile in her desolate eyes, The sister of all who are noble of heart and the comrade of the wise. Nay, she whom Osiris calls shall not sigh, by her not a tear shall be shed, With a sword in her hand and a radiant will she shall go down to the dead. Face to face with the Hidden One at last in the underworld she shall stand, And she who dies a pitiless death shall gain pity for all the land. 4 8 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS LITANY TO OSIRIS [The PRIEST and PRIESTESS stand in the middle of the stage facing the tree sacred to Osiris. The PRINCESS and her MAIDENS stand on the right near the tree. T/foKiNG ^WCLEANTHES on the left. The country people group themselves in the background. PRIEST OF OSIRIS Homage to thee, oh Lord of the Acacia Tree, the crown is established upon thy head ; thou art the one who maketh the strength which protecteth himself, and thou dwellest in peace. THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 49 CHORUS (all} Oh grant unto me a path whereon I may pass in peace, for I am just and true ; I have not spoken lies wittingly, nor have I done aught with a false heart. PRIESTESS OF ISIS Homage to thee, oh thou who art within thy boat, thou bringest the Nile forth from his source, the Light shineth upon thy Body, and thou art the dweller in the sanctuary of Upper Egypt. CHORUS Oh grant unto me a path whereon I may pass in peace, for I am just and true ; I have not spoken lies wittingly, nor have I done aught with a false heart. D 50 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS PRIEST Homage to thee, thou king of the North and South, O Osiris, Victorious One, Creator of the Everlasting, thou art the Lord of the Celestial world, Ruler of the Unseen and Holy River. CHORUS Oh grant unto me a path whereon I may pass in peace, for I am just and true ; I have not spoken lies wittingly, nor have I done aught with a false heart. ALL (with lifted arms] Hail, Osiris, we are thy children. THE PRIEST OF OSIRIS This is the will of the great Osiris, the Living One, the Dweller in the Mountains THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 51 of Sunrise, the Lord of Eternity and the Opener of the Roads, the Governor of Amentet. He who is Lord of Life hath brought death on the land and an evil and venomous monster. She who fears not death shall bring life unto Upper and Lower Egypt and the snake shall be slain. Oh Daughters of Egypt, draw lots, draw lots, that one among you may come forth among the Shining Ones to dwell under the palm trees of the Goddess Hathor, KING (falling on his knees with outstretched hands') Oh, Nekhtu Amen, have pity, must it be That one of these should die thus inno- cent ? 52 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS PRIESTESS Nay, there is no deliverance without grief, No life without many deaths, and she who dies Forces the pity of the Lord of Life, Her courage knocks against the closed heart Of the Hidden One. KING But if she fear ? PRIESTESS Nay, the lot falls on her who doth not fear. CLEANTHES Sabra, hast thou no pity ? Stand aside. Come forth from among these Maidens, thou art The King's daughter. This doom is not for thee. THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 53 SABRA Should then the Princess shiver and turn pale, And fly from death while all these maidens smile, And front the darkness with heroic brows. . . . Farewell, Cleanthes, think not thus of me. CLEANTHES Farewell, thou beautiful and heartless one. SABRA Mourn not, mourn not, I will come forth again Amongst the living ones. Ah ! vex not thou With vain laments these holy mysteries. [The MAIDENS draw lots one by one. Each one kneels to take the lot out of 54 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS the casket. She unfolds it and holds it high above her head, still kneeling. Every time a lot is drawn the PRIEST OF OSIRIS says : PRIEST He who is Opener of the Roads and Lord of the Underworld has driven away the storm from the path of the helpless. Go thou and dwell in peace under the light of Ra, Who is the Lord of the two horizons. [The PRINCESS SABRA draws a lot ; on it is written ' Moritura ' ; she holds it above her head. PRIEST Hail, thou most exalted among the stars that never fail . . . thou shalt never perish. THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 55 Make her radiant, oh Osiris, who goeth forth among the Shining Ones whose soul is divine. \The MAIDENS crowd round SABRA. FIRST MAIDEN Oh, Princess Sabra, this shall never be. SECOND MAIDEN Unjust and cruel fate, alas ! alas ! ANOTHER Will no man save her from this dreadful doom ? SABRA Mourn not ; the lot has fallen on one Who does not fear. 56 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS SONG The lot has fallen on her, The True and the Brave. She is pale but she does not stir ; . There is none to save. She is strong, she doth not cry Against the terrible doom, She will not yield or fly, But she sighed like one who has lost her way in the gloom. Hermes, be thou her guide who has lost her way in the gloom. She who is wise and fair, Sabra the Princess stands Feeling the dear lost air On her face and her hands, Knowing her sorrowful eyes THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 57 Shall behold no more The blue and the golden skies And the great green boughs of the oak and the broad-leaved sycamore. Hermes, be thou her guide on the dim mysterious shore. Sabra, thou goest thy ways Full of courage and truth, Hid from the sorrowful gaze Of our rainbow-lit youth. Thee there is none to greet In the homes of the dead ; We hear the sound of thy feet, But we shrink from the terrible path that thy spirit must tread. Osiris, be thou her guide in the bitter world of the dead. 5 8 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS ALL {with lifted arms] Hail, Osiris, we are thy children. KING (kneeling before the Shrine of Osiris] \ have come, I have brought unto thee the land of the South, I have united unto thee the land of the North. ALL I have come, I have brought unto thee cool water from Abu wherewith thou mayest refresh thy heart. PRIESTESS (kneeling I have come, I have brought unto thee herbs of every kind. THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 59 ALL I have come, I have made thee cakes in the City of the Red Barley. I have come, I have made thee ale in the City of the White Grain. I have come, I have ploughed for thee wheat and barley in Sekhet Aaru. KING I have come, I have reaped it for thee therein. ALL I have come, I have glorified thee. SABRA I have come, I have given to thee thine eyes ; behold all our sorrows who follow right and truth. 60 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS FIRST MAIDEN (kneeling] I have come, I have given to thee thy power. SECOND MAIDEN (kneeling) I have come, I have given to thee thy terror. THIRD MAIDEN (kneeling) I have come, I have given to thee thy victory. SABRA (kneeling) I have come, I have given to thee my soul. ALL (kneeling) Hail, Osiris, we are thy children. THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 61 PRIESTESS OF ISIS Send forth thy light upon her, oh Soul Unknown, for she is one of those who are about to enter into the hidden way, and the divine speech is in her ears. ALL Make thy roads glad for her and make broad thy paths, oh Osiris. PRIEST Hail, Thou who shinest from the Moon. Hail, Thou who shinest from the Moon. Grant that she who shall be Osiris Sabra may come forth among those multitudes which are outside and let her be established as a dweller in the heavens and let - the 62 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS underworld be open to her. And behold Osiris, Osiris Sabra shall come forth by day to do whatsoever she pleaseth among the living ones. ALL (with lifted arms] Hail, Osiris, we are thy children. PRIEST Oh ye who are dwellers in light, grant that Osiris Sabra shall shine in the dark- ness. PRIESTESS May the company of the Gods who hide Osiris grant that Osiris Sabra shall sit upon the throne which she loveth. THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 63 PRIEST May the Nine watchers grant that Osiris may awake and never be destroyed. PRIESTESS May the Gods who dwell in the land of Tuat grant justice unto Osiris Sabra in the Hall of Truth. SONG Let her go down to the underworld with a smile in her desolate eyes, The sister of all the noble of heart and the comrade of the wise. For she whom Osiris calls shall not sigh, by her not a tear shall be shed ; With a sword in her hand and a radiant will she shall go down to the dead. 64 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS Face to face with the Hidden One in the underworld she shall stand, And she who dies a pitiless death shall gain pity for all the land. Osiris, Lord of the Shadows of night and the sands of the days that have run, One of us gazes her last on the blue of the sky and the cheerful sun. [During the song the procession is re- formed, and they all go out singing. ACT III In the wood near the Shrine of Isis. The PRIESTESS stands at the door of her hut. The PRINCESS SABRA is bound to the tree on the left t her arms high above her head. On her head is a wreath of roses. She seems in a sort of trance. A great sword lies on the ground at her feet. ST. GEORGE comes in. ST. GEORGE I have found her at last. Yes, this is she, My sorrowful Princess. [SABRA opens her eyes slowly and heavily. 66 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS SABRA Oh come not here Or speak, for I am as one already dead. ST. GEORGE Are not the dead my comrades ? . . . SABRA Whence art thou Who speakest lightly of the dead ? ST. GEORGE 1 am come From a far distant land that I may find A sorrowful and very pale princess Whose destiny is written in the stars Bound up with all the sorrows of the world. THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 67 SABRA Behold, I am she whom thou seekest. How can the dead help the living ? ST. GEORGE I would do A deed beyond the power of living men, And without thee I perish ... I would slay The evil monster that lays waste the land. SABRA Now doth my soul that moved in alien deeps Feel the world's sunlight flashing on her wings I who have roamed through the dark under- world Have brought back to the daylight with much toil E 2 68 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS A magic sword to slay the evil snake. My sorrow knocked against the closed heart Of the Hidden One, Lord of Life and Death, Osiris, I have seen him face to face In the dark innermost abyss, the Hall Of Right and Truth . . . ST. GEORGE (kneeling} Ah, Lady, shall I cut These cruel bonds ? SABRA Nay, for no sword Can cut the bonds that bind my captive soul Unto this enterprise. ST. GEORGE Oh, Sorrowful One, Be with me in the battle, for I go THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 69 As one blindfolded, but to do a deed That is thy dream . . . SABRA My strife is with strange foes, To wrest the victory from the ruthless hands Of unseen powers . . . Take thou the sword ; go down To the River's edge under the sycamores ; There shalt thou find the monster, slay him there ; I see the white Nile redden with his blood Thou shalt deliver the land . . . Farewell, farewell . . . [She relapses into a trance. ST. GEORGE takes the sword and rises to his feet. yo THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS ST. GEORGE A sorrowful and very pale princess Whose destiny is written in the stars, Bound up with all the sorrows of the world, And dead, yea dead as she had never lived, For a few moments speaking strange wise words; Yet will I do thy will, Princess . . . Farewell . . . [ST. GEORGE goes out. One by one and very slowly the MAIDENS pass by singing. SONG Under the Sacred Bough Does the Princess Sabra stand, There is none shall save her now Who was first in the land. THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 71 Behold, with a gentle tread Through the valley of tears we pass, Where the shadow of her who is dead Grows longer towards the darkness, and waves and fails on the grass . . . Alas for the Lonely One and the Shadow that fails on the grass. Isis, thou Queen of the Wood, And Osiris who dwells apart In the Hall of Right and Good, Ye have measured her heart, And behold in her shining form She shall come forth from the gloom Out of the cloud and the storm ; Her spirit shall grow divine in the pitiless whirlwind of doom, 72 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS Lo, her soul shall never rest in the dark and sorrowful tomb. [CLEANTHES comes in and goes up to SABRA. CLEANTHES Sabra, beautiful Sabra, I have come To bring thee freedom ... to cut these cruel bonds . . . Oh come with me, together we will go Over the blue sunlighted happy seas To the far land of Greece that is my home, There will we dwell amongst the olive trees And vineyards with a cheerful company Of those who laugh and labour in green fields, And dream no evil dreams but sing glad songs THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 73 At dawn and sunset, and lay in great stores Of wine and oil through golden harvest hours . . . Why dost thou not answer me ? . . . Dreamest thou The gods will punish us ? . . . an idle dream, The threat of cowardly priests . . . the gods love most Those who do most defy them . . . Gracious one, Sabra, beloved . . . dost thou hear ? . . . awake, Arise, fear nothing, thou art free . . . [He cuts the bonds ; SABRA sways heavily and falls forward into his arms. He lays her gradually and gently on the ground, and kneels 74 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS beside her, leaning over her. The PRIESTESS OF Isis comes out of her hut. Alas, alas, Sabra, my beautiful Sabra, what is this ? . . . Together we will brave the utmost wrath Of dark Osiris . . . faint not, beloved . . . speak . . . Nay, look at me ... PRIESTESS OF ISIS Fret not her soul, Cleanthes, who has gone To dwell awhile under the sacred palms Of the goddess Hathor . . . CLEANTHES Oh she is dead . THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 75 PRIESTESS Mourn not for her who has passed the Inner Gate Of Knowledge. What knowest thou of life or death ? CLEANTHES (furioUS/y tO the PRIESTESS) I know she is dead and gone from my sight . . . Murdered by these black hosts of cruel gods And cowardly men, shame on your mysteries ! PRIESTESS She has gone forth among the Shining Ones. 76 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS CLEANTHES Oh, mock me not with these most empty tales . . . PRIESTESS Barbarian, dweller amongst noisy courts Of foolish kings, what dost thou know of her Who wanders freely in the underworld, Who has seen Isis in the lonely wood. CLEANTHES Old woman, thou who didst not cut her bonds, But watched her die with unrelenting eyes, Little it were to me with this sharp sword To send thee forth unto thy cruel gods THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 77 To carry all my hatred to the throne Of black Osiris. PRIESTESS Wilt thou, who dost fear To slay the Dragon, brave the divine wrath Of great Osiris ? . . . CLEANTHES Him I do not fear, Yet will not slay thee, who perchance dost know Her hiding place in the dark under- world . . . (he turns to SABRA) Well does she keep her secret ; all in vain I gaze upon her white mysterious brow And closely lidded eyes . . . 7 8 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS Do thou, black witch, Gaze in thy magic glass and tell me now What doeth my beloved . . . where is she ? . . . Read thou her secret if thou canst. [The PRIESTESS gazes for a few moments silently into the magic mirror. PRIESTESS 1 see The glitter of the Princess' golden hair Outshine the glory of the Sektet boat, The golden boat of Ra. I see her stand Far in the deeps among the secret ones. She has knocked at the heart of the great Hidden God Osiris . . . Amongst the pale bloodstained reeds Lies the Snake, all his evil being fills THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 79 The holy air of evening with foul flames, And there is one would slay him, in his hand Flashes the magic sword, and at his side Radiant the Princess stands in silver light . . . He drinks in all the fire of her fierce will Who sways the conflict at the water's edge . . . Behold, she has gone forth by day amongst The living ones . . . Now is the battle terrible ; The Dragon rises reeking from the slime, The evil power unfolds its coiled might, In vain doth the dread snake hiss forth great breaths Of venomous flame ; the waters of the Nile Are red with blood . . . the battle sways . . . No foulest poison from the uttermost pit Can blast the hero's life . . . stroke follows stroke 80 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS Oh joy, this is the end of all our woe ! The vision of the Princess vanishes. . . . St. George has slain the Dragon. . . . \A great shout is heard in the distance. SABRA moves and opens her eyes. SABRA I saw the white Nile reddened with the blood Of the dead Dragon. CLEANTHES Sabra ! PRIESTESS Oh, speak not thou to her awhile She is still as one dead. THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 81 CLEANTHES Nay, she lives, she lives. . . . Sabra, dost thou remember ? it is I, Cleanthes, whom thou lovest. . . . SABRA (dreamily) Was it thou Who slew the Dragon . . . nay, a stranger, one Who came from a far country. I would rest A little while, remembering . . . what I may . . . CLEANTHES Her soul still wanders in the corridors And hidden Halls of Mystery and Truth. 82 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS SABRA Was it thou who cut my bonds, defying thus The gods who hold the scales of life and death. . . . CLEANTHES Yea, dearer art thou to me than life or death Or treacherous Osiris, or the dreams Of foolish men who fear all unseen things. SABRA (raising herself slowly} Cleanthes, this is a strange deed of thine, Thou who didst fear that venomous snake, Yet didst not dread the Powers of the Air, The immortal gods throned in light and truth. THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 83 CLEANTHES The snake slays all men, but the gods hate most The man who fears them, doubtless him they love Who fronts them with a fierce unshrinking will, Nor kneels abashed before their mysteries. SABRA (springing to her feet] Thou art as I am, little before men, Yet great with the great gods. . . . Thus thou and I, Cleanthes, trembling much in this dark world, Shall be the comrades of the morning star, And of that fair and secret Company F 2 84 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS Who fear not the veiled faces at the gate, Knowing the hidden light of Amen Ra. [The country people and MAIDENS come in. CHANT PRIESTESS Joy that the deed is done, The evil thing is dead ; Princess, in the light of the sun, Lift up thy drooping head. Oh, holy one, low at thy feet Do we kneel, do we kneel, For thy life was joyful and sweet, Yet thou didst not shrink from the cold embrace of the terrible steel. Behold, thou wert brave to endure the cold kiss of the steel. THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 85 Under the sycamore trees, In the silver twilight cool, The Dragon lay at his ease By a deep and silent pool. To Osiris, Lord of the flame, Vainly the stricken ones prayed Till unto the battle came St. George, and the pale one, the Princess, the wonderful maid, She who dwelt in the valley of tears, pale Sabra the Wonderful Maid. [ST. GEORGE comes in. ALL Hail . . . Hail . . . Hail. . . . PRIESTESS King, this is he who slew That evil one abhorred, 86 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS He clove the hard scales through With a stroke of the sword. The Dragon of venomous breath Lies on the bulrushes slain, Out of the terror of death The people of Egypt, the mourners have come forth again ; The Princess of Egypt, the Brave One, has come forth again. . . , [ST. GEORGE goes straight across the stage and kneels before SABRA. ST. GEORGE Oh mystery, Oh hidden life and will. Thou livest, Oh Princess, yet did I see Thy shining form among the long pale reeds By the River . . . thou wert dead . . . thou wert dead . . THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 87 And now thou livest, yet didst thou not stand Among the wind-blown rushes. . . . Mystery Of Mysteries . . . Art thou alive or dead ? . . . SABRA I have entered into the Temple of Osiris, and I have arrayed myself in the apparel of him that is therein. I have seen the hidden things that are therein, and I have come forth by day amongst the living ones. KING St. George of Cappadocia, thou great prince, Thou who hast slain the monster, for this deed Ask of me what thou wilt. 88 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS PRIEST The country people hail thee with great shouts As their deliverer. PRIESTESS Lo, thou hast saved the land. SABRA Yea, stay thou here and rest a little while. KING Together will we make great festival For many happy days, and afterwards Ask what thou wilt, our very lives are thine. THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 89 ST. GEORGE I may not dwell or feast with any man, I am the world's star-guided wanderer, Good friends, I go on a long pilgrimage, I am under a vow . . 1 dare not rest. KING At least then let me cheer thee on thy way With a king's gift of mother-of-emerald. ST. GEORGE I follow Him who wore a crown of thorns, Therefore I ask for no gifts, but one rose From the red crown of this deep mystery Of grief, oh sorrowful and pale Princess Whose destiny is written in the stars^ Bound up with all the sorrows of the world, 90 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS One red rose for remembrance of this hour Ere 1 go forth on my long pilgrimage Through unknown seas to a far sunset land. SABRA Take thou the symbol of this mystery From Egypt to that kingdom in the west, And on the rough road of thy pilgrimage May fair amid all brave adventures shine The Red Rose of St. George. [SABRA takes a rose out of her wreath and gives it to ST. GEORGE, who goes out in silence. The procession is formed in front of the Shrine of Isis. During the first verse of the song all kneel except the PRIESTESS, who stands by the shrine. THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS 91 SONG Oh Mother Isis, in the forest green We knelt to thee with weeping and sharp sighs, And thou didst flash on us thy light unseen From the cold shadow of close-veiled eyes. All we to Isis kneel, Who doth the secret of the world reveal. Oh gentle goddess of this lonely glade, To her who still the road of dreams doth tread, Yet down the dark ways wandered unafraid, Grant all the hidden wisdom of the dead. May she, the Shining One, Dwell in the glory of the Winged Sun. 92 THE SORROWFUL PRINCESS Oh Thou of many dreams and sufferings, Princess of Egypt lost in the world's gloom, Pale pilgrim to the Temple of Dark Wings, Thy star shines clear beyond the clouds of doom. . . . Princess, be thou our guide Through the far underworld so dim and wide. [All go out singing except the PRIESTESS, who waits till the end and then pro- strates herself before the shrine and goes out alone on the other side of the stage. Spottiswoode & Co. Ltd., Printers, New-street Square, London. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. Form L9-20m-7,'61 (Cl437s4)444 PR fin] 3 Gore-Booth - G66so Sorrowful princess PR 6013 G66so UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY A 000862910 7