Act I
1732 Words
The Heralds of Spring are abroad. There are songs in the rustling bamboo leaves, in birds' nests, and in blossoming branches.
SONG-PRELUDE
The purple secondary curtain[1] goes up, disclosing the elevated rear stage with a skyey background of dark blue, on which appear the horn of the crescent moon and the silver points of stars. Trees in the foreground, with two rope swings entwined with garlands of flowers. Flowers everywhere in profusion. On the extreme left the mouth of a dark cavern dimly seen. Boys representing the "Bamboo" disclosed, swinging.
[Footnote 1: Neither the secondary curtain nor the drop is again used during the play. The action is continuous, either on the front stage, or on the rear stage, the latter being darkened when not actually in use.]
SONG OF THE BAMBOO
(Enter a troop of girls, dancing, representing birds.)
SONG OF THE BIRD
(Disclosed among the branches of trees, suddenly lighted up, boys representing champak blossoms.)
SONG OF THE BLOSSOMING CHAMPAK
Morning
[The rear stage is now darkened. On the main stage, bright, enter a band of youths whose number may be anything between three and thirty. They sing.]
[In the following dialogue only the names of the principal characters are given. Wherever the name is not given the speaker is one or other of the Youths.]
April pulls hard, brother, April pulls very hard.
How do you know that?
If he didn't, he would never have pulled Dada outside his den.
Well, I declare. Here is Dada, our cargo-boat of moral-maxims, towed against the current of his own pen and ink.
Chandra
But you mustn't give April all the credit for that. For I, Chandra, have hidden the yellow leaves of his manuscript book among the young buds of the pial forest, and Dada is out looking for it.
The manuscript book banished! What a good riddance!
We ought to strip off Dada's grey philosopher's cloak also.
Chandra
Yes, the very dust of the earth is tingling with youth, and yet there's not a single touch of Spring in the whole of Dada's body.
Dada
Oh, do stop this fooling. What a nuisance you are making of yourselves! We aren't children any longer.
Chandra
Dada, the age of this earth is scarcely less than yours; and yet it is not ashamed to look fresh.
Dada, you are always struggling with those quatrains of yours, full of advice that is as old as death, while the earth and the water are ever striving to be new.
Dada, how in the world can you go on writing verses like that, sitting in your den?
Dada
Well, you see, I don't cultivate poetry, as an amateur gardener cultivates flowers. My poems have substance and weight in them.
Yes, they are like the turnips, which cling to the ground.
Dada
Well, then, listen to me----
How awful! Here's Dada going to run amuck with his quatrains.
Oh dear, oh dear! The quatrains are let loose. There's no holding them in.
To all passers-by I give notice that Dada's quatrains have gone mad, and are running amuck.
Chandra
Dada! Don't take any notice of their fun. Go on with your reading. If no one else can survive it, I think I can. I am not a coward like these fellows.
Come on, then, Dada. We won't be cowards. We will keep our ground, and not yield an inch, but only listen.
We will receive the spear-thrusts of the quatrains on our breast, not on our back.
But for pity's sake, Dada, give us only one--not more.
Dada
Very well. Now listen:
Please, gentlemen, don't laugh. Have patience while I explain. The meaning is----
The meaning?
What? Must the infantry charge of meaning follow the cannonading of your quatrains, to complete the rout?
Dada
Just one word to make you understand. It means, that if the bamboos were no better than those noisy instruments----
No, Dada, we must not understand.
I defy you to make us understand.
Dada, if you use force to make us understand we shall use force to force ourselves not to understand.
Dada
The gist of the quatrain is this, that if we do no good to the world, then----
Then the world will be very greatly relieved.
Dada
There is another verse that makes it clearer:
I see we must make clearer our meaning. Catch him. Let's raise him up, shoulder high, and take him back to his den.
Dada
Why are you so excited to-day? Have you any particular business to do?
Yes, we have very urgent business,--very urgent indeed.
Dada
What is your business about?
We are out to seek a play for our Spring festival.
Dada
Play! Day and night, play!
(They sing.)
Oh, here comes our Leader. Brothers--our Leader, our Leader.
Leader
Hallo! What a noise you make!
Was it that which made you come out of doors?
Leader
Yes.
Well, we did it for that very purpose.
Leader
You don't want me to remain indoors?
Why remain indoors? This outer world has been made with a lavish expenditure of sun and moon and stars. Let us enjoy it, and then we can save God's face for indulging in such extravagance.
Leader
What were you discussing?
This:
(They sing.)
Our Dada's objection was about this play.
Dada
Shall I tell you the reason why?
Yes, Dada, you may tell us, but we shan't promise to listen.
Dada
Here it is:
Chandra
But surely, Dada, you are talking nonsense. Time itself is Play. Its only object is Pas-time.
Dada
Then what is Work?
Chandra
Work is the dust raised by the passing of Time.
Dada
Leader, you must give us your answers.
Leader
No. I never give answers. I lead on from one question to another. That is my leadership.
Dada
Everything else has its limits, but your childishness is absolutely unbounded.
Do you know the reason? It is because we are really nothing but children. And everything else has its limitations except the child.
Dada
Won't you ever attain Age?
No, we shall never attain Age.
We shall die old, but never attain Age.
Chandra
When we meet Age, we shall shave his head, and put him on a donkey, and send him across the river.
Oh, you can save yourself the trouble of shaving his head for Age is bald.
(They sing.)
(The Leader sings.)
We can tell, by his looks, that Dada will some day go to that Old Man, to receive his lessons.
Leader
Which Old Man?
The Old Man of the line of Adam.
He dwells in a cave, and never thinks of dying.
Leader
Where did you learn about him?
Oh, every one talks about him, And it is in the books also.
Leader
What does he look like?
Some say he is white, like the skull of a dead man. And some say he is dark, like the socket of a skeleton's eye.
But haven't you heard any news of him, Leader?
Leader
I don't believe in him at all.
Well, that goes entirely against current opinion. That Old Man is more existent than anything else. He lives within the ribs of creation.
According to our Pundit, it is we who have no existence. You can't be certain whether we are, or are not.
Chandra
We? Oh, we are too brand new altogether. We haven't yet got our credentials to prove that we exist.
Leader
Have you really gone and opened communication with the Pundits?
Why? What harm is there in that, Leader?
Leader
You will become pale, like the white mist in autumn. Even the least colour of blood will disappear from your mind. I have a suggestion.
What, Leader? What?
Leader
You were looking out for a play?
Yes, yes, we got quite frantic about it.
We thought it over so vigorously, that people had to run to the King's court to lodge a complaint.
Leader
Well, I can suggest a play which will be new.
What?--What?--Tell us.
Leader
Go and capture the Old Man.
That is new, no doubt, but we very much doubt if it's a play.
Leader
I am sure you won't be able to do it.
Not do it? We shall.
Leader
No, never.
Well then, suppose we do capture him, what will you give us?
Leader
I shall accept you as my preceptor.
Preceptor! You want to make us grey, and cold, and old, before our time.
Leader
Then, what do you want me to do?
If we capture him, then we shall take away your leadership.
Leader
That will be a great relief to me. You have made all my bones out of joint already. Very well, then it's all settled?
Yes, settled. We shall bring him to you by the next full moon of Spring.
But what are we going to do with him?
Leader
You shall let him join in your Spring Festival.
Oh no, that will be outrageous. Then the mango flowers will run to seed at once.
And all the cuckoos will become owls.
And the bees will go about reciting Sanskrit verses, making the air hum with m's and n's.
Leader
And your skull will be so top-heavy with prudence, that it will be difficult for you to keep on your feet.
How awful!
Leader
And you will have rheumatics in all your joints.
How awful!
Leader
And you will become your own elder brothers, pulling your own ears to set yourselves right.
How awful!
Leader
And----
No more "ands." We are ready to surrender.
We will abandon our game of capturing the Old Man.
We will put it off till the cold weather. In this Springtime, your company will be enough for us.
Leader
Ah, I see! You have already got the chill of the Old Man in your bones.
Why? What are the symptoms?
Leader
You have no enthusiasm. You back out at the very start. Why don't you make a trial?
Very well. Agreed. Come on.
Let us go after the Old Man. We will pluck him out, like a grey hair, wherever we find him.
Leader
But the Old Man is an adept in the business of plucking out. His best weapon is the hoe.
You needn't try to frighten us like that. When we are out for adventure, we must leave behind all fears, all quatrains, all Pundits, and all Scriptures.
(They sing.)
- Writer
