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CHORUS of KNIGHTS and DAMES
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(sung in a fashion to suggest a series of hushed asides). |
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Though she should dance |
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Till dawn of day, |
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'Twere all for naught; |
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For if perchance |
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His eyes should stray |
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And find her there, |
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They would but glance |
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And turn away; |
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For all his thought
Is otherwhere! |
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Yea, though her feet
Should prove as fleet |
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As is the wind, |
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'Twere all in vain; |
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They know no art |
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Whereby to find |
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To Philip's heart |
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Their way again! |
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Then she should dance |
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Till dawn of day, |
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He will not care; |
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He heeds her not,
He needs her not,
He hath forgot |
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If she be fair! |
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He hath forgot |
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If she be fair! |
| SAIDA. |
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Safe in her island home, whose sloping glades |
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Lean sun-ward till they kissed the eastern |
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main, |
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Happy she dwelt a maid amidst her maids, |
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Who knowing naught of love knew naught of |
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pain; |
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Till, westward steering, came those knights |
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unbidden, |
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Sea-worn, and weary of the clang of war, |
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And one there was beneath whose helm lay |
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hidden |
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A face she knew, yet knew not, from afar. |
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For round about her ere he came — |
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Aye, ere his feet had pressed the sand — |
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The woodland blossoms turned to flame, |
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And Love was lord of all the land. |
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Till dawned that day his sail was set, |
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And all his thoughts were sea-ward turned, |
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And one there was remembered yet |
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What love had taught and love had learned; |
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One heart that knew not how to stay
If Love were fain to flee away,
If Love were fain to flee away. |
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| KNIGHTS. |
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Why, it is of herself that she sings,
For she followed him so, as we know; |
| EASTERN MAIDENS. |
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We are dreaming, we are dreaming of that little island valley,
Where, beneath the silver olives, at the ending of the day, |
| EASTERN MAIDENS. |
KNIGHTS and DAMES. |
| Swaying gently to |
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| to the music, |
And his was the love |
| as they thread each |
that found wings! |
| winding alley |
Nay, hath |
| Comes a troup of laughing maidens |
it not ever been so? |
| dancing downward to the bay! |
Hath it not ever been so, |
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ever been so? |
| SAIDA. |
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South blows the wind as the veil of night is falling, |
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Warm is the wind that is blowing from the South; |
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Far in the bay she can hear the sailors calling, |
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Warm lies the breath of his kisses on her mouth; |
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South blows the wind, yet northward they are steering, |
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Love leaps aboard and the North and South are one; |
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Lo, the stars are darkened, and the bitter gale is veering,
Bleak and cold, bleak and cold and drear lies the shore they are nearing; |
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Woe is the day when he bore her from the sun!
He bore her from the sun! |
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Love lies not here; he hath fled, and we would follow |
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Where the sapphire sea is breaking in a ring of silver foam; |
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Southward speeds his barque, for his pilot is the swallow — |
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Love! could we but follow, thou wouldst lead us safely home! |
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North blows the wind; once again the gale is shifting, |
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The wrack of heaven stands open, and the night is past and done; |
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North blows the wind, yet southward we are drifting;
The rosy day is dawning, and the sullen clouds are lifting; |
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North blows the wind that shall bear us to the sun,
Bear us to the sun! |
| EASTERN MAIDENS. |
KNIGHTS and DAMES. |
| Love lies not here; he hath fled, |
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| and we would follow |
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| | Why stays she here? |
| Where the sapphire sea is breaking |
Love hath fled, he will not follow, |
| in a ring a silver foam; |
For his heart hath found a haven |
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and no longer needs to roam, to |
| Southward speeds his barque, for his |
roam; |
| pilot is the swallow, |
Southward, southward she may sail, flying, |
| low is the swallow, |
flying southward with the swallow, |
| for his pilot is the swallow. |
with the swallow |
| Love! could we but follow, thou wouldst |
Lord Philip will not follow, for his |
| lead us safely home, |
love lies nearer home, |
| but follow, thou wouldst lead us safely home! |
but follow, for his love lies nearer home! |
Gradually PHILIP is half-recaptured by the allurement of the song and dance. His eyes
dwell upon SAIDA tenderly, and at last he rises as if about to embrace her. At that
moment the SENESCHALenters, on the left.
| SENS. (spoken). |
The demoiselle Laine Limal. |
LAINE enters, richly but chastely attired, and stands in the centre of the apartment
modestly and wonderlingly. PHILIP, entranced, moves towards her; SAIDA falls back
in rage and despair.
| MEN. |
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Nay, see ye not this maid is fair? |
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What wonder then he finds her so! |
| WOMEN. |
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Yet, little maid, beware, beware! |
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For love will come and love will go! |
| MEN. |
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That angel smile, those wond'ring eyes, |
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Were never fashioned here below! |
| WOMEN. |
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Yet, little maid, be wise! be wise! |
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For love will come and love will go! |
| PHILIP. |
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Sir Knights and Dames, now grant me, by your leave, That I may speak with this sweet demoiselle. |
| CHORUS. |
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Though Philip's heart she may beguile, |
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And wear the Lady Saida's shoes,
She cannot choose but she must lose |
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The glory of the angel smile! |
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Yes, well we know was ever so,
Yea, well we know 'twas ever so,
For love will come and love will go. |
All withdraw except SAIDA and the DEVIL, and they remain, under the arcade, watching.
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Page modified 10 October 2011
