I.
Part I.
The Prologue was given by Father Christmas habited in a red robe, with
a white beard and an icy crown.
SOLO: BASS.
Father Christmas am I, white, withered, and dry,
With a gift in my hand, and a spark in my eye;
With the snow in my pole, and my feet to the coal,
But a fresh warm joy in the depths of my soul.
Father Christmas behold, all ashiver with cold,
But the parent of blessings too vast to be told;
Father Christmas is here but once in the year,
But his gifts and his memory ever are near.
And now I have summoned my chorus around,
While my servants, the Seasons, come forth and are crowned:
That my guests the kind powers in order may see,
Which ripen the growth of the Christmas Tree.
The scene opened, and disclosed the months, ranged by threes according
to their Seasons. These were represented by twelve young ladies in
white apparel, with proper wreaths and adornments. A harmony of
four voices invoked the Spring.
QUARTETT: SOPRANO, ALTO, TENOR, AND BASS.
Come, come, thou lingering Spring,
Sprouting the leaf, and clothing the bower,
Pushing the bud, and opening the flower,
Melting the frost, and dropping the shower:
Come, come, thou tarrying Spring,
Come, come, thou lingering Spring.
Come, come, thou dallying Spring,
Over the hills that rise to the West,
Show us the gleam of thy sky-blue vest,
Look but upon us and we shall be blest:
Come, come, thou lingering Spring.
At this entered the Spring, decked in vernal flowers, but not yet crowned.
The Chorus announced her in a trumpet-like strain. She standing in
the midst sung her roundelay.
SOLO: TREBLE.
I am here, I am here, with a smile and a tear,
With my bright blue eye, and my breath in a sigh,
And the soft mild air awake in my hair.
Come hie ye away, March, April, and May,
With your garland of green, and crown me your Queen,
While ye sing as ye stand on the blossoming land.
CHORUS.
Hail, hail, hail!
We crown thee, we crown thee, O Spring.
Whereon the three Spring months placed on the head of Spring a garland
of snowdrops, and the curtain fell on this part, amidst gladsome
music.
