 | Cymon and Iphigenia |  |
53
Scene First.
—A Segment of the Zodiac, exhibiting the Sign of Aries—March discovered—Enter Spring.Air—Spring—“March, march, Ettrick and Teviotdale.”
March, March, April is at the wing,
March away, March, in quick time and good order,
March, March, April's about to spring
On to the stage, just beneath this sky border;
Ramble off with your Ram.
Lead him out like a Lamb,
Room for the revels of mad-bully Taurus—
April, on frolic bent,
Comes, by gay Easter sent,
Here, for a few merry days to reign o'er us.
March, March, &c.
(Exit March)
(The Sign Aries gradually gives place to Taurus—Exit Spring—End of March. Flourish)
Enter April the First.
Apr.
“End of March—enter April.”—A fact, I protest,
A plain stage direction—not meant for a jest;
A cue for my entrance, to act as a chorus,
And not for the entrance of Sol into Taurus.
And, now to be brief, which you know is my forte,
For my reign and my showers are equally short,
I am April the First, and, according to rule,
Have a right, for one day, all the world to be-fool.
Imagine this right, Cupid's jealousy waking!
He'd have no fools on earth, that were not of his making;
Not content with possessing unlimited powers,
He begrudges me mine, for these twenty-four hours;
But he can't deprive me of a laugh or a whim,
And a subject for sport I'll this day form of him;
Love once, it is said, made a simpleton wise—
Only once—for what reason I cannot surmise,
In a fit of caprice, or from pure contradiction.
Some vow it's a fact—I suspect it's a fiction;
But be that as it may, of the story Love's vain,
And the poets have sung it again and again.
On the stage it's been put too, by Garrick, Arne, Bishop,
And now, in my own way, I've ventured to dish up
The young gudgeon, Cymon, in hope that he will
Prove, as the French say, a fine “Poison d'Avril.”
If not, more fool I, and the laugh's against me,
So now to begin, and see what you shall see.
(clouds open, and discover Merlin)
A plain stage direction—not meant for a jest;
A cue for my entrance, to act as a chorus,
And not for the entrance of Sol into Taurus.
And, now to be brief, which you know is my forte,
For my reign and my showers are equally short,
I am April the First, and, according to rule,
Have a right, for one day, all the world to be-fool.
Imagine this right, Cupid's jealousy waking!
He'd have no fools on earth, that were not of his making;
54
He begrudges me mine, for these twenty-four hours;
But he can't deprive me of a laugh or a whim,
And a subject for sport I'll this day form of him;
Love once, it is said, made a simpleton wise—
Only once—for what reason I cannot surmise,
In a fit of caprice, or from pure contradiction.
Some vow it's a fact—I suspect it's a fiction;
But be that as it may, of the story Love's vain,
And the poets have sung it again and again.
On the stage it's been put too, by Garrick, Arne, Bishop,
And now, in my own way, I've ventured to dish up
The young gudgeon, Cymon, in hope that he will
Prove, as the French say, a fine “Poison d'Avril.”
If not, more fool I, and the laugh's against me,
So now to begin, and see what you shall see.
Air—April—“Barring all pother.”
First, Merlin, the Wizard of Wales, behold,
To bring him to Greece, Mr. Garrick made bold;
With the story he'd nothing on earth to do,
But the greater the nonsense, the better for you.
To bring him to Greece, Mr. Garrick made bold;
With the story he'd nothing on earth to do,
But the greater the nonsense, the better for you.
For barring all pother,
With one and the other,
We'll make them all fools in their turn.
(at the end of the first verse exit Merlin and Urganda is seen in his place)
With one and the other,
We'll make them all fools in their turn.
The next is Urganda, a fairy high-flown,
By neither Boccaccio, nor Dryden known;
Her charms are so potent that none can withstand her—
But love, you will find, makes a goose of Urganda.
By neither Boccaccio, nor Dryden known;
Her charms are so potent that none can withstand her—
But love, you will find, makes a goose of Urganda.
So barring all pother, &c.
(at the end of the second verse exit Urganda, and Cymon is seen)
55
Here's Cymon, who, till he by love was taught,
Knew nothing, and “whistled for want of thought;”
If all were to whistle who think they think,
What a saving there would be in printer's ink.
Knew nothing, and “whistled for want of thought;”
If all were to whistle who think they think,
What a saving there would be in printer's ink.
For barring all pother, &c.
(at the end of the third verse exit Cymon and enter Iphigenia)
There's Iphigenia, called Sylvia—why?
'Twould puzzle a conjuror to reply;
For whichever you please you may give your voice,
For “you pays your money, and takes your choice.”
'Twould puzzle a conjuror to reply;
For whichever you please you may give your voice,
For “you pays your money, and takes your choice.”
And barring all pother, &c.
The rest I've no time to particularise,
There are shepherds with hooks, shepherdesses with eyes;
A judge, of whose judgment we can't well boast,
And another old woman as deaf as a post.
There are shepherds with hooks, shepherdesses with eyes;
A judge, of whose judgment we can't well boast,
And another old woman as deaf as a post.
So barring all pother, &c.
So I'll leave them now for themselves to speak,
In the language of Garrick, supposed to be Greek;
But run into rhyme on the pastoral plan, sir,
For it's not a burlesque, nor an extravaganza,
But a something or other
Which pleased your grandmother,
And we hope will please you in your turn.
(at the end of the song, exit April)
In the language of Garrick, supposed to be Greek;
But run into rhyme on the pastoral plan, sir,
For it's not a burlesque, nor an extravaganza,
But a something or other
Which pleased your grandmother,
And we hope will please you in your turn.
The clouds, which have closed upon each Tableau, now clear off altogether, and discover
| Cymon and Iphigenia | |