Semiramis and Other Plays

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Title: Semiramis and Other Plays
Semiramis, Carlotta And The Poet
Author: Olive Tilford Dargan
Release Date: October 29, 2007 [EBook #23234]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
? START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SEMIRAMIS AND OTHER PLAYS ***
Produced by David Garcia, Daniel Griffith and the Online?Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This?file was produced from images generously made available?by The Kentuckiana Digital Library)
SEMIRAMIS AND OTHER PLAYS
BY
OLIVE TILFORD DARGAN
BRENTANO'S?NEW YORK?1904
Copyright 1904?By Olive Tilford Dargan?[Stage rights reserved]
THE LITERARY COLLECTOR PRESS?GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT
CONTENTS
SEMIRAMIS 5
CARLOTTA 75
THE POET 175
SEMIRAMIS
ACT I.
SCENE 1. The tent of Menones
ACT II.
SCENE 1. Hall in the palace of Ninus
ACT III.
SCENE 1. The gardens over the lake
ACT IV.
SCENE 1. The tent of Husak
CHARACTERS
NINUS, king of Assyria?HUSAK, king of Armenia?KHOSROVE, son of Husak?MENONES, governor of Nineveh?ARTAVAN, son of Menones?SUMBAT, friend of Artavan?VASSIN, officer of the king?HADDO, a guard?ARMIN, a guard?DOKAHRA, woman to Semiramis?SOLA, wife of Artavan?SEMIRAMIS, daughter of Menones
Officers, heralds, messengers, guards, soldiers, dancers, &c.
SEMIRAMIS
ACT I.
Scene: Within the tent of Menones, on the plain before Nineveh. Left, centre, entrance to tent from the plain. Curtains rear, forming partition with exits right and left of centre. The same at right, with one exit, centre. Couch rear, between exits. From a tent-pole near exit, right centre, hang helmet and a suit of chain armor.
Sola parts curtains rear, left, and looks out, showing effort to keep awake. She steps forward.
Sol. Hist! Armin! Haddo!
(Enter two guards, left centre)
Still no news?
Arm. None, lady.
Sol. Oh, Artavan, what keeps thee?
Haddo. He will come.
Sol. Semiramis is sleeping. I am weary,
But I'll not sleep.
Arm. Rest, madam; we will call you.
Sol. My lord shall find me watching, night or day!
Arm. Two nights you have not slept.
Sol. Ten thousand nights,
I think, good Armin.
Had. We will call you, madam.
Arm. With the first hoof-beat ringing from the north!
Sol. (At curtains, drowsily)
I'll be--awake.
(Goes in)
Had. She'll sleep now.
Arm. Ay, she must.
Had. And I'd not call her for god Bel himself!
Arm. Hark! (Goes to entrance)
'Tis a horseman!
Had. (Following him) Two!
Arm. Right! We must rouse
The lady Semiramis.
Had. Make sure 'tis he. (They step out)
Voice without.
Is this Menones' tent?
Arm. (Without) Ay, Sir! The word!
Voice. God Ninus!
(Semiramis enters, through curtains right centre)
Sem. Artavan! His voice!
(Enter Artavan, followed by Sumbat who waits near entrance)
Sem. My brother!
Art. Semiramis! (Embracing her) Three years this kiss
Has gathered love for thee!
Sem. Has 't been so long
Since I left Gazim?
Art. Ay,--since Ninus called
Our father here, and Gazim lost her dove.
Sem. (On his bosom, laughing softly)
The dove of Gazim,--so they called me then.?But now--(proudly, moving from him) the lioness of Nineveh!
Art. A warrior's daughter!
Sem. And a warrior's sister!
O, I have prayed that you might come! The king?Is gracious--loves the brave--
Art. Our father?
Sem. Ah!
Art. He's well?
Sem. Is 't day?
Art. Almost.
Sem. At dawn he meets
The Armenians on the plain.
Art. Then he is well!
Sem. He went forth well,--and brave as when he drove
The Ghees from Gazim with his single sword!?But--oh--he needs you, Artavan, he needs you!
(Comes closer speaking rapidly)
I'm with him night and day but when he battles--?I buckle on his arms--cheer him away--?And wipe the foe's blood from his mighty sword?When he returns! But I've a fear so strange!?At times he's moved quite from himself,--so far?That I look on him and see not our father!?If I dared speak I'd almost say that he?Who never lost a battle shrinks from war!
Art. (Starting) No, no! Not that! You borrow eyes of fear
And see what is not!
Sem. But I've felt the drops
Cold on his brow, and raised his lifeless arms?Whose corded strength hung slack as a sick child's! O, it is true! And you must stand by him!?Fight at his side! I thought to do it! I!?See here, my armor!
(Moving with him to where the armor hangs)
When I had this made?And swore to wear it in the fight, 'twas then?He yielded--said that you might come--
(Sound of trumpets at distance. They listen)
The charge!
Art. I go to him!
Sem. (Taking a paper from her bosom)
Take this! He'll understand!?'Tis some direction later thought upon!
Art. My wife is safe--
Sem. With me! Three days ago
She came. And now she sleeps--
(Points to curtains, rear left)
Art. In there? One kiss--
Sem. Nay, nay, you go to battle, and should keep
Steel in your eye, not woman's tears!... Who comes With you?
(Looks toward entrance where Sumbat stands)
O, Sumbat!
(He advances and drops on knee. She gives him both hands and he rises)
Welcome! But no time?For gallant greetings! We are warriors here!
(A roll of battle is heard)
Art. We go!
Sem. Ride! ride! The battle over, ye
Shall meet the king!
(Artavan and Sumbat hasten out. The noise of departure brings Sola to curtains)
Sol. What is