The Betrothal A Sequel to the Blue Bird   By: Maurice Maeterlinck (1862-1949)

A SEQUEL TO THE BLUE BIRD

A Fairy Play in Five Acts and Eleven Scenes

BY

MAURICE MAETERLINCK

Translated by

ALEXANDER TEIXEIRA DE MATTOS

NEW YORK

DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY

1918

CHARACTERS

( arranged in the order of their entrance on the stage )

TYLTYL THE FAIRY BÉRYLUNE MILETTE (the Wood cutter's Daughter) BELLINE (the Butcher's Daughter) ROSELLE (the Inn keeper's Daughter) AIMETTE (the Miller's Daughter) JALLINE (the Beggar's Daughter) ROSARELLE (the Mayor's Daughter) JOY (the Veiled Girl, or the White Phantom) DESTINY THE MISER LIGHT SOME USUAL THOUGHTS GRANNY TYL GAFFER TYL THE GREAT MENDICANT THE GREAT PEASANT THE RICH ANCESTOR THE SICK ANCESTOR THE DRUNKEN ANCESTOR THE MURDERER ANCESTOR THE GREAT ANCESTOR OTHER ANCESTORS SOME OF TYLTYL'S "ME'S" VARIOUS CHILDREN IN THE ABODE OF THE CHILDREN THE FIVE LITTLE ONES THE SMALLEST OF THEM ALL MUMMY TYL MYTYL DADDY TYL THE NEIGHBOUR

ACT I

Scene 1 The Wood cutter's Cottage .

ACT II

2 Outside the Door .

3 The Miser's Cave .

4 A Closet in the Fairy's Palace .

5 A Ballroom in the Fairy's Palace .

ACT III

6 Before the Curtain representing Rocks .

7 The Abode of the Ancestors .

ACT IV

8 Before the Curtain representing the Milky Way .

9 The Abode of the Children .

ACT V

10 Before the Curtain representing the Edge of a Forest .

11 The Awakening .

THE BETROTHAL; OR THE BLUE BIRD CHOOSES

ACT I

SCENE I

The Wood cutter's Cottage

The cottage scene in The Blue Bird: the interior of a wood cutter's cabin, simple and rustic in appearance, but in no way poverty stricken. A recessed fireplace containing the dying embers of a wood fire. Kitchen utensils, a cupboard, a bread pan, a grandfather's clock, a spinning wheel, a water tap, etc. A dog and a cat asleep. A large blue and white sugar loaf. On the wall hangs a round cage containing a blue bird. At the back, two windows with closed shutters. On the left is the front door, with a big latch to it. A ladder leads up to a loft. But there is only one bed , TYLTYL'S; he is now sixteen years of age. It is dark; the scene is lit only by a few moonbeams which filter through the shutters . TYLTYL is sound asleep .

( A knock at the door .)

TYLTYL

( Waking with a start .) Who's there? ( Another knock .) Wait till I put on my breeches. The door's bolted. I'll come and open it.

THE FAIRY

( Behind the door. ) Don't trouble, don't trouble!... It's only me!... How do you do? ( The door has opened of its own accord and THE FAIRY BÉRYLUNE enters under the guise of an old woman, as in the first scene of the Blue Bird. At the same time the room is filled with a strange brightness, which remains after the door is closed again .)

TYLTYL

( In surprise .) Who are you?

THE FAIRY

Don't you know me? Why, Tyltyl, it's hardly seven years since we said good bye to each other!

TYLTYL

( Bewildered and vainly searching his memory .) Yes, yes, I remember ... and I know what you mean....

THE FAIRY

Yes, but you don't quite grasp who I am and you don't remember anything at all. You haven't changed, I see: just the same careless, ungrateful, wool gathering little fellow that you always were!... But you have grown taller and stronger, my lad, and quite handsome! If I were not a fairy, I should never have known you! Yes, really quite handsome!... But are you aware of it? It doesn't seem to have occurred to you!

TYLTYL