Prev | Current Page 264 | Next

Van Dyke, Henry, 1852-1933

"The Poems of Henry Van Dyke"


RUAHMAH: A Captive Maid of Israel.
TSARPI: Wife to Naaman.
KHAMMA }
NUBTA } Attendants of Tsarpi.
Soldiers, Servants, Citizens, etc., etc.
SCENE: _Damascus and the Mountains of Samaria._
TIME: 850 _B. C._

ACT I

SCENE I
_Night, in the garden of NAAMAN at Damascus. At the left the palace,
with softly gleaming lights and music coming from the open latticed
windows. The garden is full of oleanders, roses, pomegranates,
abundance of crimson flowers; the air is heavy with their fragrance:
a fountain at the right is plashing gently: behind it is an arbour
covered with vines. Near the centre of the garden stands a small,
hideous image of the god Rimmon. Beyond the arbour rises the lofty
square tower of the House of Rimmon, which casts a shadow from the
moon across the garden. The background is a wide, hilly landscape,
with the snow-clad summit of Mount Herman in the distance. Enter
by the palace door, the lady TSARPI, robed in red and gold, and
followed by her maids, KHAMMA and NUBTA. She remains on the
terrace: they go down into the garden, looking about, and
returning to her._
KHAMMA:
There's no one here; the garden is asleep.


Pages:
252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276