Produced by Marilynda Fraser-Cunliffe, Sankar Viswanathan,
and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
http://www.pgdp.net
Transcriber's Note:
The spelling and accents of Sanskrit names is not consistent in
the book. The Table of Contents is not part of the original book.
THE BUDDHA
A DRAMA IN FIVE ACTS AND
FOUR INTERLUDES
BY
PAUL CARUS
CHICAGO
THE OPEN COURT PUBLISHING CO.
LONDON: 149 Strand
1913
* * * * *
CONTENTS
DIRECTIONS TO THE STAGE MANAGER.
CAST OF CHARACTERS.
GLOSSARY OF FOREIGN TERMS.
ACT I.
ACT II.
ACT III.
ACT IV.
ACT V.
* * * * *
DIRECTIONS TO THE STAGE MANAGER.
The scenery can be made very attractive by both historical accuracy
and a display of Oriental luxury, but the drama may easily be
performed with simple means at a small cost without losing its
dramatic effect. Some of the changes, however, should be very rapid.
The interludes can be replaced by lantern slide pictures, or may be
omitted.
If the interludes are retained there need not be any intermission in
the whole drama.
The music for the Buddha's Hymn of Victory, pages 5 and 39 (see _The
Open Court_, XIX, 49); the dirge on page 19, (_Open Court_, XIX, 567);
Yasodhara's Song, page 37 (_Open Court_, XVIII, 625); and the
Doxology, page 63 and at the end (_Open Court_, XVIII, 627), may be
found in a collection entitled _Buddhist Hymns_ (Chicago, Open Court
Publishing Co., 1911).
COPYRIGHT BY
THE OPEN COURT PUBLISHING CO.
1913
* * * * *
CAST OF CHARACTERS.
_All vowels to be pronounced as in Italian._
Siddhattha Gotama, Prince of the Sakyas, later on the Buddha _B_
Suddhodana, King of the Sakyas, father of Siddhattha _S_
Pajapati, Queen of the Sakyas, aunt and stepmother of
Siddhattha _P_
Princess Yasodhara, Siddhattha's wife _Y_
Rahula, Yasodhara's son _R_
Devadatta, brother of Yasodhara _Dd_
Kala Udayin, a gardener's son _K_
Gopa, Yasodhara's maid _G_
Visakha, a Brahman, Prime Minister of Suddhodana _V_
Devala, a Sakya Captain _D_
Bimbisara, King of Magadha _Bb_
Ambapali, King Bimbisara's favorite _Ap_
Nagadeva, Prime Minister of Magadha, leader of an embassy _N_
General Siha, in the service of King Bimbisara _GS_
Jeta, Prince of Northern Kosala _J_
Anatha Pindika, a wealthy man of Savattha _A_
Mara, the Evil One _M_
Channa, Prince Siddhattha's groom _Ch_
Master of Ceremonies at Magadha _Mc_
General Siha's Captain _C_
A Brahman Priest _Pr_
A Farmer _F_
Servant _St_
Ministers, Officers, Soldiers, Trumpeters, Villagers, A Shepherd.
Singers: Mara's Daughters, Angels, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva.
* * * * *
GLOSSARY OF FOREIGN TERMS.
Buddha, the Enlightened One, the Saviour.
Bodhi, enlightenment or wisdom.
Bodhisatta, a seeker of the bodhi, one who endeavors to become a
Buddha.
Bodhi tree, the tree under which Buddha acquires enlightenment.
Muni, thinker or sage.
Sakyamuni, the Sage of the Sakyas, the Buddha.
Tathagata, a title of Buddha, which probably means "The Perfect
One," or "he who has reached completion."
Nirvana (in Pali, "Nibbana") eternal bliss.
Kapilavatthu, capital of the Sakyas.
Kosala, an Indian state divided into Northern and Southern Kosala.
Savatthi, capital of Northern Kosala.
Jetavana, the pleasure garden of Prince Jeta at Savatthi.
Magadha, a large kingdom in the Ganges Valley.
Rajagaha, capital of Magadha.
Uruvela, a place near Benares.
Arada and U'draka, two philosophers.
Licchavi, a princely house of Vesali.
Nirgrantha (lit. "liberated from bonds"), a name adopted by the
adherents of the Jaina sect.
Indra, in the time of Buddha worshiped by the people as the most
powerful god.
Issara, the Lord, a name of God Indra.
Yama, the god of death.
Kali, a Brahman goddess, called also Durga.
* * * * *
ACT I.
FIRST SCENE.
[A tropical garden in Kapilavatthu, in the background mountains, at a
distance the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas. On the right near the
front a marble bench surrounded with bushes. Further back the palace
entrance of the Raja's residence. Above the entrance a balcony. On the
left a fortified gate with a guard house; all built luxuriously in
antique Indian style.]
_Present_: SUDDHODANA, _the king_ (_S_); PAJAPATI, _the
queen_ (_P_), _and the minister of state_ VISAKHA (_V_).
_S._ My son Siddhattha truly loves his wife,
And since their wedlock has been blessed by this
Sweet, promising, this hale and healthy child,
His melancholy will give way to joy,
And we reclaim his noble energies
To do good service for our race and state.
New int'rests and new duties give new courage
And thus this babe will prove his father's saviour
For he will tie his soul to life again.
_P._ I fear his grief lies deeper than you think.
_S._ What sayest thou, my trusty counselor?
_V._ This is the last hope which I have for him,
I followed your advice and tried all means
To cure Siddhattha of his pensive mood.
I taught him all that will appeal to man:
The sports of youth, the joy of poetry
And art, the grandeur of our ancient lore,
The pleasures e'en of wanton sense; but naught
Would satisfy the yearnings of his heart.
_S._ Yet for religion he shows interest:
He ponders on the problems of the world.
_V._ Indeed he ponders on life's meaning much,
Investigates the origin of things
But irreligious are his ways of thought.
He shows no reverence for Issara,
And Indra is to him a fairy tale.
He grudgeth to the gods a sacrifice
And sheddeth tears at immolated lambs.
Oh no! he's not religious. If he were,
His ills could easily be cured by faith,
By confidence in Issara, the Lord.
_S._ What then is your opinion of the case?
_V._ Siddhattha is a youth of rarest worth,
And he surpasseth men in every virtue
Except in one.--He is too independent:
He recognizeth no authority,
Neither of men nor gods. He suffereth
[_More and more impressively_]
From the incurable disease of thought.
_S._ Cure thought with thought, teach him philosophy,
Show him the purpose of our holy writ.
Instruct him in the meaning of the Vedas,
Reveal to him their esoteric sense.
_V._ My lord, I did, but he is critical,
He makes objections and will not believe.
He raises questions which I cannot answer,
And his conclusions are most dangerous.
_P._ It seems to me that you exaggerate;
Siddhattha is not dangerous. He is
As gentle as my sister was, his mother,
And almost overkind to every one.
_V._ I know, my gracious lady, but e'en kindness
May harmful be, if it is out of place.
_S._ I see no danger in his gentle nature.
_V._ But he lacks strength, decision, warlike spirit.
_S._ That cometh with maturer years.
_V._ I doubt it:
Your son, my Lord, not only hath no faith
In holy writ, neither does he believe
In caste-distinction, and he would upset
The sanctioned order of our institutions.
He would abolish sacrifice and holdeth
The Brahman ritual in deep contempt.
_S._ Your words alarm me.
_V._ Rightly so; I fear
That he will stir the people to rebellion;
But since a child is born to him, his mind
May turn from dreams to practical affairs.
There are some men who care not for themselves,
Who scorn high caste, position, wealth and honor,
So far as they themselves may be concerned,
But they are anxious for their children's fortune,
And so Siddhattha soon may change his views.
_S._ Let us be patient for a while yet longer.
Keep everything unpleasant out of sight,
Invite him merry company. Remove
His gloomy cousin Devadatta. He tries
To reach a state of bliss by fasts,
His very play is penance and contrition.
_P._ Ananda is a better boon companion,
He is not so morose as Devadatta.
_S._ Neither is he the right friend for my son.
I grant he has a loving disposition,
But he is pensive too. Surround Siddhattha
With lads such as the gardner's jolly son,
Kala Udayin. Like a lark he warbles!
Would there were more like him. He jokes and laughs
And never makes a sullen face. But tell me
How is to-day Kala Udayin's father?
_V._ His sickness turns from bad to worse. I fear
He cannot live.
_S._ [_with concern_] Have him removed from here;
Siddhattha likes him much and if he knew
Udayin's sorry fate, it might undo
All good effects of joyful fatherhood.
_V._ The best will be to move him in the night.
_S._ Move him by night, and do it soon.--But hush,
Yasodhara is coming with her babe.
YASODHARA (_Y_) _and two attendant maids, one carries an
umbrella, shading the Princess; the other,_ GOPA (_G_),
_carries the infant_.
_P._ [_meets her and kisses her._]
Welcome, thou sweetest flower of our garden,
Thou ray of sunshine in Siddhattha's life.
_S._ My dearest daughter! how is Rahula?
_Y._ My royal father, Rahula is growing,
And he increases daily in his weight;
To-day he smiled at me most cunningly.
I'll lay him down, for he is fast asleep.
_All enter the palace. The stage remains empty a moment.
Soft, serious music (Buddha's "Hymn of Victory") is heard._
SECOND SCENE.
SIDDHATTHA (_B_) _and_ KALA UDAYIN (_K_) _enter_.
_K._ My sweet Prince, when you are king you must appoint me court
jester. Will you, my good Lord? We two are good contrasts: You full of
dignity upon a royal throne, a golden crown upon your head, the
scepter in your hand, and I dressed in motley with cap and bells.
Heigh ho! That will be jolly. And after all we are so much alike!
_B._ A royal crown shall never grace my head.
_K._ And why should it not, sweet Prince?
_B._ I have a higher aim, a greater mission.
What is a kingdom? What are wealth and power?
What crown and scepter? They are transient things,
I yearn for the Immortal state, Nirvana.
_K._ Then wilt thou be a Buddha? Oh, even then will I follow thee.
_He kneels down with clasped hands._
Wilt thou a holy Buddha be,
O keep me in thy company
Though I'm a jester. I'll be good.
Let me attain beatitude.
_B._ Rise Kala, rise, I am a mortal man,
I'm not omniscient, nor have I yet
Attained the goal of goals, enlightenment.--
Tell me, why dost thou think we are alike?
_K._ My Lord, you have no ambition to be a king; you think the world
is full of vanity, and you consider that life and its glory will pass
away. That is exactly what I think. I agree with you. Only, you are of
a serious disposition and take the matter to heart, while I think it
is great fun. What is the use of thinking so much. We are all like
bubbles: we float in the air, and then the bubble bursts and this life
is over. I am now a poor boy. I fear no change. In a future
incarnation I may be born as the son of a king, like you. And think
of it, after a few million years, this whole world, this big bulky
stupid institution, this home of so many villains, and a couple of
good ones like us two among them, the theater of rascalities, of
vanities, of follies, will be scattered to the winds, as if it had
never existed. Be merry, my Prince, so long as the comedy lasts.
DEVADATTA (_Dd._) _appears in the background.
His cheeks are sunken and his face is gloomy.
His eye has a fanatic expression._
_B._ Consider, it may prove a tragedy.
_K._ Let it be what it may be. To me it will be what I think it is. It
is a huge joke.
_B._ But who will laugh at it, my friend?
_K._ I will.
_B._ Kala, the time will come when thou wilt weep.
_K._ Well then? And if I weep I shall shed tears.
Tears are a sweet relief
In anguish pain and grief.
I'll make the best of all,
Whatever may befall.
_B._ Thy prattle seemeth foolish, but it hideth
A deep philosophy.
_K._ Why then, good Lord,
Why wilt thou not its merry lesson learn?
_B._ Good Kala listen, and thou'lt understand:
There is a difference between our aims:
Thou clingest to this world of transiency,
But I seek the Etern. Thou seest not
The misery of life, for thou art happy--
Happy at least at present, though the next
Moment may find thee writhing in lament.
I seek a place of refuge whence I can
Extend my hand to help those in distress.
I will attain the state of Buddhahood
To bring deliverance to all mankind.
_Dd._ Why do you waste your time, Siddhattha, with this frivolous lad?
What profit can there be in gossip such as you two carry on?
_K._ You always scold, you hollow-eyed sour face! You always moralize.
Even your good brother-in-law is too worldly for you.
_Dd._ I did not speak to you, I addressed myself to Siddhattha.
_B._ Udayin has a heart, a human heart,
And all my sympathy goes out to him.
_Dd._ If you intend to lead a religious life and go into homelessness,
you had better devote yourself to fasts and contemplations.
_K._ You do not talk to me, but I will talk to you, and I will tell
you that in all your religious exercises you think of yourself, while
Siddhattha thinks of others. I wish you would go into homelessness.
Nobody would miss you here.
_Addressing himself to_ SIDDHATTHA.
But, good my Lord, you must not go into homelessness, because you will
do more harm than good.
_B._ How can that be, my good Kala Udayin?
_K._ There comes your noble wife, Yasodhara.
YASODHARA _comes, her maids with umbrellas keep at a
respectful distance_.
_Y._ Come see our boy, he is a lovely child;
He just woke up. He maketh you forget,
The sad thoughts of your heart on world and life,
For he, the darling babe, is life himself.
KALA _flirts with_ GOPA, _one of_ YASODHARA'S _maids_.
_B._ I'll follow thee at once.
_Y._ [_Addressing Devadatta_]
And brother, will you come along?
_Dd._ Not I.
This child is but the beginning of new misery. It continues the old
error in the eternal round on the wheel of life.
_She goes into the house._ DEVADATTA _withdraws into the
garden_.
_B._ Now Kala speak.
_K._ O Prince Siddhattha, do not go into homelessness, do not leave
us. I cannot live without you. You are my comfort, my teacher, my
guide. I do not follow your instructions, but I love to hear them. Oh
I could not live without you. Do not go, sweet Prince. Think of your
wife, your dear good lovely wife, it will break her heart. Think of
your child. Do not go, noble Prince. Let somebody else become the
saviour of the world. Somebody else can just as well become the
deliverer and the Buddha. I am sure there are many who would like to
fill that place, and somebody can do it who has a less comfortable
home to leave, who has a less lovely wife, who is not heir to a
kingdom, and who has not such a sweet promising little boy as you
have. I cannot live without you.
_B._ Wouldst thou go with me?
_K._ [_kneels_] Yes my Lord, I would.
Take me along and I will cheer you up.
_B._ Wouldst thou go begging food from house to house?
With bowl in hand, a homeless mendicant?
_K._ No sir, that would not suit me.
_B._ Wouldst thou by night sleep under forest trees?
_K._ No sir, I would catch cold. That's not for me. [_Rises_] If you
needs must go, sir, you had better go alone. That life is not for me.
I will go and hear the nightingale.
SIDDHATTHA _follows the Princess into the palace_.
_K._ A Buddha's life
Is not for every one.
He has no wife
No pleasure and no fun.
He cannot laugh,
He cannot cry;
He cannot love
He cannot sigh.
He's always preaching, preaching.
He's always teaching, teaching.
He wonders at time's transiency
And ponders on man's misery,
And findeth his salvation
In dreary resignation.
That life I see
Is not for me:
'Twould be ill spent;
I would not find enlightenment.
I lift not the world's woe
And in my quest for truth would fail
[_Muses a moment._]
So I had better go
And listen to the nightingale.
_KALA UDAYIN exit._
[During the last scene twilight has gradually set in.]
THIRD SCENE.
[The scene changes by open curtain. A veil comes down, and when its
goes up again we see the bed chamber of Siddhattha and Yasodhara dimly
lit by tapers.]
_YASODHARA (Y) on the bed with babe in arms, two maids in
waiting. SIDDHATTHA (B) comes in. A halo of light (not too
strong) surrounds his head. The princess rises, lays the babe
down and advances toward her husband._
_Y._ O good my Lord, my Prince, my Husband!
_A pause. She changes her voice as if ashamed of her show of
feeling. With a matter-of-fact intonation._
Rahula fell asleep again.
_B._ Why art thou sad, my good Yasodhara?
I see a tear that glitters in thine eye.
_Y._ An unspeakable melancholy steals over my soul when
I hear you speak of your religious longings.
_B._ Wouldest thou not rejoice if I fulfilled
My mission; if I reached the highest goal?
_Y._ Oh! Siddhattha! you do not love me.
_B._ My heart embraces all the world--and thee.
_Y._ If you loved me truly, there would not be much room for all the
world. You think of the world all day long, and have not a minute's
time for your wife.
_B._ I have, my dear!
_Y._ My noble Husband!
_B._ Speak!
_Y._ Scarcely do I dare to call you by that name. You are kind and
gentle, but for a husband you are too lofty, too distant in your
dignity. It may be wrong in me, it may be sinful, but I wish you were
less lofty and more loving.
_B._ My dearest "Wife," I call thee so on purpose--
My dearest "Wife," thou dost not understand:
The misery and ills of all the world
Weigh heavy on my heart. I'll find no peace
Until at last a remedy be found.
_Y._ Why dost thou trouble about others? Think of thy son, thy
sweetest Rahula, and if thou lovest me a little only, think of me.
_B._ I think of thee, my loving Wife, but when
I think of thee I think of all--of all
The loving wives, the happy trembling mothers
All over in the world. Happy they are,
But trembling for their babes. Oh! bear in mind,
We all are in the net of sorrow caught.
This world is full of pain, disease and death;
And even death brings no relief. Because
The wheel of life rolls on. The ills continue
In births that constantly repeat themselves.
_Y._ Oh! do not speak of it my Lord, it makes me sad. Why do you think
of misery, while here we are surrounded by wealth and comfort, and
even the prospects of our future are most auspicious. Why borrow
trouble before it comes?
_B._ My dear Yasodhara, change is the law
Of being. Now we prosper, but the wheel
Goes round and brings the high into the dust.
_Y._ You suffer from bad dreams;
_B._ Listen to me.
_They sit down._
In this luxurious palace and these gardens,
Surrounding it, was I brought up with care.
I saw naught but the fair, the beautiful,
The pleasant side of life.
_Y._ I know, Siddhattha--
I know it very well.
_B._ You know, my father
Has kept me ignorant of evil things.
I might have thought that such is life throughout,
But I began to doubt and asked for leave
To see the world outside these palace walls.
Not without difficulty did I gain
Permission, and with Channa in a chariot
I drove away--when suddenly before me
I saw a sight I'd never seen before.
There was a man with wrinkled face, bleared eyes,
And stooping gait, a sight most pitiable.
_YASODHARA is much moved._
While I was horror-struck, Channa passed by
Indifferent, for _he_ had seen such men.
Too well he knew the common fate of all;
But I, the first time in my life, did learn
That, _if_ we but live long enough, we all
Shall be such miserable wretched dotards.
_Y._ Too sudden came this saddening truth to you.
_B._ Channa sped on his horses out of town,
But there again! what an ungainly sight!
A man lay on the road-side, weak and helpless,
With trembling frame and feverish cramps.
I shut mine eyes to so much racking pain,
Still I could hear his groaning and his moaning.
"Oh, Channa," said I to the charioteer:
"Why does this happen? How deserves this man
The wretchedness of his great agonies?"
"How do I know?" said Channa, "for we all
Are subject to distemper and disease.
Sometimes the best are stricken--and must die!"
"Must die?" cried I, "What does that word portend?"
For, you must know, I never heard of death.
My father had forbidden, at his court
To speak to me of anything unpleasant.
"Yea, die!" said Channa, "Look around and see!"
Along the road a funeral procession
Moved slowly, solemnly and mournfully
And on the bier a corpse, stark, stiff and cold.
_Y._ Do not be troubled, death is still far off.
_B._ Oh do not feel secure, for the three evils
Surround us constantly and everywhere,
And even now death hovers o'er our house.
When I was born my mother went to heaven,
Which means, she died when she gave life to me.
_Y._ My Lord don't think of evils that are past.
_B._ The world's impermanence is still the same,
And all material things are conformations
Subject to pain, decay and dissolution.
Yet unconcerned in blessed carelessness
Man hunteth after pleasure. Transiency
Has set its mark on life, and there is none
Who can escape its curse. There is no mortal
Who's always happy. Misery surprises
The luckiest with unexpected terror.
Then, in addition, unseen powers breed
Most heinous maladies and fever heat.
E'en if we were exceptions, thou must grant
That finally we too will meet our doom.
The ghastly specter Death, the stern king Yama,
Awaiteth all of us. Such is our fate!
_Y._ O put away these gloomy thoughts, and think
Of life and love, and of thy lovely child.
_B._ Could we be truly happy while the world
Is filled with misery? Mine eyes are opened;
I see how death his gruesome revel holds.
He owns the world and sways its destinies.
One creature ruthlessly preys on the other,
And man, the cleverest, preys on them all.
Nor is he free, for man preys upon man!
Nowhere is peace, and everywhere is war;
Life's mighty problem must be solved at last.--
I have a mission to fulfil.
_Y._ And me
Wouldst sacrifice for a philosophy,
For the idea of an idle quest!
_B._ 'Tis not for me to ask whether my quest
Be vain: for me 'tis to obey the call.
_Y._ [_with passionate outburst_] Siddhattha, O my Lord, my husband,
what wilt thou do? Dost thou forget the promise made me on our wedding
day?
_B_. Yasodhara, a higher duty calls.
The time will come, and it is close at hand,
When I shall wander into homelessness.
I'll leave this palace and its splendid gardens
I'll leave the pleasures of this world behind
To go in quest of Truth, of saving Truth.
_YASODHARA sinks on her knees before him and clasps his
knees._
_Y._ And me, my Lord, thy quest will make a widow!
Oh, stay, and build thee here a happy home.
_B._ My dear Yasodhara, it cannot be.
_The Prince stands lost in thought. Rahula is restless.
YASODHARA rises and turns toward the child._
_Y_. He wakes again. I come, my babe, I come.
[The veil comes down again, and when it rises it shows the garden
before the palace as in the first scene, but it is night and all is
wrapped in darkness.]
FOURTH SCENE.
_King SUDDHODANA (S) and his minister VISAKHA (V) come out of the
entrance._ _Later on Captain DEVALA (D) and soldiers._
_S._ Unfortunate, most unfortunate, that Udayin died. Siddhattha will
miss the gardener and will ask for him.
_V._ The Prince loves flowers, and he knows them all by name; he loves
trees and shrubs, and praises them for yielding fruit and grain for
feeding us without the need of shedding blood.
_S._ Have the body removed so long as it is dark.
_V_. The moon is full to-day and must rise in a little while.
_S._ Double the guards at the gate. I am afraid my son will flee. It
would be a disgrace on my house to have him become a mendicant. The
kings of Kosala, of Magadha, and all the others look with envy on our
sturdy people; they dislike our free institutions and our warlike
spirit. They would scoff at us if a Sakya prince had become a monk.
But if Siddhattha does flee, I swear by Lord Indra that I shall disown
him; I will no longer recognize him as my son. I will disinherit him
and make Rahula my heir apparent.
_VISAKHA looks at SUDDHODANA in amazement._
_S_. I am serious and I will do it. I swore an oath, and Issara will
help me to keep it. Now go to the captain of the guards and do as I
bid you.
_Exit. The Minister alone._
_V._ Oh! What a chance for me! Siddhattha will flee, if he be not
prevented; he will be disinherited. Rahula is a babe, and it will take
twenty years before he grows up to manhood.--[_He muses._] I may
proceed on different lines, and one of them must certainly lead to
success. I may marry the Princess and become the stepfather of the
heir apparent, his guardian, the man who has him in his power--Hm! Hm!
I need not plan too far ahead. And if that plan did not work, the King
of Magadha would make me raja of the Sakyas, if I would recognize him
as my liege.
_The full moon rises and the scene becomes gradually
brighter. VISAKHA knocks at the gate._
Who is on guard?
_Officer comes out._
_D._ I am, my Lord, 'tis Captain Devala.
_V._ 'Tis well. King Suddhodana requests you to double your guard
to-night, for he has reasons. Further he wants you to remove the
corpse of Udayin, the gardener who died to-day of an infectious
disease. Be on your guard, for where a dead body lies there are
ghosts--and [_in a half whisper_] when you see demons or gods, keep
yourselves, you and your men, locked up in the guard house, and the
spook will pass without harm.
_D._ Your order shall be punctiliously obeyed.
_Pays his military salute and returns to the guard house._
_V._ That settles the guard, and should Siddhattha flee he will find
no obstacle.
_Two men come out of the guard house and enter the palace
with a bier. KALA UDAYIN comes back from the garden. VISAKHA
retires into the background._
_K._ The nightingale is a sweet bird, but I like the lark better. The
nightingale is more artistic, but his song is melancholy, he is so
sentimental! The lark has a mere twitter like my own song, I like the
lark better. How beautiful is this summer night; How glorious is the
moon; how fragrant are the roses in the garden! It is a most
auspicious night, and all breathes happiness.
_VISAKHA from his hiding place watches KALA._
_V._ He comes in time, his presence will prosper my plans.
[Kala is lost in thought. Music, from Beethoven's Seventh Symphony,
somber and as if coming from a distance, is heard.]
_K._ [_while the music plays_] What a strange presentiment is stealing
over my soul. Perhaps I was too happy! What does Siddhattha say?
"All conformations always are transient,[A]
Harrassed by sorrow, lacking a self."
[Footnote A: The quoted lines run in the same rhythm as the melody and
should be pronounced accordingly. See _Buddhist Hymns_, p. 22.]
_The men come with the corpse on the bier. KALA stops them._
_K._ What do you carry? Who is this? [_he shrieks_] My father! [_The
carriers set the corpse down and Kala sinks down by the bier._] Oh, my
father! my dearest father! How did you die? Why did you leave me? Oh,
my father! [_he sobs_].
_The moon sinks behind a cloud._
_SIDDHATTHA comes._
_B._ What may the trouble be? I heard a shriek.
_KALA raises himself half way up. The scene is bright again._
_K._ Oh, my Prince! See here! My father is dead! Now I know the truth
as well as you. Now I feel the pain. The time has come for me to
lament. I was so happy and I would not believe you.--Oh ye who are
happy, think in the hour of happiness that all is subject to
suffering, and the hour of suffering will come to you too. Nay more
than that, the hour of death will come; it has come to my father, it
will come to you and to me, and then my caroling will stop forever.
Oh, my poor father!
_B._ How rarely is thy advent welcome, Death,
E'en this poor gardener who a servant was
His livelong days, leaves in our hearts a gap.
His son lamenteth him, and I not less;
He was my loving friend; my educator,
He had me on his knees so many a time,
To tell me how the flowers will grow and blow,
And how they prosper after rainy days.
May gentle lilies from thy ashes spring,
Decked with the purity of thine own heart,
And with their fragrance give the same delight
That in thy present life thou gavest us.
_The carriers lift up the body and carry it out._
Oh, fare thee well, thou good and worthy friend,
Oh, fare thee well, but thy departure is
To me a token that my time has come.
_Turning to KALA who all the while was lying prostrate
weeping._
Weep not, companion of my childhood days,
But bear in mind the courage of thy mirth.
Remember all the virtues of thy father
And let them live again in thine own heart.
Thou must not yield to weakness and lamenting,
Tend to life's duties: Go and call me Channa,
Bid him to saddle Kanthaka, my steed,
And let him ready be for a night's ride.
_KALA exit. SIDDHATTHA alone._
The hour has come! and now my last farewell
To thee my wife and Rahula my son.
_SIDDHATTHA makes a few steps and halts._
This is the greatest sacrifice I bring:
I leave behind a crown without regret;
I leave the luxury of wealth and power;
I care for them as though they were but ashes
But I must also leave my wife and child:
Here I must prove the courage of my heart.
_Enters the house._
FIFTH SCENE.
[The veil of clouds comes down, and when it rises we see Yasodhara's
bedroom again.]
_SIDDHATTHA (B) enters. YASODHARA (Y) sleeps with the babe in
her arms._
_B._ Here lie the rarest treasures of this life,
My noble wife, my dear boy Rahula.
_SIDDHATTHA approaches the bed._
Your sleep is sweet in your sweet innocence,
And I will not disturb your blissful rest.
I will go out in search for saving Truth
And shall not come again unless 't be found
Farewell my wife and Rahula my son.
Must I be gone? Is this, in sooth, my duty?
_He goes toward the door. There he stops._
Perchance on their account I ought to stay.
But no! my father can take care of them.
It is my tender heart that makes me weak.
This is the greatest sacrifice I bring.
SIXTH SCENE
[Change of scene, as rapid as before. The garden before the palace]
_CHANNA (Ch.) enters with a horse._
_Channa._ My Prince, here is your steed!
_MARA (M), a superhuman figure, gaudily dressed, hovering in
the air, suddenly appears and addresses SIDDHATTHA (B)._
_M._ It is a shame to leave your wife and child.
_B._ [_Addressing the vision in the air._]
Mara, thou here? thou wicked one, thou tempter!
_K._ Oh do not leave us Prince. Think of the wrong you do.
You wrong your royal father, you wrong your wife, you wrong your child.
_B._ What sayest thou? Thou sayest I do wrong?
The same rebuke is echoed in my heart;
It is so sweet, so loving, so alluring!
And shall I listen to its tender voice?
How pleasant would it be to stay at home,
And to enjoy my wife's love and my child's!
Is that my duty? Say, is that my duty?
_K._ Surely my Lord, your duties lie at home.
_SIDDHATTHA wavers as if in doubt. He stands pondering for a
moment._
_B._ Who will instruct me where my duty lies?
_M._ I will instruct thee, I will guide thee right.
_K._ How can you doubt, my Prince? And can you not
Search for the truth here in this pleasant garden?
There're spots enough where you can think and ponder,
And meditate among the fragrant flowers.
_B._ Here I shall never reach my goal.
_K._ Stay here.
A kingdom is your sure inheritance,
While Buddahood is but a doubtful prize.
_B._ And shall the world wait for another Buddha?
So many millions clamor for the truth!
_With determination._
I hear the call and naught shall hold me back.
I see my duty and I will obey.
_M._ Wilt thou not stay, my noble Prince Siddhattha?
The wheel of empire turns, and thee I shall
Make king of kings to rule the whole broad earth.
Think of the good which thou wilt do as king!
And then as king of kings thy mighty power
Will spread the good religion o'er the world.
_B._ I know thee Mara, tempter, Evil One,
Prince of this world, I know thy voice, thy meaning.
The gifts thou offerest are transient treasures,
And thy dominion is mere vanity.
I go to found a kingdom in the realm
Of the immortal state which lasts for aye.
Thou hinderest and dost not help the truth.
_K._ Thou speakest to the empty air, my Prince,
For I see no one whom thou thus addressest.
_CHANNA helps SIDDHATTHA to mount, and while the gate opens
leads the horse out of the gate, and KALA enters into the
palace. VISAKHA is coming to the front._
_V._ He is gone. He has made room for me. The time will come when this
kingdom will be mine.
_Y._ [_from the balcony_] Siddhattha! Siddhattha! Where are you? He is
gone! He has departed into homelessness! [_She faints._]
[CURTAIN]
_FIRST INTERLUDE._
_Living pictures accompanied by appropriate music, as an introduction
to Act II._
1. BEGGING FOOD.
A scene of the Prince's life as a mendicant friar.
A Hindu village, Siddhattha stands bowl in hand before a hut; a woman
dishes some rice from a kettle into his bowl; villagers, including
children, stand around gazing at him,--a few with clasped hands.
2. THE KING GREETS THE MENDICANT.
Tradition tells that King Bimbisara, hearing of the noble monk, went
out to see him and offered him to take part in the government. This
being refused, the King requested him to visit Rajagaha, the royal
residence, as soon as Siddhattha had become a Buddha.
Siddhattha is seated under a tree near a brook; the king stands before
him, surrounded by his retinue.
3 PREACHING TO THE VILLAGERS.
Under the tree in the market place of a Hindu village The Buddha is
seated in the attitude of a preacher. The villagers stand or squat
around intently listening.
4. SAVED FROM STARVATION
In company with other monks, Siddhattha sought for a while
enlightenment by self-mortification.
Being exhausted by severe fasts, the mendicant faints, and Nanda, the
shepherd's daughter, passing by, refreshes him with rice milk. His
five disciples at a distance fear that he has given up his quest for
truth.