DRAMATIS PERSONAE.

Peter, Broom-maker.

Gertrude, his wife.

Hansel, their son.

Gretel, their daughter.

The Witch who eats children.

Sandman, the Sleep Fairy.

Dewman, the Dawn Fairy.

Children.

The Fourteen Angels.



ACT III SCENE I.

THE WITCH'S HOUSE.

(The curtain rises. Scene the same as the end of Act II. The background is still hidden in mist, which gradually rises during the following. The angels have vanished. Morning is breaking. The Dawn Fairy steps forward and shakes dewdrops from a bluebell over the sleeping children.)



DEWMAN (Dawn Fairy).

I'm up with early dawning,

and know who loves the morning,

who'll rise fresh as a daisy,

who'll sink in slumber lazy!

Ding! dong! ding! dong!

And with the golden light of day

I chase the fading night away,

fresh dew around me shaking,

and hill and dale awaking.

Then up, with all your powers

enjoy the morning hours,

the scent of trees and flowers—

then up, ye sleepers, awaken!

The rosy dawn is smiling,

then up, ye sleepers, awake, awake!

(Hurries off singing. The children begin to stir. Gretel rubs her eyes, looks around her, and raises herself a little, whilst Hansel turns over on the other side to go to sleep again.)



GRETEL.

Where am I? Waking? Or do I dream?

How come I in the wood to lie?

High in the branches I hear a gentle twittering,

birds are beginning to sing so sweetly.

from early dawn they are all awake,

and warble their morning hymn of praise.

Dear little singers, little singers,

good morning!

(Turns to Hansel.)

See there, the sleepy lazybones?

Wait now, I'll wake him!

Tirelireli, it's getting late!

Tirelireli, it's getting late!

The lark his flight is winging,

on high his matin singing,

Tirelireli! tirelireli!



HANSEL (suddenly jumps up with a start).

Kikeriki! it's early yet!

Kikeriki! it's early yet!

Yes, the day is dawning.

awake, for it is morning!

Kikeriki! kikeriki!

I feel so well, I know not why!

I never slept so well, no, not I!



GRETEL.

But listen, Hans. Here 'neath the tree

a wondrous dream was sent to me!



HANSEL (meditatively).

Really! I, too, had a dream!



GRETEL.

I fancied I heard a murmuring and rushing,

as though the angels in Heav'n were singing.

rosy clouds above me were floating—

hovering and floating in the distance away,

Sudden—all around a light was streaming,

rays of glory from Heaven beaming,

and a golden ladder saw I descending,

angels adown it gliding,

such lovely angels with shining golden wings.



HANSEL (interrupting her quickly).

Fourteen angels there must have been!



GRETEL (astonished).

And did you also behold all this?



HANSEL.

Truly, 'twas wondrous fair!

And upward I saw them float.

(He turns towards the background. At this moment the last remains of the mist clear away. In place of the fir-trees is seen the "Witch's house at the Ilsestein," shining in the rays of the rising sun. A little distance off, to the left, is an oven. Opposite this, on the right, a large cage, both joined to the Witch's house by a fence of gingerbread figures.)



ACT III SCENE II.

GRETEL (holds Hansel back in astonishment).

Stand still, be still!



Hansel (surprised).

O Heaven, what wondrous place is this,

as never in all my life have I seen!



GRETEL (gradually regains her self-possession).

What odor delicious!

O say, do I dream?

Both.

A cottage all made

of chocolate cream.

The roof is all covered

with Turkish delight

the windows with luster

of sugar are white.

and on all the gables

the raisins invite,

and think! all around

is a gingerbread hedge!

O magic castle,

how nice you'd be to eat!

Where hides the princess

who has so great a treat?

Ah, could she but visit

our little cottage bare,

she'd ask us to dinner,

her dainties to share!



HANSEL (after a while).

No sound do I hear. No, nothing is stirring!

Come, let's go inside it!



GRETEL (pulling him back horrified).

Are you senseless?

Hansel, however can you make so bold?

Who knows who may live there,

in that lovely house?



HANSEL.

O look, do look how the house seems to smile!

(Enthusiastically.)

Ah, the angels did our footsteps beguile!



GRETEL (reflectively).

The angels? Yes, it must be so!



HANSEL.

Yes, Gretel, the angels are beck'ning us in!

Come, let's nibble a bit of the cottage.



BOTH.

Come, let's nibble it,

like two mice persevering!

(They hop along, hand in hand, towards the back of the stage. Then stand still, and then steal along cautiously on tiptoe to the house. After some hesitation Hansel breaks off a bit of cake from the right-hand corner.)