PREFACE
By Scott Joplin.
The scene of the opera is laid on a plantation somewhere in the State of Arkansas, northeast of the town of Texarkana and three or four miles from the Red River. The plantation is surrounded by a dense forest. There were several Negro families living on the plantation and other families back in the woods. In order that the reader may better comprehend the story, I will give a few details regarding the Negroes of this plantation from the year 1866 to the year 1884. The year 1866 finds them in dense ignorance, with no-one to guide them, as the white folks had moved away shortly after the Negroes were set free and had left the plantation in charge of a trustworthy Negro servant named Ned.
All of the Negroes, but Ned and his wife Monisha, were superstitious, and believed in conjuring. Monisha, being a woman, was at times more impressed by what the more expert conjurers would say. Ned and Monisha had no children, and they had often prayed that their cabin home might one day be brightened by a child that would be a companion for Monisha when Ned was away from home. They had dreams, too, of educating the child so that when it grew up it could teach the people around them to aspire to something better and higher than superstition and conjuring.
The prayers of Ned and Monisha were answered in a remarkable manner. One morning in the middle of September 1866, Monisha found a baby under a tree that grew in front of her cabin. It proved to be a light-brown-skinned girl about two days old. Monisha took the baby into the cabin, and Ned and she adopted it as their own.
They wanted the child, while growing up, to love them as it would love its real parents, so they decided to keep it in ignorance of the manner in which it came to them until old enough to understand. They realized, too, that if the neighbors knew the facts, they would someday tell the child; so to deceive them, Ned hitched up his mules and, with Monisha and the child, drove to a family of old friends who lived twenty miles away and whom they had not seen for three years. They told their friends that the child was just a week old. Ned gave these people six bushels of corn and forty pounds of meat to allow Monisha and the child to stay with them for eight weeks, which Ned thought would benefit the health of Monisha. The friends willingly consented to have her stay with the for that length of time.
Ned went back alone to the plantation and told his neighbors that Monisha, while visiting some old friends, had become the mother of a girl baby. The neighbors were, of course, greatly surprised, but were compelled to believe that Ned's story was true. At the end of the eight weeks, Ned took Monisha and the child home and received the congratulations of his neighbors and friends and was delighted to find that his scheme had worked so well. Monisha, at first, gave the child her own name; but when the child was three years old, she was so fond of playing under the tree where she was found that Monisha gave her the name of Tree-Monisha.
When Treemonisha was seven years old Monisha arranged with a white family that she would do their washing and ironing and Ned would chop their wood if the lady of the house would give Treemonisha an education, the schoolhouse being too far away for the child to attend. The lady consented and as a result Treemonisha was the only educated person in the neighborhood, the other children being still in ignorance on account of their inability to travel so far to school.
Zodzetrick, Luddud, and Simon, three very old men, earned their living by going about the neighborhood practicing conjuring, selling little luck-bags, and rabbits' feet, and confirming the people in their superstition.
The opera begins in September 1884. Treemonisha, being eighteen years old, now starts upon her career as a teacher and leader.
ACT I
(Morning)
No. 1 Overture
No. 2 The Bag Of Luck
(Zodzetrick enters)
ZODZETRICK
(to Monisha)
I want to sell to you dis bag o'luck,
Yo' enemies it will keep away.
Over yo' front do' you can hang it,
An' good luck will come each day.
MONISHA
Will it drive away de blues?
An' stop Ned from drinkin' booze?
ZODZETRICK
It will drive de blues, I'm thinkin',
An' will stop Ned from booze-drinkin'.
MONISHA
(Reaching for bag)
Well!
NED
(Angrily)
No, dat bag you'se not gwine to buy,
'Cause I know de price is high.
ZODZETRICK
I mus' tell you plain an' bold,
It is worth its weight in gold.
NED
It may be worth its weight in diamonds rare,
Or worth the earth to you.
But to me, it ain't worth a possum's hair,
Or persimmons when they're new.
Drinkin' gin I would not stop,
If dat bag was on my chin.
I'm goin' to drink an' work my crop,
'Cause I think it is no sin.
MONISHA
Dis here bag will heaps o'luck bring,
An' we need here jes dis kind o' thing.
NED
You shall not buy dat bag,
'Cause I don't want it here.
'Nough o' dat thing we've had.
'Twill do us harm, I fear.
(To Zodzetrick)
Say ole man, you won't do,
You's a stranger to me.
Tell me, who are you?
ZODZETRICK
Zodzetrick--
I am de Goofer dus' man
An' I's king of Goofer dus' lan'.
Strange things appear
when I says "Hee hoo!"
Strange things appear
when I says "Hee hoo!"
(Zodzetrick starts away. Exit Ned. Monisha goes into the cabin)
TREEMONISHA
(To Zodzetrick)
Wait, sir, for a few moments stay,
You should listen to what I have to say.
Please come closer to me, come along,
And I'll tell you of your great wrong.
(Zodzetrick marks a cross on the ground, spits on it and turns back)
ZODZETRICK
I've come back, my dear child,
to hear what you say,
Go on with your story,
I can't stay all day.
TREEMONISHA
You have lived without working for many years.
All by your tricks of conjury.
You have caused superstition
and many sad tears.
You should stop, you are doing great injury.
ZODZETRICK
You 'cuse me wrong
For injury I'se not done,
An' it won't be long
'Fore I'll make you from me run.
I has dese bags o' luck,
'tis true, So take care, gal,
I'll send bad luck to you.
REMUS
Shut up old man, enough you've said;
You can't fool Treemonisha…
she has a level head.
She is the only educated person of our race,
For many long miles
far away from this place.
She'll break the spell of superstition
in the neighborhood,
And all you foolish conjurors
will have to be good.
To read and write she has taught me,
And I am very grateful,
I have more sense now, you can see,
And to her I'm very thankful.
You'd better quit your foolish ways
And all this useless strife,
You'd better change your ways today
And live a better life.
ZODZETRICK
I don't care what you say,
I will never change my way.
(Starts to leave)
I'm going now, but I'll be back soon,
Long 'fore another new moon.
D'y'all hear?
TREEMONISHA, REMUS
Yes, and we are glad you are going.
(They stand looking at Zodzetrick as he walks slowly away)
Hope he'll stay away from here always, always.
No. 3 The Corn Huskers
CHORUS OF CORN HUSKERS
(In distance)
Very fine day.
TREEMONISHA
The folks are coming
to husk our corn,
I heard them singing a very sweet song.
See, there they are now, almost here,
I'm glad the day is clear.
(Enter Corn-Huskers)
CORN HUSKERS
Hello!
TREEMONISHA, REMUS
Hello!
CORN HUSKERS
We've come to husk de corn.
TREEMONISHA
Shall we have a Ring-play before we work today?
CORN HUSKERS
Yes, and we'll stay the whole day long.
No. 4 We're Goin' Around
(All form a ring by joining hands, including Lucy, Andy's partner; Andy stands in the center of the ring)
ANDY
(All begin circling)
Dere was a man befo' de war,
CHORUS
O, we're goin' around.
ANDY
Said he didn't like his moth'n-law,
CHORUS
O, we're goin' around.
ANDY
I know we'll have a jolly good time,
CHORUS
O, we're goin' around.
ANDY
Because de weather's very fine,
CHORUS
O, we're goin' around.
(Stop circling Andy swings his partner, Lucy, then next lady to her, swinging Lucy each time before swinging each succeeding lady. Every time Andy swings his partner, the other gentlemen swing their partners)
ANDY
Swing dat lady,
CHORUS
Goin' around.
ANDY
Swing dat lady,
CHORUS
Goin' around.
ANDY
Swing her gently,
CHORUS
Goin' around,
Keep on goin' around, 'round
Swing
ANDY
Swing dat gent'mun,
CHORUS
Goin' around.
ANDY
Swing dat gent'mun,
CHORUS
Goin' around.
Swing, swing, goin' around,
Keep on agoin' around, keep agoin' 'round.
(Andy is in circle; Lucy, in center, swings Andy, then next gentleman to him, swinging Andy again before swinging another gentleman.)
ANDY
Gals all smilin',
CHORUS
Goin' around.
ANDY
Gals all smilin',
CHORUS
Goin' around.
ANDY
Smilin' sweetly,
CHORUS
Goin' around.
Keep on goin' around, 'round.
Boys
ANDY
Boys all smilin',
CHORUS
Goin' around.
ANDY
Boys all smilin',
CHORUS
Goin' around.
Swing, swing, goin' around,
Keep on agoin' around, around.
(Lucy in circle; first gentleman to the right of Andy goes center)
ANDY
(Begin circling)
All join hands an circle once mo',
CHORUS
O, we're goin' around.
ANDY
Don't go fast, an' don't go slow,
CHORUS
O, we're goin' around.
ANDY
Let yo' steps be light an' neat,
CHORUS
O, we're goin' around.
ANDY
Be careful how you shake yo' feet,
CHORUS
O, we're goin' around.
(Stop circling Gentleman in center swings his partner, etc.)
ANDY
Swing dat lady,
CHORUS
Goin' around.
ANDY
Swing dat lady,
CHORUS
Goin' around.
ANDY
Swing her gently,
CHORUS
Goin' around,
Keep on goin' around, 'round
Swing
ANDY
Swing dat gent'mun,
CHORUS
Goin' around.
ANDY
Swing dat gent'mun,
CHORUS
Goin' around.
Swing, swing, goin' around,
Keep on a goin' around,
keep a goin' 'round,
(Gentleman in center goes back to the circle and his partner goes to center)
ANDY
Gals all smilin',
CHORUS
Goin' around.
ANDY
Gals all smilin',
CHORUS
Goin' around.
ANDY
Smilin' sweetly,
CHORUS
Goin' around.
Keep on goin' around, 'round.
Boys
ANDY
Boys all smilin',
CHORUS
Goin' around.
ANDY
Boys all smilin',
CHORUS
Goin' around.
Swing, swing, goin' around,
Keep on agoin' around,
'Round, 'round, 'round.
(They sit around the corn and begin husking slowly.)
No. 5 The Wreath
TREEMONISHA
You girls are wearing wreaths on your heads,
(Monisha opens the cabin door and stands, listening)
And I am wearing a bonnet instead.
LUCY
You should wear a wreath made of pretty leaves.
TREEMONISHA
Now to make my wreath, I see,
I must have leaves from that tree.
MONISHA
No! Not a leaf from dat tree take,
Leave 'em there, child, for my sake,
Take 'em from another tree,
An' very fine yo' wreath will be.
TREEMONISHA
There are pretty leaves on this tree so near,
But, to please you,
I'll to another tree go.
Tell me why this tree is, to you, so dear?
CHORUS
Please tell us, we would all like to know.
No. 6 The Sacred Tree
MONISHA
One Autumn night I was in bed lying,
Just eighteen years ago,
I heard a dear little baby crying,
While loudly Ned did snore.
And the baby's crying seemed to be
Somewhere near that sacred tree.
And the baby's crying seemed to be
Somewhere near that sacred tree.
I called to Ned and said, "Wake up,
A baby is crying outside the door."
But Ned said, "You have dreamed enough,"
And went to sleep once more;
Yet the baby's crying seemed to be
Somewhere near that sacred tree.
Yet the baby's crying seemed to be
Somewhere near that sacred tree.
It was twelve o'clock, or just before,
When the rain fell hard and fast,
The baby's cries I heard no more,
It had gone to sleep at last.
And very quiet it seemed to be,
Somewhere near that sacred tree.
And very quiet it seemed to be,
Somewhere near that sacred tree.
Ten o'clock next morning,
The hot sun was shining,
And the darling little baby,
I really had not forgotten;
But I could hear the humming bee,
Somewhere near that sacred tree.
And as I listened it seemed to be,
Somewhere near that sacred tree.
I came out in the yard to see,
And find out where the child could be;
And there, in rags, the baby laid,
Sheltered by that tree's cool shade.
I found it where I thought 'twould be,
There besides that sacred tree,
I found it where I thought 'twould be,
There besides that sacred tree.
I took the child into our home,
And now the darling girl is grown,
All I've said to you is true,
The child I've told you of is you.
Take not a leaf but leave them be,
On that dear old sacred tree;
Take not a leaf but leave them be,
On that dear old sacred tree.
The rain or the burning sun, you see,
Would have sent you to your grave,
But the sheltering leaves of that old tree,
Your precious life did save.
So now with me you must agree,
Not to harm that sacred tree;
So now with me you must agree,
Not to harm that sacred tree.
No. 7 Surprised
TREEMONISHA
I am greatly surprised to know
that you are not my mother.
CORN HUSKERS
We are all surprised.
No. 8 Treemonisha's Bringing Up
MONISHA
We brought you up to believe that
we were your real parents.
We saw nothing wrong in doing so.
On a dark still night,
Ned hitched up the old mules,
and taking you,
We were soon driving along the road,
And the next day were twenty miles away.
Calling on some friends,
We told them that you were our first-born
and that I intended to stay at their house
for eight weeks for the benefit of my health.
The neighbors were much surprised
as what we told them,
But of course believed us,
And so you have never learned the secret
of your birth until now.
When you were seven years old,
There being no school in the neighborhood,
A white lady undertook your education.
(She points to the trunk of the sacred tree)
I found you on that spot,
And your parents I know not;
Ned and I love you true;
You have been a faithful daughter.
TREEMONISHA
I love you and Ned too,
And your bidding I will do.
To me you have been a mother,
And Ned has been a father.
MONISHA
When you were a little child of years only three,
You were the most contented while
playing near that tree.
Monisha first I named you,
The honor was for me.
Treemonisha next I named you,
Because you loved that tree.
TREEMONISHA
I will take leaves from another tree,
And very fine my wreath will be.
CORN HUSKERS
Take them from another tree,
And very fine your wreath will be.
(Treemonisha and Lucy go among the trees)
No. 9 Good Advice
(Parson Alltalk enters)
PARSON ALLTALK
Lis'en friends,
Do not tell lies an' steal, because it ain't right.
Remember all I say to you,
Because it's good advice.
(All kneel in silent prayer. All rise)
PARSON ALLTALK
Does yer feel lak you've been redeemed?
CHORUS
O yes, ah feel lak I've been redeemed.
PARSON ALLTALK
Ain't yer glad yer have been redeemed?
CHORUS
O yes, om glad ah have been redeemed.
PARSON ALLTALK
Does yer always aim ter speak de truth?
CHORUS
O yes, ah always aim ter speak de truth.
PARSON ALLTALK
Does yer love all yo' neighbors too?
CHORUS
O yes, ah love all ma neighbors too.
PARSON ALLTALK
Lis'en friends,
Always live lak brothers an' sisters,
Because it is right.
Remember all I say to you,
Because it's good advice.
Don't harm yo' brother,
Don't harm yo' sister;
O, my neighbors,
you must be good.
CHORUS
(With closed lips)
Un…
PARSON ALLTALK
Remember, each day,
Yo' debts you should pay;
O, my neighbors, you must be good.
CHORUS
(With closed lips)
Un…
PARSON ALLTALK
Does yer feel lak you've been redeemed?
CHORUS
O yes, ah feel lak I've been redeemed.
PARSON ALLTALK
Ain't yer glad yer have been redeemed?
CHORUS
O yes, om glad ah have been redeemed.
PARSON ALLTALK
Does yer always aim ter speak de truth?
CHORUS
O yes, ah always aim ter speak de truth.
PARSON ALLTALK
Does yer love all yo' neighbors too?
CHORUS
O yes, ah love all ma neighbors too.
(Exit Parson Alltalk.)
No. 10 Confusion
MONISHA
Look! Lucy is comin' back,
I don't see Treemonisha.
I hope there's nothing wrong;
Lucy has something over her mouth,
An' her hands are tired behind her.
CHORUS
What is de trouble, Lucy?
What's wrong, Lucy?
(Lucy enters and falls to the ground exhausted. All gather around Lucy. Monisha unties Lucy's hands and takes the handkerchief from over her mouth. Lucy then sits up)
CHORUS
Speak! Lucy, Speak! Speak!
Where is Treemonisha?
Speak to me, please speak to me!
Speak, Speak, Speak, Speak,
Speak to me!
LUCY
Zodzetrick an' Luddud have tied
a han'kerchief over Treemonisha's mouth,
An' have tied her han's behind her jes' lak
dey tied mine.
CHORUS
Tell it quick, quick! Tell it quick!
LUCY
An' Zodzetrick got on his mule's back
An' lifted Treemonisha on after him,
Den galloped away into de woods.
WOMEN
Oh!
(Crying)
O!
(Lucy rises and begins to cry)
WOMEN
(Spoken in crying tones)
Go an' bring her back, boys.
MEN
(Speaking in crying tones)
We will bring her back.
(The corn-husking boys run down the road after the conjurors. Remus goes to the corn-field, gets the scarecrow suit and disguises himself to follow and frighten the conjurors)
WOMEN
(in crying tones)
O! O! O! O!
(Ned comes running from the field)
NED
Hey! Monisha, speak!
Where is Treemonisha an' de boys?
MONISHA
Among the trees to gather leaves
Treemonisha and Lucy went,
They thought not of the conjurous thieves,
While on their pleasure bent.
But Zodzetrick and Luddud
made haste while they could,
They have captured Treemonisha,
and their threats they have made good.
The boys went to rescue her
and bring her back to me,
She is our only daughter,
and with us she ought to be.
NED
I'll beat dat trifling Zodzetrick,
Until he runs lak a big cur dog,
And I'll kill dat scoundrel Luddud,
(Enter Remus)
Jus' lak I would kill a hog.
REMUS
I'll wear dis ugly scarecrow,
(He puts on the scarecrow suit.)
While through the woods I roam,
'Twill scare away the conjurors,
And I'll bring Treemonisha home.
(He goes running down the road. Ned, Monisha, and the girls look at Remus as he runs down the road)
CHORUS
Run faster, Remus, Remus,
Keep straight ahead.
Run faster, Remus, Remus,
Keep straight ahead.
