Scene First
The whole barnyard company,Hens, Chickens, Chicks, Ducks, Turkeys,etc.;The Blackbirdin his cage,The Catasleep on the wall, laterA Butterflyon the flowers.
The White Hen[Pecking.] Ah! Delicious!
Another HenWhat are you eating?
All the Hens[Rushing to the spot.] What’s she eating?
The White HenA small green beetle, crisp and nice, tasting of the rose-leaves he had lived on.
The Black Hen[Standing before theBlackbird’scage.] Really, the Blackbird whistles amazingly!
The White HenAny little street urchin can do as much!
The Turkey[Solemnly.] An urchin who had learned of a shepherd in Sicily!
The DuckHe never whistles his tune to the end—
The TurkeyThat’s too easy, carrying it to the end! [He hums the tune theBlackbirdhas been whistling.] “How sweet to fare afield, and cull—and cull—” You should know, Duck, that the thing in art is to leave off before the end! “And cull—and cull—” Bravo, Blackbird!
[TheBlackbirdcomes out on the little platform in front of his cage and bows.]
A Chick[Astonished.] Can he get out?
BlackbirdApplause is salt on my tail!
The ChickBut his cage?
The TurkeyHe can come out, and he can go in again. His cage has that sort of spring.—“And cull—and cull—” The whole point is missed if you tell them what you cull!
The Black Hen[Catching sight of aButterflyalighting on the flowers above the wall at the back.] Oh, what a gorgeous butterfly!
The White HenWhere?
The Black HenOn the honey-suckle.
The TurkeyThat kind is called an Admiral.
The Chick[Looking after theButterfly.] Now he has settled on a pink.
The White Hen[To theTurkey.] An Admiral, wherefore?
The BlackbirdObviously because he is neither a seaman nor a soldier.
The White HenOur Blackbird has a pretty wit!
The Turkey[Nodding and swinging his red stalactite.] He has better than wit, my dear!
Another Hen[Watching theButterfly.] It’s sweet—a butterfly!
The BlackbirdEasy as possible to make! You take a W and set it on top of a Y!
A Hen[Delighted.] A flourish of his bill, and there you have your caricature!
The TurkeyHe does better than execute caricatures! Hen, our Blackbird forces you to think while obliging you to laugh. He is a Teacher in wit’s clothing.
A Chick[To aHen.] Mother, why does the Cat hate the Dog?
The BlackbirdBecause he appropriates his seat at the theatre.
The Chick[Surprised.] They have a theatre?
The BlackbirdWhere dumb-shows are given.
The ChickEh?
The BlackbirdThe hearthstone from whence both alike wish to watch the play of the Fire among the Logs.
The Turkey[Delighted.] How aptly he conveys that the hatred of peoples is at bottom a question of wanting the other’s territory. There’s a brain for you!
The Speckled Hen[To theWhite Hen,who is pecking.] Do you peck peppers?
The White HenConstantly.
The Speckled HenHow can you stand the sting?
The White HenIt imparts to the feathers a delicate rosy tint.
The Speckled HenOh, does it!
A Voice in the DistanceCuckoo!
The White HenListen!
The Voice[From a greater distance.] Cuckoo!
The White HenThe Cuckoo!
A Grey Hen[Comes running excitedly.] Which Cuckoo? The one who lives in the woods, or the one who lives in the clock?
The Voice[Still further off.] Cuckoo!
The White HenThe one of the woods.
The Grey Hen[With a sigh of relief.] Oh, I was so afraid of having missed the other!
The White Hen[Going near enough to her to speak in an undertone.] Do you mean to say you love him?
The Grey Hen[Sadly.] Without ever having set eyes on him. He lives in a chalet hanging on the kitchen wall, above the farmer’s great-coat and fowling-piece. The moment he sings, I rush to the spot, but I never get there in time to see anything but his little wicket closing. This evening I mean to stay right here beside the door—[She takes up her position on the threshold.]
A VoiceWhite Hen!