Martin Pippin in the Apple Orchard (2 page)

I am afraid to say too much about it for fear of prejudicing both the reviewers and the general public. My taste may not be theirs and in this matter there is no opportunity for argument. Let me, therefore, do no more than tell the story of how the manuscript affected me. I was a little overworked. I had been reading a great number of manuscripts in the preceding weeks, and the mere sight of typescript was a burden to me. But before I had read five pages of Martin Pippin, I had forgotten that it was a manuscript submitted for my judgment. I had forgotten who I was and where I lived. I was transported into a world of sunlight, of gay inconsequence, of emotional surprise, a world of poetry, delight, and humor. And I lived and took my joy in that rare world, until all too soon my reading was done.

My most earnest wish is that there may be many minds and imaginations among the American people who will be able to share that pleasure with me. For every one who finds delight in this book I can claim as a kindred spirit. J. D. Beresford.

CONTENTS

Foreword Introduction Prologue--Part I Part II Part III Prelude to the First Tale The First Tale: The King's Barn First Interlude The Second Tale: Young Gerard Second Interlude The Third Tale: The Mill of Dreams Third Interlude The Fourth Tale: Open Winkins Fourth Interlude The Fifth Tale: Proud Rosalind and the Hart-Royal Fifth Interlude The Sixth Tale: The Imprisoned Princess Postlude--Part I Part II Part III Part IV Epilogue Conclusion

INTRODUCTION

In Adversane in Sussex they still sing the song of The Spring-Green Lady; any fine evening, in the streets or in the meadows, you may come upon a band of children playing the old game that is their heritage, though few of them know its origin, or even that it had one. It is to them as the daisies in the grass and the stars in the sky. Of these things, and such as these, they ask no questions. But there you will still find one child who takes the part of the Emperor's Daughter, and another who is the Wandering Singer, and the remaining group (there should be no more than six in it) becomes the Spring-Green Lady, the Rose-White Lady, the Apple-Gold Lady, of the three parts of the game. Often there are more than six in the group, for the true number of the damsels who guarded their fellow in her prison is as forgotten as their names: Joscelyn, Jane and Jennifer, Jessica, Joyce and Joan. Forgotten, too, the name of Gillian, the lovely captive. And the Wandering Singer is to them but the Wandering Singer, not Martin Pippin the Minstrel. Worse and worse, he is even presumed to be the captive's sweetheart, who wheedles the flower, the ring, and the prison-key out of the strict virgins for his own purposes, and flies with her at last in his shallop across the sea, to live with her happily ever after. But this is a fallacy. Martin Pippin never wheedled anything out of anybody for his own purposes--in fact, he had none of his own. On this adventure he was about the business of young Robin Rue. There are further discrepancies; for the Emperor's Daughter was not an emperor's daughter, but a farmer's; nor was the Sea the sea, but a duckpond; nor---

But let us begin with the children's version, as they sing and dance it on summer days and evenings in Adversane.

THE SINGING-GAME OF "THE SPRING-GREEN LADY"

(The Emperor's Daughter sits weeping in her Tower. Around her, with their backs to her, stand six maids in a ring, with joined hands. They are in green dresses. The Wandering Singer approaches them with his lute.)

THE WANDERING SINGER Lady, lady, my spring-green lady, May I come into your orchard, lady? For the leaf is now on the apple-bough And the sun is high and the lawn is shady, Lady, lady, My fair lady! O my spring-green lady!

THE LADIES You may not come into our orchard, singer, Because we must guard the Emperor's Daughter Who hides in her hair at the windows there With her thoughts a thousand leagues over the water, Singer, singer, Wandering singer, O my honey-sweet singer!

THE WANDERING SINGER Lady, lady, my spring-green lady, But will you not hear an Alba, lady? I'll play for you now neath the apple-bough And you shall dance on the lawn so shady, Lady, lady, My fair lady, O my spring-green lady!

THE LADIES O if you play us an Alba, singer, How can that harm the Emperor's Daughter? No word would she say though we danced all day, With her thoughts a thousand leagues over the water, Singer, singer, Wandering singer, O my honey-sweet singer!

THE WANDERING SINGER But if I play you an Alba, lady, Get me a boon from the Emperor's Daughter-- The flower from her hair for my heart to wear Though hers be a thousand leagues over the water, Lady, lady, My fair lady, O my spring-green lady!

THE LADIES (They give him the flower from the hair of the Emperor's Daughter, and sing--) Now you may play us an Alba, singer, A dance of dawn for a spring-green lady, For the leaf is now on the apple-bough, And the sun is high and the lawn is shady, Singer, singer, Wandering singer, O my honey-sweet singer! The Wandering Singer plays on his lute, and The Ladies break their ranks and dance. The Singer steals up behind The Emperor's Daughter, who uncovers her face and sings--)

THE EMPEROR'S DAUGHTER Mother, mother, my fair dead mother, They have stolen the flower from your weeping daughter!

THE WANDERING SINGER O dry your eyes, you shall have this other When yours is a thousand leagues over the water, Daughter, daughter, My sweet daughter! Love is not far, my daughter!

The Singer then drops a second flower into the lap of the child in the middle, and goes away, and this ends the first part of the game. The Emperor's Daughter is not yet released, for the key of her tower is understood to be still in the keeping of the dancing children. Very likely it is bed-time by this, and mothers are calling from windows and gates, and the children must run home to their warm bread-and-milk and their cool sheets. But if time is still to spare, the second part of the game is played like this. The dancers once more encircle their weeping comrade, and now they are gowned in white and pink. They will indicate these changes perhaps by colored ribbons, or by any flower in its season, or by imagining themselves first in green and then in rose, which is really the best way of all. Well then--

(The Ladies, in gowns of white and rose-color, stand around The Emperor's Daughter, weeping in her Tower. To them once more comes The Wandering Singer with his lute.)

THE WANDERING SINGER Lady, lady, my rose-white lady, May I come into your orchard, lady? For the blossom's now on the apple-bough And the stars are near and the lawn is shady, Lady, lady, My fair lady, O my rose-white lady!

THE LADIES You may not come into our orchard, singer, Lest you bear a word to the Emperor's Daughter >From one who was sent to banishment Away a thousand leagues over the water, Singer, singer, Wandering singer, O my honey-sweet singer!

THE WANDERING SINGER Lady, lady, my rose-white lady, But will you not hear a Roundel, lady? I'll play for you now neath the apple-bough And you shall trip on the lawn so shady, Lady, lady, My fair lady, O my rose-white lady!

THE LADIES O if you play us a Roundel, singer, How can that harm the Emperor's Daughter? She would not speak though we danced a week, With her thoughts a thousand leagues over the water, Singer, singer, Wandering singer, O my honey-sweet singer!

THE WANDERING SINGER But if I play you a Roundel, lady, Get me a gift from the Emperor's Daughter-- Her finger-ring for my finger bring Though she's pledged a thousand leagues over the water, Lady, lady My fair lady, O my rose-white lady!

THE LADIES (They give him the ring from the finger of The Emperor's Daughter, and sing--) Now you may play us a Roundel, singer, A sunset-dance for a rose-white lady, For the blossom's now on the apple-bough, And the stars are near and the lawn is shady, Singer, singer, Wandering singer, O my honey-sweet singer!

As before, The Singer plays and The Ladies dance; and through the broken circle The Singer comes behind The Emperor's Daughter, who uncovers her face to sing--)

THE EMPEROR'S DAUGHTER Mother, mother, my fair dead mother, They've stolen the ring from your heart-sick daughter.

THE WANDERING SINGER O mend your heart, you shall wear this other When yours is a thousand leagues over the water, Daughter, daughter, My sweet daughter! Love is at hand, my daughter!

The third part of the game is seldom played. If it is not bed-time, or tea-time, or dinner-time, or school-time, by this time at all events the players have grown weary of the game, which is tiresomely long; and most likely they will decide to play something else, such as Bertha Gentle Lady, or The Busy Lass, or Gypsy, Gypsy, Raggetty Loon!, or The Crock of Gold, or Wayland, Shoe me my Mare!--which are all good games in their way, though not, like The Spring-Green Lady, native to Adversane. But I did once have the luck to hear and see The Lady played in entirety--the children had been granted leave to play "just one more game" before bed-time, and of course they chose the longest and played it without missing a syllable.

(The Ladies, in yellow dresses, stand again in a ring about The Emperor's Daughter, and are for the last time accosted by The Singer with his lute.)

THE WANDERING SINGER Lady, lady, my apple-gold lady, May I come into your orchard, lady? For the fruit is now on the apple-bough, And the moon is up and the lawn is shady, Lady, lady, My fair lady, O my apple-gold lady!

THE LADIES You may not come into our orchard, singer, In case you set free the Emperor's Daughter Who pines apart to follow her heart That's flown a thousand leagues over the water, Singer, singer, Wandering singer, O my honey-sweet singer!

THE WANDERING SINGER Lady, lady, my apple-gold lady, But will you not hear a Serena, lady? I'll play for you now neath the apple-bough And you shall dream on the lawn so shady, Lady, lady, My fair lady, O my apple-gold lady!

THE LADIES O if you play a Serena, singer, How can that harm the Emperor's Daughter? She would not hear though we danced a year With her heart a thousand leagues over the water, Singer, singer, Wandering singer, O my honey-sweet singer!

THE WANDERING SINGER But if I play a Serena, lady, Let me guard the key of the Emperor's Daughter, Lest her body should follow her heart like a swallow And fly a thousand leagues over the water, Lady, lady, My fair lady, O my apple-gold lady!

THE LADIES (They give the key of the Tower into his hands.) Now you may play a Serena, singer, A dream of night for an apple-gold lady, For the fruit is now on the apple-bough And the moon is up and the lawn is shady, Singer, singer, Wandering singer, O my honey-sweet singer!

(Once more The Singer plays and The Ladies dance; but one by one they fall asleep to the drowsy music, and then The Singer steps into the ring and unlocks the Tower and kisses The Emperor's Daughter. They have the end of the game to themselves.)

Lover, lover, thy/my own true lover Has opened a way for the Emperor's Daughter! The dawn is the goal and the dark the cover As we sail a thousand leagues over the water-- Lover, lover, My dear lover, O my own true lover!

(The Wandering Singer and The Emperor's Daughter float a thousand leagues in his shallop and live happily ever after. I don't know what becomes of The Ladies.)

"Bed-time, children!"

In they go.

You see the treatment is a trifle fanciful. But romance gathers round an old story like lichen on an old branch. And the story of Martin Pippin in the Apple-Orchard is so old now--some say a year old, some say even two. How can the children be expected to remember?

But here's the truth of it.

MARTIN PIPPIN IN THE APPLE-ORCHARD

PROLOGUE PART I

One morning in April Martin Pippin walked in the meadows near Adversane, and there he saw a young fellow sowing a field with oats broadcast. So pleasant a sight was enough to arrest Martin for an hour, though less important things, such as making his living, could not occupy him for a minute. So he leaned upon the gate, and presently noticed that for every handful he scattered the young man shed as many tears as seeds, and now and then he stopped his sowing altogether, and putting his face between his hands sobbed bitterly. When this had happened three or four times, Martin hailed the youth, who was then fairly close to the gate.

"Young master!" said he. "The baker of this crop will want no salt to his baking, and that's flat."

The young man dropped his hands and turned his brown and tear-stained countenance upon the Minstrel. He was so young a man that he wanted his beard.

"They who taste of my sorrow," he replied, "will have no stomach for bread."

And with that he fell anew to his sowing and sighing, and passed up the field.

When he came down again Martin observed, "It must be a very bitter sorrow that will put a man off his dinner."

"It is the bitterest," said the youth, and went his way.

At his next coming Martin inquired, "What is the name of your sorrow?"

"Love," said the youth. By now he was somewhat distant from the gate when he came abreast of it, and Martin Pippin did not catch the word. So he called louder:

"What?"

"Love!" shouted the youth. His voice cracked on it. He appeared slightly annoyed. Martin chewed a grass and watched him up and down the meadow.

At the right moment he bellowed:

"I was never yet put off my feed by love."

"Then," roared the youth, "you have never loved."

At this Martin jumped over the gate and ran along the furrow behind the boy.

"I have loved," he vowed, "as many times as I have tuned lute-strings."

"Then," said the youth, not turning his head, "you have never loved in vain."

"Always, thank God!" said Martin fervently.

The youth, whose name was Robin Rue, suddenly dropped all his seed in one heap, flung up his arms, and,

"Alas!" he cried. "Oh, Gillian! Gillian!" And began to sob more heavily than ever.

"Tell me your trouble," said the Minstrel kindly.

"Sir," said the youth, "I do not know your name, and your clothes are very tattered. But you are the first who has cared whether or no my heart should break since my lovely Gillian was locked with six keys into her father's Well-House, and six young milkmaids, sworn virgins and man-haters all, to keep the keys."