# Joseph and His Brethren: A Pageant Play/Act I

ACT I THE TENTS OF SHECHEM Genesis XXXV; XXXVII
PERSONS
* Jacob
* Reuben
* Simeon
* Levi
* Judah
* Issachar
* Zebulun
* Dan
* Naphtali
* Gad
* Asher
* Joseph
* 1st Slave
* 2d Slave
* 3d Slave
* Rachel
* Bilhah
* Zilpah
ACT I
Scene 1—The Tents of Shechem
A pleasant grove in a wide valley, with the snow-capped mountains in the distance.
The scene is on elevated ground, so that the whole expanse of the valley is disclosed between the palm trees and the other foliage.
Indications of a large tent on the right. In the valley, dimly seen, are the groups of tents, from which, when the sun has risen, thin threads of smoke rise straight into the air.
It is the moment just before dawn. The snowy caps of the distant mountains glow with a rosy light which slowly creeps down their sides until the whole landscape is baking in the glare of the sun. The scene remains in cool shade.
Before the rise of the curtain a long, melodious horn-call has sounded. As the curtain rises, a Slave standing near the tent L. is seen blowing on a ram's horn. Gradually the scene comes to life. Slaves move hither and thither upon household duties, fetching water in skins from the well which is seen on the left. The Women pass, with water in jars balanced on their heads. Camels, very small asses and sheep are driven to pasturage at the back of the scene, etc., etc.
​2d Slave [Levi's Slave] [To him who has just blown the signal] Out on thee, slave of Simeon, wilt thou shatter the dawn?
1st Slave [Simeon's Slave] Thinkest thou the dawn will wait for thee, wretched bondman of a starveling lord?
2nd Slave. My Lord Levi hath thrice more flocks than thy Simeon.
3rd Slave [Dan's Slave] Who speaketh of Levi and Simeon? Dan is mightier than both.
1st Slave [Contemptuously] The handmaid's son, forsooth!—Get thee to thy stinking camels.
Judah. [Sternly] What is this wrangling, slaves?
1st Slave. [With a deep obeisance] We are but praising our lords——
2nd Slave. And the hands that feed us.
Judah [Haughtily] Get ye to your labor and your toil. The sons of Jacob need no praise from the lips of the slaves.
Dan [Laughing] The sun hath not risen in a happy hour for thee to-day!
[Enter Gad. He is of lighter, more youthful build than his brothers. Each of the Sons of Jacob, ​as he enters, is accompanied by his own Retinue of three or four Men]
Gad. Yet 'tis a day of rejoicing!
Judah. What day is it, Gad?
Gad [Laughing] Nay, if thou know not, I'll not tell thee.
Judah. [Angrily] Wilt thou mock thine elders, boy?
Gad. Oh, my elders, my elders! What worth is thine elderhood? When thou art hidden in the grave I shall be in the flower of my days.
Judah. [Furious] Accursed seed of a handmaid——
Gad [Laughing] Let not Dan hear thee.
Judah. The tents of Shechem are overrun with a base-born brood!
Simeon. Whither lead ye your flocks today?
Dan. What matter to thee, Simeon?
Simeon. Lest we all seek the same pasture.
Dan. Or to tell thee where the best is.
Gad. Whether we seek toward sunrise or sunset, Simeon's flocks have left no blade.
Naphthali. To that I, Naphtali, bear witness. Simeon is as the grasshopper; who cometh after him starveth.
Issachar. He setteth his spies among us—when we hear of new pasture, he is told, and stealeth it.
​Simeon. Issachar! Issachar! How much more of this insolence shall I suffer!
Levi. These youths wax turbulent. Our father Jacob shall have a word for them!
Gad [With a mock bow] The solemn Levi! Brothers!
Zebulun. Why have our elders such frowning faces?
Gad. Hush, Zebulun! Oh, hush! Levi is about to speak!
Levi. And a blow shall follow the word!
Asher. Brothers! Great news!
Levi. What news, son of Zilpah?
Gad. Whence runnest thou, Asher?
Asher. I come from the fringe of the desert. Thither came a swarthy runner, seeking a well. For far in his wake, he said, followed a mighty train——
Simeon [Anxiously] Thou showd'st him no well!
Asher. Ay, but I did——
​Simeon. Have we battled for pastures and wells, to give them to strangers?
Asher. Wait until my tale will be told. In this runner's wake, then, journeyed a great host; and nightly he was sent ahead to seek a resting-place for the next morn. When this was found, he ran back as he came, and led the voyagers thither.
Simeon. And they defile the water and trample the young grass.
Levi. They kill our herds and seize our young maidens for a prey.
Asher. I tell you, these come not in war or for rapine. They themselves are bearing a treasure of a great price down to Egypt——
Simeon [Eagerly] What treasure?
Asher. Nought for thy claws to clutch. They come from Nineveh——
Levi. From Nineveh——?
Asher. And they journey to Egypt. They bring a wife for one of the Pharaoh's officers.
Judah. Is she fair?
Asher. Thinkest thou the runner had seen her? Now, hearken. They seek food and raiment, for the way is long. Also, wherever they pass, they purchase gifts for their Lord and for the Pharaoh—whatsoever is richest in the land——
Simeon. When will they pass?
Asher. When the runner left them, they were hard by Tirzah.
Simeon [Moving off] I will go forth——
Judah. And I with thee, Simeon.
Simeon [Angrily] I have no need of thee.
Levi. Think you this is for one or for two? I have the finest woven stuffs, and cups of beaten gold——
​Dan. Have I naught? Have I no gems in which the sun is imprisoned?
Gad. I, then——! Spices and sweet ointments——!
Issachar [Aggressively] This is not for the sons of handmaids.
Asher. Shall I bring you the news, and have no reward?
Judah. Is it battle between us? Have you forgotten how we slew the men of Shechem?
Simeon. So will we deal with you also!
Gad. We fought, while ye prated!
Levi. On your heads be it, then!
Reuben. Peace—peace, I say!—I, Reuben, the eldest-born, speak!
All [Falling apart, and with respect] Reuben!
Reuben [Sternly] Are ye the brood of Cain, that each would have his brother's blood, on the day our Father Jacob hath set apart as a day of rejoicing?
Judah. Twice have I heard the day named as a day of rejoicing. What is the day?
Reuben. Have ye forgotten? Today, Rachel's eldest-born son hast cometh to manhood.
Judah. Joseph!
All. Joseph!—The dreamer—The upstart!
Simeon. No day of rejoicing for us.
Dan. Rather a day of dust and ashes.
Asher [Eagerly] Brothers! No word of my news to Joseph!
Issachar. He would turn it to his own good.
​Reuben. [To Asher, sternly] Son of Zilpah, what is thy news?
Simeon [Obsequiously, to Reuben] I will tell thee, apart.
Asher. Ay, him; but not Joseph.
Levi [To the Brothers generally] We will share with you all, if we needs must; but the dreamer shall have no part.
All. Ay! Ay! No part for the dreamer!
Reuben. I know not what new thing ye are banded in against Joseph; but I bid you beware. Our father loveth him as the apple of his eye. Today, are we go to our flocks, he is to endue him with the robe of manhood. To-night, when our labor is done, there is to be great feasting. Bring no sorrow into our father's house to-day. Moreover, Joseph hath dreamed a dream——
Gad [With a mocking laugh] That is no new thing!
Reuben [Sternly] Bridle thy tongue—for when did Joseph's dreams not come true? And now he dreamed we were binding corn in the fields, and, lo, his sheaf arose and stood upright, and, behold, our sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to his sheaf.
Simeon [Surlily] What is the interpretation thereof?
Judah [Hotly] Shall he reign over us?
Dan. Shall he, indeed, have authority over us?
Gad. [To brothers] Why are ye affrighted by a dream?
Reuben. And he dreamed again, and, behold, the sun and the moon, and the eleven stars made obeisance to him.
Levi. Enough! Enough! How long shall we suffer him to prate of his dreams?
Naphthali. He hath stolen our father's love with his visions!
​Reuben. Not so. Jacob rebuked him, and said, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?
Asher. Ay, he rebuked him; but did he punish him?
Issachar. Not so:—he observes Joseph's saying.
Simeon. Ay—he feareth him. Wherefore we must humble the lad overselves.
Reuben [Sternly] Silence!—Our father!
Jacob [Standing] God set His face towards you, O my sons, this day and all days.
Brothers [Rise] And towards thee, O father.
Jacob. God hath been very merciful towards me, and hath given me length of days; I have prospered in the land; I am at peace with Esau, my brother; all my sons are with me, and today, Joseph [He takes Rachel's hand], Rachel's first-born, fruit of who knows what love and what prayer, hath come to man's estate——
Simeon. It had been more fitting had Joseph stood here with us.
Rachel. Simeon, Simeon, thy brother Joseph was with thy father long ere the sun rose.
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Issachar. [Hotly] So are we, troubled with his visions!
Jacob. Know ye what he dreamed?
Gad. Ay. Reuben made haste to tell us.
Levi. Is the boy to be set above us?
Judah. [Kneels] My lord, we have toiled for thee, watching thy flocks day and by night, warding off ravening beasts, and tending the young lambs. Moreover, when thy herds grew more in number than the sands of the sea, we fought for new pastures and would have laid down our lives for thee. The men of Shechem can tell of the weight of our blows. What hath Joseph done, that thou lovest him more than us?
Simeon. We have bought and sold for thee, not thinking of our own gain, but ever to strengthen thy hands. What hath Joseph done?
Gad. Set thy face towards us, as it is towards Joseph.
Dan. We weary of Joseph's name!
Rachel. [To Jacob] My lord, shall the son of my handmaid speak scornfully of my first-born?
Bilhah. Dan is the elder, my lord!
Rachel. [To her] Out on thee!
Jacob. [To Benjamin] Bid Joseph come. [Benjamin runs out] Woe upon you all, that ye speak evil of your brother in his absence. [He sees Joseph] My son, come hither.
Joseph. [Making obeisance—not kneeling—to Jacob] Here I am, my lord.
Rachel. Joseph! My beloved!
​Joseph. Thy blessing, Mother.
Jacob. [Brethren murmuring with backs turned] There shall be peace in the house of Jacob. Ye murmur against Joseph, saying my heart goeth out to him more than to you. Ye are vain talkers. I love him, not better, but otherwise. Oh, hard of heart! can ye not see and understand what my love is towards the lad? It is the love I bore to his mother in the years past. It is the love-song I whispered into her ear as she stood by the well. It is the toil I gave to win her. It is the hope long deferred. It is the sunshine of youth, bursting through the shadow of age. You, sons of Leah, sons of Bilhah, and sons of Zilpah, have been the joy of my life; but he—but Joseph—is a joy above joys:—the Added Joy!
Simeon. Yet——
Reuben [Stepping forward] O Father Jacob, great Israel, we know thy heart and thy mind, and we will cherish Joseph, even as thou dost.
Joseph. [Coming to Reuben] Reuben, my brother!
Jacob. In token thereof give him the kiss of love. Rachel, begin!
Rachel. God shield thee, Joseph.
Reuben. God strengthen thee.
Levi. God keep thee.
Judah. God succor thee.
Dan. God enlighten thee.
Naphthali. God lengthen thy days.
​Gad. God increase thee.
Asher. God prosper thee.
Issachar. God reward thee.
Zebulun. God uphold thee.
Reuben [Reproachfully] Simeon——
Simeon [Between his teeth] I cannot; nor I will not.
Reuben. Our father watcheth.
Simeon [Advancing against his will.] Joseph . . .
Jacob [Who has been anxiously watching, sinks back with a sigh of relief] All is well!
Joseph. [Smiling.] Ay, Brother Simeon——?
Simeon. Our brothers have left me no blessing to give thee.
Joseph. Yet bless me.
Simeon [Without unfolding his arms] God—judge thee.
Jacob. [To Joseph] Come! [Jacob rises; Joseph comes to him, and he is about to kneel] Nay, today I bow to thee. He that goeth down boweth to him that cometh up. [The two handmaidens bring a cloak of camel's hair which they allow to fall open. Jacob takes it from them] Now upon thy young shoulders I lay the Robe of Manhood and authority. Lo, here, the coat of many colors; and each color shall be for a sign: azure for wisdom, scarlet for courage, green for prayer, and white for purity. I clasp thee to me, flesh of my flesh; thy young heart against my old heart, whose first-born thou art; I raise my hand towards the throne of God, and I cry: God bless thee!
Simeon: What is this robe of manhood and authority?
Issachar: Not one of us hath it.
Naphtali: Over whom hath he authority?
Dan: Not over me, for one.
Levi: Our father will make him his heir.
Asher: [To Reuben.] First-born of his heart! Reuben, did'st thou hear?
Reuben: [Soothingly.] Peace! Peace!
Joseph: O Father—Mother—O my brothers! Ye have wrapped me about with love. Yea, and the blessing wherewith ye blessed me is already granted by God.
Simeon: What now?
Joseph: For lo, the dream I told my father at dawn is fulfilled. Sun, moon, and stars—you, my beloved— have bowed to me.
Simeon: Ha!
[An angry movement among the Brothers.]
Jacob: [Gravely.] My son.
Joseph. Not as to a greater than yourselves. What am I, O Israel, in thy presence? Or who am I among these mighty sons of a mighty father?—Nay, but as the sun boweth to the earth to make her fruitful; as the moon boweth to shine on the young lambs; as the stars bow to gladden the waters; so have ye bowed to me with blessings and the gift of your love.
Simeon. Cunningly twisted!
Gad. True son of his father!
Simeon. But he shall not win my birthright for a mess of soft words.
Jacob: Now the day's labor summoneth us. What new thing is there, Reuben?
Reuben: Asher telleth of a strange woman from ​Nineveh, journeying with a great following into Egypt. They will reach our wells in Dothan anon.
Jacob: Go thither. Take the fruits and the rich woven stuffs and whatsoever the wayfarers need, and barter with them.
Gad: [Laughing.] The strangers are hard to deal with: Simeon shall do the bartering.
Jacob: [With a smile.] That will be to our increase. And to-night we will have feasting and song and merrymaking in Joseph's honor; and he shall come in among us to the sound of music; and I will place him in the high seat by my side, and show him to all my house, as my well-beloved son; and ye shall all bring your gifts.
Reuben: [To the SERVANTS.] Make ready!
[The Servants lead on the donkeys. Others bring the bales and the packages which they load on the backs of the donkeys. All this is done well at the back of the scene.]
Simeon: [To the others.] Did you hear? We are to bring gifts!
Dan: Who feasted, or made merry for us?
Issachar: Or who brought us gifts?
Gad: This Joseph is as a nettle against our skin.
Naphtali: AS a viper in the young grass.
Zebulun: Let us take counsel against him.
Asher: Ay; but let not Reuben hear us.
[With an obeisance to Jacob they all go out. The beasts are led off. The Slaves follow. The Women and the Children go up to watch them off, Jacob, Rachel and Joseph are alone.]
Jacob: Joseph——
Joseph: Ay, Father. ​Jacob. Go, I pray thee. Follow thy brothers. See whether it be well with them and with the flocks, and bring me word again.
Rachel [Anxiously] My lord, I am afraid for my son; for the faces of his brothers are not towards him.
Jacob. Reuben is with them; no harm will come to the lad. Let him go.
Rachel [Embracing Joseph] Cling to Reuben. God be with thee, Joseph.
The Scene Changes.
SCENE II
THE WELLS OF DOTHAN
PERSONS
Reuben Asher Simeon Issachar Levi Zebulun Judah Joseph Dan Ani Naphtali Heru} Gad Zuleikha
Slaves of the Israelites—Slaves of the Egyptians—Egyptian Warriors, Camel Drivers, etc.
Scene 2—The Wells of Dothan
An oasis. It is a deliciously shaded grove in the heart of the desert. Between the stems of the palm trees and through one or two wider openings the desert is seen baking in the afternoon sun. Towards the right side of the stage, but also towards the rear, is a shallow pool of ​water, surrounded by the aquatic plants. The vegetation on the stage is luxuriant, excepting near the center, where there is, as it were, a blighted spot. There are indications of a deep hole, and the plants around it are dried up, withered and broken.
Tinkling of the small bells such as are hung around the necks of beasts of burden is heard off at the right, and presently enter Asher, in advance of Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Issachar and Zebulun. Behind them are the donkeys, as we saw them start in the previous scene. But the Slaves keep them half out of sight under the palms on the right. The Slaves fetch water from the pool in the shallow vessels, and give the animals to drink.
Asher: These are the wells of Dothan; and hither I bade the runner lead his lords.
Naphtali: A fair garden in a waste land.
Dan: Where lag our elders?
Gad: With Reuben. The true sons of Jacob, they call themselves, and cling together.
Naphtali: [Examining the hole in the center.] This well is dry.
Asher: [Pointing to the pool.] But this is full of sweet water.
Naphtali: [With horror.] Look! Look, how smooth the sides are! I scarce see the bottom. Yet——ay!—— Creeping things, with their eyes gleaming, shine in the darkness.
Gad: [Who has joined him.] Poisonous serpents, lizards and toads—and the oozing walls!—— Ugh! Whoso slipped into that would never crawl out.
Asher: [Looking off R.] Here come the proud brothers.
Issachar: Is Joseph with them? ​
NAPHTALI: [Bitterly.] Not he. Father Jacob is fondling him.
DAN: What gift hast thou ready for him, against tonight?
GAD: I?—A stone for his grave.
GAD: Have ye not brought our dear Joseph?
SIMEON: Now, may thy tongue rot! The name hath spoiled the joy of the day.
GAD: [Looking off at the back.] Ho! What would'st thou say if he were here?
SIMEON: [Furious.] Say—! I would do!
GAD: Make ready to do, then; for hither he cometh.
SIMEON: The jester Gad! As if he dared come.
GAD: Look! Yonder the speck in the desert. Seest thou not the glorious coat? Azure for wisdom, green for prayer, white for purity, and scarlet for courage.
SIMEON: He needeth courage! 'Tis he indeed! He is sent to spy upon us. [Calling.] Levi! Judah!
GAD: [Quieting him.] Peace! What wilt thou do?
SIMEON: We shall know no peace till Joseph be at peace. We must take counsel—
GAD: [Slyly.] With Reuben?
SIMEON: Ah!—the marplot!—[A sudden thought strikes him] Which way are the strangers to come?
GAD: [Pointing off right at the back.] From yonder.
SIMEON: [Calling.] Ho! Reuben!
REUBEN: Ay, brother?
SIMEON: 'Twere well to do the strangers honor.
REUBEN: How can we honor them? Are they here to come?
SIMEON: Take the slaves — a great retinue — and go forth, thou, Jacob's eldest-born — to meet them. ​
REUBEN: [Gravely.] Hast thou aught hidden in thy mind, Simeon—to Joseph's hurt?
SIMEON: Is Joseph here? Is he coming? Can I think of nought but Joseph? I speak for our advantage. Go, or stay. "Let this all one to me.
REUBEN: [Calling the Slaves.] Ho! There! Come!— Yet my heart is heavy. Well—! Which way are these wanderers coming?
SIMEON: [Pointing off at the left.] Yonder.
ASHER: Nay.
REUBEN: I will go. Should the lad Joseph come?
SIMEON: [Leading him off at the left side.] Vex not thyself for the lad.
REUBEN: Yonder, you say? If I meet them not soon, I shall return in haste. Farewell.
[Exit with all the Slaves.]
SIMEON: [Hurriedly.] Now! let us take counsel quickly.
LEVI: What is toward?
SIMEON: [Pointing at the right side.] Look, who cometh.
LEVI: Where? I see nought.
SIMEON: Look! Look well! Dost thou see him, Judah?
JUDAH: Ay—a moving speck on the sand.
ISSACHAR: Nay, by the swing of him, if I knew not 'twere impossible, I should say
ASHER: By the grave of Isaac! 'Tis Joseph himself!
LEVI: Were I sure of that! ​
ISSACHAR: To lord it over us; to carry the tales of every word we speak is he sent.
SIMEON: Ay! And to take his share of the harter. Ours was the heat and the toil, and his is the reward!
ZEBULUN: Are we never to be rid of the dreamer?
SIMEON: [Darkly.] Never—unless….
ALL: Unless what? Speak!
SIMEON: What is not done for us, we must do for ourselves.
LEVI: [With horror.] Simeon!
SIMEON: What else? How long will ye suffer iniquity? Come, now, therefore, and let us slay him.
JUDAH: I will have no bloodshed. The curse of Cain would be upon us.
SIMEON: Why, look, now, look! [Pointing to the dry well.] This pit is deep, and there are evil things within it. The sides are smooth, and we have no rope. If he fell in, by mischance—he could not crawl out, nor could we have him out; and ere we fetched help, the—things— in its depth would have made help of no avail.
JUDAH: Ay—thus we lay no hand upon him.
ISSACHAR: But what shall we say to Jacob, our father?
SIMEON: We will say, some evil beast hath devoured him.
GAD: [Laughing.] And we will see what becomes of his dreams!
ASHER: Yet—there is Reuben.
SIMEON: [Mockingly.] Ay! Call upon Reuben!
GAD: [Answering.] Ho! Dreamer!
[Enter JOSEPH approaching at the right side and coming towards the front. In his right hand is the shepherd's crook; in his left arm he carries a young lamb.]
JOSEPH: Happy the hour wherein I find you. Give me something to drink.
SIMEON: We have no water to spare.
JOSEPH: Nay, not for me, but [Indicating the lamb.] for this poor orphan here.
JUDAH: Yonder are the shepherds, let it seek its mother.
JOSEPH: [Setting the lamb down at the left side.] Run, then, innocent.
ZEBULUN: Why art thou come?
JOSEPH: Our father sent me. I was to see whether all was well with you, and with the flocks.
GAD: All is well. Go thy ways, homeward.
JOSEPH: [Laughing.] Nay! I am anhungered and athirst!
SIMEON: We need thee not. As a spy art thou come hither.
JOSEPH: What hast thou done, Simeon, that thou so dreadest a spy?
SIMEON: I have work to do. I'll have no boys watching me.
JOSEPH: I'll not watch thee. I am for food and sleep.
DAN: Ay; to dream dreams of our downthrown, and thine uplifting.
JOSEPH: [Whimsically.] If I wake I am guilty, and I am guilty if I sleep!—Heigh-ho! I would Reuben were here. NAPHTALI: Reuben went to meet the wayfarers. ​Simeon. It is high time we spread out our wares.
Judah. Reuben having taken the slaves, we must unload the bales ourselves. To work!
Asher. Behold my rich woven-stuffs of camel-hair.
Judah. My honey from Lebanon, in the coolest shade.
Naphthali. My skins of lions and tigers; my own arrows laid them low.
Dan. Glittering gems! Ho! the lady's eyes shall glitter as brightly when she beholdeth them.
Levi. Oil, fresh from the olives of Hermon.
Issachar. Milk and cheeses from my ewes.
Zebulun. I have nought but melons [Slices one melon into two] But look at that and be athirst!
Joseph. Surely, you will give the weary strangers the milk and the melons without price. Our father, Jacob——
Simeon. [Eagerly] Said I not he came as a spy?
Judah. But thou, Simeon, wherefore layest thou thy store where the strangers may not see it?
Simeon. [Laughing] Ho! Wilt thou teach me to barter? I tell thee, these will be first seen. And when the strangers say, what are these? I shall answer, These will be the gifts for my sweet brother, Joseph.
Joseph. [Laughing] Why, then, I'll take my gifts now; and thank thee!
Simeon. Fool! Thinkest thou I mean what I say?
Joseph. Can a man say one thing, and mean another?
SIMEON: [To the others.] Then the stranger will bid and bid, until he hath bidden—what they are worth.
JOSEPH: Simeon, thou art jesting.
SIMEON: I seek not thy counsel, dreamer!
JOSEPH: Thou wilt not do this evil thing!
SIMEON: Will I not? Stand by, and watch.
JOSEPH: [Hotly.] I will not stand by silently.
SIMEON: [Edging him towards the pit.] What wilt thou do, dreamer, what will thou do?
JOSEPH: I will cry aloud: These wares he got for a drink of water!
SIMEON: Ay, and what else? What else?
JOSEPH: And if that will not serve, our father Jacob shall hear of it.
SIMEON: Ay? Wilt thou report of me?
THE BROTHERS: [Closing in on JOSEPH, SO that he is forced towards the well.] And of me? And of me?
JOSEPH: Reuben! Reuben!
THE BROTHERS: [Cries.] Out on the dreamer! Death! Death!
JOSEPH: Reuben!
SIMEON. Anon thou wast thirsty—go! seek water!
JOSEPH. Reuben!
[He screams as he falls backward into the pit. A long pause of horror.]
JUDAH: Simeon—what hast thou done?
SIMEON: Sent him where he cannot tell tales.
LEVI: Is the boy—dead?
DAN: I dare not look!
ISSACHAR: Nor I.
SIMEON: I am not so faint-hearted. [He gazes into the pit.] I cannot see him.
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Levi. Trumpets and shawms! It is the strange woman with her train.
Gad. If they see your wonderful countenances, they'll think the plague is amongst us.
Judah. I will not meet them with my heart so heavy.
Levi. What is done is done. [To the captain of the caravan—Heru—who has dismounted and advances] O strangers, are ye come in peace?
Heru. We are come in peace. Do ye greet us peacefully?
Levi. Peacefully we greet you.
Heru. Here will we abide, then, till the sun bend westward, and water our cattle.
Simeon. [Stepping forward, cringingly] Alas, the water faileth. Lo, there is barely enough for our own beasts.
​Heru [Angrily] Are not the wells free to all wayfarers?
Simeon [Humbly] My lord, we be the sons of a poor man. We have won these wells with much toil and battle. The wells are not free.
Heru. Must we do battle for the wells?
Heru [Haughtily] Let us drink, lest we slay you.
Heru. I am Heru-Netch-Tef, the servant of Potiphar, the Egyptian.
Simeon. Were my lord Pharaoh himself, and slew us, or stole our water, my lord should surely perish.
Ani. [An Egyptian, to Heru] Better speak the rogue softly, my lord. These tribesmen are banded together. The wilderness hath many eyes, and what is done here is known yonder, the gods only wot how. Remember, we are the guardians of a priceless charge.
Heru. [To Simeon] Thou—what price dost thou set on the water?
Simeon. My lord shall drink, and let drink, for the chain that hangs about his neck.
Heru. Take it, rogue [To the slaves] Ho! Water the camels.
SIMEON: [Seeing a slave going towards the dry well.] [Hastily.] Not this one, my lord! This one is dried up, and the venomous serpents swarm in it.
HERU: The rogue still hath shreds of honesty. [Pointing to the brothers.] Who are these?
SIMEON: We are brethren, my lord: sons of one father. This morning we were eleven; but now one is not, and our hearts are heavy.
HERU: All men are mortal—save Pharaoh.
LEVI: Will not my lord sit in the shade?
JUDAH: My lord's wife, and her handmaidens must be weary.
HERU: Not my wife. We are bringing the lady Zuleikha to be the wife to the Pharaoh's general, the Lord Potiphar.
JUDAH: The lady Zuleikha—I have heard strange tales of her beauty—and her wisdom.
HERU: As to her beauty, it is past telling. As to her wisdom, it is past comprehension.
JUDAH: May we not set our eyes on her?
HERU: [Threateningly.] On thy life!
DAN: [Pointing to the wares set out.] Yet she would have liked to see these.
SIMEON: [Laughing.] Brother, thou speakest almost as if these were for sale.
HERU: Why else are they here?
SIMEON: These are the gifts we meant for our brother, Joseph—but Joseph is dead, and we rend our garments.
HERU: [Examining the wares.] Rich gifts. Joseph must have been very dear to you.
SIMEON. Alas! Who shall tell how we loved him?
ANI: [To HERU.] There will be some things here to gladden Zuleikha, my lord; and the others fit for the Pharaoh's treasury. ​Heru [To Simeon] Come now, shall we not barter? Here is gold——
Simeon. My lord is merry. Because we are very poor my lord would tempt us——
Heru. Here, then! Double.
Levi. [Anxiously—to Simeon] Simeon—!
Simeon [Angrily] Let me be!—Ho, brothers! Cover these wares from my lord's sight, lest he do us a wrong.
Heru. Here, then. Thrice the first offer.
Simeon. It is easy to see my lord is a stranger. [He catches the sight of Zuleika, who has moved the curtain of her basourah a very little and is peeping out] These spices alone—[He takes a handful and throws it into the air] mark how they scent the air!—This cloth of gold—see how it glitters!—Nay, one of these gems—how many lives were lost to win it!—It is worth twice what my lord offers for all. And I say nought of our dear brother's memory. Cover them! Cover them quickly.
Heru [Furious] Now, may a plague be upon you all. Keep your trumpery!
Levi. Lost! Lost!
Simeon [Watching the basourah] Silence!
Zuleika's Voice. Heru-Netch-Tef!
Heru [With his hands uplifted; the attitude of worship] Thy slave hears.
Zuleika's Voice. Buy all their wares at their own price.
Heru. Thou—come apart with me, and let us reason.
Simeon. Alas! my lord will get the advantage. In my lord's hands I am but an innocent babe.
Heru. The gods shield me from many such!
Joseph's Voice [From the pit in a sort of chant]
The Lord my God; the Almighty God,
He shall lift me out of the mire.
Judah [Starting] What is that?
Dan. It is Joseph! He is alive!
Issachar. If the strangers hear him—!
Joseph's Voice—
They digged a pit for me and cast me in,
But I shall arise and confound them,
For my God is the only God,
The gods of the strangers are stocks and stones:
But my God is Almighty!
Zuleika's Voice [Angrily] Who mocketh at my gods? Who singeth of a God that is greater than mine?
Ani [Who has come to the dried well and he is peering into it] There is one in the well—
Zuleika's Voice. Have him forth!
Ani. He standeth among serpents—
Zuleika's Voice. [As if fascinated] He standeth among the serpents?—Have him brought forth quickly!
SIMEON: [Dolefully.] I said that I was an innocent babe—!
HERU: Say thou hast made me a free gift!
SIMEON: 'Twere all but the truth. [He sees the slaves at the well and hurries to the brethren.] What now?
DAN: [Indicating the well.] Look! Joseph is alive!
SIMEON: [Furious.] Hath he seven lives?
GAD: Watch, Simeon!
SIMEON: [To GAD and ASHER; handing them some bags full of money.] Ye—bear these to Shechem! Run swiftly! Away!
[GAD and ASHER run off at the right towards the front with the bags.]
HERU: [Who has been to the well, turns to SIMEON as JOSEPH is brought to the edge.] Thou, what is this?
SIMEON: Brethren, rejoice! This is our brother, whom we mourned as dead!—O Joseph, is all truly well with thee?
JOSEPH: Away, false Simeon, that would'st have slain me!
SIMEON: [To HERU.] Hearken not unto him! He is a dreamer!
HERU: Silence! [To JOSEPH.] Thou, tell thy tale.
JOSEPH: Nay! Shall I tell the tales against the sons of my father?
ZULEIKA'S VOICE: Have ye drawn him forth?
HERU: Ay, lady.
ZULEIKHA'S VOICE: He mocketh at my gods. Strip him and slay him!
HERU: Well said! At least we shall have sport for our money.
Heru [To Judah] Hold thy peace! Ho, slaves, strip him!
Joseph [Calmly] Ye cannot slay me.
Heru. Can we not? [To a slave] Show him the knife.
Joseph. God will deliver me, for He is not a lying God as yours are——
Zuleika's Voice. Slay him!—I will wash my hands in his blood.
Heru [To slave] Make ready.
Judah. See how he faces them!
Levi [Veiling his face] I cannot look upon this.
Zuleika's Voice. Wait!—I would see!
Judah [Awed; pointing to her] Look! Look!
Zuleika. Now! [The slave raises the knife to plunge it into Joseph's throat. Joseph's eyes are turned on Zuleika. She cries] Stop!
Zuleika [To Joseph] What is thy name?
Joseph. Joseph.
Zuleika [Very musically, drawing out the syllables] Joh-seph. [To Heru] Lo! I sought a gift to bring to my lord Potiphar, and I found nought. Here is what ​I sought. Thou, buy this lad of his brothers, and I will give him to my lord to be his slave.
Joseph. I will be no man's slave!
Zuleika [Very tenderly] Hush!—Thou shalt be my lord's slave—and mine.
Judah [Hotly] The lad is restored to life. It is God's Hand. We cannot sell him.
Simeon. What! Shall he come home to tell Jacob?
Levi. Simeon saith well!
All. Sell him! Sell him!
Heru. He is not yours to sell, since ye would have slain him. [Contemptuously] Yet here be the twenty pieces of silver—[He tosses a bag at Simeon's feet] lest ye die of grief!
Simeon [Picking up the bag] Twenty pieces!—a poor price for a beloved brother.
Heru. Hah! [To slaves] Put his coat upon him.
Simeon [Quickly putting his foot on the coat] Nay, nay, my lord; leave us the coat for a reminder.
Heru [To slaves] Let the rag lie. Lead on!
Joseph [To his brothers] Ye have sold me into bondage for the twenty pieces of silver, but I tell you the day is at hand when ye shall come on your knees asking mercy.
Levi [Furious] The dreamer! Away with him!
Joseph. Ye shall come on your knees asking mercy! and I shall deliver you and set you in the high places.
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Judah. Now, Simeon, what tale shall we tell our father?
Simeon. None. Reuben shall tell the tale, and he shall tell what he thinks true. [He displays Joseph's coat; it is rent, and dabbled in blood] Lo, Joseph's coat! Let it lie here for Reuben to find. Shall he know I rent it, or that the blood is the blood of the lamb Joseph brought—which I have slain?
Levi. Are we to say nought, then?
Simeon. We know nought. We never saw Joseph. Mark that well—we never saw him. Let Reuben tell his own tale.
Issachar. How, then, did Joseph die?
Simeon. Are there no lions in Dothan?
SCENE III
JACOB'S TENT
PERSONS:
Jacob Asher Reuben Issachar Simeon Zebulun Levi Benjamin Judah A Camel Driver Dan Rachel Naphtali Bilhah Gad Zilpah A Water Bearer Minstrels, Singers and Dancers, Slaves, etc.
Scene 3—The Interior of Jacob's Tent in the Valley of Shechem
A vast vague space. At the back are curtains which can be drawn aside. In front a pile of rough cushions ​forms a sort of throne. Boughs of palms decorate the tent. Oil lamps hang from the roof, and torches are fixed to the poles of the tent. Jars stand about, from which presently the Slaves will pour wine into shallow cups for the guests. Great heaps of fruit—melons, grapes, pomegranates—are piled here and there for the guests to help themselves to. Rachel, Bilhah and Zilpah are busy putting the final touches to the decorations with the help of the other Handmaidens.
Rachel. Now the feast is ready.
Bilhah. My lord Jacob will be here anon.
Zilpah. Also his sons will come back from their sheepfolds.
Rachel. I have summoned the minstrels and dancers.
Bilhah. The sun set angrily.
Zilpah. Ho! Bilhah always foreseeth evil!
Rachel. There shall be no evil to-night, but mirth and music.
Jacob. God's peace rest upon us.
The Women. And upon my lord.
Jacob. Is there news of the brothers?
Rachel. Not yet, my lord.
Jacob. Hath not Joseph come back?
Rachel. I have not seen him.
Naphthali. Thy blessing, Father.
Jacob. How fare thy brothers?
Naphthali. All is well with them.
Jacob. And Joseph?
Naphthali. Here is a gift I bring for him.
​Judah. Father, thy blessing!
Jacob. Where is Joseph?
Judah. Where should he be, but safe in thy keeping?
Jacob. I sent him to see whether all was well with you.
Judah. All is well with us, and with the flocks.
Levi. Simeon bringeth great treasure he won from the strangers.
Jacob. But Joseph? Where is Joseph?
Gad. We bring gifts for the lad.
Dan. Bless us, O Father, at the day's end.
Jacob. Why came ye not with the others?
Dan. We stayed to see the flocks folded; for the heavens are overcast, and a storm cometh up from the north.
Bilhah. I saw the clouds rising, and I feared the storm.
Jacob. But why tarrieth Joseph?—And Reuben?—where is my first-born?
Levi. Perchance they are together.
Rachel. Ay! For I bade Joseph cling to Reuben.
Jacob. Ah! Well-remembered! My heart grew heavy!
Simeon. Bless me, O Israel!
Jacob [Rises] The wily Simeon! How fared the day?
Simeon. Oh, well! Oh, marvelous well! Gad and Asher bent under the burden of the riches I won for us.
Jacob. And Joseph? Where is he?
Simeon. I was about to ask thee; for I bring a gift——
RACHEL: [Who has been watching him keenly.] Son of Leah, where is my child?
SIMEON: Thou gavest him into Reuben's charge; ask Reuben.
[Meanwhile the stage has gradually filled with men and maidens, who stand shyly and awkwardly around the walls.]
LEVI: Behold, Father, the maids and men grow impatient.
JACOB: Can we begin without Reuben and Joseph?
LEVI: They will be here anon.
JACOB: Begin, then; but I am troubled.
[He takes his place on the throne. RACHEL sits by his side, on his right. BILHAH and ZILPAH stand behind him.]
[The minstrels [harp, shawm, psaltery, flutes, and drum.] group themselves on JACOB'S right, near the footlights.]
ISSACHAR: Ho! I am the master of the revels! Maids and men! Israel, the Soldier of God, taketh the high-seat. Sound, shawms and timbrels! Sound, songs of rejoicing! The dance! The dance!
[The center of the stage is cleared. While the dance is in progress, the SLAVES hand round the food and the drink to JACOB and his group, to the brothers, who stand together on the opposite side of the stage, and to the non-dancers. The non-dancers, not otherwise occupied, clap their hands rhythmically to the dance.]
[First, the men unwind from the crowd where they appear to have been standing in no particular ​order, and dance down, forming graceful figures, and singing as they dance.]
ISSACHAR: First come the camel drivers, with their song.
MEN: [Singing and dancing:] (Solo) Wide and waste is the wilderness; But God is great!— (Chorus) Ho! Press on! Press on! (Solo) The night falls; the moon ariseth; Lo! the voices of the desert wake! (Chorus) * . Ho! Press on! Press on! (Solo) Under the palm-trees, by the well, My love gazeth to greet me; She hearkeneth for the bells of my camels— (Chorus) Ho! Press on! Press on!
ZEBULUN: I hear the moan of the wind—the storm draweth near.
ISSACHAR: NOW the water bearers answer the men.
[The Maidens, each balancing a water-jar on her head, file out of the crowd and dance down.] ​ Maidens [Singing and dancing]—
(Solo)
I have braided my hair with the threads of gold:
Red gold in my ebony tresses—
Pink wanderer in the wilderness,
(Chorus)
Hither to me! To me!
(Solo)
I have hung great gems about my throat:
Onyx and beryl on my brown throat—
(Chorus)
Oh! Hither to me!
(Solo)
The eyes of my lover gleam through the night;
I hear the bells of his camels in haste—
(Chorus)
Ah! Hither! Hither to me!
Zebulun. The moan of the wind groweth fiercer.
Dan. The palm-trees whistle in its rage.
Issachar. Now the men and maidens meet in the dance of the betrothal.
[The men and the maidens face each other and as they sing the dance illustrates the song.]
Men. Thou art mine, beloved, I hold thee!
Maids. Hold me fast, lest I slip from thee!
Men. My hands are about thy neck!
Maids. I bow my neck and I am free!
Men. I clasp thee about the waist!
Maids. I turn, and I am as free as the air!
​Men. How long must I wait for thy love?
Maids. As Jacob waited for Rachel!
Jacob. As Jacob waited for Rachel!—
Issachar [Stopping the dancers.] Peace! Peace! Hear Israel speak!
Jacob—
For, lo! I stood by the well at mid-day,
And Rachel came thither with Laban's sheep;
And when I beheld her, I loved her.
I served Laban seven years for Rachel:
Seven years of my life I gave for Rachel:
And Laban gave me Leah to wife.
Leah was tender-eyed:
But Rachel was beautiful and well-favored,
And yet another seven years I served Laban for Rachel.
And Rachel was my wife, and I loved her.
But Rachel bare me no son.
Other sons I had, but my beloved was not their mother.
Then God remembered Rachel
And she bare a son and called his name Joseph.
And tonight, we are gathered to do him honor,
To do him honor whom I love with uttermost love,
For he is come to a man's estate. I made him a coat of many colors, To be for a sign of his dignity: Red for courage, and azure for wisdom, Green for prayer, and white for purity.
And all his brethren are here with their gifts;
And ye are here with your songs and dances—
But Joseph tarries— Joseph is in the storm— [He drops the harp, and stands with his extended arms.] Joseph! Joseph! My beloved! Where art thou?
Reuben. [Holding up the coat of many colors.] This have I found; know now whether it be thy son's coat or no!