The Little Girl Who Waters the Basil and the Inquisitive Prince
by Federico García Lorca c. 1930
CAST
Black (chorus)
Shoemaker
Page
Girl
Prince
Magician
Wise Men 1, 2, and 3
ACT ONE
BLACK: I sell stories, I sell tales! I’ll sell you a story... Once upon a time... once upon a time there was a poor Shoemaker, terribly poor, terribly, terribly poor.
SHOEMAKER: (singing, as the music comes up)
Shoemaker, aker, aker,
Shoemaker, aker, aker,
Shoemaker, aker, aker,
Stick the awl into the hole!
(repeat)BLACK: He lived right across from the palace of a rich Prince, a terribly rich, terribly, terribly rich Prince.... Prince, sir: would you mind coming out? ... We are doing the introductions!
(he knocks at the door of the palace)
PAGE: His Highness the Prince begs your pardon, but he cannot come out because he is making peepee.
SHOEMAKER AND BLACK: (as the music comes back) Ahem, ahem,
Shoemaker, aker, aker,
Shoemaker, aker, aker,
Shoemaker, aker, aker,
Stick the awl into the hole!
BLACK: We ought to explain that the Shoemaker sings with more gusto than anyone.
SHOEMAKER: Ah, my wife was the one who really could sing.
BLACK: We ought to explain that the Shoemaker is a widower.
SHOEMAKER: Going on four years.
BLACK: Oh, come Don Gaiferos, don’t keep opening your little box of sad memories!
SHOEMAKER: Well now at least they know that my name is Don Gaiferos.
BLACK: We ought to explain that the Shoemaker has a daughter.
SHOEMAKER: And her name is Irene Girly-Girl. But where is she?
BLACK: Irene! Are you coming out? Irene! (turning to the spectators) Children! Shall we all call her?
ALL: I-reen! I-reen!
IRENE: My eyes they are blue
and my little heart is bright
It’s as bright, as bright,
as bright as a flame of light.
BLACK: The introductions have now been made: the Shoemaker and his daughter Irene. And though our Prince couldn’t come out because he was making peepee, he too is introduced.... And now here comes the big thing.... A bright sunny morning, at the hour when a cock crowed and another cock crowed and another cock crowed and another and another...quite early, quite a bit early, the Girly-Girl came out to water her basil plant and the very same moment His Highness the Prince came out to take in the cool morning air.
(The GIRL appears and waters the basil plant. The PRINCE also looks out of the palace window)
IRENE: (singing and dancing as the music comes up)
Doing the vito, vito, vito,
doing the vito, vito, vee
I don’t want a soul to see
because that makes me so ... so embarassed!
Doing the vito, vito, vito,
doing the vito, vito, veePRICE: Girl! Girl who waters the plant,
how many leaves does your basil have?
IRENE: Oh! Well! Tell me, you nosy King,
how many stars has the sky?
(the GIRL leaves, and the PRINCE is left there forlorn)
PRINCE: How many stars has the sky? How many... how many stars? ...(calling out) Page, Page, Mr. Page, come here!
PAGE: You called for me, your Highness the Prince?
PRINCE: Hear me Page. The Girly-Girl has asked me how many stars has the sky and I didn’t know how to reply!
PAGE: How many stars has the sky ...? Well, I certainly don’t know!
PRINCE: What can I do? I have been made fun of! Page, what can I do?
PAGE: What you can do, Your Highness the Prince, is disguise yourself as a peddler of grapes.
PRINCE: A peddler of grapes?
PAGE: Yes, because that way you’d be able to talk with the Girly-Girl.
PRINCE: Ah, good! Very good! That’s what I’ll do! (he leaves)
PRINCE: (comes in disguised as a peddler of grapes)
Grapes, little grapes!
I swap little grapes for kisses
with dark-haired little misses.
IRENE: Just how do you swap grapes for kisses?
PRINCE: A little bunch, a little kiss. Another bunch, another kiss.
IRENE: Give me two -- one for my father, who is crazy about grapes, and another bunch for me.
PRINCE: Two little bunches... two little kisses! (The PRINCE gives her two bunches of grapes, and the GIRL gives him two kisses) Adios, Girl! Adios! (he goes off singing) Grapes, fine little grapes!
BLACK: ... The next day, at the hour when one cock crows and then another cock crows and another and another, Girly-Girl went to the window to water the basil and at the very same moment His Highness the Prince came out for a sniff of the morning breeze. (exit)
PRINCE: Oh, here comes the girl who waters the basil.
IRENE (singing and dancing)
With the vito, vito, vito,
with the vito, vito, vee.
PRINCE: Girly-Girl! Girly-Girl!
you who water the plant, how many leaves does your basil have?
IRENE: My nosy Prince,
How many stars has the sky?
PRINCE: Girly-Girl...
Yoo hoo! Remember the kisses you gave the Peddler of grapes?
IRENE: You! Oh! Booohoooohooo! (She goes off crying comically)
BLACK: ...Next morning at the hour when one cock crowed and then another cock crowed and another and another..., our Highness the Prince went to his window. (exit)
PRINCE: Girly-Girl, you who water the plant
how many leaves does your basil have?
Won’t you come out, girl?
(turning to the spectators) Children! Shall we all call her?ALL: I-reen! I-reen!
SHOEMAKER: The Girl won’t come out because she’s insulted by what the Grape Peddler said.
Prince: (somber music)
She won’t come out?!
Oh, why am I wounded by love?
Wounded by love, wounded!
Wounded and ...dying of love.
BLACK: And so, our prince His Highness grew sick with melancholy. (exit)
PRINCE: Ah, from love I come wounded so badly, badly,
wounded by love, Wounded,
wounded and dying of love!
PAGE: Don’t let it worry you, your Highness the Prince. (crying comically)
PRINCE: (who also cries comically) : Oh what a burden it is
to love you as I love you!
For love of you I am hurt
by the air, my heart, and my ...hat!
(slow curtain)
ACT TWO (a hall in the palace)
BLACK: I sell stories! ...I sell stories! ... I sell stories! ... His Highness our Prince fell sick in love for the girl Irene. And I called for a meeting of Wise Men to consult on this matter.
WISE MAN 1: Ah... It's very bad. It grows worse every day.
WISE MAN 2: He looks like he’s got the Black Pain! He’s dying on us, he's dying of melancholy.
WISE MAN 3: Have you heard that a great magician has just arrived in our kingdom with a hat full of stars, and a cure for the sickness of love.
WISE MAN 2: He should be able to cure His Highness our Prince!
WISE MAN 1: That's it! Let us summon him to the palace!
(slow curtain as the wise men dance to the Vito vito music)
THIRD ACT (a courtyard in the palace)
MAGICIAN: (It is the girl Irene who comes disguised as a magician in a black cloak and a hat in the shape of a cone bordered with silver stars and a big cape. On the stage is the tree of the sun and the tree of the moon.)
I come with a cure for the sickness of love and other magical potions! ... Those made ill by melancholy and the moon, come to me! I am the magician of happiness, for I carry the trumpet of laughter!
PRINCE: Magician, Magician, will you be able to cure me?
MAGICIAN: By laurel branches and by the ribbon of Saint Agnes, may your illness be cured and disappear down the little black well of pain!
... And so that you’re cured of everything totally, get married to Girly-Girl!
PRINCE: With Girly-Girl?
MAGICIAN: Yes, with ...Irene. (She takes off her mask)
PRINCE: Oh! Irene! Then, then will come honey! ... and moons!
MAGICIAN: O my inquisitive Prince! (they hug)
PRINCE: Irene! Irene! Oh Irene, You’d really like to marry me?
IRENE: Yes, my inquisitive Prince!
PRINCE: From now on we shall live with the imp of joy in our hearts!
PRINCE and IRENE: (singing together as the music comes up, a waltz)
Girl, girl, who waters the basil,
how many leaves has your plant?
IRENE: Will your show me each morning the little cock that sings about everything?
PRINCE: Ummhmm, and, I’ll teach you where the heart’s tiny imp dwells.
IRENE: Ohhhhhhh!
PRINCE: Yes, he dwells under the pillow of the child who is pure.
IRENE: Pure?
PRINCE: Yes, pure as the wild things that grow in the salad days of the soul!
PRINCE and IRENE: Girl, girl, who waters your plant,
how many leaves does your basil plant have?
Girl, girl, you who waters your basil,
how many leaves does it have?
Girl, girl, who waters your plant,
how many leaves does your basil plant have?
Girl, girl, you who waters your basil,
how many leaves does it have?
(The actors all appear and sing the song together. One can’t tell if the sun or the moon shines more brightly. The curtain falls slowly)