Play on Words

full length · drama

The Daughter of Heaven

by Pierre Loti · translated by Ruth Helen Davis

32 roles (0M / 0F / 32 any) · approx 169–233 minutes · 1 acts

Royalty-free Public domain — free to read, perform, and adapt. No licence needed.

Characters

Empress lead 131 speeches
Emperor lead 95 speeches
Faithful Prince supporting 69 speeches
Fount supporting 48 speeches
Arrow-Bearer minor 21 speeches
Tartar General minor 20 speeches
Golden Lotus minor 16 speeches
Winged Prince minor 15 speeches
Tranquil Beauty minor 14 speeches
Pearl minor 12 speeches
Child minor 8 speeches
Fir-Sapling minor 7 speeches
All minor 7 speeches
Humpback minor 6 speeches
Cinnamon minor 6 speeches
Astrologer minor 6 speeches
The Child minor 6 speeches
Veiled-Light minor 5 speeches
Rock minor 4 speeches
Strong-Arm minor 4 speeches
Second Spy minor 4 speeches
The Grand Mistress minor 3 speeches
Poplar minor 3 speeches
Officer minor 3 speeches
First Spy minor 3 speeches
Wan-Tsi minor 3 speeches
Watchman minor 3 speeches
Second Woman minor 3 speeches
The Crowd minor 3 speeches
Third Officer minor 3 speeches
Fourth Officer minor 3 speeches
Second Tableau minor 2 speeches

Read the play

_The same_. THE CHILD _with his_ NURSES _and_ GUARDS.

THE CHILD [_Running to his mother and kneeling before her_]

Here I am, mother.

Empress. Ah! [_She arises and embraces him._] Now I can control myself to listen----Speak!

Arrow-Bearer. Divine Sovereign, two Tartar spies entered the palace with the monstrous design of kidnapping our young Emperor. Like tigers they lay in wait, hidden in the bushes. They came out all unawares and dared to lay a hand on the sacred person of your son.

The Child. Mother they threw a cloth over my head and tightened it round my throat.

Empress. Oh!

The Child. I could not cry out, but I struggled hard. Oh! I am very strong, I am----

Arrow-Bearer. We were on guard. The nurses with cries of horror called for our aid. We ran to them and seized the criminals.

Empress. Ah, you have them? Let them be brought here at once.

[ARROW-BEARER _rises and goes out. The_ EMPRESS _seats herself again._]

Winged Prince. Their trial will not take long.

Faithful Prince. Heaven was watching over its young son and saved him.

All. Ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years.

Monologues from this play