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_ EMPEROR _and_ FOUNT-IN-THE-FOREST, _the little_ EMPEROR _of Nanking,--a child of seven or eight years, who enters playing with a shuttlecock in the Chinese fashion, with graceful movements. Some Royal nurses follow him, two serving-men remain at the back._

FIRST NURSE [_trying to take the shuttlecock away_]

Sire, take care not to overheat yourself.

Child. No! no! give it back to me; I want to play some more.

SECOND NURSE [_Respectfully approaching the_ TARTAR EMPEROR]

Sir, no one is permitted to remain in the presence of our Majesty, the young Emperor.

Emperor. It is he!

[_The shuttlecock with which the little_ EMPEROR _of Nanking is playing falls on the knees of the big_ EMPEROR, _who takes it in his hands._]

CHILD [_To the_ Second Nurse]

Leave him there, I want him to stay. You see that he is ill.

[_To the_ EMPEROR]

Why are you so pale? Are you ill?

Emperor. No, Sire! It is emotion which has made me pale.

Child. What about?

Emperor. At seeing you, perhaps.

Child. That is queer. Do you think I play shuttlecock so well?

Emperor. With infinite grace.

Child. Soon, during the ceremony, I shall have to be perfectly quiet. So I am running about now, to have more patience later----Do you understand?

Emperor. [_Handing the child the shuttlecock_]

Do you wish to go on with your game?

Child. No! keep it as a gift from me to your son.

Emperor. I have no son.

Child. Oh, how sad that is! Very well then, keep it just the same, in memory of a child who has no father.

Emperor. [_Detaching a jewel from his girdle_]

Thank you! Take this in exchange as a remembrance from a man whose greatest desire is to have you for his son.

Child. Oh! thank you----

FIRST NURSE

Sire, it is time----

Child. It is a little dragon--an Imperial Dragon! I recognise it! But how do you come to have it? You have not the right to wear it! Do not be afraid, I will tell nobody. Good-bye till next time.

Emperor. Till next time!

[_The child runs away, followed by his nurses. The_ EMPEROR _gases after him until he is out of sight._]

Monologues from this play