e 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 thousa