Act II
Scene I
The last of the First Act repeated; but the distance now presents a richly cultivated country.—The bramble is grown into a lofty tree, and all that remains of Rip’s gun is its rusty barrel, which is at the foot of the tree.
Bird Music.—Rip discovered extended on the ground, asleep; his hair grey, and beard grown to an unusual length.—The hour of the scene is gray dawn and birds from sky and hill are chirping.133
Rip.
[Speaking in his sleep.] Mother Van Winkle! [Dame]134 Van Winkle! what are you arter? Don’t be always badgering; will you never allow poor Rip a moment’s quiet? Curse it! don’t throw de hot water about so, you’ll scald one’s eyes, and so you will, and no mistake; and so you have. [He awakens in sudden emotion.] Eh! by dunder! what’s all dis,—where am I—in the name of goodness where am I? [Gazing around.] On the Catskill Mountains, by all that’s miraculous! Egad! my rib will play the very devil with me for stopping out all night. There will be a fine peal sounded when I get home. [Rises.]135 How confoundedly stiff and sore my joints do feel; surely I must have been sleeping for a pretty long time! Asleep! [no;]136 I was awake and enjoying myself with as jolly a rum set of codgers as ever helped to toom out a keg of Hollands. I danced, and egad, drank with them, till I was pretty blue, and dat’s no mistake;—but confound it, they shouldn’t have caught me napping, for ’tis plain they have taken themselves off [like an unceremonious pack of—pack of—give an eye tooth to know who they were.137 [Looking around.] Where is my gun? I left it on a little bush. [On examining he finds the rusty barrel of his gun.] Hillo! [come up, here’s a grab!]138 the unmannerly set of sharpers! stolen one of the best fowling-pieces that ever made a crack; and left this [worthless,]139 rusty barrel, by way of exchange! What will Dame Van Winkle say to this! By the hookey! but she’ll comb my hair finely! Now, I went to sleep beneath that hickory;—’twas a mere bush. Can I be dreaming still? Is there any one who will be [good]140 enough to tell me whether it is so or not? Be blowed if I can make head or tail [o’nt.]141 One course only now remains,—to pluck up resolution, go back to Dame Van Winkle, and by dunder! she’ll soon let me know whether I’m awake or not!142
[Music.—Exit.
Footnotes
In K., the scene opens thus:
Spirit of the Mountain. [Speaks.]
Wake, sleeper, wake, rouse from thy slumbers.
The rosy cheeked dawn is beginning to break,
The dream-spell no longer thy spirit encumbers.
Gone is its power, then wake, sleeper, wake.
The Spirits of Night can no longer enchain thee,
The breeze of the morn now is striving to shake
Sweet dewdrops like gems from the copsewood and forest tree.
All nature is smiling, then wake, sleeper, wake.
Tableau.—They disappear as the clouds gradually pass away and a full burst of bright sunshine illumines the scene.]
Notes
133 The Aerial Spirits in Tableau.—Dance of the Spirits to the gleams of the rising sun.—Tableau.
134 “Frau” in K.
135 In K., stage direction reads,“Rises with difficulty.” All through this speech in K., the dialect is pronounced.
136 “nein” in K.
137 Not in K.
138 In K., “donner unt blitzen.”
139 Not in K.
140 “goot” in K.
141 In K., “of him.”
142 In K., speech ends, [Moves painfully.] “My legs do seem as if they vould not come after me.”