the rock - a pageant play - t.s. eliot

8/13/2019 The Rock - A Pageant Play - T.S. Eliot

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THE ROCKA PAGEANT PLAYWRITTEN FOR PERFORMANCE

AT SADLER s WELLS THEATRE28 MAY JUNE 1934

ON BEHALF OF THEl ORTY-FIVE CHURCHES FUND

OF THE DIOCESE OFLONDON

BOOK OF WORDS BYT. S ELIOT

n

LONDONl:A BER F BER LIMITED

24 RUSSELL SQUARE


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99; ; 6FIRST PUBLISHED IN MAY MCMXXXIV

BY FABER AND FABER LIMITED4 RUSSELL SQUARE LONDON W.C.I

PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAINBY LATIMER TREND AND CO PLYMOUTH

ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDPREFA TOR Y NOTE

AlliiN C()nsider myself the author of the play , butnly of the words which arc printed here. The scenario,'Jl ' ' ' iug some historical scenes suggested by the Rev.

Webb-Odell, is by Mr. E. Martin Browne, under whosecinn I wrote the choruses and dialogues, and submissivehose ex pert cnticism I rewrote much of them. O fonlyent am I literally the author: for this scene and of1 1 f l l ~ the sentiments expressed in the choruses I must

t n t ~ d1l responsibility.lahould like to make grateful acknowledgment of thehonuion of Dr. Martin Shaw, who composed the

k. .l u Mr. P. V. Morley I am indebted for one speechwhi h tlchnical knowledge ofbricklaying was required;M11 i ,, Bnnamy Dobrec for correcting the diction of helfopl n Wren scene; co Mr. W. F. Cachemaille-Dayforrmnriu11 concerning the relations ofarchitects, contrac

' ' r c m e n . The Rev. Vincent Howson has so com-ly lt',writtcn, amplified and condensed the dialogueCtt hitusclf ( Bert ) and his mates, that he deserves

uclc ofJomc author. T. S. E.


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PART IIIi i rill opcu place, wit an irregular rocky ill in

ltMir J hc CHORus, seven male and ten female figures,. They speak as the voice o the Ch11rclt o1\;lglc sn.trs in the summit ofHeaven,I lttllh'r' with his dogs pursues his circuit.JH tpctrr.d revolution of configured stars,

Jlt I J lC I r;d recurrence of determined seasons,wlcl c,(spling and autumn, birth and dyingC IHibs cycle of idea and action,irrvcntion, endless experiment,kunwlcdgc ofmotion, but not of stillness;ledge of speech, but not of silence;

w l l : : d ~ c nf' words, and ignorance of the Word1111 k11nwkdge brings us nearer to our ignorance,ur ig11nr.tnrc brings us nearer to death,

o i i I I C S ~ en death no nearer to Gooi5 du). i f ~ we have lost in living?is he wisdom we have lost n knowledge?S knowledge we have lost in n f o r m a t i o n ~lcs of Hc;tven n twenty centuries

u drcr from Goo and nearer to the Dust.ro London, to the timekept City,IC.ivt:r flows, with foreign flotations.

I was cold: we have too many churches,uu fi W drnp-houses. There I was told

vic.anJ rer irt:. Men do not need the Church


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8 T HE ROCK PA UIn the place where they work, but where they s p e n ~their Sundays.In the City, we need no bells:Let them waken the suburbs.I journeyed to the suburbs, and there I was told:We toil for six days, on the seventh we must motorTo Hindhead, or Maidenhead.If he weather is foul we stay at home and read the papersIn industrial districts, there I was toldOf economic laws.In the pleasant countryside, there it seemedThat the country now is only fit for picnics.And the Church does not seem to be wantedIn country or in suburb; and in the townOnly for important weddings.CHORUS LEADER.Silence and preserve respectful distance.For I perceive approachil1gThe Rock. Who will perhaps answer our doubtings.The Rock. The Watcher. The Stranger.He who has seen what has happenedAnd who sees what is to happen.The Witness. The Critic. The Stranger.The God-shaken, in whom is the truth inborn.

Ettter the RocK1 led by aBoYTnll RocK.The lot of man is ceaseless labour,Or ceaseless idleness, which is still harder,Or irregular labour, which is not pleasant.I have trodden the winepress alone, and I knowThat it is hard to be r e a l l ~ useful, resigningThe things that men count for happiness, seekingThe good deeds that lead to obscurity, accepting

THE ROCKhh cqu.d f.1ce those that bring ignominy,

11ppl.11t\C of all or the love of none.IIIC: II n n ~ ready to invest their moneyII IOSI l ~ J o : ) l l C t dividends.

h l ) ou: ~ f k e perfect your willt.tkc no diought of the harvest,cmly o proper sowing.wotlcl turns and the world changes,uc thing docs not change.II of 111y Yl'ars, one thing docs not change.r you disguise it, this thing does not change:J< tpcru:tl struggle of Good and Evil.htl )'1111 neglect your shrines and churches;l l l t l l you arc in these times deride

ltrlS done of good, you ftnd explanationsl l ~ y t l 1 ~ t.IC onal and enlightened mind.1d , ') 111 ttlgkct and belittle the desert.lt \l 1 not remote in southern tropics,lt''ICII i not only around the corner,lcc 1 is ~ q u c c z c d in the tube-train next to you,d likl' tooth-paste in the tube-train next to you,

11 i 111 rhc heart of your brother.nd 111.111 is the builder, if he build what is good.how yo11 the things that arc now being done,IIH Jf rite thmgs that were long ago done,

11 11111y take heart. Make perfect your will.how y


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10 THE ROCKAnd lime for new mortarWhere t te bricks are fallenWe will build with new stoneWhere the beams are rottenWe will build with new timbersWhere the word is unspokenWe will build with new speechThere is work togetherA Church for allAnd a job for each

Every man to his work.Now agroup o WORKMEN is silhouetted agaitlst the dimFrom farther atvay, they are answered by voices o theEMPLOYED.

No man has hired usWith pocketed handsAnd lowered facesWe stmtd about in open placesAnd shiver itt unlit rooms.Only the wind movesOver empty fields, untilledWhere the plough rests, at an angleTo the furrow. In this landThere shall be one cigarette to two men,To two womm one halfpint ofbitter

Ale. In this la11dNo matt has hired tiSOur life is unwelcome, our deathUnmentioned in The Times .Chant ofWoRKMEN again.

The river flows, the seasons tum,The sparrow and starlir1g have tlo time to waste.Ifmen do not build

THE ROCK/m/1 th< y live?the jil lcl is tilled

'"r u:lwat is bread/w/1 11111 die itt a shortened bedr 111/H'clll' sheet. In this street

0U.. Il

Is tw l r r . ~ i m t i n g , no movement, 110 peace and tlo endl lithc111t speech, food withotJt taste.ddft y, without haste11hllwift t te beginnit1g and the end o his street.hi tltc llll'lllling:m alljc l pr cwh

' ' ' Ia tis work.llf rmuing up and discover a small group o modem

t l ~ g i n g and building foundations.I' ldu)i>mnan, singing].

.11ul a spade, a spade,1 8hrnudlllg-shcctlllili dtl Old Vic once.l'irne 1o pack up, Bert.

11 1 , Yuu'n always wantin' to pack up, you arc.In r l u ~ runrnin', and time you've ad your little' ynu'vt ad your blow, you wants to knock

h i ~ \rc is a church you're workin' on, notI C


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4 THE ROCK P RTYou polish the tooth of the dog and the talon of he tWhy should men love the Church? Why should tllove her laws?She tells them of Life and Death, and of all that t

would forget.She is tender where they would be hard, and hard wthey like to be soft.She tells themofEvil and Sin, and other unpleasant :They constantly try to escapeFrom the darkness outside and withinBy dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will 1

to be good.But the man that is will shadowThe man that pretends to be.And the Son of Man was not crucified once for allThe blood of the martyrs not shed once for all,The lives of the Saints not given once for all:But the Son ofMan is crucified always

nd there shall be Martyrs and Saints.And if blood of Martyrs is to flow on the stepsWe must first build the steps;And if the Temple is to be cast downWe must first build the Temple.But come, let us not lose hope in the world, prenntThe world s not quite given up to diplomacy,Combinations and finding of formulas.There are always the young, the devoted,The enthusiasts, breakers of fetters.And some such I now see approachingWith aloft their gay banner of sunrise.

Etttcr REDSinRTS in military formation.0 you who thus intrude upon a house of s0 iYour looks are horrid, but your heartsno doubt 111

THE ROCKyou some succour for our failing strength?u some light to lead our faltering steps?

r ~ u u u m on backward time, abysmal future,oppression and within betrayal,beg some word of comfort and assurance.IIRTS in unison, with military gestures].ttrsewind on the steppes

ill the heart o he factory workeraitd thousattds o teppesand millions o workersall workittgcities alllovittgott the steppeshas risen by twenty point six per centlcmgz at God)

s1 chirpingyou, deceivers o he people

is no help here.tar young, with fairly intelligent faces.aviour of Man, preserve us

thl: Saviour of Man,who destroys Man in Men.now, approaching from our right?l us?

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44 THE ROCKThe right of some is the left ofothers,The right of some is the wrong of others,It is best to suspend judgment.Et1ter BtACKSHlRTS, itt military formation.BLACKSIDRTS fsalHting]. HailWe come as a boott and a blessing to all,Though we'd rather appear in the Albert Hall.011r methods are tlew in this land of he freeWe make the deaf hear and we make the blind see.We're law-keeping fellows who make our own lawsAnd we welcome SUBSCRlPTIONS IN AID OF THE CAUS J:

Hold out collectiotz tins.MALE CHORUS.Friends, kindly solve the riddles in your speech:Arc you obedient to the Law ofGODArc you with d1ose who reverence the TemplcPBtACKSHIRTS.Your vesture, your gesture, your speech and your fanProclaim your extraction from Jewish race.We have our own prophets, who're ready to speakFor a week and a day and a day and a week.This being the case, we must firmly refuseTo descend to palaver with anthropoid Jews.CHORUS.There seems no hope from chose who march inWe have no help from those with new evangels.Is there yet hope from those who hold the worllFrom those who have the glory and the pown rAnd here comes one who has a noble seeming,Experienced, wise, a man of balanced judgm ntAnd him will we accost.

THE ROCK 45PLUTOCRAT. During this and the following speech other

FLASH LADIES, GUNMEN and other shady andindividualists getting lower and lower in class, enter,stage is pretty full. s he enters, BtACKSIDRTS hold outand he drops a penny in each.if strange you are, for yet I clUnka sad acquaintance with your face.you among the loyal to the Faith?you among the children of the Church,red for sacrifice and suffering?

:RAT [very suavely].nt assure you, first ofalla great respect for Mother Church.rlu.: bulwark of society,rl'ilt maintainer of stability.

rcmonies, too, arc very fine.irnpressive, most impressive.urch and State and Liberty I stand.t reassure you on this point,lwrwisc you fail to understandmg criticisms that I makeinspired by the wish to help you.me very much to have to say this- say, n humble charity,rch is most oppressive to the poor.

Cheers from RliDSHIRTSt I am qualified to speak,hccn active n philanthropy;an who makes a million poundsnt least a million pounds of good.men arc grossly overpaid;xtortionate n rents and tithes;

Cheers from BtACKSIDRTS


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III

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46 THE ROCKAnd then the Ecclesiastical CommissionMight be reformed. These seem small points, I ktBut there's one grievance that must be put rightAnd one that I have suffered from myself-You must make some concessions towards divorC1Cheers from ALL

Though, mind you, I don' t want divorce made hThat cheapens marriage. Yet, when all is said,I think the Church an excellent institution.You don't mind such frank speaking, do you nowFrom one who has so much goodwill as ICHORUS.There is no help in parties, none in interests,There is no help in those whose souls are chok tl

swaddledIn the old winding sheets of place and powerOr the new winding sheets of mass-made thought0 world forget your glories and your quarrels,Forget your groups and your misplaced ambition,,We speak to you as individual men;As individuals alone with GoD.Alone with GoD, you first learn brod1erhood with

CROWD grumbles and mutters, rising to a sulletlmatzifests disapproval.PLUTOCRAT [in a conciliatory mam1er].I have here an alternative to offer,Hoping it will commend itself to all.For after all, we're all at heart agreed;The things we want are really all the same.So why not try to find a o r m u l ~And I, who am the soul of moderation,And earnest spirit of conciliation,

1 THE ROCK 47been exploring every avenuefind the terms on which we can agree.all, I know, have various interests,there's the Church to be considered too.I have had a little image cast,I must say, you'll find it very neat,

I m sure that all of you will like.Gold, but its real name is PoWER.it back, FLUNKEYS bearing the GOLDEN CALF. ALL

nroariously and kneelfor a moment. h e ~ ~ rise and begin,md shove and pursfJe the image across stage Fall towith each other indiscrimitJately. The calf is dis-Exermt in ttmJUlt.Jade. In t te dimness ETHELBERT s voice is heard.

IIHRT 0 Gawd 0 Gawd Ain' t we got everythittkua tryin' to get this church built 0 Lord, help usthe RocK is observed standing brooding on tlze

suffer, I have suffered before,IIways, even to the end of the world.

lijlring change, does the bird's wing change,t fly altersince the amber-time, the oldIlK always the Church and the Worldkart of Mannnd fluttering between them, choosing andIIU IJil:, dark and full of light

Hell Gate and Heaven Gate.


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48 THE ROCKAnd the Gates of Hell shall not prevail.Darkness now thenLight.Light.

END OF P RT IP RT II

beginning Goo created the world. Waste andvoid. Waste and void. And darkness was upon thef ce of the deep.when there were men in their various ways theyuuggled in torment towards Gooand vainly for man is a vain thing and man

Goo is a seed upon the wind: driven tllisand that and finding no place of lodgementgermination.fi llowed th light and the shadow and the lightthem forward to light and th shadow led themdarknessing snakes or trees worsllipping devils rathernothing: crying for life beyond life for ecstasyof the flesh.

nd void. Waste and void. And darkness on theof the deep.Spirit moved upon th face of the water.who turned towards the light and were knownlightthe Higher Religions; and the Higher Religionsgoodcn from light to light to knowledge ofGoodEvil

light was ever surrounded and shot with dark-


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52 THE ROCK PARITHE RocK.0 faint-hearted and easily unsettled and easily lostIn the blinding movement of time sinking and bonHaway;Remember all you who are numbered for GooIn every moment of time you live where two worldcrossIn every moment you live at a point of intersectionRemember living in time you must live also now iuEternity.CHORUS LEADER.Not for ourselves we mourn Rock but for the un

bornWe hear the wailing ofsouls that are not yet conceived

of parents and grandparents still to be born.THE R ocK.These also may lament the future as you now lament.But with them too shall I stand with them in due scas011.CHORUS LEADER.But is there no hope for them beyond what our eye\have beheld?THE RocK.I have said take no thought of the harvest but only olproper sowing.CHORUS LEADER.Your words arc hard 0 Rock and ofbitter consolati011THE RocK.Did HE promise the peace of this world to the childrc1i.

of light?

n THE ROCK . 53But come you must put your tl10ughts once more tothis season of sowingSo with much pain shall you sec Eternity crossing thecurrent of time.I send you now one who accomplished much in a time

of drought and desolation:Blom.field Bishop of LondonBuilder of many churches;One who was usually rightAnd never intimidated never disheartened;Displaying equal justiceIn tl1e time of the great-grandfathers

f those who arc here sitting silent;Blom.field who built in a time which was no better timethan this.

Ro cK is no longr seet1. BLOMFIELD enters briskly.CHORUS LEADER.Blomficld Bishop ofLondonDo you bring us any encouragement?Seeing that the times are evilO f many theories and of evil practiceWhen the great sit helpless in their scatsAnd the humble stand helpless at comers.BLOMFIBLD. I think that you arc needlessly despondent

ut the prospects of the Church in this time and in thisdiocese. When I came to London I found a situation ofsmaller compass it is true but fully as unhopeful asthat of to-day.CHORUSLEADER. Your words are hard to believe though

do not dispute you.BLOMFIE LD. They are true. The upper classes were in -and pagan in their behaviour; the middle classes

complacent and self-righteous in their behaviour;


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s THE ROCK P RTremember that the results were botched by the ordinarydeadly sins of ordinary men like the mass of men livingto-day. And so I leave you.

E: dt.CHORUS.0 Father, we welcome your words,And we will take heart for the future,Remembering the past.The heathen arc come into thine inheritance,And thy temple have they defiled.Who is this that cometh from Edom?He has trodden the wine-press alone.There came onewho spoke of the shame of erusalemAnd the holy places defiled;Peter the Hermit, scourging with words.And among his hearers were a few good men,Many who were evil,And most who were neither.Like all men in all places,Some went from love of glory,Some went who were restless and curious,Some were rapacious and lustful .Many left tl1eir bodies to the kites of SyriaOr sea-strewn along the routes;Many left their souls in Syria,Living on, sunken in moral corruption;Many came back well broken,Diseased and beggared, findingA stranger at the door in possession:

T n THE ROCK 57Came home cracked by the sun of the EastAnd the seven deadly sins in Syria.But our King did well at Acre.And in spite of all the dishonour,The broken standards, the broken lives,The broken faith in one place or another,There was something left that was more than the talesOf old men on winter evenings.Only the faith could have done what was good of it,W11ole &ith of a few,Part faith of many.Not avarice, lechery, treachery,Envy, sloth, gluttony, jealousy, pride:It was not these that made the Crusades,But these that unmade them.Remember the faith that took men from homeAt the call ofa wandering preacher.Our age is an age of moderate virtueAnd ofmoderate viceWhen men will not lay down the Cross

c u s e they will never assume it.Yet nothing is impossible, nothing,To men offaith and conviction.Let_us therefore make perfect our will0 Goo, help usThe curtains close. Enter ittfront of hem aYoUNGMAN of hetime ofRiclzard Cret tr de Lion who is aboHt to take the Cross.He is followed by his sweetheart.

YouNGWoMAN Ralph Ralph before it is too late,before you take the Cross. 0 please consider again. Therearc so many who want to go, so many with nothing tokeep them at home Why should you, of all men, beamong the first to go?


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86 THE ROCK


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THB RocK NOW ST PETERYou speak of your church. You have spoken well.But we who behold the glory of the LORDWith the face unveiled we are transformed made ewInto the same image from glory to gloryAs it were to the Spirit of the LORD.And where we dwell d1ere is no Temple. For the LOIHIGoD the Almighty and the LambThey are the Temple. And the lamp thereof s the L:l nlAnd there with us is night no more but onlyLightLightLight of the Light.

TIIB ROCK reveals the BISHOP who gives theENEDICTION

LL standfor this and then sing together.ill done and undoneLondon so fairWe will build LondonBright in dark airWith new bricks and mortarBeside the Thames bordQueen oflsland and WaterA House of Our Lord.

A Church for us all and work for us all antiworld for us all even unto t is last.THE END

the rock - a pageant play - t.s. eliot

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