the grain of wheat

 

 

play by Ruth Salles

This is a free version of the eponymous play by Elisabeth Klein, which is part of her book “Mutter Erde-Korn und Brot”. It is the story of the grain of wheat and of all those who help to make it grow. The play does not contain music, but Ruth Salles wrote melodies for two poems in the book, which can be sung, one at the beginning and the other at the end of the play, the teacher having the option of including them or not. The characters detach themselves from the chorus and return to it when they finish their lines.

CHARACTERS:
Choir / Grains of wheat / Farmers / Horses / Worms / Cows and Oxen / Plows / Rollers / Harrows / Field / Moon / Raindrops / Wind / Sun / Larks / Boy.

 

ALL CHORUS (sings):
“The rain comes down
and it spills,
and the stem grows
and the flower and the grass
Oh...
the wind passes,
the flowers bolem,
already flutters
the pollen laurel.
Oh...
how it twinkles
your golden tone
in the daylight
sunny!"

WHEAT GRAINS:
- I am a little grain and I slept peacefully,
until I heard a call from God:
“To the men who live their life on earth
give the food that your body contains.”
And here I am alone, and it was from heaven that I came.
The earth is so hard and difficult for me...
But if it was ordered, I would gladly do it.

CHOIR:
– O grain, you will never be alone.
We'll be your helpers, little grain.
Big and small, we will always help.

FARMERS:
– We are farmers, we have a lot of strength.
Working the field, we will help.
Deep in the earth we pull the plow,
and by the horse we are helped.

HORSES (with rhythm, perhaps jumping):
— Seeing the work of the good farmer,
I give you my calm and I give you my strength.
Very firm my chest, very strong the neck,
pulling the plow your furrows I plot.
I am a son from afar, from the wild steppe,
of the land where the wind travels through the pasture.
And here, when I drag this heavy load,
on earth straining my tired body,
to man I serve, and then I abandon myself
free gallop without brakes, without owner.

CHOIR:
– At the bottom of the earth it is still dark.
Who will give her some fresh air?

Worms (walking in a wavy fashion):
- That's what they do all their lives.
the faithful worms, so hardworking;
for if the sun shines or if the rain rains,
who walks the earth and the earth revolves?

CHOIR:
– Of the animals of the earth, the earth wants two more.
Who gives your help?

COWS AND OXES (speaking slowly):
– Cows and oxen!…
We are quiet, we eat grass
and, to those who come close, we say thus:
“Moo!” We will give good milk to the farmers
and with our dung we will fertilize the earth.

FARMERS:
– We have big and strong hands, little grain,
but we can't handle it all alone.
We ask for help and together we call
Every tool we manufacture:
“Let the roller, the harrow, the plow come,
and carry on what has been started!”

PLOWS (with suggestive gestures):
– I'm tearing the field in very deep furrows;
I turn the earth from the bottom up.
And these long grooves show the way
where new lives are born softly.
What a scent the well-plowed land has!
How the farmer is encouraged!

ROLLS (they are dragging their feet strongly):
– Lumps I break, break up and undo.
I squeeze and disperse the hardest piece.
May the earth become thin and delicate,
for soon the seed will be sown there.
I do my duty diligently.
Come to daylight, O dear grain!

GRIDS (fork gestures, with hands and fingers):
– The tips of the teeth I iron in the earth.
I look like a beast, but I work so hard!
If I scratch and wash, the field is thin.
So that the little grain can penetrate,
very soft soil I must prepare.

FIELD (two or three students):
– I gladly accept to be torn apart,
by the plow and the roller and the harrow be passed.
Turn me well! I can already feel the air and the wind!
The little grain can sleep a long time.
- Come soon, friend! In the morning land,
your bed is already prepared.

WHEAT GRAINS:
- Everyone called me, and I'll be there!
From the earth kingdom I start to like it.
My good helpers how they worked!
The earth, so hard, they transformed.
(the grains lie down, very still)

FARMERS:
– With the strength we have and that of animals,
working together, we work harder.
Now the little grain must rest,
and the sky above will help us.

MOON (walks by, very calmly, and speaks helped by the choir):
– Calm the moon grows, diminishes and shines;
look at the farmers, who follow in their path.
Yes, everything that exists follows your path.
The great clock in the sky is the moon.
And the grains and the stems, slowly,
grow along with the shining cup.
(the grains begin to stretch)

CHORUS (while the raindrops run by, with gestures):
– Oh, what a good rain! It is heaven that blesses!
(the grains already sit)

RAINDROPS:
– I love the farmers, who like me.
City men don't think so.
I let them complain and the rains come!

WIND (two, go round):
– The wind hums, and winds in the green wheat fields.
The wind stirs and stirs everything else.

CHOIR:
- Here comes the sun! Gold, shine!
Come to give us warmth and light.

SOL (with help from the choir):
– Ah, all your green turns to gold.
You, in my fire, will be transformed,
it will be well cooked, dear little grain.

CHOIR:
– What blessings the water, the sun and the wind brought!
Oh, who thanks heaven right now?

LARKS (running past):
- It's the larks! flying they go,
taking all gratitude in its corner.

WHEAT GRAINS (rise):
– Ah, when I entered this world, alone,
I soon realized that I was not alone.
All are friends, they want to help me.
Here comes a boy. Come talk to me.
I will give the answers to what you ask.

BOY (two, or one with help from the choir):
– You are very small, little grain of wheat!

WHEAT GRAINS:
“But one day I'll grow up and catch up with you, friend.
I see the light shine. What a delight it is to grow!
The size of the sun is what I wanted to be.

BOY:
– And who helped you to grow in this field?

WHEAT GRAINS:
– The man who works in good or bad weather,
the earth, the worms, the sun and the wind,
the rain, the horse, the ox and the lark.

BOY:
– But, little grain, who would you grow up for?

WHEAT GRAINS:
– For you, boy! For sister and brother!
I hurry and grow and I give everyone bread!
(The play may end here. Or else the choir sings, while the others dance the harvest dance.)

CHORUS (sings, during the dance):
“- Harvesting is not easy,
not dance either.
But all this I do.
Let's dance then!
Here there is no fight,
there is only gratitude.
Let's dance, friend,
then I make bread.
With wheat and rye
I buy a ring.
I make seven turns
with my Isabel.
- Your step is windy,
untie my noose.
mom is watching
I turn in your arms.
we go together
back to jump.
we will have dumplings
that are frying.”

 

End