The Three Wise Men

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Oberufer's Christmas Play – Portuguese version by Ruth Salles

THE COMPANY: The Angel Gabriel, King Melchior, King Balthazar, King Gaspar, the Page, Mary, Joseph, Villigrazia, King Herod, the Lackey, the Captain, the Soldier, the three Jews: Caiaphas, Pilate, Jonah (Judas) and the Devil. Everyone is sitting on benches in the back. The angel Gabriel advances:

NOTE

Karl Julius Schröer (1825-1890), professor of German literature and researcher of popular traditions, learned that in Hungary, on an island in the Danube called Oberufer, peasants of German descent performed Christmas plays of ancient origin, as they were represented at the end of the Age. Average, with a very sacred spirit. Schröer did careful research and published it when he was just 33 years old. Having been Rudolf Steiner's teacher, he told him about these plays. Recognizing their importance, Rudolf Steiner began to perform them at various Christmas festivities, and it became traditional to perform them every year at the Goetheanum, and later at Waldorf schools and other anthroposophical communities. The sometimes serious, sometimes humorous aspect and the very simple poetic language of the primitive peasants who represented them were maintained. Steiner divided the “Birth” play in two: the first, “The Birth of Christ”, contains only what had to do with the Gospel of Luke (which only talks about the shepherds, not the Magi); the second, “The Three Wise Men”, contains the part related to the Gospel of Matthew (which only speaks of the Wise Men and not the shepherds). The group also includes the play “O Paraíso”, which talks about Adam and Eve and which was performed later. Rudolf Steiner recommended that the play by the Magi, speaking of the slaughter of the innocent, should only be watched by children over 10 years of age. However, it is up to the teachers to make some adaptation of this passage, if they decide to stage it.

Ruth Salles

GABRIEL ANGEL:

– No offense, here I am.
a good night I come to wish you,
a good night, a blessed hour,
that the Lord of Heaven will give us.
Honorable, wise, generous gentlemen,
virtuous ladies and young maidens,
do not be angry, listen first,
for a few moments this simple story.
What will be presented here today
is not myth by heathens invented,
nor poetry imagined by us,
but it is in Holy Scripture;
which speaks of the wise men of the East,
that are known worldwide.
They took a very long journey
as all pilgrims well know;
into Jerusalem one day they entered
and for the boy born they asked.
This greatly annoyed Herod,
which he commanded his priests without delay
to verify in Holy Scripture
what it all meant.
And now, if you want to listen in peace,
keep silent and be silent.

(The Angel sits with the Company. The Devil brings King Melchior's chair and carefully cleans it. Then the Angel rises with the star and places himself to the right of the chair. The Page addresses the King. and bows. The King goes to the chair, accompanied by the Page. The King steps forward and speaks):

KING MELCHIOR:

- Go, Page, run, bring it here in a moment
my graduated compass and other instruments;
Venus conjunct the Sun is in sight,
but in a totally unexpected way.
Do not forget the heavenly glory;
a star shines, a new star appears.
What great splendor and what a beautiful light!
Where does this star come from?
Not far away she is shimmering…
Some mystery must be indicating.
I see a young woman, right in the center of her,
holding a little child in her arms
that shines much, much brighter than the star.
Oh, your forehead, what a light it radiates!

(The Angel walks across the stage with the star.)

She doesn't stop. Your place is changing,
and faster and faster he walks.
And the boy in the young woman's arms,
I can see that he always moves.
O Page, run, call the mathematician,
to explain this fantastic miracle to us.
It's hard for us to say why
the young woman carries the boy with her.

PAGE:

– I carry out your order, magnanimous King.
Soon Villigrazia will bring you here.

KING MELCHIOR (Villigrazia arriving, carrying a large book):

– Villigrazia, can you tell me what that star means?

VILLIGRAZY:

– Magnanimous King, I really know nothing about her.
I will consult the prophets in this great book
to see what can then be deduced.
(flips through the huge book quickly)
The prophet Isaiah alludes to this.
These are the words that the book contains:
Soon a great king, the Messiah
of Heaven and Earth, will be born in Bethlehem.

KING MELCHIOR:

– I think the words of this prophecy
already fulfilled there in Bethlehem,
and now i think a lot about what i could
bring as a gift to the new king.
Gold! Yes gold is what I should
take, for gold is always worthy of a king.
And since he is a King of Heaven and Earth,
I hope to obtain grace before your eyes.
- Come on, Page, all your effort puts into
so that we can start our journey soon.
– Villigrazia, I now entrust my reign to you,
while I'm away.

(King Melchior and the Page retire and join the Company. Villigrazia goes too, then. The Devil then jumps back to the King's chair, arranges it very well, and cleans it several times. King Balthazar sits in the chair, then steps forward and speaks.)