Quietly

From some invisible blossoming tree

Millions of petals cool and white

Drifted and blew,

Lifted and flew,

Fell with the falling night.

December: OK. Winter is here.

Scene VI.

(Зал королевского дворца. В зале много знатных гостей. Они ожидают выхода королевы. На сцену выходит королева. Придворные (среди них министр и учитель) и гости наперебой пытаются поздравить её с Новым годом.)

All together: Happy New Year, Your Majesty! Happy New Year! New happiness to you!

Queen: My happiness is new every day, however, it isn’t New Year today.

All together (удивляются): Why?

Chancellor: But, Your Majesty, It is New Year today!

Queen: You are wrong! Teacher, how many days are there in a month?

Teacher: 31.

Queen: Well! Today is the 32^nd of December.

Lady: It is a nice New Year’s joke, Your Majesty!

(Все смеются.)

Queen: But I’m not joking. (Все перестают смеяться) It will be the 33^d of December tomorrow, then the 34^th of December and so on.

Teacher: It is impossible!

Queen: You again?!

Chancellor: Your majesty, let me introduce the Ambassador of the Western country and the Ambassador of the Eastern country to you.

(Послы входят и кланяются.)

Ambassador of the Western country: Your Majesty, my king charged me to wish you a Happy New Year.

Ambassador of the Eastern country: Your Majesty, my king ordered me to wish you…

Queen: What?

Ambassador of the Eastern country: We wish you luck and health.

Queen: Well! Where are the flowers? Do all people know my order?

Chancellor: Your wish, o my Queen, has been fulfilled. These flowers are for you.

(Входят мать и дочь.)

Queen: Are these flowers snowdrops?

Mother: Yes, of course, Your Majesty. They are from the forest. We found them under the snow.

Queen (вытаскивает подснежники): Well! New Year has come! You may congratulate me!

All together: Happy New Year, Your Majesty!

Queen: Let’s dance!

(Все танцуют.)

Mother: Your Majesty, Happy New Year!

Queen: Yes.

Mother: Yes, our basket is empty.

Queen: Chancellor! Fill the basket with gold! So tell us where you picked the flowers?

Mother (дочери): You tell.

Daughter: No, you tell.

Mother: When we heard about your order, we took our brooms and spades and went to the forest. It was dark and cold in the forest. My daughter is frozen, and me too.

Queen: Go on!

Mother: We walked and walked and came to that place. There were many high trees around a small lake. White ducks swam in the lake. And there were a lot of snowdrops on the banks of that lake.

Queen: Snowdrops?

Mother: Both snowdrops and many other beautiful flowers.

Queen: And what about berries?

Daughter: Yes, of course. There are wild strawberries, bilberries, great bilberries, blackberries, raspberries.

Queen (хлопает в ладоши): Splendid! Go to the forest and bring me some wild strawberries!

Mother: Your Majesty, we are cold!

Queen: Chancellor! Give them fur coats!

(Придворные подают шубы матери и дочери.)

Go to the forest and come back with berries quickly.

Queen: Stop! Give me my fur coat.

Mother and daughter (падают на колени): We didn’t pick these flowers. Our stepdaughter did it.

Queen: Liars! We are going to the forest together.