What has he done that’s important?

Thorn Rose:

He came by this way and kissed me,

and with this kiss he woke me up.

First Lady-in-Waiting:

Anybody could just as well.

Queen:

Surely he has freed the castle

and lifted the spell over us,

yet that, I would hope, should hardly

warrant such a desire as his.

King:

I would hope too,

Second Lady-in-Waiting:

I would hope too, me too,

Thorn Rose:

I would hope too, me too, me too.

King:

Say, good stranger, could you give fair

proof of exactly who you are too?

Thorn Rose:

Does he not have eyes like the sea,

a countenance like marble,

and a deportment like granite?

Well, I would not like such people.

Let him find another sweetheart.

Third Lady-in-Waiting:

Above all, should he not behave

a little friendlier? He stands

like a fence post and doesn’t move.

Nor has his mouth opened either.

Hey? Can you say something or not?

Stranger:

I will talk enough later on.

There’s really no terrible rush.

King:

He awakened us from our sleep

and seems quite still asleep himself.

Groundskeeper:

This service that he has performed

is rather doubtful and he could

have easily spared himself

all this trouble for our sake.

Wasn’t it lovely just to sleep?

Were we not so much better off?

Coachman:

If I still slept, I’d not have to climb

on my box now and be bothering

with those stubborn, stamping horses.

Cook:

If I still slept, I would not now

have to fight with the scullion maids.

Scullery Maid:

And I wouldn’t have to pluck chickens,

Mamselle:*

and I wouldn’t have to fluff the pillows,

Servant:

I would not have to shine these shoes.

Hunter:

The game would be asleep like me

had this monsieur here not come around.

Accountant:

The books would trouble me no more.

I never did settle accounts,

and balances never worried me.

Court Poet:

If I were asleep, no verses

would have to be labored over.

I’d still be lying on my ear

and dreaming of nothing but fame.

Now I’ll wrestle around for rhymes,

earning nothing but ingratitude.

I would rather he had kept to

his cuckoo nest or somewhere else

that suited him and let us sleep.

This was no masterpiece on his part.

Minister:

If only I were still asleep.

I would not be taxing my brain

with such difficult alliances.

Governess:

Must I warn the children all over

to be on their best behavior now?

Perhaps no one thinks of what a world

of trouble this is going to cost me.

Professor:

Science and scholarship for my sake

could have still continued slumbering

peacefully a little while longer.

First Lady-in-Waiting:

Anyway, he surely claims credit

for his having accomplished something.

If only he had graced someone else

with his presence sooner instead

and had been willing to spare us it.

Thorn Rose:

But there he is now after all.

King: