TO EACH HIS DULCINEA
PADRE
To each his Dulcinea
That he alone can name…
To each a secret hiding place
Where he can find the haunting face
To light his secret flame.
For with his Dulcinea Beside him so to stand,
A man can do quite anything,
Outfly the bird upon the wing,
Hold moonlight in his hand.
Yet if you build your life on dreams
It’s prudent to recall,
A man with moonlight in his hand
Has nothing there at all.
There is no Dulcinea,
She’s made of flame and air,
And yet how lovely life would seem
If ev’ry man could weave a dream
To keep him from despair.
To each his Dulcinea…
Though she’s naught but flame and air!
THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM (The Quest)
ALDONZA
Why do you do these things?
DON QUIXOTE
What things?
ALDONZA
These ridiculous… the things you do!
DON QUIXOTE
I hope to add some measure of grace to the world.
ALDONZA
The world’s a dung heap and we are maggots that crawl on it!
DON QUIXOTE
My Lady knows better in her heart.
ALDONZA
What’s in my heart will get me halfway to hell.
And you, Señor Don Quixote-you’re going to take
such a beating!
DON QUIXOTE
Whether I win or lose does not matter.
ALDONZA
What does?
DON QUIXOTE
Only that I follow the quest.
ALDONZA
(spits)
That for your Quest!
(turns, marches away; stops, turns back and asks, awkwardly)
What does that mean… quest?
DON QUIXOTE
It is the mission of each true knight…
His duty… nay, his privilege!
To dream the impossible dream,
To fight the unbeatable foe,
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go;
To right the unrightable wrong.
To love, pure and chaste, from afar,
To try, when your arms are too weary,
To reach the unreachable star!
This is my Quest to follow that star,
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far,
To fight for the right
Without question or pause,
To be willing to march into hell
For a heavenly cause!
And I know, if I’ll only be true
To this glorious Quest,
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I’m laid to my rest.
And the world will be better for this,
That one man, scorned and covered with scars,
Still strove, with his last ounce of courage,
To reach the unreachable stars!
THE DUBBING
INNKEEPER
Don Quixote de La Mancha,
Having proved yourself this day
In glorious and terrible combat,
And by my authority as lord of this castle…
I hereby dub thee knight!
DON QUIXOTE
But, your Lordship…
INNKEEPER
Didn’t I do it right?
DON QUIXOTE
If Your Lordship could make some mention of the deeds
I performed to earn this honor…?
INNKEEPER
Of course.
DON QUIXOTE
And it is customary to grant
the new knight an added name.
If Your Lordship could devise
such a name for me…?
INNKEEPER
Hmmm.
KNIGHT OF THE WOEFUL COUNTENANCE
INNKEEPER
Hail, Knight of the Woeful Countenance,
Knight of the Woeful Countenance!
Wherever you go
People will know
Of the glorious deeds
Of the Knight of the Woeful Countenance!
Farewell and good cheer
Oh my brave cavalier
Ride onward to glorious strife.
I swear when you’re gone
I’ll remember you well
For all of the rest of my life.
Hail, Knight of the Woeful Countenance,
Knight of the Woeful Countenance
Fare to the foe,
They will quail at the sight
Of the Knight of the Woeful Countenance!
Oh valorous Knight,
Go and fight for the right,
And battle all villains that be,
But oh, when you do,
What will happen to you
Thank God I won’t be there to see!
ALDONZA, SANCHO, INNKEEPER
Hail, Knight of the Woeful Countenance,
Knight of the Woeful Countenance!
Wherever you go
People will know
Of the glorious deeds
Of the Knight of the Woeful Countenance!
LITTLE BIRD, LITTLE BIRD
ANSELMO, PEDRO
(two Muleteers)
Little bird, little bird,
In the cinnamon tree,
Little bird, little bird,
Do you sing for me?
Do you bring me word
Of one I know?
Little bird, little bird,
I love her so,
Little bird, little bird,
I have to know
Little bird, little bird.
Beneath this tree,
This cinnamon tree,
We learned to love,
We learned to cry;
For here we met
And here we kissed,
And here one cold and moonless night
We said goodbye
ANSELMO
Little bird, little bird,
Oh have pity on me
Bring her back to me now
‘Neath the cinnamon tree,
I have waited too long
Without a song.
Little bird, little bird,
Please fly, please go
little bird, little bird,
And tell her so.
Little bird, little bird.
PEDRO, MULETEERS
Little bird, little bird. etc.
ALDONZA
DON QUIXOTE
My lady…
ALDONZA
I am not your lady!…
I am not any kind of a lady!
I was spawned in a ditch
By a mother who left me there,
Naked and cold and too hungry to cry;
I never blamed her.
I’m sure she left hoping
That I’d have the good sense to die!
Then, of course, there’s my father…
I’m told that young ladies
Can point to their fathers
With maidenly pride;
Mine was some regiment
Here for an hour,
I can’t even tell you which side!
So of course I became,
As befitted my delicate birth,
The most casual bride
Of the murdering scum of the earth!
DON QUIXOTE
And still thou art my lady.
ALDONZA
And still he torments me!
How should I be a lady?
For a lady has modest and maidenly airs,
And a virtue I somehow suspect that I lack;
It’s hard to remember these maidenly airs
In a stable laid flat on your back!
Won’t you look at me, look at me,
God, won’t you look at me!
Look at the kitchen slut reeking with sweat!
Born on a dung heap to die on a dung heap,
A strumpet men use and forget!
If you feel that you see me
Not quite at my virginal best,
Cross my palm with a coin,
And I’ll willingly show you the rest!
DON QUIXOTE
Never deny thou art Dulcinea.
ALDONZA
Take the clouds from your eyes
and see me as I really am!
You have shown me the sky,
But what good is the sky
To a creature who’ll never
Do better than crawl?
Of all the cruel bastards
Who’ve badgered and battered me,
You are the cruelest of all!
Can’t you see what your gentle
Insanities do to me?
Rob me of anger and give me despair! Blows and abuse
I can take and give back again,
Tenderness I cannot bear!
So please torture me now
With your “Sweet Dulcineas” no more!
I am no one! I’m nothing!
I’m only Aldonza the whore!
DON QUIXOTE
Now and forever thou art my lady Dulcinea!
(Aldonza screams in despair and collapses.
As Don Quixote lies in bed dying, his mind
“retreats to some secret place.” )
A LITTLE GOSSIP
SANCHO
Your Reverence, could I talk to him?
PADRE
I’m afraid he won’t hear you.
SANCHO
(moving toward the bed)
Then, I won’t say much.
PADRE
And no mention of knight-errantry!
SANCHO
Of course not. Does one speak of the rope
in the house of the hanged?
Just a few words… to lighten his heart.
A little gossip… a little chat…
A tittle idle talk of this and that…
I’ll tell him all the troubles I have had,
And since he doesn’t hear,
At least he won’t feel bad.
(to Don Quixote)
When I first got home my wife Teresa beat me,
But the blows fell very lightly on my back.
She kept missing ev’ry other stroke
And crying from the heart
That while I was gone
She’d gone and lost the knack!
Of course, I hit her back, Your Grace,
but she’s a lot harder than I am,
and you know what they say…
“Whether the stone hits the pitcher
or the pitcher hits the stone
it’s going to be bad for the pitcher”
So I’ve got bruises from here to…
(to the Padre)
A little gossip… a little chat…
A little idle talk of this and that…
If no one listens,
Then it’s just as well,
At least I won’t get caught in any lies I tell!
(to Don Quixote)
Oh, I haven’t fought a windmill in a fortnight
And the humble joys get duller ev’ry day,
Why, when I’m asleep a dragon
With his fiery tongue a-waggin’
Whispers, “Sancho.
Won’t you please come out and play?”
FINALE
DON QUIXOTE
(courteously, but without recognition)
Now then. What is it you want?
ALDONZA
Don’t you know me?
DON QUIXOTE
Should I?
ALDONZA
I am Aldonza!
DON QUIXOTE
I’m sorry. I do not recall anyone of that name.
ALDONZA
Sancho knows. Please, my Lord.
DON QUIXOTE
Why did you say “my lord”? I am not a lord.
ALDONZA
You are my lord, Don Quixote!
DON QUIXOTE
Don Quixote? You must forgive me, I have been ill…
I’m confused by shadows. It is possible I knew you once,
but I do not remember
ALDONZA
Please! Try to remember!
DON QUIXOTE
Is it so important?
ALDONZA
Everything. My whole life.
You spoke to me and everything was… different!
DON QUIXOTE
I spoke to you?
ALDONZA
And you looked at me!
And you called me by another name!
DULCINEA – REPRISE
ALDONZA
Dulcinea… Dulcinea…
Once you found a girl
And called her Dulcinea,
When you spoke the name
An angel seemed to whisper…
Dulcinea… Dulcinea…
Dulcinea… Dulcinea…
Won’t you please bring back
The dream of Dulcinea…
Won’t you bring me back
The bright and shining glory
Of Dulcinea… Dulcinea…
DON QUIXOTE
Then perhaps… it was not a dream…
ALDONZA
(kneeling beside Quixote again.)
You spoke of a dream. And about the Quest!
DON QUIXOTE
Quest?
ALDONZA
Yes, how you must fight and it doesn’t matter whether
you win or lose if only you follow the Quest!
DON QUIXOTE
The words. Tell me the words!
THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM – REPRISE
ALDONZA
“To dream the impossible dream”…
but they’re your own words!
“To fight the unbeatable foe”…
Don’t you remember?
“To be with unbearable sorrow”…
You must remember!
“To run where the brave dare not go!”
DON QUIXOTE
To right the unrightable wrong.
ALDONZA
Yes.
DON QUIXOTE
To love, pure and chaste, from afar
ALDONZA
Yes.
DON QUIXOTE
To try, when your arms are too weary,
To reach the unreachable star!
ALDONZA
Thank you. My Lord!
DON QUIXOTE
But this is not seemly, My Lady.
On thy knees? To me?
ALDONZA
Oh, my Lord, you are not well!
DON QUIXOTE
Not well? What is sickness to the body of a knight-errant?
What matter wounds? For each time he falls he shall rise
again… and woe to the wicked! Sancho!
SANCHO
Here, Your Grace!
More misadventures!
DON QUIXOTE
Adventures, old friend!
MAN OF LA MANCHA (I, Don Quixote-Reprise)- REPRISE
DON QUIXOTE
Oh the trumpets of glory
Now call me to ride,
Yes, the trumpets are calling to me,
And wherever I ride,
Ever staunch at my side
My squire and my lady shall be!
I am I, Don Quixote…
DON QUIXOTE, ALDONZA, SANCHO
The Lord of la Mancha
My {Our} destiny calls and I {we} go!
And the wild winds of fortune Shall carry me {us} onward,
Oh, whithersoever…
(Don Quixote falters)
ALDONZA
My Lord!
SANCHO
Master!
DON QUIXOTE
Whithersoever they blow
Onward to glory… aah!… I… go…
(crumples to the floor, dead.)
ALDONZA
My Lord…
SANCHO
He is dead.
My master is dead.
ALDONZA
A man died.
He seemed a good man, but I did not know him,
SANCHO
But…
ALDONZA
Don Quixote is not dead. Believe, Sancho, believe.
SANCHO
Aldonza…
ALDONZA
My name is Dulcinea.
THE PSALM
PADRE
De profundis clamo ad te,
Domine, Domine,
Audi vocem meam!
Fiant aures tuae intendae
Ad vocem obsecrationis meae.
Si delictorum memoriam serva veris,
Domine, Domine, quis sustinebit.
FINALE ULTIMO
ALDONZA
To dream the impossible dream,
To fight the unbeatable foe,
PADRE
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go…
ANTONIA
To run where the brave dare not go,
Though the goal be forever too far.
SANCHO, ANTONIA
To try, though you’re wayworn and weary,
PADRE, ANTONIA, SANCHO, BARBER
To reach the unreachable star.
ALL
To reach the unreachable star,
Though you know it’s impossibly high,
To live with your heart striving upward
To a far, unattainable sky!