The Elm & The Vine
by Joseph M. Barat

Characters
(The following are Roman deities)

VENUS - the Goddess of Love
POMONA - a wood-nymph who presides over fruit-bearing trees & plants
VERTUMNUS - a mountain deity

[Scene: A garden and grove in the mountains of old Rome.]

[Enter Venus & Pomona]

Venus: Pomona and Vertumnus were divinities of Rome.
Pomona was a wood-nymph who presided over fruit trees;
Vertumnus belonged to the mountains.
The care and maintenance of trees and plants
Was the only matter to which Pomona gave her love.
She clipped and pruned and watered and weeded -
And despite her labor, she was quite beautiful.
And she clipped and pruned and watered and weeded;
And the Fauns and Satyrs and even Pan and Sylvanus themselves,
Desired to win her for their own.
But she clipped and pruned and watered and weeded,
And she took no notice of them;
The care and maintenance of the trees and plants
Were still all that mattered.
Vertumnus, who espied Pomona, and loved her, knew this,
And disguising himself as a reaper,
[Enter Vertumnus, disguised as a reaper]
Brought her gifts of corn and barley ears.
[Exit Vertumnus]
He also came disguised as a herdsman, passing by,
And a vine-pruner, and then finally,
He came disguised as an old woman,
Come to admire the beauty of Pomona’s grove.
[Exit Venus]
[Enter Vertumnus, disguised as an old woman]

Vertumnus: Sweet Nymph, if I may,
I would just like to say
That my senses admirably love
The fruits and trees in thy grove.
But thou art far more beautiful!

[Vertumnus kisses Pomona.
He kisses her again. Then again.
Pomona pulls back, startled.
Vertumnus sits.]

Vertumnus: See that elm tree -
The one with the grape vine curled ‘round and up it.
How well they do to be together.
How well they compliment each other.
If it were only a tree alone
It would offer nothing but its leaves
And have no place in your fruitful grove
And if it were just a vine there
It would lie limp and fruitless on the ground
And have no place in your fruitful grove.
The elm and the vine need each other to produce and have purpose.
You would do well to learn from them.
So much are man and woman like them:
They need each other to bear fruit,
Else they have no place in the world.
Do not be like the vine without the tree.
And do not turn from those who seek to unite with you to bear fruit.

Pomona: But they are all lusty Satyrs;
Fickle and overzealous!

Vertumnus: Shhh!
Not all.
Take it from a wise woman;
And one who loves you more that you know:
Vertumnus is not like the others
I know him as well as he knows himself.
He is not a wandering deity,
And will not have a new love after he has won thee.
He shares the joy of the garden and grove the same as you do.
And he loves you and only you.

[Vertumnus stands]

Remember that Venus hates those with hard hearts.
Remember Anaxarete,
Whom Venus turned to stone for spurning the love of Iphis.
Think hard and answer the proposal of union from Vertumnus.
But deliver the answer not to the ears of an old crone,
But those of he who asks if you’ll join him.
[Vertumnus drops his disguise, reveiling himself as a handsome young deity.]

Pomona: Thy point has been made - though hard to bare.
And for the realm of love, I do care.
But Satyrs and Fauns make bad partners
And they hardly make good gard’ners.
And since you have proved to be capable of both
So I’ll say "Aye" to thy question, and "by my troth!"
[They embrace]

[Enter Venus]

Venus: And so from that day forth,
Pomona’s grove had two gardeners.
(I love a happy ending!) [giggle!]

[Exit all]

©Copyright 1997 by Devyn