Prologue: an astrologer comes out and proclaims that he will use mystical powers to transport the audience somewhere in antiquity. A brass trumpet plays the theme melody, strong and powerful, while the entire orchestra echoes the mystical harmonies, and after the music continues for a moment, the curtain opens.
Starting with a golden cockerel motive with the addition of muted trumpets, the second half of the piece becomes a golden cockerel motive. A cello-centered motif for King Shemahan followed, as well as the melody of "Canticle of the Sun," and then an astrologer's motif accompanied by bells appeared. When the French horn was fancifully introduced, the astrologer came to the front of the curtain and said to the audience that the performance now about to begin was an old fairy tale, the contents of which were fabricated, but which contained a good lesson for the good. In the first act King Dorton's luxurious palace is curtained down in a representation of the princes' motives.
Act I. King Dodon's Luxurious Palace
King Dodon, who was a man of wine and pleasure, a womanizer, and a recliner, was tired of politics, and was therefore much assailed by his political enemies, and more vexed at the winning ways of his neighbors. In a gathering of nobles, King Dodon said to the crowd: "When I was young, I was famous for my bravery and wariness, which made my neighbors kneel down and beg for forgiveness, but for a long time I have been far away from the life of war, and I just want to have a peaceful and happy time. What is this that my neighbors continue to harass and invade my borders and keep me on my toes?"
Prince Gvidon, hearing his father's distress, suggested "pulling the army back from the border," a rather happy, naive song. He said, "Strife with our neighbors is always at the border, so we need only to withdraw our troops and store up plenty of food in the capital. When the enemy's army is spreading out in the countryside and fields, the army eats and drinks well and sleeps in the city's amphitheater, and recuperates, only to counterattack suddenly at the end and destroy the enemy in one fell swoop."
The king listened with sympathy and approval, and the nobles admired the prince's wisdom from the bottom of their hearts. Unexpectedly, the minister Borken retorted, "This idea is too childish and foolish. If the enemy into the city walls, with the cannon bombardment of the palace, not three or two times into ruins!" The king was stunned for a long time, and after careful consideration, he realized that Borken was right.
Then Prince Avalon, Gwydion's brother, proposed, "A month before the neighboring countries attack, we will attack first." The king and most of the nobles were in favor of Avalon's opinion, except for one minister who asked rhetorically, "Can anyone know of an incoming enemy attack a month before? Because of this minister's ill-advised rebuttal, the king was enraged, and Prince Avalon angrily drew his sword and attacked the minister, who immediately fled in panic. But the king was still distressed and said, "What shall we do?"
Then a nobleman suggested that the matter should be discussed with a woman shaman and a magician. While everyone was debating what tactics to use, the astrologer appeared. He presented the king with a golden rooster that could predict the coming of the enemy. Immediately afterward, the golden chicken cried out, "Kiliki, kili goo goo! Lie down and be buried alive," and all the people were amazed to see this marvelous golden chicken.
The king commanded, "It is too marvelous to be true; let this golden cock at once remain on the spire of the palace, and let it keep watch and foretell of the enemy's invasion." The astrologer was then told that he could propose anything he wanted. The astrologer said, "Power, wealth and position will only provoke more enemies, none of which I want, what I value most is love." But asked to sign an official document stating that the king would never break his promise. The king said: "My word is law, there is no need to sign a document. You need not doubt my word, but come at any time if you think of anything you want." The astrologer bowed and thanked him and retired.
The Golden Cockerel called from the spire and said, "Kiliki! Lie down and rule!" Feeling immensely satisfied and happy, the king had no intention of walking to his bedchamber to take a nap on the spot. The courtesan appeared and said that any place could be converted into a bedroom, and asked the servants to fetch beds with brocade covers, and then brought plates full of delicacies. The king, having eaten and drunk, fell asleep and lay down on his bed. The golden rooster continued to crow; "Lie down and rule," and the king soon fell asleep. The soldiers followed suit, and the whole capital was quiet. The orchestra quietly played hypnotic music.
Suddenly the Golden Cockerel cried out, "Be on guard! Look out!" (This motif is the reverse progression of "Lie down and rule.") The people awoke from their sleep in a state of great concern, and the scene was one of chaos. The minister, Bolken, runs in and shakes the king awake, telling him that the Golden Cockerel has warned him that the enemy must be invading.
The king announced to all the people of the land that the country was in danger, and asked them to prepare for war. The nobles also armed themselves and gathered at the palace. The king ordered the two princes to lead their armies to the sands, but they were hesitant to do so. After admonishing them, the king divided the army into two groups and told each of them to lead one, warning them not to kill each other, so the princes muttered and set off.
The golden chicken then called "Lie down and rule", and the king lay down on his bed again, then asked the maid what the result of the dream she had just had was. The maid guessed, "It was a chess dream, or a dream of becoming younger after a bath with the help of an imp? Finally, she exclaimed, "I know," and pointing to the astrological chart (which played out the king's motivation for seeing Queen Shemahan in his dream), she said, "It's the one about embracing the beautiful girl, isn't it?" Then the king fell asleep again and continued to dream of the strange beautiful girl.
When the guards had just fallen asleep and the whole capital was silent, the golden chicken shouted again, "Be alert!" The people woke up again, and the minister flew in and shook the king awake. The king grumbled, "How can an old man go to war?" He ordered his men to prepare their weapons and equipment. Then he led his army to the battlefield to the chorus of the people's song, "My Father, the Holy King, Ula".
Act II A rocky valley surrounded by cliffs.
It is the night of the eerie battlefield, the valley strewn with corpses as King Doton's army approaches in silence. Many stumble over the bodies, and the king is overcome with grief when he sees that both princes have been killed. The king quickly regained his composure when the minister said that grief was no longer helpful and inspired him that he must fight bravely against the enemy.
At that moment dawn broke in the east and a luxurious tent could be seen in a depression in the foothills. The king ordered cannons to be aimed at this tent, and to his surprise, the tent gently opened in the light of the sun, and the beautiful King Shemahan appeared, accompanied by four female slaves, and sang the famous sun ode, "Please Answer, Wise Heaven". It is an aria in which she praises the rising sun in the east on one side and remembers her birthplace in the east on the other, a famous song using an Asian-style scale.
King Dodon, who at first eyed the queen warily, soon lost all hostility and then stepped in front of her and asked, "Who are you?" She replied, "I am Shemakar, king of Han, and have come here to take your city." The king found this strange and asked rhetorically, "Don't you need a strong army if you want to take the city?" But the queen said, "My beauty alone will suffice," and took out a cup of wine and offered it to the king. The king, being suspicious, asked her to drink first, and Shemakha smiled and took the first sip, then handed it to the king.
By this time the bodies in the valley were all buried, the field was felted, and the king sat down and drank happily with Shemakha***. The queen said that last night she was distressed with passion by the breath of spring, and the king said, "I dreamed warlike dreams of love," when the minister ill-advisedly uttered words that spoiled the fun, and the queen said that she disliked the man, and asked the king to send him away. The king literally ordered the minister to leave.
Then the queen immediately leaned over the king and quietly sang "Take off this hard garment". She sings in this seductive song, "Before entering the bed of night, her naked jade body, beautiful as white marble," and then observes the king's reaction. She then continued to tease the king by singing the oriental-flavored "Ah, Youth Will Soon Wither".
The queen pouted and asked the king to sing a song as well, and despite stating that he had never sung a song in his life, the king clumsily began to sing out 'I Love You'. The queen laughs heartily and says, "Your sons kill each other and throw away their lives in competition for my love." The king listened and lamented that the two boys were just too stupid. Then it turned out to be the queen sobbing as she remembered her fantastical homeland in the East.
The king reassured her not to cry, but to show courage. The queen breaks down into a smile and expresses the happiness she feels, and then she invites the king to **** dance. Though the king states that he has not danced since he was a young boy, the queen removes his armor and covers his head and dances with him.
After the dance, the king knelt before the queen and said, "I will give you my country and myself." The queen gladly accepted, and the king ordered that he should prepare to return to his country with his bride, and set off for the palace amidst a mocking chorus of slave-girls and the hurrahs of the soldiers.
Act III The Square Before the Palace
The people fear for the safety of the king's army. Amelfa, the royal matron, appears and proclaims that the princes have been killed in battle and that the king has returned safely with his bride. As the crowd goes out to greet them with a terrible foreboding, there is a magnificent signal song followed by a march. At the head of the procession were the king's soldiers, then the giants, dwarfs, one-eyed men, long-horned men, dog-headed men, blacks and maids of the queen's attendants.
Then the astrologer appeared and told the king, "It is this girl I want most, please reward me with Queen Shemakah as promised!" The king replied anxiously, "Though I have such a promise, everything has its boundaries. If anything else is demanded, such as gold, silver, jewels, titles of nobility, or even half of the kingdom's territory, I am willing to give it to you." But the astrologer still insisted on the girl. Enraged by this, the king ordered his guards to drag the astrologer away. As the astrologer resisted ferociously, the king, in a fit of anger, struck him on the head with the king's staff, and the astrologer died as a result.
Strangely enough, at that very moment the sun went into the dark clouds, and thunder and lightning broke out in the sky. The king was remorseful and scared, and the queen laughed and cheered him on, telling him not to worry. When the king tried to kiss the queen, the queen said angrily, "You're just a piece of trash, toad don't want to eat swan meat!" Then she pushed him down. At that moment the golden chicken cried out, "Killy killy gobble gobble! I'll peck this old bastard's head off!" Then it flew down from the steeple, stopped on top of the king's head, and began to attack him with its sharp beak, and the king soon fell to the ground. Then Shemakar gave a chilling laugh and disappeared with the golden chicken. The people sang a chorus of mourning for the king's death, and the curtain fell.
In the closing words, the astrologer came back to life and said to the audience, "This is but a fable, a dream. There is no need for undue alarm." With that, he bowed and lost sight of him again. Between the golden cock motifs and the high chirping, the play ends.