​

ACT I

 

1. Overture – Lamaila’s Awakening

 

            The story takes place in a fairylike Great Forest, full of strange but beautiful plants and colorful creatures of various sizes.

            When the Sun lazily comes up from beyond the horizon, the flowers welcome a new day by showing off their most sensuous dance. A great plant towers over the clearing. A big bubble rests between its leaves, shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow. Gradually, as the Sun’s glare falls on the bubble, it becomes transparent and inside it we can see Lamaila, the Princess of the Day, still sound asleep. The flowers dance around her in an attempt to wake her up. When they eventually succeed, they try as hard as they can to invite the Princess to join their jollities. Lamaila, still sleepy, looks around, greets the flowers and looks up at the Sun, rising over the horizon.

 

2. Lamaila’s Bath

 

            Two colorful birds land on the Princess’s arms and invite her to bath in the flowers’ pollen, breaking her contemplation. Lamaila flies down from her bubble into a pool of water, hidden amid the bushes. Lamaila dances in the water together with the flowers and the animals inhabiting the forest. Finally, a stream of golden nectar flows out of an enormous calicle of a yellow flower. Lamaila baths in the nectar. The birds fly away.

 

​

3. Lamaila’s Dress

 

            After the bath Lamaila puts on a beautiful dress, made of colorful petals presented to her by the flowers. An ordinary day begins in the Great Forest. Various creatures come to the waterhole to quench their thirst. Some of them collect the flowers’ petals, others pull colorful lianas out of the plants and braid them. Lamaila flies back to her bubble and sits on her throne. In the back we catch a glimpse of Savora, a black butterfly. She is the only one that is not smiling.

 

4. The Gilgolaks’ Dance

 

            The topmost branches of the trees start to sway slightly. From the branches emerge small and funny forest creatures, the Gilgolaks. They are of various appearance – some thick, others thin, some small, still others tall – but altogether they are not too pretty. They gawkily move their wings, trying to rise to the sky, but without success. The forest creatures love their frolics. Their favorite games include sliding off the leaves, jumping between tree branches, dancing and acrobatics they pull off in a clumsy manner. Lamaila has a liking for the Gilgolaks and their antics amuse her, but today she does not feel like playing around. Deep inside she misses something strange and unknown. It is love she craves. She doesn’t know whom to love yet, but still she feels lonely, in spite of the abundance of friends around her. The creatures try to attract the Princess’s attention. They scuffle with one another, attempting to come close to her and arouse her interest. They even quarrel about it. Finally, she joins their mischief. Savora watches them from concealment, galled by Lamaila’s blissful existence and the ubiquitous joy of the creatures inhabiting the clearing.

 

5. The Nightfall

 

            Lamaila, exhausted with the Gilgolaks’ antics, starts to feel sleepy and yawns more and more often. Her movements express her fatigue, becoming slower and calmer. The birds come back to help the Princess prepare for sleep. The Sun fades slowly and hides beyond the horizon. A dark night begins. Lamaila locks herself up in her bubble and falls asleep. The other inhabitants of the clearing rest comfortably in the flowers’ petals, not to disturb the Princess. In the meantime, Givik, a small Gilgolak, still bursting with energy, is watching his reflection in the lake. The planets appear in the sky.

 

6. Mr. Gulgach’s Dance

 

            Givik suddenly notices small bubbles on the surface of the lake. Frightened, he watches them as they grow bigger and bigger. At last the biggest one starts to give out loud gurgling noises and suddenly bursts. A pair of eyes appears in the lake – they look around. Terrified Givik gets into panic and hides. At the same time, Mr. Gulgach gracefully emerges from the lake. Gulgach is a slimy and obese, but still a very pleasant lad. He hears a rustle, so he scans the surroundings in search for somebody observing him. Suddenly he spots Givik and chases him away.  The creature rolls away and disappears in the thicket. The planets slowly move in the sky. Dancing is Mr. Gulgach’s secret passion, however he is ashamed of his monstrous belly and clumsy moves. Certain that he is alone, he begins his ungainly, though charming show. Lost in the dance, he bumps into the bubble enclosing the sleeping Princess. A conjunction of all the planets takes place in this very moment. Lamaila awakes suddenly in the middle of the night. Mr. Gulgach runs away in panic.

 

7. The Clearing in the Night

 

            It is nighttime and Lamaila should go back to sleep at once, however the light of the lined-up planets is so bright, that it partly replaces the Sun, which is essential for the Princess’s life. Thus she cannot rest anymore. Lamaila is frightened at first, but in the end her curiosity overcomes her fear. The clearing, so familiar during the day, seems very different in the night. It is mysterious, not so playful, but still more interesting. The Princess cannot take her eyes off the dance of planets and stars in the sky. The Gilgolaks, well hidden, follow the situation as it unveils.

 

8. The Nocturnal Dance of Lamaila and the Prince

 

            One of the stars appears above. A handsome man emerges from it. He is Namadil, the Prince of the Night. The stars and planets encircle the Prince at once, but he pays no attention to them. He notices Lamaila and succumbs to her charm. He asks the Princess to dance. Lamaila is surprised, but all the same very happy. Savora, in hiding, follows the encounter, looking with envy at the happy moments of the two. They stand in the clearing, gazing intently at each other. Everything comes to a standstill as they begin to dance. Shy at first, they start to learn each other’s steps, but then more rapidly and passionately they spin in the Moonlight, floating in the air. Namadil hugs Lamaila. Delighted with each other, they do not notice the Sun, timidly peeking out from beyond the horizon. When the Princess turns around to kiss the Prince, he disappears in the daylight with the departure of the last star. Lamaila remains alone. She flies away into her bubble.

 

9. Lamaila’s Sorrow

 

Gilgolaks, who watched the encounter from below, enter the stage. Lamaila feels their gaze and looks at them with very sad eyes. They turn their heads helplessly and return to their daily activities. The Princess looks for her beloved, but to no avail. Eventually she sits under the fern flower and starts to cry. Lamaila’s heart now belongs to Namadil. Alas, the Prince sleeps all day long, whereas the Princess falls into the arms of Morpheus by night, therefore they may never meet again…

 

10. Mr. Gulgach’s Proposal

 

            Gilgolaks try to comfort the Princess and decide to find another suitor for her. Givik, the little Gilgolak, brings Mr. Gulgach along. As soon as the repulsive fellow arrives, all the creatures, frightened by his presence, rush to their hiding places. Meanwhile Gulgach grins roguishly at Lamaila and presents a “bouquet” made of seaweed. The creatures watching the encounter burst with laughter, but they are about to witness more amusing events. Joy reaches the climax when Gulgach begins to present his clumsy dance, which he tried to perfect last evening, before the Princess. Since he fails to dance properly, he invites everybody to his Underwater Kingdom. There it turns out, to everybody’s astonishment, that he lives among beautiful water creatures that serve him. Finally he kneels before Lamaila and asks her to marry him. However, his efforts make no impression on the Princess. She only loves Namadil and nothing can change that.

 

11. The Prince’s Awakening Beside Sleeping Lamaila – Lamaila’s Dream

 

            Everyday Lamaila becomes more and more somber. Her sadness is intensified by her awareness of her dreadful situation and lack of possibilities to resolve it. Gloomy mood spreads among all the inhabitants of the clearing. Lamaila wants to be alone just for a moment, away from undesired suitors, so she runs away deep into the forest. She realizes that the night is about to fall, so she looks around in search of the Prince. She knows, however, that she is a creature of the day and she cannot exist by night. The one time she met Namadil was a stroke of luck and the next conjunction of the planets will happen in hundreds of years. Lamaila tries to fight off exhaustion as long as she can, but eventually succumbs to sleep in the middle of the clearing. The Princess dreams and in her vision she dances with Namadil again. Savora appears in the clearing and watches Lamaila’s dream. She is aware that the Princess’s dream might be prophetic and she has to prevent the next encounter of the couple. The Black Butterfly decides to capture Lamaila.

 

12. Lamaila’s Abduction

 

            Savora calls on the Kuklaks – black, hairy, winged creatures that weave a net to seize Lamaila. In the meantime, the Black Butterfly evokes a powerful storm. Givik, the little Gilgolak, watches Savora’s actions, but is not able to warn Lamaila. Hideous Kuklaks abduct Lamaila under the cover of the storm. Helpless Princess is captured in her sleep, and then moved to the Land of Grim Rocks, Savora’s remote estate located on one of Jupiter’s Moons, Ganymede.

 

ACT II

 

13. The Prince’s Conversation with the Nocturnal Creatures

 

            The thunderstorm scared all the creatures, who found shelter in the arms of flower petals. When the tempest subsides, the Gilgolaks tentatively leave their hiding places. The Prince returns to the clearing as well, but can’t find any sign of Lamaila there. Givik comes and tells him about the events he witnessed during the night. Other inhabitants join the conversation. Mr. Gulgach, having watched the situation from the bottom of the river, also saw the silhouettes of the horrible monsters that captured the Princess. The creatures, together with Namadil, try to come up with an idea of how to help Lamaila. The Gilgolaks decide that the Prince’s inability to stay awake during the daytime is to blame. They tell him there is one person who can help him, a wise sorcerer named Harrat. Namadil solemnly swears that he will seek Harrat’s advice.

 

14. A Visit at Harrat the Sorcerer’s

 

            The Gilgolaks decide to immediately organize an expedition to the Land of Grim Rocks to free the Princess of the Day. Namadil is grateful for their help but doesn’t want to endanger them and resolves to face Savora on his own. In the first place, however, he keeps the promise he made to the Gilgolaks and makes his way to Harrat the Sorcerer. Namadil flies up to the stars and reaches Harrat’s hideout located on Mars, the red planet. When he arrives, he tells Harrat the story about Lamaila’s abduction. The sorcerer presumes that Savora, a vicious witch looking like a black butterfly must have fallen in love with Namadil and captured the Princess to dispose of the competition. Harrat suspects where Lamaila is imprisoned and hands the Prince a special compass that can guide him to Ganymede, to the witch’s hiding place. The sorcerer concocts a potion, which can allow Namadil to function during the daytime. That will allow him to meet Lamaila again. Harrat gives the phial to the Prince and warns him that the potion will only work when Namadil proves his love for Lamaila with his courage. The Prince follows the directions of the magic compass and reaches the Land of Grim Rocks.

 

15. The Land of Grim Rocks – The Test of the Prince’s Courage

 

            The Prince reaches the Land of Grim Rocks thanks to the magic compass. In front of the entrance to the cave where Lamaila is imprisoned, he encounters a horde of gruesome Cubici, rock-crawling creatures. They try to hypnotize and drive away Namadil, but he ignores their threats and enters the cave. Inside, he comes across a net woven by the Cubici. He tears it effortlessly and steps forward with prowess. Suddenly, a pack of Kuklaks appears out of the dark abyss. The Prince isn’t able to defeat them. Their hypnosis proves effective and Namadil starts to yield to it. The unruly Gilgolaks keep watch in front of the cave. They haven’t listened to Namadil’s request and decided to help to rescue the Princess. The Gilgolaks run into the cave and drive the Kuklaks away. The Prince is exhausted and loses not only his strength, but also his consciousness. The night comes to an end and Namadil falls into a deep sleep. The Gilgolaks try to wake him up, but to no avail. Fortunately, they find the potion given by Harrat in the Prince’s pocket. They insist that he drinks it. To the Gilgolaks’ great joy, Namadil regains his vitality with the first drop of the elixir.

 

16. Lamaila in Prison

 

            Dawn. Lamaila wakes up in the dungeon, entangled in a cobweb. She has been taken during the night so she has no idea what has happened and she is shocked. Frightened of what can happen to her, she tries to escape from the snare, but all her attempts prove futile. Suddenly, she notices Namadil, who makes his way towards her carefully, not to alert Savora. The Prince frees the Princess. He tells her everything and says that Harrat the Sorcerer gave him a potion, which enables him to stay awake in the daytime. They both return to their faithful friends in the clearing, flying between the planets and the comets. On Ganymede, Savora notices what happened, but it is too late…

 

17. The Encounter of Lamaila and the Prince

 

            The two know that they have the whole day to themselves and nothing can disturb their happiness. They declare their love to each other and dance the dance of love. Time flies and as the evening comes, Lamaila feels more and more sleepy. The Prince wants to offer the Princess the drink he received from Harrat, but it turns out that he drank all of it after the battle with the Kuklaks. Namadil feels helpless and, not knowing what to do, kisses the sleeping Lamaila. Suddenly a grand flower, bright as the morning Sun, rises among the leaves of the Great Tree. The Prince, flabbergasted, notices Lamaila opening her eyes and coming to life. The flower looks like the Sun and the Moon combined. Its glare lights up the clearing and its magic powers allow Lamaila and Namadil to decide when to wake up and when to fall asleep. To celebrate this unusual event, this night will forever be known as the equinox. The Prince and the Princess finish their love dance.

 

18. The Arrival of the Guests at the Ball

 

            Namadil and Lamaila invite all the diurnal and nocturnal creatures to the ball. All of them can enjoy themselves there, regardless of the time of day or night. The fanfare sounds and numerous friends of the beloved couple arrive.

 

19. The Final Ball

 

            A feast was held in honor of the couple. The guests stayed all day and all night. The stars danced with the flowers, the Kuklaks with the Gilgolaks. Even Savora appeared at the party and assured everyone that she would never meddle in the young couple’s affairs again. Mr. Gulgach was delighted because now he had somebody to dance with. Namadil and Lamaila became the King and Queen of the Kingdom of Day and Night. Their love will last forever, regardless of the planets’ movements.

​

English translation by Paweł Zawadzki