The Green Pastures (1929)/Part 1/Scene 1

A corner in a Negro church.

Ten children and an elderly preacher.

The costumes are those that might be seen in any lower Louisiana town at Sunday-School time. As the curtain rises, Mr. Deshee, the preacher, is reading from a Bible. The Children are listening with varied degrees of interest. Three or four are wide-eyed in their attention. Two or three are obviously puzzled, but interested, and the smallest ones are engaged in more physical concerns. One is playing with a little doll, and another runs his finger on all the angles of his chair.

“An’ Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, an’ begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; an’ called his name Seth. An’ de days of Adam, after he had begotten Seth, were eight hundred years; an’ he begat sons an’ daughters; an’ all de days dat Adam lived were nine hundred an’ thirty years; an’ he died. An’ Seth lived a hundred an’ five years an’ begat Enos; an’ Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred an’ seven years and begat sons and daughters. An’ all de days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years; an’ ​he died.” An’ it go on like dat till we come to Enoch an’ de book say: “An’ Enoch lived sixty an’ five years and begat Methuselah.” Den it say: “An’ all de days of Methuselah were nine hund’ed an’ sixty an’ nine years an’ he died.” An’ dat was de oldest man dat ever was. Dat’s why we call ol’ Mr. Gurney’s mammy ol’ Mrs. Methuselah, caize she’s so ol’. Den a little later it tell about another member of de fam’ly. His name was Noah. Maybe some of you know about him already. I’m gonter tell you all about him next Sunday. Anyway dat’s de meat an’ substance of de first five chapters of Genesis. Now, how you think you gonter like de Bible?

I think it’s jest wonderful, Mr. Deshee. I cain’t understand any of it.

Why did dey live so long, Mr. Deshee?

Why? Caize dat was de way God felt.

Dat made Adam a way back.

Yes, he certainly ’way back by de time Noah come along. Want to ask me any mo’ questions?

What de worl’ look like when de Lawd begin, Mr. Deshee?

How yo’ mean what it look like?

Carlisle mean who was in N’Orleans den.

Dey wasn’t nobody in N’Orleans on ’count dey wasn’t any N’Orleans. Dat’s de whole idea I tol’ you at de end of de first Chapter. Yo’ got to git yo’ minds fixed. Dey wasn’t any Rampart Street. Dey wasn’t any Canal Street. Dey wasn’t any Louisiana. Dey wasn’t nothin’ on de earth at all caize fo’ de reason dey wasn’t any earth.

Yes, but what Carlisle wanter know is—

[Interrupting and addressing little boy who has been playing with his chair and paying no attention.] Now Randolph, if you don’t listen, how yo’ gonter grow up and be a good man? Yo’ wanter grow up an’ be a transgressor?

[Frightened.] No.

You tell yo’ mammy yo’ sister got to come wid you next time. She kin git de things done in time to bring you to de school. You content yo’self.

[The little boy straightens up in his chair.]

Now, what do Carlisle want to know?

How he decide he want de worl’ to be right yere and how he git de idea he wanted it?

Caize de Book say, don’t it, Mr. Deshee?

De Book say, but at de same time dat’s a good question. I remember when I was a little boy de same thing recurred to me. An’ ol’ Mr. Dubois, he was a wonderful preacher at New Hope Chapel over in East Gretna, he said: “De answer is dat de Book ain’t got time to go into all de details.” And he was right. You know sometimes I think de Lawd expects us to figure out a few things for ourselves. We know that at one time dey wasn’t anything except Heaven, we don’t know jest where it was but we know it was ​dere. Maybe it was everywhere. Den one day de Lawd got the idea he’d like to make some places. He made de sun and de moon, de stars. An’ he made de earth.

Who was aroun’ den, nothin’ but angels?

I suppose so.

What was de angels doin’ up dere?

I suppose dey jest flew aroun’ and had a good time. Dey wasn’t no sin, so dey musta had a good time.

Did dey have picnics?

Sho, dey had the nicest kind of picnics. Dey probably had fish frys, wid b’iled custard and ten cent seegars for de adults. God gives us humans lotsa ideas about havin’ good times. Maybe dey were things he’d seen de angels do. Yes, sir, I bet dey had a fish fry every week.

Did dey have Sunday School, too?

Yes, dey musta had Sunday School for de cherubs.

What did God look like, Mr. Deshee?

Well, nobody knows exactly what God looked like. But when I was a little boy I used to imagine dat he looked like de Reverend Dubois. He was de finest looking ol’ man I ever knew. Yes, I used to bet de Lawd looked exactly like Mr. Dubois in de days when he walked de earth in de shape of a natchel man.

When was dat, Mr. Deshee?

Why, when he was gettin’ things started down heah. When He talked to Adam and Eve and Noah and Moses and all dem. He made mighty men in dem days. But aldo they was awful mighty dey always knew dat He was beyond dem all. Pretty near one o'clock, time fo’ you chillun to go home to dinner, but before I let you go I wan’ you to go over wid me de ​main facts of de first lesson. What’s de name of de book?

Genesis.

Dat’s right. And what’s de other name?

First Book of Moses.

Dat’s right. And dis yere’s Chapter One.

[The lights begin to dim.] “In de beginnin’ God created de heaven an’ de earth. An’ de earth was widout form an’ void. An’ de darkness was upon de face of de deep.”