Broken Blossoms

[a.k.a. "Broken Blossoms or the Yellow Man and the Girl"]

1
It is a tale of temple bells,
sounding at sunset before
the image of Buddha; it is
a tale of love and lovers;
it is a tale of tears.

2
We may believe there are no 
Battling Burrows, striking the 
helpless with brutal whip -
but do we not ourselves use
the whip of unkind words and 
deeds? So, perhaps, Battling
  may even carry a message 
        of warning.

3
At the turn-stiles 
of the East -
The bund of a great
Chinese treaty port.

4
   Sky-larking
American sailors.

5
The Yellow Man in the
Temple of Buddha, before
his contemplated journey
  to a foreign land.

6
Advice for a young man's 
conduct in the world -
word for word such as a
fond parent or guardian of
our own land would give.

7
The Yellow Man holds
a great dream to take
the glorious message of 
peace to the barbarous
Anglo-Saxons, sons of
 turmoil and strife.

8
"Do not give blows for
blows. The Buddha 
says: 'What thou dost
not want others to do
to thee, do thou not 
   to others.'"

9
Just a sociable free
fight for the Jackies
- but the sensitive
Yellow Man shrinks
  in horror.

10
The Yellow Man more
than ever convinced that
the great nations across
the sea need the lessons
of the gentle Buddha.

11
The day set for
his departure to
foreign shores.

12
Early morning in
the Limehouse dis-
trict of London,
some years later.

13
Now - Limehouse
knows him only 
as a Chink store-
   keeper.

14
The Yellow Man's
youthful dreams come
to wreck against the
sordid realities of life.

15
Broken bits of
his life in his
  new home.

16
Chinese, Malays, Lascars

  where the Orient
  squats at the por-
  tals of the West.

17
In this scarlet house 
of sin, does he ever 
hear the temple bells?

18
Fantan, the Goddess
   of Chance.

19
The home of Lucy and
 Battling Burrows.

20
Fifteen years before
one of the Battler's girls
thrust into his arms a
bundle of white rags -

So Lucy came to Limehouse.

21
Battling Burrows, an abys-
mal brute - a gorilla of
the jungles of East London
- gloating on his victory
over the "Limehouse Tiger."

22
The manager's complaint 
about drink and women
puts Battling in a rage -
he cannot take his temper
out on him - he saves it
for a weaker object.

23
        The Girl.

When not serving as a punch-
ing bag to relieve the Battler's
feelings, the bruised little body
may be seen creeping around
the docks of Limehouse.

24
Lucy's surroundings 
have not been the 
most cheerful. - A 
married acquaintance 
  has told her -

25
"Whatever you 
do, dearie, don't
 get married."

26
Warned as strongly
by the ladies of the 
street against their 
  profession.

27
  In every group there
  is one, weaker than
  the rest - the butt
  of uncouth wit or
     ill-temper.

Poor Lucy is one of these.

28
Lucy, as usual, 
receives the
Battler's pent
up brutishness.

29
"Don't whip me - don't!"

30
"Please, Daddy - Don't!"

31
"Put a smile on yer face, 
      can't yer?"

32
Poor Lucy, never having
cause to smile, uses this
pitiful excuse instead.

33
She has to wait -

34
- he can't stand poor
   table manners.

35
He orders his tea for
   five o'clock.

36
"Come on - give us a smile."

37
"My brother leaves 
for China tomor-
row to convert the 
    heathen."

38
"I - I wish him luck."

39
The shopping trip.

40
Enough tin foil might
get something extra.

41
The Yellow Man watched
Lucy often. The beauty
which all Limehouse missed
smote him to the heart.

42
This child with 
tear-aged face -

43
Evil Eye also watches.

44
The Spirit of Beauty
breaks her blossoms
all about his chamber.

45
The manager horri-
fied to find Battling 
   at it again.

46
"Wot yer expect me 
to do - pick violets?"

47
Lucy's starved 
heart aches for 
the flower - 

48
- but not quite 
enough tin foil.

49
The manager's pro-
test against Burrow's
dissipation sends him
home in another rage.

50
"Tain't five! Tain't five!" 

51
His last meal before 
taking up training 
quarters across the 
river, for his return 
match with the Tiger.

52
The terrible accident." 

53
"Pretend yer didn't 
do it on purpose! 
I'll learn yer!" 

54
"Don't do it, Daddy! 
You'll hit me once too 
often - and then they'll 
- they'll hang yer!"

55
"Oh, look! Daddy! 
Dust on yer boots!"

56
After dim aeons - 
dumbly, blindly, she 
struggles away from 
her house of suffering.

57
Returning from tea 
  and noodles.

58
With perhaps a whiff 
of the lilied pipe still 
   in his brain. 

59
The first gentleness 
she has ever known.

60
Oh, lily flowers and 
   plum blossoms!
Oh silver streams and 
   dim-starred skies!

61
The room prepared 
as for a princess.

62
A magical robe 
treasured from 
an olden day. 

63 
She seems transformed - 
into the dark chambers of 
her incredulous, frightened 
little heart comes warmth, 
     and light." 

64
Blue and yellow silk 
caressing white skin 
- her beauty so long 
hidden shines out 
   like a poem.

65
He dreams her 
prattle, her bird-like 
ways, her sweet self 
- are all his own.

66
"What makes you so 
good to me, Chinky?"

67
There he brings rays stolen 
from the lyric moon, and 
places them on her hair; and 
all night long he crouches, 
holding one grubby little hand.

68
Breathing in an amber 
flute to this alabaster 
cockney girl her love 
name - White Blossom.

69
Now there is one, a 
friend of Battling's, 
having some busi-
ness in the Yellow 
   Man's shop.

70
Change for half a crown.

71
Across the river, where 
Battling is training for 
his fight before the muni-
tion workers, comes the 
    Spying One.

72
Battling discovers 
parental rights - 
A Chink after his kid! 
He'll learn him!

73
Above all, Battling 
hates those not born 
in the same great 
country as himself.

74
The girl moves 
to go home - 

75
- but decides 
to wait until 
  tomorrow.

76
"Wait till I'm through 
with this fight tonight 
   - I'll get 'em." 

77
His love remains 
a pure and holy 
thing - even his 
worst foe says this.

78
He goes to right his
     Honor - ?

79
The lowering storm.

80
"You! With a dirty Chink!" 

81
"'Tain't nothin' wrong! 
'Tain't nothing wrong! 
I fell down in the door-
way and - it wasn't 
  nothin' wrong!"

82
"I'll learn yer! 
I'll learn yer!"

83
Evil Eye investigates.

84
"Take them things off!" 

85
The cloaking river mist.

86
Evil Eye gladly 
bears the news.

87
"Where is he?" 

88
"Don't! Daddy! It wasn't 
    nothin' wrong." 

89
"Open, I tell yer!" 

90
"Don't Daddy! - Don't! 
THEY'LL HANG YER!"

91
Dying, she gives her 
last little smile to 
the world that has 
 been so unkind.

92
"Better than last 
  week - Only 
 forty thousand 
   casualties." 

93
As he smiles goodbye 
to White Blossom, all 
the tears of the ages 
rush over his heart.

THE END