The Collected Works in Verse and Prose of William Butler Yeats. Volume 4 of 8. The Hour-glass. Cathleen ni Houlihan. The Golden Helmet. The Irish Dramatic Movement. Yeats William Butler

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CUCHULAIN

      Silence, all of you. What is all this uproar, Laeg, and who began it?

      [The Scullions and the Horseboys point at LAEG and cry, ‘He began it.’ They keep up an all but continual murmur through what follows.

LAEG

      A man with a red beard came where we were sitting, and as he passed me he cried out that they were taking a golden helmet or some such thing from you and denying you the championship of Ireland. I stood up on that and I cried out that you were the best of the men of Ireland. But the others cried for Leagerie or Conal, and because I have a big voice they got down the horns to drown my voice, and as neither I nor they would keep silent we have come here to settle it. I demand that the Helmet be taken from Conal and be given to you.

[The Horseboys and the Scullions shout, ‘No, no; give it to Leagerie,’ ‘The best man has it,’ etc.CUCHULAIN

      It has not been given to Conal or to anyone. I have made it into a drinking-cup that it may belong to all. I drank and then Conal drank. Give it to Leagerie, Conal, that he may drink. That will make them see that it belongs to all of us.

A SCULLION OR HORSEBOY

      Cuchulain is right.

ANOTHER

      Cuchulain is right, and I am tired blowing on the big horn.

LAEG

      Cuchulain, you drank first.

ANOTHER

      He gives it to Leagerie now, but he has taken the honour of it for himself. Did you hear him say he drank the first? He claimed to be the best by drinking first.

ANOTHER

      Did Cuchulain drink the first?

LAEG [triumphantly]

      You drank the first, Cuchulain.

CONAL

      Did you claim to be better than us by drinking first?

[LEAGERIE and CONAL draw their swords.CUCHULAIN

      Is it that old dried herring, that old red juggler who has made us quarrel for his own comfort? [The Horseboys and the Scullions murmur excitedly.] He gave the Helmet to set us by the ears, and because we would not quarrel over it, he goes to Laeg and tells him that I am wronged. Who knows where he is now, or who he is stirring up to make mischief between us? Go back to your work and do not stir from it whatever noise comes to you or whatever shape shows itself.

A SCULLION

      Cuchulain is right. I am tired blowing on the big horn.

CUCHULAIN

      Go in silence.

      [The Scullions and Horseboys turn towards the door, but stand still on hearing the voice of LEAGERIE’S WIFE outside the door.

LEAGERIE’S WIFE

      My man is the best. I will go in the first. I will go in the first.

EMER

      My man is the best, and I will go in first.

CONAL’S WIFE

      No, for my man is the best, and it is I that should go first.

[LEAGERIE’S WIFE and CONAL’S WIFE struggle in the doorway.LEAGERIE’S WIFE sings

      My man is the best.

      What other has fought

      The cat-headed men

      That mew in the sea

      And carried away

      Their long-hidden gold?

      They struck with their claws

      And bit with their teeth,

      But Leagerie my husband

      Put all to the sword.

CONAL’S WIFE[Putting her hand over the other’s mouth and getting in front of her.]

      My husband has fought

      With strong men in armour.

      Had he a quarrel

      With cats, it is certain

      He’d war with none

      But the stout and heavy

      With good claws on them.

      What glory in warring

      With hollow shadows

      That helplessly mew?

EMER[Thrusting herself between them and forcing both of them back with her hands.]

      I am Emer, wife of Cuchulain, and no one shall go in front of me, or sing in front of me, or praise any that I have not a mind to hear praised.

[CUCHULAIN puts his spear across the door.CUCHULAIN

      All of our three wives shall come in together, and by three doors equal in height and in breadth and in honour. Break down the bottoms of the windows.

      [While CONAL and LEAGERIE are breaking down the bottoms of the windows each of their wives goes to the window where her husband is.

While the windows are being broken down EMER sings

      My man is the best.

      And Conal’s wife

      And the wife of Leagerie

      Know that they lie

      When they praise their own

      Out of envy of me.

      My man is the best,

      First for his own sake,

      Being the bravest

      And handsomest man

      And the most beloved

      By the women of Ireland

      That envy me,

      And then for his wife’s sake

      Because I’m the youngest

      And handsomest queen.

      [When the windows have been made into doors, CUCHULAIN takes his spear from the door where EMER is, and all three come in at the same moment.

EMER

      I am come to praise you and to put courage into you, Cuchulain, as a wife should, that they may not take the championship of the men of Ireland from you.

LEAGERIE’S WIFE

      You lie, Emer, for it is Cuchulain and Conal who are taking the championship from my husband.

CONAL’S WIFE

      Cuchulain has taken it.

CUCHULAIN

      Townland against townland, barony against barony, kingdom against kingdom, province against province, and if there be but two door-posts to a door the one fighting against the other. [He takes up the Helmet which LEAGERIE had laid down upon the table when he went to break out the bottom of the window.] This Helmet will bring no more wars into Ireland. [He throws it into the sea.]

LEAGERIE’S WIFE

      You have done that to rob my husband.

CONAL’S WIFE

      You could not keep it for yourself, and so you threw it away that nobody else might have it.

CONAL

      You should not have done that, Cuchulain.

LEAGERIE

      You have done us a great wrong.

EMER

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