Poems. W. B. Yeats

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СКАЧАТЬ style="font-size:15px;">       MAUD GONNE

Shemus Rua	A Peasant
Mary	His Wife
Teig	His Son
Aleel	A Poet
The Countess Cathleen
Oona	Her Foster Mother
Two Demons disguised as Merchants
Peasants, Servants, Angelical Beings

      The Scene is laid in Ireland and in old times

SCENE I

       Table of Contents

      Scene.—A room with lighted fire, and a door into the open air, through which one sees, perhaps, the trees of a wood, and these trees should be painted in flat colour upon a gold or diapered sky. The walls are of one colour. The scent should have the effect of missal painting. Mary, awoman of forty years or so, is grinding a quern.

      MARY

      What can have made the grey hen flutter so?

      (TEIG, a boy of fourteen, is coming in with turf, which he lays beside the hearth.)

      TEIG

      They say that now the land is famine struck

       The graves are walking.

      MARY

      There is something that the hen hears.

      TEIG

      And that is not the worst; at Tubber-vanach

       A woman met a man with ears spread out,

       And they moved up and down like a bat's wing.

      MARY

      What can have kept your father all this while?

      TEIG

      Two nights ago, at Carrick-orus churchyard,

       A herdsman met a man who had no mouth,

       Nor eyes, nor ears; his face a wall of flesh;

       He saw him plainly by the light of the moon.

      MARY

      Look out, and tell me if your father's coming.

      (TEIG goes to door.)

      TEIG

      Mother!

      MARY

      What is it?

      TEIG

      In the bush beyond,

       There are two birds—if you can call them birds—

       I could not see them rightly for the leaves.

       But they've the shape and colour of horned owls

       And I'm half certain they've a human face.

      MARY

      Mother of God, defend us!

      TEIG

      They're looking at me.

       What is the good of praying? father says.

       God and the Mother of God have dropped asleep.

       What do they care, he says, though the whole land

       Squeal like a rabbit under a weasel's tooth?

      MARY

      You'll bring misfortune with your blasphemies

       Upon your father, or yourself, or me.

       I would to God he were home—ah, there he is.

      (SHEMUS comes in.)

      What was it kept you in the wood? You know

       I cannot get all sorts of accidents

       Out of my mind till you are home again.

      SHEMUS

      I'm in no mood to listen to your clatter.

       Although I tramped the woods for half a day,

       I've taken nothing, for the very rats,

       Badgers, and hedgehogs seem to have died of drought,

       And there was scarce a wind in the parched leaves.

      TEIG

      Then you have brought no dinner.

      SHEMUS

      After that

       I sat among the beggars at the cross-roads,

       And held a hollow hand among the others.

      MARY

      What, did you beg?

      SHEMUS

      I had no chance to beg,

       For when the beggars saw me they cried out

       They would not have another share their alms,

       And hunted me away with sticks and stones.

      TEIG

      You said that you would bring us food or money.

      SHEMUS

      What's in the house?

      TEIG

      A bit of mouldy bread.

      MARY

      There's flour enough to make another loaf.

      TEIG

      And when that's gone?

      MARY

      There is the hen in the coop.

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