SCENE 1
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<strong>THE TESS CATHLEEN</strong>SE??A room with lighted fire, and a door into the open air, through whie 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 se should have the effeissal Painting. MARY, a woman of forty years or so, is grinding a quern.
MARY. What have made the grey hen flutter so?
(TEIG, a boy of fourteen, is ing in with turf, which he lays beside the hearth.)
TEIG. They say that now the land is famiruck
The graves are walking.
MARY. There is something that the hen hears.
TEIG. And that is not the worst; at Tubber?vanach
A woma a man with ears spread out,
And they moved up and down like a bats wing.
MARY. What have kept your father all this while?
TEIG. Two nights ago, at Carrick?orus churchyard,
A herdsma 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 fathers ing.
(TEIG goes to door.)
TEIG. Mother!
MARY. What is it?
TEIG. In the bush beyond,
There are two birds??if you call them birds??
I could not see them rightly for the leaves.
But theyve the shape and colour of horned owls
And Im half certain theyve a human face.
MARY. Mother of God, defend us!
TEIG. Theyre 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 weasels tooth?
MARY. Youll bring misfortuh your blasphemies
Upon your father, or yourself, or me.
I would to God he were home??ah, there he is.
(SHEMUS es in.)
What was it kept you in the wood? You know
I ot get all sorts of acts
Out of my mind till you are home again.
SHEMUS. Im in no mood to listen to your clatter.
Although I tramped the woods for half a day,
Ive taken nothing, for the very rats,
Badgers, and hedgehogs seem to have died ht,
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 ce 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. Whats in the house?
TEIG. A bit of mouldy bread.
MARY. Theres flour enough to make another loaf.
TEIG. And when thats gone?
MARY. There is the hen in the coop.
SHEMUS. My curse upon the beggars, my Curse upon them!
TEIG. And the last penny gone.
SHEMUS. When the hens gone,
What we do but live on sorrel and dock)
And dandelion, till our mouths are green?
MARY. God, that to this hours found bit and sup,
Will cater for us still.
SHEMUS. His kits bare.
There were five doors that I looked through this day
And saw the dead and not a soul to wake them.
MARY. Maybe Hed have us die because He knows,
When the ear is stopped and when the eye is stopped,
That every wicked sight is hid from the eye,
And all fool talk from the ear.
SHEMUS. Whos passing there?
And mog us with music?
(A stringed instrument without.)
TEIG. A young man plays it,
Theres an old woman and a lady with him.
SHEMUS. What is the trouble of the poor to her?
Nothing at all or a harsh radishy sauce
For the days meat.
MARY. Gods pity on the rich,
Had we been through as many doors, and seen
The dishes standing on the polished wood
In the wax dle light, wed be as hard,
And theres the needles eye at the end of all,
SHEMUS. My curse upon the rich.
TEIG. Theyre ing here.
SHEMUS. Then down upon that stool, down quick, I say,
And call up a whey fad a whining voice,
A your head be bowed upon your knees,
MARY. Had I but time to put the place thts.
(CATHLEEN, OONA, and ALEEL enter.)
CATHLEEN. God save all here. There is a certain house,
An old grey castle with a kit garden,
A cider orchard and a plot for flowers,
Somewhere among these woods.
MARY. We know it, lady.
A place ９９ｌiｂ?hats set among impassable walls
As though worlds trouble could not find it out.
CATHLEEN. It may be that we are that trouble, for we??
Although weve wandered in the wood this hour??
Have lost it too, yet I should know my way,
For I lived all my childhood in that house.
MARY. Then you are tess Cathleen?
CATHLEEN. And this woman,
Oona, my nurse, should have remembered it,
For we were happy for a long time there.
OONA. The paths are rown with thickets now,
Or else some ge has e upon my sight.
CATHLEEN. And this young man, that should have known the woods?? Because we met him on their border
but now,
Wandering and singing like a wave of the sea??
Is so ed up in dreams of terrors to e
That he give no help.
MARY. You have still some way,
But I put you orodden path
Your servants take when they are marketing.
But first sit down a yourself awhile,
For my old fathers served your fathers, lady,
Lohan books tell??and it were strange
If you and yours should not be wele here.
CATHLEEN. And it were straill were I ungrateful
For such kind wele but I must be gone,
For the nights gathering in.
SHEMUS. It is a long while
Since Ive set eyes on bread or on what buys it.
CATHLEEN. So you are starving even in this wood,
Where I had thought I would find nothing ged.
But thats a dream, for the old worm o the world
eat its way into lace it pleases.
(She gives money.)
TEIG. Beautiful lady, give me something too;
I fell but now, being weak with hunger and thirst,
And lay upohreshold like a log.
CATHLEEN. I gave for all and that was all I had.
Look, my purse is empty. I have passed
By starving men and women all this day,
And they have had the rest; but take the purse,
The silver clasps ont may be worth a trifle.
But if youll e to?morrow to my house
You shall have twice the sum.
(ALEEL begins to play.)
SHEMUS (muttering). What, music, music!
CATHLEEN. Ah, do not blame the finger oring;
The doctors bid me fly the unlucky times
And find distra for my thoughts, or else
Pio my grave.
SHEMUS. I have said nothing, lady.
Why should the like of us plain?
OONA. Have done. Sorrows that shes but read of in a book
Weigh on her mind as if they had been her own.
(OONA, MARY, and CATHLEEN go Out. ALEEL looks defiantly at
SHEMUS.)
ALEEL. (Singing) Impetuous heart, be still, be still,
Your sorrowful love ever be told,
Cover it up with a loune,
He that could bend all things to His will
Has covered the door of the infinite fold
With the pale stars and the wandering moon.
(He takes a step towards the door and then turns again.)
Shut to the door before the night has fallen,
For who say what walks, or in what shape
Some devilish creature flies in the air, but now
Two grey?horned owls hooted above our heads.
(He goes out, his singing dies away. MARY es in. SHEmus has been ting the money.)
TEIG. Theres no good lu owls, but it may be
That the ill lucks to fall upon their heads.
MARY. You hanked her ladyship.
SHEMUS. Thank her,
For seven halfpend a silver bit?
TEIG. But for this empty purse?
SHEMUS. Whats that for thanks,
Or whats the double of it that she promised?
With bread and flesh and every sort of food
Up to a prian has heard the like of
And rising every day.
MARY. We have all she had;
She emptied out the purse before our eyes.
SHEMUS (to MARY, who has goo close the door)
Leave that door open.
MARY. When those that have read books,
Ahe seven wonders of the world,
Fear whats above or whats below the ground,
Its time that poverty should bolt the door.
SHEMUS. Ill have no bolts, for there is not a thing
That walks above the ground or u
I had not rather wele to this house
Than any more of mankind, rich or poor.
TEIG. So that they brought us money.
SHEMUS. I heard say
Theres something that appears like a white bird,
A pigeon or a seagull or the like,
But if you hit it with a stone or a stick
It gs as though it had been made of brass;
And that if you dig down where it was scratg
Youll find a crock of gold.
TEIG. But dream of gold
For three nights running, and theres always gold.
SHEMUS. You might be starved before youve dug it out.
TEIG. But maybe if you called, something would e,
They have been seen of late.
MARY. Is it call devils?
Call devils from the wood, call them in here?
SHEMUS. So youd stand up against me, and youd say
Who or what I am to wele here.
(He hits her.)
That is to show whos master.
TEIG. Call them in.
MARY. God help us all!
SHEMUS. Pray, if you have a mind to.
its little that the sleepy ears above
Care for your words; but Ill call what９９ｌib? I please.
TEIG. There is many a ohey say, had money from them.
SHEMUS. (at door)
Whatever you are that walk the woods at night,
So be it that you have not shouldered up
Out of a grave??for Ill have nothing human??
And have free hands, a friendly trick of speech,
I wele you. e, sit beside the fire.
What matter if your heads below your arms
Or youve a horses tail to whip your flank,
Feathers instead of hair, thats but a straw,
e, share what bread a is in the house,
And stretch your heels and warm them in the ashes.
And after that, lets share and share alike
And curse all men and women. e in, e in.
What, is there no ohere?
(Turning from door)
Ahey say
They are as on as the grass, and ride
Even upon the book in the priests hand.
(TEIG lifts one arm slooints toward the door and begins moving backwards. SHEMUS turns, he
also sees something and begins moving backward. MARY does the same. A man dressed as an
Eastern mert es in carrying a small carpet. He unrolls it and sits cross?legged at one end of it.
Another man dressed in the same way follows, and sits at the other end. This is done slowly and deliberately.
When they are seated they take money out of embroidered purses at their girdles and begin arranging it on the
carpet.
TEIG. You speak to them.
SHEMUS. No, you.
TEIG. Twas you that called them.
SHEMUS. (ing nearer)
Id make so bold, if you would pardon it,
To ask if theres a thing youd have of us.
Although we are but poor people, if there is,
Why, if there is??
FIRST MERT. Weve travelled a long road,
For we are merts that must tramp the world,
And now we look for supper and a fire
And a safe er to t money in.
SHEMUS. I thought you were .... but thats no matter now??
There had been words between my wife and me
Because I said I would be master here,
And ask in what I pleased or who I pleased
And so. . . . but that is nothing to the point,
Because its certain that you are but merts.
FIRST MERT. We t<bdo>99lｉb?</bdo>ravel for the Master of all merts.
SHEMUS. Yet if you were that I had thought but now
Id wele you no less. Be what you please
And youll have supper at the market rate,
That means that what was sold for but a penny
Is now worth fifty.
(MERTS begin putting money on carpet.)
FIRST MERT. Our Master bids us pay
So good a price, that all who deal with us
Shall eat, drink, and be merry.
SHEMUS. (to MARY) Bestir yourself,
Go kill and draw the fowl, while Teig and I
Lay out the plates and make a better fire.
MARY. I will not cook for you.
SHEMUS. Not cook! not cook!
Do not be angry. She wants to pay me back
Because I struck her in that argument.
But shell get sense again. Sihe dearth came
We rattle one on another as though we were
Khrown into a basket to be ed.
MARY. I will not cook for you, because I know
In what unlucky shape you sat but now
Outside this door.
TEIG. Its this, your honours:
Because of some wild words my father said
She thinks you are not of those who cast a shadow.
SHEMUS. I said Id make the devils of the wood
Wele, if theyd a mind to eat and drink;
But it is certain that you are men like us.
FIRST MERT.
Its strahat she should think we cast no shadow,
For there is nothing on the ridge of the world
Thats more substantial than the merts are
That buy and sell you.
MARY. If you are not demons,
And seeing what great wealth is spread out there,
Give food or moo the starving poor.
FIRST MERT. If we knew how to find deserving poor
Wed do our share.
MARY. But seek them patiently.
FIRST MERT. We know the evils of mere charity.
MARY. Those scruples may befit a on time.
I had thought there ushing to and fro,
At times like this, that overset the scale
And trampled measure down.
FIRST MERT. But if already
Wed thought of a more prudent way than that?
SEERT. If eae brings a bit of merdise,
Well give him such a price he never dreamt of.
MARY. Where shall the starving e at merdise?
FIRST MERT. We will ask nothing but what all men have.
MARY. Their swine and cattle, fields and implements
Are sold and gone.
FIRST MERT. They have not sold all yet.
For theres a vaporous thing??that may be nothing,
But thats the buyers risk??a sed self,
They call immortal for a storys sake.
SHEMUS. You e to buy our souls?
TEIG. Ill barter mine.
Why should we starve for what may be but nothing?
MARY. Teig and Shemus??
SHEMUS. What it be but nothing?
What has God poured out of His bag but famine?
Satan gives money.
TEIG. Yet no thuirs.
FIRST MERT. There is a heap for each.
(SHEMUS goes to take money.)
But no, not yet,
For theres a work I have to set you to.
SHEMUS. So then youre as deceitful as the rest,
And all that talk of buying whats but a vapour
Is fancy bred. I might have known as much,
Because thats how the trick?o?the?loop man talks.
FIRST MERT. Thats for the work, each has its separate price; But her price is paid till the works
done.
TEIG. The same for me.
MARY. Oh, God, why are you still?
FIRST MERT. Youve but to cry aloud at every cross?road, At every house door, that we buy mens
souls,
And give so good a price that all may live
In mirth and fort till the famines done,
Because we are Christian men.
SHEMUS. e, lets away.
TREIG> I shall keep running till Ive earhe price.
SEERT. (who has risen and goowards fire)
Stop, for we obey a generous Master,
That would be served by fortable men.
And heres your eai on the road.
(TRIG and SHEMUS have stopped. TEIG takes the mohey go out.)
MARY. Destroyers of souls, God will destroy you quickly.
You shall at last dry like dry leaves and hang
Nailed like dead vermin to the doors of God.
SEERT.
Curse to your fill, for saints will have their dreams.
FIRST MERTm Though were but vermin that our Master sent To overrun the world, he at the end
Shall pull apart the pale ribs of the moon
And quench the stars in the aral night.
MARY., God is all powerful.
SEERT. Pray, you shall need Him.
You shall eat dod grass, and dandelion,
Till that low threshold there bees a wall,
And when your hands scarcely drag your body
We shall be near you.
(MARY faints.) (The FIRST MERT takes up the carPet, spreads it before the fire and stands in front of
it warming his hands.)
FIRST MERT. Our faces go unscratched,
For she has fainted. Wring the neck o that fowl,
Scatter the flour and search the shelves for bread.
Well turn the fowl upon the spit and roast it,
Ahe supper we were bidden to,
Now that the house is quiet, praise our master,
And stretd warm <q>.</q>our heels among the ashes.
END OF SE 1
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