SCENE 5
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<strong>The house of SHEMUS RUA.</strong>There is an alcove at the back with curtains; in it a bed, and on the
bed is the body of MARY with dles round it. The two MERTS while they speak put a large book
upon a table, arrange money, and so on.
FIRST MERT.<df</dfn> Thanks to that lie I told about her ships
And that about the herdsman lying sick,
We shall be too much thronged with souls to?morrow.
SEERT. What has she in her coffers now but mice?
FIRST MERT. When the night fell and I had shaped myself Into the image of the man?headed owl,
I hurried to the cliffs of Donegal,
And saw with all their vas full of wind
And rushing through the parti?coloured sea
Those ships that bring the woman grain and meal.
Theyre but three days from us.
SEERT. When the dew rose
I hurried in like feathers to the east,
And saw nine hundred oxen driven through Meath
With goads of iron, Theyre but three days from us.
FIRST MERT. Three days for traffic.
(PEASANTS crowd in with TEIG and SHEMUS.)
SHEMUS. e in, e in, you are wele.
That is my wife. She mocked at my great masters,
And would not deal with them. Now there she is;
She does not even know she was a fool,
So great a fool she was.
TEIG. She would
One crumb of bread bought with our masters money,
But lived oles, dock, and dandelion.
SHEMUS. Theres nobody could put into her head
That Death is the worst thing happen us.
Though that sounds simple, for her tongue grew rank
With all the lies that she had heard in chapel.
Draw to the curtain.
(TEIG draws it.)
Youll not play the fool
While these good gentlemehere to save you.
SEERT.
Sihe drought came they drift about in a throng,
Like autumn leaves blown by the dreary winds.
e, deal??e, deal.
FIRST MERT. Who will e deal with us?
SHEMUS. They are out of spirit, Sir, with lack of food,
Save four or five. Here, sir, is one of these;
The others will gain ce in good time.
MIDDLE?AGED?MAN. I e to deal??if you give ho price.
FIRST MERT (reading in a book)
John Maher, a man of substance, with dull mind,
And quiet senses and uurous heart.
The ahink him safe." Two hundred s,
All for a soul, a little breath of wind.
THE MAN. I ask three hundred s. You have read there
That no mere lapse of days make me yours.
FIRST MERT.
There is something more writ here??"often at night
He is wakeful from a dread of growing poor,
And thereon wonders if theres any man
That he could rob in safety."
A PEASANT. Whod have thought it?
And I was once aloh him at midnight.
ANOTHER PEASANT. I will not trust my mother after this.
FIRST MERT. There is this cra you??two hundred s.
A PEASANT. Thats plenty for a rogue.
ANOTHER PEASANT. Id give him nothing.
SHEMUS. Youll get no more??so take whats offered you.
(A general murmur, during which the MIDDLE?AGED?MAN takes money, and slips into background,
where he sinks on to a seat.)
FIRST MERT. Has no o a better soul than that?
If only for the credit of your parishes, Traffic with us.
A WOMAN. What will you give for mine?
FIRST MERT (reading in book)
"Soft, handsome, and still young "??not much, I think."
Its certain that the man shes married to
Knows nothing of whats hidden in the jar
Between the hlass and the pepper?pot."
THE WOMAN. The sdalous book.
FIRST MERT. "Nor how when hes away
At the horse fair the hand that wrote whats hid
Will tap three times upon the window?pane."
THE WOMAN. And if there is a letter, that is no reason
Why I should have less mohahers.
FIRST MERT. Youre almost safe, I give you fifty s
(She turns to go.)
A hu<var></var>hen.
SHEMUS. Woman, have sense?e, e.
Is this a time to haggle at the price?
There, take it up. There, there. Thats right.
(She takes them and goes into the crowd.)
FIRST MERT. e, deal, deal, deal. It is but for charity We buy such souls at all; a thousand sins
Made them our Masters long before we came.
(ALEEL enters.)
ALEEL. Here, take my soul, for I am tired of it.
I do not ask a price.
SHEMUS. Not ask a price?
How you sell your soul without a price?
I would not listen to his broken wits;
His love for tess Cathleen has so crazed him
He hardly uan<s></s>ds what he is saying.
ALEEL. The trouble that has e on tess Cathleen,
The sorrow that is in her wasted face,
The burden in her eyes, have broke my wits,
A I know Id have you take my soul.
FIRST MERT. We ot take your soul, for it is hers.
ALEEL. No. but you must. Seeing it ot help her
I have grown tired of it.
FIRST MERT. Begone from me
I may not touch it.
ALEEL. Is your power so small?
And must I bear it with me all my days?
May you be sed and mocked!
FIRST MERT. Drag him away.
He troubles me.
(TEIG and SHEMUS lead ALEEL into the crowd.)
SEERT. His gaze has filled me, brother,
With shaking and a dreadful fear.
FIRST MERT. Lean forward
And kiss the circlet where my Masters lips
Were pressed upon it when he sent us hither;
You shall have peace more.
(SEERT kisses the gold circlet that is about the
head of the FIRST MERT.)
I, too, grow weary,
But there is something moving in my heart
Whereby I know that what we seek the most
Is drawing near??our labour will soon end.
e, deal, deal, deal, deal, deal; are you all dumb?
What, will you keep me from our a home
And from the eternal revelry?
SEERT. Deal, deal.
SHEMUS. They say you beat the woman down too low.
FIRST MERT. I offer this great price: a?thousand s For an old woman who was always ugly.
(An Old PEASANT WOMAN es forward, aakes up a book and reads.)
There is but little set down here against her.
"She has stolen eggs and fowl when times were bad,
But wheimes grew better has fessed it;
She never missed her chapel of a Sunday
And when she could, paid dues." Take up your money.
OLD WObbr></abbr>MAN. God bless you, Sir.
(She screams.)
Oh, sir, a paihrough me!
FIRST MERT. That name is like a fire to all damned souls.
(Murmur among the PEASANTS, who shrink back from her as she goes out.)
A PEASANT. How she screamed out!
SED PEASANT. And maybe we shall scream so.
THIRD PEASANT. I tell you there is no such place as hell.
FIRST MERT. such a trifle turn you from your profit? e, deal; e, deal,
MIDDLE?AGED MAN. Master, I am afraid.
FIRST MERT. I bought your soul, and theres no sense in fear Now the souls gone.
MIDDLE?AGED MAN. Give me my soul again.
WOMAN (going on her knees and ging to MERT)
And take this mooo, and give me mine.
SEERT. Bear bastards, drink or follow some wild fancy; Fhs and cries are the souls
work,
And you have none.
(Throws the woman off.)
PEASANT. e, lets away.
ANOTHER PEASANT. Yes, yes.
ANOTHER PEASANT. e quickly; if that woman had not screamed I would have lost my soul.
ANOTHER PEASANT. e, e away.
(They turn to door, but are stopped by shouts of "tess
Cathleen! tess Cathleen!")
CATHLEEering) And so you trade once more?
FIRST MERT. In spite of you.
What brings you here, saint with the sapphire eyes?
CATHLEEN. I e to barter a soul freat price.
SEERT. What matter, if the soul be worth the price?
CATHLEEN. The people starve, therefore the people go
Thronging to you. I hear a cry e from them
And it is in my ears by night and day,
And I would have five huhousand s
That I may feed them till the dearth go by.
FIRST MERT. . It may be the souls worth it.
CATHLEEN. There is more:
The souls that you have bought must be set free.
FIRST MERT. We know of but one soul thats worth the price.
CATHLEEN. Being my own it seems a priceless thing.
SEERT. You offer us??
CATHLEEN. I offer my own soul.
A PEASANT. Do not, do not, for souls the like of ours
Are not precious to God as your soul is.
O! what would Heaven do without you, lady?
ANOTHER PEASANT.
Look how their claws clut their leathern gloves.
FIRST MERT. Five huhousand s; we give the price. The gold is here; the souls even
while you speak
Have slipped out of our bond, because your face
Has shed a light on them and filled their hearts.
But you must sign, for we omit no form
In buying a soul like yours.
SEERT. Sign with this quill.
It was a feather growing on the cock
That crowed wheer dared deny his Master,
And all who use it have great honour in Hell.
(CATHLEEN leans forward to sign.)
ALEEL (rushing forward and snatg the part from her) Leave all things to the builder of the
heavens.
CATHLEEN. I have no thoughts; I hear a cry??a cry.
ALEEL (casting the part on the ground)
I have seen a vision under a green hedge,
A hedge of hips and haws?me shall hear
The Argels rolling Satay skull
Over the mountain?tops.
FIRST MERT. Take him away.
(TEIG and SHEMUS drag him roughly away so that he falls upon the floor among the PEASANTS.
CATHLEEN picks up part and signs, then turns towards the PEASANTS.)
CATHLEEN. Take up the money, and now e with me;
When we are far from this polluted place
I will give everybody money enough.
(She goes out, the PEASANTS crowding round her and kissing her dress. ALEEL and the two MERTS
are left alone.)
SEERT. We must away and wait until she dies,
Sitting above her tower as two grey owls,
Waiting as many years as may be, guarding
Our precious jewel; waiting to seize her soul.
FIRST MERT. We need but hover over her head in the air, For she has only minutes. When she signed
Her heart began to break. Hush, hush, I hear
The brazen door of Hell move on its hinges,
And the eternal revelry float hither
To hearten us.
SEERT. Leap feathered on the air
Ahem with her soul caught in your claws.
(They rush Out. ALEEL crawls into the middle of the room. The twilight has fallen and gradually darkens as
the se goes on. There is a distant muttering of thunder and a sound of rising storm.)
ALEEL. The brazen door stands wide, and Balor es
Borne in his heavy car, and demons have lifted
The age?weary eyelids from the eyes that of old
Turned gods to stone; Barach, the traitor, es
And the lascivious race, Cailitin,
That cast a druid weakness and decay
Over Sualtems and old Decteras child;
And that great king Hell first took hold upon
When he killed Naisi and broke Deirdres heart,
And all their heads are twisted to one side,
For when they lived they warred oy and peace
With obstinate, crafty, sidelong bitterness.
(He moves about as though the air was full of spirits. OOers.)
Crouch down, old heron, out of the blind storm.
OONA. Where is the tess Cathleen? All this day
Her eyes were full of tears, and when for a moment
Her hand was laid upon my hand it trembled,
And now I do not know where she is gone.
ALEEL. Cathleen has chosen other friends than us,
And they are rising through the hollow world.
Demons are out, old heron.
OONA. God guard her soul.
ALEEL. Shes bartered it away this very hour,
As though ere never in the world.
And they are rising through the hollow world.
(He Points downward.)
First, Orchill, her pale, beautiful head alive,
Her body shadowy as vapour drifting
Uhe dawn, for she who awoke desire
Has but a heart of blood when others die;
About her is a vapoury multitude
Of women alluring devils with soft laughter
Behind her a host heat of the blood made sin,
But a<u>?</u>ll the little pink?white nails have grown
To be great talons.
(He seizes OONA and drags her into the middle of the room
and Points downward with vehemeures. The wind roars.)
They begin a song
And there is still some musi their tongues.
OONA (casting herself face downwards on the floor)
O, Maker of all, protect her from the demons,
And if a soul must need be lost, take mine.
(ALEEL kneels beside her, but does not seem to hear her words. The PEASANTS return. They carry the
TESS CATHLEEN and lay her upon the ground before OONA and ALEEL. She lies there as if dead.)
OONA. O, that so many pitchers h clay
Should prosper and the porcelain break in two!
(She kisses the hands of CATHLEEN.)
A PEASANT. We were uhe tree where the path turns,
When she grew pale as death and fainted away.
And while we bore her hither cloudy gusts
Blaed the world and shook us on our feet
Draw the great bolt, for no man has beheld
So black, bitter, blinding, and sudden a storm.
(One who is he door draws the bolt.)
CATHLEEN. O, hold me, and hold me tightly, for the storm
Is dragging me away.
(OONA takes her in her arms. A WOMAN begins to wail.)
PEASANT. Hush!
PEASANTS. Hush!
PEASANT WOMEN Hush!
OTHER PEASANT WOMEN Hush!
CATHLEEN (half rising) Lay all the bags of money in a heap, And when I am gone, old Oona, share them out
To every man and woman: judge, and give
Acc to their needs.
A PEASANT WOMAN. And will she give
Enough to keep my children through the dearth?
ANOTHER PEASANT WOMAN.
O, Queen of Heaven, and all you blessed saints,
Let us and ours be lost so she be shriven.
CATHLEEN. Bend down your faces, Oona and Aleel;
I gaze upon them as the swallow gazes
Upon the uhe eave, before
She wahe loud waters. Do not weep
Too great a while, for there is many a dle
On the High Altar though one fall. Aleel,
Who sang about the dancers of the woods,
That know not the hard burden of the world,
Having but breath in their kind bodies, farewell
And farewell, Oona, you who played with me,
And bore me in your arms about the house
When I was but a child and therefore happy,
Therefore happy, even like those that dance.
The storm is in my hair and I must go.
(She dies.)
OONA. Brihe looking?glass.
(A WOMAN brings it to her out of the inner room. OONA holds it over the lips Of CATHLEEN. All is silent
for a moment. And then she speaks in a half scream:)
O, she is dead!
A PEASANT. She was the great white lily of the world.
A PEASANT. She was more beautiful than the pale stars.
AN OLD PEASANT WOMAN. The little plant I love is broken in two.
(ALEEL takes looking?glass from OONA and flings it upon the floor so that it is broken in many pieces.)
ALEEL. I shatter you in fragments, for the face
That brimmed you up with beauty is no more:
And die, dull heart, for she whose mournful words
Made you a living spirit has passed away
A you but a ball of passionate dust.
And you, proud earth and plumy sea, fade out!
For you may hear no more her falteri,
But are left lonely amid the clamorous war
Of angels upon devils.
(He stands up; almost every one is kneeling, but it has grown so dark that only fused forms be seen.)
And I who weep
Call curses on you, Time and Fate and ge,
And have no excellent hope but the great hour
When you shall plunge headlong through bottomless space.
(A flash of lightning followed immediately by thunder.)
A PEASANT ull him upon his knees before his curses
Have plucked thunder and lightning on our heads.
ALEEL. Angels and devils clash in the middle air,
And brazen swords g upon brazen helms.
(A flash of lightning followed immediately by thunder.)
Yonder a bright spear, cast out of a sling,
Has torn through Balors eye, and the dark s
Fly screaming as they fled Moytura of old.
(Everything is lost in darkness.)
AN OLD MAN. The Almighty wrath at reat weakness and sin Has blotted out the world and we must
die.
(The darkness is broken by a visionary light. The PEASANTS seem to be kneeling upon the rocky slope of a
mountain, and
vapour full of storm and ever?ging light is sweeping above them and behind them. Half in the light, haff
in the shadow, stand armed angels. Their armour is old and worn, and their drawn swords dim and dinted.
They stand as if upon the air
in formation of battle and look downward with stern faces.
The PEASANTS cast themselves on the ground.)
ALEEL. Look no more on the half?closed gates of Hell,
But speak to me, whose mind is smitten of God,
That it may be no more with mortal things,
And tell of her who lies there.
(He seizes one of the angels.)
Till you speak
You shall not drift iernity.
THE Ahe light beats down; the gates of pearl are wide. And she is passing to the floor of peace,
And Mary of the seven times wounded heart
Has kissed her lips, and the long blessed hair
Has fallen on her face; The Light of Lights
Looks always oive, not the deed,
The Shadow of Shadows on the deed alone.
(ALEEL releases the ANGEL and kneels.)
OONA. Tell them who walk upon the floor of peace
That I would die and go to her I love;
The years like great black oxehe world,
And God the herdsman goads them on behind,
And I am broken by their passi.
(A sound of far?off horns seems to e from the heart of the Light. The visios away, and the forms of
the kneeling PEASANTS appear faintly in the darkness.)
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