W. B. Yeats

“ And day by day their power is more and more,
And men and women leave old paths, for pride
Comes knocking with thin knuckles on the heart.
A VOICE sings outside—
The wind blows out of the gates of the day,
The wind blows over the lonely of heart,
And the lonely of heart is withered away,
While the faeries dance in a place apart,
Shaking their milk-white feet in a ring,
Tossing their milk-white arms in the air;
For they hear the wind laugh and murmur and sing
Of a land where even the old are fair,
And even the wise are merry of tongue ”

“ And put new turf upon it till it blaze;
To watch the turf-smoke coiling from the fire,
And feel content and wisdom in your heart,
This is the best of life; when we are young
We long to tread a way none trod before,
But find the excellent old way through love,
And through the care of children, to the hour
For bidding Fate and Time and Change goodbye.
(MARY takes a sod of turf from the fire and goes out through the door. SHAWN follows her and meets her coming in.) ”

“ The alcove is full of a glow of light from the fire. There is an open door facing the audience to the Left, and to the left of this a bench. Through the door one can see the forest. It is night, but the moon or a late sunset glimmers through the trees and carries the eye far off into a vague, mysterious World. MAURTEEN BRUIN, SHAWN BRUIN, and BRIDGET BRUIN sit in the alcove at the table or about the fire. They are dressed in the costume of some remote time, and near them sits an old priest, FATHER HART. He may be dressed as a friar. ”

“ In minding children, working at the churn,
And gossiping of weddings and of wakes;
For life moves out of a red flare of dreams
Into a common light of common hours,
Until old age bring the red flare again. ”

“ Till I had brought good luck into the house.
(She would put her arms about him, but looks shyly at the priest and lets her arms fall.)
FATHER HART. My daughter, take his hand—by love alone
God binds us to Himself and to the hearth,
That shuts us from the waste beyond His peace
From maddening freedom and bewildering light. ”

“ She leaves the settle, and stooping takes up a mass of primroses and kisses them.
We have great power to-night, dear golden folk
For he took down and hid the crucifix.
And my invisible brethren fill the house;
I hear their footsteps going up and down.
O, they shall soon rule all the hearts of men
And own all lands; last night they merrily danced
About his chapel belfrey! (To MAIRE.) Come away,
I hear my brethren bidding us away!
FATHER HART.
I will go fetch the crucifix again. ”

“ She goes to the door and strews the primroses outside.
FATHER HART.
You do well, daughter, because God permits
Great power to the good people on May Eve.
MAURTEEN BRUIN.
They can work all their will with primroses—
Change them to golden money, or little flames
To burn up those who do them any wrong.
MAIRE BRUIN.
I had no sooner flung them by the door
Than the wind cried and hurried them away.
BRIDGET BRUIN.
May God have mercy on us! ”

“ MAIRE BRUIN opens it and then goes to the dresser and fills a porringer with milk and hands it through the door and takes it back empty and closes the door.
MAIRE BRUIN.
A little queer old woman cloaked in green
Who came to beg a porringer of milk.
BRIDGET BRUIN.
The good people go asking milk and fire
Upon May Eve—Woe on the house that gives
For they have power upon it for a year.
I knew you would bring evil on the house
MAURTEEN BRUIN.
Who was she? ”

“ A thin old arm comes round the door-post and knocks and beckons. It is clearly seen in the silvery light. MARY BRUIN goes to door and stands in it for a moment. MAURTEEN BRUIN is busy filling FATHER HART's plate. ”

“ There is a door leading to the open air at the back, and another door a little to its left, leading into an inner room. There is a window, a settle, and a large dresser on the right side of the room, and a great bowl of primroses on the sill of the window. ”

“ Sligo, and at a remote time.
THE LAND OF HEART'S DESIRE SCENE.—A room with a hearth on the floor in the middle of a deep alcove to the Right. There are benches in the alcove and a table; and a crucifix on the wall. ”