W. B. Yeats

“ The stage is any bare place in a room close to the wall. A screen with a pattern of mountain and sky can stand against the wall, or a curtain with a like pattern hang upon it, but the pattern must only symbolize or suggest. One musician enters and then two others, the first stands singing while the others take their places. Then all three sit down against the wall by their instruments, which are already there—a drum, a zither, and a flute. Or they unfold a cloth as in 'The Hawk's Well,' while the instruments are carried in. ”

“ Draws to its height and when two hearts are wrung
Nearest to breaking, if hearts of shadows break,
His eyes can mix with hers; nor any pang
That is so bitter as that double glance,
Being accursed.
YOUNG MAN
But what is this strange penance—
That when their eyes have met can wring them most?
THE GIRL
Though eyes can meet, their lips can never meet.
YOUNG MAN
And yet it seems they wander side by side. ”

“ I have not given you eyes and ears for nothing.
(The Woman of the Sidhe moves round the crouching Ghost of Cuchulain at front of stage in a [Pg 30] dance that grows gradually quicker, as he slowly awakes. At moments she may drop her hair upon his head but she does not kiss him. She is accompanied by string and flute and drum. Her mask and clothes must suggest gold or bronze or brass or silver so that she seems more an idol than a human being. This suggestion may be repeated in her movements. Her hair too, must keep the metallic suggestion.) ”

“ Since they, weary of life and of men's eyes,
Flung down their bones in some forgotten place
Being accursed.
YOUNG MAN
I have heard that there are souls
Who, having sinned after a monstrous fashion
[Pg 10] Take on them, being dead, a monstrous image
To drive the living, should they meet its face,
Crazy, and be a terror to the dead. ”

“ And were not of our race, but when a man
Is born in Ireland and of Irish stock
When he takes part against us—
STRANGER
I will put you safe,
No living man shall set his eyes upon you.
I will not answer for the dead.
YOUNG MAN
The dead? ”

“ They have the same musical instruments, which can either be already upon the stage or be brought in by the First Musician before he stands in the centre with the cloth between his hands, or by a player when the cloth is unfolded. The stage as before can be against the wall of any room. ”

“ Dread the hearth fire.
(She pulls the curtains of the bed so as to hide the sick man's face, that the actor may change his mask unseen. She goes to one side of platform and moves [Pg 23] her hand as though putting logs on a fire and stirring it into a blaze. While she makes these movements the Musicians play, marking the movements with drum and flute perhaps.
Having finished she stands beside the imaginary fire at a distance from Cuchulain & Eithne Inguba.)
Call on Cuchulain now.
EITHNE INGUBA
Can you not hear my voice. ”

“ The folding of the cloth shows on one side of the stage the curtained bed or litter on which lies a man in his grave-clothes. He wears an heroic mask. Another man with exactly similar clothes and mask crouches near the front. Emer is sitting beside the bed.)
FIRST MUSICIAN
(speaking) I call before the eyes a roof
With cross-beams darkened by smoke.
A fisher's net hangs from a beam,
A long oar lies against the wall.
I call up a poor fisher's house.
A man lies dead or swooning,
That amorous man,
[Pg 19] That amorous, violent man, renowned Cuchulain,
Queen Emer at his side. ”

“ This is indeed a place of terrible temptation.
(The Musicians begin unfolding and folding a black cloth. The First Musician comes forward to the front of the stage, at the centre. He holds the cloth before him. The other two come one on either side and unfold it. They afterwards fold it up in the same way. While it is unfolded, the Young Man leaves the stage)
THE MUSICIANS I ”