William Butler Yeats

“ Maire Bruin.
Queen of the Angels and kind Saints defend us!
Some dreadful fate has fallen: before she came
The wind cried out and took the primroses,
And I gave milk and fire, and when she came
She made you hide the blessed crucifix;
She wears, too, the green jacket and red cap
Of the unholy creatures of the Raths.
Father Hart.
You fear because of her wild, pretty prattle;
She knows no better.
⁠ (To the Child) Child, how old are you?
The Child.
My own dear people live a long, long time,
So I am young ”

“ Bridget Bruin.
You are the fool of every pretty face,
And I must pinch and pare that my son's wife
May have all kinds of ribbons for her head.
Maurteen Bruin.
Do not be cross; she is a right good girl! ”

“ Then I would mould a world of fire and dew
With no one bitter, grave, or over wise,
And nothing marred or old to do you wrong. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Until she came into the land of faery,
Where nobody gets old and godly and grave,
Where nobody gets old and crafty and wise,
Where nobody gets old and bitter of tongue; ”

“ They all except Maire Bruin gather about the priest for protection. Maire Bruin stays on the settle as if in a trance of terror. The Child takes primroses from the great bowl and begins to strew them between herself and the priest and about Maire Bruin. During the following dialogue Shawn Bruin goes more than once to the brink of the primroses, but shrinks back to the others timidly. ”

“ 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. ”

“ THE LAND OF HEART'S DESIRE.
The kitchen of Maurteen Bruin's house. An open grate with a turf fire is at the left side of the room, with a table in front of it. 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. Maurteen Bruin, Father Hart, and Bridget Bruin are sitting at the table. Shawn Bruin is setting the table for supper. Maire Bruin sits on the settle reading a yellow manuscript. ”