THE TESS CATHLEEN
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 t