The Collected Works in Verse and Prose of William Butler Yeats, Vol. 2 (of 8): The King's Threshold. On Baile's Strand. Deirdre. Shadowy Waters — John Shaqi
The Collected Works in Verse and Prose of William Butler Yeats, Vol. 2 (of 8): The King's Threshold. On Baile's Strand. Deirdre. Shadowy WatersYeats, W. B. (William Butler)
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The Collected Works in Verse and Prose of William Butler Yeats, Vol. 2 (of 8): The King's Threshold. On Baile's Strand. Deirdre. Shadowy Waters
Yeats, W. B. (William Butler)
English literature -- Irish authors
Somebody is trembling, Fool! The bench is shaking. Why are you
trembling? Is Cuchulain going to hurt us? It was not I who told you,
Cuchulain.
FOOL.
It is Cuchulain who is trembling. It is Cuchulain who is shaking the
bench.
BLIND MAN.
It is his own son he has slain.
CUCHULAIN.
’Twas they that did it, the pale, windy people.
Where? where? where? My sword against the thunder!
But no, for they have always been my friends;
And though they love to blow a smoking coal
Till it’s all flame, the wars they blow aflame
Are full of glory, and heart-uplifting pride,
And not like this. The wars they love awaken
Old fingers and the sleepy strings of harps.
Who did it, then? Are you afraid? Speak out!
For I have put you under my protection,
And will reward you well. Dubthach the Chafer?
He’d an old grudge. No, for he is with Maeve.
Laegaire did it! Why do you not speak?
What is this house? [_Pause._] Now I remember all.
[_Comes before CONCHUBAR’S chair, and strikes out with
his sword, as if CONCHUBAR was sitting upon it._
’Twas you who did it—you who sat up there
With your old rod of kingship, like a magpie
Nursing a stolen spoon. No, not a magpie,
A maggot that is eating up the earth!
Yes, but a magpie, for he’s flown away.
Where did he fly to?
BLIND MAN.
He is outside the door.
CUCHULAIN.
Outside the door?
BLIND MAN.
Between the door and the sea.
CUCHULAIN.
Conchubar, Conchubar! the sword into your heart!
[_He rushes out. Pause. FOOL creeps up to the big door
and looks after him._
FOOL.
He is going up to King Conchubar. They are all about the young man. No,
no, he is standing still. There is a great wave going to break, and
he is looking at it. Ah! now he is running down to the sea, but he is
holding up his sword as if he were going into a fight. [_Pause._] Well
struck! well struck!
BLIND MAN.
What is he doing now?
FOOL.
O! he is fighting the waves!
BLIND MAN.
He sees King Conchubar’s crown on every one of them.
FOOL.
There, he has struck at a big one! He has struck the crown off it; he
has made the foam fly. There again, another big one!
BLIND MAN.
Where are the kings? What are the kings doing?
FOOL.
They are shouting and running down to the shore, and the people are
running out of the houses. They are all running.
BLIND MAN.
You say they are running out of the houses? There will be nobody left
in the houses. Listen, Fool!
FOOL.
There, he is down! He is up again. He is going out into the deep water.
There is a big wave. It has gone over him. I cannot see him now. He has
killed kings and giants, but the waves have mastered him, the waves
have mastered him!
BLIND MAN.
Come here, Fool!
FOOL.
The waves have mastered him.
BLIND MAN.
Come here!
FOOL.
The waves have mastered him.
BLIND MAN.
Come here, I say!
FOOL.
[_Coming towards him, but looking backward towards the
door._]
What is it?
BLIND MAN.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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