The Unicorn from the Stars and Other Plays — John Shaqi
The Unicorn from the Stars and Other PlaysYeats, W. B. (William Butler)
General
The Unicorn from the Stars and Other Plays
Yeats, W. B. (William Butler)
Ireland -- Drama; Irish drama
THOMAS. That might be so in the olden time, but those things are gone
out of the world now. Those that do their work fair and honest have no
occasion to let the mind go rambling. What would send my nephew, Martin
Hearne, into a trance, supposing trances to be in it, and he rubbing
the gold on the lion and unicorn that he had taken in hand to make a
good job of for the top of the coach?
FATHER JOHN [_taking it up_]. It is likely it was that sent him off.
The flashing of light upon it would be enough to throw one that had a
disposition to it into a trance. There was a very saintly man, though
he was not of our church, he wrote a great book called "Mysterium
Magnum," was seven days in a trance. Truth, or whatever truth he found,
fell upon him like a bursting shower, and he a poor tradesman at his
work. It was a ray of sunlight on a pewter vessel that was the
beginning of all. [_Goes to the door of inner room._] There is no stir
in him yet. It is either the best thing or the worst thing can happen
to anyone that is happening to him now.
THOMAS. And what in the living world can happen to a man that is asleep
on his bed?
FATHER JOHN. There are some would answer you that it is to those who
are awake that nothing happens, and it is they that know nothing. He is
gone where all have gone for supreme truth.
THOMAS [_sitting down again and taking up tools_]. Well, maybe so. But
work must go on and coach building must go on, and they will not go on
the time there is too much attention given to dreams. A dream is a sort
of a shadow, no profit in it to anyone at all. A coach now is a real
thing and a thing that will last for generations and be made use of the
last, and maybe turn to be a hen-roost at its latter end.
FATHER JOHN. I think Andrew told me it was a dream of Martin's that led
to the making of that coach.
THOMAS. Well, I believe he saw gold in some dream, and it led him to
want to make some golden thing, and coaches being the handiest, nothing
would do him till he put the most of his fortune into the making of
this golden coach. It turned out better than I thought, for some of the
lawyers came looking at it at assize time, and through them it was
heard of at Dublin Castle ... and who now has it ordered but the Lord
Lieutenant! [FATHER JOHN _nods._] Ready it must be and sent off it must
be by the end of the month. It is likely King George will be visiting
Dublin, and it is he himself will be sitting in it yet.
FATHER JOHN. Martin has been working hard at it, I know.
THOMAS. You never saw a man work the way he did, day and night, near
ever since the time, six months ago, he first came home from France.
FATHER JOHN. I never thought he would be so good at a trade. I thought
his mind was only set on books.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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