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Edition: 10
Language: English
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LAND OF HEART'S DESIRE ***
1912
To
FLORENCE FARR
MAURTEEN BRUIN
BRIDGET BRUIN
SHAWN BRUIN
MARY BRUIN
FATHER HART
A FAERY CHILD
MAURTEEN BRUIN, SHAWN BRUIN, and BRIDGET BRUIN sit in the alcove
at the table or about the fire. They are dressed in the costume
of some remote time, and near them sits an old priest, FATHER
HART. He may be dressed as a friar. There is food and drink
upon the table. MARY BRUIN stands by the door reading a book. If
she looks up she can see through the door into the wood.
BRIDGET. She would not mind the kettle, milk the cow,
Or even lay the knives and spread the cloth.
(SHAWN goes.)
FATHER HART. You should not fill your head with foolish dreams.
What are you reading?
(to MARY);
(MARY BRUIN has taken a bough of quicken wood from a seat and
hung it on a nail in the doorpost. A girl child strangely
dressed, perhaps in faery green, comes out of the wood and takes
it away.)
MARY.
They have taken away the blessed quicken wood,
They will not bring good luck into the house;
Yet I am glad that I was courteous to them,
For are not they, likewise, children of God?
FATHER HART. Did but the lawless angels see that door
They would fall, slain by everlasting peace;
And when such angels knock upon our doors,
Who goes with them must drive through the same storm.
(A thin old arm comes round the door-post and knocks and
beckons. It is clearly seen in the silvery light. MARY BRUIN
goes to door and stands in it for a moment. MAURTEEN BRUIN is busy
filling FATHER HART's plate. BRIDGET BRUIN stirs the fire.)
(She takes milk from the table and carries it to the door.)
BRIDGET. I am afraid.
FATHER HART. The Cross will keep all evil from the house
While it hangs there.
(MARY takes a sod of turf from the fire and goes out through the
door. SHAWN follows her and meets her coming in.)
(She would put her arms about him, but looks shyly at the priest
and lets her arms fall.)
(Goes to door.)
THE VOICE. The wind blows out of the gates of the day,
The wind blows over the lonely of heart,
And the lonely of heart is withered away.
While the faeries dance in a place apart,
Shaking their milk-white feet in a ring,
Tossing their milk-white arms in the air
For they hear the wind laugh and murmur and sing
Of a land where even the old are fair,
And even the wise are merry of tongue
But I heard a reed of Coolaney say,
When the wind has laughed and murmured and sung
The lonely of heart is withered away
THE CHILD. From dawn, when you must blow the fire ablaze,
You work your fingers to the bone, old mother.
The young may lie in bed and dream and hope,
But you must work your fingers to the bone
Because your heart is old.
THE CHILD. Your memories have made you wise, old father;
The young must sigh through many a dream and hope,
But you are wise because your heart is old.
(Hands it to her.)
(BRIDGET puts on the shoes, and the CHILD is about to dance, but
suddenly sees the crucifix and shrieks and covers her eyes.)
FATHER HART. You cannot know how naughty your words are!
That is our Blessed Lord.
(Sings.)
(She dances.)
MARY (to SHAWN). just now when she came near I thought I heard
Other small steps beating upon the floor,
And a faint music blowing in the wind,
Invisible pipes giving her feet the tune.
THE CHILD. Ah, but you love this fireside. Do you love me?
(The CHILD kneels upon the settle beside MARY and puts her arms
about her.)
(Singing outside.)
THE CHILD. White bird, white bird, come with me, little bird.
MARY. She calls me!
BRIDGET. Come from that image; body and soul are gone
You have thrown your arms about a drift of leaves,
Or bole of an ash-tree changed into her image.
NOTE
This little play was produced at the Avenue Theatre in the spring
of 1894, with the following cast:
W. B. YEATS.
ABBEY THEATRE, DUBLIN.
March, 1912.
End of Project Gutenberg's The Land Of Heart's Desire, by William Butler Yeats
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