Poems

SECOND MERCHANT

His gaze has filled me, brother, 

With shaking and a dreadful fear.

FIRST MERCHANT

Lean forward 

And kiss the circlet where my Master's lips 

Were pressed upon it when he sent us hither; 

You shall have peace once more.

(SECOND MERCHANT kisses the gold circlet that is about the head of the FIRST MERCHANT.) 

I, too, grow weary, 

But there is something moving in my heart 

Whereby I know that what we seek the most 

Is drawing near—our labour will soon end. 

Come, deal, deal, deal, deal, deal; are you all dumb? 

What, will you keep me from our ancient home, 

And from the eternal revelry?

SECOND MERCHANT

Deal, deal.

SHEMUS

They say you beat the woman down too low.

FIRST MERCHANT

I offer this great price: a thousand crowns 

For an old woman who was always ugly.

(An old PEASANT WOMAN comes forward, and he takes up a book and reads:)

There is but little set down here against her. 

"She has stolen eggs and fowl when times were bad, 

But when the times grew better has confessed it; 

She never missed her chapel of a Sunday 

And when she could, paid dues." Take up your money.

OLD WOMAN

God bless you, sir. (She screams.) Oh, sir, a pain went through me!

FIRST MERCHANT

That name is like a fire to all damned souls.

(Murmur among the PEASANTS, who shrink back from her as she goes out.)

A PEASANT

How she screamed out!

SECOND PEASANT

And maybe we shall scream so.

THIRD PEASANT

I tell you there is no such place as hell.

FIRST MERCHANT

Can such a trifle turn you from your profit? 

Come, deal; come, deal.

MIDDLE-AGED MAN

Master, I am afraid.

FIRST MERCHANT

I bought your soul, and there's no sense in fear 

Now the soul's gone.

MIDDLE-AGED MAN

Give me my soul again.

WOMAN (going on her knees and clinging to MERCHANT)

And take this money too, and give me mine.

SECOND MERCHANT

Bear bastards, drink or follow some wild fancy; 

For sighs and cries are the soul's work, 

And you have none.

(Throws the woman off.)

PEASANT

Come, let's away.

ANOTHER PEASANT

Yes, yes.

ANOTHER PEASANT

Come quickly; if that woman had not screamed 

I would have lost my soul.

ANOTHER PEASANT

Come, come away.

(They turn to door, but are stopped by shouts of "Countess Cathleen! Countess Cathleen!")

CATHLEEN (entering)

And so you trade once more?

FIRST MERCHANT

In spite of you. 

What brings you here, saint with the sapphire eyes?

CATHLEEN

I come to barter a soul for a great price.

SECOND MERCHANT

What matter, if the soul be worth the price?

CATHLEEN

The people starve, therefore the people go 

Thronging to you. I hear a cry come from them 

And it is in my ears by night and day, 

And I would have five hundred thousand crowns 

That I may feed them till the dearth go by.

FIRST MERCHANT

It may be the soul's worth it.

CATHLEEN

There is more: 

The souls that you have bought must be set free.

FIRST MERCHANT

We know of but one soul that's worth the price.

CATHLEEN

Being my own it seems a priceless thing.

SECOND MERCHANT

You offer us——

CATHLEEN

I offer my own soul.

A PEASANT

Do not, do not, for souls the like of ours 

Are not precious to God as your soul is. 

O! what would Heaven do without you, lady?

ANOTHER PEASANT

Look how their claws clutch in their leathern gloves.

FIRST MERCHANT

Five hundred thousand crowns; we give the price. 

The gold is here; the souls even while you speak 

Have slipped out of our bond, because your face 

Has shed a light on them and filled their hearts. 

But you must sign, for we omit no form 

In buying a soul like yours.

SECOND MERCHANT

Sign with this quill 

It was a feather growing on the cock 

That crowed when Peter dared deny his Master, 

And all who use it have great honour in Hell.

(CATHLEEN leans forward to sign.)

ALEEL (rushing forward and snatching the pen from her)

Leave all things to the builder of the heavens.

CATHLEEN

I have no thoughts; I hear a cry—a cry.

ALEEL (casting the pen on the ground)

I have seen a vision under a green hedge, 

A hedge of hips and haws—men yet shall hear 

The Archangels rolling Satan's empty skull 

Over the mountain-tops.

FIRST MERCHANT

Take him away.

(TEIG and SHEMUS drag him roughly away so that he falls upon the floor among the PEASANTS. CATHLEEN picks up parchment and signs, then turns towards the PEASANTS.)

CATHLEEN

Take up the money, and now come with me; 

When we are far from this polluted place 

I will give everybody money enough.

(She goes out, the PEASANTS crowding round her and kissing her dress. ALEEL and the two MERCHANTS are left alone.)

SECOND MERCHANT

We must away and wait until she dies, 

Sitting above her tower as two grey owls, 

Waiting as many years as may be, guarding 

Our precious jewel; waiting to seize her soul.

FIRST MERCHANT

We need but hover over her head in the air, 

For she has only minutes. When she signed 

Her heart began to break. Hush, hush, I hear 

The brazen door of Hell move on its hinges, 

And the eternal revelry float hither 

To hearten us.

SECOND MERCHANT

Leap feathered on the air 

And meet them with her soul caught in your claws.

(They rush out. ALEEL crawls into the middle of the room. The twilight has fallen and gradually darkens as the scene goes on. There is a distant muttering of thunder and a sound of rising storm.)