William Yeats - Poems

"Soft, handsome, and still young"—not much, I think.

"It's certain that the man she's married to

Knows nothing of what's hidden in the jar

Between the hour-glass and the pepper-pot."

THE WOMAN

The scandalous book.

FIRST MERCHANT

"Nor how when he's away

At the horse fair the hand that wrote what's hid

Will tap three times upon the window-pane."

THE WOMAN

And if there is a letter, that is no reason

Why I should have less money than the others.

FIRST MERCHANT

You're almost safe, I give you fifty crowns.

( She turns to go. )

A hundred, then.

SHEMUS

Woman, have sense—come, come.

Is this a time to haggle at the price?

There, take it up. There, there. That's right.

( She takes them and goes into the crowd. )

FIRST MERCHANT

Come, deal, deal, deal. It is but for charity

We buy such souls at all; a thousand sins

Made them our Master's long before we came.

(ALEEL enters .)

ALEEL

Here, take my soul, for I am tired of it.

I do not ask a price.

SHEMUS

Not ask a price?

How can you sell your soul without a price?

I would not listen to his broken wits;

His love for Countess Cathleen has so crazed him

He hardly understands what he is saying.

ALEEL

The trouble that has come on Countess Cathleen,

The sorrow that is in her wasted face,

The burden in her eyes, have broke my wits,

And yet I know I'd have you take my soul.

FIRST MERCHANT

We cannot take your soul, for it is hers.

ALEEL

No, but you must. Seeing it cannot help her

I have grown tired of it.

FIRST MERCHANT

Begone from me,

I may not touch it.

ALEEL

Is your power so small?

And must I bear it with me all my days?

May you be scorned and mocked!

FIRST MERCHANT

Drag him away.

He troubles me.

(TEIG and SHEMUS lead ALEEL into the crowd .)

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