The Collected Shorter Plays (16 page)

WORDS

[
interrupting, violently
] Peace!

CROAK

My comforts! Be friends!
[
Pause
.]

WORDS

. . . blunted. Some moments later however, such are the powers of recuperation at this age, the head is drawn back to a distance of two or three feet, the eyes widen to a stare and begin to feast again. [
Pause
.] What then is seen would have been better seen in the light of day, that is incontest able. But how often it has, in recent months, how often, at all hours, under all angles, in cloud and shine, been seen I mean. And there is, is there not, in that clarity of silver . . . that clarity of silver . . . is there not . . . my Lord. . . . [
Pause
.] Now and then the rye, swayed by a light wind, casts and withdraws its shadow.
[
Pause
.]

CROAK

Groans
.

WORDS

Leaving aside the features or lineaments proper, match less severally and in their ordonnance—

CROAK

Groans
.

WORDS

—flare of the black disordered hair as though spread wide on water, the brows knitted in a groove suggesting pain but simply concentration more likely all things considered on some consummate inner process, the eyes of course closed in keeping with this, the lashes . . . [
pause
] . . . the nose . . . [
pause
] . . . nothing, a little pinched perhaps, the lips. . . .

CROAK

[
anguished
] Lily!

WORDS

. . . tight, a gleam of tooth biting on the under, no coral, no swell, whereas normally. . . .

CROAK

Groans
.

WORDS

. . . the whole so blanched and still that were it not for the great white rise and fall of the breasts, spreading as they mount and then subsiding to their natural . . . aperture—

MUSIC

Irrepressible burst of spreading and subsiding music with vain protestations— “Peace!” “No!” “Please!” etc. —from Words
.
Triumph and conclusion
.

WORDS

[
gently expostulatory
] My Lord! [
Pause. Faint thump of club
.] I resume, so wan and still and so ravished away that it seems no more of the earth than Mira in the Whale, at her tenth and greatest magnitude on this particular night shining coldly down—as we say, looking up. [
Pause
.] Some moments later however, such are the powers—

CROAK

[
anguished
] No!

WORDS

—the brows uncloud, the lips part and the eyes . . . [
pause
] . . . the brows uncloud, the nostrils dilate, the lips part and the eyes . . . [
pause
] . . . a little colour comes back into the cheeks and the eyes . . . [
reverently
] . . . open. [
Pause
.] Then down a little way . . . [
Pause. Change to poetic tone. Low
.]

       Then down a little way
       Through the trash
       To where . . . towards where. . . .
[
Pause
.]

MUSIC

Discreet suggestion for above
.

WORDS

[
trying to sing this
]

     Then down a little way
     Through the trash
     Towards where . . .
[
Pause
.]

MUSIC

Discreet suggestion for following
.

WORDS

[
trying to sing this
]

      All dark no begging
      No giving no words
      No sense no need. . . .
[
Pause
.]

MUSIC

More confident suggestion for following
.

WORDS

[
trying to sing this
]

       Through the scum
       Down a little way
       To where one glimpse
       Of that wellhead.
[
Pause
.]

MUSIC

Invites with opening, pause, invites again and finally accompanies very softly
.

WORDS

[
trying to sing, softly
]

       Then down a little way
       Through the trash
       Towards where
       All dark no begging
       No giving no words
       No sense no need
       Through the scum
       Down a little way
       To whence one glimpse
       Of that wellhead.
[
Pause. Shocked
.] My Lord! [
Sound of club let fall. As before
.] My Lord! [
Shuffling slippers, with halts. They die away. Long pause
.] Bob.
[
Pause
.] Bob!

MUSIC

Brief rude retort
.

WORDS

Music. [
Imploring
.] Music!
[
Pause
.]

MUSIC

Rap of baton and statement with elements already used or wellhead alone
.
[
Pause
.]

WORDS

Again. [
Pause. Imploring
.] Again!

MUSIC

As before or only very slightly varied
.
[
Pause
.]

WORDS

Deep sigh
.

OPENER

[
cold
] It is the month of May . . . for me.
[
Pause
.]
Correct.
[
Pause
.]
I open.

VOICE

[
low, panting
] —story . . . if you could finish it . . . you could rest . . . sleep . . . not before . . . oh I know . . . the ones I’ve finished . . . thousands and one . . . all I ever did . . . in my life . . . with my life . . . saying to myself . . . finish this one . . . it’s the right one . . . then rest . . . sleep . . . no more stories . . . no more words . . . and finished it . . . and not the right one . . . couldn’t rest . . . straight away another . . . to begin . . . to finish . . . saying to myself . . . finish this one . . . then rest . . . this time . . . it’s the right one . . . this time . . . you have it . . . and finished it . . . and not the right one . . . couldn’t rest . . . straight away another . . . but this one . . . it’s different . . . I’ll finish it . . . I’ve got it . . . Woburn . . . I resume . . . a long life . . . already . . . say what you like . . . a few misfortunes . . . that’s enough . . . five years later . . . ten . . . I don’t know . . . Woburn . . . he’s changed . . . not enough . . . recognizable . . . in the shed . . . yet another . . . waiting for night . . . night to fall . . . to go out . . . go on . . . elsewhere . . . sleep elsewhere . . .
it’s slow . . . he lift s his head . . . now and then . . . his eyes . . . to the window . . . it’s darkening . . . earth darkening . . . it’s night . . . he gets up . . . knees first . . . then up . . . on his feet . . . slips out . . . Woburn . . . same old coat . . . right the sea . . . left the hills . . . he has the choice . . . he has only—

OPENER

[
with Voice
] And I close.
[
Silence
.]
I open the other.

MUSIC

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

OPENER

[
with Music
] And I close.
[
Silence
.]
I open both.

give up . . . then rest . . . sleep . . . not before . . . finish ......................................................... this time . . . it’s the right one . . . you have it . . . you’ve got ......................................................... it . . . it’s there . . . somewhere . . . you’ve got him . . . follow ............................................................ him . . . don’t lose him . . . Woburn story . . . getting on . . . ......................................................... finish . . . then sleep . . . no more stories . . . no more words .......................................................... . . come on . . . next thing . . . he— .........................

OPENER

[
with Voice and Music
] And I close.
[
Silence
.]
I start again.

VOICE

—down . . . gentle slopes . . . boreen . . . giant aspens . . . wind in the boughs . . . faint sea . . . Woburn . . . same old coat . . . he goes on . . . stops . . . not a soul . . . not yet . . . night too bright . . . say what you like . . . he goes on . . . hugging the bank . . . same old stick . . . he goes down . . . falls . . . on
purpose or not . . . can’t see . . . he’s down . . . that’s what counts . . . face in the mud . . . arms spread . . . that’s the idea . . . already . . . there already . . . no not yet . . . he gets up . . . knees first . . . hands flat . . . in the mud . . . head sunk . . . then up . . . on his feet . . . huge bulk . . . come on . . . he goes on . . . he goes down . . . come on . . . in his head . . . what’s in his head . . . a hole . . . a shelter . . . a hollow . . . in the dunes . . . a cave . . . vague memory . . . in his head . . . of a cave . . . he goes down . . . no more trees . . . no more bank . . . he’s changed . . . not enough . . . night too bright . . . soon the dunes . . . no more cover . . . not a soul . . . not—
[
Silence
.]

MUSIC

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[
Silence
.]

no more words . . . don’t give up . . . this time . . . it’s the ......................................................... right one . . . we’re there . . . I’m there . . . somewhere . . . ......................................................... Woburn . . . I’ve got him . . . don’t lose him . . . follow him .......................................................... . . to the end . . . come on . . . this time . . . it’s the right one ......................................................... . . . finish . . . sleep . . . Woburn . . . come on— .......................................
[
Silence
.]

OPENER

So, at will.
They say, It’s in his head.
No. I open.

VOICE

—falls . . . again . . . on purpose or not . . . can’t see . . . he’s down . . . that’s what matters . . . face in the sand . . . arms spread . . . bare dunes . . . not a scrub . . . same old coat . . . night too bright . . . say what you like . . . sea louder . . .
thunder . . . manes of foam . . . Woburn . . . his head . . . what’s in his head . . . peace . . . peace again . . . in his head . . . no further . . . no more searching . . . sleep . . . no not yet . . . he gets up . . . knees first . . . hands flat . . . in the sand . . . head sunk . . . then up . . . on his feet . . . huge bulk . . . same old broadbrim . . . jammed down . . . come on . . . he goes on . . . ton weight . . . in the sand . . . knee-deep . . . he goes down . . . sea—

OPENER

[
with Voice
] And I close.
[
Silence
.]
I open the other.

MUSIC

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

OPENER

[
with Music
] And I close.
[
Silence
.]
So, at will.
It’s my life, I live on that.
[
Pause
.]
Correct.
[
Pause
.]
What do I open?
They say, He opens nothing, he has nothing to open, it’s in his
head.
They don’t see me, they don’t see what I do, they don’t see what
I have, and they say, He opens nothing, he has nothing to
open, it’s in his head.
I don’t protest any more, I don’t say any more,
There is nothing in my head.
I don’t answer any more.
I open and close.

VOICE

—lights . . . of the land . . . the island . . . the sky . . . he need only . . . lift his head . . . his eyes . . . he’d see them . . . shine on him . . . but no . . . he—
[
Silence
.]

MUSIC

[
brief
] .....................................................
[
Silence
.]

OPENER

They say, That is not his life, he does not live on that. They don’t see me, they don’t see what my life is, they don’t see what I live on, and they say, That is not his life, he does not live on that.
[
Pause
.]
I have lived on it . . . till I’m old.
Old enough.
Listen.

VOICE

[
weakening
] —this time . . . I’m there . . . Woburn . . . it’s him . . . I’ve seen him . . . I’ve got him . . . come on . . . same old coat . . . he goes down . . . falls . . . falls again . . . on purpose or not . . . can’t see . . . he’s down . . . that’s what counts . . . come on—

OPENER

[
with Voice
] Full strength.

VOICE

—face . . . in the stones . . . no more sand . . . all stones . . . that’s the idea . . . we’re there . . . this time . . . no not yet . . . he gets up . . . knees first . . . hands flat . . . in the stones . . . head sunk . . . then up . . . on his feet . . . huge bulk . . . Woburn . . . faster . . . he goes on . . . he goes down . . . he—
[
Silence
.]

MUSIC

[
weakening
] ................................................

OPENER

[
with Music
] Full strength.

MUSIC

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[
Silence
.]

OPENER

That’s not all.
I open both.
Listen.

searching . . . to find him . . . in the dark . . . to see him . . . ......................................................... to say to him . . . for whom . . . that’s it . . . no matter . . . ......................................................... never him . . . never right . . . start again . . . in the dark . . . ......................................................... done with that . . . this time . . . it’s the right one . . . we’re
......................................................... there . . . nearly . . . finish— ..........................
[
Silence
.]

OPENER

From one world to another, it’s as though they drew together. We have not much further to go. Good.

him . . . I’ve said him . . . we’re there . . . nearly . . . no more ......................................................... stories . . . all false . . . this time . . . it’s the right one . . . I ......................................................... have it . . . finish . . . sleep . . . Woburn . . . it’s him . . . I’ve ......................................................... got him . . . follow him . . . to—
.............................
[
Silence
.]