The King's Threshold; and On Baile's Strand Part 6

_King._ [_Kneeling down before SEANCHAN._]

Kneel down, kneel down, he has the greater power.

I give my crown to you.

[_All kneel except SEANCHAN, FEDELM and PUPILS. SEANCHAN rises slowly, supported by one of the PUPILS and by FEDELM._

_Seanchan._ O crown, O crown, It is but right if hands that made the crown In the old time should give it when they will.

O silver trumpets be you lifted up

[_He lays the crown on the KING'S head._

And cry to the great race that is to come.

Long-throated swans among the waves of time Sing loudly, for beyond the wall of the world It waits and it may hear and come to us.

[_Some of the PUPILS blow a blast upon their horns._

CURTAIN.

ON BAILE'S STRAND.

CUCHULLAIN, the King of Muirthemne.

CONCOBAR, the High King of Ullad.

DAIRE, a King.

FINTAIN, a blind man.

BARACH, a fool.

A Young Man.

Young Kings and Old Kings.

SCENE: _A great hall by the sea close to Dundalgan. There are two great chairs on either side of the hall, each raised a little from the ground, and on the back of the one chair is carved and painted a woman with a fish's tail, and on the back of the other a hound.

There are smaller chairs and benches raised in tiers round the walls. There is a great ale vat at one side near a small door, and a large door at the back through which one can see the sea. BARACH, a tall thin man with long ragged hair, dressed in skins, comes in at the side door. He is leading FINTAIN, a fat blind man, who is somewhat older._

_Barach._ I will shut the door, for this wind out of the sea gets into my bones, and if I leave but an inch for the wind there is one like a flake of sea-frost that might come into the house.

_Fintain._ What is his name, fool?

_Barach._ It's a woman from among the Riders of the Sidhe. It's Boann herself from the river. She has left the Dagda's bed, and gone through the salt of the sea and up here to the strand of Baile, and all for love of me. Let her keep her husband's bed, for she'll have none of me.

n.o.body knows how lecherous these G.o.ddesses are. I see her in every kind of shape but oftener than not she's in the wind and cries "give a kiss and put your arms about me." But no, she'll have no more of me.

Yesterday when I put out my lips to kiss her, there was nothing there but the wind. She's bad, Fintain. O, she's bad. I had better shut the big door too.

[_He is going towards the big door but turns hearing FINTAIN'S voice._

_Fintain._ [_Who has been feeling about with his stick._] What's this and this?

_Barach._ They are chairs.

_Fintain._ And this?

_Barach._ Why, that's a bench.

_Fintain._ And this?

_Barach._ A big chair.

_Fintain._ [_Feeling the back of the chair._] There is a sea-woman carved upon it.

_Barach._ And there is another big chair on the other side of the hall.

_Fintain._ Lead me to it. [_He mutters while the fool is leading him._]

That is what the High King Concobar has on his s.h.i.+eld. The High King will be coming. They have brought out his chair. [_He begins feeling the back of the other chair._] And there is a dog's head on this. They have brought out our master's chair. Now I know what the horse-boys were talking about. We must not stay here. The Kings are going to meet here.

Now that Concobar and our master, that is his chief man, have put down all the enemies of Ullad, they are going to build up Emain again. They are going to talk over their plans for building it. Were you ever in Concobar's town before it was burnt? O, he is a great King, for though Emain was burnt down, every war had made him richer. He has gold and silver dishes, and chessboards and candlesticks made of precious stones.

Fool, have they taken the top from the ale vat?

_Barach._ They have.

_Fintain._ Then bring me a horn of ale quickly, for the Kings will be here in a minute. Now I can listen. Tell me what you saw this morning?

_Barach._ About the young man and the fighting?

_Fintain._ Yes.

_Barach._ And after that we can go and eat the fowl, for I am hungry.

_Fintain._ Time enough, time enough. You're in as great a hurry as when you brought me to Aine's Seat, where the mad dogs gather when the moon's at the full. Go on with your story.

_Barach._ I was creeping under a ditch, with the fowl in my leather bag, keeping to the sh.o.r.e where the farmer could not see me, when I came upon a s.h.i.+p drawn up upon the sands, a great red s.h.i.+p with a woman's head upon it.

_Fintain._ A s.h.i.+p out of Aoife's country. They have all a woman's head on the bow.

_Barach._ There was a young man with a pale face and red hair standing beside it. Some of our people came up whose turn it was to guard the sh.o.r.e. I heard them ask the young man his name. He said he was under bonds not to tell it. Then words came between them, and they fought, and the young man killed half of them, and the others ran away.

_Fintain._ It matters nothing to us, but he has come at last.

_Barach._ Who has come?

_Fintain._ I know who that young man is. There is not another like him in the world. I saw him when I had my eyesight.

_Barach._ You saw him?

_Fintain._ I used to be in Aoife's country when I had my eyesight.