Riders to the Sea, J. M. Synge [lightweight ebook reader .txt] 📗

hearing anything.]

 

There was Sheamus and his father, and his own father again,

were lost in a dark night, and not a stick or sign was seen of

them when the sun went up. There was Patch after was drowned

out of a curagh that turned over. I was sitting here with

Bartley, and he a baby, lying on my two knees, and I seen two

women, and three women, and four women coming in, and they

crossing themselves, and not saying a word. I looked out then,

and there were men coming after them, and they holding a thing

in the half of a red sail, and water dripping out of it — it

was a dry day, Nora — and leaving a track to the door.

 

[She pauses again with her hand stretched out towards the door.

It opens softly and old women begin to come in, crossing

themselves on the threshold, and kneeling down in front of the

stage with red petticoats over their heads.]

 

MAURYA

[Half in a dream, to Cathleen.]

 

Is it Patch, or Michael, or what is it at all?

 

CATHLEEN

Michael is after being found in the far north, and when he is

found there how could he be here in this place?

 

MAURYA

There does be a power of young men floating round in the sea,

and what way would they know if it was Michael they had, or

another man like him, for when a man is nine days in the sea,

and the wind blowing, it’s hard set his own mother would be to

say what man was it.

 

CATHLEEN

It’s Michael, God spare him, for they’re after sending us a bit

of his clothes from the far north.

 

[She reaches out and hands Maurya the clothes that belonged to

Michael. Maurya stands up slowly, and takes them into her

hands. NORA looks out.]

 

NORA

They’re carrying a thing among them and there’s water dripping

out of it and leaving a track by the big stones.

 

CATHLEEN

[In a whisper to the women who have come in.]

 

Is it Bartley it is?

 

ONE OF THE WOMEN

It is surely, God rest his soul.

 

[Two younger women come in and pull out the table. Then men

carry in the body of Bartley, laid on a plank, with a bit of a

sail over it, and lay it on the table.]

 

CATHLEEN

[To the women, as they are doing so.]

 

What way was he drowned?

 

ONE OF THE WOMEN

The gray pony knocked him into the sea, and he was washed out

where there is a great surf on the white rocks.

 

[Maurya has gone over and knelt down at the head of the table.

The women are keening softly and swaying themselves with a slow

movement. Cathleen and Nora kneel at the other end of the

table. The men kneel near the door.]

 

MAURYA

[Raising her head and speaking as if she did not see the people

around her.]

 

They’re all gone now, and there isn’t anything more the sea can

do to me… . I’ll have no call now to be up crying and

praying when the wind breaks from the south, and you can hear

the surf is in the east, and the surf is in the west, making a

great stir with the two noises, and they hitting one on the

other. I’ll have no call now to be going down and getting Holy

Water in the dark nights after Samhain, and I won’t care what

way the sea is when the other women will be keening. To Nora].

Give me the Holy Water, Nora, there’s a small sup still on the

dresser.

 

[Nora gives it to her.]

 

MAURYA

[Drops Michael’s clothes across Bartley’s feet, and sprinkles

the Holy Water over him.]

 

It isn’t that I haven’t prayed for you, Bartley, to the

Almighty God. It isn’t that I haven’t said prayers in the dark

night till you wouldn’t know what I’ld be saying; but it’s a

great rest I’ll have now, and it’s time surely. It’s a great

rest I’ll have now, and great sleeping in the long nights after

Samhain, if it’s only a bit of wet flour we do have to eat, and

maybe a fish that would be stinking.

 

[She kneels down again, crossing herself, and saying prayers

under her breath.]

 

CATHLEEN

[To an old man.]

 

Maybe yourself and Eamon would make a coffin when the sun

rises. We have fine white boards herself bought, God help her,

thinking Michael would be found, and I have a new cake you can

eat while you’ll be working.

 

THE OLD MAN

[Looking at the boards.]

 

Are there nails with them?

 

CATHLEEN

There are not, Colum; we didn’t think of the nails.

 

ANOTHER MAN

It’s a great wonder she wouldn’t think of the nails, and all

the coffins she’s seen made already.

 

CATHLEEN

It’s getting old she is, and broken.

 

[Maurya stands up again very slowly and spreads out the pieces

of Michael’s clothes beside the body, sprinkling them with the

last of the Holy Water.]

 

NORA

[In a whisper to Cathleen.]

 

She’s quiet now and easy; but the day Michael was drowned you

could hear her crying out from this to the spring well. It’s

fonder she was of Michael, and would any one have thought that?

 

CATHLEEN

[Slowly and clearly.]

 

An old woman will be soon tired with anything she will do, and

isn’t it nine days herself is after crying and keening, and

making great sorrow in the house?

 

MAURYA

[Puts the empty cup mouth downwards on the table, and lays her

hands together on Bartley’s feet.]

 

They’re all together this time, and the end is come. May the

Almighty God have mercy on Bartley’s soul, and on Michael’s

soul, and on the souls of Sheamus and Patch, and Stephen and

Shawn (bending her head]); and may He have mercy on my soul,

Nora, and on the soul of every one is left living in the world.

 

[She pauses, and the keen rises a little more loudly from the

women, then sinks away.]

 

MAURYA

[Continuing.]

 

Michael has a clean burial in the far north, by the grace of

the Almighty God. Bartley will have a fine coffin out of the

white boards, and a deep grave surely. What more can we

want than that? No man at all can be living for ever, and we

must be satisfied.

 

[She kneels down again and the curtain falls slowly.]

 

End of The Project Gutenberg Etext of Riders to the Sea by J. M. Synge