The Countess Cathleen

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Butler Yeats #1 in our series by William Butler Yeats
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Title: The Countess Cathleen
Author: William Butler Yeats
Release Date: February, 2004 [EBook #5167]
[Yes, we are more than
one year ahead of schedule]
[This file was first posted on May 27,
2002]
Edition: 10
Language: English
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0. START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE
COUNTESS CATHLEEN ***
Produced by Marjorie Fulton
THE COUNTESS CATHLEEN
B Y
W. B. YEATS
1912

First Edition ............................ 1892

Second Edition (in "Poems" by W. B. Yeats) 1895
Third Edition ,, ,,
1899
Fourth Edition ,, ,, 1901
Fifth Edition ,, ,, 1904
Sixth
Edition ,, ,, 1908
Seventh Edition (revised) ................ 1912
(All rights reserved.)
THE COUNTESS CATHLEEN
To MAUD GONNE
"The sorrowful are dumb for thee"
Lament of Morion Shehone for
Miss Mary Bourke
SHEMUS RUA, A Peasant
MARY, His Wife
TEIG, His Son

ALEEL, A Poet
THE COUNTESS CATHLEEN
OONA, Her
Foster Mother
Two Demons disguised as Merchants
Peasants,
Servants, Angelical Beings, Spirits
The Scene is laid in Ireland and in old times.
SCENE 1
THE COUNTESS CATHLEEN
SCENE--A room with lighted fire, and a door into the open air, through
which one sees, perhaps, the trees of a wood, and these trees should be
painted in flat colour upon a gold or diapered sky. The walls are of one

colour. The scene should have the effect of missal Painting. MARY, a
woman of forty years or so, is grinding a quern.
MARY. What can have made the grey hen flutter so?
(TEIG, a boy of fourteen, is coming in with turf, which he lays beside
the hearth.)
TEIG. They say that now the land is famine struck
The graves are
walking.
MARY. There is something that the hen hears.
TEIG. And that is not the worst; at Tubber-vanach
A woman met a
man with ears spread out,
And they moved up and down like a bat's
wing.
MARY. What can have kept your father all this while?
TEIG. Two nights ago, at Carrick-orus churchyard,
A herdsman met
a man who had no mouth,
Nor eyes, nor ears; his face a wall of flesh;

He saw him plainly by the light of the moon.
MARY. Look out, and tell me if your father's coming.
(TEIG goes to door.)
TEIG. Mother!
MARY. What is it?
TEIG. In the bush beyond,
There are two birds--if you can call them
birds--
I could not see them rightly for the leaves.
But they've the
shape and colour of horned owls
And I'm half certain they've a
human face.
MARY. Mother of God, defend us!

TEIG. They're looking at me.
What is the good of praying? father
says.
God and the Mother of God have dropped asleep.
What do
they care, he says, though the whole land
Squeal like a rabbit under a
weasel's tooth?
MARY. You'll bring misfortune with your blasphemies
Upon your
father, or yourself, or me.
I would to God he were home--ah, there he
is.
(SHEMUS comes in.)
What was it kept you in the wood? You know
I cannot get all sorts of
accidents
Out of my mind till you are home again.
SHEMUS. I'm in no mood to listen to your clatter.
Although I
tramped the