The Land of Hearts Desire | Page 2

gossiping of
weddings and of wakes;
For life moves out of a red flare of dreams

Into a common light of common hours,
Until old age bring the red
flare again.
SHAWN BRUIN.
Yet do not blame her greatly, Father Hart, For she is dull while I am in
the fields, And mother's tongue were harder still to bear, But for her

fancies: this is May Eve too, When the good people post about the
world, And surely one may think of them to-night. Maire, have you the
primroses to fling Before the door to make a golden path For them to
bring good luck into the house. Remember, they may steal new-married
brides Upon May Eve.
MAIRE BRUIN _(going over to the window and taking the flowers
from the bowl.)_
Here are the primroses.
[She goes to the door and strews the primroses outside.
FATHER HART.
You do well, daughter, because God permits
Great power to the good
people on May Eve.
MAURTEEN BRUIN.
They can work all their will with primroses--
Change them to golden
money, or little flames
To burn up those who do them any wrong.
MAIRE BRUIN.
I had no sooner flung them by the door
Than the wind cried and
hurried them away.
BRIDGET BRUIN.
May God have mercy on us!
MAIRE BRUIN.
The good people
Will not be lucky to the house this year,
But I am
glad that I was courteous to them,
For are not they, likewise, children
of God?

FATHER HART.
No, child; they are the children of the fiend,
And they have power
until the end of Time,
When God shall fight with them a great pitched
battle
And hack them into pieces.
MAIRE BRUIN.
He will smile,
Father, perhaps, and open his great door,
FATHER HART.
Did but the lawless angels see that door
They would fall, slain by
everlasting peace;
And when such angels knock upon our doors

Who goes with them must drive through the same storm.
[A knock at the door._ MAIRE BRUIN opens it and then goes to the
dresser and fills a porringer with milk and hands it through the door
and takes it back empty and closes the door._
MAIRE BRUIN.
A little queer old woman cloaked in green
Who came to beg a
porringer of milk.
BRIDGET BRUIN.
The good people go asking milk and fire
Upon May Eve--Woe on the
house that gives
For they have power upon it for a year.
I knew you
would bring evil on the house
MAURTEEN BRUIN.
Who was she?
MAIRE BRUIN.
Both the tongue and face were strange.

MAURTEEN BRUIN.
Some strangers came last week to Clover Hill;
She must be one of
them.
BRIDGET BRUIN.
I am afraid.
MAURTEEN BRUIN.
The priest will keep all harm out of the house.
FATHER HART.
The Cross will keep all harm out of the house
While it hangs there.
MAURTEEN BRUIN.
Come, sit beside me, colleen,
And cut away your dreams of
discontent,
For I would have you light up my last days
Like a bright
torch of pine, and when I die
I will make you the wealthiest hereabout;

For hid away where nobody can find
I have a stocking full of silver
and gold.
BRIDGET BRUIN.
You are the fool of every pretty face,
And I must pinch and pare that
my son's wife
May have all kinds of ribbons for her head.
MAURTEEN BRUIN.
Do not be cross; she is a right good girl!
The butter's by your elbow,
Father Hart.
My colleen, have not Fate and Time and Change
Done
well for me and for old Bridget there?
We have a hundred acres of
good land,
And sit beside each other at the fire,
The wise priest of
our parish to our right,
And you and our dear son to left of us.
To sit

beside the board and drink good wine
And watch the turf smoke
coiling from the fire
And feel content and wisdom in your heart,

This is the best of life; when we are young
We long to tread a way
none trod before,
But find the excellent old way through love
And
through the care of children to the hour
For bidding Fate and Time
and Change good-bye.
[A knock at the door._ MAIRE BRUIN opens it and then takes a sod of
turf out of the hearth in the tongs and passes it through the door and
closes the door and remains standing by it._
MAIRE BRUIN.
A little queer old man in a green coat,
Who asked a burning sod to
light his pipe.
BRIDGET BRUIN.
You have now given milk and fire and brought
For all you know, evil
upon the house.
Before you married you were idle and fine,
And
went about with ribbons on your head;
And now you are a
good-for-nothing wife.
SHAWN BRUIN.
Be quiet, mother!
MAURTEEN BRUIN.
You are much too cross!
MAIRE BRUIN.
What do I care if I have given this house,
Where I must hear all day a
bitter tongue,
Into the power of faeries!
BRIDGET BRUIN.

You know, well
How calling the good