قراءة كتاب The King's Threshold; and On Baile's Strand
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اللغة: English
The King's Threshold; and On Baile's Strand
الصفحة رقم: 4
class="line">At the King’s table. Nor has poetry
Been altogether driven away, for I,
As you should know, have written poetry,
And often when the table has been cleared
And candles lighted, the King calls for me
And I repeat it him. My poetry
Is not to be compared with yours, but still
Where I am honoured, poetry is honoured
In some measure.
Seanchan.
If you are a poet,
Cry out that the King’s money would not buy,
Nor the high circle consecrate his head,
If poets had never christened gold, and even
The moon’s poor daughter, that most whey-faced metal,
Precious; and cry out that none alive
Would ride among the arrows with high heart
Or scatter with an open hand, had not
Our heady craft commended wasteful virtues.
And when that story’s finished, shake your coat
Where the little jewels gleam on it, and say
A herdsman sitting where the pigs had trampled
Made up a song about enchanted kings,
Who were so finely dressed one fancied them
All fiery, and women by the churn
And children by the hearth caught up the song
And murmured it until the tailors heard it.
Monk.
How proud these poets are! It was full time
To break their pride.
Seanchan.
And I would have you say
That when we are driven out we come again
Like a great wind that runs out of the waste
To blow the tables flat.
Chamberlain.
If you’d eat something
You’d find you have these thoughts because you are hungry.
Seanchan.
And when you have told them all these things, lie down
On this bare threshold and starve until the King
Restore to us the ancient right of the poets.
Aileen.
Let’s come away. There’s no use talking to him,
For he’s resolved to die, and that’s no loss:
We will go watch the hurley.
Monk.
You should obey
The King’s commandment and not question it,
For it is God himself who has made him king.
Essa.
Let’s hear his answer to the monk.
Seanchan.
Stoop down,
For there is something I would say to you.
Has that wild God of yours that was so wild
When you’d but lately taken the King’s pay,
Grown any tamer? He gave you all much trouble
Being so unruly and inconsiderate.
Aileen.
What does he mean?
Monk.
Seanchan.
Or it may be you have persuaded him
To chirp between two dishes when the King
Sits down to table.
Monk.
Let go my habit, sir.
What do I care about your insolent dreams.
Seanchan.
And maybe he has learnt to sing quite softly
Because loud singing would disturb the King
Who is sitting drowsily among his friends
After the table has been cleared——
Monk.
Let go.
[Seanchan has been dragged some feet, clinging to the Monk’s habit.
Seanchan.
Not yet; you did not think that hungry hands
Could be so strong. They are not civil yet—
I’d know if you have taught him to eat bread
From the King’s hand, and perch upon his finger.
I think he perches on the King’s strong hand,
But it may be that he is still too wild.
You must not weary in your work; a King
Is often weary and he needs a God
To be a comfort to him.
[The Monk plucks his habit away. Seanchan holds up his hand as if a bird perched upon it. He pretends to stroke the bird.
A little god,
With soft well-coloured feathers, and bright eyes.
Aileen.
We have listened long enough.
Essa.
Let us away,
Where we can watch the young men at the hurley.
Seanchan.
Yes, yes, go to the hurley, go to the hurley,
Go to the hurley, gather up your skirts,
Run quickly. You can remember many love songs;
I know it by the light that’s in your eyes,
But you’ll forget them. You’re fair to look on,
Your feet delight in dancing, and your mouths
In the slow smiling that awakens love.
The mothers that have borne you mated rightly,
For they had little ears as thirsty as are yours
For many love-songs. Go to the young men:
Are not the ruddy flesh and the thin flanks
And the broad shoulders worthy of desire?
Go from me. Here is nothing for your eyes,
But it is I that am singing you away,
Singing you to the young men.
[The two young Princesses Buan and Finnhua come in. While he has been speaking Aileen and Essa have shrunk back holding each others hands.
Aileen.
Be quiet;
Look who it is that has come out of the house.
Princesses, we are for the hurling field.
Will you come too?
Princess Buan.
We will go with you, Aileen,
But we must have some words with Seanchan,
For we have come to make him eat and drink.
Chamberlain.
I will hold out the dish and cup for him
While you are speaking to him of his folly,
If you desire it, Princess.
[He has taken up dish and cup.
Princess Buan.
Give me the cup.
My sister there will carry the dish of meat:
We’ll offer them ourselves.
Aileen.
They are so gracious,
The dear little princesses are so gracious.
[Princess Buan holds out her hand for Seanchan to kiss it; he does not move.
Although she is holding out her hand to him
He will not kiss it.
Princess Buan.
My father bids us say
That though he cannot have you at his table,
You may ask any other thing you like
And he will give it you. We carry you
A dish and a cup of wine, with our own hands,
To show in what great honour you are held.
Will you not drink a little? Does he not show
Every befitting honour to the poets?
Aileen.
O look, he has taken it, he has taken it!
The dear princesses, I have always said
That nobody could refuse them anything.
[Seanchan takes the cup in one hand, in the other he holds for a moment the hand of the Princess.
Seanchan.
O long soft fingers and pale finger-tips
Well worthy to be laid in a king’s hand;
O you have fair white hands, for it is certain
There is uncommon whiteness in these hands.
But there is something comes into my mind,
Princess. A little while before your birth
I saw your mother sitting by the road
In a high chair, and when a leper passed
She pointed him the way into the town,
And he lifted his hand and blessed her hand;
I saw it with my own eyes. Hold out your hands,
I will find out if they are contaminated;
For it has come into my thoughts that may be
The King has sent me food and drink by hands
That are contaminated. I would see all your hands,
You’ve eyes of dancers, but hold out your hands,
For it may be there are none sound among you——
[The Princesses have shrunk back in terror.
Princess Buan.
He has called us lepers.
Chamberlain.
He’s out of his mind,
And does not know the meaning of what he said.
Seanchan.
[Standing up.] There are no sound hands among you. No sound hands.
Away with you, away with all of you,
You are all lepers. There is leprosy
Among the plates and dishes that you have brought me.
I would know why you have brought me leper’s wine?
[He flings the wine in their faces.
There, there, I have given it to you again, and now
Begone or I will give my curse to you.
You have the leper’s blessing, but you think
Maybe the bread will something lack in savour
Unless you mix my curse into the dough.
[They go out to L., all except the Cripples. Seanchan is staggering in the middle of the stage.
Seanchan.
Where did I say the leprosy came from?
I said it came out of a leper’s hand
And that he walked the highway; but that’s folly,
For he was walking up there in the sky
And there he is even now with his white hand
Thrust out of the blue air and blessing them
With leprosy.
A Cripple.
He’s pointing at the moon
That’s coming out up yonder, and he calls it
Leprous, because the daylight whitens it.
Seanchan.
He’s holding up his hand above them all
King, Noblemen, Princesses, blessing all.
Who could imagine he’d have so much patience.
First Cripple.
Come out of this.
[Clutching other Cripple.
Second Cripple.
If you don’t need it, sir,
May we not carry some of it away?
[He points to food.
Seanchan.
Who’s speaking? Who are you?
First Cripple.
Come out of this.
Second Cripple.
Have pity on us, that must beg our bread
From table to table throughout the entire world
And yet be hungry.
Seanchan.
But