On Baile's Strand

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.

What is his name, fool?

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. Nobody knows how lecherous these goddesses 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.

Who has been feeling about with his stick. What’s this and this?

They are chairs.

And this?

Why, that’s a bench.

And this?

A big chair.

Feeling the back of the chair. There is a sea-woman carved upon it.

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

Lead me to it. He mutters while the fool is leading him. That is what the High King Concobar has on his shield. 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?

They have.

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?

About the young man and the fighting?

Yes.

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

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.

I was creeping under a ditch, with the fowl in my leather bag, keeping to the shore where the farmer could not see me, when I came upon a ship drawn up upon the sands, a great red ship with a woman’s head upon it.

A ship out of Aoife’s country. They have all a woman’s head on the bow.

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 shore. 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.

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

Who has come?

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

You saw him?

I used to be in Aoife’s country when I had my eyesight.

That was before you went on shipboard and were blinded for putting a curse on the wind?

Queen Aoife had a son that was red haired and pale faced like herself, and everyone said that he would kill Cuchullain some day, but I would not have that spoken of.

Nobody could do that. Who was his father?

Nobody but Aoife knew that, not even he himself.

Not even he himself! Was Aoife a goddess and lecherous?

I overheard her telling that she never had but one lover, and that he was the only man who overcame her in battle. There were some who thought him one of the Riders of the Sidhe, because the child was great of limb and strong beyond others. The child was begotten over the mountains; but come nearer and I will tell you something.

You have thought something?

When I hear the young girls talking about the colour of Cuchullain’s eyes, and how they have seven colours, I have thought about it. That young man has Aoife’s face and hair, but he has Cuchullain’s eyes.

How can he have Cuchullain’s eyes?

He is Cuchullain’s son.

And his mother has sent him hither to fight his father.

It is all quite plain. Cuchullain went into Aoife’s country when he was a young man that he might learn skill in arms, and there he became Aoife’s lover.

And now she hates him because he went away, and has sent the son to kill the father. I knew she was a goddess.

And she never told him who his father was, that he might do it. I have thought it all out, fool. I know a great many things because I listen when nobody is noticing and I keep my wits awake. What ails you now?

I have remembered that I am hungry.

Well, forget it again, and I will tell you about Aoife’s country. It is full of wonders. There are a great many Queens there who can change themselves into wolves and into swine and into white hares, and when they are in their own shapes they are stronger than almost any man; and there are young men there who have cat’s eyes and if a bird chirrup or a mouse squeak they cannot keep them shut, even though it is bedtime and they sleepy; and listen, for this is a great wonder, a very great wonder: there is a long narrow bridge, and when anybody goes to cross it, that the Queens do not like, it flies up as this bench would if you were to sit on the end of it. Everybody who goes there to learn skill in arms has to cross it. It was in that country too that Cuchullain got his spear made out of dragon bones. There were two dragons fighting in the foam of the sea, and their grandam was the moon, and nine Queens came along the shore.

I won’t listen to your story.

It is a very wonderful story. Wait till you hear what the nine Queens did. Their right hands were all made of silver.

No, I will have my dinner first. You have eaten the fowl I left in front of the fire. The last time you sent me to steal something you made me forget all about it till you had eaten it up.

No, there is plenty for us both.

Come with me where it is.

Who is being led towards the door at the back by Barach. O, it is all right, it is in a safe place.

It is a fine fowl. It was the biggest in the yard.

It had a good smell, but I hope that the wild dogs have not smelt it. Voices are heard outside the door at the side. Here is our master. Let us stay and talk with him. Perhaps Cuchullain will give you a new cap with a feather. He told me that he would give you a new cap with a feather, a feather with an eye that looks at you, a peacock’s feather.

No, no.

If you do not get it now, you may never get it, for the young man may kill him.

No, no, I am hungry. What a head you have, blind man! Who but you would have remembered that the hen-wife slept for a little at noon every day!

Who is being led along very slowly and unwillingly. Yes, I have a good head. The fowl should be done just right, but one never knows when a wild dog may come out of the woods.

You have eaten it, you have eaten it, you have left me nothing but the bones.

O, that I should have to endure such a plague. O, I ache all over. O, I am pulled in pieces. This is the way you pay me for all the good I have done you!

You have eaten it, you have told me lies about a wild dog. Nobody has seen a wild dog about the place this twelve month. Lie there till the Kings come. O, I will tell Concobar and Cuchullain and all the Kings about you!

What would have happened to you but for me, and you without your wits? If I did not take care of you what would you do for food and warmth?

You take care of me? You stay safe and send me into every kind of danger. You sent me down the cliff for gull’s eggs while you warmed your blind eyes in the sun. And then you ate all that were good for food. You left me the eggs that were neither egg nor bird. The blind man tries to rise. Barach makes him lie down again. Keep quiet now till I shut the door. There is some noise outside. There are swords crossing; a high vexing noise so that I can’t be listening to myself. He goes to the big door at the back and shuts it. Why can’t they be quiet, why can’t they be quiet! Ah, you would get away, would you? He follows the blind man who has been crawling along the wall and makes him lie down close to the King’s chair. Lie there, lie there. No, you won’t get away. Lie there till the Kings come, I’ll tell them all about you. I shall tell it all. How you sit warming yourself, when you have made me light a fire of sticks, while I sit blowing it with my mouth. Do you not always make me take the windy side of the bush when it blows and the rainy side when it rains?

O good fool, listen to me. Think of the care I have taken of you. I have brought you to many a warm hearth, where there was a good welcome for you, but you would not stay there, you were always wandering about.

The last time you brought me in, it was not I who wandered away, but you that got put out because you took the crubeen out of the pot, when you thought nobody was looking. Keep quiet now, keep quiet till I shut the door. Here is Cuchullain, now you will be beaten. I am going to tell him everything.

Comes in and says to the fool. Give me that horn.

Do not listen to him, listen to me.

What are you wrangling over?

He is fat and good for nothing. He has left me the bones and the feathers.

What feathers?

I left him turning a fowl at the fire. He ate it all. He left me nothing but the bones and feathers.

Do not believe him. You do not know how vain this fool is. I gave him the feathers, because I thought he would like nothing so well.

Where would he be but for me? I must be always thinking, thinking to get food for the two of us, and when we’ve got it, if the moon’s at the full or the tide on the turn, he’ll leave the rabbit in its snare till it is full of maggots, or let the trout slip through his hands back into the water.

Listen to him now! That’s the sort of talk I have to put up with, day out day in.

He has taken my feathers to wipe his sword. It is blood that he is wiping from his sword!

Whose blood? Whose blood?

That young champion’s.

He that came out of Aoife’s country?

The Kings are standing round his body.

Did he fight long?

He thought to have saved himself with witchcraft.

That blind man there said he would kill you. He came from Aoife’s country to kill you. That blind man said they had taught him every kind of weapon that he might do it. But I always knew that you would kill him.

To the blind man. You knew him, then?

I saw him when I had my eyes, in Aoife’s country.

You were in Aoife’s country?

I knew him and his mother there.

He was about to speak of her when he died.

He was a Queen’s son.

What Queen, what Queen? He seizes the blind man. Was it Scathach? There were many Queens. All the rulers were Queens.

No, not Scathach.

It was Uathach, then. Speak, speak!

I cannot speak, you are clutching me too tightly. Cuchullain lets him go. I cannot remember who it was. I am not certain. It was some Queen.

He said a while ago that the young man was Aoife’s son.

She? No, no, she had no son when I was there.

That blind man there said that she owned him for her son.

I had rather he had been some other woman’s son. What father had he? A soldier out of Alba? She was an amorous woman, a proud, pale amorous woman.

None knew whose son he was.

None knew? Did you know, old listener at doors?

No, no, I knew nothing.

He said a while ago that he heard Aoife boast that she’d never but the one lover, and he the only man that had overcome her in battle.

Somebody is trembling. Why are you trembling, fool? the bench is shaking, why are you trembling? Is Cuchullain going to hurt us? It was not I who told you, Cuchullain.

It is Cuchullain who is trembling. He is shaking the bench with his knees.

He was my son, and I have killed my son.

He is going up to King Concobar; they are all under the tree. No, no, he is standing still. There is a great wave going to break and he is looking at it. Ah! now he is running down to the sea, but he is holding up his sword as if he were going into a fight. A pause. Well struck, well struck!

What is he doing now?

Oh! he is fighting the waves.

He sees King Concobar’s crown on every one of them.

There, he has struck at a big one. He has struck the crown off it, he has made the foam fly. There again another big one.

Where are the Kings? What are the Kings doing?

They are shouting and running down to the shore, and the people are running out of the houses, they are all running.

You say they are running out of the houses, there will be nobody left in the houses. Listen, fool.

There, he is down! He is up again! He is going out into the deep water.

Come here, fool; come here, I say.

Coming towards him but looking backward towards the door. What is it?

There will be nobody in the houses. Come this way, come quickly; the ovens will be full; we will put our hands into the ovens.