University of Virginia Library

SCENE VIII.

Naisa's Tent. Enter Daidra to Naisa. They sit down to play chess. A distant call is heard.
NAISA.
Hark! hark! I heard a cry!

DAIDRA.
I heard no cry.

NAISA.
The cry, too, of a mighty Man of Chase!
Hark! the voice of a man of Erin calls!

DAIDRA.
That was no man of Erin called.

NAISA.
It was—
I know his voice!

DAIDRA.
Some man of Alba called.

NAISA.
That was some man of Erin cried!

DAIDRA.
Oh, no—
Rather a man of Alba, to my ear.
Let us play on.

NAISA.
No—that was Fergus' voice!
I know it well. Four times has he cried now,
And every time it sounded like his voice!
Enter Ardan.
Go, Ardan—see if Fergus has not come.

ARDAN.
I will—I think it was his voice.

DAIDRA.
Why does
He come?

NAISA.
Perhaps to visit us—or win
Us home again.

DAIDRA.
I knew it was his cry,
But would not say.

NAISA.
Why not, dear queen? Why not
Reveal your thought to me?

DAIDRA.
Because of that
Dread Vision which I saw last night in sleep!

NAISA.
What Vision, love? tell me thy dream.

DAIDRA.
I thought
I saw three Blackbirds fly in haste to me
From Eman of Macha, bearing in their beaks
Three cups of Honey, which they left with us,
Taking away with them three cups of Blood
From our rent hearts!

NAISA.
But how interpret you
This dream, dear love?

DAIDRA.
This wise,—That Fergus comes
With overtures of peace from Conor's Court.
For peace is sweet, though sent from vile men's lips—
As honey is made out of bitterest flowers.
If this be so, then we are surely lost!

NAISA.
Nay—Fergus would not bring such ruin to us.
He comes, perhaps, with Conor's overthrow,
And may have been long time in port. If so,
Ardan will bring him safe to us, when we
Will learn his object for this visit here.

DAIDRA.
Mind what I say—my dream foreboded ruin
To Usna's Sons!

NAISA.
Nay, think not so, dear love!
You make me sad to see you so. Dreams are
But dreams—to waking-hours like drops of dew
At noontide, fading into clouds of mist.
Come, be more cheerful; you will make me sad.

DAIDRA.
I would be if I could—but cannot be.
Would it had been a man of Alba's voice.

NAISA.
Is this the reason why you said it was?

DAIDRA.
It was.

NAISA.
I knew it was; then I was not
Deceived.

DAIDRA.
I did not mean you should.

NAISA.
Oh! God! how much I love this Perfect One,
Is only known to Him who is all love!
Come, let us go into our tent again,
And there make ready to receive our guest.
Re-enter Ardan with Fergus, his two Sons, and Callon, his Shield-bearer.
Friends of my soul! most welcome are you here!
Not Jove, by Hermes tended, was more welcome
To Philemon's fair home, than those dear friends
To Alba's happy land. Come, sit you down.

FERGUS.
We are most glad to see you well.

NAISA.
What news
From Erin? Tell us Tales of other times.

FERGUS.
We cannot tell you Tales of other times,
When the Good News that Conor sends for you,
Shall divertise our time—making us glad.

DAIDRA.
That news should rather make us weep. It is
Not meet that we should go to him. There is
No good in anything he does; the worst
Thing that he ever did is sending for us here;
For greater is our sway in Alba here,
Than Conor's sway in Erin ever was.

FERGUS.
But cheerless is the soul of any man
Whose life is spent so far away from home—
Our nativity being dearest of all things.

DAIDRA.
Your words sound sweet, but sadder far than sweet
To those who love, but cannot see their homes;
Like Siren's Songs to the rapt Mariners' ears,
Luring them down to speedy death! Then heed
Them not, Naisa; like the wise Ulysses did,
Put wax into thy ears, until we pass
This place—this Paradise of heavenly songs.

FERGUS.
Though prosperity equalled our power,
Unless we exercised it at our home,
It would be only utter want misused.

NAISA.
Most true; for I have realized it here,
As King of this fair Country, long ago;
For dearer far than Alba Erin is,
Should Alba have ten times more wealth in gold.

FERGUS.
Then go with me to Erin. Alba has
No charms for one in Erin born.

DAIDRA.
She has
A thousand times more charms for me, though one
In Erin born.

FERGUS.
Daidra doubts my word;
But you may place firm confidence in me;
For though the whole wide world were armed against
Your lives, I would be for you to the last.

NAISA.
We have strong confidence in you—so strong
That we will go with you to Erin now.

DAIDRA.
Then you will go without consent of mine.
Alas! that ever I was born to see
What I shall see!—to know what I shall know!
Put you no confidence in dreams, my love?
I tell you that I saw three Birds of Night
Flying from Eman, bearing in their beaks
Three cups of Honey, which they gave to us
For three drops of our heart's most precious Blood!

NAISA.
But there is no reality in dreams.
They are but shadows of our light of life,
Which flit about our spirits in the night,
Led on by Memory of our waking hours.

DAIDRA.
I grant you they are shadows of our lives;
But what are shadows, but the ghosts of Forms
That bask in substance; just as these three birds
Were Phantoms of the Forms of Conor's thoughts—
Black Vultures, which shall feed upon our lives!

FERGUS.
I pledge you my most solemn word, your fears
Are all ill-founded; for, should all the hosts
Of Erin rise against you, they would not
Avail against the power that I can wield
For your protection—Conor's guarantee.

NAISA.
Then I will go with you to Erin.

FERGUS.
Come.

DAIDRA.
Alas! alas! what is to be our fate?
God only knows I truly know too well!
Farewell, dear Alba! Most delightful land!
My grief is only equalled by my love!
Thy Harbors are delightful as thy Bays,
Whose silver waters shingle golden sands,
Weaving sweet music there forever more!
Farewell! farewell! I have to leave thee now!
As Eve sighed when she left her Paradise,
So I now sigh with tears to go from mine.
Then thy dear beauteous plains with verdure clad,
As soft as velvet, or as down of Swans;
And thy green-sided hills of gentlest slope,
Down which the fugitive streams in wildness leap,
Like Roebucks, hastening to embrace the Sea;
And many other things most dear to me—
How hard it is for me to leave you now!
But it must be—for where Naisa goes,
There I must go—though it should be to death;
Which I believe, nay, know, will surely be,
If I now leave thee for dear Erin's shore!
Farewell, delightful land! land of my love!
From Draynoe's lovely Isle, the Wood of Kone,
Where Ainli did resort to kill the deer—
Sweet Vale of Massan! Urchay's lonely Vale!
The Vale of Eti! seat of loftiest Hills!
The Vale of Roes, near Draynoe's sounding shore!
Where the great King of Day did build his House!
Farewell! farewell! I have to leave you now!

[Exeunt omnes.
Curtain Falls.