1

The Immortal Hour

By Fiona Macleod (William Sharp) (words), Rutland Boughton (music)

[This is a shortened version of The Immortal Hour. The cuts are clearly marked and

described in bold type.]

MAIN CHARACTERS

Eochaidh The King of Ireland.

Etain A princess of the Shee (the fairies).

Midir A prince of the Shee; Etain’s husband.

Dalua The Lord of Shadow.

Manus A peasant.

Maive Manus’s wife.

Also spirits, druids,1 bards,2 warriors, maidens, etc.

ACT 1.

SCENE 1.

Scene: A wood, dark and mysterious. In the background is the faint glimmer3 of a lake.

There is a cut here. After a prologue (CD 1:1), Dalua emerges from the shadows. He

sings that through the world of nature he has “travelled from one darkness to

another” (CD1:2). The voices of spirits from the wood reply that though he seems to

have travelled far, he has “come no further than a rood.”4 Dalua says he has come

“to the world’s end.” The voices reply that the world’s end was never far away

(CD1:3). Dalua says he is one “of the Immortal Clan” who do not experience

distance like mortals: “the long ways of the world are brief”5 (CD1:4). He explains

that he has come to the wood “led by dreams and visions.” He does not know why he

is here. The voices say they now know who Dalua is (CD1:5). They address him:

“Hail,6 Son of Shadow!” and say he is a “brother” of the gods (CD1:6).

1 Druids were priests in the ancient Celtic religion. 2 Bards were musicians who composed and performed songs. 3 Glimmer = shining appearance (made by moonlight reflecting on the water). 4 A rood = a distance of about six meters. The conversation here is essentially about different “dimensions.”

Besides the “normal,” physical world that we all experience, there are other, parallel and overlapping worlds,

and these are both close to us, and distant from us, at the same time. The Immortal Hour constantly suggests

that the world of the Shee, and the world of the spirits, are close to humans, but unutterably distant as well. 5 Are brief = are travelled quickly. 6 Hail = we salute you.

2

Dalua: I am old; more old, more ancient than the gods, CD1:7

For I am the son of Shadow, eldest god1

Who dreamed the passionate and terrible dreams

We call Fire and Light, Water and Wind,

Air, Darkness, Death, Change and Decay, and Birth,2

And all the infinite bitter range that is.3

A Voice: Brother and kin4 to all the twilit gods,5 CD1:8

Living, forgot, long dead: sad Shadow of pale hopes,

Forgotten dreams, and madness of men’s minds:6

Outcast among the gods,7 and called the Fool,

Yet dreaded even by those immortal eyes8

Because thy fateful touch9 can wreck the mind10

Or lay a frost of silence on the heart:11

Dalua, hail!

Voices: Dalua, hail! ... Dalua, hail! ... Hail! ... Hail! ...

The sound of mocking laughter is heard from the wood (CD1:9).

There is a cut here. Dalua tells the voices, who he calls the “outcasts of the invisible

world,” that they should not laugh at him (CD1:10). He says that even the gods do

not laugh at him, because they recognise him as “the blown leaf of the unknown

powers.”12

1 Eldest god = the oldest of all the gods. 2 We call Fire and Light, Water and Wind / Air, Darkness, Death, Change and Decay, and Birth. Dalua says

that the physical world that humans live in was created by Shadow. Shadow had a “dream” of this world and

it then became a reality. 3 The infinite bitter range that is = all the endless bitterness that exists (in the world). Dalua describes the

physical world, with its cycles of birth and death, as a place of “bitterness.” 4 Kin = (family) relation. 5 The twilit gods = the gods of evening, the oldest gods. Fiona Macleod here uses the ancient Greek idea that

there are different “generations” of gods. Dalua is related to the oldest generation of gods who have lost some

of their power but still influence the universe. 6 Sad Shadow of pale hopes, / Forgotten dreams, and madness of men’s minds. Dalua is the “sad shadow” of

these things. He represents the loss of hope, forgetfulness, and madness: all the negative things that deprive

life of meaning and happiness. 7 Outcast among the gods = (Dalua is) rejected by the (younger generation of) gods. See note 5 above. 8 Those immortal eyes = the eyes of the younger generation of gods. 9 Thy fateful touch = the touch of fate, that you can give. Dalua represents the forces of fate, or destiny. 10 Wreck the mind = make the mind go mad. 11 Or lay a frost of silence on the heart = or make the heart cold and silent. It is not clear exactly what the

voice means: it could be that Dalua brings death (when the heart stops beating), or that he can stop the heart

feeling any emotion, or passion. 12 The blown leaf of the unknown powers. The point here is that a “blown leaf” cannot control its

movements. Dalua is saying that he has no control over his actions, but is controlled by “unknown powers.”

These “powers” are not identified; it is not clear whether they are the same as the “twilit gods” to whom

Dalua is related.

3

Voices: We, too, are the blown leaves of the unseen powers.

Dalua: Voices of shadowy things be still!1

I hear the voice of one2 who wanders through the wood.

Etain wanders into view, looking lost and bewildered.

Etain: Fair3 is the moonlight CD1:11

And fair the wood,

But not so fair

As the place I come from.

Why did I leave it,

The beautiful country,4

Where Death is only

A drifting shadow?5

O face of Love6

Of Dream and Longing,

There is sorrow upon me7

That I am here.

I will go back

To the Country of the Young8

And see again

The lances of the Shee,

As they keep their hosting9

With laughing cries

In pale places

Under the moon.

1 Be still! = be quiet! 2 One = a person. 3 Fair = beautiful. 4 The beautiful country. This is of course the land of the Shee, or the fairies. 5 Where Death is only / A drifting shadow? = where death is only a shadow, not a substantial reality (as it is

in the human world). 6 O face of Love. Etain is speaking to her own face, reflected in the water of the lake. In the original play of

The Immortal Hour she is described as “looking at the moonshine on the water.” 7 There is sorrow upon me = I feel sorrow. 8 The Country of the Young = the land of the Shee is repeatedly described as the “Country of the Young.” It

is “of the Young” because the Shee do not grow old and die. 9 Keep their hosting = gather together to play war games. A “hosting” is usually a hostile encounter, but in

the land of the Shee it seems to be a time of enjoyment—perhaps because the Shee cannot die as humans do.

4

Etain turns and walks slowly away. She stops as she hears a strange cry from the wood.

She turns, startled.

Etain: None made that cry who has not known the Shee.1

Dalua steps forward and bows politely, though with a hint of mockery.

Dalua: Hail, daughter of kings, and star among the dreams, CD1:12

Which are the lives and souls of whom have won

The Country of the Young!2

Etain: I know you not.

Dalua: I have come far, led here by dreams and visions.

Etain: By dreams and vision led, I, too, have come,

But know not whence3 or by what devious way,

Nor to what end4 I am come through these dim woods

To this grey, lonely loch.5

There is a short cut here. Dalua touches Etain lightly “with the shadow of his hand”

and asks her whether she has forgotten “the delicate smiling land” that she has come

from (CD1:13).

Etain: I have forgotten all. CD1:14

I can remember nothing: no, not this,

The little song I sang ev’n now,6 or what sweet thought,

What ache of longing lay behind the song.

All is forgot ...... I know no more

Than this: that I am Etain White o’ the Wave,7

Etain, come hither8 from the lovely land

Where the immortal Shee fill up their lives

1 None made that cry who has not known the Shee = whoever made that cry knows the Shee. 2 Star among the dreams, / Which are the lives and souls of whom have won / The Country of the Young! =

the most beautiful of all those dreams which are the lives and souls of those who have managed to get into

the land of the Shee. Dalua says that the land of the Shee is a dream world, and those in it are dreams. 3 But know not whence = but I do not know from where. 4 To what end = for what reason. 5 Loch = lake. 6 Ev’n now = even now, just now. 7 White o’ the Wave = White of the Wave. This is Etain’s name. 8 Hither = here, to this place.

5

As flowers with honey1 brewed of2 summer airs,

Flame of the sun, dawn rains, and evening dews.

Dalua: We are sheep led

By an unknown Shepherd, we who are the Shee,

For all we dream we are as gods,3 and far

Ungathered from4 the little woes of men.

Etain: Then why this meeting, here in this old wood,

By moonlight, by this melancholy water?

Dalua: I knew not: now I know.

A king of men CD1:15

Has wooed the Immortal Hour.5 He seeks to know

The joy that is more great than joy

The beauty of the old green earth can give.

He has known6 dreams, and because bitter dreams7

Have sweeter been than honey, he has sought

The open road that lies ’mid shadowy things.8

He has sought and found and called upon the Shee

To lead his love to one more beautiful

Than any mortal maid;9 so fair10 that he

Shall know a joy beyond all mortal joy,

And stand silent and rapt beside the gate,

The rainbow gate11 of her whom none may find;

The Beauty of all Beauty.

Etain: Can this be?12

1 As flowers with honey = in the same way that flowers “fill up” with honey. By “honey” Etain presumably

means nectar, which bees gather from flowers to make honey. 2 Of = by (as a result of). 3 For all we dream we are as gods = despite the fact that we dream we are like the gods. 4 Far / Ungathered from = remote from, quite incapable of experiencing. 5 Has wooed the Immortal Hour = has tried to obtain “the Immortal Hour,” the experience of complete

happiness. 6 Known = experienced. 7 Bitter dreams = dreams that bring bitterness (to the dreamer). 8 The open road that lies ’mid shadowy things. This is a rather enigmatic statement. Dalua is referring to a

“dark road” Eochaidh has followed; he seems to mean (see the following line) that Eochaidh has—

unwisely—been in contact with the spirit world, or with the Shee. The general suggestion is of occult

activity. ’Mid means “amid,” or in the middle of. 9 To lead his love to one more beautiful / Than any mortal maid = to guide him, as a lover, to a female more

beautiful than any human (“mortal”) woman. 10 Fair = beautiful. 11 The rainbow gate. This is again enigmatic. The “gate” seems to represent the entrance to a higher

existence, above ordinary human life. It is a “rainbow” gate because, like a rainbow, it is insubstantial and

deceptive. In English “to chase a rainbow” means to pursue an impossible project. 12 Can this be? = is this possible (can the king really discover “The Beauty of all Beauty”)?

6

Dalua: Nay, but he doth not know the end.1 There is

But2 one way to that Gate: it is not Love

Aflame with all desire, but Love at peace.3

Dalua here makes a significant gesture which he repeats over Eochaidh at the end of the

opera.

Etain: Who is this poet,4 this king?

Dalua: Led here by dreams, CD1:16

By dreams and visions led as you and I,5

His feet are nearing us. When you are won6

By love and adoration, Star of Dreams,7

And take sweet mortal clay,8 and have forgot

That love-sweet whisper of the King of the Shee,

And, even as now, hear Midir’s name unmov’d;9

The wayward thistledown of fate10 shall blow

On the same idle wind11—the doom of him

Who blindfold seeks you.12

Etain: But may he not love?

1 Nay, but he doth not know the end = no, it’s not possible, but the king does not know what will happen if he

continues to pursue this dream. 2 But = only. 3 It is not Love / Aflame with all desire, but Love at peace. This is another enigmatic statement. Dalua is

saying that active love (love “aflame” with desire) will never get you to the Gate of immortal beauty. Only

“peaceful” love that includes no element of “desire” will get you there. The paradox seems to be that you can

never get to the Gate if you want to get to it. Dalua may also be suggesting that it is only after death that

humans can reach the “rainbow Gate.” 4 Who is this poet. This is an interesting question, as Dalua has said nothing about Eochaidh being a poet. It

connects the imaginary desires of Eochaidh, the ancient king, with those of late nineteenth-century poets,

who also dreamed of “the Immortal Hour.” 5 As you and I = in the same way that you and I were led. 6 When you are won = when Eochaidh wins your love. 7 Star of Dreams. This is Dalua’s name for Etain. He has already called her “star among the dreams” (see

page 4). 8 And take sweet mortal clay = and become human. 9 And, even as now, hear Midir’s name unmov’d = and hear Midir’s name without being affected, or

“moved” by it, just as you are not affected when I speak his name now. Dalua means that Etain has forgotten

that Midir, “the King of the Shee,” is her husband. 10 The wayward thistledown of fate. Thistledown is the silky down attached to the seeds of a thistle;

proverbially it means something extremely light. “Wayward” means unpredictable, or directionless. The point

is that the thistledown will move in whichever direction the wind blows it—and “fate” is similarly erratic and

unpredictable. It is worth comparing this line with Dalua’s earlier reference to being “the blown leaf of the

unknown powers” (see page 2, note 12). 11 On the same idle wind. The wind (which blows the thistledown) is “idle” because it has no fixed purpose.

The point is that the same wind of fate that has made Etain forget her past will also destroy Eochaidh. 12 Him / Who blindfold seeks you. This is Eochaidh, of course. He is not literally “blindfold,” but he is acting

like a blindman, because he cannot see where he is going.

7

Dalua: Yes, he shall love. Upon him I shall lay

My touch, the touch of him men dread and call

The Amadan-Dhu,1 the Dark One, Fairy Fool.2

He shall have madness even as he wills,3

And think it wisdom. I shall be his thought—4

A dream within a dream; the flame wherein5

The white moths of his thoughts shall rise and die.6

The blast of Eochaidh’s horn is heard.

Dalua: Now go. (He touches her lightly with the shadow of his hand, and whispers

in her ear.)

I have told all that need be told, and given

Bewilderment and dreams; but dreams that are

The fruit of that sweet clay of which I spake.7

Etain: I will go back8 CD1:17

To the Country of the Young

And see again

The lances of the Shee,

As they keep their hosting

With laughing cries

In pale places

Under the moon.

Etain leaves. The horn is heard nearer. Dalua stands in the shadow, waiting for Eochaidh.

Eochaidh: Sir, I am glad. I had not thought to see one here.9 CD1:18

Dalua: The king is welcome.

Eochaidh: And who is he who knows the king

Here in this dim, remote, forgotten wood,

Where, led by dreams and visions, I have come?

1 Amadan-Dhu = “the dark one” in Irish. Dalua is listing the various names he is called by humans (“men”). 2 Fool = joker. 3 Even as he wills = just as he wants it. Dalua is saying “Eochaidh wants madness, and he will experience it.”

He means that Eochaidh’s desire for “the Immortal Hour” is madness. 4 I shall be his thought = I shall enter into his mind, into his thinking. 5 Wherein = in which. 6 The white moths of his thoughts shall rise and die. The image is of moths being attracted to a flame, which

then burns them, so that they die. Dalua is saying that he will be a fire at the very centre of Eochaidh’s mind;

Eochaidh’s thoughts will “rise” into that fire, and then “die.” 7 Dreams that are / The fruit of that sweet clay of which I spake. Dalua is saying that he has “given” Etain

dreams, and that these dreams are the result, or the “fruit,” of her new, human nature. On the previous page

he has said Etain will “take sweet mortal clay,” i.e. become human. 8 I will go back. Etain repeats the last lines of the song she sang when she first appeared (see page 3). 9 I had not thought to see one here = I didn’t expect to see anyone here.

8

Dalua: Those led by dreams1 shall be misled, O king!

Eochaidh: You are no druid: no knight in arms: none

Whom I have seen.2

Dalua: I am called Dalua.

Eochaidh: I have not heard that name, and yet in dreams

I have known one who waved a shadowy plume3

And smiling said, “I am Dalua.”

Are you that same Dalua?

Dalua: (Turning away.) I have come CD1:19

To this lone4 wood and to this lonely mere5

To drink from out6 the Fountain of all dreams,

The shadowy Fount of Beauty.7

Eochaidh: At last!

The Fount of Beauty, Fountain of all dreams!

Now I am come upon my long desire!8

The days have trampled me like armed men

Thrusting their spears as ever on they go.9

And I am weary of all things, save10 the stars,

(Dalua passes behind Eochaidh and lifts his hands over him like a great

shadow.) The wind, shadow and moonrise, and strange dreams.

Dalua: (Touching him lightly.) Look, O king! CD1:20

Suddenly a fountain rises in the lake, the spray rising high in the moonlight. Eochaidh

stares at it eagerly.

1 Those led by dreams = those people who follow their dreams. 2 None / Whom I have seen = you are not like anyone I have seen. Eochaidh is unable to tell what “category”

of person Dalua is. 3 A shadowy plume = a dark feather, or bunch of feathers, worn as a symbol of the holder’s rank, or status. In

the original play version of The Immortal Hour Dalua is described as wearing “a small black cap from which

hangs a black hawk’s feather.” 4 Lone = lonely. 5 Mere = lake. 6 From out = from out of. 7 The shadowy Fount of Beauty. This is the first time that the significance of the place is explained: it is the

place which is the “fountain,” or source, of “all dreams,” and especially the source of the “Beauty of all

Beauty” (see page 5). 8 Now I am come upon my long desire! = now I have found what I have desired to find for a long time. 9 The days have trampled me like armed men / Thrusting their spears as ever on they go = the long wait (for

this moment) has been painful. 10 Save = except.

9

Eochaidh: I see a Fountain, and within its shadow a

Great fish swims, and on its quivering wave1

The scarlet berries float: dim ’mid its depths2

The face of One I see, most calm and great,3

August,4 with mournful eyes.

Dalua: Ask what you will.5

Eochaidh: The word of wisdom, O thou hidden God!

Dalua exits.

A Voice:6 Return,7 O Eochaidh Airemh,8 wandering king.

Eochaidh: That shall not be. No backward way is mine:9

If I indeed be king, then kingly10 I

Shall cleave my way through shadows as through men.11

A Voice: Return!

Eochaidh: Nay, by the Sun and Moon, I swear

I will not turn my feet.

A Voice: Return! Return!

Eochaidh: There is no backward way for such as I.12 CD1:21

(He hesitantly turns to speak to Dalua.)

Howbeit13 …. for14 I am shaken with old dreams,

And as15 an idle wave tossed to and fro,16

1 Wave = surface (the agitated water at the top of the fountain). 2 Dim ’mid its depths = unclearly, in the dark centre of the fountain. 3 Most calm and great = who appears very calm and impressive. 4 August = majestic (i.e. the face in the fountain appears majestic). 5 Ask what you will = ask (the face) anything you like. 6 A Voice. The voice is the voice of the “hidden God,” the face in the fountain. 7 Return = go back to your old life. 8 Eochaidh Airemh. This is Eochaidh’s full title. “Airemh” means “The Plough.” Eochaidh was called this

because he taught his people how to yoke horses together for ploughing. 9 No backward way is mine = I will not go back. 10 Kingly = like a king. 11 As through men = in the same way that I “cleave” myself through men (in war). 12 Such as I = people like me. 13 Howbeit = nevertheless. 14 For = because. 15 As = like. 16 To and fro = backwards and forwards.

10

I will go hence:1 I will go back to where

The quiet moonlight spills above the hills,

Where men hail me king.2

Dalua’s laughter is heard from the wood.

Dalua: (Unseen.) Follow, O follow, king of dreams and shadows!

Eochaidh: I follow.

I have heard you calling “Dalua! Dalua!” CD1:22

I have heard you on the hill,

By the pool-side still,3

Where the lapwings shrill4 “Dalua … Dalua ... Dalua!”

What is it you call, Dalua, Dalua?

When the rains fall,

When the mists crawl,5

And the curlews call “Dalua … Dalua … Dalua”?

Eochaidh goes off into the wood.

Dalua: (Unseen, in another part of the wood.) I am the Fool, Dalua!

When men hear me, their eyes

Darken: the shadow in the skies

Droops:6 and the keening7 woman cries “Dalua … Dalua ... Dalua!”

SCENE 2.

Scene: The hut of the peasant, Manus, and his wife, Maive. Inside, in a corner, sits Etain,

sheltering from a raging storm outside. It is night time.

There is a cut here. Manus and Maive talk about a “man” who has visited them and

given them three gold pieces (CD1:23). They think they have seen him before. The

man has asked them to be hospitable to anyone who visits their hut, but to keep

“silent” about what happens. (It is obvious to the audience that the “man” must be

Dalua.) It starts to rain (CD1:24). Etain goes to the door and pulls the cover across.

She says that the beautiful evening has turned into a surprisingly “stormy night,”

and she asks Manus and Maive whether they have seen such changes in the weather

before. They say they have, and comment on the ancient mystery of the wind

1 I will go hence = I will go away from here. Eochaidh suddenly decides to abandon his search for “The

Beauty of all Beauty,” but he is too late: he is already in Dalua’s power. 2 Hail me king = call me, and recognize me, as their king. 3 Pool-side still = peaceful side of the pool, or pond. 4 Shrill = cry shrilly. 5 Crawl = move slowly across the landscape. 6 The shadow in the skies / droops = night becomes close and tangible. 7 Keening = mourning. In Ireland women “keen,” or make a wailing chant, when someone has died.

11

(“Blind Eyes”) and rain (“Grey Feathers”).

Etain: But sometimes … sometimes … Tell me: have you heard, CD1:25

By dusk or moonset1 have you never heard

Sweet voices, delicate music? ... never seen

The passage2 of the lordly beautiful ones

Men call the Shee?

Manus: (Rising abruptly.) We do not speak of them.

A horn is heard outside.

Maive: Hark!3 A second time I’ve heard a cry!

Eochaidh: (Outside.) Open, good folk!

Manus: There is no door to ope:4

Thrust back the skin from off the post.5

Eochaidh: (Entering.) Good folk, I give you greeting.6 CD1:26

(He sees Etain, bows to her, steps nearer, and from this moment his eyes

never leave her.) Lady!

Etain: Sir, I pray you7

Draw near the fire. This bitter wind and rain

Must sure8 have chilled you.

Manus: (To Maive, quietly.) He is not wet. The driving rains have left

No single drop!9

Maive: (To Eochaidh.) Good sir, brave lord!

Have pity on us.10

Manus: Good sir, you are most welcome. I am Manus, CD1:27

And this poor woman is Maive, my childless wife,

(He gestures towards Etain.) And this is a great lady of the land

1 By dusk or moonset = in the evening, or at night. 2 Passage = movement, passing. 3 Hark! = listen! 4 Ope = open. 5 Thrust back the skin from off the post = pull back the animal skin that is covering the doorway. 6 I give you greeting = I greet you. 7 I pray you = please. “I pray you” is very respectful and polite. 8 Sure = surely. 9 Have left / No single drop = have not made him wet at all (there is not one drop of water on his clothes). 10 Have pity on us = be merciful to us, don’t hurt us. Maive is afraid of Eochaidh now.

12

Who shelters here tonight. Her name is Etain.

Maive: Sir, if you are of the nameless ones,1

The noble nameless ones, do us no ill!2

Eochaidh: Good folk, I mean no ill. Nor am I made

Of other clay than yours.3 I am a man.

Let me have shelter here tonight: tomorrow

I will go hence.4

Manus: You are most welcome, sir.

Eochaidh: And you, Etain, is it with your will5

That I be sheltered from the wind and rain?

Etain: How could I grudge you that ungrudged to me?6

Manus and Maive withdraw into the shadow. The fire burns down, and the room becomes

darker.

Eochaidh: At last I know CD1:28

Why dreams have led me hither.7 All these years

These eyes like stars have led me:8 all these years

This love that dwells like moonlight in your face

Has been the wind that moved my idle wave.9

Forgive presumptuous words. I mean no ill.

I am a king, and kingly. Ard-Ree I am.

Ard-Ree of Eiré.10

Etain: And your name, fair lord? CD1:29

Eochaidh: Eochaidh Airemh

1 The nameless ones = the ones who cannot be named, the Shee. 2 Do us no ill = do not harm us. 3 Nor am I made / Of other clay than yours = I am “made” the same way as you; I have the same kind of

body. 4 Hence = away. 5 Is it with your will = are you happy with the idea. 6 How could I grudge you that ungrudged to me? = how could I complain about you being given shelter,

when shelter was freely given to me? 7 Hither = to this place. 8 These eyes like stars have led me = your eyes (Etain’s eyes), which look like stars, have guided me.

Eochaidh means that he has had a vision of someone like Etain, and has always been trying to find a woman

who corresponds to his vision. 9 Has been the wind that moved my idle wave = has given me direction and momentum. Eochaidh is

expanding the previous thought: the idea of someone like Etain has given him a sense of purpose, and made

him seek “the Immortal Hour.” 10 Ard-Ree of Eiré = High King of Ireland.

13

Etain: And I am Etain called,

Daughter of lordly ones,1 of princely line.2

But more I cannot say, for on my mind

A strange forgetful cloud bewilders me,3

And I have memory only of those things

Of which I cannot speak, being under bond4

To keep the silence of my lordly folk.5

How I came here, or to what end,6 or why

I am left here, I know not.

Eochaidh: Truly, I CD1:30

Now know full well.7

Etain, dear love, my dreams

Come true. I have seen this8 dim pale face in dreams

For days and months and years; till at the last

Too great a spell of beauty held my hours.9

My kingdom was no more to me than sand,10

Or a green palace built of August leaves

Already yellowing, waiting for the wind,

To scatter them to north and south and east.

I have forgotten all that men hold dear,11

And given my kingdom to the wheeling12 crows,

The trampling desert hinds,13 the snarling fox.

I have no thought, no dream, no hope, but14 this:

To call you mine,15 to take you hence, my Queen.16

Etain: I, too, am lifted with the breath CD1:31

1 Of lordly ones = of the Shee. From now on the Shee are referred to as “the lordly ones” on several

occasions. 2 Of princely line = of a royal family. 3 For on my mind / A strange forgetful cloud bewilders me = for in my mind I cannot remember things

clearly, and am confused. 4 Being under bond = for I have made an agreement. This is the only time such a “bond,” or agreement, is

referred to. 5 To keep the silence of my lordly folk = to say nothing about my people, the Shee. 6 To what end = for what purpose. 7 Now know full well = now understand completely. 8 This = your. 9 Till at the last / Too great a spell of beauty held my hours = until finally I was completely entranced by the

magic of your beauty. 10 Was no more to me than sand = was of no value to me (was only as valuable as sand). 11 Hold dear = consider valuable. Eochaidh is talking about his status and power as a king, which has become

worthless to him. 12 Wheeling = circling (flying in circles). 13 Desert hinds = deer that live in the wild places. 14 But = except. 15 To call you mine = to make you my wife. 16 Hence, my Queen = away from here, as my Queen.

14

Of a tumultuous wind.1 My Lord and King.

I, too, am lit with fire, which fills my heart

And lifts it like a flame to burn in thine,

To pass and be at one and flame in thine.2

Eochaidh / Etain: The years, the bitter years of all the world3

Are now no more ...

Eochaidh: Who laughed? CD1:32

Manus: (Sullenly.) No one laughed.

Eochaidh: What means that laughter?

Maive: Grey Feathers and Blind Eyes.4

Etain: None laughed. It was the hooting of an owl.

Dear Lord, sit here. I am weary. CD1:33

Eochaidh bends on one knee. The peasants are asleep. It is dark and very still. A strange,

far-away look comes into Etain’s eyes.

Eochaidh: Etain, dear love!

Etain strains into the darkness as though she is trying to hear a far-off sound.

Unseen Voices: How beautiful they are, CD1:34

The lordly ones5

Who dwell in the hills,

In the hollow hills.

They have faces like flowers,

And their breath is a wind

That blows over summer meadows,

Filled with dewy clover.6

1 Am lifted with the breath / Of a tumultuous wind = am disturbed by a strong passion. 2 And lifts it like a flame to burn in thine, / To pass and be at one and flame in thine = and turns my heart into

a flame which can burn in your heart. The phrasing is strange, but the idea is simple: both Eochaidh and

Etain have a heart “on fire,” and their two fires will burn together as one fire—marking their shared passion. 3 Of all the world. This is an ambigious, but important phrase. It could mean “experienced in the world,” or

“experienced by all the people in the world.” Either way it is clear that Eochaidh and Etain believe they will

not experience such “bitterness” anymore. 4 Grey Feathers and Blind Eyes = (the sound of) the wind and rain. See page 11. 5 The lordly ones = the Shee. See page 13, note 1. 6 Dewy clover = clover wet with dew. The point of this description is that the “breath” of the Shee smells

sweet, like summer meadows.

15

Their limbs are more white

Than shafts1 of moonshine:

They are more fleet2

Than the March wind.

They laugh and are glad,

And are terrible:

When their lances shake and glitter

Every green reed quivers.3

How beautiful they are,

How beautiful

The lordly ones

In the hollow hills.

ACT 2.

Scene: The great hall of Eochaidh’s palace. Druids, bards, warriors and maidens

have assembled to celebrate the “year of joy” Eochaidh has spent with Etain.

There is a long cut here. The Druids sing a kind of prayer evoking all the powers of

nature, and all the gods (including “Shadowy Dalua of the Hidden Way”), and

requesting that “all” will be “well” (CD2:1). The maidens then sing a simple song

which says it is spring, and happiness is everywhere (CD2:2). During their song

Etain enters and goes to sit on her throne. The warriors then sing a fragment of an

old song about a knight riding with his lady “in the old, old, far-off days” (CD2:3).

Eochaidh enters and sits on his throne. The druids, bards, warriors and maidens all

sing “hail,” and Eochaidh says he is glad that they can all “feast together” at the end

of his “year of joy” (CD2:4). The men then sing a song in praise of wine, “the Green

Fire of Life” (CD2:5). At the end of the song everyone looks at Etain expectantly,

and Eochaidh asks her to speak. Etain, however, apologises to the company, saying

that she is “weary” because of “strange, perplexing dreams,” and she simply says

“farewell” and prepares to leave (CD2:6).

Eochaidh: No, no, my Queen. CD2:7

This night, I pray,4 this night

Leave me not here alone: for under all

This outer tide of joy5 I am sore wrought6

1 Shafts = beams. 2 Are more fleet = move more quickly. 3 Every green reed quivers. In other words, the natural world is disturbed. The movements of the Shee are

regularly connected with the energy of nature. 4 I pray = I ask you earnestly. 5 This outer tide of joy = this external display of joy. 6 Sore wrought = painfully agitated.

16

By dreams and premonitions. For three nights

I have heard sudden laughter in the dark,

Where nothing was; and in the first false dawn1

Have seen phantasmal shapes, and on the grass

A host2 of shadows marching, bent one way,3

As when green leagues of reed become one reed4

Blown slantwise by the wind.

Eochaidh becomes lost in his own thoughts.

There is a cut here. Eochaidh sings a song in which he identifies the “host of

shadows” he has just referred to as “the Hidden People,” or the Shee. He has become

suspicious of Dalua, who he recognizes as having a sinister influence on him: “His

[Dalua’s] touch can make the chords of life a bitter jangling tune:5 / The false grows

true, the true grows false,6 beneath his moontide rune.”7 Eochaidh thinks that he may

be hearing, and seeing, the Shee because of Dalua’s influence.

Etain: I, too, have heard CD2:8

Strange, delicate music, subtle murmurings,

A little lovely noise of myriad leaves,8

As though the greenness on the wind o’ the south

Came travelling to bare woods on one still night;9

But I am weary now. Dear King,

Sweet sleep and sweeter dreams!10

1 False dawn = the appearance of light in the east that appears to be the dawn, but isn’t (in reality it is

zodiacal light produced by sunlight reflecting off dust particles). 2 A host = a large number. “Host” can also refer to an army. 3 Bent one way = all heading in the same direction. 4 As when green leagues of reed become one reed = in the same way as large areas of reeds (reed beds),

sometimes look like a single reed (when they are all leaning in the same direction). 5 Can make the chords of life a bitter jangling tune = can turn the music of life into an unpleasant,

inharmonious tune. The idea is that a happy life is “harmonious” like music, but Dalua has destroyed

Eochaidh’s “harmony,” and made him sad. 6 The false grows true, the true grows false = it becomes impossible to say what is “true” and what is “false”

(the mind’s ability to distinguish reality from unreality is lost). 7 Beneath his moontide rune = when one is under the influence of his nightime magic. 8 Myriad leaves = many leaves (blown by the wind). Blown leaves have a symbolic significance in The

Immortal Hour: see page 2, note 12. 9 As though the greenness on the wind o’ the south / Came travelling to bare woods on one still night = as

though the (warm) wind from the south had travelled through woods at night, making the “bare” trees come

alive with green leaves. Etain later describes Midir as the wind from the south (see page 22). 10 Sweet sleep and sweeter dreams! = I hope you have sweet sleep and sweeter dreams (tonight)! Etain is

saying “goodnight!”

17

She gives him her hand. He kisses it tenderly, but looks over his shoulder as if startled by

some unseen phantom. Etain repeats her gestures of weariness and bewilderment. She

rises and steps down from the throne.

There is a cut here. As Etain leaves the hall, the warriors repeat the chorus about the

“Green Fire of Life.” The Druids then repeat part of their chorus. Everyone starts to

leave (CD2:9).

A stir is heard outside. The departure of the Druids is arrested. They stand, uncertain

whether to leave or stay, as a young stranger passes through them and confronts Eochaidh.

Midir: Hail, Eochaidh, King of Eiré! CD2:10

Eochaidh: (Looking fixedly at Midir.) Hail, fair sir!

Midir: Sorrow upon me1 that I am so late

For this great feasting: but I come from far,2

And wind and rain delayed me. Yet full3 glad

Am I to stand before the king tonight

And claim a boon!4

Eochaidh: Here in my Dun,5 no stranger claims a boon in vain6 ... if that boon be

Such as7 I may grant without a loss of fame,

Honour or common weal.8 But first, fair sir,

I ask the name and rank of him who craves.9

Midir: I am a king’s first son: CD2:11

My kingdom lies beyond10 your lordly realms,

O king, and yet upon its mist-white shores

The Three Great Waves of Eiré rise in foam.11

1 Sorrow upon me = I am sorry. 2 From far = from a place far away. 3 Full = very. 4 Claim a boon = request a favour. 5 Dun = fortress. Eochaidh’s palace is also a castle. 6 In vain = unsuccessfully. 7 Such as = the sort (of boon) that. 8 Common weal = people (the people who accept Eochaidh as their king). Eochaidh means that he will not

grant a “boon” that reduces his power as a king. 9 Him who craves = Midir (who “craves” a boon). 10 Beyond = outside. 11 The Three Great Waves of Eiré rise in foam. The “Three Great Waves” are Tonn Banks off the coast of

Donegall, the Wave of Rury in Dundrum Bay, and the Wave of Cliona off Cape Clear. They are referred to in

many ancient Irish stories. Midir’s mysterious comment seems to mean that just as these “Three Great

Waves” surround Ireland, Eochaidh’s kingdom, so they also surround his, Midir’s, kingdom. Therefore

Midir’s kingdom is inside Ireland, even though it is “beyond” Eochaidh’s.

18

But I am under sacred bond1

To tell no one, not even the king,

My name and lineage.

Eochaidh looks at Midir doubtfully.

King, I wish you well:

Lordship and peace, and all your heart’s desire.

Eochaidh makes an involuntary gesture of eager inquiry, but checks himself. He signals to

the Druids to leave.

There is a cut here. The Druids repeat part of their chorus as they leave (CD2:12).

Eochaidh: (To Midir.) Fair lord, my thanks I give.2 Lordship I have, CD2:13

And peace a little while, though one brief year

Has seen its birth and life:3 my heart’s desire ...

Ah, unknown lord, give me my heart’s desire ...

Midir: And that,4 O king?

Eochaidh: It is to know there is no twilight hour

Upon my joy;5 no starless6 night

Wherein my swimming love may reach in vain

For any shore, wherein great love shall drown

And be a lifeless weed.7

There is a cut here. Midir says that “great poets” have claimed that “great love” can

become “immortal” (CD2:14). He flings off his green cloak and reveals a glittering

tunic of reddish gold underneath. He sings a song about the birth of Oengus, the god

of love and beauty, as well as of birth and death (CD2:15). Eochaidh then makes a

prayer to Oengus, requesting that he and Etain experience “the white flame of love”

between them (CD2:16).

1 I am under sacred bond = I have made a secret vow; or, I have been required to make a secret vow. 2 My thanks I give. I.e. thanks for the fact that Midir has said “I wish you well, etc.” 3 Though one brief year / Has seen its birth and life = though I have only had peace for one year (and now it

is lost). Eochaidh means that he had no peace before he met Etain, and now, after his “year of joy,” has no

peace again. 4 And that = and what is that. 5 No twilight hour / Upon my joy = no end to my joy. (The “twilight hour” marks the end of a day.) 6 Starless = dark, black. 7 Wherein my swimming love … a lifeless weed. A complex image: just as a swimmer always needs to find a

“shore,” so the lover always needs to find an object (to love). If the swimmer fails to find a shore, he drowns,

and becomes like a dead weed in the water. In the same way love will “drown” if it fails to find an object.

19

Midir looks at Eochaidh with a slightly contemptuous expression. A look of fear comes into

the eyes of Eochaidh. He half ashamedly tries to cover it.

Eochaidh: Dreams … dreams … dreams.

But now, fair lord, tell me the boon CD2:17

You crave.

Midir: O king, it is a little thing.

All that I ask is this, that I may touch

With my own lips the white hand of the queen:

And that sweet Etain, whom you love so well,

Should listen to a little echoing song that I have made

Down by the foam on sea-drowned shores.1

Eochaidh: Sir, I would that boon

Were other than it is:2 for the queen sleeps,

Grown sad with weariness and many dreams:

But as you have my kingly word, so be it.3

(To a young minstrel.) Go, boy, to where the women sleep, and call

The Queen.

The young minstrel exits. Eochaidh sinks wearily on his seat, more and more lost in gloom.

An old harper quietly takes up a harp and sings.

Harper: I have seen all things pass4 and all things go CD2:18

Under the shadow of the drifting leaf:5

Green leaf, red leaf, brown leaf,

Grey leaf blown to and fro,6 blown to and fro.

I have seen happy dreams rise up and pass

Silent and swift as shadows on the grass:7

Grey shadows of old dreams,

Grey beauty of old dreams:

Grey shadows on the grass.

Etain appears in the doorway, dressed as she was when we first saw her in the wood. She

comes forward dreamily, as though seeing nothing.

1 Down by the foam on sea-drowned shores = by the side of the ocean. 2 I would that boon / Were other than it is = I wish you had asked for something different. 3 But as you have my kingly word, so be it = but as I promised, as I king, I will grant your request. 4 Pass = come to an end. 5 The drifting leaf. The “drifting leaf,” or leaves, represents the death of everything in nature, and the cyclical

nature of life and death. Leaves are important in The Immortal Hour: see page 2, note 12 and page 16, note 8. 6 To and fro = this way and that way, backwards and forwards. 7 Shadows on the grass = the shadows made by the movement of clouds on a sunny day.

20

Eochaidh: Welcome, my queen. CD2:19

But, Etain, why do you come thus clad1 in green, with hair

Entangled with the mystic mistletoe,2 as when I saw you first?

Etain: I could not sleep. My dreams came close

And whispered in my ear.3 And someone played

A vague, perplexing air4 within my room.

Etain’s eyes wander to Midir, and seem to half-recognise him. Eochaidh becomes more

anxious.

Eochaidh: This nameless lord CD2:20

Has asked a boon from me. It is to touch

The whiteness of this5 hand with his hot lips,

For he is fevered with a secret trouble;6 and he would sing7

A song that he has made —

Dreaming a foolish, idle dream, an idle dream.

Etain gazes at Midir for a long time, then slowly gives him her hand. He raises it to his lips

then lets it go. She starts, as if suddenly remembering something. She is confused, and puts

her hand to her head.

Etain: Fair, nameless lord, I pray you sing that song.

Midir picks up the harp that stands by the old minstrel’s seat and sings the song “How

beautiful they are” sung by the “Unseen Voices” at the end of Act 1 (see pages 14-15)

(CD2:21). He keeps his eyes fixed on Etain. Etain again puts her hand to herhead as if

bewildered. Eochaidh tries to break the spell that he sees acting on Etain. Etain turns

away from Eochaidh.

Etain: I have heard ... I have dreamed that song: CD2:22

O lordly ones that dwell

In secret places in the hollow hills,8

Who have put moonlit dreams into my mind9

1 Clad = dressed. 2 With hair / Entangled with the mystic mistletoe = with mistletoe in your hair. The mistletoe was considered

sacred in the ancient Celtic religion. 3 My dreams came close / And whispered in my ear. Note that Etain thinks of her dreams as coming to her

from outside herself. 4 Air = tune. 5 This = your (Etain’s). 6 He is fevered with a secret trouble = he has a secret trouble that affects him like a fever. The idea that Midir

has a “fever” explains the “hot lips” of the previous line. 7 Would sing = wants to sing. 8 O lordly ones that dwell / In secret places in the hollow hills. Note that in these lines Etain is repeating

words from the song she has just heard. 9 Moonlit dreams into my mind = dreams into my mind at night.

21

And filled my noons with visions.

I hear sweet dewfall voices,1 and the clink,

The delicate silvery spring2 and clink

Of fairy lances underneath the moon.

Eochaidh looks at Midir half in dread, then takes a step towards Etain. She gently repulses

him as if scarcely aware of his presence. Midir again picks up the harp.

Midir: I am a song CD2:23

In the Land of the Young,

A sweet song:

I am Love.

I am a bird

A bird with white wings

And a breast of flame,3

Singing, singing.

The wind sways me

On the quicken bough:4

Hark! hark!

I hear laughter.

Among the nuts

On the hazel tree

I sing to the salmon

In the fairy pool.

What is the dream

The salmon dream

In the Pool of Connla5

Under the hazels?

It is:6 There is no death,

Midir, with thee,

In the honeysweet Land

1 Dewfall voices = voices in the evening. (Dew starts to form, or “fall,” in the evening.) 2 Spring = movement. 3 Of flame = full of passion. 4 The quicken bough = the branch of the rowan tree. Rowans are small trees which produce red berries; in the

past they were thought to have magical properties. 5 The Pool of Connla = Connla’s Well, a sacred well in ancient Irish legends. Connla’s Well was surrounded

by nine hazel trees; the nuts from these give wisdom. As they fell into the water, the salmon in the well

would consume them, and thus become wise. 6 It is. I.e. this is the “dream” the salmon dream, or, rather, it is the wisdom they acquire.

22

Of Heart’s Desire.1

It is a name wonderful,2

It was born on the lips

Of3 Oengus Og.4

Go, look for it:5

Lost name,6 beautiful:

Strayed from the honeysweet

Land of Youth.

I am Midir, Love:

But where is my secret

Name7 in the Land of

Heart’s Desire?

I am a bird

A bird with white wings

And a breast of flame,

Singing, singing.

Etain moves a little nearer to Midir.

Etain: I am a small green leaf in a great wood, CD2:24

And you are the Wind o’ the South.8

Eochaidh takes two threatening steps towards Midir who, with a gesture, stops him.

Eochaidh shrinks and covers his eyes.

Eochaidh: (To Etain.) I cannot come. I cannot reach to you.

What are these songs the harper9 sings?

Etain: (As in a dream.) I cannot hear your voice so far away.

1 The honeysweet Land / Of Heart’s Desire = the Land of the Young, or of the Shee, which is as sweet as

honey. 2 A name wonderful = a wonderful name. For some reason one line is cut here in the operatic version of The

Immortal Hour. In the original play, the next line is “Midir, Love.” This makes it clear that the “name

wonderful” refers to Midir himself, who to Etain represents “Love” (the “name” first spoken by Oengus). 3 It was born on the lips / Of = it was first spoken by. 4 Oengus Og = Oengus, the god of love, who Midir has already sung about (see page 18). 5 It = love, i.e. love in the shape of Midir. 6 Lost name = Etain, who has lost her “name” or identity as Midir’s wife. 7 My secret / Name = my wife, i.e. Etain. 8 The Wind o’ the South = the wind from the south; the warm wind that brings new life. Etain has already

used these words: see page 16. 9 The harper = Midir.

23

Eochaidh: Come back. Come back! It is a dream that calls.1

Etain: I cannot hear

Your strange, forgotten words.

I go from dark to light.

Midir: From dark to light.

Eochaidh: O do not leave me, Star of my Desire!2 CD2:25

For now I know

That you are part of me, and I the clay,

The mortal clay that longed to gain

And keep the starry Danann fire,3

The little spark that lives and does not die.

Midir: Hasten, lost love, found love! Come, Etain, come! CD2:26

Voices: (In the far distance.) How beautiful they are,4

The lordly ones

Who dwell in the hills,

In the hollow hills.

Etain: What are those sounds I hear?

Voices: They have faces like flowers

And their breath is a wind

That blows over summer meadows,

Filled with dewy clover.

Midir: Come, Etain, come! Afar5

The hillside maids are milking the wild deer;6

The elf-horns blow; green harpers on the shores

Play a wild music out across the foam,

Rose-flushed on one long wave’s pale front;

The moon of fairy hangs, low on that wave.7

1 That calls = that calls you away from me. 2 Star of my Desire! Dalua had earlier described Etain as “Star of Dreams” (see page 6). 3 The starry Danann fire = the immortal fire of the gods. Dana was the mother of the ancient Celtic gods.

Eochaidh is saying that Etain is the immortal part of him, his spirit, or soul. The rest is just “mortal clay.” 4 How beautiful they are. The “Voices” repeat the song sung by the “Unseen Voices” at the end of Act One

(see pages 14-15), and sung again by Midir (see page 20). 5 Afar = in the distance. 6 Milking the wild deer = these lines describe life in the “Land of the Young,” or of the Shee. 7 Rose-flushed on one long wave’s pale front; / The moon of fairy hangs, low on that wave = low in the sky,

just above the sea, hangs the fairy moon; the moonlight is reflected in the water, making “one long wave”

appear rose-coloured.

24

Voices: Their limbs are more white

Than shafts of moonshine,

They are more fleet

Than the March wind.

They laugh and are glad,

And are terrible:

When their lances shake and glitter

Every green reed quivers.

In the Land of Youth CD2:27

There are pleasant places,

Green joyful woods and fields,

Swift grey-blue waters.

Midir slowly goes out, moving backwards, with arms inviting Etain, who follows in an

ecstatic trance.

Midir and Chorus: There is no age there,1

Nor any sorrow,

As the stars in heaven

Are the cattle in the valleys.2

Great rivers wander

Through flowery plains,

Streams of milk and mead,3

Streams of strong ale.

When Midir and Etain have left the hall a sudden darkness falls.

Voices: There is no hunger

And no thirst

In the Hollow land,4

In the Land of Youth.

How beautiful they are,

The lordly ones,

Who dwell in the hills,

The hollow hills.

They play with lances

1 There is no age there = people do not get old there. 2 As the stars in heaven / Are the cattle in the valleys = the valleys are full of cattle—as many cattle as there

are stars in the sky. The land of the Shee is described as a traditional “paradise” place, with endless food and

drink. 3 Mead = an alcoholic drink made of honey. There would not literally be “streams” of this, or of milk: the

meaning is simply that there would be an endless supply of these things. 4 The Hollow land. The Shee have already been described as living “In the hollow hills.”

25

And are proud and terrible,

Marching in the moonlight

With fierce blue eyes.

Eochaidh: My dreams! My dreams!

Give me my dreams!

Unseen by Eochaidh, Dalua appears in the darkness. He moves swiftly to Eochaidh and

touches him with the gesture made before Etain in the wood (see page 6). Eochaidh

momentarily stands stiff and erect, than falls. Dalua, the Lord of Shadow, draws himself up

to his full, regal height.

Voices: They play with lances CD2:28

And are proud and terrible,

Marching in the moonlight

With fierce blue eyes.

THE END.