Why are you
standing
with your eyes upon me?
Yeats
There's one that cries,
'From love and hate. ' Before the sentence ends
Another breaks upon it with a cry,
'From love and death and out of sleep and waking. '
And with the cry another cry is mixed,
'What can we do, being shadows? ' All mystery,
And I am drunken with a dizzy light.
But why do they still hover overhead?
Why are you circling there? Why do you linger?
Why do you not run to your desire?
Now that you have happy winged bodies.
Being too busy in the air, and the high air,
They cannot hear my voice. But why that circling?
[_The _Sailors_ have returned, DECTORA is with them.
She is dressed in pale green, with copper ornaments on
her dress, and has a copper crown upon her head. Her
hair is dull red. _
_Forgael_ [_turning and seeing her_].
Why are you standing with your eyes upon me?
You are not the world's core. O no, no, no!
That cannot be the meaning of the birds.
You are not its core. My teeth are in the world,
But have not bitten yet.
_Dectora. _ I am a queen,
And ask for satisfaction upon these
Who have slain my husband and laid hands upon me.
_Forgael. _ I'd set my hopes on one that had no shadow,--
Where do you come from? who brought you to this place?
Why do you cast a shadow? Answer me that.
_Dectora. _ Would that the storm that overthrew my ships,
And drowned the treasures of nine conquered nations,
And blew me hither to my lasting sorrow,
Had drowned me also. But, being yet alive,
I ask a fitting punishment for all
That raised their hands against him.
'From love and hate. ' Before the sentence ends
Another breaks upon it with a cry,
'From love and death and out of sleep and waking. '
And with the cry another cry is mixed,
'What can we do, being shadows? ' All mystery,
And I am drunken with a dizzy light.
But why do they still hover overhead?
Why are you circling there? Why do you linger?
Why do you not run to your desire?
Now that you have happy winged bodies.
Being too busy in the air, and the high air,
They cannot hear my voice. But why that circling?
[_The _Sailors_ have returned, DECTORA is with them.
She is dressed in pale green, with copper ornaments on
her dress, and has a copper crown upon her head. Her
hair is dull red. _
_Forgael_ [_turning and seeing her_].
Why are you standing with your eyes upon me?
You are not the world's core. O no, no, no!
That cannot be the meaning of the birds.
You are not its core. My teeth are in the world,
But have not bitten yet.
_Dectora. _ I am a queen,
And ask for satisfaction upon these
Who have slain my husband and laid hands upon me.
_Forgael. _ I'd set my hopes on one that had no shadow,--
Where do you come from? who brought you to this place?
Why do you cast a shadow? Answer me that.
_Dectora. _ Would that the storm that overthrew my ships,
And drowned the treasures of nine conquered nations,
And blew me hither to my lasting sorrow,
Had drowned me also. But, being yet alive,
I ask a fitting punishment for all
That raised their hands against him.
