It was written when our Society was beginning its fight for
the recognition of pure art in a community of which one half is buried
in the practical affairs of life, and the other half in politics and a
propagandist patriotism.
the recognition of pure art in a community of which one half is buried
in the practical affairs of life, and the other half in politics and a
propagandist patriotism.
Yeats
I wrote for the most part
before they were written, but all, or all but all, is there. I took the
Aengus and Edain of _The Shadowy Waters_ from poor translations of the
various Aengus stories, which, new translated by Lady Gregory, make up
so much of what is most beautiful in both her books. They had, however,
so completely become a part of my own thought that in 1897, when I was
still working on an early version of _The Shadowy Waters_, I saw one
night with my bodily eyes, as it seemed, two beautiful persons, who
would, I believe, have answered to their names. The plot of the play
itself has, however, no definite old story for its foundation, but was
woven to a very great extent out of certain visionary experiences.
The foundations of _Deirdre_ and of _On Baile's Strand_ are stories
called respectively the 'Fate of the Sons of Usnach' and 'The Son of
Aoife' in _Cuchulain of Muirthemne_.
_The King's Threshold_ is, however, founded upon a middle-Irish story
of the demands of the poets at the Court of King Guaire of Gort, but I
have twisted it about and revised its moral that the poet might have
the best of it. It owes something to a play on the same subject by my
old friend Edwin Ellis, who heard the story from me and wrote of it
long ago.
APPENDIX IV.
THE DATES AND PLACES OF PERFORMANCE OF PLAYS.
_The King's Threshold_ was first played October 7th, 1903, in the
Molesworth Hall, Dublin, by the Irish National Theatre Society, and
with the following cast:
Seanchan FRANK FAY
King Guaire P. KELLY
Lord High Chamberlain SEUMUS O'SULLIVAN
Soldier WILLIAM CONROY
Monk S. SHERIDAN-NEILL
Mayor WILLIAM FAY
A Cripple PATRICK COLUM
A Court Lady HONOR LAVELLE
Another Court Lady DORA MELVILLE
A Princess SARA ALGOOD
Another Princess DORA GUNNING
Fedelm MAIRE NI SHIUBHLAIGH
A Servant P. MACSHIUBHLAIGH
Another Servant P. JOSEPHS
A Pupil G. ROBERTS
Another Pupil CARTIA MACCORMAC
It has been revised a good many times since then, and although the play
has not been changed in the radical structure, the parts of the Mayor,
Servant, and Cripple are altogether new, and the rest is altered here
and there.
It was written when our Society was beginning its fight for
the recognition of pure art in a community of which one half is buried
in the practical affairs of life, and the other half in politics and a
propagandist patriotism.
_On Baile's Strand_ was first played, in a version considerably
different from the present, on December 27th, 1904, at the opening of
the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, and with the following cast:
Cuchulain FRANK FAY
Conchubar GEORGE ROBERTS
Daire (_an old King not now in the play_) G. MACDONALD
The Blind Man SEUMUS O'SULLIVAN
The Fool WILLIAM FAY
The Young Man P. MACSHIUBHLAIGH
The old and young kings were played by the following: R. Nash, A.
Power, U. Wright, E. Keegan, Emma Vernon, Dora Gunning, Sara Algood. It
was necessary to put women into men's parts owing to the smallness of
our company at that time.
The play was revived by the National Theatre Society, Ltd. , in a
somewhat altered version at Oxford, Cambridge, and London a few months
later. I then entirely rewrote it up to the entrance of the Young
Man, and changed it a good deal from that on to the end, and this new
version was played at the Abbey Theatre for the first time in April,
1906.
The first version of _The Shadowy Waters_ was first performed on
January 14th, 1904, in the Molesworth Hall, Dublin, with the following
players in the principal parts:
Forgael FRANK FAY
Aibric SEUMUS O'SULLIVAN
Dectora MAIRE NI SHIUBHLAIGH
Its production was an accident, for in the first instance I had given
it to the company that they might have some practice in the speaking of
my sort of blank verse until I had a better play finished. It played
badly enough from the point of view of any ordinary playgoer, but
pleased many of my friends; and as I had been in America when it was
played, I got it played again privately, and gave it to Miss Farr for
a Theosophical Convention, that I might discover how to make a better
play of it. I then completely rewrote it in the form that it has in the
text of this book, but this version had once again to be condensed
and altered for its production in Dublin, 1906. Mr.
before they were written, but all, or all but all, is there. I took the
Aengus and Edain of _The Shadowy Waters_ from poor translations of the
various Aengus stories, which, new translated by Lady Gregory, make up
so much of what is most beautiful in both her books. They had, however,
so completely become a part of my own thought that in 1897, when I was
still working on an early version of _The Shadowy Waters_, I saw one
night with my bodily eyes, as it seemed, two beautiful persons, who
would, I believe, have answered to their names. The plot of the play
itself has, however, no definite old story for its foundation, but was
woven to a very great extent out of certain visionary experiences.
The foundations of _Deirdre_ and of _On Baile's Strand_ are stories
called respectively the 'Fate of the Sons of Usnach' and 'The Son of
Aoife' in _Cuchulain of Muirthemne_.
_The King's Threshold_ is, however, founded upon a middle-Irish story
of the demands of the poets at the Court of King Guaire of Gort, but I
have twisted it about and revised its moral that the poet might have
the best of it. It owes something to a play on the same subject by my
old friend Edwin Ellis, who heard the story from me and wrote of it
long ago.
APPENDIX IV.
THE DATES AND PLACES OF PERFORMANCE OF PLAYS.
_The King's Threshold_ was first played October 7th, 1903, in the
Molesworth Hall, Dublin, by the Irish National Theatre Society, and
with the following cast:
Seanchan FRANK FAY
King Guaire P. KELLY
Lord High Chamberlain SEUMUS O'SULLIVAN
Soldier WILLIAM CONROY
Monk S. SHERIDAN-NEILL
Mayor WILLIAM FAY
A Cripple PATRICK COLUM
A Court Lady HONOR LAVELLE
Another Court Lady DORA MELVILLE
A Princess SARA ALGOOD
Another Princess DORA GUNNING
Fedelm MAIRE NI SHIUBHLAIGH
A Servant P. MACSHIUBHLAIGH
Another Servant P. JOSEPHS
A Pupil G. ROBERTS
Another Pupil CARTIA MACCORMAC
It has been revised a good many times since then, and although the play
has not been changed in the radical structure, the parts of the Mayor,
Servant, and Cripple are altogether new, and the rest is altered here
and there.
It was written when our Society was beginning its fight for
the recognition of pure art in a community of which one half is buried
in the practical affairs of life, and the other half in politics and a
propagandist patriotism.
_On Baile's Strand_ was first played, in a version considerably
different from the present, on December 27th, 1904, at the opening of
the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, and with the following cast:
Cuchulain FRANK FAY
Conchubar GEORGE ROBERTS
Daire (_an old King not now in the play_) G. MACDONALD
The Blind Man SEUMUS O'SULLIVAN
The Fool WILLIAM FAY
The Young Man P. MACSHIUBHLAIGH
The old and young kings were played by the following: R. Nash, A.
Power, U. Wright, E. Keegan, Emma Vernon, Dora Gunning, Sara Algood. It
was necessary to put women into men's parts owing to the smallness of
our company at that time.
The play was revived by the National Theatre Society, Ltd. , in a
somewhat altered version at Oxford, Cambridge, and London a few months
later. I then entirely rewrote it up to the entrance of the Young
Man, and changed it a good deal from that on to the end, and this new
version was played at the Abbey Theatre for the first time in April,
1906.
The first version of _The Shadowy Waters_ was first performed on
January 14th, 1904, in the Molesworth Hall, Dublin, with the following
players in the principal parts:
Forgael FRANK FAY
Aibric SEUMUS O'SULLIVAN
Dectora MAIRE NI SHIUBHLAIGH
Its production was an accident, for in the first instance I had given
it to the company that they might have some practice in the speaking of
my sort of blank verse until I had a better play finished. It played
badly enough from the point of view of any ordinary playgoer, but
pleased many of my friends; and as I had been in America when it was
played, I got it played again privately, and gave it to Miss Farr for
a Theosophical Convention, that I might discover how to make a better
play of it. I then completely rewrote it in the form that it has in the
text of this book, but this version had once again to be condensed
and altered for its production in Dublin, 1906. Mr.
