# The Green Helmet and Other Poems/The Green Helmet

THE GREEN HELMET
An Heroic Farce
the persons of the play
| Laegaire | Laegaire 's Wife |
| Conall | Conall's Wife |
| Cuchulain | Laeg, Cuchulain's |
| Emer | chariot-driver |
Red Man, A Spirit
Horse Boys and Scullions,
Black Men, etc.
THE GREEN HELMET
An Heroic Farce
Scene: A house made of logs. There are two windows at the back and a door which cuts off one of the corners of the room. Through the door one can see low rocks which make the ground outside higher than it is within, and beyond the rocks a misty moon-lit sea. Through the windows one can see nothing but the sea. There is a great chair at the opposite side to the door, and in front of it a table with cups and a flagon of ale. Here and there are stools.
At the Abbey Theatre the house is orange red and the chairs and tables and flagons black, with a slight purple tinge which is not clearly distinguishable from the black. The rocks are black with a few green touches. The sea is green and luminous, and all the characters except ​the Red Man and the Black Men are dressed in various shades of green, one or two with touches of purple which look nearly black. The Black Men all wear dark purple and have eared caps, and at the end their eyes should look green from the reflected light of the sea. The Red Man is altogether in red. He is very tall, and his height increased by horns on the Green Helmet. The effect is intentionally violent and startling.
Laegaire
A cat-headed man out of Connaught go pacing and spitting by; But that could not be.
Conall
I killed them all before daybreak—I hoked them out of their lair; I cut off a hundred heads with a single stroke of my sword, And then I danced on their graves and carried away their hoard.
Laegaire
Conall
I can see for a mile or two, now that the moon's at the full.
[A distant shout.]
Laegaire
Conall
And we have nothing to fear that has not come up from the tide; The rocks and the bushes cover whoever made that noise, But the land will do us no harm.
Laegaire
Conall
Laegaire
Conall
In that high windy Scotland—good luck in all that he does. Here neighbour wars on neighbour and why there is no man knows, And if a man is lucky all wish his luck away, And take his good name from him between a day and a day.
Laegaire
That though she may be his wife, she has no right to go Before your wife and my wife, as she would have gone last night Had they not caught at her dress, and pulled her as was right;
And she makes light of us though our wives do all that they can. She spreads her tail like a peacock and praises none but her man.
Conall
Comes down through the rocks and hazels.
Laegaire
Conall
Where a shame must alight on us two before the dawn is up.
Laegaire
Conall
[Outside door]
Young Man
[Outside door]
And I have eaten and slept and drunk to my heart's delight.
Conall
Young Man
Conall
Who else has to keep the house from the Shape-Changers till day?
Young Man
Conall
Nor could any living man do it but for the dip in the floor; And had I been rightly ready there's no man living could do it, Dip or no dip.
Laegaire
A stone's throw further on you will find a big house where Our wives will give you supper, and you'll sleep sounder there, For it's a luckier house.
Young Man
Laegaire
Young Man
But may some dog defend me for a cat of wonder's up. Laegaire and Conall are here, the flagon full to the top, And the cups—
Laegaire
Cuchulain
[He sits on chair and drinks]
Conall
From this unlucky country that was made when the devil spat.
Cuchulain
Laegaire and Conall should know me and bid me begone to my face!
Conall
Cuchulain
The flagon full to the brim, the front door standing wide; You'd put me off with words, but the whole thing's plain enough,
You are waiting for some message to bring you to war or love In that old secret country beyond the wool-white waves, Or it may be down beneath them in foam-bewildered caves Where nine forsaken sea queens fling shuttles to and fro; But beyond them, or beneath them, whether you will or no, I am going too.
Laegaire
He was born to luck in the cradle, his good luck may amend The bad luck we were born to.
Conall
You saw the luck that he had when he pushed in past me there. Does anything stir on the sea?
Laegaire
Conall
We were half drunk and merry, and midnight on the stroke When a wide, high man came in with a red foxy cloak, With half-shut foxy eyes and a great laughing mouth.
And he said when we bid him drink, that he had so great a drouth He could drink the sea.
Cuchulain
Out of some Connaught rath, and would lap up milk and mew; But if he so loved water I have the tale awry.
Conall
For when we had sung or danced as he were our next of kin He promised to show us a game, the best that ever had been;
And when we had asked what game, he answered, "Why, whip off my head! Then one of you two stoop down, and I'll whip off his," he said. "A head for a head," he said, "that is the game that I play."
Cuchulain
Conall
But he stood and laughed at us there, as though his sides would split, Till I could stand it no longer, and whipped off his head at a blow,
Being mad that he did not answer, and more at his laughing so, And there on the ground where it fell it went on laughing at me.
Laegaire
Conall
Cuchulain
Laegaire
Cuchulain
Conall
Boasting of your great deeds, and weighing yourself with us two, And crying out to the world whatever we say or do, That you've said or done a better?—Nor is it a drunkard's tale, Though we said to ourselves at first that it all came out of the ale, And thinking that if we told it we should be a laughing-stock, Swore we should keep it secret.
Laegaire
Conall
Laegaire
For we had been put from our drinking by the very thought of him.
Conall
Laegaire
Conall
He ran up out of the sea with his head on his shoulders again.
Cuchulain
Conall
And said that the land was disgraced because of us two from that night If we did not pay him his debt.
Laegaire
When a man with a right to get it has come to ask for your head?
Conall
Laegaire
And ask his debt again. Twelve months are up to-day.
Conall
Laegaire
Cuchulain
And take his life in the bargain if he but dare to scoff.
Conall
Laegaire
Conall
As when he came last.
Cuchulain
Laegaire
And laughs like the sea.
Cuchulain
Whip off your own, for it seems you can clap it on again. Or else go down in the sea, go down in the sea, I say, Find that old juggler Manannan and whip his head away; Or the Red Man of the Boyne, for they are of your own sort, Or if the waves have vexed you and you would find a sport Of a more Irish fashion, go fight without a rest A caterwauling phantom among the winds of the west.
But what are you waiting for? into the water, I say! If there's no sword can harm you, I've an older trick to play, An old five-fingered trick to tumble you out of the place; I am Sualtim's son Cuchulain—what, do you laugh in my face?
Red Man
A drinking joke and a gibe and a juggler's feat, that is all, To make the time go quickly—for I am the drinker's friend,
The kindest of all Shape-Changers from here to the world's end, The best of all tipsy companions. And now I bring you a gift: I will lay it there on the ground for the best of you all to lift,
And wear upon his own head, and choose for yourselves the best. O! Laegaire and Conall are brave, but they were afraid of my jest. Well, maybe I jest too grimly when the ale is in the cup. There, I'm forgiven now—
Laegaire
Between water and hill, He fought in the west With cat heads, until At the break of day All fell by his sword, And he carried away Their hidden hoard.
Conall
But the straw and the broken delf and the bits of dirty rag You'd taken for good money?
Cuchulain
Conall
Cuchulain
[Filling Helmet with ale]
But I shall give it to all—to all of us three or to none; That is as you look upon it—we will pass it to and fro, And time and time about, drink out of it and so
Stroke into peace this cat that has come to take our lives. Now it is purring again, and now I drink to your wives, And I drink to Emer, my wife.
Conall
Shouting against each other, and the worst of all is your own, That chariot-driver, Laeg, and they'll keep it up till the dawn, And there's not a man in the house that will close his eyes to-night,
Or be able to keep them from it, or know what set them to fight.
They have taken the hunting horns to drown one other's speech For fear the truth may prevail.—Here's your good health and long life,
Laeg
Another
[Confused murmurs]
Laegaire
No use, they won't hear a word.
Conall
Another
For he fought with cats in Connaught while Conall took his rest And drained his ale pot.
Another
Care for the like of us? He did it for his own sport.
Another
Another
Another
Laeg
Another
Laeg
For I said that no cock of your sort had been born since the fight began.
Another
Cuchulain
A Stable Boy
Another
Laeg
Getting our supper ready, with a great voice like the wind, And cried that there was a helmet, or something of the kind,
That was for the foremost man upon the ridge of the earth. So I cried your name through the hall,
Preferring Laegaire or Conall, and they cried to drown my voice; But I have so strong a throat that I drowned all their noise Till they took to the hunting horns and blew them into my face, And as neither side would give in—we would settle it in this place. Let the Helmet be taken from Conall.
A Stable Boy
Another
Cuchulain
I drank the first; and then Conall; give it to Laegaire now,
That since the ale went in, its claws went out of sight.
A Servant
Another
I am tired of this big horn that has made me hoarse as a rook.
Laeg
Another
The whole of the honours himself.
Laeg
Another
Another
Another
Laegaire
Cuchulain
Who has set us all by the ears—he brought the Helmet for this, And because we would not quarrel he ran elsewhere to shout
That Conall and Laegaire wronged me, till all had fallen out.
So get you gone, and whatever may cry aloud in the night, Or show itself in the air, be silent until morn.
A Servant
Cuchulain
Laegaire's Wife
[Without]
Conall's Wife
[Without]
Emer
[Without]
Cuchulain
You've set our wives to the game that they may egg us on; We are to kill each other that you may sport with us.
Ah, now, they've begun to wrestle as to who'll be first at the house.
Emer
Conall's Wife
[Pulling Emer back]
Laegaire's Wife
My husband fought in the West.
Conall's Wife
But sidelong and spitting and helpless shadows of the dim air? And what did he carry away but straw and broken delf?
Laegaire's Wife
Drowning his terror.
Emer
[Forcing herself in front]
No one shall walk before me, or praise any man before My man has been praised.
Cuchulain
One is as fair as the other, and each one the wife of a king. Break down the painted boards between the sill and the floor That they come in together, each one at her own door.
Emer
His mind that is fire,
His body that is sun, Have set my head higher Than all the world's wives. Himself on the wind Is the gift that he gives, Therefore womenkind, When their eyes have met mine, Grow cold and grow hot, Troubled as with wine By a secret thought, Preyed upon, fed upon By jealousy and desire. I am moon to that sun, I am steel to that fire,
Emer
I will sing till I've stiffened your lip against every knave that would take A share of your honour.
Laegaire's Wife
Conall's Wife
[To Laegaire's Wife]
Cuchulain
[Taking up Helmet from table]
The very straws may wrangle till they've thrown down the stack; The very door-posts bicker till they've pulled in the door, The very ale-jars jostle till the ale is on the floor, But this shall help no further.
Laegaire's Wife
And so you would let none wear it, but fling it away instead.
Conall's Wife
Conall
Laegaire
On the wide ridge of the world has been done to us two this day.
Emer
[Drawing her dagger]
Cuchulain
Emer
Laegaire's Wife
Conall's Wife
Laegaire's Wife
A Voice
Another Voice
Another Voice
Red Man
That I may cut his head off, or all shall go to wrack.
Cuchulain
And give him more than he gave, for he comes in here as a guest:
So I will give him my head.
Alive I have been far off in all lands under sun. And been no faithful man; but when my story is done My fame shall spring up and laugh, and set you high above all.
Emer
It is you, not your fame, that I love.
Cuchulain
You are young, you are wise, you can call Some kinder and comelier man that will sit at home in the house.
Emer
Cuchulain
[Throwing her from him]
When its eyes are turned to the sea and its beak to the salt of the air?
Emer
I, too, on the grey wing's path.
Cuchulain
[Seizing dagger]
Bear children and sweep the house.
Wail, but keep from the road.
Red Man
And with my spitting cat-heads, my frenzied moon-bred band, Age after age I sift it, and choose for its championship The man who hits my fancy.
And I choose the laughing lip That shall not turn from laughing whatever rise or fall, the heart that grows no bitterer although betrayed by all; The hand that loves to scatter; the life like a gambler's throw; And these things I make prosper, till a day come that I know, When heart and mind shall darken that the weak may end the strong, And the long remembering harpers have matter for their song.