Evening star., 1924-02-05
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
DEIRDRE. James Stephens.
Macmillan Company.

AAoShiilidu SOHpduy.
This is a story of the immemorial
trouble-woman. From cave man to
superman, as goal and goad and
scapegoat. woman has urged man to
most OF his triumphs and borne the
obloquy OF all his defeats. A neces-
sary creature. AS Voltaire once said
OF God-if there were no God man
would be compelled to invent one.
So with woman. And, indeed. he did
TINS once, using no more than the
roam OF the sea for the making Of
that Aphrodite who, thereafter,
wrought havoc with both gods and
men. And there was Eve. too, the di-
surgery. when Adam. under the an
esthesia Of sleep. was relieved of a
superfluous rib--a troublesome one
no doubt-that promptly took on
nesh and blood and the breath OF life,
all OF which went to the complete
and speedy undoing Of Adam as
gentleman of leisure. And there was
Helen of Troy and the Serpent Of
the Nile. and a host of others-trou-
blers ali-Gn along to the particular
from the chronicles Of old Ireland.
x + X
The thing happened long ago, as
long ago as when Ulster was in it
self a Kingdom, one Of the five inde-
tendencies that then filled the body
and defined the boundaries Of ireland.
Conachur mac Nessa was king. Once,
upon a journey, the king came at
nightfall to the house Of Felimid mac
Dali, his story-teller. And he was
cold and tired and hungry. More
ryn III,
along the way-three comets racing
In the sky. a sick attendant, a fallen
morse - unmfstakable portents these.
ana for an even deeper reason was
Conachur mac Nessa in the blacklist
or moods. For Maeve, the queen, had
refused to accompany him on this
Journey. And was not Maeve, set free
from his presence, the most pestering
OF women? Could she not crowd the
kings mind with pictures, torment
sweeter bondage than the king had
been able to impose. for gallant ad-
ventures that appeared to wait only
the absence OF Conachur mac Nessa
for their satisfying contamination?
Oh. clearly. Conachur the king was in
need of comfortings and divertings.
SO, as was then the custom among
kings, he demanded of Felimid mac
Dali the company of his wife for the
night. Embarrassed over his made
ject, too, Felimid mac Dali was con-
strained to confess that his wife was
in childbed. At that moment a thin
wall came to their ears. and at that
moment. too. the poet and soothsayer
stood and spoke. You hear. A child
bring evil to Ireland and she will
work destruction to Ulster" Bring
the creature to me-" said the king.
And they brought the morsel and laid
destroy my kingdom and bring evil
to mighty IrelandT' And the babe
reached a tiny claw and gripped
finger Of the king. See" and the
king laughed his ringing laugh. "she
places herself under my protection"
but the child held fast to 1t. The
poet spoke again. She is to be called
the 'Troubler.'" And from that day
"Deirdre" was her name.
!: X X
The story moves over to Lararcham,
the nurse, into whose care at the
kings order, the little Deirdre had
been placed. Now Lavarcham had
nursed the king himself, adoring him
as child and man, worshiping him
as king. Wise among women, this La
varcham, who-unwomanlike-
not only lay deep plans. but could
wait as we'll for them to ripen to
rich fruitage. And there was need for
these gifts in this woman of wisdom.
For all the portents had fulfilled
the king. And Conachur mac Nessa
only stood the straighter and laughed
the louder and listened with eyes
more shining to the words of counsel
and planned a more subtle and cruel
warfare against those other king
doms of Ireland that had espoused
the cause of Maeve-not in the spirit
of chivalry but in that old lust of
fighting that years later caused the
good Pope to plead with the King
Irish Kingdoms fought themselves to
death and complete determination.
And the heart Of Lavarcham ached
for Conachur mao Nessa. Then she
laid her plan. She would fashion the
little Deirdre into a queen. so her
thought ran. The years would pass
like running water. And one day she
would see the eyes Of Conachur mac
Nessa shine as they had never shone
before-as the eyes of men do shine
at young beauty when the years are
crowding them to vain protests and
fantastic gallantries. She would work
her plan in secret, surprise one Of
the potent elements Of victory. So the
little Deirdre was carried away to a
old men of leather skin and wrinkled
heart. The work of queen making
went on, the king fed only on re-
ports about the child-a tooth last
week. a few steps Yesterday. a pratt
thing talk that nobody understood
except the birds and the wild rabbits,
and the nuzzling calf, and the light
heeled colt. They understood and
came. Then was 1t a week? A year?
Not moro than a year-but Deirdre
with her protector. the king.
X X x X
Deirdre was in flight, as Maeve had
been. Straight to the secret shrine that
she had raised to youth and love, all
unbeknown to tho Hsilant Lavarcham.
Straight to the three sons Of Uisneac,
straihgt to the eldest Of these, Naoise,
her lover, whom she herself had wooed
out Of the free overflow Of her heart to
him. And she told them Of her plight.
that Conachur mac Nessa would make
her his queen and through her sobs
words fell. She was afraid Of the wrath
Of the king. She was afraid Of his eyes
and his hands-old eyes and his hands
that melted her heart to water. And
the sons Of Uisneac knew their danger
and hers. And so the four Of them set
out to such fight as the time and the
circumstances would permit.
+ y X 4 -.-
Again tho heart Of Conachur mac
Nessa was stricken. This time he sat
still and thought long, with Layarcham
brooding over him. Quietly he gathered
news Of the fugitives. In Scotland, the
messengers said, living in caves and
woods and remote fields, afraid that the
King OF Scotiana Touio denver them