SAILOR TWO
Though it be the moon
That he is holding up between us there,
I will strike at him.
THE OTHERS
And I! And I! And I!
[FORGAEL plays the harp.
FIRST SAILOR
[Falling into a dream suddenly.]
But you were saying there is somebody
Upon that other ship we are to wake.
You did not know what brought him to his end,
But it was sudden.
SECOND SAILOR
You are in the right;
I had forgotten that we must go wake him.
DECTORA
He has flung a Druid spell upon the air,
And set you dreaming.
SECOND SAILOR
How can we have a wake
When we have neither brown nor yellow ale?
FIRST SAILOR
I saw a flagon of brown ale aboard her.
THIRD SAILOR
How can we raise the keen that do not know
What name to call him by?
FIRST SAILOR
Come to his ship.
His name will come into our thoughts in a minute.
I know that he died a thousand years ago,
And has not yet been waked.
SECOND SAILOR [beginning to keen]
Ohone! O! O! O!
The yew bough has been broken into two,
And all the birds are scattered.
ALL THE SAILORS
O! O! O! O!
[They go out keening.
DECTORA
Protect me now, gods, that my people swear by.
[AIBRIC has risen from the ground where he had fallen. He has begun looking for his sword as if in a dream
AIBRIC
Where is my sword that fell out of my hand
When I first heard the news? Ah, there it is!
[He goes dreamily towards the sword, but DECTORA runs at it and takes it up before he can reach it
AIBRIC [sleepily]
Queen, give it me.
DECTORA
No, I have need of it.
AIBRIC
Why do you need a sword? But you may keep it,
Now that he’s dead I have no need of it,
For everything is gone.
A SAILOR
[Calling from the other ship.]
Come hither, Aibric,
And tell me who it is that we are waking.
AIBRIC