Five Plays Part 32

KING DARNIAK

They shall be tortured here before Illuriel, and their eyes shall be hung on a thread about his neck, so that Illuriel shall see it, and on their bones we will set him up again. Come!

[_Those that have dropped their spears pick them up, but trail them along behind them on the ground. All follow dejectedly._

VOICES OF LAMENTATION (_growing fainter and fainter off_)

Illuriel is fallen, Illuriel is fallen. Illuriel, Illuriel, Illuriel.

Is fallen. Is fallen. (_The song of the low-born ceases suddenly.

Then voices of the slaves in the slave-fields chanting very loudly_) Illuriel is fallen, is fallen, is fallen. Illuriel is fallen and broken asunder. Illuriel is fallen, fallen, fallen.

[_Clamor of fighting is heard, the clash of swords, and voices, and now and then the name of Illuriel._

THE IDOL-GUARD (_kneeling over a fragment of Illuriel_)

Illuriel is broken. They have overthrown Illuriel. They have done great harm to the courses of the stars. The moon will be turned to blackness or fall and forsake the nights. The sun will rise no more. They do not know how they have wrecked the world.

[_Reenter King Argimenes and his men._

KING ARGIMENES (_in the doorway_)

Go you to the land of Ithara and tell them that I am free. And do you go to the army on the frontier. Offer them death, or the right arm of the throne to be melted and divided amongst them all. Let them choose.

(_The armed slaves go to the throne and stand on each side of it, loquitur_) Majesty, ascend your throne. (_King Argimenes, standing with his face toward the audience, lifts the sword slowly, lying on both his hands, a little above his head, then looking up at it, loquitur_) Praise to the unknown warrior and to all G.o.ds that bless him. (_He ascends the throne. Zarb prostrates himself at the foot of it and remains prostrated for the rest of the Act, muttering at intervals "Majesty." An armed slave enters dragging the King's Overseer. King Argimenes sternly watches him. He is dragged before the Throne. He still has the roll of parchment in his hand. For some moments King Argimenes does not speak. Then pointing at the parchment_) What have you there?

THE KING'S OVERSEER (_kneeling_)

It is a plan of the great garden, Majesty. It was to have been a wonder to the world. (_Unfolds it_)

KING ARGIMENES (_grimly_)

Show me the place that I digged for three years. (_The King's Overseer shows it with trembling hands; the parchment shakes visibly_) Let there be built there a temple to an Unknown Warrior. And let this sword be laid on its altar evermore, that the ghost of that Warrior wandering by night (if men do walk by night from across the grave) may see his sword again. And let slaves be allowed to pray there and those that are oppressed; nevertheless the n.o.ble and the mighty shall not fail to repair there too, that the Unknown Warrior shall not lack due reverence.

[_Enter, running, a Man of the household of King Darniak. He starts and stares aghast on seeing King Argimenes._

KING ARGIMENES

Who are you?

MAN

I am the servant of the King's dog.

KING ARGIMENES

Why do you come here?

MAN

The King's dog is dead.

KING ARGIMENES AND HIS MEN (_savagely and hungrily_)

Bones!

KING ARGIMENES (_remembering suddenly what has happened and where he is_)

Let him be buried with the late King.

ZARB (_in a voice of protest_)

Majesty!

CURTAIN

THE GLITTERING GATE

PERSONS

JIM, _lately a burglar_ } BILL, _lately a burglar_ } _Both dead_

_Scene: A Lonely Place._

_Time: The present._

THE GLITTERING GATE

_The Lonely Place is strewn with large black rocks and uncorked beer-bottles, the latter in great profusion. At back is a wall of granite built of great slabs, and in it the Gate of Heaven. The door is of gold._

_Below the Lonely Place is an abyss hung with stars._

_The rising curtain reveals Jim wearily uncorking a beer-bottle. Then he tilts it slowly and with infinite care. It proves to be empty. Faint and unpleasant laughter is heard off. This action and the accompanying far laughter are repeated continually throughout the play. Corked bottles are discovered lying behind rocks, and more descend constantly through the air, within reach of Jim. All prove to be empty._

_Jim uncorks a few bottles._

JIM (_weighing one carefully_)

That's a full one. (_It is empty, like all_)

[_Singing is heard off left._

BILL (_enters from left with a bullet-hole over his eye, singing_)