if PLAYS Brian Friel Translations I OCwi MA Q3d± Donegal it I— - , , Translations Brian 1-del was born ii Otnagh, County Tvrone, in 1929. His plays include Philadelphia, Here I Conic!, Translations, Faith Healer, Making Histon’, Dancing at Lnghnasa. The Home Place and Per[orniances. Brian Friel is one of the most accomplished playwrights working in English today. His work is developed around a central poetic vision which has found, and enhanced, a language of theatre to communicate difficult ideas. This language of drama works through wider poetic sensibilities we actually share with the playwright but which we have lost sight of. Brian End sharpens our perceptions and makes us able to understand our human condition and the deepening ironies and contradictions of our age. This is his poetic vision.’ Michael Etherton, Contenzioraiy Iris!, Dramatists (Macmillan) &v the some author BRIAN FRIEL THE ENEMY WITHIN PHILADELPHIA, HERE I COME! THE LOVES OF CASS MAGUIRE LOVERS lansiations VOLUNTEERS LIVING QUARTERS • THE FREEDOM OF THE CITY THREE SISTERS (Chekhov) - -- . ARISTOCRATS TIlE COMMUNICATION CORD MAKING HISTORY FATHERS AND SONS (afterTurgenev) THE LONDON VERTIGO (after Charles Mackiln) DANCING AT LUGIINASA • - WONDERFUL TENNESSEE - - MOLLY SWEENEY GIVE ME YOUR ANSWER, DO FAmI IIEALER THREE PLAYS AFTER PERFORMANCES TIlE HOME PLACE UNCLE ANYA (ChekhoV) BRIAN FRIELI PLAYS ONE (Philadelphia, Here I Conic!, Tile Freedom of the Gift, Living Quorren, Aristocrats, Fair/i Healer, Translations) BRIAN FRIEL: PLAYS TWO (Dancing at Lughnasa, Fat/zen and Sons, Making Histo0’, • . 117,nde,ful Tennessee, Atollv Sweeney) also available FABER CRITICAL GUIDE: BRIAN ERIE!. (Philadelphia, Here I Conic!, Translations, . Dancing at Lughnasa) • A-faking History, ABOUT FRIEL: TIlE PLAYWRIGHT AND TIlE WORK ft E faber andfaber 1 First published in 1981 by Faber and Faber Limited Bloomsbu House, 74-77 Great Russell Street, London wctn IDA Reset in 200 0 Photoset by Parker Typesetting Service, Leicester mr Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY Stephen Rca All right reserved Brian Fnel, 1981 All rights in this play are reserved by the Propnetor Applications for professional rights should be addressed to The Agency (London) Ltd, 24 Pottery Lane, Holland Park, London WI’ 4LZ The amateur rights for this play are held by Samuel French Amateur applications for permissions to perform this play must be made in advance, before rehearsals begin, to Samuel French Ltd., 52 Fitzroy Street, London WI!’ 6JH. No performance maybe given unless a licence has first been obtained. This book is sold subject to rho condition that it slid! nor, by wai’ of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired our or othenusc circulated without the pzsblisliers prior consenr in unvforni of binding or cover other tItan that in which it is being published and without a sunder condition iticludnig this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 978—0571—117420 FSC MIX Pip.t so.,, r..ooo.iW. saws,. FSC’ C020471 L Translations was first presented by Field Day Theatre cknowiedgcs vith thanks the financial The publisher Company in the Guildhall, Derrv, on Tuesday, z Council of Northern Ireland assistance of the Arts September ‘980 with the following cast: in the publication of this volume. Maims Mick Lilly Sarah Ann Hasson Jimmy Jack Roy Hanlon Maire Nuala Hayes Doalty Liam Neeson Bridget Brenda Scallon Hugh Ray McAnally Owen Stephen Rea Captain Lancey David Heap Lieutenant Yolland Shaun Scott Directed h3’ Art 0 Briain Designed by Consolata Boyle Assisted by Magdalena Rubalcava and Macv Friel Lighting b’ Rupert Murray held Day Theatre Company was Formed by Brian Friel and Stephen Rea. Translations was their first production. H :J - - & - -* • : The action takes place in a hedge-school in the towniand of Bade BeaBailybeg, an Irish-speaking community in County Donegal. ACT ONE An afternoon in late August 1833. ACT TWO A few days later. ACT THREE The evening of the following day. (For the convenience of readers and performers unfamiliar with the language, roman letters have been used for the Greek words and quotations in the text. The originals, together with the Latin and literal translations, appear in the Appendix.) I I a 1 .4- — Act One The hedge-school is held in a disused barn or hay-shed or byre. Along the hack ivall are the remains of five or six — once stalls — wooden posts and chai,zs where totes were nulked and bedded. A double door left, large enough to allow LI cart to enter. A wnzdou’ right. A ,t’ooden stairway without LI banister leads to the upstairs living—quarters (oil) of the schoolmaster and his son. Around the room are broken alit! forgotten implements: Li cart—wheel, sonic lobster-pots, farming tools, a battle of ha3’, LI churn, etc. There are also the stools and bench-seats which the pupils use and a table and chair for the master. At the door a pail of water and Li soiled towel. The room is comfortless and u’onzan dush’ and functional — there is no trace 0/ a hand. When the play opens, AELmus is teLlchmg SLIrah to speak. He kneels beside her. She is sitting on a low stool, her head down, very tense, chttchhig a slate ott her knees. He is coaxing her gently and finnlv and — Lis with even’thing he does — with a kind ofeal. Manus is in his late twenties/early thirtiesc the master’s older somi. I—Ic is pale—faced, light!)’ built, intense, and — works as an unpaid assistant — a monitor to his father. His clothes arc shabby; and rt’he,, lie motes rue see that he is lame. Sarah’s speech defect is so hat] that all her life she has been considered locally to be thnnb and she has accepted this: when she wishes to co,nnnuilcate, she grunts and niakes unintelligible nasal sounds. S/ic has a ivaiflike appearance alit] could be any age from se,’enteen to thirty— fttie. I -‘3 a — — sits Manus Jimm P. ase! Once more — Just once more the Infant Prodi’ — know’; as name — Good gtr Come on now. Head u p.’ 1outn open Jimmy Jack Cassie in Greek and ‘‘ outentedly reading Honier lives ‘ by himself, bachelor- hi his sixties, Si ah wY himself. He isa for the s,nihng to evening classes partly and comes to these stinndatioul. He is Manus Good alone, for the i,,tellectl!aI company and partly pedantic — to Sarah My Greek but is in no way fluent in Latin and tongues. He ijever ,zor;nal to speak these Manus Great bun it is perfectly hat, mittens, which — heavy (op coat, His clothes sunviler and washes. and he lives hr them Sarah My name - 7:011’ — are filthy voice and he wears reads in a quiet day and night. He irole the world of Manus Yes winter, satisfactiolr. For Jimmy smiles hr profound and as immediate Sarah My name is ancient myths is as real the gods and the Beag. the own1a,td of Bade Mantis Yes as everyday life in and he articiilate5 Sarah’s hands in his Maims holds . Sarah pauses. Then iii a r1150. her face. -. and distinctly into slowly to try it - - And we, re going Sarah My name is Sarah. re doing very we!!. breathe in Manus We — and more. Now relax Manus Marvellous! Bloody marvel! more — just once once ... out... ... in and ... out deep and Mamis hugs Sarah. She s,,rilec 2,2 5 ), embarrassed vigorously and 5bbor;ily. Sarah shakes her head pleasure. our secret. — name — clear a on, Sarah. This is Did you hear that, jimmy? is Sarah’ Come Sarah’s head. stubboril shakiiig of a bell. (to Sarah) TIle Infant Prodigy doesn’t know what Again vigorous and we’re at. hears you. ‘istening. Nobody -‘ - 1215 up. Nobody’s ...‘ Sarah laughs at this. Ma; I‘ugs- her agan; anu stands glaukoPis Athene epeita thea Jimmy ‘To,, d’emeibet Now we’re reall I Nothing’Ii stop us now! Nothing working. ‘My name wohtd tongue and your lips in the wide Manus Get your name is—’ Good girl, One more try. ‘My —, Come on. Jimmy, chuckling at us text, comes over to the; Sarah My.-- — Jimmy Listen to this, Manus. My name Manus Great. Manus Soon vo ‘II b tt5 that have ent head of Sarah My... my..• listening. nobody’S y, James — what out.. your head. Shout it Manus Raise ...‘ (to Sarah) Maybe you‘ set out the stools? - donio:s hekelos esta’ en AtreIdao Jimmy ‘... alla Jimmy Manus, sir, if you had a woman like that about the house, stairs. it’s not stripping a turf-bank you’d he thinking about — eh? Ma,IIis ruus up the hear this, Mantis. Manus She i’as a goddess,Jimmv. Jimmy Wait till you be straight down. Jimmy Better still. Sure isn’t our own Crania a class of a Manus Go ahead! I’ll — Athene — rabdo epenza551t goddess and ‘Hos ara mhz phanzene with her JimmY she touched Ulysses Manus Who? Athene had said this, limbs and ‘After lair skin of his supple the — wand. She withered and about his Jimmy Crania — Crania Diarmuid’s Crania. hair froni off his head destroyed the flaxen tie divik! The of an old man ...‘l Manus Mi. limbs she put the skin Jimmy And sure she can’t get her fill of men. ,,,,lk and a again with a bowl of Mantis has emerged Manus jimmy, you’re impossible. piece of bread. yet! Jimmy I was just thinking to myself last night: if you had not finished with him till you hear! She’s the choosing between Athene and Arremis and Helen of And wait with his Sarah — the stairs be toasts Troy — all three of them Zeus’s girls imagine three As Mantis descends powerful-looking daughters like that all in the one parish hoivi.