ˇ¶Synge And The Ireland Of His Timeˇ·


 PREFACE

    At times during Synges last illness, Lady Gregory and I  unlike ourselves, o be  beautiful or poself, or necessary as an expression of . y, for a letter ten before  illness, and printed in tion of  t  te of s and scattered ings. On t  I migo  day; and my diary of t y. Presently o , for tors sent me tter t o carry out his wishes.

    May 4ts,

    to go to you if anytion or after it. I am a little bot my papers. I ain amount of verse t I t and 3rd acts of Deirdre, and t of Kerry and ickloicles t ogeto a book. tuff I e I  as a sort of curiosity, but I am anxious t it s get into print. I  someone??say ... ever you and Lady Gregory t is rato ask you but I do not  my good troyed or my bad ted ras a mad fiddler in Paris we. Do w you can??Good luck.

    J.M. Synge

    In tors sent me a large bundle of papers, cuttings from ne and typeten prose and verse, put togetated by Synge  illness. I spent a portion of eacic ing, poems, essays, and so fortion of ninety pages , made consulting Lady Gregory from time to time tion of  is because of ty pages, t neit troduction  ised by tion of tors discovered a scrap of paper ence by J.M. Synge saying t Selections migaken from ed Districts. I do not knoten before ter to me, ained ions. tter is unimportant, for to ignore my offer to select as o reject, and for t of t reasons of convenience, w.

    .B. Yeats.

 I

    J.M. SYNGE AND tIME

    On Saturday, January 26turing in Aberdeen, and elegram   from Dublin after t of tern orld, t time. After one in t brougo my bedroom telegram, Audience broke up in disorder at t. I kneil I got t to Dublin on tuesday morning. On t no  forty young men  on t seats of t, and stamped and sed and blorumpets from to tain. On tuesday nigy young men o silence  a c; nor could anyone recognise try men and , grotesque persons, heir fancy.

    A patriotic journalism  est and most ignoble po of repeating a name again and again ion. tion er t performance of t play, ion made in ignorance but repeated in disy, t aken ers, not from  profound kno and curragted to possess, but from a er of taneous dislike  natural, for genius like  slo range, set forty of its beauty, and ts compassion; but t  violent tificial, tue by t  little, s rigo govern the world.

    As I stood tc I saion of a scriotism t ood beside me, and said, A young doctor  told me t o a seat, and pointing out in t reating for venereal disease.

 II

    ty ions ting influence t style alone can give to  a country itutions must ss young men images for tions, alt diagrams of  sor, triot, t, tain, and above all t; and ted in essay and songs and stories, possessed so many virtues t no matter c slander us, Ireland, even t come at t go  ideas and images ood and  loved by large numbers of people, must appeal to no ricience of study, no delicacy of sense; and if at rare moments some Memory of take its strengt all ots manner and matter ional, sentimental; and language, because it is carried beyond life perpetually, ed as t, ries and silences, and a dread of all t  and savour. After a o agitation over?mucract ts are raised up beture, ill minds, ism is per enougo carry to tural impulse ence of minds unsettled by some fixed idea. tions future, s, soldiers, painters, armies, fleets, but only as tood by a cional sc feeling t inual defence makes tter and restless. tate o make it buy  last, a generation is like an erical ion from a solitary t ion of o stone.

 III

    Even if rue, an attitude of defence, a continual apology,  kills intellectual innocence; t delig is unforeseen, and in tacle of ting  must come before all true t and emotion.

    A zealous Iris of Ireland, spends ime in a never?ending argument about Oliver Crom, and ends by substituting a traditional casuistry for a country; and if  anotry t ers, letter?ing priests, and to make ture, substituting arguments and ations for tement at t reading of t poets  imaginative puberty. ations and arguments may , tons morality, or S vision; but none t recklessness Castiglione t necessary even in good manners, and offend our Lady trutso be her parlour.

    I admired tter, J.F. taylor, tor,  controversy over t often seemed to me t  sense of surprise t comes  is far from t, and yet obvious because o roll back and reveal forgotten sig loose lost passions. I  in some Iriserary or political society, but t any rate, as in conversation, I found a man  traitors at  of frenzy in ion of s gave  style and music. One asked oneself again and again,  tist, a man of genius, a creator of some kind? tence detacs context because of y. Everytyle,  is self?evident, from t atement, from y displayed. t es y of  made one understand  argument and logic. I found myself in t t  of  tic of a moment, a ricacy of leaf and t and of savour t professor of literature, or of any ot kno ting ing y, or carry tance of some pleasure. ractions and images created not for t for ty, even if till t deligures to ts t tigingle in tand like St. Micrumpet t calls to resurrection?

 IV

    Young Ireland augudy of our ory , and taylor studied, of comparison  of otries orical instinct. An old man ment, ury romance of Deirdre a re?telling of t five act tragedy outside tragedy from ion of it ainly ten on to a copper boat, a marvel of magic like Cinderellas slipper, persuades  t Irisalled tal sed, let us say, our fabulous ancient kings running up to Adam, or found but mytale, y of Scripture. Above all no man , t  by rote familiar arguments and statistics to drive a found strange trut of memory and become an instinct of erature, for literature is a cion itself, instead of being a dumb struggling t seeking a mouto utter it or o s, a teeming delig e t best, a subject of knowledge.

 V

    taylor alermined man, being easily flattered or jostled from ting as it o iced t all ts of many, speak confidently, ing and timid, as t of a mind and body groive to t among many impressions. to us t ainty, by seeing  is, t enlargement of experience does not come from torical t move large numbers of men, but from ers t seem by contrast as feminine as t explores in Blakes picture ts faint lamp trembling and astonisured as one?breasted amazons, but as ection. Indeed, all art s tion of  t logic, trifling, impertinent, vexatious tumbler he way of a marching army.

 VI

    I attack t are as dear to many as some  say t I  in my body tions I disturb, and believed t if I could raise to contemplation I erature, t finding its subject?matter all ready in mens minds  as ours is, an interest for sc ties  met  it is to be c I ative and unmannerly, ing men even in daily life for t tomies of last years leaves are a living forest, or t a continual apologetic could do otone; or believed t literature can be made by anyt by ill blind and dumb o learn s of t  for tting but for t purification from insincerity, vanity, malignity, arrogance,  it became possible to live  in s  ricurbulent or gracious ts,  love?children.

 VII

    Synge seemed by nature unfitted to tical t, and ion of one sentence, spoken   implied some sort of nationalist conviction, I cannot remember t ics or serest in men in t t is studied tractions and statistics. Often for montogetside tre, and t life, lived as it ed  of mind fits to judge of men in t energies of ill?; but of tical ts ood not tle ain members of told  a play on t success. After a fortnig ter out of Rabelais. testant and a Catake refuge in a cave, and t religion, abusing t in loo be ravis last one  because se t, I doubt if ten at all if  e of Ireland, and for it, and I kno  creative art could only come from sucion.

    Once,  tional effect of our movement, I proposed adding to to play international drama, Synge,  tter so important t ter.

    I re as my model, and  tres all over Europe gave fine performances of old classics but did not create (s sterility of speec) and t e not give all our ts to Ireland.

    Yet in Ireland  s people, and in try sides of many glens. All t, all t one reasoned over, fougicles, all t came from education, all t came do lacked a little sympat  once aurn its face upon t ure  looked out on most disputes, even took sides, old me once t o make t  t  is certain t  in any cro is possible t loality o be observant and contemplative, and made ude, ts o otigue or illness isements, ts of big tres, big London els, and all arcecture  blindness did for us, asceticism for any saint you  srating ion upon one t, self. I t all noble t of  nations and classes, of  poetry and pself, a victory, to ain t my friends noble art, so full of passion and y, is tory of a man ed from t of expression, and in templation t is born of te and delicate arrangement of images, royed as morbid, for as yet tmans fine enougo bring tists joy  of sanctity. In one poem s at some street corner for a friend, a ands t nobody is coming, sees ture; and in anotten on o come ser on,  a part of tacle of to all  flavour of extravagance, or of  makes one understand t emplates even  iny but as it ion t general to men. tive joy an acceptance of y of  brings, or a red of deat it takes aness of our exaltation, at death and oblivion.

    In no modern er t ten of Iris it may be Miss Edgele Rackrent, o c about tir ure, for t play ures, persons, and events, t  for t escapes from meditation, a c makes t as significant by contrast as some procession painted on an Egyptian elligence, on  in so fe Life ime to bres  ragic reality seem morbid to t are accustomed to ers y at all; just as ts,  Obscure Nigainly t t among spiritual states, one among oteps, seem morbid to tionalist and testant controversialist. t of journalists, like t of ts, is neit  risen to t state tainment of man, in oils, in tic, or imagined it above the clouds?

 VIII

    Not t Synge broug of truggle e ped out of an anxiety for sympat rare, t distinguis most noble till of t to being sufficient to itself, tist. Sir P tunes (by irred to ravis.

    Or if t t are so closed , As entious lips to set a title vain on it; O tunes, and learn in onders sco be, in t bonds of , fools if t fools!

    Ireland for tions o take its trial before ty judgment, and ter of tion  it  among country people, or ion is still stubborn, ts t made Borro as ertainers for all tering, O soldiers and of t beautiful women!

    It o seek t old Ireland s mould from ts and scury and from generations older still, t Synge returned again and again to Aran, to Kerry, and to ts.

 IX

    up tes, after ime in Innismaan, I found t to Mass and latccside, so t I could not open it to give myself light.

    I sat for nearly an  I se alone in ttle cottage. I am so used to sitting  I  t live and  ligo let me see ters and t t ttle corner  on t, y from  primitive left in Europe, satisfied some necessity of ure. Before I met ening to stories in t, making friends s and ic interest, for atistics, o give, and cared notent to pay for tune upon t love tter because t  y of t ing lost its old morbid brooding, t  of ty lived, as tist lives, in t affections and tic moment s limits, and rivial and temporary, y and good manners or took deligion, from t roy ts; and o take a t from anot of our scime as only  artists do and need never sell it.

 X

    As I read t t time since  me in manuscript, I come to understand  to tion of a astic as tes. ory of t on o t pictures t o oo observation, and all to some overfloy of dramatic construction. I  t quarrels of ts came from ter condiments, but  quarrel all day long amid neigy Ma an artist need but make ers self?consistent, and yet, t too ion, for altole sympat is not in danger. I  it onness of fancy Martin D a feion is unknoimes tage, I find all thers from live ducks and geese.

    is salt in t is rougo t ens tions by contest, all t stings into life tragedy; and in to o misc  t of otaste t is so constant, it is all set out so simply, so naturally, t it suggests a correspondence beting mood of t sual?minded is s, an Indian scripture says, but passionate minds love bitter food. Yet  observer, but is certainly kind and sympatic to all about er, cries at  to see ices t tten  o tick, one kno it is erested affection as befits a simple man and not in ty of study.  ts for t time, ravelled ed taying, o tioned everybody, till ood of a sudden t he island were a woman.

    t a time, as ter Kerry essays do not, but not ten recalls so completely to my senses ts  realize t alked ting pages, s itself as in till er of a pool. t comes to er long seemingly unmeditative c comes, (and er in matters of business) it is spoken  ation and never cion  an experimental trument of researc; self  yet brougion, ional generalization of beauty. A mind t generalizes rapidly, continually prevents t  as a man oo complete in youto any energy of moral beauty. Synge ood by young men, and even as I to me t our modern poetry  try of t range ime.

 XI

    tists like Byron, like Goeties, active ies at t o ts, tle personality, so far as ttle personal  fiery and brooding imagination. I cannot imagine o impress, or convince in any company, or saying more t to keep talk circling. Sucage t all te is a part of kno ts and en but one visible strengtrengto reject from life and t all t ; and only t is a passive act. If Synge aken some profession, I doubt if ten books or been greatly interested in a movement like ours; but unities of making money in   unconscious preparation. side ion, little interest in anyt  its c. ence of oters. I never kne I ional compliment, and yet  perfect modesty and simplicity in daily intercourse, self?assertion o  sudden events. ; on t niged, kno o do, and ill before many days, but it made no difference in ed out of defiance nor softened out of timidity. e on as if notering tinkers edding to a more unpopular form, but ing a beautiful serene Deirdre,  time since o toucune sure  ellect and ure untroubled. ternal self, ter was all.

 XII

    ing silent man full of  out in t of day,  lay er passage in ement.  Kilronan on t: ting near, t close to t urn and ts side, , ag of rope remaining, by w could be carried.

    Probably ted  great, yet t t onations, till tion of tense t tement, and ting turn foamed at tore eaceeth.

    After a ing some special favourite, to keep it quiet coat tied round t to keep to knoion t made me so t I en t currag out, I  on t looking out over the sea.

    ted, and o talk to t me because I am not married. A dozen screamed at a time, and so rapidly t I could not understand all t I o make out t taking advantage of to give me tempt. Some little boys er among tared do is a crorain to tion, no is a  a funeral. Kindred to  in tones, in t, t in every moment of excitement,  terical excitement of tead of finding expression by its cself in t direct  of dream. Last niges, at Innismaan, after rangely intense lig rringed instrument.

    It came closer to me, gradually increasing in quickness and volume ibly definite progression.

    e near to move in my nerves and blood, to urge me to dance hem.

    I kne if I yielded I o some moment of terrible agony, so I struggled to remain quiet, ogeth my hands.

    tinually, sounding like trings of uned to a forgotten scale, and rings of the cello.

    tement became more poe of me.

    In a moment I  as and every impulse of my body became a form of till I could not distinguisrument or t seemed an excitement t  greo an ecstasy  in tex of movement. I could not t the dance.

    tasy turned to agony and rage. I struggled to free myself but seemed only to increase teps I moved to. es of t last,  of uncontrollable frenzy I broke back to consciousness and awoke.

    I dragged myself trembling to ttage and looked out. ttering across the island.

 XIII

    In all drama o reverie, to tself, t cy of dialogue.  of t ve passions,  keep up appearances cest born of Cadmus line o reports and discuss taking part as it ate. Noty of Greek drama, and in a lesser degree of t of Corneille and Racine depends, as contrasted roubled  life of S even speed of dialogue, and on a so continuous exclusion of tion of common life, t t remains lofty and language ricage everyter, and e structure of blank verse, obtains time for reverie by an often encumbering Eup as o look at life from . Maeterlinck, to name t modern of to mind??reacead of  as a breat a dream. Modern drama, on ts tig,  its expression of t leaves to be inferred from some common?place sentence or gesture as  in ordinary life; and tual disappointment of t France or Spain or Germany or Scandinavia  last produce ter .

    ts are almost all in t instance tec scal of ty of dialogue. Synge found t suited emperament in an elaboration of ts of Kerry and Aran. tative, as befits t of men  ten patiently, eacurn and for some little time, and taking pleasure in t, ical, is as full of traditional ravagant pictures as t of some Aescter opic is, it is as t  is toric, for t, tless ell you t like Rafterys  for too, for it could not even express, so little abstract it is and so rammed ions of national propaganda. Ill be telling you t story youd o Ballinacree  queens in it, making tcart to tory of t queens of Ireland, e necks on t you a slap....  good am I t, God  good are tories I s feen to an old  a girl maybe  fear time tle c be sleeping . t es  s in t  for noble purpose by Synge, and by Lady Gregory, ranslations  equalled since, ional dignity. en troubled and sorrotis  tering ion by so many novelists and ren badly. Synge e do knoo  so ric ranslating into it fragments of t literatures of te version of tation of C. It gave ive ric left to ing and tang of reality. ranslation from Villon are t of t sc simple country speecrarc deat as time y easy, and t toget all ts, and my s enemy art, little by little, to give over   t of my sharp sorrow.

 XIV

    Once  seemed to me t a conventional descriptive passage encumbered tion at t of crisis. I liked tter to t is, for all ty of its end, its mood of Greek tragedy, too passive in suffering; and ed from Mattroduction to Empedocles on Etna, Synge ans is a curious t quot;to t; succeeds  not ;t; o to great popularity in Dublin, partly because actical instinct of an Irisrators against tre, ed it for applause. It is noo t like to deny altoget understand. Yet I am certain t, in tesque plays y, t laugern orld most of all, en of timacy ry  t sayings in tame indeed compared  any little tage of Geesala, or Carraroe, or Dingle Bay.

    It is trangest, t beautiful expression in drama of t Irisasy, ure t  of Ireland itself (compare tastic Iris of ttle of Clontarf ) is ter of Irised in miscravagance, like t of ts curse upon  I e, t is ing for my soul, t are ing for my body, my cing for my   in t took out of anger terness old me tale on  killed ill  ao America. Despite ty of   trinity College brancing , or as tainly do s are telling  a time took to tain Dublin papers  to an imaginary loyalty, so possessed by iric fantasy, t one all but looked to find some featones. Part of t of cro somebody ake t for gloomy earnest. e are mocking at y, let us t ill, and t. ions ? Our minds, being sufficient to t  are content to elaborate our extravagance, if fortune aid, into  or lyric beauty, and as for t ts  tongues at the rising moon.

    t of t celebrated makers of comedy to our time, and if it ill in tion of t is but because t been able to turn out of trick of zeal picked up in struggling yout, in Synges plays also, fantasy gives t t, for t art, an over?poain virtues, and our capacity for s vision is t. Great art c first by its coldness or its strangeness, by  it is from ties it y, as t  and er ser does ure, reversed in a looking?glass t , not as it seems to eyes   as  morning; and range as tay rangeness, not strange to  made us sy t makes us share his feeling.

    to speak of ones emotions  fear or moral ambition, to come out from under to forget to be utterly oneself, t is all tal in trates in t a trute in abstract ecstasy, and touc is tory, its suspension in a beautiful or terrible ligo a t, and yet, because all its days  Day, judged already. It may saly as Dante did, or Greek myts, or Kerry and Gal ever after I s all  I kno Cino da Pistoia t Dante unjust, t Keats kne try men and  me; t I o my being, not my knowledge.

 XV

    I e t of ts in my diary on t of Normandy, and as I finis Saint Miced for a day tion of my scers on t, t s, or men at arms sat at meals, beautiful from ornament or proportion. I remembered ordinances of tems of gold to t a bare dormitory to sleep in. Even  majestic fantasy, seeming more of Egypt tendom, spoke noto tary soul, but seemed to announce  to come an emper of social men, a bondage of adventure and of  more patiently and I sa emporal rule by land and sea,  a condescension to knave or dolt, an impoveris of t to make it serviceable and easy, but a dead language and a communion in o test saint, is of incredible difficulty. Only by tantiation of t, ure or in sanctity, can s, tions from all else t fasten men togetingly; for t can but create a province, and our Irise, Goetravel in tride, define races and create everlasting loyalties. Synge, like all of t kin, soug tory, or even in ture, but  command??indeed because it does not??may lie ts of far?brancs. Only t eac cry out, ible. It is made by men   minds; uresque and declamatory ers, t te kilts and bagpipes and ne minds empty, and in Ireland and Scotland England runs into t s and maxims, because t and t pleases te t for t   groo or found about t perion, associated s of try, by t poets, ude, and ing indestructible spiritual races, like ted in t.

    . B. Yeats.

    September 14th. 1910.

 WITH SYNGE IN CONNEMARA

    I en spent a day  a year or travelled for a mont of Ireland  companion for a roading rain. I remember a deluge on t ion o try and keep dry.

    arted on our journey, as train steamed out of Dublin, Synge said: Noes and I found t  ion o t or to t was Synge who finally decided.

    Synge tle co stop and lean on a c  beside it and snipped as lean old o look at tranger, and t put s cly pressed its he grass again.

    Synge  to make soft going for t of little c  on Saint Joood in t square curf soaked in paraffine, o t and skied again, and burning snakes of tle girl in tasy of pleasure and dread, clutcood close in il the fiery games were done.

    assistance to alking to t conversation in Irisold us  in America ttle old ting by and putting in an odd le?mannered man, for er, and rested ting for a o bloually on t ly, Not yet sir.

    Synge  tician . I   to ??I  a little ctle book going to sc. ook tunate tenant and t crying and ts , t a cionalist. I shem.

    Synge must  deal at one time, but  a man you en alk, or raten to talk??almost anyones talk.

    Synge o go anyo see an ordinary melodrama at tre, Dublin, and ed to see s and ttention on a play e villain of ttom of turess, and flasing blood?stained face up against tligold us  a fes to live, roar rition he voice of a bull.

    Synge ravelled a great deal in Italy in tracks  out for  o me about t .  as  tern men on ts fitted in o him.

    Synge  en bad, ing under  t carried racks.  tle gear, and cared not except per of a good turf fire.  a young pup for a toh.

    old me  tralee inker?aken by truggling re of ts reet and screamed, let tly understood by ting t trip and beat t t in, in t ter ting figure trying to thes on her as she ran.

    But all  all. If e?

    sc every t drees  Cape Corso Castle or t Cophe music.

    Jack B. Yeats