
A weary traveler arrives in Dublin and seeks the company of his uncle, a stern cardinal whose solemn duties leave little room for personal warmth. The city’s narrow streets, the cathedral’s looming presence, and the dim hotel rooms set a mood of quiet isolation, as the narrator drifts between the ritual of fast days and his own restless yearning for connection.
He wanders through theatres and cafés, chasing a fleeting memory of a beloved actress, only to find the night’s silence more compelling than any stage performance. Drawn to an abandoned ballroom still echoing with the faint glow of moonlight, he sits at a lone piano and lets his emotions spill into a haunting hymn that seems to stir the very shadows around him.
His solitary reverie is abruptly shattered when a group of disheveled men, candles flickering, confront him about the late‑night music. Their angry accusations hint at deeper tensions beneath the city’s calm façade, promising the narrator’s search for meaning will soon take an unsettling turn.
Language
en
Duration
~46 minutes (44K characters)
Series
Little blue book, no. 215
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Ted Garvin, Diane Monico, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net.
Release date
2007-01-11
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1856–1950
Known for witty, talkative plays that poke at class, politics, and human vanity, he helped reshape modern drama. His work ranges from sharp comedies to serious social critique, with "Pygmalion" remaining one of the best known.
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