The Collected Works in Verse and Prose of William Butler Yeats, Vol. 3 (of 8)

Step into a richly imagined Ireland where myth and hardship intertwine. In this lyrical drama, a humble peasant family struggles against famine, haunted by wolves and whispered omens, while a mysterious countess arrives bearing a purse of generosity and a troupe of otherworldly musicians. The dialogue crackles with Yeats’s poetic cadence, drawing listeners into a world of rust‑colored woods, flickering hearths, and the uneasy presence of unseen spirits.

The opening act introduces Shemus, his son Teig, and their resilient mother Maire, whose prayers to the Virgin Mary echo the community’s desperate hope. As the Countess Cathleen and her ethereal companions step through the doorway, they offer both sustenance and a promise of something beyond the immediate hunger. Listeners will be swept up in the play’s haunting atmosphere, feeling the tension between earthly scarcity and the fleeting promise of magical aid, all rendered in Yeats’s unmistakable lyrical voice.