Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 15, 1904.djvu/43

 Social Development of the Folk-tale. 29

" ' Not so,' he said, ' for dread [of the king] is upon me.'

" ' It is to escape me thou sayest that,' she said.

" * Be it so then,' he replied.

" On that she flung a ball at him, striking him on the head. ' A stroke of disgrace through all your life will this be,' she cried, ' if you take me not.' And with that she took up his instrument and played."

In the modern version, this wild scene is entirely omitted. We are simply told that Levarcham, overcome by Deirdre's childish woes, fetches Naisi to talk with her ; and that he, filled with love at sight of her beauty, is easily persuaded to carry her off to Alba.

On the contrary, the incident of the raven drinking the blood spilled upon the snow^ which inspired in the girl the desire to have a husband who should have hair black as the raven, cheeks red as blood, and a skin white as snow, becomes the centre of a series of scenes between Deirdre and her old nurse, which, charming and dainty as they are, are wholly modern in spirit. The character of both women has been transformed. We cannot fail to be struck by the similarity between these scenes and the famous conversation between the love-lorn Juliet and her nurse in Shakespeare's play. Save that Levarcham is here more gentle and affectionate than Juliet's nurse, the pretty play between the two old women and their young charges is wonderfully alike.

To take a passage. " It chanced upon a day, while the snow was lying on the ground in winter, that Cailcin {i.e Cathbad), Deirdre's tutor, went to kill a calf to prepare food for her^ and the blood being shed upon the snow, a raven stooped down to sip it. As Deirdre observed that, watching through a window in the fortress, she heaved so heavy a sigh that Cailcin heard her. ' Why art thou so sad, girl ? ' he said. ' Alas ! that I have not yonder thing just as I see it,' said she. 'Thou shalt have it if it be possible,' he replied, and drawing his hand dex-