| ACT ONE A Fortress in Ardudwy. GWYDION and LLEW LLAW GYFFES. |
|
| Llew |
(Clapping his hands) Ho – one of you! (A SERVANT comes) Are the horses ready? |
| Servant |
The horses and the men are ready. And your gifts – the weapons of gold, the embroidered silk. |
| Llew |
And where is she? |
| Servant |
In her chamber with her maids. Embroidering and listening to the bard's harp. |
| Llew |
Go to her, and tell her this: We'll set out now while three hours of daylight still remain. Gwydion and all the soldiers shall accompany me. She must hurry if she wants to say goodbye. |
| Servant |
I will. (He goes) |
| Llew |
Oh my uncle and foster father You won't find a man more wretched than me In the whole of Gwynedd. |
| Gwydion |
Quiet with your prattle and self pity. |
| Llew |
You won't find a man more wretched in the whole world. With my mother's hatred and her curse a plague upon me From the day of my birth to this. Her hate and her wrath have snarled my destiny. |
| Gwydion |
You dare say that – you who have been granted the greatest friendship of all. You, a bastard baby thrown out of the door almost before you'd drawn breath, when you were as helpless as some frail birdchick nudging through its shell. You who had three most callous fates placed upon you – yet I undid each one. Did I not give you a name? Did I not arm you? And then created for you the most magical wife, and get for you the fairest lands in Math's own kingdom. Shame on you! |
| Llew |
No one could have wished for a better friend than you, Gwydion. |
| Gwydion |
No. Yet no one's been more badly rewarded for friendship than me. There was my brother Gilfaethwy. I had to live among the wild animals for years because of him, not knowing my place in the world, one day male, the next female, creating a freakish family. And now you. Who knows what misfortunes you'll bring upon me. You whose own mother would have destroyed you had I not intervened. |
| Llew |
A mother's loathing outweighs an uncle's love. |
| Gwydion |
How is that? Every ruse of hers was thwarted. When she denied you a name, I construed your naming. She decreed that you shall not carry weapons, I tricked her into arming you with her own hands. She destined that you may never find a wife born of man, I spun for you from wild flowers a maiden better than an eye has seen. |
| Llew |
But I still haven't escaped my mother's vengeance. Blodeuwedd is not like other women. |
| Gwydion |
Indeed. In all my great span of spell making I've loved many a girl and beast – and never yet did I find one woman to be like another. |
| Llew |
Listen, Gwydion, she has no children. |
| Gwydion |
You're lucky. The last child I had... was a wolf. |
| Llew |
How can I ever forget that shimmering morning When I first saw her. You and Math crossing the lawn And between you, naked as that dawn itself, The dew still glistening on her white breasts, Breasts as pure as a snowdrop's petals When the night furls their swell, she walked. The soul of that virgin spring in a flawless mould of flesh. I looked at her, and she at me. I clothed her nakedness with kisses And these arms, these lusting arms, Which had been empty for so long, Encircled her like stays of steel. |
| Gwydion |
The same old story. In these arms I've held a range of females, and believe me lad, on a warm spring morning it's the same feel to the softest girl's skin and a hog's hide. |
| Llew |
But Gwydion, she was cold, so cold. This heart that beat against her breast seeking warmth, Shattered like glass on flint. I've never seen A trace of a blush upon her cheeks, only a pallid glow, like that Of the moon casting its random light On the world below. Her very blood is alien, strange... one foul night Of gales and sleeting rain, she ran From my bed and into the storm's rage. I followed - full of suspicion and anger Beneath my cloak a sword. But no one came to her. Not even the wolves were out on such a night Yet there she was, dancing to the tempest's fury. |
| Gwydion |
You can't cleave a creature from its kindred. |
| Llew |
I was frightened and called out. But she didn't hear. And with the wind lashing trees and splintering boughs I was lost in a fearful world Where the only things that held their own Were rock and rain, the stormy dark, And her, Blodeuwedd. I ran after her, Shouted louder, grasped her arm... "You've caught me" she said, suddenly sad Like a child woken from some distant dream "You've caught me. Let's go home." And I saw, in that night's storm That I had no place in her life. |
| Gwydion |
Here's Blodeuwedd |
| BLODEUWEDD approaches slowly. |
|
| Llew |
Why does a heart of ice Lie beneath a breast That excites desire like the first sun of summer. |
| Blodeuwedd |
Lord, I received your message. |
| Llew |
Yes lady, we must go. |
| Blodeuwedd |
And Gwydion too? |
| Llew |
Gwydion too. |
| Blodeuwedd |
The day is short, and soon it will be night. My Lord, stay here. I do not wish To spend tonight without you. |
| Llew |
You won't be alone. You have maids, and many servants. |
| Blodeuwedd |
I've never parted from you before; Being left here frightens me. |
| Llew |
Since when? |
| Blodeuwedd |
My spirit is restless. Nothing good will come Of your going today. Await tomorrow's dawn; The sun will speed your journey to Caer Dathal. |
| Llew |
No. Everyone is ready, we must go, For Math the king expects us. |
| Blodeuwedd |
(Turning to GWYDION) Magician – am I beautiful? |
| Gwydion |
Your question conceals some deviousness. |
| Blodeuwedd |
No deviousness. No device. You captured my essence from between green leaves. Tell me – are you pleased with your work? |
| Gwydion |
(Staring at her) I'll tell you this, my girl. No one ever set eyes on beauty such as yours. You are the masterpiece of all my magic. |
| Blodeuwedd |
Why then, when I beg of my husband The only favour I've ever asked Does he not grant it me? |
| Gwydion |
The only favour, my niece? |
| Blodeuwedd |
The only one. |
| Gwydion |
Then you have been a fool to yourself, Blodeuwedd. You should have tutored him in your demands, Wearing him down with a thousand fancies. That's how men succumb. Then their fatigue yields favour after favour. |
| Blodeuwedd |
Yes. Peasant women know more than I about men. Gwydion, you did me a disfavour When you chained me with flesh and sinew; I should despise you And yet my instinct is to like you. You too spent summers beneath the leaves. You know the feel of earth on flesh And the sounds of nature's stirrings in the grass. |
| Gwydion |
Ssh. Don't talk about that – it shames me. |
| Blodeuwedd |
Ask my soul what shame is. I don't know What it is to be ashamed... Stay with me Until my lord returns Be my protector in his absence. |
| A SERVANT at the door. |
|
| Servant |
Lord, your retinue waits, Mounted in readiness. |
| Llew |
Good. Come friend, it's time to leave. |
| Gwydion |
Farewell lady. I am an old man. You'd soon tire of my company. The heady smells of spring surround you still, The blooms I beaded to form your features Have not withered. Stay young, forever. Farewell. |
| Blodeuwedd |
Kind lord Shall we three ever be together again? My heart is heavy. Farewell. |
| GWYDION goes. |
|
| Blodeuwedd |
My Llew If you believed me you wouldn't set forth today. In my bones I feel that this portends some ill. |
| Llew |
My life can't be ruled on a girl's whim. |
| Blodeuwedd |
I know the seasons better than you. I sense each change in wind and rain and sun. Why shouldn't I also read the seasons of a man? |
| Llew |
Don't be afraid. I am destined That no harm will easily befall me. And you be wise. Don't stray too far from home. Don't let the woodlands tempt you out at dusk, But stay among my people here, With your maids. Be your best Blodeuwedd I'll only be three days. Farewell, farewell. |
| Exit LLEW. BLODEUWEDD throws herself on the ground, crying. Enter RHAGNELL, her maidservant, who finds her thus. |
|
| Rhagnell |
Blodeuwedd, my lady, why this despair? Blodeuwedd, answer me. |
| Blodeuwedd |
My lord has gone away! |
| Rhagnell |
What of that? It's for three days, no more. He'll soon be back. |
| Blodeuwedd |
Rhagnell, you don't know What fear grips my heart. |
| Rhagnell |
Hush mistress. Why should you be afraid? This is your castle. These are your lands And here your word is law. There's no one here who does not love you. I would lay down my life for you if need be. |
| Blodeuwedd |
No. It's not men I fear But being on my own – this solitude. My lord has gone away! |
| Rhagnell |
What is this? I've heard you countless times wanting to flee And heard you curse the man who made you wife. Why this change? |
| Blodeuwedd |
You'll never understand My agony. Not you or anyone. You don't know the loneliness that gnaws. Your world is full – you have a home. Loved ones, family, father, mother, brothers, You're not an alien in this world. Wherever mankind walks, you have familiar paths And all of Gwynedd, where your forebears lived, Is your hearth, a dwelling place passed on By the generations of your father's fathers. You're at home among kith and countrymen As in a snug bed made comfortable By familiar and loving hands. I, however do not possess a home or hearth Not any place in man's domain. Search Gwynedd And Britain too – there's no headstone Bearing my name. This world is cold And alien to me, without a friend's comforting Or a nation's bonds. That is why I fear. I fear my freedom. I'm like a ship without a rudder, lost On mankind's treacherous seas. Listen – what horn sounds there? |
| Rhagnell |
Someone far off hunting in the woods. |
| Blodeuwedd |
My lord has gone away. Oh. Between us there was never any passion. He knows nothing Of the dark desires woven into my nature And I know nothing of his nobility. His tame mind, his joy in friendships That have nurtured him throughout the years. Yet amongst men he's the only one I have as kin. The single link I have With human bonds, bonds Which equate honour with ancestry. Without him I'm alone, anchorless in their midst With nature's reckless surging in my blood. God be my witness – I don't want the blame When this harm falls upon us. |
| Rhagnell |
What harm lady? Your words frighten me. Tell me Of this storm that surges through you. |
| The horn is heard nearer. |
|
| Blodeuwedd |
Listen. |
| Rhagnell |
Yes. The hunt is closer. |
| BLODEUWEDD draws RHAGNELL to her and places her hand over her heart. |
|
| Blodeuwedd |
Rhagnell, where is your heart? Oh – as hidden As the oak's stout heart in wettest weather. |
| The horn is now much nearer. |
|
| Blodeuwedd |
Listen woman. The hunting horn. They're in full cry. The stag's hooves are skimming the earth Like oars hitting spume. The scenting dogs Bound over the trail, and thundering horses Pound out the passing furlongs. Oh, there is nature At its glorious best, full of breathless beauty. The hunter as one with the vibrant land – I could love a hunter – |
| The horn passes. |
|
| Blodeuwedd |
Go, go woman, Ask who that horseman is who hunts there. |
| RHAGNELL goes out then returns to the door. |
|
| Rhagnell |
Lady, the hunt is over, and the huntsman Is approaching across the common. Should we not offer shelter for the night As darkness is descending? |
| Blodeuwedd |
Describe him to me. |
| Rhagnell |
Young, and supple in the saddle Like a hawk gliding on the air. |
| Blodeuwedd |
Bring me Golden goblets, and the wine I tasted The morning I was created. Bring fruit, Cherries and red apples. Receive this young knight. Allow him to change, giving water For washing, then lead him to our hall, For tonight we'll fete this stranger Lest my absent lord finds fault with me For turning a man away as dusk unseats the day. |
| Rhagnell |
Lady, this is how you should be, Full of warmth and welcome. I'll go And invite him and order a feast To be prepared. You, stay light of heart Set sorrows aside. This evening, banqueting And dancing will keep your spirits joyful And all who look upon you will love you. |
| Exit RHAGNELL. |
|
| Blodeuwedd |
Be silent now my beating breast, your hour has now come... A year's bowing to the court's customs And man's imperatives is now to be lifted from me. Freedom, excitement; these are my masters now And my imperative is lust – the lust that drives the seed To prise through a shroud of earth to reach the sun. There's a shoot in me that seeks the light And wants to flourish and bear copious fruit Without a blade to prune it back. I know That this huntsman is an emperor of passion; I know the music of a horn – it was not my husband's Thin lips that pursed to blow those lusty calls But stronger lips, swelling with blood red bloom, A much more fitting match for mine. |
| Rhagnell |
(At the door.) Lady, the banquet is ready and Gronw Pebr Lord of Penllyn waits to greet you. |
| Blodeuwedd |
How barren are those words. A brazen bugle Not a wench's tongue should announce that name. Give me your arm – let's go to welcome him. |
| Exeunt. Fade down the lights to signify the passing of three hours banqueting. Bring up the lights. The scene is set as before, except for the wine goblets and flowers on a table. BLODEUWEDD and GRONW PEBR enter. |
|
| Blodeuwedd |
Have you had enough? |
| Gronw |
Of food and drink, yes. |
| Blodeuwedd |
What else is there? |
| Gronw |
Don't ask, Lady. |
| Blodeuwedd |
Are you afraid of saying? |
| Gronw |
I don't fear anything Except for losing honour and reputation. |
| Blodeuwedd |
Fear never caught a stag, or woman. |
| Gronw |
Lady, is there a way from here tonight? |
| Blodeuwedd |
Yes. Over the hills where loping wolves Howl their hunger at the moon on high. |
| Gronw |
Is there a servant who could show us the way? |
| Blodeuwedd |
No on would dare do that. Except me. |
| Gronw |
You? |
| Blodeuwedd |
The night and I are cousins And wolves don't hunt the scent of flowers. |
| Gronw |
Is it true you were conjured from wild flowers? |
| Blodeuwedd |
(Taking the flowers from the table.) Do you see these – how still they are. You could imagine their beauty eternal, And yet they'll die. They were plucked And placed some time ago as this hall's decoration. Arranged to stand sweetly, like this – but without root. Their life ducts are already speared with decay And those stems are dying. Soon they'll wilt And drop these wings of vibrant colour to the floor. They'll pale and fade and die before their time... Lord, would you say I'm beautiful? |
| Gronw |
The world's rose. |
| Blodeuwedd |
Yet, I too am fading. I have no root nor earth among men. A drop of water can ease these flowers' drooping And stay their death – but I was wrenched By an uncaring hand and put here to die Without one soothing element to save my bloom. |
| Gronw |
What do you want? |
| Blodeuwedd |
Tell me your secret Then I'll tell you my desires. |
| Gronw |
From the moment I saw you, I loved you. |
| Blodeuwedd |
And is that why you want to leave me? |
| Gronw |
You are already married – and at your husband's table I've sat and supped. Wasn't I Duty bound to respect his rights? |
| Blodeuwedd |
And now? |
| Gronw |
Oh, I'm so lost in my lust for you, That I cannot think of duty nor of honour now. Your face, my fair goddess, is the sphere, Where the world's wonders abide, Which have entranced me to forget Rules and propriety. You are for me Hope's far limit, haven of my dreams Where I wish to anchor my lusty youth. |
| Blodeuwedd |
And no more talk of leaving? |
| Gronw |
No, never again. |
| Blodeuwedd |
And your noble peers, your own good standing Within your family, and their code of honour? |
| Gronw |
They are forgotten. |
| Blodeuwedd |
No – don't forget anything In case they return one day to prey upon you, To still your blood and douse the fires of lust. But, choose between us, between them and me. Their sober morals, honed by civilisation; And my unfettered kisses and my lust. And think before you choose. From them The security of lifelong friends, a future partner Perhaps, to share your estate and life, Traditions and expectations to smother you, An honourable burial in your forebears' vault And dutiful children to carry your coffin. With me there's no security beyond the present He who loves me must love danger, and tread The lonely road to freedom. In his life He'll have no friends, nor children to nurse him To his grave. Only this wild cascade of hair To swamp his senses, and these, my breasts To give him hidden moments away from worldly care – And these seconds shall be his heaven... You choose. |
| Gronw |
Who knows his future. What would it profit a man To forfeit a tender tonight for some tomorrow That might be an empty hope. Tonight exists, excites me. We were thrown together; how could I leave this And lose it like a dream too soon disturbed, And spurn this gift from the gods. I've chosen. Your beauty is queen of my intentions, Your will is now enthroned to rule my soul. |
| Blodeuwedd |
My whole will is desire's decree. Listen, my lad. The day that I was caught And made captive to the court and bed of my husband Gwydion gave me a strange and heady wine Stolen, so it's said, by Prince Pryderi from the Underworld. This I tasted, then hid away, promising myself That I would not taste of it again Until I revelled with a man of my choosing The pitcher's long been locked Away, and often I was tempted to taste of it. But today, at dusk, I heard the horn call In the woodlands, its sound a kingly command To end my months of subjugation. I knew That the mouth which sounded that far urging Would drink with me from love's cup tonight. Drink Gronw – my seal is on the rim. |
| Gronw |
I'll drink and pledge to you undying love... |
| Blodeuwedd |
No, dearest, don't pledge me anything. Leave oaths to other men Who guard fragile feelings with the rites And frightened rituals of their religions. What would oaths signify, except That this moment's bliss does not itself suffice? No more talk on this, the tenderest night, No thoughts of what may follow. Nature's powers swell within me now, to sate you. And unless I tire, you shall not ebb. |
| Gronw |
Let this cup, where your lips have touched Be a foretaste of your kisses. Tonight I would be happy to die in your arms, woman, Rather than wake without you in some tomorrow. |
| Blodeuwedd |
Rhagnell. Rhagnell... |
| RHAGNELL comes. |
|
| Blodeuwedd |
Prepare my bed tonight In the crystal chamber. Place on it The whitest, finest linen, as before When I slept that first night of all. |
| RHAGNELL goes. |
|
| Blodeuwedd |
Friend – what did you see to make you like me? |
| Gronw |
Who can tell... Your face, your form, your walk And your body's beauty burning through your dress. |
| Blodeuwedd |
And nothing else? Didn't you witness The wonder of my awakening? Before you came This body was a prison round me Like a dead husk trapping a chrysalis; You came like a spring to breathe verdant life where I lay To give my flesh its wings, my blood its surge. I'll no longer be lonely among families; This relationship will form my roots. It allows me To belong among men. The same nature Courses through sap and blood – no feeble morals Nor judgements can chain the heart that hears The pounding of love within. Come lover, We lay claim to life – and to make love is to be free. |
| CURTAIN |