,,the ,,hour-,,glass  ,a ,,morality  ,by
 ,w4 ,b4 ,yeats     ,,dramatis          
,,personae       ,a ,,wise ,,man      ,a
 ,,fool      ,,some ,,pupils      ,,an  
,,angel      ,,the ,,wise ,,man',s      
,,wife ,,and ,,two ,,children     ,,the 
,,hour-,,glass   ,,scene3 ,a large room 
with a door at the back and another at  
the side opening to an inner room4 ,a   
desk and a chair in the middle4 ,an     
hour-glass on a bracket near the door4  
,a creepy stool near it4 ,some benches4 
,the ,,wise ,,man sitting at his desk4  
,,wise ,,man turning over the pages of a
 book4 ,where is that passage ,i am to  
explain to my pupils to-day8 ,here it   
is1 and the book says that it was       
written by a beggar on the walls of     
,babylon3 ,there are two living         
countries1 the one visible and the one  
invisible2 and when it is winter with us
 it is summer in that country2 and when 
the ,november winds are up among us it  
is lambing-time there4 ,i wish that my  
pupils had asked me to explain any other

 passage1 for this is a hard passage4   
,the ,,fool comes in and stands at the  
door1 holding out his hat4 ,he has a    
pair of shears in the other hand4 ,it   
sounds to me like foolishness2 and yet  
that cannot be1 for the writer of this  
book1 where ,i have found so much       
knowledge1 would not have set it by     
itself on this page1 and surrounded it  
with so many images and so many deep    
colors and so much fine gilding1 if it  
had been foolishness4  ,,fool4 ,give me 
a penny4  ,,wise ,,man4 ,turns to       
another page4 ,here he has written3 ,the
 learned in old times forgot the visible
 country4 ,that ,i understand1 but ,i   
have taught my learners better4  ,,fool4
 ,won't you give me a penny8  ,,wise    
,,man4 ,what do you want8 ,the words of 
the wise ,saracen will not teach you    
much4  ,,fool4 ,such a great wise       
teacher as you are will not refuse a    
penny to a ,fool4  ,,wise ,,man4 ,what  
do you know about wisdom8  ,,fool4 ,oh1 
,i know6 ,i know what ,i have seen4     

,,wise ,,man4 ,what is it you have seen8
  ,,fool4 ,when ,i went by ,kilcluan    
where the bells used to be ringing at   
the break of every day1 ,i could hear   
nothing but the people snoring in their 
houses4 ,when ,i went by ,tubbervanach  
where the young men used to be climbing 
the hill to the blessed well1 they were 
sitting at the crossroads playing cards4
 ,when ,i went by ,carrigoras where the 
friars used to be fasting and serving   
the poor1 ,i saw them drinking wine and 
obeying their wives4 ,and when ,i asked 
what misfortune had brought all these   
changes1 they said it was no misfortune1
 but it was the wisdom they had learned 
from your teaching4  ,,wise ,,man4 ,run 
round to the kitchen1 and my wife will  
give you something to eat4  ,,fool4     
,that is foolish advice for a wise man  
to give4  ,,wise ,,man4 ,why1 ,fool8    
,,fool4 ,what is eaten is gone4 ,i want 
pennies for my bag4 ,i must buy bacon in
 the shops1 and nuts in the market1 and 
strong drink for the time when the sun  

is weak4 ,and ,i want snares to catch   
the rabbits and the squirrels and the   
bares1 and a pot to cook them in4       
,,wise ,,man4 ,go away4 ,i have other   
things to think of now than giving you  
pennies4  ,,fool4 ,give me a penny and  
,i will bring you luck4 ,bresal the     
,fisherman lets me sleep among the nets 
in his loft in the winter-time because  
he says ,i bring him luck2 and in the   
summer-time the wild creatures let me   
sleep near their nests and their holes4 
,it is lucky even to look at me or to   
touch me1 but it is much more lucky to  
give me a penny4 ,holds out his hand4   
,if ,i wasn't lucky1 ,i'd starve4       
,,wise ,,man4 ,what have you got the    
shears for8  ,,fool4 ,i won't tell you4 
,if ,i told you1 you would drive them   
away4  ,,wise ,,man4 ,whom would ,i     
drive away8  ,,fool4 ,i won't tell you4 
,,wise ,,man4 ,not if ,i give you a     
penny8  ,,fool4 ,no4  ,,wise ,,man4 ,not
 if ,i give you two pennies4  ,,fool4   
,you will be very lucky if you give me  

two pennies1 but ,i won't tell you4     
,,wise ,,man4 ,three pennies8  ,,fool4  
,four1 and ,i will tell you6  ,,wise    
,,man4 ,very well1 four4 ,but ,i will   
not call you ,teigue the ,fool any      
longer4  ,,fool4 ,let me come close to  
you where nobody will hear me4 ,but     
first you must promise you will not     
drive them away4 ,,wise ,,man nods4     
,every day men go out dressed in black  
and spread great black nets over the    
hill1 great black nets4  ,,wise ,,man4  
,why do they do that8  ,,fool4 ,that    
they may catch the feet of the angels4  
,but every morning1 just before the     
dawn1 ,i go out and cut the nets with my
 shears1 and the angels fly away4       
,,wise ,,man4 ,ah1 now ,i know that you 
are ,teigue the ,fool4 ,you have told me
 that ,i am wise1 and ,i have never seen
 an angel4  ,,fool4 ,i have seen plenty 
of angels4  ,,wise ,,man4 ,do you bring 
luck to the angels too4  ,,fool4 ,oh1   
no1 no6 ,no one could do that4 ,but they
 are always there if one looks about    

one2 they are like the blades of grass4 
,,wise ,,man4 ,when do you see them8    
,,fool4 ,when one gets quiet2 then      
something wakes up inside one1 something
 happy and quiet like the stars--not    
like the seven that move1 but like the  
fixed stars4          ,he points upward4
  ,,wise ,,man4 ,and what happens then8 
,,fool4 ,then all in a minute one smells
 summer flowers1 and tall people go by1 
happy and laughing1 and their clothes   
are the color of burning sods4  ,,wise  
,,man4 ,is it long since you have seen  
them1 ,teigue the ,fool8  ,,fool4 ,not  
long1 glory be to ,god6 ,i saw one      
coming behind me just now4 ,it was not  
laughing1 but it had clothes the color  
of burning sods1 and there was something
 shining about its head4  ,,wise ,,man4 
,well1 there are your four pennies4     
,you1 a fool1 say ,glory be to ,god1 but
 before ,i came the wise men said it4   
,run away now4 ,i must ring the bell for
 my scholars4  ,,fool4 ,four pennies6   
,that means a great deal of luck4 ,great

 teacher1 ,i have brought you plenty of 
luck6   ,he goes out shaking the bag4   
,,wise ,,man4 ,though they call him     
,teigue the ,fool1 he is not more       
foolish than everybody used to be1 with 
their dreams and their preachings and   
their three worlds2 but ,i have         
overthrown their three worlds with the  
seven sciences4 ,he touches the books   
with his hands4 ,with ,philosophy that  
was made for the lonely star1 ,i have   
taught them to forget ,theology2 with   
,architecture1 ,i have hidden the       
ramparts of their cloudy heaven2 with   
,music1 the fierce planets' daughter    
whose hair is always on fire1 and with  
,grammar that is the moon's daughter1 ,i
 have shut their ears to the imaginary  
harpings and speech of the angels2 and  
,i have made formations of battle with  
,arithmetic that have put the hosts of  
heaven to the rout4 ,but1 ,rhetoric and 
,dialectic1 that have been born out of  
the light star and out of the amorous   
star1 you have been my spearman and my  

catapult6 ,oh6 my swift horseman6 ,oh6  
my keen darting arguments1 it is because
 of you that ,i have overthrown the     
hosts of foolishness6 ,an ,,angel1 in a 
dress the color of embers1 and carrying 
a blossoming apple bough in his hand and
 with a gilded halo about his head1     
stands upon the threshold4 ,before ,i   
came1 men's minds were stuffed with     
folly about a heaven where birds sang   
the hours1 and about angels that came   
and stood upon men's thresholds4 ,but ,i
 have locked the visions into heaven and
 turned the key upon them4 ,well1 ,i    
must consider this passage about the two
 countries4 ,my mother used to say      
something of the kind4 ,she would say   
that when our bodies sleep our souls    
awake1 and that whatever withers here   
ripens yonder1 and that harvests are    
snatched from us that they may feed     
invisible people4 ,but the meaning of   
the book must be different1 for only    
fools and women have thoughts like that2
 their thoughts were never written upon 

the walls of ,babylon4 ,he sees the     
,,angel4 ,what are you8 ,who are you8 ,i
 think ,i saw some that were like you in
 my dreams when ,i was a child--that    
bright thing1 that dress that is the    
color of embers6 ,but ,i have done with 
dreams1 ,i have done with dreams4       
,,angel4 ,i am the ,angel of the ,most  
,high ,god4  ,,wise ,,man4 ,why have you
 come to me8  ,,angel4 ,i have brought  
you a message4  ,,wise ,,man4 ,what     
message have you got for me8  ,,angel4  
,you will die within the hour4 ,you will
 die when the last grains have fallen in
 this glass4     ,he turns the          
hour-glass4  ,,wise ,,man4 ,my time to  
die has not come4 ,i have my pupils4 ,i 
have a young wife and children that ,i  
cannot leave4 ,why must ,i die8         
,,angel4 ,you must die because no souls 
have passed over the threshold of heaven
 since you came into this country4 ,the 
threshold is grassy1 and the gates are  
rusty1 and the angels that keep watch   
there are lonely4  ,,wise ,,man4 ,where 

will death bring me to8  ,,angel4 ,the  
doors of heaven will not open to you1   
for you have denied the existence of    
heaven2 and the doors of purgatory will 
not open to you1 for you have denied the
 existence of purgatory4  ,,wise ,,man4 
,but ,i have also denied the existence  
of hell6  ,,angel4 ,hell is the place of
 those who deny4  ,,wise ,,man kneeling4
 ,i have indeed denied everything and   
have taught others to deny4 ,i have     
believed in nothing but what my senses  
told me4 ,but1 oh6 beautiful ,angel1    
forgive me1 forgive me6  ,,angel4 ,you  
should have asked forgiveness long ago4 
,,wise ,,man4 ,had ,i seen your face as 
,i see it now1 oh6 beautiful ,angel1 ,i 
would have believed1 ,i would have asked
 forgiveness4 ,maybe you do not know how
 easy it is to doubt4 ,storm1 death1 the
 grass rotting1 many sicknesses1 those  
are the messengers that came to me4 ,oh6
 why are you silent8 ,you carry the     
pardon of the ,most ,high2 give it to   
me6 ,i would kiss your hands if ,i were 

not afraid-- no1 no1 the hem of your    
dress6  ,,angel4 ,you let go undying    
hands too long ago to take hold of them 
now4  ,,wise ,,man4 ,you cannot         
understand4 ,you live in that country   
people only see in their dreams4 ,you   
live in a country that we can only dream
 about4 ,maybe it is as hard for you to 
understand why we disbelieve as it is   
for us to believe4 ,oh6 what have ,i    
said6 ,you know everything6 ,give me    
time to undo what ,i have done4 ,give me
 a year--a month--a day--an hour6 ,give 
me this hour's end1 that ,i may undo    
what ,i have done6  ,,angel4 ,you cannot
 undo what you have done4 ,yet ,i have  
this power with my message4 ,if you can 
find one that believes before the hour's
 end1 you shall come to heaven after the
 years of purgatory4 ,for1 from one     
fiery seed1 watched over by those that  
sent me1 the harvest can come again to  
heap the golden threshing-floor4 ,but   
now farewell1 for ,i am weary of the    
weight of time4  ,,wise ,,man4 ,blessed 

be the ,father1 blessed be the ,son1    
blessed be the ,spirit1 blessed be the  
,messenger ,they have sent6  ,,angel at 
the door and pointing at the hour-glass4
 ,in a little while the uppermost glass 
will be empty4        ,goes out4  ,,wise
 ,,man4 ,everything will be well with   
me4 ,i will call my pupils2 they only   
say they doubt4 ,pulls the bell4 ,they  
will be here in a moment4 ,i hear their 
feet outside on the path4 ,they want to 
please me2 they pretend that they       
disbelieve4 ,belief is too old to be    
overcome all in a minute4 ,besides1 ,i  
can prove what ,i once disproved4       
,another pull at the bell4 ,they are    
coming now4 ,i will go to my desk4 ,i   
will speak quietly1 as if nothing had   
happened4  ,he stands at the desk with a
 fixed look in his eyes4  ,enter        
,,pupils and the ,,fool4  ,,fool4 ,leave
 me alone4 ,leave me alone4 ,who is that
 pulling at my bag8 ,king's son1 do not 
pull at my bag4  ,a ,,young ,,man4 ,did 
your friends the angels give you that   

bag8 ,why don't they fill your bag for  
you8  ,,fool4 ,give me pennies6 ,give me
 some pennies6  ,a ,,young ,,man4 ,let  
go his cloak1 it is coming to pieces4   
,what do you want pennies for1 with that
 great bag at your waist8  ,,fool4 ,i   
want to buy bacon in the shops1 and nuts
 in the market1 and strong drink for the
 time when the sun is weak1 and snares  
to catch rabbits and the squirrels that 
steal the nuts1 and hares1 and a great  
pot to cook them in4  ,a ,,young ,,man4 
,why don't your friends tell you where  
buried treasures are8  ,,another4 ,why  
don't they make you dream about         
treasures8 ,if one dreams three times1  
there is always treasure4  ,,fool       
holding out his hat4 ,give me pennies6  
,give me pennies6  ,they throw pennies  
into his hat4 ,he is standing close to  
the door1 that he may hold out his hat  
to each newcomer4  ,a ,,young ,,man4    
,master1 will you have ,teigue the ,fool
 for a scholar8  ,,another ,,young      
,,man4 ,teigue1 will you give us pennies

 if we teach you lessons8 ,no1 he goes  
to school for nothing on the mountains4 
,tell us what you learn on the          
mountains1 ,teigue8  ,,wise ,,man4 ,be  
silent all4 ,he has been standing       
silent1 looking away4 ,stand still in   
your places1 for there is something ,i  
would have you tell me4  ,a moment's    
pause4 ,they all stand round in their   
places4 ,,teigue still stands at the    
door4  ,,wise ,,man4 ,is there any one  
amongst you who believes in ,god8 ,in   
heaven8 ,or in purgatory8 ,or in hell8  
,,all ,,the ,,young ,,men4 ,no one2     
,master6 ,no one6  ,,wise ,,man4 ,i knew
 you would all say that2 but do not be  
afraid4 ,i will not be angry4 ,tell me  
the truth4 ,do you not believe8  ,a     
,,young ,,man4 ,we once did1 but you    
have taught us to know better4  ,,wise  
,,man4 ,oh6 teaching1 teaching does not 
go very deep6 ,the heart remains        
unchanged under it all4 ,you believe    
just as you always did1 and you are     
afraid to tell me4  ,a ,,young ,,man4   

,no1 no1 master4  ,,wise ,,man4 ,if you 
tell me that you believe ,i shall be    
glad and not angry4  ,a ,,young ,,man4  
,to his neighbor4 ,he wants somebody to 
dispute with4  ,,his ,,neighbor4 ,i knew
 that from the beginning4  ,a ,,young   
,,man4 ,that is not the subject for     
to-day2 you were going to talk about the
 words the beggar wrote upon the walls  
of ,babylon4  ,,wise ,,man4 ,if there is
 one amongst you that believes1 he will 
be my best friend4 ,surely there is one 
amongst you4 ,they are all silent4      
,surely what you learned at your        
mother's knees has not been so soon     
forgotten4  ,a ,,young ,,man4 ,master1  
till you came1 no teacher in this land  
was able to get rid of foolishness and  
ignorance4 ,but every one has listened  
to you1 every one has learned the truth4
 ,you have had your last disputation4   
,,another4 ,what a fool you made of that
 monk in the market-place6 ,he had not a
 word to say4  ,,wise ,,man4 ,comes from
 his desk and stands among them in the  

middle of the room4 ,pupils1 dear       
friends1 ,i have deceived you all this  
time4 ,it was ,i myself who was         
ignorant4 ,there is a ,god4 ,there is a 
heaven4 ,there is fire that passes1 and 
there is fire that lasts for ever4      
,,teigue1 through all this1 is sitting  
on a stool by the door1 reckoning on his
 fingers what he will buy with his      
money4  ,a ,,young ,,man to another4 ,he
 will not be satisfied till we dispute  
with him4 ,to the ,,wise ,,man4 ,prove  
it1 master4 ,have you seen them8  ,,wise
 ,,man in a low1 solemn voice4 ,just    
now1 before you came in1 some one came  
to the door1 and when ,i looked up ,i   
saw an angel standing there4  ,a ,,young
 ,,man4 ,you were in a dream4 ,anybody  
can see an angel in his dreams4  ,,wise 
,,man4 ,oh1 my ,god6 it was not a dream4
 ,i was awake1 waking as ,i am now4 ,i  
tell you ,i was awake as ,i am now4  ,a 
,,young ,,man4 ,some dream when they are
 awake1 but they are the crazy1 and who 
would believe what they say8 ,forgive   

me1 master1 but that is what you taught 
me to say4 ,that is what you said to the
 monk when he spoke of the visions of   
the saints and the martyrs4  ,,another  
,,young ,,man4 ,you see how well we     
remember your teaching4  ,,wise ,,man4  
,out1 out from my sight6 ,i want some   
one with belief4 ,i must find that grain
 the ,angel spoke of before ,i die4 ,i  
tell you ,i must find it1 and you answer
 me with arguments4 ,out with you1 or ,i
 will beat you with my stick6 ,the young
 men laugh4  ,a ,,young ,,man4 ,how well
 he plays at faith6 ,he is like the monk
 when he had nothing more to say4       
,,wise ,,man4 ,out1 out1 or ,i will lay 
this stick about your shoulders6 ,out   
with you1 though you are a king's son6  
,they begin to hurry out4  ,a ,,young   
,,man4 ,come1 come2 he wants us to find 
some one who will dispute with him4     
,all go out4  ,,wise ,,man alone4 ,he   
goes to the door at the side4 ,i will   
call my wife4 ,she will believe2 women  
always believe4 ,he opens the door and  

calls4 ,bridget6 ,bridget6 ,,bridget    
comes in wearing her apron1 her sleeves 
turned up from her floury arms4         
,bridget1 tell me the truth2 do not say 
what you think will please me4 ,do you  
sometimes say your prayers8  ,,bridget4 
,prayers6 ,no1 you taught me to leave   
them off long ago4 ,at first ,i was     
sorry1 but ,i am glad now1 for ,i am    
sleepy in the evenings4  ,,wise ,,man4  
,but do you not believe in ,god8        
,,bridget4 ,oh1 a good wife only        
believes what her husband tells her6    
,,wise ,,man4 ,but sometimes when you   
are alone1 when ,i am in the school and 
the children asleep1 do you not think   
about the saints1 about the things you  
used to believe in8 ,what do you think  
of when you are alone8  ,,bridget       
considering4 ,i think about nothing4    
,sometimes ,i wonder if the pig is      
fattening well1 or ,i go out to see if  
the crows are picking up the chickens'  
food4  ,,wise ,,man4 ,oh1 what can ,i   
do6 ,is there nobody who believes8 ,i   

must go and find somebody6 ,he goes     
toward the door but with his eyes fixed 
on the hour-glass4 ,i cannot go out2 ,i 
cannot leave that6  ,,bridget4 ,you want
 somebody to get up argument with4      
,,wise ,,man4 ,oh1 look out of the door 
and tell me if there is anybody there in
 the street4 ,i cannot leave this glass2
 somebody might shake it6 ,then the sand
 would fall quickly4  ,,bridget4 ,i     
don't understand what you are saying4   
,looks out4 ,there is a crowd of people 
talking to your pupils4  ,,wise ,,man4  
,oh1 run out1 ,bridget1 and see if they 
have found somebody that believes6      
,,bridget wiping her arms in her apron  
and pulling down her sleeves4 ,it's a   
hard thing to be married to a man of    
learning that must be always having     
arguments4 ,goes out and shouts through 
the kitchen door4 ,don't be meddling    
with the bread1 children1 while ,i'm    
out4  ,,wise ,,man4 ,kneels down4       
,salvum me fac1                         
,deus--salvum--salvum4444 ,i have       

forgotten it all4 ,it is thirty years   
since ,i said a prayer4 ,i must pray in 
the common tongue1 like a clown begging 
in the market like ,teigue the ,fool6   
,he prays4 ,help me1 ,father1 ,son1 and 
,spirit6  ,,bridget enters1 followed by 
the ,,fool1 who is holding out his hat  
to her4  ,,fool4 ,give me something2    
give me a penny to buy bacon in the     
shops1 and nuts in the market1 and      
strong drink for the time when the sun  
grows weak4  ,,bridget4 ,i have no      
pennies4 ,to the ,,wise ,,man4 ,your    
pupils cannot find anybody to argue with
 you4 ,there is nobody in the whole     
country who had enough belief to fill a 
pipe with since you put down the monk4  
,can't you be quiet now and not always  
be wanting to have arguments8 ,it must  
be terrible to have a mind like that4   
,,wise ,,man4 ,i am lost6 ,i am lost6   
,,bridget4 ,leave me alone now2 ,i have 
to make the bread for you and the       
children4  ,,wise ,,man4 ,out of this1  
woman1 out of this1 ,i say6 ,,bridget   

goes through the kitchen door4 ,will    
nobody find a way to help me6 ,but she  
spoke of my children4 ,i had forgotten  
them4 ,they will believe4 ,it is only   
those who have reason that doubt2 the   
young are full of faith4 ,bridget1      
,bridget1 send my children to me6       
,,bridget inside4 ,your father wants    
you1 run to him now4  ,the two children 
came in4 ,they stand together a little  
way from the threshold of the kitchen   
door1 looking timidly at their father4  
,,wise ,,man4 ,children1 what do you    
believe8 ,is there a heaven8 ,is there a
 hell8 ,is there a purgatory8  ,,first  
,,child4 ,we haven't forgotten1 father4 
,,the ,,other ,,child4 ,oh1 no1 father4 
,they both speak together as if in      
school4 ,there is no heaven2 there is no
 hell2 there is nothing we cannot see4  
,,first ,,child4 ,foolish people used to
 think that there were1 but you are very
 learned and you have taught us better4 
,,wise ,,man4 ,you are just as bad as   
the others1 just as bad as the others6  

,out of the room with you1 out of the   
room6 ,the children begin to cry and run
 away4 ,go away1 go away6 ,i will teach 
you better--no1 ,i will never teach you 
again4 ,go to your mother--no1 she will 
not be able to teach them4444 ,help     
them1 ,o ,god6 ,alone4 ,the grains are  
going very quickly4 ,there is very      
little sand in the uppermost glass4     
,somebody will come for me in a moment2 
perhaps he is at the door now6 ,all     
creatures that have reason doubt4 ,o    
that the grass and the planets could    
speak6 ,somebody has said that they     
would wither if they doubted4 ,o speak  
to me1 ,o grass blades6 ,o fingers of   
,god's certainty1 speak to me4 ,you are 
millions and you will not speak4 ,i dare
 not know the moment the messenger will 
come for me4 ,i will cover the glass4   
,he covers it and brings it to the desk1
 and the ,,fool1 is sitting by the door 
fiddling with some flowers which he has 
stuck in his hat4 ,he has begun to blow 
a dandelion head4 ,what are you doing8  

,,fool4 ,wait a moment4 ,he blows4      
,four1 five1 six4  ,,wise ,,man4 ,what  
are you doing that for8  ,,fool4 ,i am  
blowing at the dandelion to find out    
what time it is4  ,,wise ,,man4 ,you    
have heard everything6 ,that is why you 
want to find out what hour it is6 ,you  
are waiting to see them coming through  
the door to carry me away4 ,,fool goes  
on blowing4 ,out through the door with  
you6 ,i will have no one here when they 
come4 ,he seizes the ,,fool by the      
shoulders1 and begins to force him out  
through the door1 then suddenly changes 
his mind4 ,no1 ,i have something to ask 
you4 ,he drags him back into the room4  
,is there a heaven8 ,is there a hell8   
,is there a purgatory8  ,,fool4 ,so you 
ask me now4 ,i thought when you were    
asking your pupils1 ,i said to myself1  
if he would ask ,teigue the ,fool1      
,teigue could tell him all about it1 for
 ,teigue has learned all about it when  
he has been cutting the nets4  ,,wise   
,,man4 ,tell me2 tell me6  ,,fool4 ,i   

said1 ,teigue knows everything4 ,not    
even the owls and the hares that milk   
the cows have ,teigue's wisdom4 ,but    
,teigue will not speak2 he says nothing4
  ,,wise ,,man4 ,tell me1 tell me6 ,for 
under the cover the grains are falling1 
and when they are all fallen ,i shall   
die2 and my soul will be lost if ,i have
 not found somebody that believes6      
,speak1 speak6  ,,fool looking wise4    
,no1 no1 ,i won't tell you what is in my
 mind1 and ,i won't tell you what is in 
my bag4 ,you might steal away my        
thoughts4 ,i met a bodach on the road   
yesterday1 and he said1 ,teigue1 tell me
 how many pennies are in your bag4 ,i   
will wager three pennies that there are 
not twenty pennies in your bag2 let me  
put in my hand and count them4 ,but ,i  
pulled the strings tighter1 like this2  
and when ,i go to sleep every night ,i  
hide the bag where no one knows4  ,,wise
 ,,man4 ,goes toward the hour-glass as  
if to uncover it4 ,no1 no1 ,i have not  
the courage6 ,he kneels4 ,have pity upon

 me1 ,fool1 and tell me6  ,,fool4 ,ah6  
,now1 that is different4 ,i am not      
afraid of you now4 ,but ,i must come    
near you2 somebody in there might hear  
what the ,angel said4  ,,wise ,,man4    
,oh1 what did the ,angel tell you8      
,,fool4 ,once ,i was alone on the hills1
 and an ,angel came by and he said1     
,teigue the ,fool1 do not forget the    
,three ,fires3 the ,fire that punishes1 
the ,fire that purifies1 and the ,fire  
wherein the soul rejoices for ever6     
,,wise ,,man4 ,he believes6 ,i am saved6
 ,help me4 ,the sand has run out4 ,i am 
dying4444 ,,fool helps him to his chair4
 ,i am going from the country of the    
seven wandering stars1 and ,i am going  
to the country of the fixed stars6 ,ring
 the bell4 ,,fool rings the bell4 ,are  
they coming 8 ,ah6 now ,i hear their    
feet4444 ,i will speak to them4 ,i      
understand it all now4 ,one sinks in on 
,god3 we do not see the truth2 ,god sees
 the truth in us4 ,i cannot speak1 ,i am
 too weak4 ,tell them1 ,fool1 that when 

the life and the mind are broken1 the   
truth comes through them like peas      
through a broken peascod4 ,but no1 ,i   
will pray--yet ,i cannot pray4 ,pray    
,fool1 that they may be given a sign and
 save their souls alive4 ,your prayers  
are better than mine4  ,,fool bows his  
head4 ,,wise ,,man',s head sinks on his 
arm on the books4 ,,pupils enter4  ,a   
,,young ,,man4 ,look at the ,fool turned
 bell-ringer6  ,,another4 ,what have you
 called us in for1 ,teigue8 ,what are   
you going to tell us8  ,,another4 ,no   
wonder he has had dreams6 ,see1 he is   
fast asleep now4 ,goes over and touches 
the ,,wise ,,man4 ,oh1 he is dead6      
,,fool4 ,do not stir6 ,he asked for a   
sign that you might be saved4 ,all are  
silent for a moment4 ,look what has come
 from his mouth444 a little winged      
thing444 a little shining thing4 ,it has
 gone to the door4 ,the ,,angel appears 
in the doorway1 stretches out her hands 
and closes them again4 ,the ,angel has  
taken it in her hands444 she will open  

her hands in the ,garden of ,paradise4  
,they all kneel4