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"Synge was right of course. But Ireland, blind and bitter, never knew that.""You're harsh about your country.""Do you know my play The Green Helmet?""Indeed I do sir. Everyone boasting and fighting.""Well that's how I saw the place after the death of Synge."Yeats sought to remember the lines."Here neighbour wars on neighbour, and why there is no man knows ..."Esson finished the lines."And if a man is lucky all wish his luck away,And take his good name from him ...."Yeats smiled."And that was ten years ago. I've not changed my view from Oxford.""Will you go back to Ireland?""I can't see it. Not permanently. I'm still a director of the Abbey of course. I shallalways re-visit - to see Augusta Gregory if no one else. But my wife is Englishand what with the Black and Tans on the loose there, shooting and burning, theIrish have a renewed disregard for the English at present."Then, as if to think of more reasons why he should not go back, he added:"And we shall have not one child Esson but soon two to look after."Yeats sniffed the air, went over to poke the dead blossoms with his finger."To tell you the truth, I'm loathe to make plays where they're only half-welcomed.""But you have supporters sir. And more than fifty.""I have, Esson. That's why I gave the premier of At the Hawk's Well in LadyCunard's drawing room in 1916. I invited only those who cared for poetry.""Will you take the play to the Theatre later on?""Perhaps. But 1 am content if it finds small appreciative audiences. I revived itat Lady Islington's drawing room at Chesterfield Gardens a few days later.""Where many there?""About three hundred.""I hope they appreciated it.""They were half-hearted Esson. Half-hearted."Esson had to be very careful how he said this."Sir, did you not think once that plays should be done first in their own country?""Once I did. But much has happened to change my mind Esson.""I have of course only read At the Hawk's Well in a magazine - Harper's Bazaarwasn't it?""That's right. Harper's Bazaar.""I think it very fine indeed sir, and I can see why an artist - "Esson looked around to see if perhaps the window was open."What is it Esson?""I can smell something -like flowers.""Continue Esson. What were you saying?""I can see why an artist as fastidious as yourself should turn your back on thecrowd and seek a more sophisticated audience - after all, the Elizabethansthemselves did no less - but, what drew you to the Noh theatre?""Ah! Excellent question!""Why the Japanese?""I was drawn by the utter simplicity of it. At the Hawk's Well is only the firstof my plays for dancers. I've written three more. You see, my blunder had beennot to learn about the Noh theatre of Japan when I was young. 1 wanted to writeabout ancient themes. My theatre must belong to a time before glue and size andflats and curtains. I needed a theatre ancient enough to match my themes. Somethingquickly made by unrolling a carpet or marking out a place with a stick. SettingWESTERLY, No.2, JUNE, 1989 47