MANUS holds SARAH'S hands in his and he articulates slowly and distinctly into her face.
MANUS We're doing very well. An d we're going to try it once more?just once more. Now?relax and breathe in . . . deep . . . and out . . . in . . . and out . . .
[SARAH shakes her head vigorously and stubbornly.] MANUS Com e on, Sarah. This is our secret.
[Again vigorous and stubborn shaking of SARAH'S head.] MANUS Nobody's listening. Nobody hears you. JIMMY 'Ton d'emeibet epeita thea glaukopis Athene . . .'6 MANUS Get your tongue and your lips working. 'My name?' Come on. One
more try. 'My name is?' Good girl.
SARAH My . . .
MANUS Great. 'My name?'
SARAH My . . . my . . .
MANUS Raise your head. Shout it out. Nobody's listening.
JIMMY '. . . alia hekelos estai en Atreidao domois . . . '7
MANUS Jimmy, please! Once more?just once more?'My name?' Good girl.
Come on now. Head up. Mouth open.
SARAH My . . .
MANUS Good.
SARAH My . . .
MANUS Great.
SARAH My name . . .
MANUS Yes?
[SARAH pauses. Then in a rush.]
SARAH My name is Sarah.
MANUS Marvellous! Bloody marvellous!
[MANUS hugs SARAH. She smiles in shy, embarrassed pleasure.]
Did you hear that, Jimmy??'My name is Sarah'?clear as a bell. [To SARAH.]
The Infant Prodigy doesn't know what we're at.
[SARAH laughs at this. MANUS hugs her again and stands up.]
No w we're really started! Nothing'Il stop us now! Nothing in the wide world!
[JIMMY, chuckling at his text, comes over to them.] JIMMY Listen to this, Manus. MANUS Soon you'll be telling me all the secrets that have been in that head
of yours all these years.
5. Latin and Greek were taught and used in the of Homer's epic, she plots Odysseus' return home, hedge schools. after his ten-year absence. A disguise, as a dirty and 6. But the grey-eyed goddess Athene then replied shriveled old man, will enable him to trick and kill to him (Odyssey, XIII, 420) [Friel's note]. Athena, the suitors to his wife, Penelope. ancient Greek goddess of war, wisdom, and the 7. But he sits at ease in the halls of the Sons of city, was a tutelary god to the hero Odysseus, also Athens (Odyssey, XIII, 423-4) [Friel's note]. known by the Roman name Ulysses. In this scene
.
FRIEL: TRANSLATIONS, ACT 1 / 247 9
Certainly, James?what is it? [To SARAH. | Maybe you'd set out the stools?
[MANUS runs up the stairs. ] JIMMY Wait till you hear this, Manus. MANUS Go ahead. I'll be straight down. JIMMY HOS ara min phamene rabdo epemassat Athene?' 'After Athene had
said this, she touched Ulysses with her wand. She withered the fair skin of his supple limbs and destroyed the flaxen8 hair from off his head and about his limbs she put the skin of an old man . . . '! The divil! The divil!
[MANUS has emerged again with a howl of milk and a piece of bread.] JIMMY' And wait till you hear! She's not finished with him yet! [As MANUS descends the stairs he toasts SARAH with his bowl.]
JIMMY 'Knuzosen de oi osse?' 'She dimmed his two eyes that were so beautiful and clothed hi m in a vile ragged cloak begrimed with filthy smoke . . .'! D'you see! Smoke! Smoke! D'you see! Sure look at what the same turf-smoke has done to myself! [He rapidly removes his hat to display his bald head.] Woul d you call that flaxen hair?
MANUS Of course I would.
JIMMY 'And about him she cast the great skin of a filthy hind,9 stripped of the hair, and into his hand she thrust a staff and a wallet'! Ha-ha-ha! Athene did that to Ulysses! Made him into a tramp! Isn't she the tight one?
MANUS You couldn't watch her, Jimmy. JIMMY' You know what they call her? MANUS 'Glaukopis Athene.' JIMMY' That's it! The flashing-eyed Athene! By God, Manus, sir, if you had a
woman like that about the house, it's not stripping a turf1-bank you'd be
