As he crosses the room he touches and has a word for each person. ] OWE N Doalty! [Playftd punch.] How are you, boy? facobe, quid agis?7 Are you well? JIMM Y Fine. Fine. OWE N And Bridget! Give us a kiss. Aaaaaah! BRIDGET You're welcome, Owen.
6. Greek playwright (ca. 484?406 B.C.E.) . 7. James, how are you? [Latin; Friel's note].
.
FRIEL: TRANSLATIONS, ACT 3 / 25 11
OWEN It's not?? Yes, it is Maire Chatach! God! A young woman! MAIRE How are you, Owen? [OWEN is now in front of HUGH. He puts his two hands on his father's shoidders, ] OWEN And how's the old man himself? HUGH Fair?fair. OWEN Fair? For God's sake you never looked better! Come here to me. [He
embraces HUGH warmly and genuinely.] Great to see you, Father. Great to
be back.
[HUGH'S eyes are moist?partly joy, partly the drink.] HUGH I?I'm?I'm?pay no attention to? OWEN Come on?come on?come on?[He gives HUGH his handkerchief] Do you know what you and I are going to do tonight? We are going to go up to
Anna na mBreag's . . . DOALTY Not there, Owen. OWEN Why not? DOALTY Her poteen's8 worse than ever. BRIDGET They say she puts frogs in it! OWEN All the better. [To HUGH.] And you and I are going to get footless drunk.
That's arranged.
[OWEN sees MANUS coming down the steps with tea and soda hread. They meet at the bottom.]
And Manus! MANUS You're welcome, Owen. OWEN I know I am. And it's great to be here. [He turns round, arms out
stretched.] I can't believe it. I come back after six years and everything's just as it was! Nothing's changed! Not a thing! [Sniffs.] Even that smell?that's the same smell this place always had. What is it anyway? Is it the straw?
DOALTY Jimmy Jack's feet.
[General laughter. It opens little pockets of conversation round the room.]
OWEN And Doalty Dan Doalty hasn't changed either!
DOALTY Bloody right, Owen.
OWEN Jimmy, are you well? JIMMY Dodging about.
OWEN Any word of the big day?
[This is greeted with 'ohs' and 'ahs'.]
Time enough, Jimmy. Homer's easier to live with, isn't he? MAIRE We heard stories that you own ten big shops in Dublin9?is it true? OWEN Only nine. BRIDGET And you've twelve horses and six servants. OWEN Yes?that's true. God Almighty, would you listen to them?taking a
hand at me! MANUS When did you arrive? OWEN We left Dublin yesterday morning, spent last night in Omagh and got
here half an hour ago. MANUS You're hungry then. HUGH Indeed?get him food?get him a drink.
8. Local whiskey illegally distilled to evade British 9. Ireland's capital was the site of English military taxation. and political power.
.
25 10 / NATION AND LANGUAGE
OWEN Not now, thanks; later. Listen?am I interrupting you all? HUGH By no means. We're finished for the day. OWEN Wonderful. I'll tell you why. Two friends of mine are waiting outside
the door. They'd like to meet you and I'd like you to meet them. May I bring
them in? HUGH Certainly. You'll all eat and have . . . OWEN Not just yet, Father. You've seen the sappers working in this area for
the past fortnight, haven't you? Well, the older man is Captain Lancey . . . HUGH I've met Captain Lancey. OWEN Great. He's the cartographer in charge of this whole area. Cartogra
pher?James?
[OWEN begins to play this game?his father's game?partly to involve his classroom audience, partly to show he has not forgotten it, and indeed partly because he enjoys it.]
JIMMY A maker of maps. OWEN Indeed?and the younger man that I travelled with from Dublin, his
name is Lieutenant Yolland and he is attached to the toponymic depart
ment?Father??responde?responde! HUGH He gives names to places. OWEN Indeed?although he is in fact an orthographer?Doalty??too slow?
Manus? MANUS The correct spelling of those names. OWEN Indeed?indeed!
[OWEN laughs and claps his hands. Some of the others join in.]
Beautiful! Beautiful! Honest to God, it's such a delight to be back here with
you all again?'civilised' people. Anyhow?may I bring them in? HUGH Your friends are our friends. OWEN I'll be straight back.
