YOLLAND That's what you want, too, Roland.
[Pause.]
OWEN [Explodes.] George! For God's sake! My name is not Roland!
YOLLAND What?
OWEN [Softly.] My name is Owen. [Pause.]
YOLLAND Not Roland? OWEN Owen. YOLLAND You mean to say?? OWEN Owen. YOLLAND But I've been? OWE N O-w-e-n.
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FRIEL: TRANSLATIONS, ACT 3 / 25 11
YOLLAND Where did Roland come from? OWEN I don't know. YOLLAND It was never Roland? OWEN Never. YOLLAND O my God!
[Pause. They stare at one another. Then the absurdity of the situation strikes them suddenly. They explode with laughter, OWEN pours drinks. As they roll about their lines overlap.]
YOLLAND Why didn't you tell me?
OWEN Do I look like a Roland? YOLLAND Spell Owen again.
OWEN I was getting fond of Roland.
YOLLAND O my God!
OWEN O-w-e-n.
YOLLAND What'll we write?
OWEN ?in the Name-Book?!
YOLLAND R-o-w-e-n!
OWEN Or what about Ol-
YOLLAND Ol- what?
OWEN Oland!
[And again they explode. MANUS enters. He is very elated. ]
MANUS What's the celebration?
OWEN A christening!
YOLLAND A baptism!
OWEN A hundred christenings!
YOLLAND A thousand baptisms! Welcome to Eden!
OWEN Eden's right! We name a thing and?bang!?it leaps into existence!5
YOLLAND Each name a perfect equation with its roots.
OWEN A perfect congruence with its reality.
[To MANUS.] Take a drink. YOLLAND Poteen?beautiful. OWEN Lying Anna's poteen. YOLLAND Anna na mBreag's poteen. OWEN Excellent, George. YOLLAND I'll decode you yet. OWEN [Offers drink.] Manus? MANUS Not if that's what it does to you. OWEN You're right. Steady?steady?sober up?sober up. YOLLAND Sober as a judge, Owen.
[MANUS moves beside OWEN.]
MANUS I've got good news! Where's Father?
OWEN He's gone out. What's the good news?
MANUS I've been offered a job.
OWEN Where? [Now aware of YOLLAND.] Come on, man?speak in English.
MANUS For the benefit of the colonist?
OWEN He's a decent man.
MANUS Aren't they all at some level?
OWEN Please.
5. Cf. Adam's naming of every creature (Genesis 2.19?20).
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25 10 / NATION AND LANGUAGE
[MANUS shrugs.]
He's been offered a job. YOLLAND Where? OWEN Well?tell us! MANUS I've just had a meeting with two men from Inis Meadhon.6 They want
me to go there and start a hedge-school. They're giving me a free house,
