The Bard begins!
Merciful Creator! Does it thunder, or is the earth quaking? Or can
it be the tempestuous ocean hurling its waves against the shore? [71]
Nay! It is not thunder, neither is the earth quaking, nor is the
stormy ocean beating upon the shore!
Lo! the saints are dividing among themselves the treasures of Heaven,
of Earth and of Sea: Saint Peter and St. Nicholas, St. John and
St. Elias; with them, too, is St. Panthelias.
Suddenly there comes Beata Maria, tears streaming down her white face.
"Dear sister ours," spake St. Elias, "thou Beata Maria! What great
misfortune hath befallen thee that thou shouldst shed tears down
thy cheeks?"
Thereupon, amid her sobs, Beata Maria said: "O my dear brother, thou
Thunderer Elias! How could I refrain from shedding tears, since I
am just come from India--from India, that accursed country? In that
degraded land there is utter lawlessness: the common people do not
respect their superiors; children do not obey their parents; parents
crush their own children under their feet (may their cheeks blush
at the divan [72] before the very God of truth!) A koom prosecutes
a brother koom before the judge and bears false witness against
him--thus losing his own soul, and damaging one who has acted as a
witness at his wedding or baptism; brother challenges brother to duels;
a bride is not to be entrusted with safety to the care of a dever,
and, alas! even more dreadful things have I seen!"
The Thunderer Elias returned answer: "O sister dear, thou Beata
Maria! Wipe those tears from thy tender face! When we have divided
these treasures we will go to the divan unto our Almighty creator. Him
we will pray, the Truthful One, that He may, in His Infinite Grace,
grant us the Keys of the Seven Heavens, with which we may lock them. I
will seal the clouds that no drop of rain may fall therefrom, neither
abundant rain nor soft dew. Also, the silvery moonbeams shall not shine
at night. Thus for three full years there shall be a heavy drought,
and neither wheat nor wine shall grow, yea, not as much as is needful
for the Holy Mass."
Beata Maria was comforted, and wiped away the tears from her milk-white
face. And the saints turned again to the division of the treasures:
Peter chose wine and wheat and the Keys of the Heavenly Empire; Elias
chose the lightning and thunder; Panthelias, great heats; John chose
brotherhood and koomhood as well as the Holy Cross; Nicholas chose
the seas with the galleys upon them.
The Wrath of God
Then one and all went to divan with the Almighty, to Whom for three
white days and three obscure nights they prayed incessantly. They
prayed and, indeed, their prayers were heard: God gave them the Keys
of the Heavens.
They locked the Seven Heavens; they affixed seals upon the clouds
and lo, for full three years, there fell no drop of rain, neither
rain nor silent dew! Neither shone the silvery moonlight, nor did
wine grow or wheat spring up from the parched ground,--not even as
much as is requisite for the needs of Holy Church.
Behold! The black earth cracked; the living dropped in it. God sent an
awful plague which smote both old and young, severing those who were
dear to each other. The small remnant who remained alive bitterly
repented and turned to the Lord God in whom they truly believed,
and who now blessed them.
And God's benediction which He gave to those people yet remains:
there should be winter and summer once in each year!
As it was long ago, so it is nowadays.
"God Adored, may our thanks reach Thee!
What has been, may it never happen again!"