dark. The two sentries stand at the extreme edge of the ramparts to
leave room for the king and his train to pass. When ZEDEKIAH enters they
clash spears on shields in salute and then stand to attention. ZEDEKIAH
is making the rounds, accompanied by ABIMELECH and others. He is unarmed
and bareheaded; his face looks pale and thoughtful in the moonlight. He
halts, and gazes for a time over the plain]
ZEDEKIAH
See how the camp fires burn athwart the plain. It looks as if the black
heavens had fallen upon earth, whence star after star now shines forth.
A people countless in numbers is encamped round Israel. Spears are
leveled; hands are raised; even in sleep, their dreams turn against us.
To-morrow they will all arise as the herbage rises after rain; stillness
will be replaced by the screams of death. This is perchance the last
night of peaceful slumber.
ABIMELECH
Be not despondent, O king. Upon this very wall where now thou standest
sorely troubled, stood aforetime King Hezekiah. His mind, likewise, was
full of care, for in the plain beneath, wave upon wave, countless like
these, lay the hosts of Senaccherib. Then, as now, the flood of Ashur
threatened the holy city. But the Lord stretched forth his hand and
smote the enemy with a pestilence. These walls shall never be broken.
Jerusalem endureth for ever.
THE OTHERS
Jerusalem endureth for ever.
THE VOICE OF JEREMIAH
[From the darkness] Awaken, doomed city, that thou mayest save thyself.
Awaken from your heavy slumbers, heedless ones, lest you be slain in
sleep; awaken, for the walls are crumbling, and will crush you; awaken,
for Ashur's sword is brandished over your heads.
ZEDEKIAH
[On the alert] Who speaks? Who speaks?
VOICES
Who speaks?
THE VOICE OF JEREMIAH
The anger of the Lord hath fallen upon the disturbers of the peace. God
hath sent the king of the north against Israel, to break her towers, and
her pride. Awaken that ye may flee; awaken that ye may save yourselves;
for he has come, the slayer of your sons, the ravisher of your
daughters, he who will lay your fields waste. Awaken, awaken!
ZEDEKIAH
[Shrinking with alarm, and then recovering himself] Who speaks?
FIRST SENTRY
A madman, Lord; he is moonstruck.
VOICES
Close his mouth.--Away with him.--He is mad.
ZEDEKIAH
Nay, bring him hither. I wish to see him. I wish to see that he who
spoke was a living man. Terrible was the sound of his voice. It seemed
to me as if the stones of Jerusalem were uttering lamentations, as if
the words issued from the very walls.
[The two sentries hasten away into the darkness]
ABIMELECH
Suffer not thyself to be misled, Lord. Many in the city have been bought
with Chaldean gold.
OTHERS
Heed him not.--Hurl him from the wall.--Hold no converse with a coward.
[JEREMIAH and BARUCH are brought into the light by the sentries, and
JEREMIAH is thrust forward to the king]
SECOND SENTRY
This is he who spoke the words of shame. He was railing in like fashion,
Lord, just before thou camest.
ZEDEKIAH
There has been talk of one going up and down the city and foretelling
disaster to the people. Is this the man?
VOICES
It is he.--Jeremiah.--Curses light on him.--He foretells
disaster.--Poisons men's hearts.--Bears false witness.
BARUCH
Nay, he is God's messenger and utters words of truth. I testify for him.
VOICES
Who are you to testify?--You are no more than a boy.--Heed him
not.--Such vipers should be crushed.
ZEDEKIAH
Silence. Take the young man away, for I need no testimony.
[BARUCH is pushed back into the shadows]
Draw nearer, Jeremiah. Art thou he who leadest Israel astray?
JEREMIAH
Israel is verily astray, but not by my leadership.
ZEDEKIAH
I know thy voice. My heart tells me that I have heard thee speak, but
never before have I seen thy face. Was it thou who criedst aloud for
peace at the portal of the palace?
JEREMIAH
Yea, Lord, it was I.
ZEDEKIAH
Many voices assailed my ears in that hour, but when I had returned home
at nightfall and lay sleepless on my couch, it was thy call which dinned
in my ears.
JEREMIAH
God's will was that thou shouldst hearken. Woe unto thee that thou
heardest not. Had it been otherwise there would be sleep on thy lids and
peace in Israel.
ABIMELECH
[To JEREMIAH] What make you here on the wall at night? Would you go over
to the Chaldeans? [To the king] Have him seized, for his behavior is
suspicious.
A VOICE
His mother is on her deathbed, for his words have broken her heart. But
he shuns the house, comes here by night, and would parley with the
enemy.
JEREMIAH
[In alarm] My mother is dying?
VOICES
He is a traitor.--Heed him not.--Cast him into prison.
ZEDEKIAH
Be silent, all. My soul is not so weak that I can be swayed by the words
of chatterers. Fear not, Jeremiah, I heard thy voice on the day when we
decided upon war. It resounded in my heart, for a word of peace is the
word of God. But the past is past. War now rages between Ashur and
Israel. Words no longer avail. I cannot stop the war at will.
JEREMIAH
Nay, Lord, but thou canst.
ZEDEKIAH
[Wrathfully] How, tell me how? Dost thou not see the foe encompassing
the walls? Dost thou not hear the spears clashing? What can I do to stop
the war?
JEREMIAH
The issue is in thy hands, for thou art the king.
ZEDEKIAH
It is too late to talk of peace.
JEREMIAH
It is never too late to talk of peace.
ZEDEKIAH
[Still more angrily] Thy words are the words of folly.
JEREMIAH
The shedding of blood digs a trench between the nations. The more deeply
we dig it, the harder to stop the bloodshed. Therefore let words go
before the sword. Seek audience of Nebuchadnezzar; send him an envoy.
ZEDEKIAH
I seek Nebuchadnezzar, my foe?
JEREMIAH
Send envoys, while there is yet time to save Jerusalem.
ZEDEKIAH
Why should I be the one to propose a parley?
JEREMIAH
Blessed is he who first holds out his hand for peace. Blessed is the
king who spares the blood of his people.
ZEDEKIAH
What if I were to offer my hand, only to find the offer rejected?
JEREMIAH
Blessed are they who are rejected for justice' sake, for they are men
after God's heart.
ZEDEKIAH
I tell thee that the very children would mock me, and the women would
laugh at me in my shame.
JEREMIAH
Better to be followed by the laughter of fools than by the tears of
widows. Think not of thyself; but of the people, which God hath
appointed thee to lead. Do God's will, though fools laugh. Thou hast
raised thy head against Ashur. Humble thyself now before him.
ZEDEKIAH
Humble myself?
JEREMIAH
Humble thyself, anointed of the Lord, for the sake of Jerusalem. Open
the gates, open thy heart, thus only canst thou save the city.
ZEDEKIAH
With the sword will I save Jerusalem, at the hazard of my life, but not
of my honor. Thou knowest not what thou askest.
JEREMIAH
Of thee I demand the hardest of duties, as is befitting for the Lord's
anointed. Offer up thy pride, the treasure of thy heart, for the sake of
Jerusalem. Kneel before Nebuchadnezzar, even as I kneel before thee.
Open the gates, and open thy heart. Abase thyself, King Zedekiah, for it
is better thou shouldst be abased than that Israel should be laid low.
ZEDEKIAH
Away with thee, away! I will humble myself before no man on earth.
JEREMIAH
[Springing impetuously to his feet] Accurst, then, be the oil with which
thou wast anointed. Zion has been entrusted to thy hands, and by thy
hands is Zion destroyed. Mayst thou be forgotten by God's mercy, even as
thou hast forgotten Jerusalem. A curse be upon thee, murderer of Zion.
ABIMELECH
Throw him from the wall!
VOICES
He has slandered the king.--Throw him from the wall.
[The members of the king's train close in on JEREMIAH]
ZEDEKIAH
[Who has yielded ground as if attacked by an unseen enemy, recovering
himself] Desist! Harm him not. Think ye that the curse of a fool can
affright me, or an impudent word unman me? [A pause] Nevertheless, the
rumor is true, and this man's speech is full of danger. Like a ram do
his words batter at men's hearts. No longer must such a liar speak
freely to the people, endeavoring to spread dismay among our warriors.
ABIMELECH
He should be put to death. Unworthy to live is the man who has lost
faith in God.
VOICES
Stone the hireling.--He would sell the town to the Chaldeans.--He prays
for our defeat.--Slay him.
ZEDEKIAH
Shall I kill the man who slandered me, that it may be said he filled me
with fear? Jeremiah, I value thy words lightly as air; but once more,
for thine own sake, I ask thee the question. Does thy heart faithfully
assure thee that death hangs over Zion and over all within her walls?
Speak freely.
JEREMIAH
Death is over Jerusalem. Death's hand is upon us all. Naught but
surrender can save us.
ZEDEKIAH
Away then, and surrender. Save thine own life.
[JEREMIAH stares at him in bewilderment]
No man shall sap our powers while he eats our bread. If thou fearest for
Zion, flee from Zion. I give thee thy life. Climb down the wall; seek
out Nebuchadnezzar; take shelter in his camp. If thy word be fulfilled,
puff out thy cheeks and laugh at thy brethren who died for Jerusalem.
ABIMELECH
Too gentle, O king, in thy dealings with this slanderer.
[JEREMIAH struggles for speech]
ZEDEKIAH
Away, renegade, away! Seek out Nebuchadnezzar, whose victory thou
foretellest. Kiss his feet. I stay in the midst of my people and in the
home of my fathers, for my faith shall remain steadfast till my last
breath. False are this man's words! Jerusalem endureth for ever!
THE OTHERS
[Shouting] Jerusalem endureth for ever.--God's house shall never pass
away.
ZEDEKIAH
Haste, haste to Ashur. I give thee free permission. Leave us to our
deaths; and for thy part, crawl to safety.
JEREMIAH
[Controlling himself] I will not forsake Jerusalem.
ZEDEKIAH
Didst thou not even now assure us that death was hanging over Zion?
Flee, that thou at least save thyself alive.
JEREMIAH
Not for my own life am I filled with sorrow. It is for the life of
thousands upon thousands that my heart is heavy. I will not flee. If
Zion's walls fall, I will fall with them.
ZEDEKIAH
I have warned thee, Jeremiah, as thou warnedst me. Henceforth thy life
is in thine own charge. [To the others] Let none molest him while he
keeps due measure. But should he again seek to spread terror, seize and
bind him, and he shall pay for it with his life. [To JEREMIAH] Guard
thyself, place a seal on thy lips, lest thy life atone for speech. May
God spare us, as I have spared thee to-day.
JEREMIAH
[Motionless, his voice unsteady] Not myself would I guard, but
Jerusalem.
ZEDEKIAH
[Returning to the outer edge of the wall] Still they come! Still they
come! The noise of their chariot wheels and the trampling of their
chargers are like the growling of a storm. Terrible indeed is the king
of the north. Dreadful will it be to encounter him. God save Jerusalem!
[Breathes deeply] God save Jerusalem.
[ZEDEKIAH turns away, and slowly resumes the round, plunged in thought.
He is followed by ABIMELECH and the other members of the train. The two
sentries move after them out of sight]
BARUCH
[Rushing forward from the shadow] Quick, quick! Hasten after him. The
spirit of God is upon you. Hasten that you may compel him.
JEREMIAH
[Awakening as from a trance] Compel whom?
BARUCH
The king. Let your words be like flame. Save Jerusalem.
JEREMIAH
The king? [He looks round horror-stricken upon the deserted wall] Lost,
lost the sacred hour. My hasty tongue has ruined all.
BARUCH
Try once again and you will overcome him. Already he was yielding.
JEREMIAH
Too late, too late. Why did God choose a weakling? Why did he put words
of gall into my mouth?
BARUCH
Do not torment yourself, master. Your sufferings confuse your mind.
JEREMIAH
Think you so? But I have failed. To whom have I brought joy? I am a
horror to the upright and a grievous affliction to my mother. No wife
bears my child in her womb, nor does any one living believe in my words.
BARUCH
I believe you. I will not forsake you. You are great. I cleave to you
for your very sorrow.
JEREMIAH
Praise me not. My soul burns with shame. What have I done that shall
profit Jerusalem? Have I softened the king's heart; have I led the
erring people into the right path; have I found an envoy of peace? How,
when I myself have faltered, shall I show the way for an envoy?
BARUCH
You seek an envoy from Nebuchadnezzar to our king?
JEREMIAH
Will Nebuchadnezzar be readier to parley than Zedekiah? Kings are like
boys, each waiting for the other to begin.
BARUCH
[Ardently] Jeremiah, your words bear fruit in my soul.
JEREMIAH
What mean you?
BARUCH
This deed is for me. Well know I that the road leads through the valley
of the shadow, even as yours. But I will walk it for the sake of
Jerusalem. Master, farewell.
JEREMIAH
Whither will you go?
BARUCH
Farewell, master. Your blessing should I succeed. Spare me your curse
should I fail. For Jerusalem! [He begins to climb down the wall]
JEREMIAH
But Baruch, whither are you going?
BARUCH
By your road. Farewell. [He disappears over the parapet]
JEREMIAH
[Leaning forward] Whither, Baruch, whither? Stay, they will seize you.
Already the spies of Chaldea block every road. Baruch, stand by me in
this hour. Baruch, Baruch!
FIRST SENTRY
[Running in] Who calls there in the night? What is afoot?
JEREMIAH
[Standing up] I call, I call; but no one heeds me.
FIRST SENTRY
Still you, is it? What are you doing here? I thought I saw a shadow pass
down the wall. Are you alone?
JEREMIAH
I am alone! I am alone!
[Slowly, with heavy steps, JEREMIAH passes towards the town. The sentry
stares after him until he is swallowed up in the gloom. Then the soldier
resumes his march to and fro in the moonlight. Nothing is heard save his
footsteps on the flagstones, until from a distance the challenge:
"_Samson guard us_", "_Samson guard us_", begins to pass once more round
the walls]
THE PROPHET'S ORDEAL
SCENE FIVE
Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief.
ISAIAH LIII, 10.
SCENE FIVE
The small bed-chamber where JEREMIAH'S MOTHER lies ill. Doorways and
windows are covered with curtains to exclude light and sound. The
interior is so dark that the figures of those in the chamber are barely
visible. The white bed-furniture is conspicuous in the gloom. Close to
the bed stands AHAB, the elderly servingman.
JOCHEBED
[A female relative, coming from without, cautiously draws aside the
curtain over the doorway] Ahab!
AHAB
Speak low! Tread softly! Her sleep is light as thistle-down. A breath
will scatter it.
JOCHEBED
Well for one who can still sleep, when the gates of the city are being
assailed.
AHAB
Not a word of the matter. Not a word of the enemy. As you love her,
spare her.
JOCHEBED
What do you mean? What must I not speak of?
AHAB
Not a word of our troubles. She knows naught of Jerusalem's evil plight.
JOCHEBED
I don't understand. She does not know that the town is besieged?
AHAB
Why should we tell her what is impending? The very thought would kill
her.
JOCHEBED
[Greatly astonished] She does not know that Ashur is upon us? Is there
still a living being within the walls who remains ignorant of our
misery? How has this miracle been wrought? Are her senses closed? Is she
deaf to the hosannas? Does she think we are at peace when the battering
rams thunder against the walls?
AHAB
Her senses are dulled. Such noises as she hears seem the noises of a
dream. I have closed the entries, shutting out sound and light.
JOCHEBED
She knows nothing? Wonderful, and yet horrible. Has she no suspicion?
AHAB
At times she has suspected, but I have been able to calm her fears.
Yesterday, when the first rams were at work, she was alarmed by the
cries of the populace. Throwing off the coverlet, she wrung her hands,
and declared she must forth to the walls, that war had come, that the
enemy was in the city, that Zion was perishing. Her son's prophecy was
being fulfilled, the king of the north had come. She struggled to her
feet. Then her knees gave way beneath her. I caught her as she fell,
bore her back to bed, and persuaded her that it was all a dream, that
the shouting and the hosannas were but the illusion of fever. She seemed
to believe me, lying with open eyes, and listening to the muffled clamor
from the street.
JOCHEBED
'Tis wondrous strange. But what has thus confused her?
AHAB
In her sickness she craves for her son.
JOCHEBED
Jeremiah, the madman! The zealot of the streets. She herself drove him
from the house.
AHAB
Not for an hour since has she known happiness. She sat ever in silence,
or stood at the door like one awaiting a guest. When he failed to
return, her mind gradually became confused.
JOCHEBED
Why then comes he not, the reprobate, that he may restore her to health?
He tramps the streets spewing curses among the people, while his mother
is dying for lack of him. Why comes he not, chatterer in the market,
slayer of peace?
AHAB
He knows naught of her longing. No less proud is he than she, and he
will never cross the threshold until he is summoned.
JOCHEBED
Summon him then.
AHAB
How dare I without her command? I am but a servingman. How can I act
upon words which she mutters unwitting?
JOCHEBED
You may and you must, since her life is at stake.
AHAB
Do you believe I should do rightly to summon Jeremiah without awaiting
her command?
JOCHEBED
By God's mercy I believe it. Thus will you save her alive.
AHAB
God be praised, Jochebed. In my sore need I have already done what you
wish.
JOCHEBED
A blessing on you therefor!
AHAB
I have sent my boys seeking him.
JOCHEBED
If they can but find him. Lacking him, she will die of mingled pride and
longing.
AHAB
Truly, since she drove him forth, she has been unceasingly at war with
herself.
JOCHEBED
Who is at peace in this stormy time?
[The mother wakens with a sigh]
JOCHEBED
[Speaking softly to AHAB] Ahab, she stirs, she is waking. Her eyes are
still closed, but her lips move as if to speak.
[AHAB bends over the sick woman]
THE MOTHER
[Speaks with closed eyes, the tones of her voice like those of a song
heard in the distance] Has he come? Is he here? Where is he, the son of
my sorrow?
JOCHEBED
[Whispering] How wonderful! For the first time she speaks of him
plainly.
AHAB
Nay, she is still dreaming.
THE MOTHER
[Moves and opens her eyes] Are you there, Ahab? Is that you Jochebed? My
dreams are dark and uneasy.
AHAB
[Tenderly] How do you feel? Have you slept well?
THE MOTHER
How can I sleep well, when my dreams are so dreadful? Where is he? I saw
him. Why did he go away?
AHAB
Whom do you mean?
THE MOTHER
Why did he go away? Why did you let him go away?
AHAB
There has been no one in the room but Jochebed and me.
THE MOTHER
Not he? Not he? The house is haunted with dreams. [She sits up suddenly
in bed, glancing round with feverish anxiety] Why do you not summon him?
AHAB
Summon whom?
THE MOTHER
How can you ask? Can you not see that death's hand is upon me? Yet you
will not send for him.
AHAB
How should I dare ...
THE MOTHER
Alas, that I should be immured here, too ill to move, tended by blind
servants with hearts of stone. Away, away.
AHAB
But mistress ...
THE MOTHER
You have betrayed me. You have forbidden him the house. I know he must
have come, and you have barred the door. He has been here. My instinct
tells me. He waits but the summons, and you will not send. You have
denied him entry.
AHAB
Hearken, mistress ...
THE MOTHER
Woe is me! Away! May you die as I am dying, abandoned by your children;
may you die in the straw like an outcast.
AHAB
Let me say a word ...
THE MOTHER
One word only will I listen to, that he is coming, that he is here.
AHAB
That is what I would fain tell you. He is coming. His footsteps draw
nigh.
THE MOTHER
[Rapturously] He is coming, my Jeremiah? Deceive me not, Ahab. Cheat not
a dying woman.
JOCHEBED
Ahab has already sent his sons to seek out Jeremiah.
THE MOTHER
He is coming. Is it true? Yes, I hear him. I hear his footfall. I hear
him in the house. He knocks at the door, knocks within my heart. Hasten,
man, hasten. Why do you tarry to admit him?
AHAB
[Endeavoring to calm her] Mistress, he will be here anon. Early this
morning did I send my boys.
THE MOTHER
[In excitement once more] Nay, he will not come. Your lads are slothful,
and are idling in the streets. Would they but hasten. The darkness gains
on me. If I could but see him ere I sink into it. Run, Ahab, he may be
at the door.
AHAB
Have patience, you will do yourself a harm.
THE MOTHER
Why do you not let him in? Can you not hear how he is hammering at the
door? I feel it in my temples. Open to him, open.
AHAB
Not yet is he here, but he will come ere long.
JOCHEBED
He will soon be here. Have patience a while.
THE MOTHER
No, no; he is there, but you are keeping him from me. My time is short.
My limbs are cold ...
[JEREMIAH comes quietly into the doorway, and remains standing in doubt,
his hands clenched, his head bowed as if he were carrying a heavy
burden]
AHAB
Don't throw yourself about so. He will be here anon.
[Catching sight of JEREMIAH, he starts and stops speaking. JOCHEBED
likewise preserves an anxious silence. For a few moments no one speaks
in the darkened room]
THE MOTHER
[Raising herself with difficulty] Why are you both silent? [She suddenly
gives a cry of joy] Has he come? Is my Jeremiah here? Where are you,
Jeremiah?
[Hesitatingly, JEREMIAH moves forward a few steps. He, too, is a prey to
strong emotion]
THE MOTHER
[Stretching out her arms towards him] You are there, I feel it. Would
that I could see you clearly. Why come you not close, that I may touch
you?
JEREMIAH
[Not moving, his hands still clenched] I dare not, I dare not. Disaster
dogs my footsteps. Curses go before me. Let me stand thus apart, lest my
breath harm you, lest it strike terror to your soul.
THE MOTHER
[Feverishly] My child, my arms crave for you. Come close, dear, come
close. Are my lips so hateful to you? Is my hand so estranged?
JEREMIAH
I am estranged from myself, and a stranger in this house.
THE MOTHER
Alas, he repels me, will leave me once more. What makes you so cold, so
hard-hearted?
JEREMIAH
A word burns between us like the sword of the angel of God.
THE MOTHER
The curse, for which I have cursed myself a thousand times? Idle breath
was it, and the wind has blown it away.
JEREMIAH
Nay, Mother, the curse stands, and all the streets are filled with it.
It rebounds from the wall of every house, attacks me from all men's
mouths. No longer am I your son, no longer living flesh, but the mock of
the world, an outcast from my people, hated by the righteous, forgotten
by God, loathed by myself. To myself leave me. Let me remain in the
darkness, most accurst of all men.
THE MOTHER
My child, were you indeed the rejected of all men, banned by the
priests, outlawed by the people; had God himself thrust you away from
the light of his countenance; still were you my son, blood of my blood
for evermore. I will love you for their hatred, and bless you for their
curse. If they have spit upon you, come that I may kiss you; if they
have cast you out, come that I may take you in; home, come home to my
heart. Sweet to me is the bitterness of your lips, sweet the salt of
your tears; blessed is all that you do; if only you return to my
mother's heart.
JEREMIAH
[Falling to his knees with a groan] Mother, spirit of eternal kindness.
Mother, you give me back my lost world.
[The mother folds him in her arms, and clasps him without speaking for a
time. Tremblingly she strokes his head and his body again and again. At
length, as she looks at him, a strange glow of happiness lights up her
face, and she speaks to him in a plaintive chant]
THE MOTHER
Child of my heart, whom the world thrusts aloof,
Had you but stayed with me, ne'er left my roof!
Home now returning, find peace in my arms,
They hold you once more, son, safe from all harms.
Tranquilly cradled, unscathed shall you bide,
Keeping the house, no more ranging wide.
Tenderly stroking your brow and your hair,
I will set your heart free from all sorrow and care,
And the curse which I spoke on that ill-omened day,
Lo, with my hands I have brushed it away!
JEREMIAH
[Awestruck] Oh Mother, how thin your hands have become;
Oh Mother, how wan your cheeks have become.
Your heart is scarce beating; your lips are so pale.
How can I help you? Can nothing avail?
THE MOTHER
My days have been lonely, my nights have been dreary.
When you did not return, I grew heart-sick and weary.
Your absence was killing me. Now you are back,
Your coming suffices. Naught more do I lack.
JEREMIAH
Through the streets did I wander, my heart turned to stone.
Your forgiveness now craving, I fain would atone.
THE MOTHER