bare hands against the enemy?
THE CROWD
[Ecstatically] Yea, yea; that do, and save us.
JEREMIAH
Think ye then that I can drive back those whom God sendeth against you?
THE CROWD
Yea, yea.--You can.--You must.--You can do what you will.
JEREMIAH
Naught can I do. Naught against the will of God.
THE CROWD
You can save Jerusalem.--Show a miracle.
JEREMIAH
[Fiercely] Were it in my power to work against God's will, verily I
would not do so. Tempt me not. I am on God's side, not on yours.
Whatever he decrees, I bow myself before him.
VOICES
Alas, he spurns us.--He forsakes us.
JEREMIAH
[In growing excitement] To him, whose purposes are fixed, do I cling,
spurning you, fickle ones. Not your will be done, but his. Whatever thy
will, Lord, I submit. Let Jerusalem perish, so it be thy will, I submit.
[Cries of horror from the crowd] Let thy temple fall, so it be thy will,
I submit. [The crowd bursts into furious exclamations] Let the towers
crash, let thy people be scattered like dust and its very name vanish
from the earth, let my body be given over to shame and my soul to
torment, so it be thy will, I submit, Lord, I submit.
THE CROWD
He raves.--Strike him down.--He is mad.--He rains curses on us.--Silence
the traitor!
JEREMIAH
[In a trance] Whatsoever thou doest, Lord, I submit.
Whatsoever thou sendest, I glorify thy name.
Rain down on me terrors uncounted,
Thine anger I welcome, I seek not to hide.
Break my heart! Burst the gates! Raze the walls!
With fire consume thine own altar,
To defend which now myriads fall!
Rejecting thy people, the chosen,
Turn thy face from me too in thy wrath!
From the depth of my sorrow I cling to thee;
Though thou slay me, I trust thee in death.
THE CROWD
[Shouting fiercely] Traitor.--He is cursing us.--He prays for our death.
Stone him.--Stone him!
JEREMIAH
[More frenzied than ever, as he daunts the menacing and turbulent mob
with the fire of his enthusiasm]
Not my will, Lord, but thine be done!
Thou hast led me into darkness;
I have known many afflictions;
Lord, I will bear all patiently.
Pour out the vials of thine anger,
Break my bones, close mine eyes,
Fill up the measure of my sufferings,
Pressed down and running over,
Still am I thy faithful servant,
For art not thou the Most High?
The more thou visitest me with wormwood and gall,
The more will I testify to thine abounding love.
Let me double the martyrdom thou wouldst impose,
Let me kiss the rod that striketh the blows,
Let me thank the hand that bruiseth my flesh,
Let me praise the brand that seareth my flesh,
Let me bless the death wrought by foes without pity,
Let me bless the destruction befallen thy city,
Let me bless bitterness, slavery, shame,
Let me bless the enemy, bless in thy name.
Lord to thy wishes I humbly bow!
To accept all thy sendings I fervently vow!
Lord, hear my words; Lord, prove me now!
THE CROWD
[Cutting him short] Traitor.--Stone him.--He blesses our foes.--He prays
for our enemies.--Stone the blasphemer, stone him.
THE STRIDENT VOICE
[Dominating the rest] Crucify him! Crucify him!
THE CROWD
[Echoing the cry and rushing up the steps] Crucify him! Nail the
blasphemer to the cross.--Stone the traitor.--Crucify him!
JEREMIAH
[In ecstasy, stretching out his arms as if on the cross]
Let God's will be done. Come hither, draw near,
Nail my limbs to the cross, pierce my side with the spear,
Spit upon me, and scourge and revile me,
Break my bones, and debase and defile me,
Thus shall I be, for one and for all,
A trespass offering made for Israel!
Seize me, then, seize;
Let my sacrifice please
Jehovah, his anger yet stem;
And save, even now, save Jerusalem.
[The crowd surges round him. Some grasp his limbs, while others strive
on his behalf and endeavor to free him]
VOICES
Crucify him!--Stone him!--He blasphemes.--A curse upon Jeremiah!--Crucify
him.
OTHER VOICES
Let be.--The spirit of God is upon him.--He is beside himself.--Harm him
not.
JEREMIAH
[Amid the tumult he continues to stretch out his arms as if on the
cross]
But why do ye tarry? Thrice-blessed day!
The price of martyrdom fain would I pay.
For suffering I am athirst.
Let me die the death accurst.
Who hangs on the cross in mortal pain,
The world's eternal welfare shall gain,
Saviour and intercessor, he,
With arms outstretched on the cruel tree.
His lips, trembling with anguish till death bring release,
Shall speak the redeeming message of peace;
His sighs to melody shall give birth,
His torment, to love everlasting on earth.
His death shall bring life; his sorrows, forgiveness.
Though his flesh know corruption, his body decay,
Yet his soul, winging heavenward,
Beareth all our sins Godward,
The glorious messenger, he, of man's new day!
Ah, were I but that herald of deliverance!
My spirit is on fire! Lo, I pray:
Crucify me, oh, crucify me!
[With wild cries they seize him, and begin to carry him away, buffeting
him as they go]
VOICES
Crucify him!--Let him taste the death he yearns for.--He is our
enemy.--Crucify him.--Stone him!
[At this moment a number of fugitives rush into the marketplace in wild
disorder, throwing away their weapons as they run]
FUGITIVES
The walls are down.--The enemy is in the city. The Chaldeans have gained
the day.--Israel is lost.
MORE FUGITIVES
Abimelech is slain.--All is lost.--Jerusalem is fallen.
YET MORE FUGITIVES
[In full flight] They are hard on our heels.--To the temple.--All is
lost.--Israel! Israel.--Alas for Jerusalem.
[The crowd joins the fugitives, uttering shrieks of terror. JEREMIAH is
forgotten. The whole city seems to ring with cries of despair and the
noise of vain attempts at flight]
THE CONVERSION
SCENE EIGHT
My desire is that Job may be tried unto the end. JOB XXXIV, 36.
SCENE EIGHT
A vast crypt with shutters and doors closed so that the damp underground
space is but dimly lighted. Fugitives, wan and careworn, are crouching
and lying on the stone flooring. Some of them have gathered round an
elder who is reading from the scriptures. In the background lies a
wounded man, tended by a woman. Remote from the rest, sitting on a piece
of masonry, and as motionless as if he were himself carved out of the
rock, is JEREMIAH, his face buried in his hands. He plays no part in
what is going on, so that his silence is as it were a rock fixed in the
current of plaints and disputes. It is evening, on the day after the
taking of Jerusalem. As the elder reads, he sways his body rhythmically
in time to the words, which are low and monotonous, except when he
raises his voice to express despair or hope. From time to time, the
others take up the responses.
THE ELDER
[Reading] Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock;
Thou that dwellest between the cherubims,
Shine forth! Stir up thy strength!
THE OTHERS
[Murmuring in unison] Shine forth! Stir up thy strength!
THE ELDER
[Reading] Give ear, O Shepherd, come and save us.
Cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.
How long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?
Thou feedest them with the bread of tears,
And givest them tears to drink in great measure.
O God of hosts,
Cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.
THE OTHERS
Cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.
THE ELDER
[Reading] O remember not against us former iniquities;
Let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us:
For we are brought very low.
We are consumed by thine anger,
And by thy wrath we are troubled.
Remember not against us our former iniquities.
Remember thy covenant, remember thy name.
Appear, Shepherd, lead thy flock home;
Shine forth! Stir up thy strength!
THE OTHERS
Shine forth! Stir up thy strength!
OTHER VOICES
[Joining in fervently] Cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.
THE WOUNDED MAN
[Who has hitherto been moaning, now bursts into a loud cry] Oh, oh, I am
burning. Water! Water!
THE WOMAN
[Trying to soothe him] Be quiet, there's a good man. For God's sake, be
quiet, or they will hear us.
THE ELDER
Be silent! Control yourself, or you will destroy us all.
ANOTHER
They will slay us if they find us.
THE WOUNDED MAN
Let them kill me. I cannot bear it. My wound is on fire. Water! Water!
A MAN
We must silence him. His cries will betray our hiding place.
THE WOMAN
Touch him not. He is my brother. I bore him hither from the walls. [She
kneels beside him] Dear, I implore you to stifle your cries. I will
fetch you some water. Take my kerchief and muffle your mouth in it.
[The wounded man does so. His cries fall to a whisper. The others, most
of whom have stood up in their excitement, settle down again]
A VOICE
Go on reading, Pinchas. God's word consoles us.
ANOTHER VOICE
Go on reading about the promise.
OTHER VOICES
Yes, read us about the Messiah; about the rod that shall come forth out
of the stem of Jesse.--Read about the saviour.--Our hearts are thirsting
after the dew of the word.
[THE ELDER takes up the roll once more, and is about to resume his
reading, when there comes a knocking. All start]
A WOMAN
[Alarmed] Someone knocks!
THE OTHERS
They are there!--They have tracked us.
A MAN
It is not on the outer door, but from the secret entrance, which is
known to our own folk alone. Open!
THE WOMEN
No! No, there are traitors among us. Let be!
THE ELDER
Silence! [He cautiously approaches a door hidden among buttresses] Who
is there?
VOICE
[From without] Zephaniah!
THE ELDER
It is Zephaniah, my son-in-law, whom we sent forth for news.
[He draws back the bolt, and a man enters, helmeted and garbed like a
Chaldean. All rush towards him, JEREMIAH alone remaining motionless]
VOICES
What has happened?--Have you seen Neter, my son? Tebiah, my wife?--Have
they burned down my house?--Where is the king?--What has happened to the
temple? Do you know anything about my husband, Ishmael?--What is
happening outside?
THE ELDER
Be silent all. Let Zephaniah speak, for he has seen the daylight and the
city.
ZEPHANIAH
Better to sit in darkness than to see what I have seen; better still to
weep oneself blind; even better were it to sleep among the roots of the
trees and in the bowels of the earth. David's city has become a city of
the dead; the citadel of Solomon is utterly destroyed.
ALL
Alas, alas, for Jerusalem.
ZEPHANIAH
The corpses of our brothers lie like dung in the streets. The Chaldeans
are stripping the bodies of the slain; they have rifled the tombs of the
kings of Judah; and for the purple vesture of Solomon they have cast
lots; they have seized the bread from the holy table; and they have
stolen the golden candlesticks from the walls.
THE ELDER
[Rending his garments] I can live no longer! Could I but tear my bowels
as I tear my raiment.
VOICES
Where is the power of God?--The covenant.--The promise.--Where are our
leaders?--Jerusalem is lost.--My husband?--Whom have you seen?--What has
become of Nahum?--What has become of ...
ZEPHANIAH
For many do you ask, and I can give but one answer for them all. Of the
nobles of Judah, not one now looketh on the light of day.
VOICES
All slain? All?--Impossible!--Abodassar?--Jehoiachin?--Hedassar?--Imre?
--Nahum?
ZEPHANIAH
Ask me no more. Their troubles are over, and they are with God.
VOICES
Nahum too?--The king's sons?--My brother-in-law Absalom?
ZEPHANIAH
None are left alive. Those who fell not at the wall were slain
afterwards by Nebuchadnezzar's officers. Zedekiah alone remains.
VOICES
Zedekiah still alive?--Why spare him more than another?--He has betrayed
us.--Why show him mercy when all the rest have been butchered?--Why
spare him?
ZEPHANIAH
Honor the king! Reverence his sufferings.
VOICES
What has happened to him?--Is he a prisoner?
ZEPHANIAH
Zedekiah forced his way through, with sixty of the bravest who hoped to
renew the struggle against Ashur in the hills. But the army of the
Chaldeans pursued him and overtook him in the plains, and carried him to
King Nebuchadnezzar.
VOICES
And then?
ZEPHANIAH
My path crossed his. I saw him in the square bound with fetters of
brass. Before his eyes, one by one, his sons were put to the sword. Then
came it to pass that the anointed of the Lord was blinded ...
JEREMIAH
[Suddenly roused from his impassivity and speaking in horror-stricken
tones] Blinded, you say? Blinded?
ZEPHANIAH
Who is this?
VOICES
Do not speak to him.--Do not look at him.--He is the most infamous of
men.--A curse lies on him.--Utter not his name.--Utter not his name.
ZEPHANIAH
Who is it that spake, saying "Blinded?" I am sure I know the voice.
VOICES
Ask not his name.--He is one accurst.--He is rejected of God.
A WOMAN
He is the curse of God, sent for our burning torment. He is the scourge
of God.--Jeremiah, Jeremiah!
ZEPHANIAH
[With a wild outcry, stretching forth his hands as if to thrust away
something horrible] Jeremiah!
JEREMIAH
Why do you shrink from me? What are you afraid of? There is no longer
any reason for fear. My words were but wind; my force is spent. Spew me
out, and go on your way.
ZEPHANIAH
I tremble before you, man of doom.--He foresaw everything. He alone.
That other called on his name.
THE ELDER
Who called on his name?
ZEPHANIAH
[Utterly crushed] Zedekiah, the king. They brought him in chains, held
him fast lest he should turn away his head, forced him to watch the
slaughter of his sons. Fain would he have made no complaint. He bit his
lip and was silent as the first fell. But when they seized the second,
he moved as if to speak. As the third was struck down, a word escaped
from his mouth. Not a plea for mercy. He cried, "Jeremiah, Jeremiah."
[All shudder]
Thus in his anguish he called upon Jeremiah. When the fiery steel
pierced his eyes, again did he call on the name of Jeremiah, saying:
"Jeremiah, Jeremiah, where art thou, revealer? Where art thou, Jeremiah,
my brother?" Zedekiah called upon his name, the name of him who had
foreseen.
[They shrink away from JEREMIAH, as from a dangerous beast]
JEREMIAH
[Struggling with emotion] It is false. Not by my will did this happen.
Let him not dare to accuse me. The word came to me; what I said was
struck from me as we strike fire from flint. I wished him no ill. God
made me a liar, resist his power as I would. Not mine the will that
moved me.
ZEPHANIAH
What is he talking about?
A WOMAN
Madness hath seized him.
ANOTHER WOMAN
He raves.
A MAN
Nay, he foretold these happenings. A sage is he, and a prophet.
JEREMIAH
Why should the king accuse me? A greater power than mine constrained my
utterance. I was the tool of the pitiless one, his breath, the slave of
his malice. He commanded, and I had to obey, for his strength is greater
than mine. He breathed curses into my breath. His was the gall in my
speech, his the bitterness in my spittle. Woe upon the hands of God;
whom he seizes, shall not again be loosed. Ah, would he but set me free
from his curse, that no longer I might have to speak his words. [A
pause] No longer will I speak his words. I will hold my peace. [A pause]
God! No longer will I obey thy behests. I curse thy curses. Lift thy
hand from me, take the fire from my mouth. No more can I bear.
VOICES
He is in a frenzy.--Look how convulsions rack him.--He is twisted with
pain like a woman in labour.--Heed not his words.--God has punished him.
[JEREMIAH sinks to the ground broken]
Look, look, the hand of the Lord hath fallen upon him.--Go not near him
whom God hath banned.
[They draw farther away from JEREMIAH and huddle together. JEREMIAH lies
like a felled tree. For a few moments there is a hush of despair. This
silence is broken by the sound of a distant trumpet]
ZEPHANIAH
Alas, they draw near, the heralds of disaster.
THE CROWD
[To ZEPHANIAH] What is it?--What has happened?--What meaneth this
summons?
ZEPHANIAH
'Tis Nebuchadnezzar's message to the remnant of the people.
VOICES
Must we go forth to hear the message?--Dare we leave our shelter?--What
shall we do, Zephaniah?
ZEPHANIAH
No need for haste. Evil tidings ever come too soon.
VOICES
What is to happen?--What is our doom?
ZEPHANIAH
It is the will of Nebuchadnezzar that our city be utterly destroyed.
[There is a wail of horror. The trumpet is heard once more, nearer]
Those who survive must go as slaves to Babylon.
VOICES
We are to leave Zion?
THE ELDER
I will not go. Here will I remain.
ZEPHANIAH
Who refuses to go, shall perish by the sword. All are to make ready for
the journey and are to assemble in the marketplace. Thrice at dawning
will the trumpet sound. Thereafter, anyone who lingers in the city, is
to be slain.
THE ELDER
Let death come! I will not go. There is no life for me away from
Jerusalem. The grave is better than slavery in a far country.
A WOMAN
My brother, my nephew, and my husband have all been slain. Tombs are my
heritage, and this heritage will I keep.
A MAN
I shall stay! I shall stay! Here have I struck my roots, and from this
soil alone can I draw strength. Palsied would be my arm should I try to
plough the furrow in another land, and my eyes would not serve me in a
strange world.
VOICES
[In the enthusiasm of despair] Let us stay.--Let us choose
death.--Better death than slavery.--Never will we go into exile.--Better
to die.
THE WOUNDED MAN
[Half rising] No, no.--Not death for me. Life is what I crave. Exile is
better than death. I cannot walk, and if ye stay who will carry me? Do
not forsake me. Life, life!
HIS SISTER
Be calm. I will carry you.
THE WOUNDED MAN
[Deliriously] Yes ... Let us go. Let us leave these mad folk, who want
to die. Why should we seek death?
THE ELDER
His body is parched with fever. He knows not what he says.
THE WOUNDED MAN
[Fiercely] I know, I know. I have been near to death, and would rather
live than die. Better to burn, better to suffer, than to feel nothing at
all. While there is life there is hope.
A YOUNG WOMAN
True, true! I too want to live. My life lies before me. As yet I have
seen nothing, felt nothing. Young and vigorous are my limbs. Death is
cold, life is warm. I will not stay. I will go with you, anywhere,
anywhere.
ANOTHER WOMAN
Shameless one, are you willing to be the concubine of an enemy?
THE YOUNG WOMAN
Anything, if I can but live.
THE WOUNDED MAN
Life, at any cost of suffering.
A MAN
[Wildly] No life without God! No life without Jerusalem!
VOICES
Death were better.--Death were better.--Let us not accept
slavery.--Death is a fearful thing.
[Again the trumpet sounds, now close at hand]
A VOICE
Let them call, I will not hearken. I hear the voice of death, loud and
clear like the voice of God. We must not heed the lure. Better to perish
with Jerusalem.
THE ELDER
I hold thee fast, city of Zion. Weak though my hands, still do I cling
to thee. My life hast thou been, be also my death. How could I breathe
without thee, how open my eyes in the morning without being able to look
upon Solomon's house and God's dwelling. Rather would I be buried in thy
earth than walk at large in another land; rather would I lie dead with
my fathers than live to be the slave of the heathen. Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, take me to thy bosom. As I have been with thee in
life, let me be with thee in death.
ZEPHANIAH
In this you and I must part company. Death has no charms for me. I have
seen too many dead lying in the streets, and I tell you that life is
better.
THE WOUNDED MAN
[Raising himself] Yea, let me live, to feel but a grain of sand between
my fingers. To look again upon the almond blossoms, to see them open as
night falls. To watch the moon waxing and waning in its passage across
the starry heavens. Even if life were to deny all its joys, even if I
were to be crippled and deaf, yet still might I look upon the glorious
things in the world, still draw the breath of life. Let me feel my heart
beating, the warm blood coursing through my veins. Give me life, I ask
nothing more!
THE ELDER
Shame upon you, weaklings! Would you live without God?
VOICES
God will be with us wherever we go.--God speaks to us wherever we may
be.--Even from exile our voices will rise towards him.--There too shall
we be faithful. The light of his countenance shines upon all roads.
THE ELDER
Nay, nay, who leaveth Jerusalem, leaveth God behind. Here and here only
is the dwelling of Jehovah. Sacrifice at any other altar than this can
be naught but idolatry.
VOICES
[In conflict] No.--Yes.--God is everywhere.--He is here only.--He will
reveal himself to us anywhere.--God abides nowhere but in his own
temple.--Anywhere, everywhere.--Nowhere but in Jerusalem can we look
upon his face.
JEREMIAH
[Suddenly springing to his feet, with an awesome outburst] God is
nowhere! Nowhere at all! Who among the living hath seen him, who hath
heard the sound of his voice? Those who seek him, seek him in vain;
those who created him, lied before the faces of men. God is nowhere!
Neither in heaven, nor on earth, nor in the souls of men.
THE ELDER
[His jaw has dropped in amazement and horror. At length he raises his
hands tremblingly towards heaven, with the invocation] Blasphemy!
Blasphemy! Strike him down with thy lightnings.
JEREMIAH
[More fiercely] Who hath blasphemed him, if it be not God himself? He
hath broken his covenant, thrown down his walls, and burned his own
temple. He denies himself; he himself blasphemes God; he and none other!
THE ELDER
Heed him not! A backslider is he, and an outcast. Heed him not, ye
servants of the Almighty.
JEREMIAH
[Still more fiercely] Who has served him in Israel as I have served him?
Who within Jerusalem's walls has been more faithful than I? For his sake
I left my home; for his sake I refused to comfort my mother in death. I
have sacrificed friendship to him, and for his jealousy have I forfeited
the love of women. I have submitted to his will as a wife submits to her
husband. The words that I spake were those which he put into my mouth;
his was the blood in my body; my thoughts were the children of his will;
his were the dreams that visited my sleep. I gave my back to the
smiters; I hid not my face from shame and spitting. I served him, I
served him, for I believed that through me he would avert the evil to
come. I cursed, thinking he would turn my curses into blessings. I
prophesied, thinking he would prove me a liar, would save Jerusalem. But
my prophecies have been fulfilled, and God is proved a liar. Woe is me
that I served the faithless one so faithfully! He sent me that my
brothers should laugh me to scorn while I spat upon their joys. Now,
when misery has befallen them, he wishes that I in turn should mock
their distress. But I do not laugh, God! I will not laugh at my
brothers' torment. Not like thee can I rejoice at another's sorrow. The
odor of the slaughter-house delights not my nostrils. Too harsh for me
is thy harshness, too heavy thy hand! No longer will I be the instrument
of thy vengeance; no longer will I serve thee. I tear asunder the bond
between thee and me. I tear it asunder!
VOICES
He raves.--He blasphemes.--Away with him.--He is beside himself.
JEREMIAH
[In an ecstasy, speaks over their heads into the void]
Dumb and sinister Being, I witness against thee!
Be thou silent no longer, witness thou against me!
Say,
Have I ever, I charge thee, proved backward or loath?
Have I ever, I charge thee, been false to my oath?
Dumb and sinister Being, thy silence now break.
Ope thy mouth, and against me thy parable take.
Thou hast sought me by day and by night and hast found me,
With dreams to amaze, and with fears to confound me.
With fire my soul thou hast filled. As a brand
Spreading flame, spreading flame far and wide through the land,
Hast thou driven me on. 'Twas thy will not mine,
Made me stand as a foe 'gainst this people of thine.
I was the hand their throats fiercely clamping,
I was the hoof, their peace roughly down stamping,
I was the saw, their limbs ever rending,
I was the goad, bringing torment unending,
I was the terror, the vision of fright,
I was the nightmare that rode them by night.
In their bones I the fire, in their flesh I the thorn,
The mockery, likewise, that laughed them to scorn;
For relentless, unfeeling, as any dumb beast,
Made mad by thy will, I obeyed thy behest.
Of the love of my brothers though still I was fain,
Made mad by thy will, I but cursed them again.
Thus quelling compassion, constrained to do ill,
I spurred myself onward thy word to fulfil.
VOICES
He is seized with the frenzy of fever.--He raves.--To whom is he
speaking?--He is out of his wits.
JEREMIAH