order us about?--It is the priests' commandment.--There are no priests
left; they have all been put to the sword.--Hananiah escaped the
slaughter.--Nay, they made an end of him too.--We are leaderless.--Who
shall give us the law?--Who will make the sacrifices for us in
Babylon?--Who will interpret the scriptures?--All of the race of Aaron
have been slain.--Woe unto us that are orphaned.--Had we but the ark and
the roll of the law.--The roll of the law has been burned.--Nay, the
word of God cannot be burned.--I tell you I saw it perish in the
flames.--Alas, is the law burned?--Impossible, how can God's word be
burned?--Has not his house been burned; has not his altar been
overthrown?--Did he not deliver over his holy city to destruction?--Yea,
yea, he has made us the slaves of our enemies. He has broken the
covenant.--Blaspheme not.--I fear him no longer.--We are leaderless;
would that Moses could lead us as of old; would that there were still a
judge among the people.--What has become of the king, him whom they
blinded?--He has always been blind.--To him we owe these
disasters.--Alas for the fate of Israel, the destruction of Jerusalem!
[A disorderly rout, laughing loudly, issues from the palace. The
newcomers are the princes of Chaldea, with slaves bearing torches. The
princes are drunk. In the midst of the brawling crowd we see the figure
of a man whom the princes are buffeting and pushing one to another, so
that he totters, and is continually in danger of falling]
THE CHALDEAN PRINCES
Are you ready for a fresh attack on Nebuchadnezzar?--On, stormer of
Babylon.--Pillar of Israel, take heed lest you fall.--He cannot dance
like King David.--He cannot play the psaltery.--Enough of him, let us go
back to our wine.--I would rather amuse myself with his wives.--Let him
drink darkness while we drink wine.--Come away!
[Laughing and shouting, the princes return into the palace, leaving the
man of whom they have been making sport swaying unsteadily as he stands
at the top of the steps. The moon has pierced the clouds, and his shadow
stretches across the stone flooring behind him. This gives him the
appearance of a gigantic wraith. The crowd beneath is filled with
astonishment and alarm]
WHISPERING VOICES
Who is it?--Why have they cast him out from their board?--Why does he
not speak?--Look how he raises his hands imploringly to heaven.--Who is
he?--Don't go near him.--Yes, I will see who it is.
[Some of the bolder spirits have mounted the steps]
A VOICE
[With a cry of recognition] Zedekiah!
THE CROWD
The king.--The blinded king.--God's judgment.--Zedekiah.
ZEDEKIAH
[Falteringly] Who calls me?
VOICES
No one calls thee.--For thee there are naught but curses, and God's
judgments.--Where are thy Egyptian friends?--Where is Zion?
OTHER VOICES
Be silent!--He is the anointed of the Lord, blinded by our
enemies.--Reverence the king.--Have pity on his sufferings.
THE FIRST VOICES
Nay, he shall not sit among us.--Where are my children?--Give me back my
children.--A curse on the man who has murdered Israel.--He is to blame
for all.--Why should he live when better men have died?
ZEDEKIAH
[To one who has taken his hand, to lead him] Who are these who rail
against me? Are my foes those of mine own household?
THE GUIDE
Lord, they are thy companions in misfortune.
VOICES
Do not bring him down here, for his lot and ours shall not be
mingled.--Let him sit apart.--God has punished him.--A curse lies upon
him.--No longer shall he be king.--Of what use is a blind king?
ZEDEKIAH
[Wellnigh weeping in his helplessness] Lead me forth. They have put out
my eyes, and now they will take my crown. Hide me from my enemies.
A WOMAN
Rest here, Lord King. Lie down and rest.
[A couch is extemporized for ZEDEKIAH at the foot of the steps. The
inquisitive gather round]
THE ELDER
Keep away, keep away. Reverence the Lord's anointed. God has appointed
him our leader.
VOICES
How can a blind man lead us?--He cannot reign in Jerusalem, for Zion has
fallen.--We are all slaves, and slaves need no leader.--Nay, we need a
deliverer.--Were but Moses here to help us at this hour.--How can a man
so afflicted give us help and consolation?--No one can help us.--See,
the dawn comes. Let us make ready for the journey.--Alas the day!--As
wanderers and exiles, we go leaderless into a far country. [Loud
chanting is heard in the distance] Hark, the trumpet.--Alas the trumpet
sounds.--The first signal for departure.--No, no, that is not a
trumpet.--Cannot you hear singing, with cymbals and drums?--Our enemies
are rejoicing.--O shame! O torment!
[The chanting draws nearer and nearer, until individual voices and the
clashing of the cymbals can be clearly distinguished. At length a group
of persons is seen advancing, and thronging exultantly round a tall
figure]
A VOICE
Look! They are of our own people.
VOICES
Impossible.--They are rejoicing.--How could any son of Israel exult on
this day of sorrow?--They must be drunken with wine.--Assuredly they are
our brothers of Israel.--Who is it in their midst?--Look at that
frenzied woman clashing the cymbals!
[The approaching singers, JEREMIAH in the center, advance in the pale
light of dawn. Some of them are in truth ecstatic and unsteady in their
movements, as if drunken; but others are of sober mien]
CHANTING VOICES
Hosanna!--A prophecy.--Jerusalem endureth for ever!--Blessed our return
home.--Blessed be the consoler, and blessed the comfort he
brings.--Hosanna!--Jerusalem endureth for ever!
VOICES FROM THE CROWD
[In excitement] They are mad.--What has happened?--Hark how they shout
Hosanna!--Who is the prophet?--What is his message?--Let him deliver it
to us also.--Who shall bring us consolation?
A VOICE
Look, is it not Jeremiah whom they surround?
VOICES
Yes.--No.--His face was lowering, but this man's face is radiant.--Nay,
it is he.--How changed he is.--A curse upon him who breathed
curses.--How can sweetness come from the bitter?
BARUCH
Hearken to the message of comfort, brothers. Feed your souls with the
word of God, with the bread of life!
VOICES
How can comfort be brought by this man accurst?--His words are like
scorpions.--His message will choke us.--We have had enough of the
prophets, for they have misled us one and all.--No, no, Jeremiah gave us
true warning.--I tell you he will rub salt into our wounds.--Away, away,
man without bowels of compassion!
BARUCH
I beseech you to hear his message. He has uplifted our hearts, and will
uplift yours likewise, brothers in God.
THE WOUNDED MAN
I testify for him, I testify for him! Fevered by my wounds I lay unable
to move. His words have restored my strength. Lo, on me he hath wrought
a miracle.
VOICES
Who is this?--Listen to what he says.--He tells of a miracle, and a
miracle is what we need.--I need comfort.--Naught but Zion's valleys
will comfort me.--What comfort can he give?--Can he raise the dead; can
he rebuild the temple?--Let us hear his message.
THE WOMAN
Balaam! Balaam! Balaam! Hail, for that you who came to curse Israel have
blessed us thrice.
BARUCH
Master, look upon their discord. Make their hearts one, their spirits
fruitful. Lift them from their mourning, lift their souls to God.
JEREMIAH
[Leaving his companions and going to the top of the steps] Brothers, in
the darkness I feel you to be near me, and know that your souls are
filled with darkness. But why do you despair? Why do you lament?
VOICES
Hearken to the blasphemer.--I warned you against him.--He mocks us.--He
asks why we lament!--He rubs salt into our wounds.--Are we to rejoice on
the day of our exodus?--Are we to forget the dead?--He laughs at our
tears.--Silence, let us hear him.--Let us hear his message.
JEREMIAH
Hearken, brothers, give ear unto my words. Is all lost, that you should
lament? There still remains the precious gift of life.
A VOICE
What a life!
JEREMIAH
And I say unto you, who has life, has God also. Leave it to the dead to
complain of those who have led them to the tomb. We, who survive, should
continue to hope. Lament not, despair not, while breath remains; neither
opening your mouths in revolt, nor closing your ears to words of
consolation.
VOICES
Words, only words, which avail nothing.--If you would lift up our
hearts, lift up the walls of Jerusalem.--Rebuild the fortress of
Zion.--Alas, he cannot see our distress, he cannot recognize our
suffering.
JEREMIAH
Brothers, I read your suffering like an open book, and the scroll of
your pain lies unrolled before me. Natheless, brothers, I see a meaning
in this pain and suffering; I see God therein. The hour is sent to us
for trial. Let us meet the test.
VOICES
Why should God try us?--Why should he visit us, his chosen people, with
affliction?--Why should he make our burden so heavy?
JEREMIAH
God sends us this trial that we may know him to be God. To those of
other nations, few signs are given and little recognition is vouchsafed.
They fancy themselves able to see the face of the Eternal in images of
wood and stone. Our God, the God of our fathers, is a hidden God; and
not until we are bathed in sorrow are we enabled to discern him. He
chooses those only whom he has tried, and to none but the suffering does
he give his love. Let us therefore rejoice at our trials, brothers, and
let us love the suffering God sends. He has broken us with affliction,
that he may sink the deeper into the freshly ploughed ground of our
hearts, and that we may be ready for the scattering of his seed. He has
weakened our bodies that he may strengthen our souls. Let us joyfully
enter the smelting furnace of his will, that thereby we may be purified.
Follow the example of your forefathers, and thankfully accept the
scourgings of the Almighty!
VOICES
Not our will but his.--A blessing on our trials.--I must learn to stifle
my complaints.--True, our forefathers likewise were in bondage.
JEREMIAH
Brothers, if we believe that we shall arise, already we have arisen.
What should we be without faith? Not to us, as to other nations, has a
country been given to which we may cling; a home, where we may tarry;
rest, that our hearts may wax fat! Not for peace have we been the chosen
among the nations. Wandering is our habitation, trouble our heritage,
God our home. Do not for that reason covet your neighbor's goods; do not
for that reason complain. Leave to others their happiness and their
pride; leave to others an abiding place. For yourselves, people of
suffering, gladly accept trial. Have faith, chosen of God, seeing that
sorrow is your heritage. Because it is your eternal heritage, therefore
are you chosen.
VOICES
True is the word.--Sorrow is our heritage.--I will shoulder my
burden.--I have faith in God's mercy. He will lead us now, as he led us
out of Egypt.--God will deliver us, as he delivered our fathers.
JEREMIAH
Arise, then, and cease repining. Take up your faith as a staff, and you
will march bravely through these trials as you have marched for
thousands of years. Happy are we to be vanquished, and happy to be
driven from home; for we are vanquished, we are driven from home, by
God's will. Happy are we to lose all, that we may find him; happy is our
hard lot, gladsome our trial. Kings who mastered us have vanished like
smoke; nations which enslaved us have been scattered and their seed has
been destroyed; towns wherein we served as bondmen have been made
desolate, and are now the home of the jackal; but Israel still lives,
ever young, for sorrow is our buttress and overthrow is our strength.
Through suffering we have endured the assaults of time; reverses have
ever been our beginning; and out of the depths God has gathered us to
his heart. Think of our former troubles, and how those troubles were
met. Think of Egypt, the house of bondage, the first ordeal. Give praise
to affliction, ye afflicted; give praise to trial, ye sorely tried;
praise the name of God who, through tribulation, has chosen us for all
eternity!
[A wave of enthusiasm answers his words. The confused medley of voices
gradually gives place to rhythmical choruses]
VOICES
Bondmen of Mizraim
Were our fathers,
Bridled and bitted
Were our fathers,
Israel's children.
Taskmasters cruel
Hasted our fathers,
Beat them with rods,
Scourged them with cords,
Afflicted our fathers
With manifold tasks.
HIGHER VOICES
Ere long the darkness which encompassed us
Was pierced by Jehovah's compassionate gaze.
To save his people before it had perished,
God raised up a deliverer,
One of the house of Levi.
Moses came to our aid,
A man mighty of tongue,
A man mighty of hand.
He led us forth from the land of Egypt.
He freed us from the house of bondage.
EXULTANT VOICES
Those who had numbered but seventy
When they entered the land of Egypt,
Went out from it numbering countless thousands,
Driving before them flocks and herds,
And bearing with them great possessions.
Before their faces went the pillar of cloud,
Before them went the pillar of fire,
And the angel of God went before the camp of Israel.
Such was the first exodus,
Such the beginning of happiness,
When God was bringing our fathers to the land of promise.
JEREMIAH
But new tribulations awaited us,
Fresh trials;
Forbear not to recall the days of bitterness,
Forget not those days!
VOICES
Pursuing us,
Came the army of Pharaoh,
Horses and chariots,
And a multitude of horsemen.
With vengeful clamor
Did they follow after.
The sea barred our passage;
Death pressed at our heels.
HIGHER VOICES
Thereupon the Lord sent the strong east wind,
Dividing the waters that the sea might be dry land.
The waters were a wall unto us,
On our right hand, and on our left.
Thus went we into the midst of the sea
Upon the dry ground.
EXULTANT VOICES
With the clashing of arms and the roaring of chariot wheels,
Our foes, thirsty for blood, followed after,
On the dry ground between the walls of the sea.
They shouted in their wrath as they thought to smite us.
But Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea,
And the waters returned, and covered the chariots and the horsemen,
And all the hosts of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them;
Thus did the Lord overthrow the Egyptians in the midst of the sea!
DEEP VOICES
Thus did the Lord deliver us out of danger,
And lead us forth from the land of bondage.
Thus wonderful was the beginning
Of our happy and unhappy wanderings!
JEREMIAH
Again and again did he pour over us the bitterness of death and the
waters of the cup of trial, that we might be healed for evermore.
Bethink ye of the scorching days in the desert, of the forty years of
privation ere we reached the promised land.
VOICES
Parched were our throats,
Blistered our lips,
Athirst were we
And anhungered,
In that waterless and barren region.
EXULTANT VOICES
Then Moses lifted up his hand,
And with his rod smote the rock twice.
Lo, the stone was riven in sunder,
The water gushed forth abundantly,
The congregation drank and their cattle,
And the wanderers laved their toilworn feet.
HIGHER VOICES
When we were weary, the Lord gave us rest.
He sent cool breezes
To temper the burning heats of noontide.
Bitter springs did he sweeten for our sake.
The wind brought fat quails from the sea.
When our entrails were gnawed with hunger,
Lo, after the morning dews had risen,
There lay on the face of the wilderness
Manna, small and round, the bread of heaven.
JEREMIAH
Albeit, never was it granted us to live in safety.
Continually did the Lord chastise us with his holy hand.
Ever and again did he renew the tribulations of his people.
VOICES
The nations stood
Against us in arms;
Greed and envy
Closed the roads
Of our pilgrimage;
Cities shut their gates;
Spears gleamed,
Strewing our path with death.
HIGHER VOICES
Then God forged us new weapons,
Making our hearts like sharp swords,
Giving us strength against thousands,
Victory over tens of thousands.
EXULTANT VOICES
Trumpets blew, walls fell down;
Moab was overthrown, and Amalek.
With the sword we carved ways
Through the anger of the peoples and the times,
Until our hearts stood the test,
Until we reached the land of promise,
Canaan, where after labor we could rest.
Here was a home for the wanderers,
Now could we ungird our loins,
Doff our shoes, lay aside our staves.
These staves put forth green shoots,
Israel blossomed, and Zion arose.
ALL THE VOICES
Again and again have we been yoked to the plough,
Necks bowed; again and again enslaved:
But never has he failed to break our yoke,
To free us from captivity and exile:
From all our afflictions, all our privations,
Never has he failed to deliver us,
To summon us home at last,
To grant us a renewed flowering.
JEREMIAH
Have no fear, have no fear, that the Lord will forsake us!
Mistrust him not, brothers, in days that are dark!
For when he debases us, when he afflicts us,
The suffering he sends is but sign of his love.
Then bow ye, my brothers, bend necks to the yoke,
Accept gladly the lot by Jehovah decreed.
Know, that sorrow but proves us, that trial uplifts us,
That affliction, though sore, brings us nearer to God.
Each pang that we feel is a step toward his kingdom,
Since the vanquished on earth are in heaven beloved.
Up brothers, march onward, march onward to God.
VOICES
[Ecstatically] Yea, now let us begin our wanderings.--Lead us forth.--We
shall suffer, even as our fathers suffered.--Exodus and never-ending
return.--Hasten, hasten, sunrise is at hand.--Let us march steadfastly
into slavery.--Now as ever, God will deliver us.--We will all go, not
one will stay behind.
ZEDEKIAH
Alas, alas! Who will lead me? Leave me not behind! Who will carry me?
JEREMIAH
Who calls?
VOICES
Let him stay where he is.--He is chaff for the winnowing fan.--He is
rejected of God. [To JEREMIAH] Lead us, prophet.--You shall be our
master.--Leave the outcast.
JEREMIAH
No one is an outcast! Whoever calls for help must be heard, for all our
sakes.
VOICES
Not he.--He is the cause of our troubles.--He is the rejected of
God.--He is one accurst!
JEREMIAH
I, too, was rejected of God, and God has heard my prayer; I, likewise,
was a man accurst, and God has blessed me. Who was it, crying in his
distress? Let me bring him comfort, even as I was comforted.
VOICES
'Tis the man lying on the steps.--God's wrath has smitten his pride.
JEREMIAH
Why lies he alone there? Wherefore does he not join us?
VOICES
Look, his stars are darkened.--No longer can he find his way, for he is
blind.--They have put out his eyes.
JEREMIAH
[Drawing near the recumbent figure with profound emotion] Zedekiah! Lord
King!
ZEDEKIAH
Is it thou, Jeremiah?
JEREMIAH
It is I, Lord King. I am thy faithful servant, Jeremiah. [He kneels
beside the king]
ZEDEKIAH
Scorn me not! Drive me not from thee, as I drave thee from me! Thy words
have burned me to ashes, man of might. Now leave me not alone in the
hour of mine anguish. Be with me, as you swore before God when last we
met.
JEREMIAH
I am with thee, King Zedekiah.
ZEDEKIAH
[Groping for him] Where art thou? I cannot find thee.
JEREMIAH
I am at thy feet, thy servant and thy slave.
ZEDEKIAH
[Trembling] Mock me not before the people, nor bow thyself in reverence
to one abased. The oil wherewith I was anointed hath turned to blood
upon my brow. My crown is dust.
JEREMIAH
Thou hast become the king of sorrows, and never wert thou more kingly.
Zedekiah, I stood upright before thee when I faced thee in thy strength,
but I bow myself before thee now that God hath brought thee low.
Anointed by suffering, lead us forth! Thou who now seest God only, who
no longer seest the world, guide thy people. [He rises and faces the
multitude]
Behold, behold,
Children of sorrow, children of God,
The Lord hath hearkened to your cry,
He hath sent you a leader!
One crowned with suffering,
One scorned of men!
Who is more fitted than he
To reign over those that are blessed by defeat?
God hath closed Zedekiah's eyes on earth
That he may better see the glories of heaven.
Brothers, has any son of the house of David
Been so fitted as he to be king of the sorrowful?
ZEDEKIAH
Whither would you take me? What will become of me?
JEREMIAH
Lift him up,
Him who has been abased,
Pay him all honor!
Harness the horses,
Make ready the litters,
Tenderly lift him,
Israel's guardian,
King over Zion.
[The king is lifted with all signs of respect, and is placed in a
litter. A trumpet sounds in the distance. There is a red glow upon the
walls as the day dawns. The sky has cleared. A tremor runs through the
crowd at the sound of the trumpet]
VOICES
The signal!--The first signal!--God summons us.--The day of our trial
has dawned.--Soon the sun will shine over Jerusalem.--The exodus.--The
exodus.--Exodus and return.--Jerusalem.--Jerusalem.
JEREMIAH
[With confident mien, strides up the steps once more. The crowd has
drawn back, and he stands alone at the top, looking taller than ever in
his isolation]
Up, ye rejected,
Up, all ye vanquished,
Brisk for the journey!
Wanderers,
Chosen of God and the world,
Lift up your hearts!
[A surge of activity passes through the crowd. JEREMIAH gazes out over
the city]
On Jerusalem's pinnacles
Now for the last time
Look through your tears.
Carry with you the image
Of the home you so love.
Drink your fill of the towers,
Drink your fill of the walls,
Drink your fill of Jerusalem.
VOICES
Yea, yea, ere we go
Let us drink our fill of Jerusalem.
JEREMIAH
Bend down a last time,
Piously caressing
Your native earth.
[He apostrophizes the earth]
Earth drenched with blood and tears,
Lo, I touch you
With loving hand.
The memory of this touch
Shall go with me,
Shall be an undying hunger.
[He addresses the people once more]
Unceasingly,
Wherever we wander,
Shall we be anhungered,
Shall we be athirst,
For Zion!
VOICES
Unceasingly,
Wherever we wander,
Shall we be anhungered,
Shall we be athirst,
For Zion!
JEREMIAH
Wanderers, chosen of God,
Filled with your hunger, your thirst,
Having now said your farewells,
Manfully turn to the journey.
Look forward, not backward.
Stay-at-homes
Have home;
Wanderers
Have the world!
God's are the ways
On which ye shall walk.
Made wise through suffering,
Wanderers, chosen of God,
On, through the world!
THE PEOPLE
Shall we ever see Jerusalem again?
JEREMIAH
He who believes, looks always on Jerusalem.
THE PEOPLE
Who shall rebuild the city?
JEREMIAH
The ardor of desire, the night of prison, and the suffering which brings
counsel.
THE PEOPLE
Will it endure?
JEREMIAH
Yea. Stones fall, but that which the soul builds in suffering, endureth
for ever.
[There is a bustle among the crowd as all make ready for the start. The
trumpet sounds again. It is now quite light. The crowd, eager to begin
the exodus, greets the second blast of the trumpet with a shout of
impatience]
[Raising his voice to dominate the tumult]
Wanderers, sufferers, march in the name
Of your forefather Jacob, who erstwhile with God,
Having wrestled the livelong night,
Strove till dawn for a blessing.
March on in the morning light
By a path like that which your forefathers trod,
When from Mizraim forth by Moses led
Toward the land of promise their way they sped.
Scatter your seeds, scatter your seeds,
In unknown lands,
Through numberless years.
Wander your wanderings, watered with tears.
On, people of God; for, wherever ye roam,
Your road leads through the world to eternity, home.
[The march begins in silence. At the head of the procession, the king is
borne in a litter. In due order, tribe by tribe, the wanderers fall into
line and move towards the gate. They gaze heavenward, singing as they
march, so that the exodus has the solemnity of a religious procession.
There is neither haste nor lagging, but a rhythmic movement forward. The
files succeed one another in an endless train. An infinite on the march]
FIRST CHORUS OF WANDERERS
In strangers' houses now must we dwell,
Eating bread salted with tears.
By an enemy's hearth, with souls full of dread,
Must we sit upon stools of shame.
The weight of the years will lie heavy upon us
When, captives and bondmen, we must serve men of might.
But from exile escaping, from bondage redeemed,
To Jerusalem homing, to Zion returning,
Our spirits shall ever be free and at rest.
SECOND CHORUS OF WANDERERS
Our drink must be drawn from distant waters;
Evil their taste, bitter in the mouth.
We must shelter from the sun beneath strange trees,
Their leaves breathing fear as they rustle in the wind.
But we shall win solace from the starry skies;
Dreams of home will comfort our nights;
Our souls will find continual refreshment
In the thought of Jerusalem.
THIRD CHORUS OF WANDERERS
We shall journey by unfamiliar roads;
The wind will carry us afar, through many lands;
Weary shall we be, footsore and weary,
As the nations drive us from home after home.
Nowhere at all will they suffer us to take root,
Perpetual our pilgrimage through the changing world.
Yet happy shall we be, eternally vanquished;
Happy shall we be, chaff blown by the breeze;
Kindred to none, and by none made welcome;
For through the ages our path leads unerringly,
To the goal of our desire,
Jerusalem!