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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Jeremiah, by Stefan Zweig
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Jeremiah
+       A Drama in Nine Scenes
+
+Author: Stefan Zweig
+
+Translator: Eden Paul
+            Cedar Paul
+
+Release Date: April 9, 2012 [EBook #39402]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JEREMIAH ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Sharon Joiner, Jana Srna and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
+file was produced from images generously made available
+by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+  [ Transcriber's Notes:
+
+    Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully
+    as possible, including inconsistencies in spelling and hyphenation.
+    Some corrections of spelling and punctuation have been made. They
+    are listed at the end of the text.
+
+    Stage directions in brackets were italicised in the original.
+    Upright text within them has been marked with _underscores_.
+  ]
+
+
+
+
+  JEREMIAH
+
+  A Drama in Nine Scenes
+
+  By
+  STEFAN ZWEIG
+
+  Translated
+  from the Author's revised German Text
+  by
+  Eden and Cedar Paul
+
+  New York
+  THOMAS SELTZER
+  1922
+
+
+  Copyright, 1922, by
+  Thomas Seltzer, Inc.
+
+  Printed in the United States of America
+
+
+
+
+  TO
+  FRIEDERIKE MARIA von WINTERNITZ
+
+
+  Easter 1915-Easter 1917
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+  SCENE                                PAGE
+
+     I. The Awakening of the Prophet      1
+
+    II. The Warning                      27
+
+   III. Rumors                           71
+
+    IV. The Watch on the Ramparts        99
+
+     V. The Prophet's Ordeal            137
+
+    VI. Voices in the Night             173
+
+   VII. The Supreme Affliction          231
+
+  VIII. The Conversion                  259
+
+    IX. The Everlasting Road            303
+
+
+
+
+THE AWAKENING OF THE PROPHET
+
+
+
+
+THE PERSONS OF THE DRAMA
+
+
+  ZEDEKIAH, the King.
+  PASHUR, the High Priest.
+  NAHUM, the Steward.
+  IMRE, the oldest Burgher.
+  ABIMELECH, the General.
+  HANANIAH, the Prophet of the People.
+  SWORDBEARERS, WARRIORS.
+
+                   *       *       *       *       *
+
+  JEREMIAH.
+  HIS MOTHER.
+  JOCHEBED, a Relative.
+  AHAB, the Servingman.
+  BARUCH, a young Man.
+  ZEBULON, his Father.
+
+                   *       *       *       *       *
+
+  THE PEOPLE OF JERUSALEM.
+  THE ENVOYS OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR.
+  CHALDEAN AND EGYPTIAN WARRIORS.
+
+                   *       *       *       *       *
+
+The action takes place in Jerusalem at the time of the Destruction of
+the City.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE ONE
+
+Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty
+things, which thou knowest not. JEREMIAH XXXIII, 3.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE ONE
+
+The flat roof of JEREMIAH'S house; the white flagstones gleam in the dim
+moonlight. Below are seen the towers and battlements of sleeping
+Jerusalem. Nothing stirs, save that from time to time we hear the
+whispering of the breeze that heralds the dawn.
+
+Of a sudden, impetuous footsteps sound upon the stair. JEREMIAH staggers
+in; his robe is torn open at the throat; he gasps like one being
+strangled.
+
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+They batter in the gates ... to the walls ... to the walls!... Faithless
+watchmen ... they are coming ... they are upon us.... The temple is in
+flames.... Help, help!... The walls are breached.... [He has rushed
+forward to the edge of the roof, where he abruptly stops. His cry rends
+the shimmering silence. With a start, he awakens from his trance. He
+looks forth over the town like a drunken man; his arms, which in his
+terror he has raised, sink slowly to his sides; then wearily he draws
+his hand across his open eyes] Illusion! Once again these terrible
+visions. Full, how full, is the House of Dreams! [He leans on the
+parapet and gazes down] Peace broods over the city; the country is at
+peace; in me alone, in my breast alone, this fire rages. How quietly the
+town reposes in God's arms, nestling in slumber, roofed over by peace,
+the moonbeams falling on every house, and every house plunged in gentle
+sleep. But I, I alone, am consumed with fire night after night; I crash
+earthward with the falling towers, rush to escape, perish amid the
+flames; I, and none but I, my bowels troubled, leap heated from my bed
+and stagger forth into the moonlight seeking coolness! For me alone
+comes a vision to shatter sleep; for me alone does a fiery horror wrench
+the darkness from my lids. The martyrdom of this vision; the madness of
+these faces which swarm in their blood-stained multitude and then fade
+in the clear moonlight!
+
+Always the same dream, the same illusion. Night after night, the same
+terror seizes me, the same dream, culminating in the same torment. Who
+has instilled this dream poison into my veins? Who hunts me thus with
+terror? Who covets my sleep, that he must rob me of it; who is my
+torturer, and for whom must I thus hold vigil? Answer! Who art thou,
+invisible one, aiming at me from the darkness thy wingèd shafts? Who art
+thou, terror incarnate, coming to lie with me by night, quickening me
+with thy spirit until my frame is twisted as with labor pains? Wherefore
+in this slumbering city should the curse be laid on me alone? [He is
+silent, straining his ear to the all-pervading silence, and then
+continues with growing excitement] Silence, nothing but silence, while
+within is unceasing turmoil and storm-tossed night. With scorching
+talons it tears at my vitals and yet cannot grasp them. I am scourged
+with visions, and know not who holds the scourge. My cries go forth into
+the void. Desist, invisible hunter, or if it must be otherwise, seize
+your quarry; call to me when I wake, not when I sleep; speak to me in
+words, not in visions. Reveal what you are hiding from me; tell me the
+meaning of these torments.
+
+A VOICE
+
+[Calling softly from the darkness. It seems to come from far above or
+far beneath, mysterious in its remoteness] Jeremiah!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Staggers as if struck by a stone] Who calls? Surely I heard my name?
+Was it a voice from the stars, or was it the voice of my own dream? [He
+listens. All is quiet again] Is it thou, invisible one, who huntest me
+and tormentest me? Or is it I myself; is it the fierce current of my own
+blood? Voice, speak once more, that I may know thee. Call to me once
+again.
+
+THE VOICE
+
+[Drawing nearer] Jeremiah!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Quailing, sinks to his knees] Here am I, Lord! Thy servant heareth.
+[Breathless he hearkens. Nothing stirs; he trembles with emotion] Speak,
+Lord, to thy servant. Thou didst call my name. Give me thy message that
+I may understand it. I am ready for thy word and await thy command. [He
+listens again with strained attention. Profound silence] Is it
+presumption that I should long for thee? I am no more than an ignorant
+fellow, a man of no account, a speck of dust in the world thou hast
+made, but thine is all power of choice. Thou who choosest kings from
+among shepherds, and who often unsealest the lips of a boy so that he
+glows with thy speech, thy choice is made by other tokens. Whom thou
+touchest, Lord, he is chosen; whom thou choosest, Lord, he is appointed.
+If it were thy call which came to me, lo I have hearkened to the call.
+If it be thou, Lord, who huntest me, I flee thee not. Seize thy quarry,
+Lord, seize thy prey; or hunt me yet farther to the goal! But make
+thyself known, that I may not fail thee; reveal the heaven of thy word,
+that I, thy servant, may behold thee!
+
+THE VOICE
+
+[Nearer and more urgent] Jeremiah!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Rapturously] I hear, Lord, I hear. With all my soul I listen to thy
+word. Unworthy vessel that I am, I wait to be filled with thy message. I
+vow myself to thy service, Lord, to thine alone, for my soul is athirst
+to serve thee. I await thy word and thy sign.
+
+THE VOICE OF JEREMIAH'S MOTHER
+
+[Now close at hand and plainly recognizable] Jeremiah!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[In ecstasy] Show thyself to me, Lord; my heart is racked with the
+imminence of thy coming. Pour forth thy waters, holy storm; plough me
+up, that I may bear thy seed; make my earth fruitful, inspire my lips;
+brand me with the mark of thy service! Set thy yoke upon me. See, my
+neck is bowed in readiness, for thine am I, thine for evermore. Make
+thyself known to me, Lord, even as I know thee; let me but see thy
+glory, even as thou lookest down upon my unworthiness in the gloom;
+deign only to show me the way of thy will, point the way to him who is
+thy servant for ever!
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+[Her search has led her up the stair; her countenance shows anxiety, her
+voice is full of tenderness] Here at last I find you, my son.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Springing to his feet in fear and wrath] Begone! Alas the voices are
+stilled; the way is lost, never shall I find it again.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Woe is me, why do you stand here so thinly clad in the chill night air?
+Come down, my son. The morning mist brings fever.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Wildly] Why do you follow me, why do you pester me? Unending chase. You
+follow me without pause, waking or sleeping.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Jeremiah, what do you mean? I was sleeping below, and then I seemed to
+hear people talking on the roof.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+You heard, you too? God's holy truth! You heard him speak? Understood
+his call?
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Whom do you mean? You have no companion.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Seizing her arm] Mother, tell me I beseech you. Death or joy hangs upon
+your words. Did you hear a voice; did you hear it after you had
+awakened?
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+I heard a voice on the roof and went to summon you. But your bed was
+cold and empty. Then fear came upon me, and I called your name.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Trembling] You called my name?
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Thrice did I call you. But why ...
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Thrice? Mother, are you certain ...
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Thrice did I call you.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[His voice breaking] Disaster and derision! Fraud everywhere, without
+and within. There came an earnest call, and in my terror I thought it
+was God.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+How strange you are! I meant no harm. Since there was no answer, I came
+to the roof to see if there was anyone here. I found no one.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Nay, you found a madman. The torture of these visions! Sense and
+nonsense join in cheating me. I am befooled by my own fantasy.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+What are you talking about? What is troubling you?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Nothing, Mother, nothing. Pay no heed to my words.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+I must heed them, Jeremiah; but they are dark to me. An evil mood has
+beset you, and has estranged you from me. What has happened; what is
+tormenting you?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Nothing is tormenting me, Mother. I was too hot in bed, and sought the
+roof for coolness.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+You are closing your heart to me, and yet I can read you. I know that
+night after night for months past you have been wandering about. I have
+often heard you groaning in your sleep. When you have left your bed to
+walk restlessly in the darkness, my heart has followed your every step.
+Tell me your troubles. Shut not yourself away from me.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Do not concern yourself about it, Mother.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+How can I help but concern myself about it? Are you not the day of my
+days and the prayer of my nights? You have outgrown the arms which used
+to carry you; but I still hold you in my soul, which watches over your
+life. I knew, ere you yourself were aware; I saw months ago, before you
+yourself had seen. I saw the shadow upon your brow and the anguish of
+your soul. You have become a stranger to your friends; you shun
+merrymakings; you keep away from the marketplace and from the dwellings
+of men. Buried in thought, you renounce life. Jeremiah, bethink
+yourself. You were trained for the priesthood. Your father's mantle
+awaits you, that you may praise the Lord with psaltery and song. Look
+forth from the darkness into the daylight. The hour has come for you to
+begin your life's work.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Not now the time for beginnings. The end draws nigh.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+It is time! It is time! Long since have you grown to manhood. The house
+has need of a wife, and of children to raise up seed to your father.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[In bitter distress] Lead a wife home to desolation? Beget children for
+the slaughter? In sooth, it is not the bridal hour that approaches!
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+I do not understand.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Shall I build a house in the abyss? Shall I build my life in death?
+Shall I sow corruption, and sing the praises of disaster? I say unto
+you, Mother, blessed is he whose heart is now free from ties to the
+living, for whosoever breathes this day is already drinking the waters
+of death.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+What mad fancy has seized you? When were the times more propitious? When
+was the land more peaceful?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+No, Mother, the fools say: Peace, Peace. But their words do not bring
+peace. They lie down to sleep unheeding, and as they sleep they are on
+their way to death. A time is coming such as Israel has never yet known,
+a war such as the world has never yet seen. The living will covet the
+peace of the dead in their graves, and those who can see will envy the
+darkness with which the blind are stricken. Not yet can the fools see,
+not yet is it manifest to the dreamers; but I have beheld it night after
+night. Higher leap the flames, nearer comes the foe; the day of tumult
+and destruction is at hand; war's red star is rising on the night.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+[Greatly moved] How know you these things?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  A word has come to me in secret,
+  For I have seen faces in the night,
+  I have wandered in my dreams.
+  Fear and dread fell upon me,
+  I trembled in every limb,
+  And like a crumbling wall
+  My heart fainted within me.
+  Mother,
+  Such sights have I seen,
+  That, if they were written,
+  Men's hair would stand on end,
+  And sleep would depart from them
+  For ever.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Jeremiah, what do you mean?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  The end draweth near; the end!
+  Evil appeareth out of the north,
+  Fire is its chariot,
+  Massacre its pinions!
+  Already the heavens ring with terror,
+  The earth shakes with the stamping of the hoofs.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+[Horrified] Jeremiah!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Seizing her arm, listens] Do you hear, do you not hear, the rushing of
+chariots?
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+I hear nothing! Day is dawning. The shepherds are piping in the valleys,
+and a gentle breeze blows across the roof.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  A gentle breeze?
+  Woe is me!
+  With mighty roaring
+  The wind is rising,
+  The whirlwind of God.
+  From the caverns
+  Of the north down-rushing,
+  Terror it brandishes
+  Over the town.
+  Mother! Mother! Do you not hear it?
+  Swords clash in the wind,
+  Loud roar the chariot wheels,
+  The night flashes with lances and with armor;
+  Warrior upon warrior, countless in number,
+  The whirlwind scatters over the land.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+All is illusion, the madness of dreams!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  They are coming, they are coming,
+  Strangers from the east,
+  Men of an ancient people,
+  Men of a mighty people.
+  They hasten from the east
+  In unending files;
+  Their arrows speed like lightning;
+  Their chargers are shod with swiftness;
+  Their chariots are solid as rock.
+  Among them there rideth,
+  With blood-stained crown,
+  The destroyer of cities
+  By fire and sword,
+  The tyrant of nations,
+  The king of kings from the north.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+The king from the north? You dream. The king from the north!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  Whom the Lord has awakened
+  That he may scourge the people for all its transgressions,
+  That he may crumble the walls and throw down the towers,
+  That he may quench the light and the laughter of homes,
+  That he may raze the city and the temple to the ground,
+  And that he may plough up the streets of Jerusalem.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Blasphemous folly! The city endureth for ever!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  It is falling!
+  The onslaughts of God
+  None may withstand!
+  Below ground
+  Its roots shall wither,
+  Above ground
+  Its fruits shall rot!
+  With axe and with fire
+  The horsemen shall ravage
+  Israel's forest and Zion's fair plains.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  [Breaking in] It is false!
+  Ne'er shall an enemy circle our wall,
+  David's city be taken, Jerusalem fall.
+  Though foes from the ends of the earth should rage,
+  The towering battlements ever shall stand.
+  Firm Israel's heart, and mighty her hand,
+  Eternal the days of Jerusalem!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+It is falling! Broken is the staff and foretold is the hour. The end
+draws near, the end of Israel.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+False prophet! We are the elect of the Lord, and our strength shall
+endure through the ages! Never shall Jerusalem perish!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I have seen it in my dreams; 'twas made plain to my eyes.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Evil is he who dreams such dreams, and seven times an evildoer he who
+believes them. Alas that I should have lived to see this day when my own
+blood is fearful for Zion and has lost faith in the Lord! Jeremiah, do
+you wish me to curse the womb that bore you?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+The horror came upon me against my will; naught could I do to ward off
+the faces.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Watch and pray against them and shatter their lies in the name of the
+Lord. Forget not, Jeremiah, that you are an anointed and consecrated
+son, that your voice should praise the Lord, that you should uplift the
+hearts of the sorrowful and fill with hope the minds of the despairing!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+How can I? My own despair is the greatest of all. Leave me, Mother,
+leave me!
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+I will not leave you, neither will I abandon your soul to despair.
+Jeremiah, my only son, hearken to me. For the first time let me tell you
+something which may awaken your courage. Hear the words that are forced
+from me by my distress. I, too, was once filled with despair, inasmuch
+as for ten years the Lord had closed my womb. I was the sport of my
+companions and the mock of the concubines. For ten long years I bore my
+lot patiently, and had almost given up hope; but in the eleventh year my
+heart was kindled, and I went to the house of God to implore him that my
+womb should bear fruit. Throwing myself on the ground, I watered it with
+tears, vowing that if a son were vouchsafed me I would devote him to the
+Lord's service. I swore to be silent, to utter no word during my time of
+trial, that my son in days to come might speak abundantly, praising God.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+You also consecrated me, Mother?
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+The selfsame day your father knew me and I was blessed with you.
+Hearken, Jeremiah. For nine months did I faithfully refrain from speech
+that you might speak abundantly, that you might glorify the everlasting
+God! Thus did I fulfil my vow, and we brought you up to read the
+scripture, and sweetly did you sing to the psaltery. Know, then, that
+from the first you were a consecrated priest and devoted to the service
+of the Lord. Rend the veil of your dreams and come forth into the
+daylight.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+A double consecration, Mother, a twofold witness of this night. A second
+time you have called me to life. Through your words the light has come
+to me, for, wonderful to relate, I cried my question to God and he sent
+you to speak to me! Now do I know who knocked on the wall of my sleep
+until I awakened from my life's slumber; now do I know who summoned me.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+What has befallen you? Your words are like those of a drunken man.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Yea, drunk am I now with the certainty of his will; so full am I of
+speech, that the words must forth. The seals upon my mouth are broken,
+and my lips burn to utter the revelation.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Woe is me if you should reveal your mad dreams. You are no son of mine
+if you cry such fancies aloud!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Your son, Mother? Indeed and indeed I am your son, with a fate like unto
+yours! Learn that I too have been barren, and that the Lord hath
+quickened me with a word and a secret. I have renewed your vow, Mother,
+and have given myself to the Lord.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Go, then, to God's house. Give yourself to him who has called you,
+praise his holy name.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Nay, Mother, not for me the service of the sacrificial priest. I myself
+must be the sacrifice. For God my veins run blood; for him my flesh is
+consumed; for him my soul burns. I will serve him as none ever served
+him before; his paths shall henceforward be mine. Behold the dawn upon
+the valley, and within me likewise is darkness dispelled by light! God's
+heaven flames, and in me no less the heart is aflame. Chariot of Elijah,
+fiery chariot, carry my words that they may fall like thunder into the
+hearts of men. My lips scorch me, I must go, I must go.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Whither would you go ere the day has well begun?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I know not, God knoweth.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Tell me what you mean to do.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I know not, I know not! My heart is his, and my deeds are his.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Jeremiah, you shall not go unless you swear to me to say naught of your
+dreams ...
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I will not swear! I am vowed to him alone.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+... to refrain from breathing terror into the people.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+His is the revelation, mine are the lips alone!
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Woe is me, you will not hearken to my words. Know, then, that he who
+sows despair in Israel shall never enter my house more.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+His is my word; my dwelling is his care.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Who believes not in Zion is no longer my son.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I am his alone, his who placed me within thy womb.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+You will go then? But first hear me, Jeremiah, hear me before you open
+your lips to the people. With all my strength do I curse him who spreads
+terror over Israel, I curse ...
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Shuddering] Curse not, Mother, curse not!
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+I curse him who saith the walls shall fall and the streets be laid
+waste; I curse him who cries death over Israel. May his body be consumed
+with fire and his soul fall into the hands of the living God.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Curse not, Mother ...
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+I curse the unbeliever, who has more faith in his own dreams than in
+God's mercy. Cursèd be he who denies God, were he my own son! For the
+last time, Jeremiah, choose!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I follow my own path. [With heavy steps he makes ready to descend the
+stair]
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Jeremiah, my only son, the stay of my old age, bring not my curse upon
+you, for God will hear it as he heard my vow.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I, too, am vowed to him, Mother; me also has he heard. Farewell! [He
+descends the first step]
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+[With a loud cry] Jeremiah! You trample me down. Your footsteps crush my
+heart.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I know not the road along which I move. All I know is that one calls me,
+and I follow the call. [He slowly goes down the stair, his face
+expressing restrained emotion, and his gaze turned heavenward]
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+[Rushing in despair to the top of the staircase] Jeremiah! Jeremiah!
+Jeremiah!
+
+[There is no answer. Her cry sinks to a wail, and after a while she is
+silent. Her figure, broken with grief, is silhouetted against the sky,
+where the colors of dawn are showing in fire and blood]
+
+
+
+
+THE WARNING
+
+
+
+
+SCENE TWO
+
+The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied
+both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of
+evil, and of pestilence.
+
+The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet
+shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the Lord hath
+truly sent him. JEREMIAH, XXVIII, 8 and 9.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE TWO
+
+The great square of Jerusalem. Thence a broad long flight of steps leads
+to the porch of pillars of the fortress of Zion; on the right is the
+king's palace and in the center the adjoining temple. On the other side
+the great square is bounded by houses and streets which seem low and
+mean in contrast with the towering structures facing them. The walls of
+the entrances to the palace are lined with cedar, carved with figures of
+cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, all overlaid with gold; there
+are lavers in the foreground with running water. In the background are
+seen the brazen gates of the temple.
+
+In front of the palace, in the streets and on the stairway, the people
+of Jerusalem move to and fro confusedly; a motley mass of men, women,
+and children, swayed by strong excitement, and in eager expectation.
+Many voices rise from the crowd, usually in animated dispute, but
+uniting at times to a single cry. When the scene opens, all have pressed
+towards the streets and are restlessly expectant.
+
+
+VOICES
+
+The sentinel has already given the signal from the tower.--No, not
+yet.--But I heard the trumpet.--So did I.--So did I.--They must be close
+at hand.--From which side are they coming?--Shall we see them?
+
+OTHER VOICES
+
+They are coming from Moria Gate.--They must pass this way as they go to
+the palace.--Don't block up the whole street.--We want to get a sight of
+them.--Stand back.--Room, room for the Egyptians.
+
+A VOICE
+
+But is it certain that they are coming?
+
+ANOTHER VOICE
+
+I myself spoke to the messenger who brought the tidings.
+
+VOICES
+
+He spoke with the messenger.--Tell us all about it.--How many are
+there?--Do they bring gifts?--Who is their leader?--Speak up, Issachar!
+
+[A group forms round ISSACHAR]
+
+ISSACHAR
+
+I can only tell you what the messenger, my father-in-law, told me.
+Pharaoh is sending the finest warriors of Egypt. With them are many
+slaves bearing gifts. Nothing like these gifts has come to Zion since
+the days of Solomon.
+
+VOICES
+
+Long live Pharaoh!--Glory to his reign!--Hail Egypt!
+
+AN OLD MAN
+
+No alliance with Egypt! Their wars are not ours!
+
+ISSACHAR
+
+But our need is the same as theirs. They do not want to be the slaves of
+the Chaldeans.
+
+VOICES
+
+Nor we, nor we.--Down with Ashur.--Let us break the yoke.--Let us be on
+our guard.
+
+BARUCH
+
+[A young man, in great excitement] We spend our days in chains. Month
+after month, when the moon is new, our messengers go forth to Babylon
+bearing tribute of golden shekels. How long shall we suffer it?
+
+ZEBULON
+
+[BARUCH'S father] Silence. It is not for you to speak. A light yoke is
+the yoke of Chaldea.
+
+VOICES
+
+But we want no yoke at all.--The day of freedom has dawned.--Down with
+Ashur!--Let us form an alliance with the Egyptians.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+Never did good come out of Mizraim. We must feel our way cautiously,
+patient and ever mistrustful.
+
+VOICES
+
+We must renew the furniture of the temple.--No longer shall Baal enjoy
+our holy things.--Down with the robbers of the temple!--Now is the
+appointed hour.
+
+OTHER VOICES
+
+[From farther up the street] They are coming! They are coming!
+
+VOICES
+
+[From all sides] Here they are.--Make room.--Come higher up.--Come back
+here.--I can see them already. You can see them from here.
+
+[The people swarm up the steps and form a lane through which the
+Egyptian embassy can pass to the palace. At first nothing can be seen of
+the newcomers but the spear points showing above the noisy throng]
+
+VOICES
+
+How finely they march.--Who is the leader?--Araxes is their
+leader.--Look at the gifts.--Look at the carrying chairs.--One of them
+is curtained.--That must be Pharaoh's daughter.--Hail Araxes!--Hail
+Egypt!--Those are heavy chests; there must be gold in them!--We shall
+have to pay for it with our blood!--How short their swords are.--Ours
+are better.--Look at their proud gait.--They must be mighty
+warriors.--Long live Pharaoh-Necho.--Hail Egypt!--God punish
+Ashur.--Hail Araxes!--Blessings on Pharaoh!--Blessings on the alliance!
+
+[With frenzied acclamations, the people close in upon the procession of
+the Egyptians. These latter, richly appareled, march proudly by. They
+rattle their swords and make gracious acknowledgments]
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Speaking from the steps] May the king fulfil your wishes! May he cement
+the alliance!
+
+[The Egyptians have mounted the steps to the palace, and have entered
+the porch of pillars. The people throng at their heels. Other sections
+of the crowd disappear into the streets. On the steps there now remain
+only isolated groups of the older men, while the soldiers and the women
+hasten after the Egyptians, eager to see what they are bearing, and
+vanishing after the train in the entry to the palace]
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Who has been looking on in ecstasy] I must go with them.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+Stay where you are.
+
+BARUCH
+
+I want to see for myself how Israel rises against the oppressors. My
+soul is consumed with desire to behold great deeds, and now the hour is
+at hand.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+Stay where you are. The time is God's choice, not ours. The king will
+decide.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Listen to the shouts of joy! Let me go with them, father.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+You will have many other opportunities. The people always flock to hear
+loud talkers, and crowd ever to witness showy sights.
+
+ANOTHER
+
+Why do you deny him the pleasure? Is not the day come for which we have
+been longing? Friends have been raised up for Israel.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+Never was Mizraim the friend of Israel.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Our shame is theirs, and Israel's need is Egypt's.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+Naught have we in common with any other folk on earth. Our strength lies
+in isolation.
+
+THE OTHER
+
+But they will fight for us.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+They will fight for themselves. Each nation fights for itself alone.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Are we still to be slaves? Shall Zedekiah be a king of slaves, and Zion
+remain in bondage to Chaldea? Were but Zedekiah a true king!
+
+ZEBULON
+
+Silence, I command you. It befits not a boy to lay down the law for
+kings.
+
+BARUCH
+
+It is true that I am young; but who is Jerusalem, if it be not her young
+men? It was not the cautious elders who built Jerusalem. David, young
+David, established her towers, and made her great among the nations.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+Hold your peace. You have no right to speak in the marketplace.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Shall only the cautious elders speak, none but the aged give counsel,
+that Israel may grow old before her time and God's word decay in our
+hearts? The moment is ours, and it is for us to take revenge. You have
+abased yourselves, and we will lift ourselves up; you have faltered, but
+we will bring fruition; you had peace, and we want war.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+What do you know of war? We, the fathers, have known war. In books war
+is great, but in reality war is a destroyer, a ravisher of life.
+
+BARUCH
+
+I fear not war. Let us have done with slavery!
+
+A VOICE
+
+Zedekiah hath sworn an oath of peace.
+
+VOICES
+
+The oath matters nothing.--Let him break his oath.--No oath need be kept
+with the heathen.
+
+OTHER VOICES
+
+[Exultant, coming from the street] Abimelech!--Hail Abimelech!--Abimelech,
+our leader!
+
+[Groups crowd round ABIMELECH, the general, and acclaim him]
+
+VOICES
+
+Abimelech!--Is it true that Egypt offers an alliance? Draw your
+sword.--Up, march against Ashur.--Gather Israel's forces.--We are
+ready.--We are ready.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+[Speaks to the crowd from the top of the steps] Make ready, people of
+Jerusalem, for the hour of freedom is at hand.
+
+[The crowd shouts exultantly]
+
+Pharaoh-Necho has offered us the help of his armies. He wishes us to
+join him in breaking the might of Ashur, and we shall do it, people of
+Jerusalem.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+On against Ashur.--War with Chaldea.--Hail Abimelech!
+
+A WARRIOR
+
+We shall drive them before us like sheep. They have grown soft in the
+houses of the women, and their king has never worn harness.
+
+A VOICE
+
+That is false.
+
+THE WARRIOR
+
+Who says it is false?
+
+THE VOICE
+
+I say so. I have been in Babylon and I have seen Nebuchadnezzar. He is a
+mighty man of valor, and his soldiers have no equals.
+
+VOICES
+
+Wretch, you praise our foes.--He is sold to the enemy.--His wife is a
+Chaldean.--She has gone a-whoring with all the men of Babylon.--Traitor!
+
+THE WARRIOR
+
+[Approaching the speaker] Do you mean to say that we cannot beat them?
+
+THE VOICE
+
+I say that the Chaldeans are mighty men.
+
+THE WARRIOR
+
+[Pressing closer] Look upon my fist, and say once more that they are
+better than the men of Israel.
+
+VOICES
+
+Say it again.--Tear him to pieces.--Traitor.--Traitor.
+
+THE SPEAKER
+
+[Encircled by a threatening mob, loses courage] I did not say that. All
+I meant to say was that they are many in number.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Always have our foes been many, and always have we laid them low.
+
+VOICES
+
+Who can stand against us?--We have overthrown all our enemies.--None can
+withstand us.--Death to him who despises our power.
+
+[Messengers hasten from the palace]
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[Thronging round them] Whither so fast?--What news do you bear?--Whom do
+you seek?--What's afoot?
+
+A MESSENGER
+
+The king has summoned the council.
+
+VOICES
+
+War.--He decides for war.--War.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Whom has he summoned?
+
+THE MESSENGER
+
+Imre, the oldest burgher; Nahum, the steward. To you also the summons
+goes forth.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Waverers and wiseacres are to be my fellow councilors; men who weigh
+their words overmuch and shrink from deeds. But I have my sword with me,
+and I will cast it from me if I may not draw it against Ashur. Yours is
+the hour, people of Jerusalem; I fight in your behalf.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+Hail Abimelech.--Hail Abimelech, hail soldier of God.--Hail!
+
+[ABIMELECH hastens into the palace]
+
+BARUCH
+
+Follow him, follow him! The king shall hear our voices. Let us thunder
+our will beneath the windows of his palace.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+I shall disown you if you do not hold your peace. The king has summoned
+a council, and there must be no clamor to disturb its deliberations.
+
+BARUCH
+
+He shall not deliberate. Let him decide! Let him decide for war! We are
+all for war.
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes, all of us.--All of us.--Shout that the king may hear us.
+
+A VOICE
+
+Nay, I am not for war, I am not for war.
+
+VOICES
+
+Silence.--Traitor.--Another spy.--Who are you?--Down with him.--Who are
+you?
+
+THE SPEAKER
+
+I am a peasant, and in peace only will my land bear fruit. War comes
+trampling across my fields. No war for me, I am against it.
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Savagely] Shame upon you! May you rot amid your fields and be choked
+with your fruits! Cursed be he whose courage is measured by his gains,
+and cursed be he who values his own pitiful life more than the welfare
+of his country! Israel is our land for tillage. We will manure it with
+our blood. Are we not happy, brothers, to die for the one God?
+
+THE PEASANT
+
+Die, then, and let me live. I love the land. This, too, is God's, and he
+has given it to me for my own.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Nothing is given to us for our own. We hold everything in trust from the
+living God, and must restore everything when the call comes. Now has the
+call sounded; let us hearken to it gladly. The signs are fulfilled.
+Where are they who should reveal his words? Where are they who disclose
+his spirit, who can spur on the slothful and make the deaf hear? Where
+are the priests, and where the prophets? Why are their voices silent at
+this hour in Jerusalem?
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes.--The prophets.--Where are the priests?
+
+BARUCH
+
+To the temple! Nothing must be done without God's word! Let the men of
+God decide.
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes, where are our shepherds? In them is the truth.--Hananiah--Pashur--
+where are they? Open the temple.--Open the gates.--Hananiah.--Pashur.
+
+[Some of the crowd race up the steps and knock upon the brazen gates.
+The gates open and HANANIAH appears. He is received with fierce
+acclamations]
+
+BARUCH
+
+Hananiah, messenger of God, the people thirst for your speech. Let your
+words pour forth to kindle our hearts, to make fruitful our wrath, and
+to direct our aim. The fate of Jerusalem is in your hands.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+Pour forth God's word over us.--Reveal the promise.--Say, shall we
+fight?--Let us know God's will.--Teach the people, messenger of the
+Lord, teach the king.--Give utterance to the promise.--Look upon our
+weakness.--Awaken our courage.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+[Standing before the threshold of the temple, speaks with strong
+emotion] Blessed your questions, blessed your voices, blessed are you,
+people of Jerusalem, who at length hearken to the cry. For sleep had
+fallen upon you, Jerusalem; you had been passive in the chains of
+slavery. The nations have been marching over you as over a drunken man;
+they have been spitting upon your garments; they have mocked your
+nakedness. But a call has summoned the sleepers; a message has roused
+the dreamers; and I will testify to you, now that God has awakened you.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[Breaking into fanatical cries] Listen to him!--We are awakened!--It is
+true that we have been sleeping.--Tell us, master, is it time?--Say, has
+the hour struck?
+
+HANANIAH
+
+How long will you refrain from deeds, now that God hath awakened you?
+How long will you remain passive, now that the Lord hath summoned you?
+God is athirst, for his pitchers are empty; God is anhungered, for his
+altars are broken; God is cold, for the hangings of the temple have been
+stolen; God suffers, for the priests of Baal and the servants of
+Ashtaroth heap scorn upon him! Cast off the yoke, break your chains,
+raise hosannas, unsheathe your swords. God has awakened you; fight for
+the Lord!
+
+BARUCH
+
+Let hosannas sound! Up, Israel; up Jerusalem, and break the yoke!
+
+THE CROWD
+
+Let us break the yoke.--Down with Ashur.--To arms against
+Nebuchadnezzar.--Unfurl the flag.--Tell us, is it time to start?--War
+against Ashur.--Say, shall the victory be ours?
+
+HANANIAH
+
+The voice of the Lord burns within me. The words come to my mouth like
+the roaring of the sea, and thus do they sound: "Arise, Israel. I have
+delivered Ashur into thy hand; clench thy fist, Israel, and break the
+bones of thy foe! Tread the oppressor beneath thy heels, bring back my
+stolen goods, deliver me as I deliver thee. Reject those who would
+counsel thee otherwise; destroy those who would curb thee; pay no heed
+to the weaklings, and hearken only to the words of my messenger! Hear
+the words of my messenger, O Israel!"
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Calling wildly from amid the crowd] Heed him not! Heed him not! Heed
+him not!
+
+[A tumult ensues, and the crowd draws apart, disclosing JEREMIAH in the
+midst. He tries to make his way up the steps to the place from which
+HANANIAH is speaking]
+
+VOICES
+
+Who is that speaking?--What is he saying?--Who is he?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Do not heed him. Pay no heed to him who speaks through the lips only;
+reject the lure of his words. Do not listen to the hypocrites who would
+lead you into slippery places. Do not fall into the snare of the
+fowlers. Do not listen to the decoy calling to war.
+
+PASHUR
+
+[The high priest, wearing full vestments, has appeared on the threshold
+of the temple] Who speaks in the crowd?
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Who speaks against the Lord? Let him show himself in the open.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Coming forward] Dismay speaks; concern for Jerusalem cries aloud; the
+mouth of terror is opened. I speak for Israel, and for the life of
+Israel.
+
+VOICES
+
+Who is he?--I know him not.--He is not one of the prophets.--I know him
+not.--Who is he?
+
+A VOICE
+
+It is Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, of the priests in Anathoth.
+
+VOICES
+
+Who is Jeremiah?--Who is he?--What do the people of Anathoth want in
+Jerusalem?--He is the son of Hilkiah.--Who is he?--What does he want?
+
+PASHUR
+
+[To JEREMIAH, who is mounting the steps] Away from the steps of the
+temple! The messengers of the Lord, the men of God and the prophets, may
+alone tread the holy threshold. To none but us is it given to reveal
+God's will.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Who dares declare that to him only has the Lord vouchsafed wisdom and
+the secret of his will? God speaks to men in dreams, and to me likewise
+has he sent dreams. He has filled my nights with horror, and has
+awakened me at due time; he has given me a mouth that I may speak and a
+voice that I may cry aloud. He has breathed dismay into my mind that I
+may spread it over you like a burning cloth. I will utter my dismay on
+behalf of Jerusalem; I will cry my cry before the people; I will reveal
+my dreams.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Away with dreamers and interpreters of dreams. The hour needs waking
+men.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Dreams come to all. Beasts stir in their sleep, and the dreams of slaves
+are full of visions. Who has anointed you, that you should speak before
+the temple?
+
+VOICES
+
+No.--Let him speak.--We want to hear him.--He is out of his mind.--Let
+him reveal his dreams.--The marketplace is free to all.--God's house is
+free. Speak, Jeremiah.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Not from the threshold of the temple.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+I am the prophet of God, and there is no other prophet in Israel to-day.
+You shall hear my words, not those of the chatterers in the streets.
+Scourge the dreamers out of the marketplace.
+
+BARUCH
+
+He is a coward, shun his terrors.
+
+VOICES
+
+Let him speak.--We want to hear what he has to say.--No, let Hananiah
+speak.--Perhaps Jeremiah is sent by the Lord.--Why should not we hear
+him.--Speak, Jeremiah.--What has he dreamed?--Revelation often comes in
+dreams.--Let him speak, Hananiah.--We can compare their words.--Speak,
+Jeremiah.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[From the top of the steps] Brothers in Israel, brothers in Jerusalem,
+in my dream I heard a storm burst upon the city, and I saw warriors
+assail our walls. The pillars fell and the battlements were laid low.
+Fire sat upon the roofs like a red beast devouring our dwellings. No
+stone was left standing upon another, and the streets were laid waste. I
+saw the dead lying in heaps upon the ground, so that my heart was turned
+within me and my mouth was unsealed even in sleep.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Madness is crying from the steps of the temple.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+The falling sickness afflicts him, and he in turn afflicts us.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Down with him.
+
+VOICES
+
+No, we want to hear his dreams.--What do they mean?--He is a madman.--He
+is a fool.--Away with him!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+But, brothers, when I awakened in the sweat of my body, I mocked myself
+even as you mock me now. Did not peace brood over the land; were not the
+walls untouched, so that no breeze stirred athwart them? I went forth
+from the house full of shame for my own terrors; I sought the
+marketplace that I might rejoice in its peace. But when I came thither I
+heard shouts of exultation; and my heart broke within me, for the shouts
+were clamors for war. Brothers, my soul was bitter as gall, and the
+words came to my lips against my will. Tell me, is war so precious that
+you should praise it? Is it so kindly that you should long for it? Does
+it bring so much good that you should greet it with all the warmth of
+your heart? I say unto you, people of Jerusalem, that war is a fierce
+and evil beast, one that devours the flesh of the strong and sucks the
+marrow of the mighty, crushing towns in its jaws and trampling the land
+beneath its hoofs. Those who awaken it, shall not again lay it to sleep;
+and he who draws the sword, is like to perish by the sword. Woe,
+therefore, to the contentious man who quarrels when there is no need,
+for he shall come out upon one way, and flee upon seven. Woe to those
+who murder peace with the words of their mouth. Beware of all such, O
+people of Jerusalem.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Beware of cowards, O people of Jerusalem; beware of traitors in the pay
+of the enemy.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+What promise does he bring? Where is God's word? He speaks for Babylon
+and for Baal.
+
+VOICES
+
+No, no.--His words are just.--There is much truth in what he says.--Let
+him deliver his message.--Dreams.--Where is the promise?--Go on.--We
+want to hear him too.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Why do you awaken the ravening beast with your shouts. Why do you summon
+the king of the north to your city? Why do you clamor for war, men of
+Jerusalem? Did you beget your sons for slaughter, and your daughters for
+shame? Did you build your houses for destruction by fire, and your walls
+for the battering ram? Bethink thee, Israel; call a halt ere thou
+runnest into the darkness, Jerusalem. Is thy slavery so hard, are thy
+sorrows beyond assuagement? Look around. God's sun shines over the land;
+the vines bloom in peace; lovers walk happily together; children play
+unhindered; the moon shines gently over the sleep of Jerusalem. Fire and
+water keep their appointed places, the storehouses are well filled, and
+God has his spacious mansion. Say, Israel, is it not well with thee
+within the walls of Zion; art thou not blithe in the valleys of Sharon;
+art thou not happy by the blue waters of Jordan? Let it suffice thee to
+live at peace under God's tranquil gaze. Hold fast to peace, people of
+Jerusalem.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+His words are just! Hail unto him. His speech is golden.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Like the gold of Chaldea.
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes, he has been bribed.--No, his words are just.--Peace.--We want
+peace.--He is a traitor.--He is in the pay of Ashur.--Let him
+speak.--No, Hananiah is right.--Let us listen to Hananiah.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Away with you, away. Go, talk to Samaria, the land of slaves. Deliver
+your message to Moab, or to the uncircumcised, but not to Israel, God's
+first-born among the nations.
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Menacingly, to JEREMIAH] Answer me, in face of the people. Is our
+slavery to endure? Are we still to pay tribute to Chaldea? Answer me,
+traitor.
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes, yes.--Answer.--Speak.--Are we to go on paying tribute?--Answer.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Loudly do I speak my mind before the people. It is better to pay tribute
+of gold to the enemy than tribute of blood to war. It is better to be
+wise than powerful; it is better to be the servant of God than the ruler
+of men.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Man of servile obedience, slave of Chaldea, will you deny God's word
+which commandeth war against the oppressor; will you deny his holy word?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+But it is also written: "In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in
+quietness and in confidence shall be your strength."
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes, thus is it written.--He speaks truth.--His words are the words of
+wisdom.--Nay, he twists the scripture to his own purpose.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+This is written of an unholy war, of dissension among the brethren of
+Israel. But ours is a holy war, a war of God waged in the everlasting
+name of Jerusalem, a war of God, a war of God.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Couple not God's name with war. Not God makes war, but man. No war is
+holy; no death is holy; life alone is holy.
+
+BARUCH
+
+You lie! Life is given us that we may sacrifice it to God. I will offer
+myself upon his altar, I will fall before his foes, I will die for
+Israel and for Israel's rule upon earth. Never shall Israel be
+vanquished so long as all her sons share these thoughts.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Never shall Israel be vanquished while God's stars shine in heaven. If
+we join forces with Egypt, Babylon will fall into our hands within three
+months.
+
+VOICES
+
+[Exultantly] Within three months.--Hail Hananiah.--Hearken to
+Hananiah.--Within three months.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Israel will gain the victory over countless thousands.
+
+BARUCH
+
+He spreads fear as they spread gold before him.
+
+VOICES
+
+Israel shall rule the nations.--Down with Ashur.--War.--War.--Nay,
+peace.--Peace in Israel.--War.--War.--He is speaking for Ashur.--He is a
+traitor.--Do those only speak truth who clamor for war?--He has taken
+bribes.--Let us not decide too quickly.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Send the coward to the house of the women!
+
+A WOMAN
+
+[Spitting on JEREMIAH] His company would bring shame on us. That for the
+man whose cringing is a disgrace! War against Ashur!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Flashing out in wrath] Who are you that you crave blood so fiercely?
+Did you bear children and suckle them only for the tomb? A curse upon
+the man who thirsts for blood, but seven times accursed be the woman who
+is eager for war; for war shall devour the fruit of her womb, and the
+men of Ashur shall cast lots for her and for her raiment. You and such
+as you shall be mourners, tearing your cheeks with your nails, and
+uttering shrill cries of lamentation, you women who spit upon me and
+revile peace.
+
+WOMEN'S VOICES
+
+Woe, Woe! Listen to the curse.--Our sons.--Woe, woe!--Man of
+terror!--Woe!
+
+BARUCH
+
+You can frighten women, faint-heart, but not men. Down, down!
+
+CERTAIN WARRIORS
+
+Down with him. Hunt him into the street.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Close his mouth!
+
+VOICES
+
+Away with him!--He frightens women.--Away with him.--He has foretold
+enough disaster.--My flesh crept while he was speaking.--Let him hold
+his peace.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I will not hold my peace, for Jerusalem cries aloud through my mouth.
+The walls of Jerusalem stand up in my heart, and would fain still stand;
+the land of Israel blossoms in my soul, and my hope is to safeguard it.
+Thy own blood calls through me, Jerusalem, that it may not be shed; thy
+seed, that it may not be scattered; thy stones, that they may not fall;
+and thy name, that it may not perish. Stand firm, waverer, and gather
+thy children under thy care; hearken, Jerusalem, to my voice of warning.
+Hearken, Zion, thou citadel of God. Keep the peace, keep the peace!
+
+VOICES
+
+[Fiercely disputing] Yes.--God's peace upon Israel.--Traitor.--He has
+taken a bribe.--God's peace upon us.--I would fain save my
+sons.--War.--War against Ashur.--Leave the matter to the king.--He is a
+traitor.--We want to live at peace.--He is a coward.--He has sold
+himself to the enemy.--War.--Peace.--Hananiah speaks the truth.--Nay,
+Jeremiah speaks the truth.--Break the yoke.--War.--Peace.
+
+[A bustle arises at the entrance to the palace. A number of men come
+forth. In their midst is ABIMELECH, swordless]
+
+VOICES
+
+[From among the newcomers] Treason.--Treason.--Treason in Israel.
+
+[The dispute around JEREMIAH ceases]
+
+VOICES
+
+What has happened?--Abimelech.--What has happened?--He comes from the
+king.--Abimelech.--Look at his angry frown.--Tell us what has happened.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+[Standing at the top of the steps beside JEREMIAH] Israel has been sold
+by the weaklings; chaffered away by the hucksters. Imre and Nahum gained
+the upper hand in the council. They spoke against Egypt, and the king
+hearkened to their words.
+
+VOICES
+
+Down with Nahum.--Treason.--Imre, the dotard.--Traitor.--What was the
+decision?--What did the king say?--Peace, hail to peace.--God's
+judgment.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+His heart quaileth within him, for he dreads war. He will think the
+matter over, will take further counsel ere he decide.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Glory to Zedekiah, girdled with wisdom!
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+He is hedged about with weakness; old age and fear are his counselors.
+For my part I threw my sword aside, for no longer will I wear a sword
+while Zion pays tribute to Ashur.
+
+BARUCH
+
+[In ecstasy] Soldier of God, your sword is holy since it flashes for
+Israel.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Blessings upon you that you will have naught to do with hucksters.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Shall we still hesitate? Whose is the hour? Is it that of Nahum, the
+huckster, and that of Imre, the dotard; or is it your hour, people of
+Jerusalem? God's hour has come, therefore seize it. To the palace, to
+the king; let him behold us and hear us. People of Jerusalem, raise your
+voices, give vent to the breath of your anger. To the palace, to the
+palace!
+
+PASHUR
+
+To the king! Show yourselves to him, people of Jerusalem. To the king
+and to victory! Such is God's will.
+
+VOICES
+
+To the king!--To the palace!--To victory!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Springing forward to block the entry to the porch of pillars] Keep the
+peace, keep the peace; you are murdering Jerusalem.
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Drawing his sword] Here's for him who still speaks of peace.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Cut him down!
+
+PASHUR
+
+Down with the traitor!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Help me, friends of God; help me to save Jerusalem.
+
+BARUCH
+
+For the last time! Let us pass in to the king. [He endeavors to push
+JEREMIAH aside]
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Resists and shouts at the top of his voice] No step will I yield to
+folly! Peace! God's peace be upon Israel.
+
+[BARUCH cuts him down, and JEREMIAH falls bleeding to the foot of the
+steps]
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[Scattering in horror] Murder.--They have killed him.--Murder.--Who is
+it?--Jeremiah.--They have killed him.--Woe.--Why use force?--Why kill
+the prophets?--Justice has been dealt on the liar.--To the king, to the
+king!
+
+[BARUCH stands thunderstruck with lowered sword]
+
+HANANIAH
+
+[Shouts exultantly] May such be the fate of all faint-hearts, all slaves
+of Chaldea, all hirelings of Ashur! To the palace, to the king. Save
+Israel, deliver Jerusalem.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Death to traitors! Vengeance on Ashur!
+
+PASHUR
+
+God has struck him down.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+God's thunderbolt has fallen on the liar.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[After its brief pause of consternation, begins to flow into the porch
+of pillars of the palace] To the king.--Let Israel rule the
+nations.--War.--War against Ashur.--Down with the traitors.--To the
+king.--God is on our side.--Down with Ashur.--Freedom.--Freedom.
+[Rejoicing they stream into the palace]
+
+[JEREMIAH still lies in a swoon at the base of the steps, none heeding
+him. The crowd passes over him in a flood, leaving him like jetsam among
+the stones. BARUCH, who, in his bewilderment, was swept along by the
+mob, has struggled back from among them. Slowly, as if driven by an
+inner force, he comes down to the swooning man, bends over him, feels
+his brow, and listens for his breath]
+
+BARUCH
+
+Jeremiah, speak, Jeremiah, if you are still alive. [He raises JEREMIAH
+into a sitting posture]
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[His eyes still closed, not yet himself, speaks hesitatingly] The fiery
+cloud has fallen. Fire is raging through the town. Woe is me!
+
+BARUCH
+
+Keep still a moment, that I may wipe the blood from your eyes.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Away! Your face was full of hatred towards me. Your eyes flashed
+fiercely. Was it not you who struck me down?
+
+BARUCH
+
+I indeed it was who drew sword upon you in anger, but the blade turned
+in my hand so that I struck you with the flat only. I rejoice thereat,
+for I drew upon an unarmed man. I will pay blood-money. Let me staunch
+your wound.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Let the blood flow. Would that mine alone were to flow in Jerusalem.
+[Half rising] What has become of the crowd? The marketplace is empty.
+Have they gone to the palace, gone to force war upon the king? Where are
+they?
+
+BARUCH
+
+Compose yourself ...
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+They have gone. It is too late. Curse upon you for that you felled me to
+the ground. More, far more, than me have you slain. Not my blood alone
+has been shed, but the blood of all Israel. Through you, Zion has been
+broken and destroyed. You have killed the watchman, and they are raging
+in the holy places of the Lord. Let me rise. Avaunt, murderer of Israel!
+
+BARUCH
+
+What do you wish to do?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[In febrile excitement] Help me, help me to my feet. You struck me down,
+so now you must help me. Perhaps there is still time. [Distant shouts
+are heard from the palace] Their jubilation means death; their joy means
+destruction. Too late! Too late! For Jerusalem's sake I must give
+warning. Your aid! I must go to him. The hour calls. [He struggles to
+his feet]
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Confused] Whither away? You are still too weak to do anything.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Let me testify against Hananiah, against Pashur; against those who would
+lure to war; against the people. I must cry the words of peace ...
+
+BARUCH
+
+Will you make the attempt once again, alone against them all? Great,
+indeed, is the force that drives you. Steadfastly did you face my sword,
+you whom I had despised as a coward, whom I had proclaimed a faint-heart
+before the people. But in the strength of your will you are ready to
+defy death, proving yourself a mighty man of valor.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+If you reverence me, then help me. Help me to cry aloud. Help me to save
+Zion from destruction.
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Supporting him] I will help you, Jeremiah, against my will, for you
+have in you a power which compels me. I had believed you a weakling, and
+therefore did I oppose you as one who shunned action and favored the
+easy path of peace.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+The easy path of peace! Do you fancy that peace is not action, that
+peace is not the action of all actions? Day by day you must wrest it
+from the mouths of liars and from the hearts of men. You must stand
+alone against the multitude; for clamor is always on the side of the
+many, and the liar has ever the first word. The meek must be strong;
+those who desire peace are continually at war.
+
+BARUCH
+
+But you will not go alone?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I must go, I must go. I must make my words good. Empty is the speech of
+him who will not stand by it with his life. Let me publish my visions;
+let me proclaim my warning before the king.
+
+BARUCH
+
+I would fain go with you, would fain do what you are doing, for it is
+borne in on me that you are beginning a great work.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+You would walk with me? But did you not resist me with your will and
+with your sword?
+
+BARUCH
+
+You are too strong for me, and I who stood up against you wish to help
+you now. Your blood has won me to your cause. I will do what you do, for
+I have faith in you, Jeremiah, who faced my sword so steadfastly.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+You believe in me, against the priests and the prophets who deny me,
+against the people and the city?
+
+BARUCH
+
+I believe in you, for you have shed your blood for your words.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+You believe in me when I myself hardly believe in my own dreams. Is it
+true, boy?
+
+BARUCH
+
+I believe in you, for I saw you stand steadfast against death. Your will
+is my will.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Greatly moved] You believe in me, you who wounded me, who resisted me
+to the uttermost? You are the first to believe in me, you whose very
+name is unknown to me.
+
+BARUCH
+
+I am Baruch, the son of Zebulon of Gilead.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+No longer will you be any man's son, if you believe in me. Despised and
+rejected will you be, should you follow me. He who would shine in the
+word, must burn in the flames. Think well, Baruch. You are little more
+than a boy. You have shed my blood, shall I therefore shed yours?
+
+BARUCH
+
+Let me go with you, for the sake of Jerusalem.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+For the sake of Jerusalem! Indeed and indeed Jerusalem needs help in
+this hour. Come, then, Baruch, first-born of my faith, son of my
+anguish, support me that we may testify together. My anguish shall be
+turned against the king, my sorrow shall be thundered in his ears. Aid
+me, aid me against king and people.
+
+BARUCH
+
+I will go with you.
+
+[Exultant shouts nearer at hand]
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Woe, woe! When the mob rejoices, disaster is afoot.
+
+BARUCH
+
+They are streaming forth from the palace.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Forward, let us meet them. Lend me the strength of your arm, for I am
+still weak.
+
+BARUCH
+
+The king is among them. He carries a naked sword. They are making for
+the temple.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Help me forward. There is still time.
+
+BARUCH
+
+The clamor echoes through the marketplace. Hananiah is dancing before
+them even as David danced before the ark. The war-makers have triumphed.
+It is too late. Give way before them. Hide yourself. It is too late.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+It is never too late. Let me forth to encounter them.
+
+BARUCH
+
+What would you do? Let me go instead, for I am young and strong.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I would brandish the word against them like a sword. I would turn the
+king's heart. Let me go to him.
+
+[Shouting and singing, the crowd streams out of the palace, down the
+steps, and then up again towards the temple. All are in a frenzy,
+shouting for war and for victory]
+
+HANANIAH
+
+[Drunken with excitement, leading the way to the temple] Open the gates.
+Throw the gates wide. The king will swear before the altar the oath of
+alliance against Ashur!
+
+VOICES
+
+Hail to the alliance!--Day of promise!--Slavery is overthrown!--Down
+with Ashur!--Hail Zedekiah!--Victory, victory!--Israel shall rule the
+nations.--God is on our side.
+
+[KING ZEDEKIAH, followed by the Egyptian envoys, has come out of the
+palace. He bears a drawn sword. His expression is grave. Amid the
+exultant crowd he seems oppressed with thought. Scarcely heeding the
+tumult and the acclamations, he makes for the temple with slow strides.
+Suddenly, above the clamor of the multitude, rises the voice of
+JEREMIAH]
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Zedekiah, Zedekiah, sheathe thy sword.
+
+[Disorder in the crowd; the cries are stilled. The king, standing on the
+steps of the temple, looks round for the speaker]
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Shouting yet more loudly] Sheathe thy sword, Zedekiah! Thus wilt thou
+save Jerusalem. Give peace to Israel, God's peace.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[Vociferating wildly] War! War upon Ashur!--Who is the speaker?--He is
+sold to the enemy.--Down with all traitors.--Israel shall rule the
+nations.--War, war!
+
+[The voice of JEREMIAH is drowned amid the general uproar. He is thrust
+aside, and BARUCH has difficulty in protecting him. With redoubled
+energy the crowd continues to shout in an ecstasy around the king.
+ZEDEKIAH stands awhile, still trying to find the one who had called on
+him to sheathe the sword. For a moment, indeed, he lowers his weapon,
+and seems to be looking round for help. But, amid fanatical cries of the
+populace, the gates are opened. After a moment's further hesitation,
+ZEDEKIAH raises his sword once more, and with earnest mien mounts the
+last steps and disappears into the temple]
+
+
+
+
+RUMORS
+
+
+
+
+SCENE THREE
+
+Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth
+fire, and this people, wood, and it shall devour them. JEREMIAH V, 14.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE THREE
+
+The same square in front of the temple and the king's palace. Groups of
+idlers, men and women, loiter upon the steps, some sitting and some
+standing. In the streets and in the porch of pillars there is the usual
+coming and going of persons working and conversing.
+
+
+A MAN
+
+[One of the larger group on the steps] I have it for certain that there
+has been a great battle between Nebuchadnezzar and Pharaoh.
+
+ANOTHER MAN
+
+I have heard the same report. A messenger has come.
+
+A VOICE
+
+That means nothing. Messengers are always coming to the palace.
+
+THE SECOND MAN
+
+But I have spoken to him. I'm sure of it.
+
+THE VOICE
+
+Have you spoken to the messenger?
+
+THE SECOND MAN
+
+No, it was Aphitor, the king's scribe. He told me that a battle had
+begun, a great battle.
+
+THE FIRST MAN
+
+A mighty battle, such as there has never been before within the memory
+of man, Egypt against Nebuchadnezzar.
+
+VOICES
+
+May the heavens crush him, the accursèd.--Egypt is all-powerful.--Our
+army is there too.--They will know how to deal with him, the man of
+pride.
+
+A VOICE
+
+God will break him, for God is on our side.
+
+ANOTHER VOICE
+
+The Egyptians are strong, and Nebuchadnezzar will not be able to
+withstand them.
+
+A THIRD VOICE
+
+Nebuchadnezzar is likewise strong. They say ...
+
+A FOURTH VOICE
+
+[Interrupting] Let them say, the faint-hearts. Who cares what they say?
+
+THIRD VOICE
+
+They say that his warriors are like a swarm of locusts.
+
+ANOTHER VOICE
+
+Warriors! His men are no warriors! Small in stature are they like boys,
+and unhandy with their swords. My sister's husband has seen many of
+them. Among the women they are men, but they are not men in battle.
+[Laughter]
+
+VOICES
+
+Pharaoh will destroy them.--He will sweep them like chaff from the
+threshing-floor.--Long live Pharaoh!
+
+OTHERS
+
+[Hearing the shouts and coming to join the group] What is he saying
+about Pharaoh?
+
+A VOICE
+
+Pharaoh is fighting a great battle against Nebuchadnezzar.
+
+OTHER VOICES
+
+He will conquer.--He will set us free.--Long live Pharaoh.--Pharaoh for
+ever.--They shall grave him a tablet of fine gold.--Long live Pharaoh,
+the conqueror of Ashur.
+
+NEWCOMERS
+
+[Eager to know what is afoot] What is it? What has happened?
+
+ONE OF THE RECENT COMERS
+
+Pharaoh has defeated Nebuchadnezzar.
+
+VOICES
+
+Hail Pharaoh-Necho!--Is it true? I must go home and tell my wife.--Hail
+Pharaoh-Necho!
+
+A VOICE
+
+But we have no certain news yet.
+
+OTHER VOICES
+
+What do you mean by saying the news is not certain?--Can you doubt
+it?--I have always known that God would strengthen our arms.--Victory is
+ever on God's side.--None can stand against us.
+
+ONE OF THE GROUP
+
+[Hastening away, shouting as he goes] The victory is ours. Pharaoh has
+defeated Nebuchadnezzar.
+
+[Hearing these words, idlers in the square flock to join the group on
+the steps]
+
+VOICES
+
+They are talking of a victory.--Is it true that Pharaoh has vanquished
+Nebuchadnezzar?--Quite true.--No one really knows yet.--It is absolutely
+certain.--Who says so?--Everyone says so.--The king's scribe says so.
+
+A MAN
+
+[Detaching himself from the crowd, runs away shouting] Victory! Victory
+at last. Hail Pharaoh. I must get home with the news. Victory over
+Ashur.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[Swelling in numbers, growing more enthusiastic as it is enheartened by
+its own clamor] It was God's will that we should begin this war.--Hail
+Zedekiah!--Now we must conquer all the others.--Israel shall rule the
+nations.--A sacrifice on the altar.--Give praise unto God, for that he
+has cast down our enemies.--They shall be our bondsmen.--My heart has
+thirsted for this hour.
+
+A VOICE
+
+A messenger is coming from the gate of the city.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[Making a rush in the direction of the last voice] A messenger.--A
+messenger.--Who said so?--He comes from beyond the walls.--What news
+does he bring? Where is he?
+
+[A messenger, drenched with sweat and gasping for breath, struggles
+through the crowd]
+
+VOICES
+
+Tell us the news.--Pharaoh is victorious.--What has happened to
+Nebuchadnezzar?--How many have been slain?
+
+THE MESSENGER
+
+Let me be. Make room. My message is for the king.
+
+VOICES
+
+Don't be so churlish.--Let us hear one word at least.--Has he
+fled?--Tell us the news.--Let the man alone.--His business is with the
+king.--Just a word.
+
+THE MESSENGER
+
+[Breaking loose] Let me be, let me be. You will learn soon enough. My
+message is urgent, and for the king. [Exit messenger.]
+
+VOICES
+
+What did he say? The message was urgent.--What did he say?
+
+A VOICE
+
+He said we should soon hear, but that he must go to the king at once.
+
+ANOTHER VOICE
+
+That is good news.
+
+A THIRD VOICE
+
+Wherefore good?
+
+THE SECOND VOICE
+
+Would the bearer of evil tidings be in so desperate a hurry?
+
+VOICES
+
+True, true.--The king will pay him a silver shekel for every word.--He
+is eager to earn the messenger's guerdon.--He brings tidings of
+victory.--Victory!--Good news.--Victory!
+
+SOME NEWCOMERS
+
+What has happened? Why are you shouting?
+
+VOICES
+
+Victory!--Victory!--A messenger has come.--He brings tidings of
+victory.--Nebuchadnezzar is beaten.--A great and glorious victory.--God
+be praised.--Alleluia! The news is certain.--Victory.--Victory!
+
+A VOICE
+
+It must be a mighty victory.
+
+A SECOND VOICE
+
+Were it otherwise he would not have been so secret.
+
+A THIRD VOICE
+
+They grudge us the news.
+
+A NEWCOMER
+
+[Pressing forward] Is it true? Is Nebuchadnezzar slain? So the word runs
+from street to street.
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes, slain is the oppressor.--Nay, the news is not yet confirmed.--But
+the messenger said so; he told us that Nebuchadnezzar had been killed in
+his tent.--Myriads of the enemy have fallen with him, God be
+thanked.--The oppressor is slain.--Alleluia!
+
+AN OLD MAN
+
+But all that the messenger said was ...
+
+VOICES
+
+He told us of the victory.--Why are you still in doubt?--I wish we could
+exterminate these faint-hearts.--I heard it myself.--So did I.--So did
+I.--The messenger said that Nebuchadnezzar had been killed in his
+tent.--No, he never said that.--Yes.--No.--But undoubtedly he brought
+tidings of victory.--Israel is free.--Free!
+
+THE OLD MAN
+
+I tell you I was standing quite close to him. I could hear every word he
+said.
+
+VOICES
+
+Your ears and your heart are deafened.--These kill-joys should
+themselves be killed.--Let us don our festal attire.--Out of the way,
+chatterbox.
+
+A VOICE
+
+Hananiah was a true prophet. Wise were we to heed his words, and not to
+hearken to those who declared that the temple would fall ...
+
+ANOTHER VOICE
+
+Who said that Ashur would lay Zion low ...
+
+A THIRD VOICE
+
+Who said that our maids would be ravished by the Chaldeans ...
+
+FIRST VOICE
+
+To the temple, to the temple. Let us give thanks there to God, and to
+Hananiah, his prophet!
+
+VOICES
+
+No, let us wait here, for the king will come soon.--Who said so?--Kings
+always appear in public after a victory.--The king will go to the
+temple.--The king must be the first to offer a sacrifice.--All right,
+let us stay here.--Let us send for drums and cymbals to celebrate the
+victory.--We will dance like David before the ark.--God is once more
+showing his love for Jerusalem.--Fetch the dancers.--Summon the
+women.--Call the trumpeters and the lute-players.--Let us make merry and
+give praise to the king of kings.
+
+[The crowd sways to and fro joyfully, in movements like those of a
+troubled sea. Groups form, dissolve, and reform. The general mood is one
+of expectation and impatience. JEREMIAH and BARUCH enter from a side
+street, and endeavor to make their way through the press]
+
+ONE OF THE CROWD
+
+[Laughing] Look! There he comes! Jeremiah.
+
+OTHERS
+
+[Giving vent to their high spirits] Hail to the revealer!--Lo, the
+prophet draws nigh.--Let us welcome the destroyer of Jerusalem.--Behold
+the mob orator.--Come and join us.
+
+[Some of the crowd form a circle round JEREMIAH and BARUCH, bowing
+before them in mock veneration.]
+
+ONE OF THE CROWD
+
+[With a profound reverence] Hail anointed of the Lord!
+
+THE OTHERS
+
+Hail Elijah!--Hail revealer.--Hail mighty man of valor! Hail Jeremiah,
+the prophet!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Standing his ground, gloomily] What would ye of me?
+
+BARUCH
+
+Hold no converse with them. Mockery is on their lips, and derision in
+their glance.
+
+ONE OF THE CROWD
+
+Deign to bestow upon us wisdom and revelation.
+
+ANOTHER
+
+We would fain ask you whether our daughters shall keep their virginity.
+
+A THIRD
+
+Prithee be patient, and allow the walls of Jerusalem to remain standing
+yet awhile.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[With conviction] What would ye of me? This is no time for jesting, when
+blood flows and war hangs over Israel.
+
+THE FIRST SPEAKER
+
+The war is finished, and we can make merry once more.
+
+THE SECOND SPEAKER
+
+What has become of your king from the north? Tell us, revealer, where
+does he tarry?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+What has confused your senses? Are you all mad? Can the war already be
+over when it is hardly begun?
+
+BARUCH
+
+Hold no speech with them. He makes himself a mock who speaks with
+mockers.
+
+FIRST SPEAKER
+
+Jeremiah knows nothing about it yet! The prophet knows nothing.
+
+SECOND SPEAKER
+
+He does not know what happened yesterday, and yet he would tell us what
+will happen to-morrow.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+What is it that I do not yet know? What makes you so joyful? It must be
+something of ill omen.
+
+FIRST SPEAKER
+
+He says it is something of ill omen. It is that, in very truth, for your
+wishes.
+
+SECOND SPEAKER
+
+Your king is slain and welters in his blood.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Nebuchadnezzar is slain? Ashur is vanquished?
+
+FIRST SPEAKER
+
+Even so, all-knower. Hananiah's word has been fulfilled.
+
+SECOND SPEAKER
+
+Rend your raiment and clip your beard. Israel is victorious.
+
+THIRD SPEAKER
+
+Bury yourself, prophet. Cut out your tongue. Nebuchadnezzar is dead, but
+Zion endureth for ever.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Greatly moved] Nebuchadnezzar dead? Is it true, it is certain? Tell me,
+and do not jest in matters of such moment.
+
+FIRST SPEAKER
+
+He still doubts! Weep, prophet, weep!
+
+SECOND SPEAKER
+
+I will cry it aloud in your ears; dead is Nebuchadnezzar; overthrown are
+his chariots; scattered are his armies. Israel is saved.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Remains motionless for a moment. Then he spreads his arms wide, drawing
+a deep breath of joyful relief. Dropping his arms, he speaks fast and
+almost exultantly] Blessed be God. I thank thee, all-good, that thou
+hast brought my dreams to shame, that thou hast saved Jerusalem. Better,
+assuredly that I should be fooled by my illusions than that the city
+should be laid waste by the foe. Blessings upon God's name.
+
+FIRST SPEAKER
+
+Yea, all-knower, God is more merciful than you; he loves us and gladdens
+our hearts.
+
+SECOND SPEAKER
+
+What will your next revelation be? Into which corner will you creep,
+mole? Whom will you now lead astray?
+
+THIRD SPEAKER
+
+Whom will you now deceive, deceiver?
+
+A FOURTH SPEAKER
+
+[With feigned anger, to the others] How irreverently you speak to the
+messenger of the Lord! Let us kiss the hem of his garment; let us pay
+honor to his visions!
+
+VOICES
+
+[Mingled with laughter] Prophesy to us Elijah.--Instruct us further,
+all-knower.--Happy the man who puts his trust in Jeremiah.--Where did
+you pick up that fledgling that chirps at your heels?--Prophesy,
+Jeremiah; prophesy disaster; mountains of disaster.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Suddenly breaking forth into speech] A miracle has happened, people of
+Jerusalem, a miracle which delivers you from death, and instead of
+trembling with fear, you make merry. Hardly an hour ago, you were racked
+with anxiety; your hearts are still quaking, and yet you are already
+beginning to give tongue. Woe unto you, that your first cry, when the
+cord is loosed from your necks, should be one of folly and presumption.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Speak not with them. Folly alone holds converse with fools.
+
+SECOND SPEAKER
+
+Stop your ears as you may, I will cry aloud in my joy: "The victory is
+ours, the victory is ours!"
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Addressing one of them] Where have you conquered? Whom have you
+defeated, that you should strut in the marketplace? There is no blood on
+your sword. [To another] Show the scar of the wound you received at the
+battle front! You have all been about your business in the city, have
+all lain in safety beside your wives at night. What have you and such as
+you to do with the victory of the Egyptians, with the deeds of foreign
+fighters? Bow your knees humbly, for the victory is not your work.
+
+VOICES
+
+Egypt's victory is Israel's victory.--We are Israel.--His very rage
+shows that the victory is ours.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+But it is not yours, nor yours, nor yours, you who now swell with pride,
+battening on the deeds of others. The soldiers have won the victory, not
+you! Meekly went they forth, to deal death and to suffer it; their backs
+were bent beneath the weight of their weapons; the shadow of death fell
+across their path, and all but the strongest fainted by the way. Where
+they ploughed with naked limbs, you would fain harvest pride. Abandoned
+wretches, you crave to quench your thirst with their blood. Alas that
+they have conquered for you and your hateful arrogance!
+
+VOICES
+
+Alas that they have conquered, did you hear him? Let us rend our
+garments, for that we have conquered. Let us strew ashes on our heads,
+for that Nebuchadnezzar is slain.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[His wrath blazing up] Verily, O people, to be among you is to dwell
+among scorpions; but I say unto you that your laughter shall wither more
+quickly than the blossoms of the vine. God has been gracious to you.
+Again has he saved Jerusalem; yet not for your laughter, but for the
+sake of those who are humble in spirit. You will not acknowledge him in
+his gentleness, men of evil. So be it; ere long shall you acknowledge
+him in his wrath. Like a curtain shall he rend your laughter asunder,
+and in your terror your eyes shall become fixed like stones. Your joy
+then must you put behind you, Jerusalem, for the hour of retribution is
+at hand, and terrible is the doom that awaits you.
+
+VOICES
+
+The walls shall crumble.--The virgins shall weep.--We have heard it all
+before.--Zion shall perish.--Jeremiah, Jeremiah, you alone are wise
+among fools.--To him our rejoicing is bitter as gall.--Do you hear the
+cracking of the walls?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Do you scorn the messenger of doom? But the avenger is at hand, who
+shall purge you of your accursèd pride; drawn is the sword which shall
+hew away your presumption; the bearer of evil tidings is afoot; he is
+running, he is running; his swift footsteps lead towards Jerusalem.
+Already he is at hand, the messenger of fear, the messenger of terror;
+his words will fall on you like the blows of a hammer; even now he is
+entering the gate.
+
+VOICES
+
+Go home, Jeremiah.--Sate yourself with your own venom, and do not vomit
+it forth upon our joy.
+
+A VOICE
+
+[In the background] A messenger! He is coming from Moria gate.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[Again rushing in the direction of the voice] A messenger? Where is he?
+He brings further news of the victory.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Trembling with fear] The messenger! The messenger!
+
+A VOICE
+
+He runs hitherward from the gate, and he reels like a drunken man from
+weariness.
+
+VOICES
+
+Where is he?--Here he comes. [MESSENGER enters. The crowd surrounds him
+as he tries to hasten to the palace and sinks to the ground exhausted]
+Hail you who bring tidings of victory.--Hail.--Tell us your news.
+
+THE MESSENGER
+
+[So breathless he can hardly speak, tries to rise and make his way
+forward] Room, room, let me go to the king.
+
+VOICES
+
+Just a word.--How did Nebuchadnezzar die?
+
+THE MESSENGER
+
+Are you all struck with madness? Why this jubilation in Jerusalem? To
+arms! To arms! Let me pass to the king.
+
+VOICES
+
+What has happened?--Is Nebuchadnezzar still alive?--Pharaoh has beaten
+him.--Why this call to arms?
+
+THE MESSENGER
+
+He draws near with all his forces. Nebuchadnezzar is close at hand.
+Hardly could I outrun his riders. To arms, to arms! Sentinels to the
+walls.
+
+VOICES
+
+What does the man say?--Who has been beaten?--Where is Pharaoh?--You
+don't know what you are talking about.--Get him some water.--Nebuchadnezzar
+alive?--It is impossible.--What has become of the Egyptians?
+
+THE MESSENGER
+
+Water! I am worn out. The Egyptians have been routed. Necho has made
+peace, and must pay tribute to Ashur. Nebuchadnezzar is coming; his
+riders are at my heels. I must to the king.
+
+[Some of the crowd help the MESSENGER to the palace]
+
+VOICES
+
+[From the back] What did he say?--Are the Chaldeans beaten?--Why does
+not the man tell us what has happened?
+
+[Anxiety gradually spreads through the crowd, and the tumult of
+rejoicing is stilled. In their stupefaction all are mute for a while,
+and then terrified voices break the silence]
+
+THE CROWD
+
+Impossible!--It cannot be true.--The man is a liar.--He was drunk.--Nay,
+he was only staggering from fatigue.--He said the horsemen were hard at
+his heels.--The whole story is false.--The messenger had not the mien of
+a liar.--It cannot be true.--God would never allow such a thing to
+happen.
+
+A VOICE
+
+[Loudly] Pharaoh has betrayed us.
+
+OTHER VOICES
+
+[Quickly and angrily taking up the cry] Pharaoh has betrayed us.--A
+curse upon Pharaoh.--Egypt has sworn a peace.--A curse upon
+Mizraim.--The Egyptians are traitors.
+
+A VOICE
+
+I have always said that we should never form an alliance with Egypt.
+
+VOICES
+
+So did I.--So did I.--We all said so.--Accursèd be Pharaoh.--What will
+happen to us now?--Alas for Israel.--My wife.--My children.--I warned
+you what would happen.--So did I.
+
+A MAN
+
+[Rushing in] To arms! To arms! Close the gates, Nebuchadnezzar and his
+hordes are at hand. The advance guard has already reached Hebron.
+
+VOICES
+
+Hebron did he say?--To arms!--Nay, peace, peace! Let us march out
+against him.--All is lost.--From the very first I told you what would
+happen.
+
+ONE OF THE CROWD
+
+[Pointing to JEREMIAH who leans brokenly against a pillar, his face
+hidden] Look, there is the man.
+
+VOICES
+
+What?--Who?--What do you mean?
+
+THE SAME MAN
+
+It is his doing. He summoned them. He announced the coming of the
+messenger. His curse has fallen upon us.
+
+VOICES
+
+Who?--Jeremiah!--Who is it?--It is Jeremiah, he has cursed us.--It is
+indeed his doing.--He prayed for Nebuchadnezzar's victory.--He is sold
+to the enemy.--Tear him to pieces.--Touch him not; he foretold what
+would happen; he is a true prophet.--He has been bribed.--See how he
+stands there brooding.
+
+THE SAME MAN
+
+He hides his face lest we should see his laughter. But he makes merry
+too soon. Zion still stands; Jerusalem shall endure for ever.
+
+[A herald comes hastily from the palace]
+
+VOICES
+
+A herald.--A messenger from the king.--Silence.
+
+[The crowd gathers round the steps to hear the herald's announcement]
+
+THE HERALD
+
+A message from the king! The enemy is about to attack Jerusalem. The
+Chaldeans are at the gates. Let every man able to bear arms make ready
+to fight; women must fashion arrows. All that are sick and weakly must
+leave the city. Let every man store what food he may in his house lest
+hunger overcome us. For our walls can withstand attack; Baal can do
+naught against Jehovah, nor can Ashur prevail against Zion.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+True, true.--We will make ready.--God is on our side.--To arms!
+
+THE HERALD
+
+Let none hold back; let none be faint-hearted. Who speaks of fear, him
+shall ye put to the sword; who talks of flight, him shall ye chase
+beyond the walls. Ye may not gather in the streets; each shall keep his
+own house, ready for the fight. Up, Israel! Gather your forces, fearing
+nothing, for Jerusalem endureth for ever!
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[Again in tumult] Jerusalem endureth for ever.--To arms.--I must fetch
+my sword.--Up, against Ashur.--Let us take heart.--To the walls.--We
+shall break them.--Jerusalem endureth for ever.
+
+[The crowd disperses in confusion, so that the square is rapidly
+emptied, and the noise is followed by silence. JEREMIAH slowly draws
+himself up, and, still hiding his face, ascends the steps of the temple.
+BARUCH follows him]
+
+BARUCH
+
+Whither away, master? Do not leave your faithful disciple.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I must go alone to seek light from the Lord. He made me deliver a sign
+before the people. Nevertheless, Baruch, I cannot believe that the faces
+in my ghastly visions are truly from God. Would that I could feel
+assured they are all illusion, and not the message of God's spirit. Woe
+indeed if I be chosen as revealer and if my dreams be true.
+
+BARUCH
+
+You are chosen, master. It has been made plain to me in this hour. The
+sign came to you from God. The spirit and the power of the prophets are
+upon you.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Still mounting the steps, flees before him, repelling BARUCH with his
+hands] Say not that I am chosen. Tempt me not! For Israel's sake, for
+Jerusalem's sake, it is impossible that my words can be true. Far better
+for me to bear the laughter and the scorn of the people, than that this
+message of terror should be fulfilled. Rather let me be proved liar and
+fool, than the prophet of such a truth. May I be thy victim Lord, and
+not this city. Let me disappear into the darkness of oblivion, if thy
+towers may still shine, O Jerusalem. May my words vanish like smoke, so
+long as thou endurest, eternal city. God forget me, if he will but
+remember thee. I will kneel before his altar praying him to give me the
+lie; I will beseech him to prove my message false. Pray with me, Baruch,
+that I be known for a liar in Jerusalem.
+
+[JEREMIAH, humbly bending his head, goes up the last steps into the
+porch of pillars of the temple. Without moving, BARUCH gazes after him
+until he disappears]
+
+
+
+
+THE WATCH ON THE RAMPARTS
+
+
+
+
+SCENE FOUR
+
+Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying: ... When I bring the
+sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man from among them,
+and set him for their watchman, ... if the watchman see the sword come,
+and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned, and the sword
+come, and take any person from among them, ... his blood will I require
+at the watchman's hand. EZEKIEL XXXIII, 1-6.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE FOUR
+
+On the ramparts of Jerusalem. The walls, of hewn stone, surround the
+town. In the background is the starry sky, and faint in the distance the
+valley with hazy outlines and lights twinkling here and there. The
+masonry shines in the moonlight. On the wall two sentries march up and
+down. Their faces are shadowed by their helmets; their spears gleam as
+they move. Though the hour is late and midnight approaches, a few
+civilians have ventured on to the wall and are looking out into the
+distance.
+
+
+A WOMAN
+
+It is bedtime. You will see the wretches soon enough in the morning. Do
+come home; this may be our last quiet night.
+
+A MAN
+
+How can one sleep when the enemy is arrayed against us? My heart has
+been heavier than lead since I have been standing here; and yet I cannot
+leave. It seems as if I were forced to remain in the flood which is
+rising to overwhelm us. Last night and to-day the horsemen have been
+streaming across the plain. Again and again we thought that all must
+have come, but still there came more and yet more, as if whole countries
+had been emptied like sacks of grain; while the spears were as the
+stalks of the corn in number.
+
+ANOTHER
+
+Already have they pitched their tents, so that a white forest now stands
+in the valley.
+
+A THIRD
+
+Alas, they are settling down for the siege.
+
+A FOURTH
+
+They must have come with the speed of the wind. Yesterday they were
+still at Bethel, and to-day they have already encircled Zion.
+
+THE FIRST MAN
+
+Terrible is the might of Ashur. God help us all.
+
+THE WOMAN
+
+Look at the glow in the north, like a pillar rising heavenward.
+
+SECOND MAN
+
+That is where Samaria lies.
+
+THIRD MAN
+
+'Tis a pillar of fire that rises heavenward. Samaria has fallen.
+
+VOICES
+
+Alas!--It is not possible.--Samaria is a strong fortress, within a
+triple wall.--Nay, it is certainly Samaria.
+
+A VOICE
+
+Look there to the east, another pillar of fire. That must be Gilgal.
+
+ANOTHER VOICE
+
+They are ravaging the countryside like a hurricane. Fierce is the wrath
+of Ashur.
+
+ANOTHER VOICE
+
+Never should we have entered into a struggle with such as they.
+
+VOICES
+
+Who began it?--Not we.--Not I.--It was the king.--It was the
+priests.--We wanted to live at peace with them.
+
+A VOICE
+
+Egypt lured us on, and then betrayed us.
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes, it was Egypt.--It was Pharaoh.--A curse upon Pharaoh.--The
+Egyptians have sold us to the enemy, have abandoned us to our
+misery.--Where are the fifty thousand bowmen they promised? We are
+alone.--All is lost.
+
+ANOTHER VOICE
+
+Woe, Jerusalem, Jerusalem. Thou art given over to thine enemies, and
+those who hate thee are showing their teeth.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+[Fiercely interrupting] Away with you! Why are you loitering on the
+walls? Home to your wives, and to bed. We stand guard for you.
+
+A MAN
+
+We want to see ...
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+There is nothing to see. You have been clamoring for Ashur, and now
+Ashur has come. Leave it to us men-at-arms to chase them home again. For
+yourselves, go sleep, or pray if you cannot sleep.
+
+A MAN
+
+But tell us ...
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+Naught to tell. There has been too much talking already; the time has
+come for blows. Away, away!
+
+[The two sentries roughly clear the loiterers from the wall. The crowd
+disappears in the darkness down the steps leading from the wall into the
+shadow. When all have gone, quiet reigns. In the white moonlight the
+sentries stand like figures of brass]
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+They give way to despair at the first gleam of an enemy's spear. They
+must not be allowed to talk like that.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+One who is afraid and cannot master his fear must perforce speak. It is
+of no use, and yet it gives relief.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+Let them sleep, not chatter.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+Sleep is not man's servant. Vainly do we summon sleep to a couch of
+sorrow. To-night many hold vigil and look forth into the moonlight.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+In any case, those alone should speak who wear a sword. We stand guard
+for all.
+
+[The two sentries are silent for a while, marching to and fro]
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+[Stands and listens] Do you hear?
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+What?
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+The sound is very faint, but the breeze bears it to us. When I was in
+Joppa, for the first time I heard in the night the distant murmur of the
+waves. Such a sound rises now from the plain. They are there in their
+thousands, moving quietly, but the air is stirred by the rolling wheels
+and the clashing arms. A whole nation must be afoot, falling upon
+Israel. The noise echoes from our walls like the noise of the sea.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+[Obdurately] I refuse to hear anything but my orders. I care not what
+wheels roll, or noises stir.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+Why does God hurl the nations against one another? There is room for all
+beneath the skies. There is still plenty of land unploughed; many
+forests still await the axe. Yet men turn their ploughshares into
+swords, and hew living flesh with their axes. I cannot understand, I
+cannot understand.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+It has always been so.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+But must it always be so? Why does God wish the nations to fight?
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+The nations want war for its own sake.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+What are nations? Are not you one of our nation, am not I another? Are
+not our wives, your wife and mine, part of this same people? Did any of
+us want war? I stand here armed with a spear, not knowing against whom
+it is to be turned. Down there in the darkness, unwitting, waits the man
+for whom it is destined. I know him not, have never seen his face, or
+the breast I must pierce with death. In the enemy's camp another
+perchance warms his hands at the camp fire, the man who is to kill the
+father of my children. He has never seen me, and I have never done him
+harm. We are strangers, like trees in the forest. They grow quietly and
+bear their blossoms. But we rage furiously one against the other with
+axe and with spear, until our blood runs like resin, and therewith the
+life oozes forth. What puts death between the nations? What is it which
+sows hatred when there is room and to spare for life, and when there is
+abundant scope for love? I cannot understand, I cannot understand!
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+These things must be God's will, for they have always happened. I
+question no further.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+This crime cannot be God's will. He has given us our lives that we may
+live them. Everything that men do not understand they describe as God's
+will. War does not come from God. Whence comes it then?
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+How can I tell whence it comes? I know that there is war, and that it is
+useless to chatter about it. I do my duty; sharpen my spear, not my
+tongue.
+
+[For a time they are silent once more, gazing out into the white
+stillness. From a great distance come the words of the challenge
+"_Samson guard us_," scarcely audible at first. Then the sound grows
+louder, still coming from unseen sentries. At length the words "_Samson
+guard us_," loud and clear from the next post. Our two sentries take up
+the challenge, and it is heard with diminishing loudness as it passes on
+round the wall. Again all is still. The two sentries stand silent in the
+moonlight, their faces shadowed by their helmets]
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+Know you aught of the Chaldeans?
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+I know that they are our enemies, that they are attacking our homes.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+I am not thinking about that. Have you ever seen any of them close at
+hand; do you know their customs and their country?
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+I have been told that they are cruel as wild cats and venomous as
+serpents. It is said that they sacrifice their children to idols of
+copper and lead. But I have never set eyes on a Chaldean.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+Nor I. Too many mountains tower skyward between Jerusalem and Babylon;
+there are rivers to cross, and more country than a man can march over in
+many weeks. The very stars in the sky are different, and yet the men of
+Ashur are arrayed against us and we against them. What do they covet
+from us? If I were to question one of them, all he could tell me would
+doubtless be that in his house as in mine are wife and children lying
+upon straw. I believe if I could talk things over with such a man we
+should understand one another well enough. Often I feel that I should
+like to summon one of them, to hold out a friendly hand, so that we
+could have a heart to heart talk.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+You must not do that.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+Wherefore not?
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+They are our enemies and it is our duty to hate them.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+Why should I hate them if my heart knows no reason for hatred?
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+They began the war; they were the aggressors.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+Yes, that is what we say in Jerusalem. In Babylon, perchance, they tell
+another story. If we could talk things over with them, we might get some
+light on the question.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+You must not talk with them. Our duty is to strike them down. Such are
+our orders, and we must obey.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+My reason tells me that I must not converse with them, but in my soul I
+feel that I must. Whom do we serve by compassing their death?
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+What a question, simpleton! We serve God, and the king our master.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+But God said, and it is written: "Thou shalt not kill". Mayhap, if I
+were to take my sword and cast it from me, I should serve God better
+than by slaying an enemy.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+But it is likewise written: "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth".
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+[Sighs] Many things are written. Who can understand them all?
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+This is idle dreaming. The Chaldeans have invested our town; they wish
+to burn our houses; I stand here with sword and spear, and will do my
+utmost to prevent them. Too much knowledge is unwholesome. I know all I
+want to know.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+Yet I cannot but ask myself ...
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+[Stubbornly] You should not ask so many questions. A soldier's business
+is to fight, not to reason why. You ponder overmuch, instead of doing
+your duty unquestioningly.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+How can a man help questioning himself? How can he be other than uneasy,
+at such an hour? Do I know where I am, or how long I have still to stand
+on guard? This darkness beneath the wall, where the masonry is
+crumbling, will perhaps be my grave to-morrow. Maybe the wind which now
+caresses my cheek will not find me here in the morning. But can I fail,
+while I live, to ask the meaning of life? The flame flickers until the
+torch goes out. How can life do other than question until it is quenched
+by death? Maybe death is already within me; perchance the questioner is
+no longer life, but death.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+You brood and brood. You are only tormenting yourself to no purpose.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+God has given us a heart precisely that it may torment us.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+What is the use of talking about it? We are on guard here. That's enough
+for me.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+Talking helps to keep us awake, and only the stars hear our words.
+
+[Both are again silent for a time]
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+Who goes there? Someone is moving in the darkness.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+More busybodies. Why cannot they stay in bed? Send them home.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+No! Let them talk while we stay in the shadow.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+You are a strange fellow. I shall continue my round.
+
+[The two sentries pass into the shadow of the tower on the wall, their
+figures disappearing in the darkness. The gleam of their spears is still
+seen from time to time.--JEREMIAH and BARUCH ascend out of the darkness
+of the stairway and advance to the battlements, JEREMIAH hastening on in
+front, while BARUCH, who does not share the prophet's excitement, lags
+in the rear. The second sentry stands unnoticed in the shadow of the
+tower]
+
+BARUCH
+
+Whither are you leading me, master?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+On, on! I must look Terror in the face. [He gazes down into the valley,
+standing motionless and silent]
+
+BARUCH
+
+What are you staring at?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Still gazing] The king has come, the king from the north. [He seizes
+BARUCH'S sleeve] Come closer, Baruch! Touch my hand that I may know
+whether I wake or sleep. Are my eyes open? Is this wall builded of
+stones or of tears? Does Jerusalem lie behind us unheeding in the
+darkness? Are the forces of Ashur couched in the plain beneath? Tell me,
+Baruch, convince me that I am dreaming. Shake me till I awake, to laugh
+at my mad fancy that Zion is encircled by the Chaldeans.
+
+BARUCH
+
+What do you mean, master? I don't understand. How can you doubt?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Alas, it is true, then. I am not dreaming now. The horses are there and
+the chariots; Ashur is arrayed against Zion; the vision is fulfilled.
+All these miseries spring from my dreams, for they existed in me before
+they were in the world of reality. I alone knew, before ever God's words
+became deeds. In me they arose; through me they came. Yet naught can I
+do to hinder their flow; nor by sword nor by shield can I stay their
+progress.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Master, you talk at random. Speak in words that I can believe and
+understand.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Words that you can believe? But Baruch will you believe the words that I
+have to say to you at this hour beneath the stars? I fear you will deny
+me, will laugh at me, for what I would fain say will sound like nonsense
+in your ears.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Faith in you is my very life.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Hearken, then. [He speaks low and impressively] All that is now
+happening, I have beheld in my dreams for months past. Not a star shines
+in heaven which I have not seen above this wall and above God's temple.
+I have looked down upon the multitude of the foe, upon their myriad
+tents. Baruch, do you hear me?
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Shuddering] I hear, I hear.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Why was all this made plain to me before the day? It cannot be against
+God's will that he should disclose his plans to me, should vouchsafe me
+visions of the future. Nor can I rebel; nor can I be silent; though in
+truth for long I refused the summons, and stopped my ears to the call.
+But now, when I see in the real world what has again and again been
+revealed to me in dreams, for the first time do I feel assured that God
+speaks through me. I say to you, Baruch, that I am the chosen of the
+Lord. Woe unto me should I conceal my forebodings from the people and
+from the king. For this is no more than the beginning, and I know the
+end.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Reveal it, chosen one. Cry your words aloud.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Baruch, do you see the camp and the tents; do you see this sleeping
+ocean surging down from the north?
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Shuddering] I see the enemy; I see the tents.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+You see the night, sleep, and the false quiet of repose. But in my ears
+the trumpets blare and the arms clash as the Chaldeans arise and storm
+the city. The walls whereon our feet are now planted, crumble at their
+onslaught; the cries of the fugitives ring in my ears. The brazen flood
+foams over us. I hear the beating of Death's wings o'er city and walls;
+I see the destruction of Zion. Baruch, waking I see it, for God hath
+opened an eye within the darkness of my body; my heart maketh a noise in
+me; my soul hath heard the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Why
+sleep they still? Time is it they should wake, ere their sleep pass into
+death. Verily the hour is come to awaken Jerusalem!
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Stirred by his words] Yea, yea, Jeremiah, awaken Jerusalem!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[More and more carried away]
+
+  O foolish people, afflicted town,
+  How, ah how, can you sleep at peace
+  When Death's cold winding sheet is spread
+  Beneath you where you lie.
+  O foolish people, afflicted town,
+  How can you rest when thunder rages?
+  How can you drowse,
+  Lost in dreams,
+  When Ashur's rams
+  Are battering the gates?
+  Who shall waken the fools? Who make the deaf hear?
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Ecstatically] You, master. Cry aloud. Awaken them. Save them from the
+jaws of death.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  Awaken, awaken, up and away!
+  The land is afire, the foe holds the town!
+  Flee ere his wrath wholly consume you,
+  Flee from the sword, flee from the flames,
+  Leave your possessions, abandon your homes,
+  Gather your households, your women and children;
+  Ere he can seize you take refuge in flight.
+  Up and away!
+  The land is afire, the foe holds the town!
+  Up and away!
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+[Coming forward from the shadows] Who shouts here? You will waken the
+sleepers.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Oh that I could awaken them. Up, Jerusalem, awake! City of God, save
+thyself.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+You are drunk. Go home to sleep.
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Stepping between] Touch him not.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I must not sleep. No one must sleep. I am the watchman. Woe to him who
+hinders me.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+[Taking him by the shoulder] You must be moonstruck to think yourself
+watchman. I am the watchman. Away with you.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Touch him not, the chosen of the Lord, the prophet.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+[Loosing JEREMIAH] Are you Hananiah, the prophet of God?
+
+BARUCH
+
+It is Jeremiah the prophet.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+Jeremiah, who leads the people astray? Jeremiah, who cried through the
+street that Ashur would prevail? Have you come hither to gloat over the
+fulfilment of your vision? Too soon, faint-heart, too soon; and yet in
+an apt moment, prophet of evil, to feel the weight of my anger. I will
+reveal you something.
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Struggling with the sentry] Hands off, touch him not.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+[Entering hurriedly] The king is coming. Zedekiah goes the rounds. Clear
+away the people.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+The king! God be praised! His meaning is plain. The Lord sends him to my
+hand.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+Away chatterer, away.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+Down with you. Away. Creep down there and keep quiet, or you shall rue
+it.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+Here comes the king.
+
+[JEREMIAH and BARUCH are hustled from the wall and disappear into the
+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
+
+  Nightly I dreamed your dreams,
+  As I lay in the empty house,
+  Alone and forsaken.
+  By day they lurked in the shadows;
+  But as night fell,
+  Stealing forth from dark corners,
+  Like toads, bats, and owls,
+  They crawled and flittered round my temples,
+  Filling my soul with horror.
+  Rending and gnawing,
+  Devouring sleep,
+  Like vampires did they sap my strength,
+  So that the dawning of day
+  Found me hag-ridden,
+  Shattered and broken.
+  Jeremiah, I adjure you,
+  Leave me not again.
+  Jeremiah, I implore you,
+  Stay with me, stay with me,
+  For the time is short.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  Mother, what mean you?
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  Seek not to deceive me.
+  Think you I know not
+  That death draws near?
+  Even as on a dial
+  The shadow rises
+  Stage by stage up the wall
+  While the sun sinks in the west,
+  So, with every breath I draw,
+  Does darkness rise within me.
+  Woe is me that, still living and aware,
+  I feel the grip of death's cold hand.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  Nay, Mother, God's purpose with us is plain.
+  How can you think he will part us anew?
+  No more am I froward. Your child once again,
+  I am sent back by him for a fresh life with you.
+  Were it otherwise, say to me why should I be
+  Unclouded by visions, from dreaming set free?
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  Do you dream no longer?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  My sleep is dreamless; my slumber is mute.
+  The night-time faces trouble me no more.
+  My dreams have become daylight realities.
+  Revealed in full horror, they stalk 'neath the sun.
+  I dream no longer, now the world's awake.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+[Ecstatically, for she has heeded only the first part of JEREMIAH'S
+speech]
+
+  Your dreaming is over?
+  Then joy comes again.
+  Indeed, I was certain
+  That God in his mercy
+  Would scatter the darkness
+  That clouded your brain.
+  Recall but my words
+  When we parted in pain:
+  Ne'er shall an enemy circle our wall,
+  David's city be taken, Jerusalem fall.
+  Though foes from the ends of the earth should rage,
+  The towering battlements ever shall stand.
+  Firm Israel's heart, and mighty her hand,
+  Eternal the days of Jerusalem.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Rises from his knees. He stares blankly as he mutters in amaze] Ne'er
+shall ... an enemy ... circle ... our wall?
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  What sudden fear assails your soul?
+  What thought steals color from your cheek?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Still shuddering] Ne'er shall ... an enemy ... circle ... our wall?
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  Jeremiah,
+  What has befallen you?
+  What has frightened you?
+  What has taken you aback?
+  And you,
+  Ahab and Jochebed,
+  Why are you making signs to him?
+  Jeremiah, I conjure you,
+  Tell me what is amiss.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  There is nothing wrong, Mother, nothing at all.
+  I was but mazed for a moment,
+  Startled out of myself by your words.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  Nay, nay, it is false.
+  Your faces, of a sudden, grew dark and careworn;
+  Now you all turn away, exchange glances, and whisper.
+  Awesome, indeed, must be the secret you hide.
+  It chills me like death;
+  Like God's wrath it affrights me.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Stammering] Nothing, Mother, we are hiding nothing.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  Why seek to deceive me? Why hoodwink my eyes?
+  Not yet am I dead, nor in coffin enclosed.
+  Life's breath in my lungs,
+  Life's pulse at my heart,
+  I can hear, I can speak;
+  Why then hide ye the truth?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Mother, you are distraught with fever. Your temples are burning, your
+hands are cold.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  Why are doors and windows curtained so close?
+  Why is all so dark and still?
+  You stifle me in wrappings,
+  Bury me in cushions,
+  Me, who am yet alive.
+  Tell me, tell me why.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Mother, calm yourself. Take my hands. I am here beside you.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  I live, I live; I say to you that I live.
+  No longer shall you deceive me.
+  Fearful is my awakening.
+  Too well do I know the truth,
+  That my dreams were not dreams but realities.
+  Again and again did I hear
+  The rolling of the chariots,
+  The trampling of the chargers,
+  The clashing of the weapons,
+  The singing of the hosannas.
+  Muffled were the sounds,
+  As they reached me in this darkened room;
+  And I fancied all was a dream.
+  Yet now I am awake,
+  Horribly awake.
+  Death has forced open my lids.
+  I know
+  Why you have shut away light and sound.
+  Disaster assails the city, has entered the gates.
+  We are besieged, we are lost.
+  Woe is me, there is war in Israel!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Mother, Mother!
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  Jeremiah, speak!
+  Tell me,
+  Is he come,
+  He whose advent you foretold,
+  The king of kings from the north?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Mother, you are dreaming.
+
+JOCHEBED
+
+[Whispering] Lie to her! For her life's sake, lie to her!
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  [In delirium] Alas, hear the trumpets
+  Sounding the onslaught!
+  He comes in his panoply,
+  The king from the north.
+  War is upon us.
+  They swarm to attack.
+  The ramparts are crumbling,
+  The gates broken down.
+  The city is lost,
+  The temple destroyed.
+  I am crushed in the ruins,
+  I burn in my bed.
+  Save me, oh save me,
+  Jeremiah, save me,
+  Carry me forth!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  [Kneels beside her] Mother, an evil fancy
+  Enthrals your mind.
+  Mother, hearken.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  I hold your hands.
+  Swear to me, swear,
+  That it is not true.
+  Swear to me, swear,
+  That no danger threatens Israel.
+  Swear to me, swear,
+  That no enemy shall disturb my last rest,
+  That my burial place shall be Zion.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+So shall it be. God will be gracious to us in death as in life.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  Jeremiah,
+  Do I wander in mind?
+  Is the foe at the gates?
+  Or is our world filled with peace?
+
+[JEREMIAH struggles vainly for words]
+
+AHAB
+
+  [Breaking in on his hesitation] Deceive her, speak ere she passes.
+  Can you not see
+  How the darkness shadows her face,
+  As the angel of death hovers nigh?
+  Speak, and chase the terror from her soul.
+
+JOCHEBED
+
+  Speak, or it will be too late.
+  A word, only one word,
+  So that she may die in peace.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  [Still struggling with contending passions] I cannot, I cannot.
+  There is one grips my throat,
+  Holds my soul in his grasp.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  He is silent.
+  It must then be true
+  That God has smitten his own people:
+  May the day perish wherein I was born!
+  Alas, the darkness gains on me.
+  Fire ravages the land.
+  I burn. Bear me forth.
+
+AHAB
+
+[Interrupting, to JEREMIAH] A word, only one word.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  [Choking, as if strangled] No such word can I utter.
+  God's hand grips my throat;
+  God's hand grasps my soul.
+  Ah, cruel one, free me ...
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  [With a wild cry] Lost, all is lost.
+  I burn.
+  The city ... the temple ... God falls.
+  God has fallen!
+  The flames of Gehenna strike home to my heart.
+  Jerusalem!
+
+[She collapses suddenly. There is silence]
+
+[AHAB and JOCHEBED move in alarm to the bedside and bend over the dead
+woman]
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[His voice bursting forth as when a fountain is unsealed]
+
+  It is false!
+  I lied, I lied!
+  Eternal the days of Jerusalem.
+  Ne'er shall an enemy circle our wall,
+  David's city be taken, Jerusalem fall.
+  O Mother, once again give ear.
+  I swear it, look you, I solemnly swear,
+  Eternal the days of Jerusalem!
+
+AHAB
+
+  [Fiercely] Away!
+  Your oaths will not waken her!
+  Leave her in peace!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  She must hear me before 'tis too late.
+
+AHAB
+
+  [Bitterly] As you say, 'tis too late.
+  Away from the room.
+  Your cries will not waken her,
+  Nor your lies break her sleep.
+  While she lived you were silent,
+  Unfeeling as stone.
+  Idle dreamer and outcast,
+  Hence, get you begone!
+
+JOCHEBED
+
+  Away, rejected of men,
+  Scorn of the just,
+  Away from the house.
+  Why, ah why,
+  Did she readmit you?
+  Away, man accurst,
+  Break not the calm
+  Of the death which you wrought.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  [Overwhelmed] Ever accursèd,
+  Ever rejected,
+  Thrust forth from home,
+  Unfriended to roam.
+  God, God, it is hard to bear men thy word!
+
+[AHAB and JOCHEBED pay the last duties to the dead, pressing down the
+eyelids, and wrapping the body in a shroud. AHAB goes to the pitchers
+and sprinkles water on the ground. No sound but their solemn paces can
+be heard. JEREMIAH stares before him in stupor. Silence prevails for a
+time, full of the mystery of death. Then a clamor is heard without.
+There is a vehement knocking at the door]
+
+AHAB
+
+Who knocks?
+
+JOCHEBED
+
+There is a turbulent crowd without.
+
+AHAB
+
+They assail the door as if they were enemies. You had better open.
+
+JOCHEBED
+
+Hark to the savages, they have burst in the door.
+
+[The sound of splintering wood is heard. Then hasty footsteps. ZEBULON,
+PASHUR, HANANIAH, the FIRST SENTRY, and many others, rush in]
+
+ZEBULON
+
+He must be here.
+
+A BOY
+
+I saw him go in.
+
+VOICES
+
+So did I.--He slipped in an hour back.--I was on watch as you
+ordered.--I saw him too.
+
+AHAB
+
+Whom do you seek?
+
+PASHUR
+
+Deliver him up--the man you are hiding.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+We will have blood for blood.
+
+AHAB
+
+What mean ye by breaking in here? Away, rabble.
+
+PASHUR
+
+[Catching sight of the corpse, raises his hands and speaks reverently]
+Praise to the eternal judge. May he be merciful to the just. [Turning
+away he passes into the background]
+
+THE OTHERS
+
+[Suddenly stilled, murmur] Praise to the eternal judge.
+
+ONE SPEAKS
+
+[Gently] Who has died?
+
+AHAB
+
+One from whom God had hidden the light of his countenance. One full of
+sorrows, and acquainted with grief. One whose bitterest affliction was
+that she gave birth to the enemy of her nation.
+
+ANOTHER SPEAKS
+
+Jeremiah!
+
+ZEBULON
+
+It is Jeremiah whom we seek. Where is Jeremiah?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Comes forward, speaking loudly in grief and indignation] Who seeks
+Jeremiah? Who still desires to rain curses on me? Let him come, let him
+curse. I am the mark for all the curses in the world.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+It is I, wretch, who come to curse you, I, Zebulon, father of Baruch,
+whom you have led astray. Where is my son?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Tonelessly] How should I know? Am I your son's keeper?
+
+HANANIAH
+
+This man makes a charge against you. Answer, Jeremiah.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+He, too, makes a charge. Should I begin to bring charges I should speak
+from now till midnight.
+
+VOICES
+
+He answers not.--He talks at random, evading the charge.--Pashur,
+Hananiah, make an end.--Pass judgment upon him.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Have you brought witnesses, Zebulon?
+
+ZEBULON
+
+My son has vanished from the town. He has been continually with
+Jeremiah. On the ramparts, last night, this man heard Jeremiah inciting
+Baruch to desert to the enemy.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+[To the FIRST SENTRY] Do you bear this witness?
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+Verily, prophet, while I stood on guard, there came two men. One was
+Jeremiah, well known to me. The other was young, little more than a boy,
+with black hair and flashing eyes.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+It was Baruch my son, whom this man hath corrupted.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+There was much talk between them. Jeremiah prophesied disaster, so that
+my heart grew hot within me.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+[To the others] Do you hear? He prophesied the fall of Zion.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+When the king had gone, and Jeremiah and the other were alone, then the
+other, he whom you name Baruch, climbed down the wall and deserted to
+the enemy, leaving Jeremiah on the ramparts.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+Do you hear, men of Israel? I charge Jeremiah with leading my son
+astray, with bringing shame upon my house.
+
+PASHUR
+
+[Advancing to the front] Your answer, Jeremiah. What say you to this
+charge? [JEREMIAH is silent] Do you call witnesses?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[In low tones] The one who would testify for me must not be named.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Will he come forward in due time?
+
+[JEREMIAH is silent]
+
+VOICES
+
+Make an end, make an end.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Silence. I will hold just judgment! Jeremiah, I cite you to answer.
+[JEREMIAH is silent] You are charged with having, in defiance of the
+king's command, foretold disaster.
+
+[JEREMIAH is silent]
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Do you deny your words? [JEREMIAH still holds his peace] Lo, the fear of
+death has moved him at length. For the first time he is silent.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+You who have misled Israel, would you tempt me to say No when God says
+Yes, and Yes when God says No? More strongly hath he tempted me to
+depart from his ways, yet would I not depart from them. He raised up one
+against me whose breath was dearer to me than the breath of my own life,
+but I would not yield to her, for the Lord cuts from the tree of life
+him whom he hath chosen for a scourge. Go, and leave me in peace.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+I will not go. He has destroyed my son. I demand judgment.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Twice have I charged you to speak. You have spoken when you should have
+been silent; now you are silent when you should speak. For the third
+time I cite you. [JEREMIAH is silent] Hear then my judgment. No longer
+shall you seek to daunt the courageous, no longer shall you lead youth
+astray, Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah in Israel.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Make short work! Wither me no longer with your glances. Enough, enough.
+
+PASHUR
+
+You shall be lowered into a pit, that you may no longer be an offence to
+God's daylight, nor your voice an affliction to the city. May you
+perish, and your words with you, in the darkness of the earth.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Life is affliction! Words are affliction! Blessed be darkness, thrice
+blessed the tomb.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Lay hands on him. Execute judgment!
+
+VOICES
+
+Oh, just judgment!--Great is the wisdom of Pashur.--Away with
+Jeremiah.--Fetch a rope, that we may lower him into the pit.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Shrinking from their touch] Touch me not. Better, far better is
+darkness, for the hour is at hand in Israel when the living will envy
+the dead, and when those that wake will envy the sleepers. My heart
+yearns for silence; my soul is consumed with longing that I may become
+brother to the dead. Make way, I will bury myself, that I may deliver
+myself from the world, and Israel of my presence. [He folds his arms and
+moves towards the doorway. The others begin to follow him hesitatingly]
+
+HANANIAH
+
+[Bursting in on the silence with an exultant cry] Rejoice, Zion, for
+broken is the song of thy destruction, rent are the lips of thy
+slanderer. Rejoice, Zion, for eternal is thy springtime. Jerusalem
+endureth for ever!
+
+[JEREMIAH turns fiercely, raising his arms as if about to rebuke
+HANANIAH. His eyes flash fire. Those at his heels draw back in alarm, as
+from a wild beast at bay. But JEREMIAH controls himself. His arms sink
+to his sides, and the fierce expression vanishes from his countenance.
+With a last look at the dead form of his mother, he regains composure.
+Covering his face, he walks forth alone, like one carrying a heavy
+burden. The rest follow in disorder. Last of all walks PASHUR, deep in
+thought. AHAB and JOCHEBED are left, looking at one another uneasily.
+AHAB takes a linen sheet and spreads it reverently over the body]
+
+
+
+
+VOICES IN THE NIGHT
+
+
+
+
+SCENE SIX
+
+Evening cometh and the shadows lengthen. JEREMIAH, VI, 4.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE SIX
+
+KING ZEDEKIAH'S bed-chamber, large and stately. It is dimly lighted, so
+that details are scarcely visible. What light there is comes from a lamp
+hanging in a golden bowl, and from the soft moonbeams which stream in
+through the casement. This is widely open and commands a view of the
+town. In the foreground stands a large table surrounded by broad seats.
+The curtained bed occupies the center of the background. ZEDEKIAH is
+standing motionless at the window, looking down on the moonlit city.
+JOAB, a young spearman, enters, and stands respectfully waiting for the
+king to notice him. ZEDEKIAH pays no heed, but continues to gaze out of
+the window.
+
+
+THE LAD
+
+[After a pause ventures to speak] My Lord King! [ZEDEKIAH turns with a
+start] It is midnight, O King. This is the hour at which thou orderedst
+me to summon the council.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Are they all here?
+
+THE LAD
+
+All, at thy command.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Have they come unseen by the people and by the palace servants?
+
+THE LAD
+
+Unseen, Lord King. By secret ways I led them hither.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Where is the spy? Hast thou kept him apart?
+
+THE LAD
+
+He tarries with the doorkeepers.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Let him tarry. Summon the council.
+
+[THE LAD bows, and disappears through the doorway]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Strides to and fro, and then returns to the window. He soliloquizes]
+Never have I seen the stars shine so brightly. They stand confusedly in
+rows, like letters on the dark background of heaven, a writing which no
+man can read. In Babylon, they say, are interpreters and priests who
+serve the stars, conversing with them by night. Other kings can talk
+with their gods; they have shrines on their towers where they can learn
+the will of heaven when their hearts are troubled. Why have I no
+soothsayers who can tell the future? It is terrible to be the servant of
+a god who is always silent; whom no one has ever seen! [A pause while he
+contemplates the city] They are all asleep, those over whom I rule; they
+rest beside their wives or beside their weapons; in me is centered their
+need and their wakefulness. I must counsel others, but who shall counsel
+me? I must lead others, but who shall lead me? I am exalted over others,
+but over me is exalted one whom I cannot see. Below is sleep; above is
+silence.
+
+[THE LAD draws aside the curtain; and the five councilors enter
+noiselessly. They are PASHUR, the high priest; HANANIAH, the prophet;
+IMRE, the oldest burgher; ABIMELECH, the general; NAHUM, the steward.
+ZEDEKIAH turns to receive them. They bow]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+I summoned you by night that our talk might be private. I demand from
+you a pledge of secrecy. Lay your hands within the priest's hands; he
+will answer for you to the Most High. [Silently they raise their hands
+in adjuration, and each in turn lays his hand in PASHUR'S] I swear by
+Almighty God that I will show no anger against any who opposes me. [He
+lays his hand in PASHUR'S] Now let us take counsel. [He waves them
+towards the table, and all take their seats] We are in the eleventh
+month of the siege. The vines are green once more. Nebuchadnezzar has
+been unable to take Jerusalem, but we on our part have not been able to
+force him to raise the siege. His sword against us beats the water, but
+so likewise does ours beat the water against him. We have left nothing
+undone that might bring aid. I have sent envoys to the king of the
+Medes; I have sent to the princes of the east, asking their help against
+Ashur. The missions were fruitless. We stand alone.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+[Fiercely] God is on our side.
+
+[The others say nothing]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Quietly] God is on our side. He has set up his tabernacle upon this
+hill, and my own roof stands in the shadow of his holy house. But God
+sends trials upon his own people. Those who swore faith to us, betrayed
+us; the Egyptians abandoned us; we are alone. Let us take counsel
+together, how to fight out our quarrel with Nebuchadnezzar, or whether
+we can find a means to end it.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Let us pray to God for a miracle. Let our hearts overflow with prayer,
+our altars smoke with sacrifices. What we have done once hitherto, let
+us now do twice over.
+
+NAHUM
+
+There is nothing left to sacrifice, neither bulls nor rams.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+It is false. I have heard the lowing of the cattle which you refuse to
+deliver up to the sacrifice.
+
+NAHUM
+
+The last we have. They are milch cows to provide food for nursing
+mothers and the sick.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Such thrift is impious where God is concerned. Let the sick starve and
+the breasts of the women run dry, so long as God receives due meed of
+sacrifice.
+
+PASHUR
+
+[Earnestly] God requires no gifts to make him aware of our distresses.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Naught is sweeter to the Lord than the gifts of the needy. We should
+give to the uttermost, tearing the morsels from our own mouths.
+
+PASHUR
+
+I know the customs. It is not for you, Hananiah, to teach me my duty,
+which I know better perchance than you know God's word and God's will.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Who sacrifices grudgingly, who sacrifices with a cold heart, is but a
+slaughterman, and no true servant of the Lord. Lo, I say unto you unless
+ye give of your uttermost need, ye are unworthy to stand in the light of
+his countenance.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Passionately] Hold your peace. Your words are past bearing. But a few
+grains of sand have run through the hour glass, and already you rail
+against one another. We do not meet to discuss what it is fitting we
+should render unto God. We meet to consider our pressing need, and how
+we can relieve it. We are in the throes of war, and to you therefore I
+turn first for counsel, Abimelech, general of my army.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Stout are the walls of Jerusalem, O King, but stouter still is my heart.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+And your men, old stalwart; are they, too, stout-hearted? Rarely do I
+hear them raise exultant cries. When I pass among them, no longer do
+they strike their shields. They turn away their faces.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+War makes men silent, but it steels their hearts. No longer, indeed, do
+they shout with delight, for that they can use their swords freely.
+Custom stales all joys. But they watch and wait; strong as brass are
+they, guarding the walls of Jerusalem.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+But what if the moons still wax and wane; what if the second year of the
+siege begins? There is no help coming from outside.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+The siege will last as long as God pleases, and we shall last as long as
+the siege.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+May the Lord fulfil thy words. [To the others] Are ye all of the same
+opinion?
+
+PASHUR
+
+We must be steadfast, enduring patiently until the end.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+What sayest thou, Hananiah?
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Never shall Nebuchadnezzar overthrow us. Woe unto all faint-hearts. Did
+it rest with me, I would put them to the sword.
+
+IMRE
+
+Mine eyes are dim with age, but being old, I saw the days when
+Senaccherib was arrayed against Israel, and I saw his men lying dead in
+heaps around our walls. Never were the jackals so fat as in the year
+when Jerusalem was encircled by the enemies of the Lord. The same may
+happen again to those who now besiege us. Let mine eyes not be wholly
+darkened ere this day dawn. Jerusalem endureth for ever!
+
+ABIMELECH, HANANIAH, PASHUR
+
+Jerusalem endureth for ever!
+
+[A pause]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Thou sayest nothing, Nahum. Wherefore art thou silent?
+
+NAHUM
+
+Gloomy are my thoughts, Lord King, and bitter will be my speech. He
+thrusts not himself forward, to whom joy is lacking.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+I summoned you in council, one and all. Welcome is the bearer of good
+tidings, but no less welcome he who brings wise warnings. Speak freely.
+
+NAHUM
+
+Shortly before you called me to the council, I was visiting the
+storehouses, and having the grain measured, bushel by bushel. They were
+full when the siege began, but now they are almost empty. No longer can
+we provide a whole loaf for the day's ration.
+
+[All sit in dismayed silence]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Was there not ample provision of grain from the villages? Was not an
+abundance of milch cows and other beasts driven within the walls?
+
+NAHUM
+
+Forget not that the siege has lasted nearly a year, and that there are
+many mouths to feed.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[After another pause] We can reduce the rations yet further. Let nothing
+be wasted.
+
+NAHUM
+
+Long have we been careful to avoid waste. Yet the storehouses gape with
+emptiness. Time is a mighty eater.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+How long, then, thinkest thou, ere famine is upon us?
+
+NAHUM
+
+[In low tones] Three weeks, Lord. No more.
+
+[A pause]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Three weeks ... And then?
+
+NAHUM
+
+How can I answer thee, O King? God alone knows the answer. [Renewed
+silence]
+
+HANANIAH
+
+[In great excitement] Cut the loaves in half. Cut them in three, and let
+that suffice for the day. Too long have they lived riotously, they and
+their concubines; let them grow lean, now, fighting the Lord's fight.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+My soldiers must not have their food cut down. No man can fight on an
+empty stomach.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+We must all share and share alike, the soldiers as well as the others.
+Jerusalem is at stake.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+My men must have their strength kept up. Let the useless mouths go
+hungry, the windbags and the prattlers.
+
+NAHUM
+
+You talk folly. What would it avail to pinch ourselves unduly, seeing
+that there are an hundred thousand within the walls. There is food to
+last us three weeks. If we slaughter the beasts reserved for the temple,
+we can hold out a fortnight more.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Let us keep the peace among ourselves. Ye rail against one another like
+enemies. Let us stand united against Nebuchadnezzar and likewise against
+our own people. Neither he nor they must know aught of our need.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+What if he know it already?
+
+NAHUM
+
+None can know it. Daily I set my seal on the doors of the storehouses.
+Neither the people nor Nebuchadnezzar can be aware of our distress.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+God be praised. Nebuchadnezzar would show us no mercy if he knew.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[After a pause] I have called you in council, elders of the people. Wars
+are not ended by the sword alone. I have summoned you to ask whether I
+should send an envoy to Nebuchadnezzar, praying him that there should be
+peace between our nations.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+No peace with the blasphemers of the Almighty!
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Let him make the first offer.
+
+PASHUR
+
+I think it would be dangerous for us to begin. Should we open the
+parley, he would seek to make slaves of us.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+I hold other views. Though as yet he knows nothing of our desperate
+plight, it can remain hidden for a few days only. We must turn these
+days to account.
+
+NAHUM
+
+True are thy words, O King. We must seek mercy of Nebuchadnezzar before
+he triumphs over us with the sword.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+[Bitterly] Sue for mercy! Death were better!
+
+PASHUR
+
+We need God's mercy, not man's.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+[To NAHUM] Coward and traitor!
+
+IMRE
+
+[Wearily] When will you cease quarreling? The king's words are true. It
+would be folly to wait till the last hour. Let us seek parley while we
+can still show a bold front.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+It is too late. The dead lying before the walls will cry reproach on us.
+
+PASHUR
+
+It is too late. The war has heaped up such mountains of hatred.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Nay, it is not too late. [He pauses for a moment] An envoy has already
+passed between Nebuchadnezzar and me.
+
+[The councilors spring excitedly to their feet]
+
+NAHUM
+
+Thou hast received an envoy from Nebuchadnezzar? Blessed be the hour.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Traitor! Thou holdest parley with the enemy!
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+No treaty without our consent! Thou hast forgotten.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Thou hast held parley, King, without consulting us? Why then are we
+summoned in council?
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Peace, peace. Can ye not wait till I have finished? Ye snap at my first
+word like a pack of hungry hounds. [A pause. He continues more quietly]
+A messenger has come from Nebuchadnezzar. I have not yet heard the
+message. Is this to hold parley? Is this treachery? Answer!
+
+[All are silent for a while]
+
+PASHUR
+
+I crave thy pardon, King. It is hard to weigh one's words when so much
+hangs in the balance.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+It is for you to decide; for you to hear the envoy, or to send him away
+unheard.
+
+NAHUM
+
+Our position is desperate. We must hear him.
+
+IMRE
+
+We can listen to his message, and be cautious about accepting it.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+We can hear him, and can settle afterwards whether we will let him
+return. He may be sent only to spy out the land.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+What say ye, Pashur and Hananiah?
+
+PASHUR
+
+Let us hear him.
+
+[HANANIAH is silent and averts his face]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Since no one opposes, we will hear the message. [Going to the doorway he
+calls out] Joab, fetch the envoy. [ZEDEKIAH returns to the table] Let
+each ask what questions he will. But our answers must show one mind.
+
+[BARUCH is ushered in by JOAB. The latter passes out again, replacing
+the curtain. BARUCH bows before the king]
+
+Dost thou bring a message to Israel from King Nebuchadnezzar?
+
+BARUCH
+
+He has sent me with a message to thee, O King.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+These are my councilors. Who speaks to me speaks to them also, for they
+and I, Israel and Israel's king, are at one by God's will. [Turning to
+the others] Question him.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+[Scornfully] What grace does the king of the heathen vouchsafe ...
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+[Interrupting] Let us consider practical matters first! What is your
+name?
+
+BARUCH
+
+Baruch, son of Zebulon, of the house of Naphtali.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Are you then of our blood?
+
+BARUCH
+
+I am a servant of the one God, and was born in Jerusalem.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Does anyone here know this man?
+
+PASHUR
+
+I know his father, a just man, and a faithful servant of the Lord.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+How did you fall into the enemy's hands?
+
+BARUCH
+
+I was drawing water from Moria well when they seized me.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+What proof have you that you are an envoy? Have you a letter, signed and
+sealed?
+
+BARUCH
+
+Nebuchadnezzar gave me his signet ring, that I might pass the sentries
+going and returning. [He shows the ring on his finger.]
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+I have no more questions to ask. Let him deliver his message.
+
+BARUCH
+
+When the Assyrian soldiers waylaid me, they took me to the king's tent.
+Nebuchadnezzar has kept me under guard these eleven months. Sending for
+me yesterday, he said: "Wilt thou take my message to King Zedekiah?"
+Standing before him without fear, I answered: "I will." Then spake
+Nebuchadnezzar: "Eleven months have I laid siege to this town. I have
+sworn that not again will I lie with woman until the gates of Jerusalem
+have been opened. But I will wait no longer. Should King Zedekiah wish
+for terms, let him hasten. Never has an enemy withstood me more stoutly.
+To none will I be more gentle than to him, should he hasten to sue for
+mercy."
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Nebuchadnezzar is a great warrior. It is an honor to have held out
+against him for eleven months.
+
+BARUCH
+
+He said further: "If ye open the gates and humble yourselves ere the
+moon be full, I will grant you your lives. Every man may dwell in safety
+under his vine and under his fig tree. Though ye have shed our blood, I
+seek not yours, but only victory and renown. It is my will that from
+sunrise to sunset the nations should learn the news that none can
+withstand my sword; that there is no king but shall bow before me, the
+king of kings. I need but a sign, and your city shall be safe, your days
+long in the land."
+
+NAHUM
+
+Methinks the terms are easy.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Too easy for me to trust them.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+But the sign! What sign does Nebuchadnezzar demand?
+
+BARUCH
+
+He said: "Zedekiah, who has taken up arms against me, must abase
+himself. When I enter the city, let him walk to meet me, from the gates
+of the temple to the wall, carrying his crown in his hands, and wearing
+a wooden yoke on his neck ..."
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Drawing himself up] A yoke?
+
+BARUCH
+
+"A yoke that all men may know his stubbornness is broken and his pride
+humbled. I will meet him, will lift the yoke from his neck, and replace
+the crown on his head."
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Never shall the man wear a crown whose neck has borne a yoke. Never! [He
+rises to his feet]
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+I could not endure it! [He also rises]
+
+[The others remain seated and silent. After a long pause, NAHUM speaks
+meditatively]
+
+NAHUM
+
+From the gates of the temple to the wall?
+
+PASHUR
+
+It is barely an hundred paces.
+
+IMRE
+
+No more than seventy, I think. No more than seventy.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Turning fiercely upon them] Ye reckon up the paces I am to take, with
+my neck yoked like an ox drawing the plough? Are ye all mad to think
+that I shall so humble myself? Did ye show courage only while your own
+lives were at stake? Do ye think nothing of my shame, if ye can make
+your own peace? Cowards all!
+
+PASHUR
+
+Thou hast sworn, O King, that each of us should speak freely the words
+which came to his mouth.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Thou dost well to remind me. Pardon my anger. Speak freely.
+
+NAHUM
+
+I beseech thee to accept the terms, not for our sake alone but for that
+of our children.
+
+IMRE
+
+For the sake of our country.
+
+PASHUR
+
+For temple and altar.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+For God, who commands it.
+
+[ABIMELECH is silent, hiding his face]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Paces up and down, as the struggle rages within him. At length he steps
+up to the table, and speaks in solemn tones] I will do what ye demand,
+breaking my pride like a potter's vessel, bowing my neck beneath the
+yoke.
+
+[All move to speak, but he imposes silence, and continues]
+
+I will take the crown from my head, and offer it up with my hands, as is
+enjoined. But holy is the crown of Israel, and none shall wear it whose
+neck hath borne a yoke. When I have put off from me the wood of shame, I
+shall put away likewise sceptre and ring, consigning both to my son.
+Young is he, but ye will counsel him. Swear that ye will be true to him,
+so that the people may look up to him. Swear that ye will invest him
+with crown and with ring.
+
+PASHUR
+
+[Greatly moved] I swear it, O King.
+
+IMRE, HANANIAH, NAHUM
+
+We swear it.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+As a king hast thou acted. Praised be thy name.
+
+NAHUM
+
+Eternal honor to King Zedekiah.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Thus shall the walls stand fast, thus shall the holy city be saved,
+though I sink into the dust. Better I should perish than Zion. Jerusalem
+endureth for ever.
+
+ALL
+
+[Fervently] Jerusalem endureth for ever.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[To BARUCH] Thou hearest, boy? Go, then, to the king of Ashur, and say
+unto him: "Zedekiah, who hath been ruler, and hath taken up arms against
+thee, boweth himself before thee, that thou mayest show him thy mercy."
+Hasten, that soon I may stand before the door of my house, saying to my
+people the precious word, "Peace".
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Disquieted, speaks in subdued tones] I hear, Lord King. But there is
+yet one other thing I have to tell thee, one more demand from the king
+of Ashur.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+[Angrily] Yet more? Does not this shame suffice him?
+
+BARUCH
+
+A trifle he termed it. It looms large in my mind.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+What does his pride still crave?
+
+BARUCH
+
+He spake unto me and said: "I will take the yoke from the king's neck
+and restore the crown to his head. He shall walk at my left hand, that
+men may know I honor him as my royal brother. But there is still one
+within your walls, of whom folk say that he is mightier than any. I
+would see this mighty one. They say that there is a god within your
+walls, whose countenance ye hide behind the curtains of a tabernacle,
+for that no one can bear to look upon him. To me, fear is unknown, and I
+wish to enter his presence, that I may behold him. I will not lay hands
+on his altar, nor touch his bread, neither will I covet his treasures.
+One thing only do I ask, that I may enter his tabernacle, for I would
+fain set eyes on him who hath proved mightier than I." Thus spake
+Nebuchadnezzar.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Never! Never!
+
+HANANIAH
+
+The fire of the Lord consume him for the sacrilegious thought.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Better that the temple should crumble to dust, than that the tabernacle
+should be desecrated.
+
+IMRE
+
+[In consternation] He would look upon the holy of holies! Terrible is
+the request.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Unbounded is the insolence of the heathen ruler! Dismiss his messenger,
+Lord King. Send back the envoy.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Send back the envoy. Never must such a thing be.
+
+NAHUM
+
+Be not too hasty, O King. In our hands lies the welfare of the nation.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+A thousand deaths were better than this shame.
+
+PASHUR
+
+I will face death with you, will perish in the midst of your warriors.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+[Savagely] Dismiss the envoy. Rather death than this sacrilege.
+
+IMRE
+
+Ye talk lightly of dying. Bethink ye that your pride means seventy
+thousand deaths.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Would you profane God's holy of holies?
+
+IMRE
+
+Life is part of God's holiness. God himself is life.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+It would be an everlasting disgrace could the heathen look on the face
+of Jehovah.
+
+NAHUM
+
+Let our foes exult; let our pride be humbled. So be it, if the city
+outlast our pride and our lives. King Zedekiah, save Jerusalem!
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Nay, dismiss the envoy.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+I am naught but the hand holding the scales. I stand aloof from your
+decision. Make up your minds. Count your votes. Speed ye, that the
+matter may be settled for good or for ill.
+
+IMRE
+
+I am the oldest among you. My word is, let us comply with
+Nebuchadnezzar's demands.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Let us refuse. God will help us. Let us refuse.
+
+PASHUR
+
+I will not chaffer with God's majesty. Never will I consent to such
+impiety.
+
+NAHUM
+
+Let God's city stand for ever. Accept the terms.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+What sayest thou, Abimelech?
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Not for me to advise thee, King Zedekiah. Not for me, who am but thy
+servant and thy sword. By yes and by no, in life and in death, do I
+stand by thy decision.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Two votes against two, and in my own mind there are voices twain!
+Conflict without; conflict within. I hold aloof, leaving it to you to
+direct my will. You cast it back to me like seadrift, and, trembling, I
+am still constrained to decide. Have I, indeed, to throw these dreadful
+dice?
+
+PASHUR
+
+God will give thee light.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Ah, would he but speak to me. Happy our forefathers to whom he appeared
+in a cloud. I stretch forth my hands towards him, but still for me the
+voice of heaven is dumb. I grope in the darkness, finding I know not
+what. Pray for me that I may be rightly guided.
+
+NAHUM
+
+Thou hast our love, O King.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Time presses. Ere the night is spent I must say yes or no; where
+perchance no is yes, and yes is no. God give me light. [He rises to his
+feet and all rise with him] Leave me to myself. The cleavage among you
+increases my own indecision. I shall act as my heart dictates, and it
+may well be that ere ye reach home I shall have made my choice, for my
+soul travaileth. Pray, friends, pray, that my choice may be the best for
+Israel. Pray for me, pray for Jerusalem.
+
+PASHUR
+
+God give thee light. I shall not close my eyes in sleep until thou hast
+chosen. I will hold vigil before the altar.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Remember God.
+
+NAHUM
+
+Remember the city.
+
+IMRE
+
+Remember the children, remember the women.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+I abide by thy choice in life or in death.
+
+[All depart, leaving BARUCH and the king]
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Quietly] Shall I, too, take my leave, King Zedekiah?
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Collecting his thoughts] What sayest thou? Nay, thou must remain.
+
+[BARUCH stands by the doorway while ZEDEKIAH walks restlessly to and fro
+for a time. Then, pausing by the window, the king stares over the town,
+subsequently resuming his restless pacing. At length he turns and speaks
+to BARUCH]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Nebuchadnezzar demands an answer to-day?
+
+BARUCH
+
+Yea, Lord; for to-morrow the moon is full.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Paces the floor again. Then abruptly] Thou sawest him face to face. Did
+he ask thee anything concerning me?
+
+BARUCH
+
+His chief counselor and his scribe were present. The former asked me
+about you, but Nebuchadnezzar bade him be silent.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Full of pride is he, and his wrath is like a storm over our heads. But I
+fear him not. Himself, he asked nothing concerning me?
+
+BARUCH
+
+Nothing, Lord King.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+To him we are naught. To him our walls are but a handful of dust. Yet we
+can meet defiance with defiance. For eleven months he has been breaking
+his teeth against the ramparts of the city, and he would dismiss us with
+a smile. I am not worth a word, and he rates our town at a breath.
+Nevertheless my yoke is not yet ready; the walls of Jerusalem still
+stand. We have taught him to wait, but he has not yet learned his
+lesson. Shall I be the slave of his caprices? He would tarry but a day?
+Let him tarry for weeks and months. [Drawing himself up] Take this
+message to Nebuchadnezzar. Say unto him ...
+
+BARUCH
+
+[In alarm] Decide not in anger, King Zedekiah.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Rigid with astonishment] How darest thou interrupt me?
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Kneels] I implore thee, save Jerusalem. Stretch forth thine hand in
+peace, lest the walls crumble and the temple be shattered. Lord King, I
+adjure thee, open the gates, open thy heart.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Wrathfully] "Open the gates, open thy heart". I have heard those words
+before. They have been put into thy mouth. One stands behind thee
+speaking against me with thy voice.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Nay, Lord King. My supplication arises from the depths of my heart.
+Something will I tell thee, which hitherto I have withheld. It was not
+at Nebuchadnezzar's summons that I went to him, but of my own free will,
+hoping that I might soften his heart. I saw that either side waited for
+the other to propose peace. Day after day, for eleven long months, did I
+importune him till he sent me with this message.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Thou, a boy, a child? While we were holding counsel, thou soughtest out
+the king of kings to seek peace and ensure it?
+
+BARUCH
+
+This did I, O King, in the urgency of my heart's wishes.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Regards him fixedly for a time. Then, speaking sharply] Not thine own
+deed, this, nor thy thought.
+
+BARUCH
+
+I went at no man's orders.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Thou speakest falsely. No boy could conceive such a deed for himself.
+
+BARUCH
+
+I swear to thee that I did it unadvised. He knew naught of it, neither
+commanded it nor approved.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+He? Who is he of whose orders thou speakest?
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Evasively] My teacher, my master.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Who is thy master, who? I would know who issues commands to the boys of
+this city.
+
+BARUCH
+
+God's servant and prophet is my master. Men call him Jeremiah.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Furiously] Jeremiah, always Jeremiah. Ever the shadow that follows my
+deeds, ever in revolt against me. I have cast him into a dungeon, but
+still, as in the beginning, rises his clamor for peace. Why this
+persecution? Why?
+
+BARUCH
+
+Thou art mistaken. Jeremiah hath more love for thee than for any other
+in this town.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+I need not his love. I spew forth his love, and I despise his anger. Who
+is he, that he should dare to love me? Shall one venture to stand up in
+the streets and give tongue, declaring that he loveth me, or loveth me
+not? Why should Jeremiah push in twixt me and my resolve? Would he show
+himself the greater of us twain? I am the king, I alone! Let him cry,
+Peace, peace! Not in his hand lieth the fate of Jerusalem. I am king in
+Zion, and never shall he boast that he frightened me with his dreams.
+Better the city should perish, than be saved by the hand of Jeremiah. Go
+thou to Nebuchadnezzar and say unto him: Never will Zedekiah bear a
+yoke. Never shall the king of Ashur raise the curtain before the holy of
+holies. Nebuchadnezzar may come with all his men; he will find Zedekiah
+ready to meet him.
+
+[BARUCH raising both hands imploringly, is about to speak. ZEDEKIAH
+continues]
+
+Not a word. If thou failest to carry my message, I will have Jeremiah's
+head.
+
+[Again BARUCH endeavors to speak]
+
+A single word, and Jeremiah's life is forfeit. Away, I command thee,
+away!
+
+[BARUCH stands for a moment, and then, veiling his face, passes out.
+ZEDEKIAH draws himself up threateningly when BARUCH hesitates. As soon
+as the young man has gone, the king lowers his outstretched arm, and his
+countenance is once more shadowed with anxiety. Then he draws a deep
+breath and speaks]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+It is finished. No longer the torture of indecision.
+
+[He paces to and fro once more. Then he stamps twice. JOAB enters]
+
+JOAB
+
+The king calls?
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Wine, bring me wine. I need sleep, deep and dreamless sleep.
+
+[JOAB brings a pitcher and fills a silver goblet. ZEDEKIAH empties it at
+a draught. Then he listens, and his face is again clouded]
+
+Who is walking outside there? I hear footsteps. Does the spy still
+tarry?
+
+JOAB
+
+He has gone forth, Lord. You hear the sentry, my brother Nehemiah.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Tell him to tread softly when he is on guard outside my bedchamber at
+night. I need sleep just as much as other men.
+
+JOAB
+
+I will see to it, Lord. [He draws aside the curtains of the bed and
+veils the lamp. Now the only light in the room comes from the pale
+moonbeams] Shall I read from the scriptures, Lord King, as heretofore?
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Nay, not even the scriptures can help me. I would fain sleep, even as
+other men sleep. My lids ache and my heart aches likewise.
+
+[JOAB helps him to remove his outer garment. ZEDEKIAH flings himself on
+the couch]
+
+JOAB
+
+God guard thy slumbers, O King.
+
+[JOAB calls NEHEMIAH. Silently the two stand at the head of the bed,
+motionless figures holding spears. In the moonlight their shadows rise
+in giant silhouettes on the wall. The only sound is the gentle plashing
+of a fountain in the court-yard]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Springing up with a wild cry] Why do ye whisper together? Did I not
+command ye to silence?
+
+JOAB
+
+[Alarmed] We said nothing, Lord King.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Some one is talking. Who is it that devours my slumber? All should
+sleep, so that I too may sleep. Is there anyone awake in the neighboring
+rooms?
+
+JOAB
+
+No one, Lord King. Nor anywhere throughout the palace.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+So I alone hold vigil. Why should all the burden be laid upon me? All
+the walls of the city, all the towers of care? Get me wine.
+
+[JOAB fills the goblet once more. ZEDEKIAH drains it and flings it away.
+With a groan he lies down again. All is still save for the murmur of the
+fountain. ZEDEKIAH, who has been lying motionless on the bed, now very
+quietly sits up in the gloom. Crouching like a wild beast about to
+spring, he listens intently. Then he suddenly screams]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Some one is speaking. I hear a voice which drones unendingly. I have
+given orders that none shall speak in my house. The voice is chanting.
+But I have forbidden that any should sing under my roof. Do ye not hear
+it?
+
+JOAB
+
+I hear nothing, Lord.
+
+NEHEMIAH
+
+No sound has reached me.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Glares at the two lads. Crouching he listens for a moment, and breaks
+forth again] I hear it, I tell you; an interminable monotone. Listen,
+Joab, here where I am listening. It is somewhere beneath us, burrowing
+like a mole in the darkness of my slumber, devouring my sleep. Canst not
+hear, lad?
+
+JOAB
+
+[Listens intently for a moment, and then shudders] I hear a voice rising
+from the depths. Like the voice of one singing. The spirits of the deep
+are awake beneath the house. The voice laments and moans like a caged
+beast.
+
+NEHEMIAH
+
+Perchance it is but the wind moaning through a cranny.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+I hear words; I feel them without understanding them. Who dares to sing
+by night in my house? Is it so well with my slaves that they must sing
+while I toss sleepless? Away, Joab, and silence the disturber.
+
+[JOAB hastens out. ZEDEKIAH crouches, listening. He seems at first to
+hear something. Then he raises his head, and subsequently lowers it to
+listen once more. Suddenly three dull blows are heard. The king listens
+eagerly. He draws a breath of relief]
+
+God be praised, the voice is stilled.
+
+[JOAB reenters with troubled mien]
+
+Who was talking?
+
+JOAB
+
+[Trembling] I know not, Lord, I did not find him. As I neared the
+marketplace, the noise of singing came to me louder, rising as it were
+from the depths of the earth. I followed the direction of the sound.
+There was no one singing in the marketplace. The utterance had a hollow
+ring, as if it came from a well or from a pit. Now I could hear the
+words, and they were terrible. Thrice did I strike the ground with the
+haft of my spear. Then was the Gehenna silent.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+What were the words?
+
+JOAB
+
+[Shuddering] I dare not repeat them.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Tell me the words, I command thee.
+
+JOAB
+
+It was blasphemy that rose from the pit.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Repeat the words, if you fear my anger.
+
+JOAB
+
+[Complies. His voice rises in a psalm]
+
+  I have forsaken mine house,
+  I have cast off mine heritage;
+  I have given the dearly beloved of my soul
+  Into the hand of her enemies.
+  My tears run down like a river day and night,
+  For grievous is the affliction
+  Of the daughter of my people.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[With a loud cry] Jeremiah! Always Jeremiah.
+
+JOAB
+
+[Continuing to chant as if inspired]
+
+  He hath given up into the hand of the enemy
+  The walls of her palaces;
+  They have made a noise in the house of the Lord,
+  As in the day of a solemn feast.
+  He hath ...
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Be still, be still. I will hear no more. Always Jeremiah, and again
+Jeremiah. Wherever I go he stands at the cross roads; his challenge
+rings behind all my doings; he forces his way into my dreams, and feeds
+my indecision. How can I outrun this terrible shadow? He cries to me
+even from the pit. Who will free me from him?
+
+JOAB
+
+Lord, if he be thine enemy, say the word ... [He makes a movement with
+his spear]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Startled out of his anger, looks at the lad wonderingly. Then, with
+awakening pride] Thou wouldst ... Nay, I fear him not. I fear no man.
+Nor am I certain if he be my enemy. I was foolish, perhaps, to flee from
+him. Who can tell? [He paces the room] Joab!
+
+JOAB
+
+My Lord?
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Go forth, taking with thee thy brother Nehemiah. Open the pit and bring
+hither the man ye will find there. None must know that he enters and
+leaves the palace.
+
+[JOAB and NEHEMIAH pass out. The king soliloquizes in low tones]
+
+At every cross road, behind my back, always too late and always
+compelling me to listen. Why did I appeal only to God, who vouchsafes me
+no answer? Why did I not hearken to those who say that he declares his
+will through their mouths? But wherefore do they speak with conflicting
+voices? How could I discern the false from the true? Dread is this God
+who will not break silence, and whose messengers cannot be certainly
+known.
+
+[JEREMIAH enters accompanied by the two lads. At a sign from ZEDEKIAH,
+JOAB unveils the lamp. Then he and NEHEMIAH withdraw. JEREMIAH is pale
+and emaciated. His dark eyes flash from a white and bony face, looking
+almost as if set in a skull. He regards the king with a questioning
+calm. After a momentary embarrassment the king speaks]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+I sent for thee, Jeremiah, to ask why thou dost disturb my rest. Why
+singest thou in the night when others sleep?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+He may not sleep who watches over the people. The Lord hath appointed me
+to watch and to give warning.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Jeremiah, I have summoned thee to hold counsel with me. No man knoweth
+that to this end I have drawn thee from the pit where thou hast been
+prisoned. Wilt thou advise me truly?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+God helping me, I will.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Know, then, what none other knows save my innermost counselors. An envoy
+has come from Nebuchadnezzar, seeking to end the war between our
+nations.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Exultantly] God be praised! Open the gates, open thy heart to
+humbleness.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Rejoice not too soon. Hard are the terms and measureless is the
+arrogancy of the king of Ashur.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Arrogant hast thou been towards him, therefore must thou accept
+arrogancy in return. Put compulsion on thy heart, so thou save Jerusalem
+from destruction.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+He asks my honor.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Sacrifice thine honor for the city.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Is not honor my office; is not pride my crown?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+If they be truly thine, cast them from thee. Peace is better than honor;
+suffering is better than death.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+He would bow my neck beneath a yoke.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Blessed is he who suffers for all; who suffers that all may live. Bow
+thy neck, and save the city.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+I should bring shame on all the kings whose throne is my heritage; I
+should disgrace the mantle of my forefathers.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Think no longer of those who have been. They are dead, and worms have
+eaten them. Think of the city and of those who now live therein.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Not me alone will Nebuchadnezzar abase, but God also.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+God smiles at those who would abase him. Open the gates, open thy heart
+to humbleness.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Nebuchadnezzar would enter the holy of holies which none may approach.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+God will avert it, should it be his will; thou canst not avert it. Open
+the gates, open thy heart to humbleness.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Angrily] Thy wisdom is stubbornness; thy counsel, insolence. With deaf
+ears dost thou hearken, and thine answer is hard as flint.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Am I to laud thy blindness, to approve whate'er thou sayest? Feigning to
+ask counsel, thou wouldst have naught but flattery. May my tongue
+consume away in my mouth, my bones fall apart, ere I praise thy folly
+and cease from crying against thy blindness.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Why railest thou thus, when thou hast not yet heard my purpose?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I know thy purpose. With words dost thou fawn on me, whilst thy will is
+set up against me. Wouldst mock me, and play with God's word? Thou hast
+not summoned me to help thee decide. Long ere this has the message been
+signed and sealed within thy soul. Thou mayst deceive thyself, King of
+Israel, but me thou canst not deceive.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Jeremiah!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Yea, verily, I, Jeremiah, say unto thee, the king: Thou dealest falsely
+with me, and thy words are a blind. No longer is thy will free, nor dost
+thou truly desire me to influence thy decision.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Unsteadily] How canst thou know this?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Thy lips betray thee. Thou quailest before my wrath like a guilty man.
+Fain wouldst thou tempt me to approve thy decision, to lift the guilt
+from thy shoulders. Woe unto him who tempts men, for he tempts the god
+that is in men.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Hesitates, greatly moved. Then he speaks in low tones] Much, indeed, is
+it given thee to know, Jeremiah. Too true are thy words. My will is no
+longer free, I have delivered my message to the envoy.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Recall it! Save the city.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+He is on his way to Nebuchadnezzar.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Send for him! Bring him back!
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Too late. The advice comes too late.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Hasten after him. Pursue him with runners and riders.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+It is too late. By now my message must have reached the king of Ashur.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Hides his face, lamenting] Woe, woe unto Jerusalem, woe unto Jerusalem!
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Drawing near him in alarm] What ails thee Jeremiah?
+
+[JEREMIAH does not heed the king. Sobs shake his frame. Soon, however,
+he draws himself up once more. Now his gaze is fixed on the distance. He
+speaks as in a dream, raising his hands, like one inspired]
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  How art thou fallen from heaven,
+  Jerusalem, sun of the morning!
+  Thou hast said in thine heart,
+  I will ascend into heaven,
+  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.
+  Alas, thou art fallen from glory,
+  Art sunken in darkness and night.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Calls to him loudly, hoping to awaken him from the trance] Jeremiah!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  What star was brighter than thine,
+  Thou city of Jacob,
+  Thou fortress of David,
+  Thou tabernacle of Solomon,
+  God's treasure and his holy house?
+  Who could herald thy ways, who could signal thy praise?
+  All happy the psalteries, the cymbals grew light,
+  With sounding thy triumphs from morning till night.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Thou ravest, Jeremiah; awake, awake!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  [Unheeding] How still art thou now, my beloved.
+  Thy brightness, say, where hath it gone?
+  The voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride
+  No longer are heard among thy houses.
+  The market hath become desolate.
+  Quenched are the voice of joy,
+  The voice of gladness,
+  The sound of flute playing,
+  And the song of the maidens.
+  A slayer hath fallen upon thee,
+  An avenger from the north.
+  Waste places are thy streets,
+  Nettles grow in thy pleasant places,
+  Thorns and brambles in the palace of thy kings.
+  Alas, thy walls are laid low,
+  All thy towers are broken down;
+  Shamefully overthrown
+  Is the everlasting heart of thy sanctuary.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Accursèd one, thou liest! High and hale stand the walls of Jerusalem.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  [With growing frenzy] Every head hath been shorn,
+  Every beard hath been clipt.
+  The mothers, wearing sackcloth,
+  Tear the flesh from their cheeks,
+  Wailing:
+  "Where are my sons, where are my daughters?"
+  Woe is me!
+  The dead bodies of the sons
+  Lie like dung in the streets
+  Where they have perished by the sword;
+  The daughters have been strangled with their own hair,
+  And the women with child have been ripped up.
+  The jackals of the wilderness are gorged,
+  The ravens weary with feasting.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Be silent, be silent! Thou liest!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  What availeth it to seek safety in thorny thickets,
+  To flee from death into the burning fissures of the rock?
+  They hunt thee with horses, with companies of spearmen,
+  Track thee down, and with sticks beat the coverts for their game,
+  Drive thee forth from the crannies with firebrands and smoke,
+  Pursue thee, and seize thee, and slay.
+  They ravish the women, they slaughter the elders,
+  Just men are made slaves of their lowliest bondsmen,
+  Made servants of servants the daughters of kings.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Hold thy peace, liar, lest my wrath smite thee!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  [Lamenting] Jerusalem, virgin and daughter of Judah,
+  The heathen make mock of thy pitiful plight.
+  Woe is me that I must look on thine affliction.
+  All thine enemies have opened their mouths against thee,
+  Laughing, and hissing, and gnashing their teeth,
+  Saying:
+  "We have swallowed her up!
+  "Is this the city that men call
+  "The perfection of beauty,
+  "The joy of the whole earth?
+  "Verily we have laid her low.
+  "Certainly this is the day we looked for,
+  "We have found it,
+  "We have seen it."
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Beside himself with rage, clenching his fists] Be silent, liar, I will
+listen no longer.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  Jerusalem, holy city of the Lord,
+  Cradle of the nations, treasure of the world!
+  Who will extol thee, who now will search thee out?
+  A legend of the ages hast thou become,
+  A fable and a proverb among the peoples.
+  Ah, I see ...
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Raving madman, naught more shalt thou see.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  I see thy suffering, I witness thy death,
+  I see ...
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Grappling with him, bursts out in a fury] Naught more shalt thou see! I
+will have thee blinded.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Stares around, as if suddenly and dreadfully awakened. Then laughing
+loudly, he chants with renewed frenzy]
+
+  Me?
+  Blind me? Nay, ruthless one,
+  Not such is the purpose of God.
+  Know well that one shall be blinded
+  Ere these days draw to a close.
+  'Tis one with eyes that see not,
+  With ears that will not hear.
+  Yet hearken now, King Zedekiah!
+
+[ZEDEKIAH releases JEREMIAH, and regards him with amazement and terror.
+JEREMIAH raises his hands in denunciation, and continues]
+
+  Thee
+  Shall they seize,
+  The servants of Ashur,
+  Seize thee in God's temple which thou hast destroyed.
+  They tear thee away from the horns of the altar,
+  To which thy hands cleave in the vain hope of help.
+  Naught availeth thy sword, for they break it in sunder,
+  Then bind thine arms straitly with fetters of brass,
+  Haling thee forth and the stairway adown;
+  Like a beast for the sacrifice scourging thee on;
+  To him will they bring thee whose hand thou rejectedst;
+  To him will they bring thee whose yoke thou hast broken,
+  To him who thy fiery doom will have spoken.
+
+[ZEDEKIAH has retreated several steps, and makes gestures as if to avert
+the threatened fate]
+
+  To thy knees as they force thee with curses and blows,
+  In the air-blast the furnace roars fiercely and glows.
+  Now the iron is heated, gleaming red, flashing white.
+  In thine eyeballs they plunge it, the scorching steel.
+  Thy flesh smokes and hisses, thy senses reel.
+  God's daylight has vanished in infinite night.
+
+[ZEDEKIAH screams, and claps his hands to his eyes as if blinded]
+
+  But ere thy sight, in a fiery mist
+  Of blood and tears, is forever gone,
+  Thy sons, by the sharp sword fiercely kissed,
+  Shall be slain in thy presence, one by one,
+  As the headsman's blade flashes through flesh and through bone.
+  Bootless thy struggles; the slaves hold thee fast!
+  The first falls, the second, the third and last!
+  They are sped, and thy weeping and wailing are vain.
+  Their blood drenches the ground, while thou, in thy pain,
+  Ere the burning steel seareth the sight from thine eyes,
+  Seest how Israel's race and kingship dies.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Groping his way across the room like a blind man, staggers to the
+couch. Now he puts up his hands beseechingly] Mercy! Have mercy!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  By thy cries all in vain will the darkness be riven,
+  As thou liftest thy hands to the unseen heaven,
+  God's mercy imploring! God no mercy will show
+  To the king whose false pride Zion's temple laid low.
+  He casteth thee down among worms which are blind,
+  Which crawl on their bellies, each after his kind.
+  With despised and rejected, the sick, the forsworn,
+  Shalt thou walk, Zedekiah, debased and forlorn,
+  Consorting with lepers, with halt and with lame,
+  Among outcasts the poorest. Thus thy pride God shall tame.
+  With beggars shall harbor; a beggar thyself,
+  Wearing sackcloth and ashes, shalt pass through the land.
+  Those who know thee--once splendent in power and in pelf,
+  King erstwhile in Zion--uplifting the hand,
+  Shall curse thee, Zedekiah.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Utterly crushed by the adjuration, has collapsed, groaning, on to the
+couch. Now he slowly rises, and contemplates JEREMIAH blankly] What a
+power is entrusted to thee, Jeremiah. Thou hast broken the strength of
+my limbs. The very marrow is frozen in my bones. Terrible are thy words,
+Jeremiah.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[He has awakened from his trance, and the fire in his eyes is quenched]
+Poor are my words, Zedekiah. Weakness is all my strength. I know, but
+cannot act!
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Why didst thou not come to me sooner?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I was ever at hand, but thou couldst not find me.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Thou hast filled my heart with dread, yet I bear thee no grudge. There
+must be no quarrel betwixt us twain who stand in the shadow of death.
+Get thee back whence thou hast come. Thou shalt not lack food, for I
+will share my last crust with thee. Let none know of our converse, save
+God. [JEREMIAH turns to go] Stay, Jeremiah. Must the fate be, which thou
+hast foretold? Jerusalem, my Jerusalem. Canst thou not avert it?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Gloomily] Naught can I do to avert it. I can only prophesy. Woe upon
+the impotent.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[After a pause] Jeremiah, I did not want war. I was forced to declare
+war, but I loved peace. And I love thee because of thy love for peace.
+Not with a light heart did I take up arms, but before I lived there was
+war under God's heaven, and there will be war after I am dead. I have
+suffered greatly, as thou canst testify when the time comes. Be thou
+near me when thy words are fulfilled.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I will be near thee, Zedekiah, my brother. [Slowly he averts his face
+from the king and moves towards the doorway]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Jeremiah! [JEREMIAH turns] Thou hast cursed me, Jeremiah. Bless me now,
+ere we part.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[After a moment's hesitation, strides back and holds his hands over the
+king] The Lord bless thee, and keep thee in all thy ways. May the light
+of his countenance shine upon thee, and may he give thee peace.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[As in a dream] May he give us peace.
+
+
+
+
+THE SUPREME AFFLICTION
+
+
+
+
+SCENE SEVEN
+
+I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that pluck off the
+hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. ISAIAH L, 6.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE SEVEN
+
+The following morning; the great square before the temple. A large
+crowd, consisting chiefly of women and children, is swarming up the
+steps leading to the palace, shouting and screaming. The leaders of the
+mob have reached the palace door, and are hammering on it with their
+fists.
+
+
+THE DOORKEEPER
+
+[Appearing through a wicket which he closes behind him] Are you still
+there? I have told you already that no more bread will be given out
+to-day.
+
+A WOMAN
+
+But I am hungry.
+
+A SECOND WOMAN
+
+You gave me one tiny loaf for my three children, a loaf no larger than
+my fist. Look at my little girl here; see how skinny her fingers are.
+[She lifts the child to show him]
+
+A THIRD WOMAN
+
+Look at mine too. [She also shows her child]
+
+CONFUSED AND ANGRY VOICES
+
+I am hungry.--Give me bread.--We are hungry.--Bread.--Bread.
+
+ANOTHER VOICE
+
+Let us have the keys.
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes.--Give us the keys.--Open the storehouses.
+
+THE DOORKEEPER
+
+[Pushing back the foremost among the mob] Away with you! The king's
+orders are that everyone shall have a loaf at daybreak. Then the
+storehouses are to be closed.
+
+A VOICE
+
+I got no loaf.
+
+OTHER VOICES
+
+Nor I, nor I.
+
+A WOMAN
+
+You could hardly see mine; and I have a child at the breast. Justice!
+
+A SECOND
+
+Mine was full of sand and gravel.
+
+A THIRD
+
+They are not the same loaves we used to get. We are being cheated.
+Justice!
+
+THE DOORKEEPER
+
+Nahum treats you all alike. He is perfectly fair.
+
+A VOICE
+
+Where is he?
+
+OTHER VOICES
+
+Where is he? We want to see him.--Let him show himself.--We will talk to
+him.--He is a thief.--Where is he?
+
+ANOTHER VOICE
+
+[Shouting stridently] He sits at home and fattens up his own household.
+They bake cake for themselves.
+
+A SECOND VOICE
+
+Yes, the rich have hoarded all they need.
+
+VOICES
+
+While we go hungry.--Bread for the poor.--Bread, bread.
+
+THE STRIDENT VOICE
+
+The king has golden dishes filled with dainties. In the palace they
+would rather throw their leavings to the dogs than feed our children.
+
+A VOICE
+
+I don't believe that.
+
+OTHER VOICES
+
+Yes.--Yes.--I have seen them do it.--My sister says they do.--Where is
+Nahum?--Give us bread.
+
+[Gradually the voices fuse into a single shout for bread. The mob
+thronging the steps grows more threatening. Some of those in the front
+ranks are about to seize the doorkeeper, while others continue to beat
+on the closed door. The doorkeeper blows a trumpet]
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+[Hastening from the palace, attended by a number of soldiers] Away with
+you. Push them back. Down the steps. Clear the entrance to the palace.
+
+[The soldiers use the hafts of their spears freely, and the mob yields
+ground, panicstricken]
+
+VOICES
+
+He struck me.--They are killing us.--Where is my child?--Help.--Help!
+
+[The crowd forms again at the foot of the steps, and faces ABIMELECH
+angrily]
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Are you all mad? The enemy is attacking us. Since dawn I have been on
+the ramparts to marshal the defence, and you meanwhile are raising a
+tumult at our backs. What would ye, rabble?
+
+VOICES
+
+Bread.--We are hungry.--Bread.--Our children have nothing to eat.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Everyone has had his loaf.
+
+VOICES
+
+Not I.--They left me out.--Not enough.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+The town is besieged. You must make the most of what you have. We are at
+war.
+
+VOICES
+
+There is not enough bread.--We are hungry.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Well, be hungry! We are shedding our blood for you. The city must be our
+first care. [Trying to hearten them up he exclaims] Jerusalem for ever!
+
+A VOICE
+
+[Half-heartedly] Jerusalem for ever!
+
+THE STRIDENT VOICE
+
+Who or what is Jerusalem? Has Jerusalem a stomach? Has Jerusalem blood?
+The stones and the walls are not Jerusalem. We are Jerusalem.
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes, we are Jerusalem.--Give us life.--Give us food.--Feed our
+children.--What is Jerusalem to me? I want bread.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+[Stamping fiercely] Be silent, all. Back to your homes. Why do you
+loiter in the marketplace? Do you not know that we are at war?
+
+A WOMAN
+
+Why are we at war?
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes, why?--Why are we at war?--Let us make peace.--Peace.--Peace.--Bread.
+
+THE STRIDENT VOICE
+
+Was it not well with us under Nebuchadnezzar? Was not his yoke light?
+Were not our days pleasant?
+
+VOICES
+
+Yea, yea.--Peace with Nebuchadnezzar.--End the war.--Down with the
+war.--A curse on him who began the war.
+
+A WOMAN
+
+It was Zedekiah's doing. He wanted war to help his friends the
+Egyptians.
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes, he has betrayed us.--While we suffer, he lies at ease among his
+wives.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Who dares to slander the Lord's anointed? He is ever in the forefront of
+the battle.
+
+THE STRIDENT VOICE
+
+It is false.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Who says it is false? Let him stand forth and face my sword. Who says
+it? [The crowd is silent] Beware of slanderers! Now then, off home with
+you. Let those who can fight, man the walls.
+
+VOICES
+
+[From the back] Nahum, Nahum! Here he comes. [The crowd surges round
+NAHUM] Nahum, good Nahum.--Give us bread.--Bread.--Bread.--You will
+treat us fairly.--Help us.--Good Nahum.
+
+NAHUM
+
+[Elbowing his way through the press] Let me pass!
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[Follows him up the steps] Nahum! Nahum!
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Back! Stand back.
+
+[The soldiers raise their spears, and the crowd shrinks away to the foot
+of the steps]
+
+NAHUM
+
+What would ye?
+
+A VOICE
+
+Open the storehouses.
+
+NAHUM
+
+The storehouses are empty. Each of you has a loaf every day. That must
+suffice.
+
+VOICES
+
+I have had no loaf.--Nor I.--Open the storehouses.
+
+NAHUM
+
+I tell you they are empty.
+
+THE STRIDENT VOICE
+
+Let us see for ourselves.
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes, let us see for ourselves.--I don't believe it.--Open the
+storehouses.--Let us see for ourselves.
+
+NAHUM
+
+I swear to you ...
+
+THE STRIDENT VOICE
+
+When we see we will believe. We have been cheated too long.
+
+VOICES
+
+They are all cheats, the priests, the king, all.--Give up the keys.--How
+they lied when they prophesied victory. [The voices become more
+menacing] Where are the Egyptians?--Zedekiah promised that the Egyptians
+would help us.--Where are the signs and wonders?--Bread, bread,
+bread.--Give up the keys.
+
+[The mob surges up the steps once more, surrounding NAHUM and
+endeavoring to snatch the keys]
+
+NAHUM
+
+Help, help!
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+[Beating them back, aided by his men] Down, down!
+
+A VOICE
+
+Oh, I am wounded. See, I bleed!
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+For the last time. To your homes! Clear the marketplace, or I shall use
+my sword.
+
+THE STRIDENT VOICE
+
+The marketplace and the city belong to us.
+
+[A messenger appears at the back of the crowd]
+
+MESSENGER
+
+Abimelech! Where is Abimelech?
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Here.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+There he is, the wretch, the murderer!
+
+MESSENGER
+
+Help, Abimelech. They have broken in at Moria Gate.
+
+[Cries of terror arise from the crowd]
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+[Cutting a path through them with his sword] Make way, make way.
+
+[He strides off. DOORKEEPER, NAHUM, and the soldiers withdraw through
+the wicket]
+
+[The crowd becomes chaotic. Previously it had been animated by a
+definite will. Now its units form a confused medley of horror-stricken
+persons, giving vent to hardly intelligible cries of terror and
+distress]
+
+VOICES
+
+They have broken in at Moria Gate.--All is lost.--My wife.--My
+children.--God help us.--To the temple.--Elijah, Elijah!--Where shall we
+hide?--What will become of us?
+
+A VOICE
+
+To the walls! Man the walls!
+
+A MAN
+
+[Rushing in] We are betrayed! The king has fled! We are lost!
+
+VOICES
+
+We are betrayed.--We are lost.--Where is the king?--Where are the
+priests?--Where is Hananiah?--Revenge, revenge.--Death is upon us.--The
+Chaldeans.
+
+THE STRIDENT VOICE
+
+Curses upon the king!
+
+VOICES
+
+[Fiercely] Curses upon the king!
+
+THE STRIDENT VOICE
+
+A curse on the priests! A curse on the prophets! They lied to us one and
+all.
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes, curse them every one!
+
+THE STRIDENT VOICE
+
+They persecuted those who warned us, those who counseled peace.
+
+A VOICE
+
+They persecuted Jeremiah.
+
+A SECOND VOICE
+
+Yes, Jeremiah told us what would happen.
+
+VOICES
+
+He warned us.--He wanted peace.--In this very place he shouted for
+peace.--I heard him.--He is the true prophet.--Everything has happened
+as he foretold. Where is Jeremiah?--Fetch Jeremiah. He will help
+us.--Where is he?--Where is he?
+
+A VOICE
+
+They have prisoned him in the pit, here in the palace.
+
+[Cries of fury arise from the crowd]
+
+VOICES
+
+Set him free.--He will save us.--Force the doors.--Jeremiah, Jeremiah!
+God has sent him to help us.--Jeremiah, man of God, come to our
+aid.--Down with the false prophets.--God spoke through Jeremiah.--Bring
+an axe to force the door.--Jeremiah shall be king.--Where is our
+saviour?
+
+[For a time nothing can be heard but the cry, _Jeremiah, Jeremiah_, and
+the noise made by the beating of axes and staves upon the door. Suddenly
+the door is opened and the doorkeeper appears]
+
+DOORKEEPER
+
+What would ye?
+
+THE CROWD
+
+Let us pass.--Jeremiah, Jeremiah!
+
+[The DOORKEEPER is thrust aside]
+
+DOORKEEPER
+
+Help, help!
+
+[Part of the mob disappears through the doorway, and from within is
+heard the noise of doors being broken down with axes. Those who remain
+on the steps are tense with excitement and impatience]
+
+VOICES
+
+[From within] The dogs have lowered him into the pit.--They were afraid
+of him.
+
+VOICES
+
+[From the steps] He is a holy man.--He is the chosen of the
+Lord.--Jeremiah will save us all.
+
+A WOMAN
+
+[Frenzied with excitement] He stretched forth his hand and cried, Peace.
+God's fire breathed from his lips. His brow shone like that of an angel.
+He will save us.
+
+ANOTHER WOMAN
+
+Could I but look upon his blessed face once more. It will shed light
+over Jerusalem.
+
+[Cries come from within]
+
+VOICES
+
+They have found him.--He is saved.--We are saved.--God will help
+us.--Jeremiah! Jeremiah!
+
+[Reappearing from within, the rest of the crowd brings JEREMIAH
+triumphantly to the top of the steps. He stands with his hand shielding
+his eyes from the light]
+
+VOICES
+
+[Ecstatically] Holy One!--Master!--Samuel.--Elijah.--Prophet.--Save us,
+Jeremiah.--King.--Anointed of the Lord.--Israel hear his
+words.--Jeremiah.
+
+THE FRENZIED WOMAN
+
+[Throwing herself at his feet] Why do you hide your face? Your glance
+brings healing. Look on this child of mine that it may grow hale. Look
+upon us all that we may arise from death.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Slowly withdraws his hand from his eyes. His gaze is serious and even
+gloomy, as he contemplates the agitated and expectant throng] The light
+is strange to my eyes, and burns them. Strange, too, is this love you
+show me, and it burns my soul. What would ye?
+
+THE CROWD
+
+Save us, Jeremiah, anointed of the Lord.--Save the city.--Be our
+king.--Show a miracle.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Your words are dark to me. What is your will?
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[All speaking at once] Moria.--The fortress of Zion.--Save Jerusalem.--A
+miracle.--We are lost.--You are our shepherd.--Save us.--Save Jerusalem.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Speak one at a time.
+
+THE WOMAN
+
+[Again throwing herself at his feet] Holy One, anointed of the Lord,
+star of our hope! Stretch forth your hand and save Jerusalem. What you
+foretold hath been fulfilled. The Chaldeans are upon us.
+
+A VOICE
+
+They have broken down Moria Gate.
+
+A SECOND VOICE
+
+Our men have been defeated.
+
+A THIRD VOICE
+
+[Despairingly] Save Jerusalem, or we perish.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[Taking up the cry] Save Jerusalem, or we perish.
+
+[JEREMIAH stands motionless, hiding his face in his hands]
+
+THE WOMAN
+
+We would take vengeance on your enemies; we would tear the faces of
+those who have reviled you. Have pity on us, you who are our saviour and
+our hope.
+
+A VOICE
+
+Who shall save us unless it be you?
+
+THE STRIDENT VOICE
+
+The priests have betrayed us. The king has sold us to the enemy.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Indignantly] It is false! Why slander ye the king?
+
+VOICES
+
+Zedekiah has forsaken us.--Where is he?--Why does he not come to our
+help?--He has fled.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Vehemently] It is not true.
+
+VOICES
+
+It is true.--They led us into this war.--They have sacrificed us.--We
+wanted peace.--Let us have peace.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Tardily comes your longing for peace. Why do ye put your transgressions
+on the king's shoulders? Ye clamored for war.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+No, not I.--No, not I.--It was the king.--Not I.--Not one of us.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Ye all wanted war, all, all! Your hearts are fickle, and ye sway in the
+wind like reeds. The very ones who now shout for peace, I have heard
+howling for war. Those who raise their voices against the king, hounded
+him on to the fray. Woe unto you, O people! Ye speak with two voices,
+and drive before every breeze. Ye have fornicated with war, and shall
+now bear the fruit of war. Ye have played with the sword, and shall now
+taste its edge.
+
+VOICES
+
+Alas, he spurns us.--Jeremiah, be merciful to us in our distress.--Aid
+us in our wretchedness.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+No man can help you. Help cometh from God alone.
+
+THE STRIDENT VOICE
+
+God has forsaken us.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+Yea, God has forsaken us.--Where is he?--Where is the covenant?
+
+FUGITIVES
+
+[Rush past shouting] The enemy is within the gates. Abimelech is slain.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[Shrieks with terror, and then appeals once more to JEREMIAH] Hearken,
+hearken!--We are lost!--Show a miracle, a miracle.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Despairingly] What would ye that I should do? Am I to stretch forth my
+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
+
+  But I renounce my allegiance!
+  Resuming my freedom, no longer a thrall,
+  I nor heed thy commandments nor answer thy call!
+  Where 'twas shrined in my heart I thy image discrown,
+  And from out thy high heaven I hurl thee adown!
+  Thou spurnedst thy people, so thee too I reject;
+  No merciless God shall compel my respect!
+  For why is it seemly that reverence be paid
+  To a god who gives scorn when his children seek aid?
+  He only is God who turns sorrow aside,
+  Almighty but he who can solace provide!
+  And of men him alone may we prophet proclaim
+  Whose spirit with measureless love is aflame,
+  Whose words and whose deeds teach all men to know
+  That his soul with compassion is ever aglow.
+  Now to me my purpose in life is plain,
+  For the plaints that assail thine ears all in vain
+  Wring my heart with the passion of infinite pain.
+  Come cries from the city thine anger hath burned,
+  Come cries from the people thy hatred hath spurned,
+  Come cries from the widows, made widows by thee,
+  Come cries from the mothers, made childless by thee,
+  From the king, now blind, as by thee ordained,
+  From thine altar, by thine own self profaned;
+  From the earth, from the air, the message is sent;
+  As I hearken, with anguish my bowels are rent;
+  Appeals from the living, appeals from the dead;
+  As I hearken, perforce I must turn my head
+  From thee, who art cold and unfeeling as stone,
+  From thee, who art deaf when thy children make moan,
+  To my brothers, my sisters, who are bone of my bone
+  And flesh of my flesh, those whom sorrows invest,
+  Those whom torments afflict. With them, none but them,
+  Can my spirit find peace or my heart be at rest.
+  In reverence I bow before them, none but them;
+  For them, tenderest love; for thee, God, naught but hate!
+
+THE ELDER
+
+He hath cursed God. Strike him down.
+
+VOICES
+
+He raves.--He is mad.--He dreams.--'Tis dangerous to listen to
+him.--Silence the madman!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Suddenly kneels and apostrophizes the others]
+
+  My brothers, my brothers, forgive me, forgive
+  The vain pride of a man now unfitted to live!
+  For God, none but he, with dreams dazzled my eyes.
+  With words he confused me, with signs led astray,
+  Until, to an evil self-will giving way,
+  I believed myself prophet, all-knowing, all-wise!
+  I believed myself great with the greatness of God,
+  When, invoking his name, your dooms I shrilled.
+  When with his curses my mouth was filled!
+  But lo, I abjure him, this pitiless God!
+  Though toward you I proved myself arrogant, vain,
+  I beseech you, my brothers, show mercy again.
+  Though my curses rained down on you many a day,
+  Repulse me not now--for he led me astray.
+  There is naught but forgiveness my spirit to heal;
+  At your feet now abased, craving pardon, I kneel.
+
+[All draw away from him in horror. He moves after them, without rising
+from his knees]
+
+  My brothers, my brothers, look kindly on me!
+  Well assured is my heart that we brothers be,
+  And I the least worthy, the youngest of all!
+  Lo, I curse you no longer, but breathe benediction,
+  Lo, I yearn to share with you the bread of affliction!
+  Let it please you, my brothers, whate'er may befall,
+  That I love you, that thanks to the love I bear,
+  No more word of mine, I swear it, I swear,
+  Shall add by one grain to your load of care.
+  In atonement for wrongdoing ask what you will.
+  The meanest of services glad to fulfil,
+  As the slave of your slaves I demand only this,
+  That the dust from your shoes I may thankfully kiss.
+  My brothers in darkness, my brothers in grief,
+  From my humble repentance withhold not belief.
+  My brothers, my brothers, your pardon were bliss.
+
+THE ELDER
+
+Death to the man who touches him! God hath judged him.
+
+VOICES
+
+Accursed of God, away.--Forth from among us.--Poison us no longer with
+thy presence.--Away liar, away!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[When they thrust him from them, cries plaintively] Driven out like a
+leper! [He falls prone]
+
+[There is a peremptory knocking, at the door]
+
+VOICES
+
+The heralds!--The Chaldeans!--They knock like masters.--It is not one of
+our own people. [The knocking becomes more imperative] What
+impatience!--We must not anger him.--Do not unbar the door, for they are
+all robbers, the Chaldeans.--We must open to him, or he will grow angry.
+
+THE ELDER
+
+I will open the door. In the midst of life we are in death.
+
+[He cautiously begins to open the great door, but as soon as the bar is
+down one of the leaves is violently pushed open and BARUCH rushes in.
+THE ELDER rebars the door]
+
+BARUCH
+
+[His face working with anxiety] Brothers, is Jeremiah here?
+
+THE ELDER
+
+Name him not! Speak not to him.
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Looking around] Jeremiah, Jeremiah!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Slowly rising, stares at BARUCH as if he were a stranger] Who still
+seeks me? Who now would tempt me?
+
+BARUCH
+
+Master mine, do you not know me? Do you not recognize my voice?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I will look no more and listen no more. Away, you who still breathe the
+breath of life! Let me lie and rot!
+
+BARUCH
+
+Jeremiah, beloved master, I implore you to collect yourself. The enemy
+is hunting for you.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Who still seeks me in this world?
+
+BARUCH
+
+You have been betrayed; they know your hiding-place. Nebuchadnezzar has
+sent officers in search of you.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Let them come! Blessed be the slayers! Blessed be death!
+
+BARUCH
+
+Jeremiah, if you love me, seek refuge in flight. I cannot bear that your
+life should be forfeited.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+No more love have I for anyone.
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Embracing him] Nay, master, my blood rather than yours. I will die with
+you.
+
+[Violent blows are struck on the door]
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[Scattering into the darkest corners] Alas, alas.--The Chaldeans.--Our
+hour has come.--Jeremiah has brought disaster upon us.--Let us deliver
+him up.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Too late! They are already here.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Open to them, Baruch. [BARUCH hesitates. JEREMIAH standing erect speaks
+slowly and clearly, almost exultantly] Open, that I may receive them. My
+soul yearns for death. Welcome, first fulfiller of my word! Welcome,
+Death. Open, Baruch! Open to the deliverer. [BARUCH moves to the door
+where he again hesitates. The door is once more shaken by violent blows
+from without. JEREMIAH repeats masterfully] Open, Baruch, I command you.
+
+[BARUCH veils his face and unbars the door. The two leaves of the
+folding door are flung open, and a gleam of the fading light of evening
+penetrates the dark crypt. The king's three officers enter, richly
+appareled, their figures showing in strong relief against the red sky.
+JEREMIAH stands alone, confronting them]
+
+THE CHIEF OFFICER
+
+[Advancing to the front] Is the man named Jeremiah among you, the son of
+Hilkiah of Anathoth?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I am he whom you seek. Fulfil your orders.
+
+[THE CHIEF OFFICER prostrates himself before JEREMIAH, touching the
+ground three times with his forehead. The two other officers do the
+same. JEREMIAH, startled, draws back a pace. THE CHIEF OFFICER rises to
+his knees]
+
+THE CHIEF OFFICER
+
+Hail to the interpreter of signs! Honor and glory to the revealer of
+events, to the seer of that which is hidden. [Having again abased
+himself three times, he stands erect; his companions follow his example.
+JEREMIAH, recovering composure, regards him gloomily] I bear a message
+through my unworthy mouth from Nebuchadnezzar, my master, king of kings,
+destroyer of nations. Thus saith my dread lord. It hath been reported to
+Nebuchadnezzar that thou alone among thy people foretoldest destruction
+to the rebels and disgrace to those who goaded on the people to revolt.
+Melted like lead are the words of the priests who withstood thy
+strength; but thy warning, like gold, hath endured the test of time. Thy
+fame hath reached the ears of Nebuchadnezzar, and now he is eager to set
+eyes upon thee. He sendeth thee raiment such as is worn by the princes
+of Chaldea, and will have thee for the chief among his servants who wait
+at his table.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+No more will I serve any, either in heaven above or in the earth
+beneath, for I have served God and have wearied of that service. Say
+unto Nebuchadnezzar that I refuse to serve him.
+
+THE CHIEF OFFICER
+
+Thou understandest not the words of my lord and master. Not to any
+menial service doth he appoint thee, but would have thee to be the chief
+over all his servants. Master of the magicians, astrologers, and
+soothsayers, shalt thou be, reading the stars and foretelling that which
+is to come. Second to none shalt thou be, but shalt come and go in the
+palace even as thou wilt.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I hear your words, and therefrom I learn the king's wishes. Great is the
+call of Nebuchadnezzar, but greater is the need of mine own people.
+Hearken, therefore! I enter not the palace where the daughters of Israel
+will scour the steps as bondwomen. No bread do I break as guest at the
+table of him who hath profaned the temple of Zion. Not for me the favors
+of the cruel, nor the grace of him who hath been pitiless.
+
+THE CHIEF OFFICER
+
+The message I brought thee was a king's message, and to kings obedience
+is due.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+You brought me true word from Nebuchadnezzar. Render him my answer no
+less truly. Return to him who sent you, and say unto him: "Thus saith
+Jeremiah to Nebuchadnezzar. My bitterness has no sweetness for thee, nor
+shall my lips minister to thy pride. Wert thou to summon me with the
+tongues of angels, yet would I not heed thy call; wert thou to load for
+me with gold all the stones of Jerusalem, yet would I not speak soft
+words to thee. Honor me if you wilt, to thee I pay not honor. Seek me if
+thou wilt, but thee I will not seek."
+
+THE CHIEF OFFICER
+
+Bethink thee, 'tis the king of kings who summons thee to enjoy the light
+of his countenance.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I refuse to go! I refuse!
+
+THE CHIEF OFFICER
+
+Never before hath any man refused to comply with the wishes of
+Nebuchadnezzar.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Nevertheless I refuse, I, the least among the sons of Israel. Who is he,
+that I should fear him? His power is but a straw, and his wrath but a
+breath of wind.
+
+THE CHIEF OFFICER
+
+Rash and presumptuous art thou, to speak thus lightly of the king my
+master. Curb thy tongue, and have a care for thy life.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Fiercely] Who is he that I should fear him? Many have there been who
+bore the proud name of Pharaoh, many whose foreheads were once adorned
+with circlets of gold, but no man careth to remember their deeds, and no
+man taketh pen to inscribe their names in the book of time. There have
+been mightier than he, whom the generations of men have forgotten ere
+the trees they planted have rotted. Who is Nebuchadnezzar under the
+stars, that I should fear him? Is he not a worm, even as other men? Does
+not death dog his footsteps, and corruption await his body? Shall he
+escape the finger of time? Think you that he, more than another, can
+keep that which he now hath, or that he can find an issue from the doom
+which awaits all the sons of men? Return, therefore, to your master,
+bearing from me this message: "Woe to the destroyer, for he shall be
+destroyed! Woe to the robber, for he shall be robbed. He who has drunk
+his fill of blood, shall be drowned in blood; he who has battened on the
+flesh of the nations, shall himself soon become food for worms! Hearken!
+A wind is rising against Babylon, and a tempest is about to break over
+Nineveh! Numbered are the days of Ashur. Drawn is the sword, and it
+hangs over thee, thy people, and thy realm. Thou art greedy for news of
+that which is to come. Learn, O Nebuchadnezzar, that Ashur is ripe for
+destruction; the measure of thine iniquity is full."
+
+[The officers shrink before these fiery words, and make gestures as if
+to avert the threatened doom]
+
+THE ELDER
+
+[Suddenly stands forth from a dark corner, and cries enthusiastically]
+Hear him, O Lord, hear him! Fulfil the promise of his words.
+
+VOICES
+
+[Imploringly] Hear him, Lord God of Sabaoth!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Already hath the avenger awakened, for the Lord hath summoned him, and
+hath equipped him with strength. He is coming. Already is he near.
+Mighty are his hands; they will crush Babylon like a bird's nest, and
+will scatter the people of Ashur like chaff before the wind. Set
+watchmen in the towers upon the walls, that they may warn you of his
+coming; send forth men in armor, bearing sharp spears, that they may
+resist his onslaught. Just as little as thou canst blow away the clouds
+of heaven with thy breath, just so little canst thou avert the coming of
+the avenger, whose sword will slay the children of Ashur.
+
+THE ELDER
+
+[Ecstatically] So let it be, Lord, so let it be!
+
+THE OTHER REFUGEES
+
+[They have collected round THE ELDER, and have caught fire from his
+enthusiasm] Smite them, O Lord, as he has foretold.--Fulfil the words he
+has spoken.--Send the avenger.--Cast down Babylon even as he has
+prophesied.--Hear him, O Lord, hear him.
+
+[The officers, panic-stricken, make for the door]
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[In a frenzy of joy] O fool among fools, didst thou verily believe thou
+couldst enslave us; didst thou verily believe that God would forget us,
+would forsake his city of Jerusalem? Are we not his children, his
+first-born and his heirs? Is not his spirit upon us, and his blessing
+upon the seed of Abraham? He has chastised us for our sins, but will now
+have pity on us. What his left hand has taken from us, his right hand
+will restore a thousandfold. For know, brothers, that sooner shall
+mountains fall and rivers flow upwards, sooner shall the stars be
+darkened, than that God shall forget his covenant, shall abandon Israel,
+shall turn away his face from Zion.
+
+[The officers have vanished during this speech]
+
+THE ELDER AND THE OTHERS
+
+[Thronging round JEREMIAH] Blessings upon your words.--Blessings upon
+your head.--God will be mindful of Jerusalem.--O glorious prophecy!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Ignoring them in his growing exaltation] How dark were the days upon
+earth when God frowned upon his children. We thought to perish in that
+darkness, to go down unto death in our anguish. But with the end of his
+wrath came the beginning of his love. A storm has raged; God has broken
+our strength like a reed. But now, once more, the sun of his mercy
+shines upon us. He has laid aside the lightnings; he has stilled the
+thunder of his voice; his words fall softly on our ears. Sweet do they
+sound, sweet and gentle:
+
+  Arise, Jerusalem,
+  Arise, city of affliction.
+  Fear no longer,
+  For I have compassion upon thee.
+  I have been wroth with thee,
+  For a moment I have forsaken thee,
+  But not for ever doth mine anger endure.
+  Therefore, since thou hast been forsaken,
+  Hast been for a day the rejected of God,
+  Now shall thy glories be restored unto thee,
+  And now shalt thou be exalted for all eternity.
+  I will deck thee with my love,
+  And girdle thee with peace,
+  Will show thee the light of my countenance,
+  And bestow my blessing upon thee.
+  Arise, Jerusalem,
+  Arise,
+  For I have delivered thee.
+
+THE ELDER
+
+A blessing upon your words.
+
+THE OTHERS
+
+Hear him, God.--Fulfil his words.--Deliver Jerusalem.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Lo, she is risen. She has heard the call. The Lord has loosened the
+fetters from her limbs, and has lifted the yoke from her neck. He has
+wiped the tears from her cheeks, has consoled the widows and the
+orphans. Smiles succeed to sorrow. The season of blossoming hath
+returned. Zion yearns for her children, that they may look upon her in
+her happiness and rejoice in her renewal. Already have the children of
+Israel heard the summons of the Lord. Dispersed never so widely to the
+ends of the earth and among the islands of the sea, yet do they return
+in their myriads to Zion. From the north and the south, from the east
+and the west, the happy pilgrims come. Their footsteps hasten across the
+hills of Gilead, eagerly do they make their way over Bashan and Carmel,
+that they may see the city of our love, the city of our suffering, the
+holy fortress of Zion. And Jerusalem rejoices to welcome her children,
+returned in countless numbers from the prison-houses of exile. Where the
+flowers were withered, new buds are springing; where darkness had
+loomed, there shines fresh light; those who have been dumb, find voice.
+Jerusalem has risen from the tomb. The hills nod to her as of old; the
+shadows of the mountains lie athwart her plains; as dew gleams in the
+meadows, so peace shines in the city, the peace of the Lord, the peace
+of Israel, the peace of Jerusalem!
+
+THE OTHERS
+
+Fulfil the prophecy, O God.--Bring peace to Israel.--Let Jerusalem
+arise.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  When the glad day comes, and in Zion we meet,
+  We, who so long have been captives and slaves,
+  Who have dwelt with the stranger in gloomy abodes,
+  Joyfully reassembling,
+  We shall pray:
+  Blessed be thy name, Lord God of Sabaoth!
+  Great and wonderful have been thy mercies!
+  By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept,
+  Breaking the bitter bread of slavery;
+  We mingled the wine in our pitchers with tears;
+  For our souls were sick with longing for home,
+  And our servitude was a daily death.
+  Then we called unto thee, compassionate one, and called not in vain,
+  For thou didst break our bonds.
+  With the dew of thy goodness, with the waters of life,
+  Didst thou quench the fever of our thirsty souls.
+  Us the dispersed, us the vanquished,
+  Didst thou raise from the dust and lead home to Zion.
+  Look on us, O mountains; look on us, O fields!
+  We have returned, we have risen as from the dead!
+  Let the sound of our streamlets murmur in our prayers;
+  Let the gardens welcome us with their flowers;
+  Let the roses of Sharon greet us with their perfume,
+  The forests of Carmel and Lebanon with their shade.
+  And thou, holy city, the beloved, ne'er forgotten,
+  The vision of our days, and the dream of our nights,
+  The bride of our love and the mother of us all,
+  Let thy cymbals sound, thy flutes breathe notes of gladness;
+  Arouse thee and give utterance to thy rejoicing,
+  For we have returned to thee, Jerusalem!
+
+THE OTHERS
+
+[Pressing near him in their delight, throwing themselves at his feet,
+embracing his knees] Returned!--Risen as from the dead.--Glorious
+prophecy.--Jerusalem.--Jerusalem.
+
+BARUCH
+
+[On his knees] My master, my teacher, how sweet are your words, how
+blissful is your message.
+
+THE ELDER
+
+Blessed be he who brings comfort in time of affliction.
+
+A WOMAN
+
+His eyes glow like stars and light up the vault.
+
+ANOTHER WOMAN
+
+God's spirit has descended on him.
+
+THE WOUNDED MAN
+
+His words have heartened me. I live, I live again. Oh that I, too, might
+one day return to Jerusalem.
+
+ZEPHANIAH
+
+Your words have brought me new courage, Jeremiah.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Paying no heed, but gradually awakening from his trance and looking
+round with alarm] Where are they to whom I spake? Surely I talked with
+messengers from King Nebuchadnezzar? Have I been dreaming? Methought
+there were three men, richly appareled.
+
+THE ELDER
+
+They fled before the lightnings of your glance.
+
+ANOTHER
+
+Your anger smote them like a sword.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Still confused] What did I say? My mind is dark, and yet I seem to
+recall something. What did I say? Why do you all look at me yearningly?
+Why do you crowd round me? You looked at me with horror in your faces,
+but now ... What has happened to me, and what has happened to you?
+
+THE ELDER
+
+Man of God, man into whose heart the fire of God has passed, this light
+streams from you. Mightily have you prophesied to us.
+
+A MAN
+
+You have freed my soul from its anguish.
+
+A WOMAN
+
+You have feasted my heart on manna.
+
+THE WOUNDED MAN
+
+Look at me. I can get up. I can walk. The pain has gone. Your words have
+called me back from death.
+
+VOICES
+
+A miracle.--A miracle like those of Elijah.--Raising from the dead.--Let
+us bow before God's messenger.--A miracle.--A miracle.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Gently] Nay, brothers, shame me not by your praises. I have no part in
+what has befallen. A miracle has there doubtless been, but it has been
+wrought on me, not by me. I cursed God, and he has blessed me; I fled
+from him, and he has found me. None can escape his love, nor can anyone
+overcome his power. He has vanquished me, my brothers; and nothing is
+sweeter than to be vanquished by God.
+
+THE ELDER
+
+[Ecstatically] Jeremiah, Jeremiah, may God do by all of us even as he
+has done by you.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Alas, that I knew not the Lord till so late! Alas, that I found you so
+late, my brothers! Dark lies the city, and dark our fate; but wonderful
+is life, holy the world wherein we dwell. O earth which I have despised,
+be gentle to me as I kneel; God, whom but now I renounced, be gracious
+to my prayer! [He kneels]
+
+  I thank thee, O Lord, for thy gentleness toward me,
+  When I, froward and fierce, did thy service abjure.
+  For that thou whom I cursed didst with blessings reward me,
+  My heart will be grateful while life doth endure.
+  In life I will praise thee, in death I will praise.
+  With the bread of thy word thou dost nourish my days.
+  Let me bless thee for filling my soul with thy breath,
+  With that spirit of love which is stronger than death.
+  Let me bless thee for this, that harshly thou dravest
+  Me forth from thy face; that sorrow thou gavest
+  To me and to others. Nay, sorrow I bless,
+  For when men keep aloof, lo, the touch of distress
+  Makes them know they are kin. But the sorrows God sendeth
+  Are the firstfruits of storm, which in sunshine oft endeth.
+  I bless thee then, God, on life's journey the guide,
+  Whom all seek to escape, but from whom none can hide,
+  For the lowliest ever thy grace can best win,
+  And the sinner thy love, yea, because of his sin!
+  Blessed the man who can lose self in God!
+  Blessed the man who is chosen of God!
+  Blessed the heaven, in music ensphered,
+  Blessed the world, as thy mirror endeared!
+  Blest the stars which shine peacefully, far above strife,
+  Blest the quiet of death--blest the turmoil of life!
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Throwing himself on his knees before JEREMIAH] Jeremiah, my master,
+Jeremiah! Let not thy word shine upon us alone. Many are waiting in the
+marketplace, their souls full of fear. Give courage to the despairing.
+Fill the thirsty with the waters of life.
+
+THE ELDER
+
+Yea, strengthen the knees of the tottering. Console the afflicted!
+
+VOICES
+
+Go forth to our brothers.--To them, as to us, bring solace.--Give them
+the message.--The promise.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Rising] So be it, brothers, lead me to them. I have been comforted of
+God, and now will I comfort others. Let us go forth, that we may build
+again the temple in the hearts of the hopeless, may build there the
+everlasting Jerusalem. [He strides out through the door]
+
+THE OTHERS
+
+[Surrounding him, some leading the way, while all the voices mingle in
+exaltation] Jerusalem.--Jerusalem the undying.--Prophesy!--On, God's
+master-builder.--Jerusalem endureth for ever!
+
+
+
+
+THE EVERLASTING ROAD
+
+
+
+
+SCENE NINE
+
+For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord,
+thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then
+shall ye call upon me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek
+me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I
+will be found of you, saith the Lord: and I will turn away your
+captivity. JEREMIAH XXIX, 11-14.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE NINE
+
+The great square in front of the temple, as in the first scene, save
+that now everywhere signs of the sack are visible.
+
+In the square we see a medley of hand-carts laden with household goods,
+of packhorses and other beasts of burden, and of wagons. Men and women,
+preparing for the exodus, are busied among these. New groups continually
+flock into the square from the surrounding streets, and the noise of
+conversation grows ever louder. The women and children, together with
+the men too old for work, sit apart on the steps. Chaldean warriors,
+fully armed, stride masterfully through the crowd, making way for
+themselves with their spears.
+
+The moon shines fitfully. Gradually the dawn reddens in the east.
+
+
+VOICES
+
+This is our meeting place.--How many of us are here?--Keep together,
+sons of Reuben.--How dark it is.--This is the best place, so that we can
+lead the way.
+
+OTHER VOICES
+
+Don't push.--This is our place.--Our mules have been standing here since
+evening.--The place is ours.--The sons of Reuben always want to be
+first.
+
+AN ELDER
+
+Do not quarrel, children. Let Reuben lead the way, for such is the law.
+
+VOICES
+
+There is no longer any law.--The scriptures are burned.--Who are you to
+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!
+
+[A few Chaldeans, among them a captain, have come out from the palace.
+Some of them are half drunk. Their voices sound shrill in contrast with
+the chanting of the wanderers]
+
+THE CAPTAIN
+
+The dogs are mutinous. They murmur against their fate. Beat them with
+rods if they refuse to go.
+
+A CHALDEAN
+
+Look, Captain, they have not waited for an order. There is no sign of
+mutiny.
+
+THE CAPTAIN
+
+If they complain, strike them on the mouth.
+
+THE CHALDEAN
+
+Captain, they are not complaining.
+
+ANOTHER CHALDEAN
+
+Watch them marching. They stride along like conquerors. Their eyes flash
+with joy.
+
+THE CHALDEANS
+
+What people are these?--Have they not been vanquished?--Can anyone have
+spread among them false tidings of liberation?--What are they
+chanting?--A strange people.--No one can understand them, whether in
+their dejection or in their exultation.--Their very gentleness is a
+danger, for it has a strength of its own.--This resembles rather the
+triumphal entry of a king, than the exodus of an enslaved people.--Saw
+the world ever such a nation?
+
+FOURTH CHORUS OF WANDERERS
+
+[Here JEREMIAH inconspicuously joins his tribe]
+
+  Through ages we wander, we march through the nations,
+  The tale of our sufferings ever renewed;
+  Aeon after aeon eternally vanquished,
+  Thralls at the hearths where in passing we rest.
+  But the cities wither, and the nations
+  Shoot into darkness like wandering stars.
+  The oppressors who scourged us with many whips
+  Have become a hissing and a byword among the generations.
+  Whereas we march onward, march onward, march onward,
+  Drawing strength from within, eternity from earth,
+  And God from pains and tribulations.
+
+THE CHALDEAN CAPTAIN
+
+Verily madness has seized them. We are the victors, they the defeated
+and the disgraced. Why, then, do they not complain?
+
+A CHALDEAN
+
+An invisible force must sustain them.
+
+ANOTHER CHALDEAN
+
+True, they believe in the invisible. That is the mystery of their faith.
+
+THE CAPTAIN
+
+How is it possible to see the invisible, or to believe in what cannot be
+seen? They must have secret arts, like those of our astrologers and
+soothsayers. It would be well to learn their mysteries.
+
+THE CHALDEAN
+
+These mysteries cannot be taught; the secret lies in faith. What
+sustains them, they say, is their faith in the invisible God.
+
+FIFTH CHORUS OF WANDERERS
+
+  We wander adown the road of suffering,
+  Through our trials we are purified,
+  Everlastingly vanquished, and everlastingly overthrown,
+  For ever enslaved, for ever enfranchised,
+  Unceasingly broken and unceasingly renewed,
+  The mock and the sport of all nations on earth.
+  We wander through the eternities,
+  A remnant, a remnant,
+  And yet numberless.
+  We march onward to God,
+  To God who is the beginning and the end,
+  To God who is our home.
+
+THE CHALDEAN
+
+See how they are walking to meet the sun. His light shines on their
+foreheads, and they themselves shine with the strength of the sun.
+Mighty must their God be.
+
+THE CAPTAIN
+
+Their God? Have we not broken down his altars? Have we not conquered
+him?
+
+THE CHALDEAN
+
+Who can conquer the invisible? Men we can slay, but the God who lives in
+them we cannot slay. A nation can be controlled by force; its spirit,
+never.
+
+[For the third time the trumpet sounds. The sun has risen, shining on
+the exodus of the chosen people, beginning their march athwart the ages]
+
+
+
+
+
+  [ Transcriber's Note:
+
+    The following is a list of corrections made to the original.
+    The first line is the original line, the second the corrected one.
+
+  No we, nor we.--Down with Ashur.--Let us break the yoke.--Let us be on
+  Nor we, nor we.--Down with Ashur.--Let us break the yoke.--Let us be on
+
+  against Ashur,--Say, shall the victory be ours?
+  against Ashur.--Say, shall the victory be ours?
+
+  We would fain ask you whether our daughters shall keep their virginity
+  We would fain ask you whether our daughters shall keep their virginity.
+
+  [Suddenly breaking forth into speech] A miracle has happened people of
+  [Suddenly breaking forth into speech] A miracle has happened, people of
+
+  Jeremiah, who leads the people astray? Jeremiah who cried through the
+  Jeremiah, who leads the people astray? Jeremiah, who cried through the
+
+  Jerusalem endureth for ever
+  Jerusalem endureth for ever.
+
+  [ZEKEDIAH turns away, and slowly resumes the round, plunged in thought.
+  [ZEDEKIAH turns away, and slowly resumes the round, plunged in thought.
+
+  [A female relative, coming from without, cautionsly draws aside the
+  [A female relative, coming from without, cautiously draws aside the
+
+  [To Nahum] Coward and traitor!
+  [To NAHUM] Coward and traitor!
+
+  It would be an everlasting disgrace could the heathen on the face
+  It would be an everlasting disgrace could the heathen look on the face
+
+  of Jehovah."
+  of Jehovah.
+
+  ]
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Jeremiah, by Stefan Zweig
+
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+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Jeremiah, by Stefan Zweig
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Jeremiah
+       A Drama in Nine Scenes
+
+Author: Stefan Zweig
+
+Translator: Eden Paul
+            Cedar Paul
+
+Release Date: April 9, 2012 [EBook #39402]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JEREMIAH ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Sharon Joiner, Jana Srna and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
+file was produced from images generously made available
+by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+
+<div id="tnote">
+<p class="center"><b>Transcriber&rsquo;s Notes:</b></p>
+
+<p>Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully
+as possible, including inconsistencies in spelling and hyphenation.</p>
+
+<p>Some corrections of spelling and punctuation have been made.
+<span class="screen">They are marked <ins title="transcriber's note">like
+this</ins> in the text. The original text appears when hovering the cursor
+over the marked text.</span> A <a href="#tn-bottom">list of amendments</a> is
+at the end of the text.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="center page-break" style="font-size: x-large;">JEREMIAH</p>
+
+<h1>JEREMIAH</h1>
+
+<p class="center small-caps" style="font-size: large;">A Drama in Nine Scenes</p>
+
+<p class="center spaced" style="margin: 3em auto;">By<br/>
+<big>STEFAN ZWEIG</big></p>
+
+<p class="center spaced">Translated<br/>
+from the Author&rsquo;s revised German Text<br/>
+by<br/>
+<big class="small-caps">Eden and Cedar Paul</big></p>
+
+<div class="image-center">
+<img src="images/emblem.png" width="" height="" alt=""/>
+</div>
+
+<p class="center small-caps spaced">New York<br/>
+THOMAS SELTZER<br/>
+1922</p>
+
+<p class="center page-break">Copyright, 1922, by<br/>
+Thomas Seltzer, Inc.</p>
+
+<p class="center italic space-above">Printed in the United States of America</p>
+
+<p class="center page-break spaced small-caps">to<br/>
+FRIEDERIKE MARIA von WINTERNITZ</p>
+
+<p class="center space-above small-caps">Easter 1915&ndash;Easter 1917</p>
+
+<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+
+<table id="toc" summary="Contents">
+<tr>
+  <th>SCENE</th>
+  <th>&nbsp;</th>
+  <th>PAGE</th>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="right">I.</td>
+  <td class="small-caps">The Awakening of the Prophet</td>
+  <td class="right"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="right">II.</td>
+  <td class="small-caps">The Warning</td>
+  <td class="right"><a href="#Page_27">27</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="right">III.</td>
+  <td class="small-caps">Rumors</td>
+  <td class="right"><a href="#Page_71">71</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="right">IV.</td>
+  <td class="small-caps">The Watch on the Ramparts</td>
+  <td class="right"><a href="#Page_99">99</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="right">V.</td>
+  <td class="small-caps">The Prophet&rsquo;s Ordeal</td>
+  <td class="right"><a href="#Page_137">137</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="right">VI.</td>
+  <td class="small-caps">Voices in the Night</td>
+  <td class="right"><a href="#Page_173">173</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="right">VII.</td>
+  <td class="small-caps">The Supreme Affliction</td>
+  <td class="right"><a href="#Page_231">231</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="right">VIII.</td>
+  <td class="small-caps">The Conversion</td>
+  <td class="right"><a href="#Page_259">259</a></td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+  <td class="right">IX.</td>
+  <td class="small-caps">The Everlasting Road</td>
+  <td class="right"><a href="#Page_303">303</a></td>
+</tr>
+</table>
+
+<h2><a class="pagenum" name="Page_1" title="1"> </a>THE AWAKENING OF THE PROPHET</h2>
+
+<h2><a class="pagenum" name="Page_2" title="2"> </a>THE PERSONS OF THE DRAMA</h2>
+
+<ul>
+<li><span class="speaker">Zedekiah</span>, the King.</li>
+<li><span class="speaker">Pashur</span>, the High Priest.</li>
+<li><span class="speaker">Nahum</span>, the Steward.</li>
+<li><span class="speaker">Imre</span>, the oldest Burgher.</li>
+<li><span class="speaker">Abimelech</span>, the General.</li>
+<li><span class="speaker">Hananiah</span>, the Prophet of the People.</li>
+<li><span class="speaker">Swordbearers</span>, <span class="speaker">Warriors</span>.</li>
+</ul>
+
+<hr class="thought-break"/>
+
+<ul>
+<li><span class="speaker">Jeremiah.</span></li>
+<li><span class="speaker">His Mother.</span></li>
+<li><span class="speaker">Jochebed</span>, a Relative.</li>
+<li><span class="speaker">Ahab</span>, the Servingman.</li>
+<li><span class="speaker">Baruch</span>, a young Man.</li>
+<li><span class="speaker">Zebulon</span>, his Father.</li>
+</ul>
+
+<hr class="thought-break"/>
+
+<ul>
+<li><span class="speaker">The People of Jerusalem.</span></li>
+<li><span class="speaker">The Envoys of Nebuchadnezzar.</span></li>
+<li><span class="speaker">Chaldean and Egyptian Warriors.</span></li>
+</ul>
+
+<hr class="thought-break"/>
+
+<p class="hanging-indent">The action takes place in Jerusalem at the
+time of the Destruction of the City.</p>
+
+<p class="scene-heading"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_3" title="3"> </a><a name="Scene_1">SCENE ONE</a></p>
+
+<p>Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee
+great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
+<span class="small-caps">Jeremiah</span>&nbsp;XXXIII, 3.</p>
+
+<p class="scene-heading"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_5" title="5"> </a>SCENE ONE</p>
+
+<div class="scene-description">
+<p>The flat roof of <span class="speaker">Jeremiah&rsquo;s</span> house; the white flagstones
+gleam in the dim moonlight. Below are seen
+the towers and battlements of sleeping Jerusalem.
+Nothing stirs, save that from time to time we hear
+the whispering of the breeze that heralds the dawn.</p>
+
+<p>Of a sudden, impetuous footsteps sound upon the
+stair. <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> staggers in; his robe is torn open
+at the throat; he gasps like one being strangled.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>They batter in the gates &hellip; to the walls &hellip; to the
+walls!&hellip; Faithless watchmen &hellip; they are coming &hellip;
+they are upon us&hellip;. The temple is in
+flames&hellip;. Help, help!&hellip; The walls are breached&hellip;.
+[<span class="stage-direction">He has rushed forward to the edge of the roof, where
+he abruptly stops. His cry rends the shimmering
+silence. With a start, he awakens from his trance.
+He looks forth over the town like a drunken man; his
+arms, which in his terror he has raised, sink slowly to
+his sides; then wearily he draws his hand across his
+open eyes</span>] Illusion! Once again these terrible visions.
+Full, how full, is the House of Dreams! [<span class="stage-direction">He
+leans on the parapet and gazes down</span>] Peace broods
+over the city; the country is at peace; in me alone, in
+my breast alone, this fire rages. How quietly the
+town reposes in God&rsquo;s arms, nestling in slumber, roofed
+over by peace, the moonbeams falling on every house,
+and every house plunged in gentle sleep. But I, I
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_6" title="6"> </a>
+alone, am consumed with fire night after night; I crash
+earthward with the falling towers, rush to escape, perish
+amid the flames; I, and none but I, my bowels
+troubled, leap heated from my bed and stagger forth
+into the moonlight seeking coolness! For me alone
+comes a vision to shatter sleep; for me alone does a
+fiery horror wrench the darkness from my lids. The
+martyrdom of this vision; the madness of these faces
+which swarm in their blood-stained multitude and then
+fade in the clear moonlight!</p>
+
+<p>Always the same dream, the same illusion. Night
+after night, the same terror seizes me, the same dream,
+culminating in the same torment. Who has instilled
+this dream poison into my veins? Who hunts me
+thus with terror? Who covets my sleep, that he must
+rob me of it; who is my torturer, and for whom must
+I thus hold vigil? Answer! Who art thou, invisible one,
+aiming at me from the darkness thy wingèd shafts?
+Who art thou, terror incarnate, coming to lie with me
+by night, quickening me with thy spirit until my frame
+is twisted as with labor pains? Wherefore in this
+slumbering city should the curse be laid on me alone?
+[<span class="stage-direction">He is silent, straining his ear to the all-pervading
+silence, and then continues with growing excitement</span>]
+Silence, nothing but silence, while within is unceasing
+turmoil and storm-tossed night. With scorching talons
+it tears at my vitals and yet cannot grasp them. I am
+scourged with visions, and know not who holds the
+scourge. My cries go forth into the void. Desist,
+invisible hunter, or if it must be otherwise, seize your
+quarry; call to me when I wake, not when I sleep;
+speak to me in words, not in visions. Reveal what you
+are hiding from me; tell me the meaning of these
+torments.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_7" title="7"> </a>A Voice</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Calling softly from the darkness. It seems to
+come from far above or far beneath, mysterious in its
+remoteness</span>] Jeremiah!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Staggers as if struck by a stone</span>] Who calls?
+Surely I heard my name? Was it a voice from the
+stars, or was it the voice of my own dream? [<span class="stage-direction">He
+listens. All is quiet again</span>] Is it thou, invisible one,
+who huntest me and tormentest me? Or is it I myself;
+is it the fierce current of my own blood? Voice, speak
+once more, that I may know thee. Call to me once
+again.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Voice</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Drawing nearer</span>] Jeremiah!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Quailing, sinks to his knees</span>] Here am I, Lord!
+Thy servant heareth. [<span class="stage-direction">Breathless he hearkens.
+Nothing stirs; he trembles with emotion</span>] Speak, Lord,
+to thy servant. Thou didst call my name. Give me
+thy message that I may understand it. I am ready for
+thy word and await thy command. [<span class="stage-direction">He listens again
+with strained attention. Profound silence</span>] Is it
+presumption that I should long for thee? I am no
+more than an ignorant fellow, a man of no account, a
+speck of dust in the world thou hast made, but thine
+is all power of choice. Thou who choosest kings from
+among shepherds, and who often unsealest the lips of
+a boy so that he glows with thy speech, thy choice is
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_8" title="8"> </a>
+made by other tokens. Whom thou touchest, Lord, he
+is chosen; whom thou choosest, Lord, he is appointed.
+If it were thy call which came to me, lo I have
+hearkened to the call. If it be thou, Lord, who
+huntest me, I flee thee not. Seize thy quarry, Lord,
+seize thy prey; or hunt me yet farther to the goal!
+But make thyself known, that I may not fail thee;
+reveal the heaven of thy word, that I, thy servant, may
+behold thee!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Voice</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Nearer and more urgent</span>] Jeremiah!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Rapturously</span>] I hear, Lord, I hear. With all my
+soul I listen to thy word. Unworthy vessel that I am,
+I wait to be filled with thy message. I vow myself to
+thy service, Lord, to thine alone, for my soul is athirst
+to serve thee. I await thy word and thy sign.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Voice of Jeremiah&rsquo;s Mother</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Now close at hand and plainly recognizable</span>]
+Jeremiah!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">In ecstasy</span>] Show thyself to me, Lord; my heart
+is racked with the imminence of thy coming. Pour
+forth thy waters, holy storm; plough me up, that I
+may bear thy seed; make my earth fruitful, inspire my
+lips; brand me with the mark of thy service! Set thy
+yoke upon me. See, my neck is bowed in readiness,
+for thine am I, thine for evermore. Make thyself
+known to me, Lord, even as I know thee; let me but
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_9" title="9"> </a>
+see thy glory, even as thou lookest down upon my
+unworthiness in the gloom; deign only to show me the
+way of thy will, point the way to him who is thy
+servant for ever!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Her search has led her up the stair; her countenance
+shows anxiety, her voice is full of tenderness</span>]
+Here at last I find you, my son.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Springing to his feet in fear and wrath</span>] Begone!
+Alas the voices are stilled; the way is lost, never shall
+I find it again.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>Woe is me, why do you stand here so thinly clad in
+the chill night air? Come down, my son. The
+morning mist brings fever.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Wildly</span>] Why do you follow me, why do you
+pester me? Unending chase. You follow me without
+pause, waking or sleeping.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>Jeremiah, what do you mean? I was sleeping
+below, and then I seemed to hear people talking on the
+roof.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>You heard, you too? God&rsquo;s holy truth! You
+heard him speak? Understood his call?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_10" title="10"> </a>The Mother</p>
+
+<p>Whom do you mean? You have no companion.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Seizing her arm</span>] Mother, tell me I beseech you.
+Death or joy hangs upon your words. Did you hear a
+voice; did you hear it after you had awakened?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>I heard a voice on the roof and went to summon you.
+But your bed was cold and empty. Then fear came
+upon me, and I called your name.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Trembling</span>] You called my name?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>Thrice did I call you. But why&nbsp;&hellip;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Thrice? Mother, are you certain&nbsp;&hellip;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>Thrice did I call you.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">His voice breaking</span>] Disaster and derision! Fraud
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_11" title="11"> </a>
+everywhere, without and within. There came an
+earnest call, and in my terror I thought it was God.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>How strange you are! I meant no harm. Since
+there was no answer, I came to the roof to see if there
+was anyone here. I found no one.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Nay, you found a madman. The torture of these
+visions! Sense and nonsense join in cheating me. I
+am befooled by my own fantasy.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>What are you talking about? What is troubling
+you?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Nothing, Mother, nothing. Pay no heed to my
+words.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>I must heed them, Jeremiah; but they are dark to
+me. An evil mood has beset you, and has estranged
+you from me. What has happened; what is tormenting
+you?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Nothing is tormenting me, Mother. I was too hot
+in bed, and sought the roof for coolness.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_12" title="12"> </a>The Mother</p>
+
+<p>You are closing your heart to me, and yet I can read
+you. I know that night after night for months past
+you have been wandering about. I have often heard
+you groaning in your sleep. When you have left
+your bed to walk restlessly in the darkness, my heart
+has followed your every step. Tell me your troubles.
+Shut not yourself away from me.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Do not concern yourself about it, Mother.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>How can I help but concern myself about it? Are
+you not the day of my days and the prayer of my
+nights? You have outgrown the arms which used to
+carry you; but I still hold you in my soul, which
+watches over your life. I knew, ere you yourself were
+aware; I saw months ago, before you yourself had
+seen. I saw the shadow upon your brow and the
+anguish of your soul. You have become a stranger to
+your friends; you shun merrymakings; you keep away
+from the marketplace and from the dwellings of men.
+Buried in thought, you renounce life. Jeremiah,
+bethink yourself. You were trained for the priesthood.
+Your father&rsquo;s mantle awaits you, that you may
+praise the Lord with psaltery and song. Look forth
+from the darkness into the daylight. The hour has
+come for you to begin your life&rsquo;s work.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Not now the time for beginnings. The end draws
+nigh.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_13" title="13"> </a>The Mother</p>
+
+<p>It is time! It is time! Long since have you grown
+to manhood. The house has need of a wife, and of
+children to raise up seed to your father.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">In bitter distress</span>] Lead a wife home to desolation?
+Beget children for the slaughter? In sooth, it is not
+the bridal hour that approaches!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>I do not understand.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Shall I build a house in the abyss? Shall I build
+my life in death? Shall I sow corruption, and sing
+the praises of disaster? I say unto you, Mother,
+blessed is he whose heart is now free from ties to the
+living, for whosoever breathes this day is already
+drinking the waters of death.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>What mad fancy has seized you? When were the
+times more propitious? When was the land more
+peaceful?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>No, Mother, the fools say: Peace, Peace. But their
+words do not bring peace. They lie down to sleep
+unheeding, and as they sleep they are on their way to
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_14" title="14"> </a>
+death. A time is coming such as Israel has never yet
+known, a war such as the world has never yet seen.
+The living will covet the peace of the dead in their
+graves, and those who can see will envy the darkness
+with which the blind are stricken. Not yet can the
+fools see, not yet is it manifest to the dreamers; but I
+have beheld it night after night. Higher leap the
+flames, nearer comes the foe; the day of tumult and
+destruction is at hand; war&rsquo;s red star is rising on the
+night.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Greatly moved</span>] How know you these things?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">A word has come to me in secret,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For I have seen faces in the night,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I have wandered in my dreams.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Fear and dread fell upon me,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I trembled in every limb,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And like a crumbling wall<br/></div>
+<div class="line">My heart fainted within me.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Mother,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Such sights have I seen,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">That, if they were written,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Men&rsquo;s hair would stand on end,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And sleep would depart from them<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For ever.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>Jeremiah, what do you mean?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_15" title="15"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">The end draweth near; the end!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Evil appeareth out of the north,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Fire is its chariot,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Massacre its pinions!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Already the heavens ring with terror,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The earth shakes with the stamping of the hoofs.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Horrified</span>] Jeremiah!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Seizing her arm, listens</span>] Do you hear, do you not
+hear, the rushing of chariots?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>I hear nothing! Day is dawning. The shepherds
+are piping in the valleys, and a gentle breeze blows
+across the roof.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">A gentle breeze?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Woe is me!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">With mighty roaring<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The wind is rising,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The whirlwind of God.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">From the caverns<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Of the north down-rushing,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Terror it brandishes<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Over the town.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Mother! Mother! Do you not hear it?<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_16" title="16"> </a><div class="line">Swords clash in the wind,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Loud roar the chariot wheels,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The night flashes with lances and with armor;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Warrior upon warrior, countless in number,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The whirlwind scatters over the land.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>All is illusion, the madness of dreams!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">They are coming, they are coming,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Strangers from the east,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Men of an ancient people,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Men of a mighty people.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">They hasten from the east<br/></div>
+<div class="line">In unending files;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Their arrows speed like lightning;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Their chargers are shod with swiftness;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Their chariots are solid as rock.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Among them there rideth,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">With blood-stained crown,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The destroyer of cities<br/></div>
+<div class="line">By fire and sword,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The tyrant of nations,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The king of kings from the north.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>The king from the north? You dream. The king
+from the north!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_17" title="17"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Whom the Lord has awakened<br/></div>
+<div class="line">That he may scourge the people for all its transgressions,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">That he may crumble the walls and throw down the towers,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">That he may quench the light and the laughter of homes,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">That he may raze the city and the temple to the ground,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And that he may plough up the streets of Jerusalem.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>Blasphemous folly! The city endureth for ever!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">It is falling!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The onslaughts of God<br/></div>
+<div class="line">None may withstand!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Below ground<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Its roots shall wither,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Above ground<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Its fruits shall rot!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">With axe and with fire<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The horsemen shall ravage<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Israel&rsquo;s forest and Zion&rsquo;s fair plains.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">[<span class="stage-direction">Breaking in</span>] It is false!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Ne&rsquo;er shall an enemy circle our wall,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">David&rsquo;s city be taken, Jerusalem fall.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Though foes from the ends of the earth should rage,<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_18" title="18"> </a><div class="line">The towering battlements ever shall stand.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Firm Israel&rsquo;s heart, and mighty her hand,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Eternal the days of Jerusalem!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>It is falling! Broken is the staff and foretold is the
+hour. The end draws near, the end of Israel.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>False prophet! We are the elect of the Lord, and
+our strength shall endure through the ages! Never
+shall Jerusalem perish!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>I have seen it in my dreams; &rsquo;twas made plain to
+my eyes.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>Evil is he who dreams such dreams, and seven times
+an evildoer he who believes them. Alas that I should
+have lived to see this day when my own blood is fearful
+for Zion and has lost faith in the Lord! Jeremiah, do
+you wish me to curse the womb that bore you?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>The horror came upon me against my will; naught
+could I do to ward off the faces.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>Watch and pray against them and shatter their lies
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_19" title="19"> </a>
+in the name of the Lord. Forget not, Jeremiah, that
+you are an anointed and consecrated son, that your
+voice should praise the Lord, that you should uplift
+the hearts of the sorrowful and fill with hope the minds
+of the despairing!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>How can I? My own despair is the greatest of all.
+Leave me, Mother, leave me!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>I will not leave you, neither will I abandon your
+soul to despair. Jeremiah, my only son, hearken to
+me. For the first time let me tell you something
+which may awaken your courage. Hear the words
+that are forced from me by my distress. I, too, was
+once filled with despair, inasmuch as for ten years the
+Lord had closed my womb. I was the sport of my
+companions and the mock of the concubines. For ten
+long years I bore my lot patiently, and had almost
+given up hope; but in the eleventh year my heart was
+kindled, and I went to the house of God to implore
+him that my womb should bear fruit. Throwing myself
+on the ground, I watered it with tears, vowing
+that if a son were vouchsafed me I would devote him
+to the Lord&rsquo;s service. I swore to be silent, to utter no
+word during my time of trial, that my son in days to
+come might speak abundantly, praising God.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>You also consecrated me, Mother?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_20" title="20"> </a>The Mother</p>
+
+<p>The selfsame day your father knew me and I was
+blessed with you. Hearken, Jeremiah. For nine
+months did I faithfully refrain from speech that you
+might speak abundantly, that you might glorify the
+everlasting God! Thus did I fulfil my vow, and we
+brought you up to read the scripture, and sweetly did
+you sing to the psaltery. Know, then, that from the
+first you were a consecrated priest and devoted to the
+service of the Lord. Rend the veil of your dreams
+and come forth into the daylight.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>A double consecration, Mother, a twofold witness of
+this night. A second time you have called me to life.
+Through your words the light has come to me, for,
+wonderful to relate, I cried my question to God and he
+sent you to speak to me! Now do I know who
+knocked on the wall of my sleep until I awakened from
+my life&rsquo;s slumber; now do I know who summoned me.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>What has befallen you? Your words are like those
+of a drunken man.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Yea, drunk am I now with the certainty of his will;
+so full am I of speech, that the words must forth. The
+seals upon my mouth are broken, and my lips burn to
+utter the revelation.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_21" title="21"> </a>The Mother</p>
+
+<p>Woe is me if you should reveal your mad dreams.
+You are no son of mine if you cry such fancies aloud!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Your son, Mother? Indeed and indeed I am your
+son, with a fate like unto yours! Learn that I too
+have been barren, and that the Lord hath quickened me
+with a word and a secret. I have renewed your vow,
+Mother, and have given myself to the Lord.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>Go, then, to God&rsquo;s house. Give yourself to him
+who has called you, praise his holy name.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Nay, Mother, not for me the service of the sacrificial
+priest. I myself must be the sacrifice. For God
+my veins run blood; for him my flesh is consumed; for
+him my soul burns. I will serve him as none ever
+served him before; his paths shall henceforward be
+mine. Behold the dawn upon the valley, and within
+me likewise is darkness dispelled by light! God&rsquo;s
+heaven flames, and in me no less the heart is aflame.
+Chariot of Elijah, fiery chariot, carry my words that
+they may fall like thunder into the hearts of men.
+My lips scorch me, I must go, I must go.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>Whither would you go ere the day has well begun?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_22" title="22"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>I know not, God knoweth.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>Tell me what you mean to do.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>I know not, I know not! My heart is his, and my
+deeds are his.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>Jeremiah, you shall not go unless you swear to me
+to say naught of your dreams&nbsp;&hellip;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>I will not swear! I am vowed to him alone.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>&hellip;&nbsp;to refrain from breathing terror into the people.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>His is the revelation, mine are the lips alone!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>Woe is me, you will not hearken to my words.
+Know, then, that he who sows despair in Israel shall
+never enter my house more.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_23" title="23"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>His is my word; my dwelling is his care.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>Who believes not in Zion is no longer my son.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>I am his alone, his who placed me within thy womb.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>You will go then? But first hear me, Jeremiah,
+hear me before you open your lips to the people.
+With all my strength do I curse him who spreads
+terror over Israel, I curse&nbsp;&hellip;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Shuddering</span>] Curse not, Mother, curse not!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>I curse him who saith the walls shall fall and the
+streets be laid waste; I curse him who cries death over
+Israel. May his body be consumed with fire and his
+soul fall into the hands of the living God.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Curse not, Mother&nbsp;&hellip;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_24" title="24"> </a>The Mother</p>
+
+<p>I curse the unbeliever, who has more faith in his
+own dreams than in God&rsquo;s mercy. Cursèd be he who
+denies God, were he my own son! For the last time,
+Jeremiah, choose!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>I follow my own path. [<span class="stage-direction">With heavy steps he makes
+ready to descend the stair</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>Jeremiah, my only son, the stay of my old age,
+bring not my curse upon you, for God will hear it as
+he heard my vow.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>I, too, am vowed to him, Mother; me also has he
+heard. Farewell! [<span class="stage-direction">He descends the first step</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">With a loud cry</span>] Jeremiah! You trample me
+down. Your footsteps crush my heart.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>I know not the road along which I move. All I
+know is that one calls me, and I follow the call. [<span class="stage-direction">He
+slowly goes down the stair, his face expressing restrained
+emotion, and his gaze turned heavenward</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_25" title="25"> </a>The Mother</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Rushing in despair to the top of the staircase</span>]
+Jeremiah! Jeremiah! Jeremiah!</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">There is no answer. Her cry sinks to a wail, and
+after a while she is silent. Her figure, broken with
+grief, is silhouetted against the sky, where the colors
+of dawn are showing in fire and blood</span>]</p>
+
+<h2><a class="pagenum" name="Page_27" title="27"> </a>THE WARNING</h2>
+
+<p class="scene-heading"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_29" title="29"> </a><a name="Scene_2">SCENE TWO</a></p>
+
+<p>The prophets that have been before me and before
+thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and
+against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of
+pestilence.</p>
+
+<p>The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the
+word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the
+prophet be known, that the Lord hath truly sent him.
+<span class="small-caps">Jeremiah</span>, XXVIII, 8 and 9.</p>
+
+<p class="scene-heading"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_31" title="31"> </a>SCENE TWO</p>
+
+<div class="scene-description">
+<p>The great square of Jerusalem. Thence a broad
+long flight of steps leads to the porch of pillars of the
+fortress of Zion; on the right is the king&rsquo;s palace and
+in the center the adjoining temple. On the other side
+the great square is bounded by houses and streets which
+seem low and mean in contrast with the towering structures
+facing them. The walls of the entrances to the
+palace are lined with cedar, carved with figures of
+cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, all overlaid
+with gold; there are lavers in the foreground with
+running water. In the background are seen the brazen
+gates of the temple.</p>
+
+<p>In front of the palace, in the streets and on the stairway,
+the people of Jerusalem move to and fro confusedly;
+a motley mass of men, women, and children,
+swayed by strong excitement, and in eager expectation.
+Many voices rise from the crowd, usually in animated
+dispute, but uniting at times to a single cry. When
+the scene opens, all have pressed towards the streets
+and are restlessly expectant.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>The sentinel has already given the signal from the
+tower.&mdash;No, not yet.&mdash;But I heard the trumpet.&mdash;So
+did I.&mdash;So did I.&mdash;They must be close at hand.&mdash;From
+which side are they coming?&mdash;Shall we see
+them?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_32" title="32"> </a>Other Voices</p>
+
+<p>They are coming from Moria Gate.&mdash;They must
+pass this way as they go to the palace.&mdash;Don&rsquo;t block up
+the whole street.&mdash;We want to get a sight of them.&mdash;Stand
+back.&mdash;Room, room for the Egyptians.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>But is it certain that they are coming?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Another Voice</p>
+
+<p>I myself spoke to the messenger who brought the
+tidings.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>He spoke with the messenger.&mdash;Tell us all about
+it.&mdash;How many are there?&mdash;Do they bring gifts?&mdash;Who
+is their leader?&mdash;Speak up, Issachar!</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">A group forms round <span class="speaker">Issachar</span></span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Issachar</p>
+
+<p>I can only tell you what the messenger, my father-in-law,
+told me. Pharaoh is sending the finest warriors
+of Egypt. With them are many slaves bearing
+gifts. Nothing like these gifts has come to Zion since
+the days of Solomon.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Long live Pharaoh!&mdash;Glory to his reign!&mdash;Hail
+Egypt!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_33" title="33"> </a>An Old Man</p>
+
+<p>No alliance with Egypt! Their wars are not ours!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Issachar</p>
+
+<p>But our need is the same as theirs. They do not
+want to be the slaves of the Chaldeans.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p><ins title="No">Nor</ins> we, nor we.&mdash;Down with Ashur.&mdash;Let us break
+the yoke.&mdash;Let us be on our guard.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">A young man, in great excitement</span>] We spend our
+days in chains. Month after month, when the moon
+is new, our messengers go forth to Babylon bearing
+tribute of golden shekels. How long shall we suffer it?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zebulon</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Baruch&rsquo;s</span> father</span>] Silence. It is not for you to
+speak. A light yoke is the yoke of Chaldea.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>But we want no yoke at all.&mdash;The day of freedom
+has dawned.&mdash;Down with Ashur!&mdash;Let us form an
+alliance with the Egyptians.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zebulon</p>
+
+<p>Never did good come out of Mizraim. We must
+feel our way cautiously, patient and ever mistrustful.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_34" title="34"> </a>Voices</p>
+
+<p>We must renew the furniture of the temple.&mdash;No
+longer shall Baal enjoy our holy things.&mdash;Down with
+the robbers of the temple!&mdash;Now is the appointed
+hour.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Other Voices</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">From farther up the street</span>] They are coming!
+They are coming!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">From all sides</span>] Here they are.&mdash;Make room.&mdash;Come
+higher up.&mdash;Come back here.&mdash;I can see them
+already. You can see them from here.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The people swarm up the steps and form a lane
+through which the Egyptian embassy can pass to the
+palace. At first nothing can be seen of the newcomers
+but the spear points showing above the noisy throng</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>How finely they march.&mdash;Who is the leader?&mdash;Araxes
+is their leader.&mdash;Look at the gifts.&mdash;Look at
+the carrying chairs.&mdash;One of them is curtained.&mdash;That
+must be Pharaoh&rsquo;s daughter.&mdash;Hail Araxes!&mdash;Hail
+Egypt!&mdash;Those are heavy chests; there must be gold
+in them!&mdash;We shall have to pay for it with our blood!&mdash;How
+short their swords are.&mdash;Ours are better.&mdash;Look
+at their proud gait.&mdash;They must be mighty warriors.&mdash;Long
+live Pharaoh-Necho.&mdash;Hail Egypt!&mdash;God
+punish Ashur.&mdash;Hail Araxes!&mdash;Blessings on
+Pharaoh!&mdash;Blessings on the alliance!</p>
+
+<p><a class="pagenum" name="Page_35" title="35"> </a>[<span class="stage-direction">With frenzied acclamations, the people close in
+upon the procession of the Egyptians. These latter,
+richly appareled, march proudly by. They rattle
+their swords and make gracious acknowledgments</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Speaking from the steps</span>] May the king fulfil
+your wishes! May he cement the alliance!</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The Egyptians have mounted the steps to the
+palace, and have entered the porch of pillars. The
+people throng at their heels. Other sections of the
+crowd disappear into the streets. On the steps there
+now remain only isolated groups of the older men,
+while the soldiers and the women hasten after the
+Egyptians, eager to see what they are bearing, and
+vanishing after the train in the entry to the palace</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Who has been looking on in ecstasy</span>] I must go
+with them.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zebulon</p>
+
+<p>Stay where you are.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>I want to see for myself how Israel rises against the
+oppressors. My soul is consumed with desire to behold
+great deeds, and now the hour is at hand.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zebulon</p>
+
+<p>Stay where you are. The time is God&rsquo;s choice, not
+ours. The king will decide.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_36" title="36"> </a>Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Listen to the shouts of joy! Let me go with them,
+father.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zebulon</p>
+
+<p>You will have many other opportunities. The
+people always flock to hear loud talkers, and crowd
+ever to witness showy sights.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Another</p>
+
+<p>Why do you deny him the pleasure? Is not the
+day come for which we have been longing? Friends
+have been raised up for Israel.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zebulon</p>
+
+<p>Never was Mizraim the friend of Israel.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Our shame is theirs, and Israel&rsquo;s need is Egypt&rsquo;s.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zebulon</p>
+
+<p>Naught have we in common with any other folk on
+earth. Our strength lies in isolation.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Other</p>
+
+<p>But they will fight for us.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_37" title="37"> </a>Zebulon</p>
+
+<p>They will fight for themselves. Each nation fights
+for itself alone.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Are we still to be slaves? Shall Zedekiah be a king
+of slaves, and Zion remain in bondage to Chaldea?
+Were but Zedekiah a true king!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zebulon</p>
+
+<p>Silence, I command you. It befits not a boy to lay
+down the law for kings.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>It is true that I am young; but who is Jerusalem,
+if it be not her young men? It was not the cautious
+elders who built Jerusalem. David, young David,
+established her towers, and made her great among
+the nations.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zebulon</p>
+
+<p>Hold your peace. You have no right to speak in
+the marketplace.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Shall only the cautious elders speak, none but the
+aged give counsel, that Israel may grow old before
+her time and God&rsquo;s word decay in our hearts? The
+moment is ours, and it is for us to take revenge. You
+have abased yourselves, and we will lift ourselves up;
+you have faltered, but we will bring fruition; you
+had peace, and we want war.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_38" title="38"> </a>Zebulon</p>
+
+<p>What do you know of war? We, the fathers, have
+known war. In books war is great, but in reality war
+is a destroyer, a ravisher of life.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>I fear not war. Let us have done with slavery!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>Zedekiah hath sworn an oath of peace.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>The oath matters nothing.&mdash;Let him break his
+oath.&mdash;No oath need be kept with the heathen.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Other Voices</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Exultant, coming from the street</span>] Abimelech!&mdash;Hail
+Abimelech!&mdash;Abimelech, our leader!</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Groups crowd round <span class="speaker">Abimelech</span>, the general, and
+acclaim him</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Abimelech!&mdash;Is it true that Egypt offers an alliance?
+Draw your sword.&mdash;Up, march against Ashur.&mdash;Gather
+Israel&rsquo;s forces.&mdash;We are ready.&mdash;We are ready.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Speaks to the crowd from the top of the steps</span>]
+Make ready, people of Jerusalem, for the hour of
+freedom is at hand.</p>
+
+<p><a class="pagenum" name="Page_39" title="39"> </a>[<span class="stage-direction">The crowd shouts exultantly</span>]</p>
+
+<p>Pharaoh-Necho has offered us the help of his armies.
+He wishes us to join him in breaking the might of
+Ashur, and we shall do it, people of Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>On against Ashur.&mdash;War with Chaldea.&mdash;Hail
+Abimelech!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Warrior</p>
+
+<p>We shall drive them before us like sheep. They
+have grown soft in the houses of the women, and their
+king has never worn harness.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>That is false.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Warrior</p>
+
+<p>Who says it is false?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Voice</p>
+
+<p>I say so. I have been in Babylon and I have seen
+Nebuchadnezzar. He is a mighty man of valor, and
+his soldiers have no equals.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Wretch, you praise our foes.&mdash;He is sold to the
+enemy.&mdash;His wife is a Chaldean.&mdash;She has gone
+a-whoring with all the men of Babylon.&mdash;Traitor!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_40" title="40"> </a>The Warrior</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Approaching the speaker</span>] Do you mean to say
+that we cannot beat them?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Voice</p>
+
+<p>I say that the Chaldeans are mighty men.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Warrior</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Pressing closer</span>] Look upon my fist, and say once
+more that they are better than the men of Israel.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Say it again.&mdash;Tear him to pieces.&mdash;Traitor.&mdash;Traitor.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Speaker</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Encircled by a threatening mob, loses courage</span>] I
+did not say that. All I meant to say was that they
+are many in number.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>Always have our foes been many, and always have
+we laid them low.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Who can stand against us?&mdash;We have overthrown all
+our enemies.&mdash;None can withstand us.&mdash;Death to him
+who despises our power.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Messengers hasten from the palace</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_41" title="41"> </a>The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Thronging round them</span>] Whither so fast?&mdash;What
+news do you bear?&mdash;Whom do you seek?&mdash;What&rsquo;s
+afoot?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Messenger</p>
+
+<p>The king has summoned the council.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>War.&mdash;He decides for war.&mdash;War.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>Whom has he summoned?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Messenger</p>
+
+<p>Imre, the oldest burgher; Nahum, the steward. To
+you also the summons goes forth.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>Waverers and wiseacres are to be my fellow councilors;
+men who weigh their words overmuch and
+shrink from deeds. But I have my sword with me,
+and I will cast it from me if I may not draw it against
+Ashur. Yours is the hour, people of Jerusalem; I
+fight in your behalf.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>Hail Abimelech.&mdash;Hail Abimelech, hail soldier of
+God.&mdash;Hail!</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Abimelech</span> hastens into the palace</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_42" title="42"> </a>Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Follow him, follow him! The king shall hear our
+voices. Let us thunder our will beneath the windows
+of his palace.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zebulon</p>
+
+<p>I shall disown you if you do not hold your peace.
+The king has summoned a council, and there must be
+no clamor to disturb its deliberations.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>He shall not deliberate. Let him decide! Let him
+decide for war! We are all for war.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Yes, all of us.&mdash;All of us.&mdash;Shout that the king
+may hear us.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>Nay, I am not for war, I am not for war.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Silence.&mdash;Traitor.&mdash;Another spy.&mdash;Who are you?&mdash;Down
+with him.&mdash;Who are you?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Speaker</p>
+
+<p>I am a peasant, and in peace only will my land bear
+fruit. War comes trampling across my fields. No war
+for me, I am against it.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_43" title="43"> </a>Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Savagely</span>] Shame upon you! May you rot amid
+your fields and be choked with your fruits! Cursed be
+he whose courage is measured by his gains, and cursed
+be he who values his own pitiful life more than the
+welfare of his country! Israel is our land for tillage.
+We will manure it with our blood. Are we not happy,
+brothers, to die for the one God?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Peasant</p>
+
+<p>Die, then, and let me live. I love the land. This,
+too, is God&rsquo;s, and he has given it to me for my own.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Nothing is given to us for our own. We hold everything
+in trust from the living God, and must restore
+everything when the call comes. Now has the call
+sounded; let us hearken to it gladly. The signs are
+fulfilled. Where are they who should reveal his
+words? Where are they who disclose his spirit, who
+can spur on the slothful and make the deaf hear?
+Where are the priests, and where the prophets? Why
+are their voices silent at this hour in Jerusalem?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Yes.&mdash;The prophets.&mdash;Where are the priests?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>To the temple! Nothing must be done without
+God&rsquo;s word! Let the men of God decide.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_44" title="44"> </a>Voices</p>
+
+<p>Yes, where are our shepherds? In them is the
+truth.&mdash;Hananiah&mdash;Pashur&mdash;where are they? Open
+the temple.&mdash;Open the gates.&mdash;Hananiah.&mdash;Pashur.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Some of the crowd race up the steps and knock upon
+the brazen gates. The gates open and <span class="speaker">Hananiah</span>
+appears. He is received with fierce acclamations</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Hananiah, messenger of God, the people thirst for
+your speech. Let your words pour forth to kindle our
+hearts, to make fruitful our wrath, and to direct our
+aim. The fate of Jerusalem is in your hands.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>Pour forth God&rsquo;s word over us.&mdash;Reveal the promise.&mdash;Say,
+shall we fight?&mdash;Let us know God&rsquo;s will.&mdash;Teach
+the people, messenger of the Lord, teach the
+king.&mdash;Give utterance to the promise.&mdash;Look upon our
+weakness.&mdash;Awaken our courage.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Standing before the threshold of the temple, speaks
+with strong emotion</span>] Blessed your questions, blessed
+your voices, blessed are you, people of Jerusalem, who
+at length hearken to the cry. For sleep had fallen
+upon you, Jerusalem; you had been passive in the
+chains of slavery. The nations have been marching
+over you as over a drunken man; they have been
+spitting upon your garments; they have mocked your
+nakedness. But a call has summoned the sleepers; a
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_45" title="45"> </a>
+message has roused the dreamers; and I will testify to
+you, now that God has awakened you.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Breaking into fanatical cries</span>] Listen to him!&mdash;We
+are awakened!&mdash;It is true that we have been sleeping.&mdash;Tell
+us, master, is it time?&mdash;Say, has the hour
+struck?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>How long will you refrain from deeds, now that
+God hath awakened you? How long will you remain
+passive, now that the Lord hath summoned you? God
+is athirst, for his pitchers are empty; God is anhungered,
+for his altars are broken; God is cold, for the
+hangings of the temple have been stolen; God suffers,
+for the priests of Baal and the servants of Ashtaroth
+heap scorn upon him! Cast off the yoke, break your
+chains, raise hosannas, unsheathe your swords. God
+has awakened you; fight for the Lord!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Let hosannas sound! Up, Israel; up Jerusalem, and
+break the yoke!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>Let us break the yoke.&mdash;Down with Ashur.&mdash;To
+arms against Nebuchadnezzar.&mdash;Unfurl the flag.&mdash;Tell
+us, is it time to start?&mdash;War against <ins title="Ashur,">Ashur.</ins>&mdash;Say, shall
+the victory be ours?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>The voice of the Lord burns within me. The words
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_46" title="46"> </a>
+come to my mouth like the roaring of the sea, and thus
+do they sound: &ldquo;Arise, Israel. I have delivered
+Ashur into thy hand; clench thy fist, Israel, and break
+the bones of thy foe! Tread the oppressor beneath
+thy heels, bring back my stolen goods, deliver me as I
+deliver thee. Reject those who would counsel thee
+otherwise; destroy those who would curb thee; pay no
+heed to the weaklings, and hearken only to the words
+of my messenger! Hear the words of my messenger,
+O Israel!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Calling wildly from amid the crowd</span>] Heed him
+not! Heed him not! Heed him not!</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">A tumult ensues, and the crowd draws apart,
+disclosing <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> in the midst. He tries to make
+his way up the steps to the place from which <span class="speaker">Hananiah</span>
+is speaking</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Who is that speaking?&mdash;What is he saying?&mdash;Who
+is he?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Do not heed him. Pay no heed to him who speaks
+through the lips only; reject the lure of his words.
+Do not listen to the hypocrites who would lead you
+into slippery places. Do not fall into the snare of
+the fowlers. Do not listen to the decoy calling to war.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The high priest, wearing full vestments, has
+appeared on the threshold of the temple</span>] Who speaks
+in the crowd?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_47" title="47"> </a>Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>Who speaks against the Lord? Let him show himself
+in the open.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Coming forward</span>] Dismay speaks; concern for
+Jerusalem cries aloud; the mouth of terror is opened.
+I speak for Israel, and for the life of Israel.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Who is he?&mdash;I know him not.&mdash;He is not one of the
+prophets.&mdash;I know him not.&mdash;Who is he?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>It is Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, of the priests in
+Anathoth.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Who is Jeremiah?&mdash;Who is he?&mdash;What do the
+people of Anathoth want in Jerusalem?&mdash;He is the son
+of Hilkiah.&mdash;Who is he?&mdash;What does he want?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">To <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span>, who is mounting the steps</span>] Away
+from the steps of the temple! The messengers of the
+Lord, the men of God and the prophets, may alone
+tread the holy threshold. To none but us is it given
+to reveal God&rsquo;s will.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Who dares declare that to him only has the Lord
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_48" title="48"> </a>
+vouchsafed wisdom and the secret of his will? God
+speaks to men in dreams, and to me likewise has he sent
+dreams. He has filled my nights with horror, and has
+awakened me at due time; he has given me a mouth
+that I may speak and a voice that I may cry aloud. He
+has breathed dismay into my mind that I may spread
+it over you like a burning cloth. I will utter my dismay
+on behalf of Jerusalem; I will cry my cry before the
+people; I will reveal my dreams.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Away with dreamers and interpreters of dreams.
+The hour needs waking men.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>Dreams come to all. Beasts stir in their sleep, and
+the dreams of slaves are full of visions. Who has
+anointed you, that you should speak before the temple?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>No.&mdash;Let him speak.&mdash;We want to hear him.&mdash;He is
+out of his mind.&mdash;Let him reveal his dreams.&mdash;The
+marketplace is free to all.&mdash;God&rsquo;s house is free.
+Speak, Jeremiah.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>Not from the threshold of the temple.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>I am the prophet of God, and there is no other
+prophet in Israel to-day. You shall hear my words,
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_49" title="49"> </a>
+not those of the chatterers in the streets. Scourge the
+dreamers out of the marketplace.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>He is a coward, shun his terrors.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Let him speak.&mdash;We want to hear what he has to
+say.&mdash;No, let Hananiah speak.&mdash;Perhaps Jeremiah is
+sent by the Lord.&mdash;Why should not we hear him.&mdash;Speak,
+Jeremiah.&mdash;What has he dreamed?&mdash;Revelation
+often comes in dreams.&mdash;Let him speak, Hananiah.&mdash;We
+can compare their words.&mdash;Speak, Jeremiah.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">From the top of the steps</span>] Brothers in Israel,
+brothers in Jerusalem, in my dream I heard a storm
+burst upon the city, and I saw warriors assail our walls.
+The pillars fell and the battlements were laid low.
+Fire sat upon the roofs like a red beast devouring our
+dwellings. No stone was left standing upon another,
+and the streets were laid waste. I saw the dead lying
+in heaps upon the ground, so that my heart was turned
+within me and my mouth was unsealed even in sleep.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>Madness is crying from the steps of the temple.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>The falling sickness afflicts him, and he in turn
+afflicts us.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_50" title="50"> </a>Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Down with him.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>No, we want to hear his dreams.&mdash;What do they
+mean?&mdash;He is a madman.&mdash;He is a fool.&mdash;Away with
+him!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>But, brothers, when I awakened in the sweat of my
+body, I mocked myself even as you mock me now. Did
+not peace brood over the land; were not the walls
+untouched, so that no breeze stirred athwart them? I
+went forth from the house full of shame for my own
+terrors; I sought the marketplace that I might rejoice
+in its peace. But when I came thither I heard shouts
+of exultation; and my heart broke within me, for the
+shouts were clamors for war. Brothers, my soul was
+bitter as gall, and the words came to my lips against
+my will. Tell me, is war so precious that you should
+praise it? Is it so kindly that you should long for it?
+Does it bring so much good that you should greet it
+with all the warmth of your heart? I say unto you,
+people of Jerusalem, that war is a fierce and evil beast,
+one that devours the flesh of the strong and sucks the
+marrow of the mighty, crushing towns in its jaws and
+trampling the land beneath its hoofs. Those who
+awaken it, shall not again lay it to sleep; and he who
+draws the sword, is like to perish by the sword. Woe,
+therefore, to the contentious man who quarrels when
+there is no need, for he shall come out upon one way,
+and flee upon seven. Woe to those who murder peace
+with the words of their mouth. Beware of all such,
+O people of Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_51" title="51"> </a>Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Beware of cowards, O people of Jerusalem; beware
+of traitors in the pay of the enemy.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>What promise does he bring? Where is God&rsquo;s word?
+He speaks for Babylon and for Baal.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>No, no.&mdash;His words are just.&mdash;There is much truth
+in what he says.&mdash;Let him deliver his message.&mdash;Dreams.&mdash;Where
+is the promise?&mdash;Go on.&mdash;We want
+to hear him too.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Why do you awaken the ravening beast with your
+shouts. Why do you summon the king of the north
+to your city? Why do you clamor for war, men of
+Jerusalem? Did you beget your sons for slaughter,
+and your daughters for shame? Did you build your
+houses for destruction by fire, and your walls for the
+battering ram? Bethink thee, Israel; call a halt ere
+thou runnest into the darkness, Jerusalem. Is thy
+slavery so hard, are thy sorrows beyond assuagement?
+Look around. God&rsquo;s sun shines over the land; the vines
+bloom in peace; lovers walk happily together; children
+play unhindered; the moon shines gently over the sleep
+of Jerusalem. Fire and water keep their appointed
+places, the storehouses are well filled, and God has his
+spacious mansion. Say, Israel, is it not well with thee
+within the walls of Zion; art thou not blithe in the
+valleys of Sharon; art thou not happy by the blue
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_52" title="52"> </a>
+waters of Jordan? Let it suffice thee to live at peace
+under God&rsquo;s tranquil gaze. Hold fast to peace, people
+of Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zebulon</p>
+
+<p>His words are just! Hail unto him. His speech is
+golden.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>Like the gold of Chaldea.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Yes, he has been bribed.&mdash;No, his words are just.&mdash;Peace.&mdash;We
+want peace.&mdash;He is a traitor.&mdash;He is in
+the pay of Ashur.&mdash;Let him speak.&mdash;No, Hananiah is
+right.&mdash;Let us listen to Hananiah.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>Away with you, away. Go, talk to Samaria, the land
+of slaves. Deliver your message to Moab, or to the
+uncircumcised, but not to Israel, God&rsquo;s first-born among
+the nations.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Menacingly, to <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span></span>] Answer me, in face of
+the people. Is our slavery to endure? Are we still to
+pay tribute to Chaldea? Answer me, traitor.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Yes, yes.&mdash;Answer.&mdash;Speak.&mdash;Are we to go on
+paying tribute?&mdash;Answer.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_53" title="53"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Loudly do I speak my mind before the people. It is
+better to pay tribute of gold to the enemy than tribute
+of blood to war. It is better to be wise than powerful;
+it is better to be the servant of God than the ruler of
+men.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>Man of servile obedience, slave of Chaldea, will you
+deny God&rsquo;s word which commandeth war against the
+oppressor; will you deny his holy word?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>But it is also written: &ldquo;In returning and rest shall
+ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be
+your strength.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Yes, thus is it written.&mdash;He speaks truth.&mdash;His
+words are the words of wisdom.&mdash;Nay, he twists the
+scripture to his own purpose.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>This is written of an unholy war, of dissension among
+the brethren of Israel. But ours is a holy war, a war
+of God waged in the everlasting name of Jerusalem, a
+war of God, a war of God.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Couple not God&rsquo;s name with war. Not God makes
+war, but man. No war is holy; no death is holy; life
+alone is holy.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_54" title="54"> </a>Baruch</p>
+
+<p>You lie! Life is given us that we may sacrifice it
+to God. I will offer myself upon his altar, I will fall
+before his foes, I will die for Israel and for Israel&rsquo;s
+rule upon earth. Never shall Israel be vanquished so
+long as all her sons share these thoughts.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>Never shall Israel be vanquished while God&rsquo;s stars
+shine in heaven. If we join forces with Egypt, Babylon
+will fall into our hands within three months.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Exultantly</span>] Within three months.&mdash;Hail Hananiah.&mdash;Hearken
+to Hananiah.&mdash;Within three months.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>Israel will gain the victory over countless thousands.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>He spreads fear as they spread gold before him.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Israel shall rule the nations.&mdash;Down with Ashur.&mdash;War.&mdash;War.&mdash;Nay,
+peace.&mdash;Peace in Israel.&mdash;War.&mdash;War.&mdash;He
+is speaking for Ashur.&mdash;He is a traitor.&mdash;Do
+those only speak truth who clamor for war?&mdash;He
+has taken bribes.&mdash;Let us not decide too quickly.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_55" title="55"> </a>Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Send the coward to the house of the women!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Woman</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Spitting on <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span></span>] His company would bring
+shame on us. That for the man whose cringing is a
+disgrace! War against Ashur!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Flashing out in wrath</span>] Who are you that you
+crave blood so fiercely? Did you bear children and
+suckle them only for the tomb? A curse upon the man
+who thirsts for blood, but seven times accursed be the
+woman who is eager for war; for war shall devour the
+fruit of her womb, and the men of Ashur shall cast
+lots for her and for her raiment. You and such as you
+shall be mourners, tearing your cheeks with your nails,
+and uttering shrill cries of lamentation, you women
+who spit upon me and revile peace.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Women&rsquo;s Voices</p>
+
+<p>Woe, Woe! Listen to the curse.&mdash;Our sons.&mdash;Woe,
+woe!&mdash;Man of terror!&mdash;Woe!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>You can frighten women, faint-heart, but not men.
+Down, down!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Certain Warriors</p>
+
+<p>Down with him. Hunt him into the street.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_56" title="56"> </a>Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>Close his mouth!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Away with him!&mdash;He frightens women.&mdash;Away
+with him.&mdash;He has foretold enough disaster.&mdash;My
+flesh crept while he was speaking.&mdash;Let him hold his
+peace.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>I will not hold my peace, for Jerusalem cries aloud
+through my mouth. The walls of Jerusalem stand up
+in my heart, and would fain still stand; the land of
+Israel blossoms in my soul, and my hope is to safeguard
+it. Thy own blood calls through me, Jerusalem,
+that it may not be shed; thy seed, that it may not be
+scattered; thy stones, that they may not fall; and thy
+name, that it may not perish. Stand firm, waverer, and
+gather thy children under thy care; hearken, Jerusalem,
+to my voice of warning. Hearken, Zion, thou
+citadel of God. Keep the peace, keep the peace!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Fiercely disputing</span>] Yes.&mdash;God&rsquo;s peace upon Israel.&mdash;Traitor.&mdash;He
+has taken a bribe.&mdash;God&rsquo;s peace upon
+us.&mdash;I would fain save my sons.&mdash;War.&mdash;War against
+Ashur.&mdash;Leave the matter to the king.&mdash;He is a traitor.&mdash;We
+want to live at peace.&mdash;He is a coward.&mdash;He has
+sold himself to the enemy.&mdash;War.&mdash;Peace.&mdash;Hananiah
+speaks the truth.&mdash;Nay, Jeremiah speaks the
+truth.&mdash;Break the yoke.&mdash;War.&mdash;Peace.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">A bustle arises at the entrance to the palace. A
+number of men come forth. In their midst is <span class="speaker">Abimelech</span>,
+swordless</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_57" title="57"> </a>Voices</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">From among the newcomers</span>] Treason.&mdash;Treason.&mdash;Treason
+in Israel.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The dispute around <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> ceases</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>What has happened?&mdash;Abimelech.&mdash;What has happened?&mdash;He
+comes from the king.&mdash;Abimelech.&mdash;Look
+at his angry frown.&mdash;Tell us what has happened.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Standing at the top of the steps beside <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span></span>]
+Israel has been sold by the weaklings; chaffered away
+by the hucksters. Imre and Nahum gained the upper
+hand in the council. They spoke against Egypt, and
+the king hearkened to their words.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Down with Nahum.&mdash;Treason.&mdash;Imre, the dotard.&mdash;Traitor.&mdash;What
+was the decision?&mdash;What did the
+king say?&mdash;Peace, hail to peace.&mdash;God&rsquo;s judgment.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>His heart quaileth within him, for he dreads war.
+He will think the matter over, will take further counsel
+ere he decide.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Glory to Zedekiah, girdled with wisdom!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_58" title="58"> </a>Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>He is hedged about with weakness; old age and fear
+are his counselors. For my part I threw my sword
+aside, for no longer will I wear a sword while Zion
+pays tribute to Ashur.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">In ecstasy</span>] Soldier of God, your sword is holy
+since it flashes for Israel.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>Blessings upon you that you will have naught to do
+with hucksters.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>Shall we still hesitate? Whose is the hour? Is it
+that of Nahum, the huckster, and that of Imre, the
+dotard; or is it your hour, people of Jerusalem? God&rsquo;s
+hour has come, therefore seize it. To the palace, to
+the king; let him behold us and hear us. People of
+Jerusalem, raise your voices, give vent to the breath of
+your anger. To the palace, to the palace!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>To the king! Show yourselves to him, people of
+Jerusalem. To the king and to victory! Such is
+God&rsquo;s will.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>To the king!&mdash;To the palace!&mdash;To victory!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_59" title="59"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Springing forward to block the entry to the porch
+of pillars</span>] Keep the peace, keep the peace; you are
+murdering Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Drawing his sword</span>] Here&rsquo;s for him who still
+speaks of peace.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>Cut him down!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>Down with the traitor!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Help me, friends of God; help me to save
+Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>For the last time! Let us pass in to the king. [<span class="stage-direction">He
+endeavors to push <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> aside</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Resists and shouts at the top of his voice</span>] No step
+will I yield to folly! Peace! God&rsquo;s peace be upon
+Israel.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Baruch</span> cuts him down, and <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> falls
+bleeding to the foot of the steps</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_60" title="60"> </a>The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Scattering in horror</span>] Murder.&mdash;They have killed
+him.&mdash;Murder.&mdash;Who is it?&mdash;Jeremiah.&mdash;They have
+killed him.&mdash;Woe.&mdash;Why use force?&mdash;Why kill the
+prophets?&mdash;Justice has been dealt on the liar.&mdash;To the
+king, to the king!</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Baruch</span> stands thunderstruck with lowered sword</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Shouts exultantly</span>] May such be the fate of all
+faint-hearts, all slaves of Chaldea, all hirelings of
+Ashur! To the palace, to the king. Save Israel,
+deliver Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>Death to traitors! Vengeance on Ashur!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>God has struck him down.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>God&rsquo;s thunderbolt has fallen on the liar.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">After its brief pause of consternation, begins to
+flow into the porch of pillars of the palace</span>] To the
+king.&mdash;Let Israel rule the nations.&mdash;War.&mdash;War
+against Ashur.&mdash;Down with the traitors.&mdash;To the
+king.&mdash;God is on our side.&mdash;Down with Ashur.&mdash;Freedom.&mdash;Freedom.
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_61" title="61"> </a>
+[<span class="stage-direction">Rejoicing they stream into
+the palace</span>]</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> still lies in a swoon at the base of the
+steps, none heeding him. The crowd passes over him
+in a flood, leaving him like jetsam among the stones.
+<span class="speaker">Baruch</span>, who, in his bewilderment, was swept along
+by the mob, has struggled back from among them.
+Slowly, as if driven by an inner force, he comes down
+to the swooning man, bends over him, feels his brow,
+and listens for his breath</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Jeremiah, speak, Jeremiah, if you are still alive.
+[<span class="stage-direction">He raises <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> into a sitting posture</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">His eyes still closed, not yet himself, speaks hesitatingly</span>]
+The fiery cloud has fallen. Fire is raging
+through the town. Woe is me!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Keep still a moment, that I may wipe the blood
+from your eyes.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Away! Your face was full of hatred towards me.
+Your eyes flashed fiercely. Was it not you who struck
+me down?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>I indeed it was who drew sword upon you in anger,
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_62" title="62"> </a>
+but the blade turned in my hand so that I struck you
+with the flat only. I rejoice thereat, for I drew upon
+an unarmed man. I will pay blood-money. Let me
+staunch your wound.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Let the blood flow. Would that mine alone were
+to flow in Jerusalem. [<span class="stage-direction">Half rising</span>] What has become
+of the crowd? The marketplace is empty.
+Have they gone to the palace, gone to force war upon
+the king? Where are they?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Compose yourself&nbsp;&hellip;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>They have gone. It is too late. Curse upon you
+for that you felled me to the ground. More, far
+more, than me have you slain. Not my blood alone
+has been shed, but the blood of all Israel. Through
+you, Zion has been broken and destroyed. You have
+killed the watchman, and they are raging in the holy
+places of the Lord. Let me rise. Avaunt, murderer
+of Israel!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>What do you wish to do?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">In febrile excitement</span>] Help me, help me to my
+feet. You struck me down, so now you must help
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_63" title="63"> </a>
+me. Perhaps there is still time. [<span class="stage-direction">Distant shouts are
+heard from the palace</span>] Their jubilation means death;
+their joy means destruction. Too late! Too late!
+For Jerusalem&rsquo;s sake I must give warning. Your aid!
+I must go to him. The hour calls. [<span class="stage-direction">He struggles to
+his feet</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Confused</span>] Whither away? You are still too
+weak to do anything.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Let me testify against Hananiah, against Pashur;
+against those who would lure to war; against the
+people. I must cry the words of peace&nbsp;&hellip;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Will you make the attempt once again, alone against
+them all? Great, indeed, is the force that drives you.
+Steadfastly did you face my sword, you whom I had
+despised as a coward, whom I had proclaimed a faint-heart
+before the people. But in the strength of your
+will you are ready to defy death, proving yourself a
+mighty man of valor.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>If you reverence me, then help me. Help me to
+cry aloud. Help me to save Zion from destruction.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Supporting him</span>] I will help you, Jeremiah, against
+my will, for you have in you a power which compels
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_64" title="64"> </a>
+me. I had believed you a weakling, and therefore did
+I oppose you as one who shunned action and favored
+the easy path of peace.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>The easy path of peace! Do you fancy that peace
+is not action, that peace is not the action of all actions?
+Day by day you must wrest it from the mouths of
+liars and from the hearts of men. You must stand
+alone against the multitude; for clamor is always on
+the side of the many, and the liar has ever the first
+word. The meek must be strong; those who desire
+peace are continually at war.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>But you will not go alone?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>I must go, I must go. I must make my words good.
+Empty is the speech of him who will not stand by it
+with his life. Let me publish my visions; let me proclaim
+my warning before the king.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>I would fain go with you, would fain do what you
+are doing, for it is borne in on me that you are
+beginning a great work.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>You would walk with me? But did you not resist
+me with your will and with your sword?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_65" title="65"> </a>Baruch</p>
+
+<p>You are too strong for me, and I who stood up
+against you wish to help you now. Your blood has
+won me to your cause. I will do what you do, for I
+have faith in you, Jeremiah, who faced my sword so
+steadfastly.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>You believe in me, against the priests and the
+prophets who deny me, against the people and the city?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>I believe in you, for you have shed your blood for
+your words.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>You believe in me when I myself hardly believe in
+my own dreams. Is it true, boy?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>I believe in you, for I saw you stand steadfast
+against death. Your will is my will.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Greatly moved</span>] You believe in me, you who
+wounded me, who resisted me to the uttermost? You
+are the first to believe in me, you whose very name is
+unknown to me.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>I am Baruch, the son of Zebulon of Gilead.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_66" title="66"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>No longer will you be any man&rsquo;s son, if you believe
+in me. Despised and rejected will you be, should
+you follow me. He who would shine in the word,
+must burn in the flames. Think well, Baruch. You
+are little more than a boy. You have shed my blood,
+shall I therefore shed yours?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Let me go with you, for the sake of Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>For the sake of Jerusalem! Indeed and indeed
+Jerusalem needs help in this hour. Come, then,
+Baruch, first-born of my faith, son of my anguish,
+support me that we may testify together. My anguish
+shall be turned against the king, my sorrow shall be
+thundered in his ears. Aid me, aid me against king
+and people.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>I will go with you.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Exultant shouts nearer at hand</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Woe, woe! When the mob rejoices, disaster is
+afoot.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>They are streaming forth from the palace.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_67" title="67"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Forward, let us meet them. Lend me the strength
+of your arm, for I am still weak.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>The king is among them. He carries a naked
+sword. They are making for the temple.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Help me forward. There is still time.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>The clamor echoes through the marketplace.
+Hananiah is dancing before them even as David danced
+before the ark. The war-makers have triumphed.
+It is too late. Give way before them. Hide yourself.
+It is too late.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>It is never too late. Let me forth to encounter
+them.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>What would you do? Let me go instead, for I am
+young and strong.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>I would brandish the word against them like a sword.
+I would turn the king&rsquo;s heart. Let me go to him.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Shouting and singing, the crowd streams out of the
+palace, down the steps, and then up again towards the
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_68" title="68"> </a>
+temple. All are in a frenzy, shouting for war and for
+victory</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Drunken with excitement, leading the way to the
+temple</span>] Open the gates. Throw the gates wide. The
+king will swear before the altar the oath of alliance
+against Ashur!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Hail to the alliance!&mdash;Day of promise!&mdash;Slavery is
+overthrown!&mdash;Down with Ashur!&mdash;Hail Zedekiah!&mdash;Victory,
+victory!&mdash;Israel shall rule the nations.&mdash;God
+is on our side.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">King Zedekiah</span>, followed by the Egyptian envoys,
+has come out of the palace. He bears a drawn sword.
+His expression is grave. Amid the exultant crowd he
+seems oppressed with thought. Scarcely heeding the
+tumult and the acclamations, he makes for the temple
+with slow strides. Suddenly, above the clamor of the
+multitude, rises the voice of <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span></span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Zedekiah, Zedekiah, sheathe thy sword.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Disorder in the crowd; the cries are stilled. The
+king, standing on the steps of the temple, looks round
+for the speaker</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Shouting yet more loudly</span>] Sheathe thy sword,
+Zedekiah! Thus wilt thou save Jerusalem. Give
+peace to Israel, God&rsquo;s peace.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_69" title="69"> </a>The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Vociferating wildly</span>] War! War upon Ashur!&mdash;Who
+is the speaker?&mdash;He is sold to the enemy.&mdash;Down
+with all traitors.&mdash;Israel shall rule the
+nations.&mdash;War, war!</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The voice of <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> is drowned amid the general
+uproar. He is thrust aside, and <span class="speaker">Baruch</span> has
+difficulty in protecting him. With redoubled energy
+the crowd continues to shout in an ecstasy around the
+king. <span class="speaker">Zedekiah</span> stands awhile, still trying to find
+the one who had called on him to sheathe the sword.
+For a moment, indeed, he lowers his weapon, and seems
+to be looking round for help. But, amid fanatical
+cries of the populace, the gates are opened. After a
+moment&rsquo;s further hesitation, <span class="speaker">Zedekiah</span> raises his
+sword once more, and with earnest mien mounts the last
+steps and disappears into the temple</span>]</p>
+
+<h2><a class="pagenum" name="Page_71" title="71"> </a>RUMORS</h2>
+
+<p class="scene-heading"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_73" title="73"> </a><a name="Scene_3">SCENE THREE</a></p>
+
+<p>Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my
+words in thy mouth fire, and this people, wood, and
+it shall devour them. <span class="small-caps">Jeremiah</span>&nbsp;V, 14.</p>
+
+<p class="scene-heading"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_75" title="75"> </a>SCENE THREE</p>
+
+<div class="scene-description">
+<p>The same square in front of the temple and the
+king&rsquo;s palace. Groups of idlers, men and women,
+loiter upon the steps, some sitting and some standing.
+In the streets and in the porch of pillars there is the
+usual coming and going of persons working and
+conversing.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Man</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">One of the larger group on the steps</span>] I have it for
+certain that there has been a great battle between
+Nebuchadnezzar and Pharaoh.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Another Man</p>
+
+<p>I have heard the same report. A messenger has
+come.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>That means nothing. Messengers are always coming
+to the palace.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Second Man</p>
+
+<p>But I have spoken to him. I&rsquo;m sure of it.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Voice</p>
+
+<p>Have you spoken to the messenger?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_76" title="76"> </a>The Second Man</p>
+
+<p>No, it was Aphitor, the king&rsquo;s scribe. He told me
+that a battle had begun, a great battle.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The First Man</p>
+
+<p>A mighty battle, such as there has never been
+before within the memory of man, Egypt against
+Nebuchadnezzar.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>May the heavens crush him, the accursèd.&mdash;Egypt
+is all-powerful.&mdash;Our army is there too.&mdash;They will
+know how to deal with him, the man of pride.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>God will break him, for God is on our side.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Another Voice</p>
+
+<p>The Egyptians are strong, and Nebuchadnezzar will
+not be able to withstand them.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Third Voice</p>
+
+<p>Nebuchadnezzar is likewise strong. They say&nbsp;&hellip;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Fourth Voice</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Interrupting</span>] Let them say, the faint-hearts. Who
+cares what they say?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_77" title="77"> </a>Third Voice</p>
+
+<p>They say that his warriors are like a swarm of
+locusts.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Another Voice</p>
+
+<p>Warriors! His men are no warriors! Small in
+stature are they like boys, and unhandy with their
+swords. My sister&rsquo;s husband has seen many of them.
+Among the women they are men, but they are not men
+in battle. [<span class="stage-direction">Laughter</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Pharaoh will destroy them.&mdash;He will sweep them
+like chaff from the threshing-floor.&mdash;Long live
+Pharaoh!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Others</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Hearing the shouts and coming to join the group</span>]
+What is he saying about Pharaoh?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>Pharaoh is fighting a great battle against Nebuchadnezzar.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Other Voices</p>
+
+<p>He will conquer.&mdash;He will set us free.&mdash;Long live
+Pharaoh.&mdash;Pharaoh for ever.&mdash;They shall grave him
+a tablet of fine gold.&mdash;Long live Pharaoh, the
+conqueror of Ashur.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Newcomers</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Eager to know what is afoot</span>] What is it? What
+has happened?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_78" title="78"> </a>One of the Recent Comers</p>
+
+<p>Pharaoh has defeated Nebuchadnezzar.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Hail Pharaoh-Necho!&mdash;Is it true? I must go home
+and tell my wife.&mdash;Hail Pharaoh-Necho!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>But we have no certain news yet.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Other Voices</p>
+
+<p>What do you mean by saying the news is not certain?&mdash;Can
+you doubt it?&mdash;I have always known that
+God would strengthen our arms.&mdash;Victory is ever on
+God&rsquo;s side.&mdash;None can stand against us.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">One of the Group</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Hastening away, shouting as he goes</span>] The victory
+is ours. Pharaoh has defeated Nebuchadnezzar.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Hearing these words, idlers in the square flock to
+join the group on the steps</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>They are talking of a victory.&mdash;Is it true that
+Pharaoh has vanquished Nebuchadnezzar?&mdash;Quite
+true.&mdash;No one really knows yet.&mdash;It is absolutely certain.&mdash;Who
+says so?&mdash;Everyone says so.&mdash;The king&rsquo;s
+scribe says so.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_79" title="79"> </a>A Man</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Detaching himself from the crowd, runs away
+shouting</span>] Victory! Victory at last. Hail Pharaoh. I
+must get home with the news. Victory over Ashur.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Swelling in numbers, growing more enthusiastic as
+it is enheartened by its own clamor</span>] It was God&rsquo;s will
+that we should begin this war.&mdash;Hail Zedekiah!&mdash;Now
+we must conquer all the others.&mdash;Israel shall rule the
+nations.&mdash;A sacrifice on the altar.&mdash;Give praise unto
+God, for that he has cast down our enemies.&mdash;They
+shall be our bondsmen.&mdash;My heart has thirsted for
+this hour.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>A messenger is coming from the gate of the city.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Making a rush in the direction of the last voice</span>] A
+messenger.&mdash;A messenger.&mdash;Who said so?&mdash;He comes
+from beyond the walls.&mdash;What news does he bring?
+Where is he?</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">A messenger, drenched with sweat and gasping for
+breath, struggles through the crowd</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Tell us the news.&mdash;Pharaoh is victorious.&mdash;What has
+happened to Nebuchadnezzar?&mdash;How many have been
+slain?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_80" title="80"> </a>The Messenger</p>
+
+<p>Let me be. Make room. My message is for the
+king.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Don&rsquo;t be so churlish.&mdash;Let us hear one word at
+least.&mdash;Has he fled?&mdash;Tell us the news.&mdash;Let the man
+alone.&mdash;His business is with the king.&mdash;Just a word.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Messenger</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Breaking loose</span>] Let me be, let me be. You will
+learn soon enough. My message is urgent, and for
+the king. [<span class="stage-direction">Exit messenger.</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>What did he say? The message was urgent.&mdash;What
+did he say?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>He said we should soon hear, but that he must go to
+the king at once.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Another Voice</p>
+
+<p>That is good news.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Third Voice</p>
+
+<p>Wherefore good?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Second Voice</p>
+
+<p>Would the bearer of evil tidings be in so desperate
+a hurry?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_81" title="81"> </a>Voices</p>
+
+<p>True, true.&mdash;The king will pay him a silver shekel
+for every word.&mdash;He is eager to earn the messenger&rsquo;s
+guerdon.&mdash;He brings tidings of victory.&mdash;Victory!&mdash;Good
+news.&mdash;Victory!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Some Newcomers</p>
+
+<p>What has happened? Why are you shouting?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Victory!&mdash;Victory!&mdash;A messenger has come.&mdash;He
+brings tidings of victory.&mdash;Nebuchadnezzar is beaten.&mdash;A
+great and glorious victory.&mdash;God be praised.&mdash;Alleluia!
+The news is certain.&mdash;Victory.&mdash;Victory!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>It must be a mighty victory.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Second Voice</p>
+
+<p>Were it otherwise he would not have been so secret.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Third Voice</p>
+
+<p>They grudge us the news.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Newcomer</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Pressing forward</span>] Is it true? Is Nebuchadnezzar
+slain? So the word runs from street to street.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_82" title="82"> </a>Voices</p>
+
+<p>Yes, slain is the oppressor.&mdash;Nay, the news is not yet
+confirmed.&mdash;But the messenger said so; he told us that
+Nebuchadnezzar had been killed in his tent.&mdash;Myriads
+of the enemy have fallen with him, God be thanked.&mdash;The
+oppressor is slain.&mdash;Alleluia!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">An Old Man</p>
+
+<p>But all that the messenger said was&nbsp;&hellip;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>He told us of the victory.&mdash;Why are you still in
+doubt?&mdash;I wish we could exterminate these faint-hearts.&mdash;I
+heard it myself.&mdash;So did I.&mdash;So did I.&mdash;The
+messenger said that Nebuchadnezzar had been
+killed in his tent.&mdash;No, he never said that.&mdash;Yes.&mdash;No.&mdash;But
+undoubtedly he brought tidings of victory.&mdash;Israel
+is free.&mdash;Free!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Old Man</p>
+
+<p>I tell you I was standing quite close to him. I could
+hear every word he said.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Your ears and your heart are deafened.&mdash;These kill-joys
+should themselves be killed.&mdash;Let us don our
+festal attire.&mdash;Out of the way, chatterbox.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_83" title="83"> </a>A Voice</p>
+
+<p>Hananiah was a true prophet. Wise were we to
+heed his words, and not to hearken to those who
+declared that the temple would fall&nbsp;&hellip;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Another Voice</p>
+
+<p>Who said that Ashur would lay Zion low&nbsp;&hellip;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Third Voice</p>
+
+<p>Who said that our maids would be ravished by the
+Chaldeans&nbsp;&hellip;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Voice</p>
+
+<p>To the temple, to the temple. Let us give thanks
+there to God, and to Hananiah, his prophet!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>No, let us wait here, for the king will come soon.&mdash;Who
+said so?&mdash;Kings always appear in public after a
+victory.&mdash;The king will go to the temple.&mdash;The king
+must be the first to offer a sacrifice.&mdash;All right, let us
+stay here.&mdash;Let us send for drums and cymbals to celebrate
+the victory.&mdash;We will dance like David before
+the ark.&mdash;God is once more showing his love for
+Jerusalem.&mdash;Fetch the dancers.&mdash;Summon the women.&mdash;Call
+the trumpeters and the lute-players.&mdash;Let us
+make merry and give praise to the king of kings.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The crowd sways to and fro joyfully, in movements
+like those of a troubled sea. Groups form, dissolve,
+and reform. The general mood is one of
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_84" title="84"> </a>
+expectation and impatience. <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> and <span class="speaker">Baruch</span>
+enter from a side street, and endeavor to make their
+way through the press</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">One of the Crowd</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Laughing</span>] Look! There he comes! Jeremiah.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Others</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Giving vent to their high spirits</span>] Hail to the
+revealer!&mdash;Lo, the prophet draws nigh.&mdash;Let us welcome
+the destroyer of Jerusalem.&mdash;Behold the mob
+orator.&mdash;Come and join us.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Some of the crowd form a circle round <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span>
+and <span class="speaker">Baruch</span>, bowing before them in mock veneration.</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">One of the Crowd</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">With a profound reverence</span>] Hail anointed of the
+Lord!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Others</p>
+
+<p>Hail Elijah!&mdash;Hail revealer.&mdash;Hail mighty man of
+valor! Hail Jeremiah, the prophet!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Standing his ground, gloomily</span>] What would ye
+of me?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Hold no converse with them. Mockery is on their
+lips, and derision in their glance.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_85" title="85"> </a>One of the Crowd</p>
+
+<p>Deign to bestow upon us wisdom and revelation.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Another</p>
+
+<p>We would fain ask you whether our daughters shall
+keep their <ins title="virginity">virginity.</ins></p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Third</p>
+
+<p>Prithee be patient, and allow the walls of Jerusalem
+to remain standing yet awhile.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">With conviction</span>] What would ye of me? This is
+no time for jesting, when blood flows and war hangs
+over Israel.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The First Speaker</p>
+
+<p>The war is finished, and we can make merry once
+more.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Second Speaker</p>
+
+<p>What has become of your king from the north?
+Tell us, revealer, where does he tarry?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>What has confused your senses? Are you all mad?
+Can the war already be over when it is hardly begun?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Hold no speech with them. He makes himself a
+mock who speaks with mockers.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_86" title="86"> </a>First Speaker</p>
+
+<p>Jeremiah knows nothing about it yet! The prophet
+knows nothing.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Speaker</p>
+
+<p>He does not know what happened yesterday, and yet
+he would tell us what will happen to-morrow.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>What is it that I do not yet know? What makes
+you so joyful? It must be something of ill omen.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Speaker</p>
+
+<p>He says it is something of ill omen. It is that, in
+very truth, for your wishes.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Speaker</p>
+
+<p>Your king is slain and welters in his blood.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Nebuchadnezzar is slain? Ashur is vanquished?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Speaker</p>
+
+<p>Even so, all-knower. Hananiah&rsquo;s word has been
+fulfilled.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Speaker</p>
+
+<p>Rend your raiment and clip your beard. Israel is
+victorious.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_87" title="87"> </a>Third Speaker</p>
+
+<p>Bury yourself, prophet. Cut out your tongue.
+Nebuchadnezzar is dead, but Zion endureth for ever.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Greatly moved</span>] Nebuchadnezzar dead? Is it true,
+it is certain? Tell me, and do not jest in matters of
+such moment.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Speaker</p>
+
+<p>He still doubts! Weep, prophet, weep!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Speaker</p>
+
+<p>I will cry it aloud in your ears; dead is Nebuchadnezzar;
+overthrown are his chariots; scattered are his
+armies. Israel is saved.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Remains motionless for a moment. Then he
+spreads his arms wide, drawing a deep breath of joyful
+relief. Dropping his arms, he speaks fast and almost
+exultantly</span>] Blessed be God. I thank thee, all-good,
+that thou hast brought my dreams to shame, that thou
+hast saved Jerusalem. Better, assuredly that I should
+be fooled by my illusions than that the city should be
+laid waste by the foe. Blessings upon God&rsquo;s name.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Speaker</p>
+
+<p>Yea, all-knower, God is more merciful than you;
+he loves us and gladdens our hearts.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_88" title="88"> </a>Second Speaker</p>
+
+<p>What will your next revelation be? Into which
+corner will you creep, mole? Whom will you now
+lead astray?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Third Speaker</p>
+
+<p>Whom will you now deceive, deceiver?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Fourth Speaker</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">With feigned anger, to the others</span>] How irreverently
+you speak to the messenger of the Lord! Let
+us kiss the hem of his garment; let us pay honor to his
+visions!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Mingled with laughter</span>] Prophesy to us Elijah.&mdash;Instruct
+us further, all-knower.&mdash;Happy the man who
+puts his trust in Jeremiah.&mdash;Where did you pick up
+that fledgling that chirps at your heels?&mdash;Prophesy,
+Jeremiah; prophesy disaster; mountains of disaster.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Suddenly breaking forth into speech</span>] A miracle has
+<ins title="happened">happened,</ins> people of Jerusalem, a miracle which delivers
+you from death, and instead of trembling with
+fear, you make merry. Hardly an hour ago, you
+were racked with anxiety; your hearts are still quaking,
+and yet you are already beginning to give tongue.
+Woe unto you, that your first cry, when the cord is
+loosed from your necks, should be one of folly and
+presumption.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_89" title="89"> </a>Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Speak not with them. Folly alone holds converse
+with fools.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Speaker</p>
+
+<p>Stop your ears as you may, I will cry aloud in my
+joy: &ldquo;The victory is ours, the victory is ours!&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Addressing one of them</span>] Where have you conquered?
+Whom have you defeated, that you should
+strut in the marketplace? There is no blood on your
+sword. [<span class="stage-direction">To another</span>] Show the scar of the wound you
+received at the battle front! You have all been about
+your business in the city, have all lain in safety beside
+your wives at night. What have you and such as you
+to do with the victory of the Egyptians, with the deeds
+of foreign fighters? Bow your knees humbly, for the
+victory is not your work.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Egypt&rsquo;s victory is Israel&rsquo;s victory.&mdash;We are Israel.&mdash;His
+very rage shows that the victory is ours.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>But it is not yours, nor yours, nor yours, you who
+now swell with pride, battening on the deeds of others.
+The soldiers have won the victory, not you! Meekly
+went they forth, to deal death and to suffer it; their
+backs were bent beneath the weight of their weapons;
+the shadow of death fell across their path, and all but
+the strongest fainted by the way. Where they
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_90" title="90"> </a>
+ploughed with naked limbs, you would fain harvest
+pride. Abandoned wretches, you crave to quench your
+thirst with their blood. Alas that they have conquered
+for you and your hateful arrogance!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Alas that they have conquered, did you hear him?
+Let us rend our garments, for that we have conquered.
+Let us strew ashes on our heads, for that
+Nebuchadnezzar is slain.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">His wrath blazing up</span>] Verily, O people, to be
+among you is to dwell among scorpions; but I say unto
+you that your laughter shall wither more quickly than
+the blossoms of the vine. God has been gracious to
+you. Again has he saved Jerusalem; yet not for your
+laughter, but for the sake of those who are humble in
+spirit. You will not acknowledge him in his gentleness,
+men of evil. So be it; ere long shall you
+acknowledge him in his wrath. Like a curtain shall
+he rend your laughter asunder, and in your terror your
+eyes shall become fixed like stones. Your joy then
+must you put behind you, Jerusalem, for the hour of
+retribution is at hand, and terrible is the doom that
+awaits you.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>The walls shall crumble.&mdash;The virgins shall weep.&mdash;We
+have heard it all before.&mdash;Zion shall perish.&mdash;Jeremiah,
+Jeremiah, you alone are wise among fools.&mdash;To
+him our rejoicing is bitter as gall.&mdash;Do you hear
+the cracking of the walls?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_91" title="91"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Do you scorn the messenger of doom? But the
+avenger is at hand, who shall purge you of your
+accursèd pride; drawn is the sword which shall hew
+away your presumption; the bearer of evil tidings is
+afoot; he is running, he is running; his swift footsteps
+lead towards Jerusalem. Already he is at hand, the
+messenger of fear, the messenger of terror; his words
+will fall on you like the blows of a hammer; even now
+he is entering the gate.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Go home, Jeremiah.&mdash;Sate yourself with your own
+venom, and do not vomit it forth upon our joy.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">In the background</span>] A messenger! He is coming
+from Moria gate.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Again rushing in the direction of the voice</span>] A messenger?
+Where is he? He brings further news of
+the victory.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Trembling with fear</span>] The messenger! The
+messenger!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>He runs hitherward from the gate, and he reels like
+a drunken man from weariness.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_92" title="92"> </a>Voices</p>
+
+<p>Where is he?&mdash;Here he comes. [<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Messenger</span> enters.
+The crowd surrounds him as he tries to hasten to the
+palace and sinks to the ground exhausted</span>] Hail you
+who bring tidings of victory.&mdash;Hail.&mdash;Tell us your
+news.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Messenger</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">So breathless he can hardly speak, tries to rise and
+make his way forward</span>] Room, room, let me go to the
+king.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Just a word.&mdash;How did Nebuchadnezzar die?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Messenger</p>
+
+<p>Are you all struck with madness? Why this jubilation
+in Jerusalem? To arms! To arms! Let me
+pass to the king.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>What has happened?&mdash;Is Nebuchadnezzar still
+alive?&mdash;Pharaoh has beaten him.&mdash;Why this call to
+arms?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Messenger</p>
+
+<p>He draws near with all his forces. Nebuchadnezzar
+is close at hand. Hardly could I outrun his riders.
+To arms, to arms! Sentinels to the walls.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>What does the man say?&mdash;Who has been beaten?&mdash;Where
+is Pharaoh?&mdash;You don&rsquo;t know what you are
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_93" title="93"> </a>
+talking about.&mdash;Get him some water.&mdash;Nebuchadnezzar
+alive?&mdash;It is impossible.&mdash;What has become of
+the Egyptians?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Messenger</p>
+
+<p>Water! I am worn out. The Egyptians have
+been routed. Necho has made peace, and must pay
+tribute to Ashur. Nebuchadnezzar is coming; his
+riders are at my heels. I must to the king.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Some of the crowd help the <span class="speaker">Messenger</span> to the
+palace</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">From the back</span>] What did he say?&mdash;Are the
+Chaldeans beaten?&mdash;Why does not the man tell us
+what has happened?</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Anxiety gradually spreads through the crowd, and
+the tumult of rejoicing is stilled. In their stupefaction
+all are mute for a while, and then terrified voices
+break the silence</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>Impossible!&mdash;It cannot be true.&mdash;The man is a
+liar.&mdash;He was drunk.&mdash;Nay, he was only staggering
+from fatigue.&mdash;He said the horsemen were hard at his
+heels.&mdash;The whole story is false.&mdash;The messenger had
+not the mien of a liar.&mdash;It cannot be true.&mdash;God would
+never allow such a thing to happen.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Loudly</span>] Pharaoh has betrayed us.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_94" title="94"> </a>Other Voices</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Quickly and angrily taking up the cry</span>] Pharaoh
+has betrayed us.&mdash;A curse upon Pharaoh.&mdash;Egypt has
+sworn a peace.&mdash;A curse upon Mizraim.&mdash;The
+Egyptians are traitors.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>I have always said that we should never form an
+alliance with Egypt.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>So did I.&mdash;So did I.&mdash;We all said so.&mdash;Accursèd be
+Pharaoh.&mdash;What will happen to us now?&mdash;Alas for
+Israel.&mdash;My wife.&mdash;My children.&mdash;I warned you what
+would happen.&mdash;So did I.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Man</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Rushing in</span>] To arms! To arms! Close the
+gates, Nebuchadnezzar and his hordes are at hand.
+The advance guard has already reached Hebron.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Hebron did he say?&mdash;To arms!&mdash;Nay, peace, peace!
+Let us march out against him.&mdash;All is lost.&mdash;From the
+very first I told you what would happen.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">One of the Crowd</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Pointing to <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> who leans brokenly against
+a pillar, his face hidden</span>] Look, there is the man.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_95" title="95"> </a>Voices</p>
+
+<p>What?&mdash;Who?&mdash;What do you mean?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Same Man</p>
+
+<p>It is his doing. He summoned them. He announced
+the coming of the messenger. His curse has
+fallen upon us.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Who?&mdash;Jeremiah!&mdash;Who is it?&mdash;It is Jeremiah, he
+has cursed us.&mdash;It is indeed his doing.&mdash;He prayed for
+Nebuchadnezzar&rsquo;s victory.&mdash;He is sold to the enemy.&mdash;Tear
+him to pieces.&mdash;Touch him not; he foretold what
+would happen; he is a true prophet.&mdash;He has been
+bribed.&mdash;See how he stands there brooding.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Same Man</p>
+
+<p>He hides his face lest we should see his laughter.
+But he makes merry too soon. Zion still stands;
+Jerusalem shall endure for ever.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">A herald comes hastily from the palace</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>A herald.&mdash;A messenger from the king.&mdash;Silence.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The crowd gathers round the steps to hear the
+herald&rsquo;s announcement</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Herald</p>
+
+<p>A message from the king! The enemy is about to
+attack Jerusalem. The Chaldeans are at the gates.
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_96" title="96"> </a>
+Let every man able to bear arms make ready to fight;
+women must fashion arrows. All that are sick and
+weakly must leave the city. Let every man store
+what food he may in his house lest hunger overcome
+us. For our walls can withstand attack; Baal can
+do naught against Jehovah, nor can Ashur prevail
+against Zion.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>True, true.&mdash;We will make ready.&mdash;God is on our
+side.&mdash;To arms!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Herald</p>
+
+<p>Let none hold back; let none be faint-hearted. Who
+speaks of fear, him shall ye put to the sword; who
+talks of flight, him shall ye chase beyond the walls.
+Ye may not gather in the streets; each shall keep his
+own house, ready for the fight. Up, Israel! Gather
+your forces, fearing nothing, for Jerusalem endureth
+for ever!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Again in tumult</span>] Jerusalem endureth for ever.&mdash;To
+arms.&mdash;I must fetch my sword.&mdash;Up, against
+Ashur.&mdash;Let us take heart.&mdash;To the walls.&mdash;We shall
+break them.&mdash;Jerusalem endureth for ever.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The crowd disperses in confusion, so that the square
+is rapidly emptied, and the noise is followed by silence.
+<span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> slowly draws himself up, and, still hiding
+his face, ascends the steps of the temple. <span class="speaker">Baruch</span>
+follows him</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Whither away, master? Do not leave your faithful
+disciple.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_97" title="97"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>I must go alone to seek light from the Lord. He
+made me deliver a sign before the people. Nevertheless,
+Baruch, I cannot believe that the faces in my
+ghastly visions are truly from God. Would that I
+could feel assured they are all illusion, and not the
+message of God&rsquo;s spirit. Woe indeed if I be chosen
+as revealer and if my dreams be true.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>You are chosen, master. It has been made plain to
+me in this hour. The sign came to you from God.
+The spirit and the power of the prophets are upon you.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Still mounting the steps, flees before him, repelling
+<span class="speaker">Baruch</span> with his hands</span>] Say not that I am chosen.
+Tempt me not! For Israel&rsquo;s sake, for Jerusalem&rsquo;s
+sake, it is impossible that my words can be true. Far
+better for me to bear the laughter and the scorn of the
+people, than that this message of terror should be fulfilled.
+Rather let me be proved liar and fool, than
+the prophet of such a truth. May I be thy victim
+Lord, and not this city. Let me disappear into the
+darkness of oblivion, if thy towers may still shine, O
+Jerusalem. May my words vanish like smoke, so
+long as thou endurest, eternal city. God forget me,
+if he will but remember thee. I will kneel before his
+altar praying him to give me the lie; I will beseech
+him to prove my message false. Pray with me,
+Baruch, that I be known for a liar in Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p><a class="pagenum" name="Page_98" title="98"> </a>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span>, humbly bending his head, goes up the
+last steps into the porch of pillars of the temple.
+Without moving, <span class="speaker">Baruch</span> gazes after him until he
+disappears</span>]</p>
+
+<h2><a class="pagenum" name="Page_99" title="99"> </a>THE WATCH ON THE RAMPARTS</h2>
+
+<p class="scene-heading"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_101" title="101"> </a><a name="Scene_4">SCENE FOUR</a></p>
+
+<p>Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:
+&hellip; When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people
+of the land take a man from among them, and set him
+for their watchman, &hellip; if the watchman see the
+sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people
+be not warned, and the sword come, and take any
+person from among them, &hellip; his blood will I require
+at the watchman&rsquo;s hand. <span class="small-caps">Ezekiel</span>&nbsp;XXXIII, 1&ndash;6.</p>
+
+<p class="scene-heading"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_103" title="103"> </a>SCENE FOUR</p>
+
+<div class="scene-description">
+<p>On the ramparts of Jerusalem. The walls, of hewn
+stone, surround the town. In the background is the
+starry sky, and faint in the distance the valley with
+hazy outlines and lights twinkling here and there.
+The masonry shines in the moonlight. On the wall
+two sentries march up and down. Their faces are
+shadowed by their helmets; their spears gleam as they
+move. Though the hour is late and midnight approaches,
+a few civilians have ventured on to the wall
+and are looking out into the distance.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Woman</p>
+
+<p>It is bedtime. You will see the wretches soon
+enough in the morning. Do come home; this may be
+our last quiet night.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Man</p>
+
+<p>How can one sleep when the enemy is arrayed
+against us? My heart has been heavier than lead
+since I have been standing here; and yet I cannot leave.
+It seems as if I were forced to remain in the flood
+which is rising to overwhelm us. Last night and
+to-day the horsemen have been streaming across the
+plain. Again and again we thought that all must have
+come, but still there came more and yet more, as if
+whole countries had been emptied like sacks of grain;
+while the spears were as the stalks of the corn in
+number.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_104" title="104"> </a>Another</p>
+
+<p>Already have they pitched their tents, so that a white
+forest now stands in the valley.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Third</p>
+
+<p>Alas, they are settling down for the siege.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Fourth</p>
+
+<p>They must have come with the speed of the wind.
+Yesterday they were still at Bethel, and to-day they
+have already encircled Zion.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The First Man</p>
+
+<p>Terrible is the might of Ashur. God help us all.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Woman</p>
+
+<p>Look at the glow in the north, like a pillar rising
+heavenward.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Man</p>
+
+<p>That is where Samaria lies.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Third Man</p>
+
+<p>&rsquo;Tis a pillar of fire that rises heavenward. Samaria
+has fallen.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Alas!&mdash;It is not possible.&mdash;Samaria is a strong
+fortress, within a triple wall.&mdash;Nay, it is certainly
+Samaria.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_105" title="105"> </a>A Voice</p>
+
+<p>Look there to the east, another pillar of fire. That
+must be Gilgal.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Another Voice</p>
+
+<p>They are ravaging the countryside like a hurricane.
+Fierce is the wrath of Ashur.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Another Voice</p>
+
+<p>Never should we have entered into a struggle with
+such as they.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Who began it?&mdash;Not we.&mdash;Not I.&mdash;It was the king.&mdash;It
+was the priests.&mdash;We wanted to live at peace with
+them.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>Egypt lured us on, and then betrayed us.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Yes, it was Egypt.&mdash;It was Pharaoh.&mdash;A curse upon
+Pharaoh.&mdash;The Egyptians have sold us to the enemy,
+have abandoned us to our misery.&mdash;Where are the fifty
+thousand bowmen they promised? We are alone.&mdash;All
+is lost.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Another Voice</p>
+
+<p>Woe, Jerusalem, Jerusalem. Thou art given over
+to thine enemies, and those who hate thee are showing
+their teeth.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_106" title="106"> </a>First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Fiercely interrupting</span>] Away with you! Why are
+you loitering on the walls? Home to your wives, and
+to bed. We stand guard for you.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Man</p>
+
+<p>We want to see&nbsp;&hellip;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>There is nothing to see. You have been clamoring
+for Ashur, and now Ashur has come. Leave it to us
+men-at-arms to chase them home again. For yourselves,
+go sleep, or pray if you cannot sleep.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Man</p>
+
+<p>But tell us&nbsp;&hellip;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>Naught to tell. There has been too much talking
+already; the time has come for blows. Away, away!</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The two sentries roughly clear the loiterers from
+the wall. The crowd disappears in the darkness down
+the steps leading from the wall into the shadow. When
+all have gone, quiet reigns. In the white moonlight
+the sentries stand like figures of brass</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>They give way to despair at the first gleam of an
+enemy&rsquo;s spear. They must not be allowed to talk like
+that.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_107" title="107"> </a>Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>One who is afraid and cannot master his fear must
+perforce speak. It is of no use, and yet it gives relief.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>Let them sleep, not chatter.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>Sleep is not man&rsquo;s servant. Vainly do we summon
+sleep to a couch of sorrow. To-night many hold vigil
+and look forth into the moonlight.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>In any case, those alone should speak who wear a
+sword. We stand guard for all.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The two sentries are silent for a while, marching
+to and fro</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Stands and listens</span>] Do you hear?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>What?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>The sound is very faint, but the breeze bears it to
+us. When I was in Joppa, for the first time I heard
+in the night the distant murmur of the waves. Such a
+sound rises now from the plain. They are there in
+their thousands, moving quietly, but the air is stirred
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_108" title="108"> </a>
+by the rolling wheels and the clashing arms. A whole
+nation must be afoot, falling upon Israel. The noise
+echoes from our walls like the noise of the sea.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Obdurately</span>] I refuse to hear anything but my
+orders. I care not what wheels roll, or noises stir.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>Why does God hurl the nations against one another?
+There is room for all beneath the skies. There is still
+plenty of land unploughed; many forests still await
+the axe. Yet men turn their ploughshares into swords,
+and hew living flesh with their axes. I cannot understand,
+I cannot understand.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>It has always been so.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>But must it always be so? Why does God wish the
+nations to fight?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>The nations want war for its own sake.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>What are nations? Are not you one of our nation,
+am not I another? Are not our wives, your wife and
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_109" title="109"> </a>
+mine, part of this same people? Did any of us want
+war? I stand here armed with a spear, not knowing
+against whom it is to be turned. Down there in the
+darkness, unwitting, waits the man for whom it is
+destined. I know him not, have never seen his face,
+or the breast I must pierce with death. In the enemy&rsquo;s
+camp another perchance warms his hands at the camp
+fire, the man who is to kill the father of my children.
+He has never seen me, and I have never done him
+harm. We are strangers, like trees in the forest. They
+grow quietly and bear their blossoms. But we rage
+furiously one against the other with axe and with
+spear, until our blood runs like resin, and therewith
+the life oozes forth. What puts death between the
+nations? What is it which sows hatred when there is
+room and to spare for life, and when there is abundant
+scope for love? I cannot understand, I cannot understand!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>These things must be God&rsquo;s will, for they have
+always happened. I question no further.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>This crime cannot be God&rsquo;s will. He has given us
+our lives that we may live them. Everything that men
+do not understand they describe as God&rsquo;s will. War
+does not come from God. Whence comes it then?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>How can I tell whence it comes? I know that there
+is war, and that it is useless to chatter about it. I do
+my duty; sharpen my spear, not my tongue.</p>
+
+<p><a class="pagenum" name="Page_110" title="110"> </a>[<span class="stage-direction">For a time they are silent once more, gazing out
+into the white stillness. From a great distance come the
+words of the challenge &ldquo;<em>Samson guard us</em>,&rdquo; scarcely
+audible at first. Then the sound grows louder, still
+coming from unseen sentries. At length the words
+&ldquo;<em>Samson guard us</em>,&rdquo; loud and clear from the next
+post. Our two sentries take up the challenge, and it
+is heard with diminishing loudness as it passes on round
+the wall. Again all is still. The two sentries stand
+silent in the moonlight, their faces shadowed by their
+helmets</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>Know you aught of the Chaldeans?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>I know that they are our enemies, that they are
+attacking our homes.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>I am not thinking about that. Have you ever seen
+any of them close at hand; do you know their customs
+and their country?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>I have been told that they are cruel as wild cats and
+venomous as serpents. It is said that they sacrifice their
+children to idols of copper and lead. But I have never
+set eyes on a Chaldean.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>Nor I. Too many mountains tower skyward between
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_111" title="111"> </a>
+Jerusalem and Babylon; there are rivers to cross, and
+more country than a man can march over in many weeks.
+The very stars in the sky are different, and yet the men
+of Ashur are arrayed against us and we against them.
+What do they covet from us? If I were to question
+one of them, all he could tell me would doubtless be
+that in his house as in mine are wife and children lying
+upon straw. I believe if I could talk things over with
+such a man we should understand one another well
+enough. Often I feel that I should like to summon
+one of them, to hold out a friendly hand, so that we
+could have a heart to heart talk.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>You must not do that.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>Wherefore not?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>They are our enemies and it is our duty to hate them.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>Why should I hate them if my heart knows no reason
+for hatred?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>They began the war; they were the aggressors.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>Yes, that is what we say in Jerusalem. In Babylon,
+perchance, they tell another story. If we could talk
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_112" title="112"> </a>
+things over with them, we might get some light on the
+question.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>You must not talk with them. Our duty is to strike
+them down. Such are our orders, and we must obey.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>My reason tells me that I must not converse with
+them, but in my soul I feel that I must. Whom do we
+serve by compassing their death?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>What a question, simpleton! We serve God, and the
+king our master.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>But God said, and it is written: &ldquo;Thou shalt not
+kill&rdquo;. Mayhap, if I were to take my sword and cast it
+from me, I should serve God better than by slaying an
+enemy.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>But it is likewise written: &ldquo;Eye for eye, tooth for
+tooth&rdquo;.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Sighs</span>] Many things are written. Who can understand
+them all?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>This is idle dreaming. The Chaldeans have invested
+our town; they wish to burn our houses; I stand here
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_113" title="113"> </a>
+with sword and spear, and will do my utmost to prevent
+them. Too much knowledge is unwholesome. I
+know all I want to know.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>Yet I cannot but ask myself&nbsp;&hellip;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Stubbornly</span>] You should not ask so many questions.
+A soldier&rsquo;s business is to fight, not to reason why.
+You ponder overmuch, instead of doing your duty
+unquestioningly.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>How can a man help questioning himself? How
+can he be other than uneasy, at such an hour? Do I
+know where I am, or how long I have still to stand on
+guard? This darkness beneath the wall, where the
+masonry is crumbling, will perhaps be my grave
+to-morrow. Maybe the wind which now caresses my
+cheek will not find me here in the morning. But can
+I fail, while I live, to ask the meaning of life? The
+flame flickers until the torch goes out. How can life
+do other than question until it is quenched by death?
+Maybe death is already within me; perchance the questioner
+is no longer life, but death.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>You brood and brood. You are only tormenting
+yourself to no purpose.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_114" title="114"> </a>Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>God has given us a heart precisely that it may torment
+us.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>What is the use of talking about it? We are on
+guard here. That&rsquo;s enough for me.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>Talking helps to keep us awake, and only the stars
+hear our words.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Both are again silent for a time</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>Who goes there? Someone is moving in the
+darkness.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>More busybodies. Why cannot they stay in bed?
+Send them home.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>No! Let them talk while we stay in the shadow.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>You are a strange fellow. I shall continue my round.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The two sentries pass into the shadow of the tower
+on the wall, their figures disappearing in the darkness.
+The gleam of their spears is still seen from time to
+time.&mdash;<span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> and <span class="speaker">Baruch</span> ascend out of the darkness
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_115" title="115"> </a>
+of the stairway and advance to the battlements,
+<span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> hastening on in front, while <span class="speaker">Baruch</span>, who
+does not share the prophet&rsquo;s excitement, lags in the rear.
+The second sentry stands unnoticed in the shadow of
+the tower</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Whither are you leading me, master?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>On, on! I must look Terror in the face. [<span class="stage-direction">He
+gazes down into the valley, standing motionless and
+silent</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>What are you staring at?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Still gazing</span>] The king has come, the king from
+the north. [<span class="stage-direction">He seizes <span class="speaker">Baruch&rsquo;s</span> sleeve</span>] Come closer,
+Baruch! Touch my hand that I may know whether I
+wake or sleep. Are my eyes open? Is this wall builded
+of stones or of tears? Does Jerusalem lie behind us
+unheeding in the darkness? Are the forces of Ashur
+couched in the plain beneath? Tell me, Baruch, convince
+me that I am dreaming. Shake me till I awake,
+to laugh at my mad fancy that Zion is encircled by the
+Chaldeans.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>What do you mean, master? I don&rsquo;t understand.
+How can you doubt?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_116" title="116"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Alas, it is true, then. I am not dreaming now. The
+horses are there and the chariots; Ashur is arrayed
+against Zion; the vision is fulfilled. All these miseries
+spring from my dreams, for they existed in me before
+they were in the world of reality. I alone knew, before
+ever God&rsquo;s words became deeds. In me they arose;
+through me they came. Yet naught can I do to hinder
+their flow; nor by sword nor by shield can I stay their
+progress.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Master, you talk at random. Speak in words that
+I can believe and understand.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Words that you can believe? But Baruch will you
+believe the words that I have to say to you at this hour
+beneath the stars? I fear you will deny me, will laugh
+at me, for what I would fain say will sound like nonsense
+in your ears.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Faith in you is my very life.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Hearken, then. [<span class="stage-direction">He speaks low and impressively</span>]
+All that is now happening, I have beheld in my dreams
+for months past. Not a star shines in heaven which I
+have not seen above this wall and above God&rsquo;s temple.
+I have looked down upon the multitude of the foe,
+upon their myriad tents. Baruch, do you hear me?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_117" title="117"> </a>Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Shuddering</span>] I hear, I hear.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Why was all this made plain to me before the day?
+It cannot be against God&rsquo;s will that he should disclose
+his plans to me, should vouchsafe me visions of the
+future. Nor can I rebel; nor can I be silent; though
+in truth for long I refused the summons, and stopped
+my ears to the call. But now, when I see in the real
+world what has again and again been revealed to me
+in dreams, for the first time do I feel assured that God
+speaks through me. I say to you, Baruch, that I am
+the chosen of the Lord. Woe unto me should I conceal
+my forebodings from the people and from the king.
+For this is no more than the beginning, and I know
+the end.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Reveal it, chosen one. Cry your words aloud.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Baruch, do you see the camp and the tents; do you
+see this sleeping ocean surging down from the north?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Shuddering</span>] I see the enemy; I see the tents.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>You see the night, sleep, and the false quiet of
+repose. But in my ears the trumpets blare and the arms
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_118" title="118"> </a>
+clash as the Chaldeans arise and storm the city. The
+walls whereon our feet are now planted, crumble at
+their onslaught; the cries of the fugitives ring in my
+ears. The brazen flood foams over us. I hear the
+beating of Death&rsquo;s wings o&rsquo;er city and walls; I see the
+destruction of Zion. Baruch, waking I see it, for God
+hath opened an eye within the darkness of my body;
+my heart maketh a noise in me; my soul hath heard the
+sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Why sleep
+they still? Time is it they should wake, ere their sleep
+pass into death. Verily the hour is come to awaken
+Jerusalem!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Stirred by his words</span>] Yea, yea, Jeremiah, awaken
+Jerusalem!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">More and more carried away</span>]</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">O foolish people, afflicted town,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">How, ah how, can you sleep at peace<br/></div>
+<div class="line">When Death&rsquo;s cold winding sheet is spread<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Beneath you where you lie.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">O foolish people, afflicted town,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">How can you rest when thunder rages?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">How can you drowse,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Lost in dreams,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">When Ashur&rsquo;s rams<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Are battering the gates?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Who shall waken the fools? Who make the deaf hear?<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Ecstatically</span>] You, master. Cry aloud. Awaken
+them. Save them from the jaws of death.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_119" title="119"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Awaken, awaken, up and away!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The land is afire, the foe holds the town!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Flee ere his wrath wholly consume you,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Flee from the sword, flee from the flames,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Leave your possessions, abandon your homes,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Gather your households, your women and children;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Ere he can seize you take refuge in flight.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Up and away!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The land is afire, the foe holds the town!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Up and away!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Coming forward from the shadows</span>] Who shouts
+here? You will waken the sleepers.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Oh that I could awaken them. Up, Jerusalem,
+awake! City of God, save thyself.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>You are drunk. Go home to sleep.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Stepping between</span>] Touch him not.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>I must not sleep. No one must sleep. I am the
+watchman. Woe to him who hinders me.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_120" title="120"> </a>Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Taking him by the shoulder</span>] You must be moonstruck
+to think yourself watchman. I am the watchman.
+Away with you.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Touch him not, the chosen of the Lord, the prophet.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Loosing <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span></span>] Are you Hananiah, the
+prophet of God?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>It is Jeremiah the prophet.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>Jeremiah, who leads the people astray? <ins title="Jeremiah">Jeremiah,</ins>
+who cried through the street that Ashur would prevail?
+Have you come hither to gloat over the fulfilment of
+your vision? Too soon, faint-heart, too soon; and yet
+in an apt moment, prophet of evil, to feel the weight
+of my anger. I will reveal you something.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Struggling with the sentry</span>] Hands off, touch him
+not.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Entering hurriedly</span>] The king is coming. Zedekiah
+goes the rounds. Clear away the people.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_121" title="121"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>The king! God be praised! His meaning is plain.
+The Lord sends him to my hand.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>Away chatterer, away.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>Down with you. Away. Creep down there and
+keep quiet, or you shall rue it.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>Here comes the king.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> and <span class="speaker">Baruch</span> are hustled from the wall
+and disappear into the dark. The two sentries stand
+at the extreme edge of the ramparts to leave room for
+the king and his train to pass. When <span class="speaker">Zedekiah</span> enters
+they clash spears on shields in salute and then stand to
+attention. <span class="speaker">Zedekiah</span> is making the rounds, accompanied
+by <span class="speaker">Abimelech</span> 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</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>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
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_122" title="122"> </a>
+as the herbage rises after rain; stillness will be replaced
+by the screams of death. This is perchance the last
+night of peaceful slumber.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>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 <ins title="ever">ever.</ins></p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Others</p>
+
+<p>Jerusalem endureth for ever.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Voice of Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">From the darkness</span>] 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&rsquo;s sword is brandished over
+your heads.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">On the alert</span>] Who speaks? Who speaks?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Who speaks?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_123" title="123"> </a>The Voice of Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>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!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Shrinking with alarm, and then recovering himself</span>]
+Who speaks?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>A madman, Lord; he is moonstruck.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Close his mouth.&mdash;Away with him.&mdash;He is mad.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The two sentries hasten away into the darkness</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>Suffer not thyself to be misled, Lord. Many in the
+city have been bought with Chaldean gold.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_124" title="124"> </a>Others</p>
+
+<p>Heed him not.&mdash;Hurl him from the wall.&mdash;Hold no
+converse with a coward.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> and <span class="speaker">Baruch</span> are brought into the light
+by the sentries, and <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> is thrust forward to the
+king</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Sentry</p>
+
+<p>This is he who spoke the words of shame. He was
+railing in like fashion, Lord, just before thou camest.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>There has been talk of one going up and down the
+city and foretelling disaster to the people. Is this the
+man?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>It is he.&mdash;Jeremiah.&mdash;Curses light on him.&mdash;He
+foretells disaster.&mdash;Poisons men&rsquo;s hearts.&mdash;Bears false
+witness.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Nay, he is God&rsquo;s messenger and utters words of
+truth. I testify for him.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Who are you to testify?&mdash;You are no more than a
+boy.&mdash;Heed him not.&mdash;Such vipers should be crushed.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Silence. Take the young man away, for I need no
+testimony.</p>
+
+<p><a class="pagenum" name="Page_125" title="125"> </a>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Baruch</span> is pushed back into the shadows</span>]</p>
+
+<p>Draw nearer, Jeremiah. Art thou he who leadest
+Israel astray?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Israel is verily astray, but not by my leadership.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>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?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Yea, Lord, it was I.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>God&rsquo;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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">To <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span></span>] What make you here on the wall
+at night? Would you go over to the Chaldeans? [<span class="stage-direction">To
+the king</span>] Have him seized, for his behavior is suspicious.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_126" title="126"> </a>A Voice</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">In alarm</span>] My mother is dying?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>He is a traitor.&mdash;Heed him not.&mdash;Cast him into
+prison.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Nay, Lord, but thou canst.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Wrathfully</span>] 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?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_127" title="127"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>The issue is in thy hands, for thou art the king.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>It is too late to talk of peace.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>It is never too late to talk of peace.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Still more angrily</span>] Thy words are the words of
+folly.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>I seek Nebuchadnezzar, my foe?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Send envoys, while there is yet time to save
+Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Why should I be the one to propose a parley?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_128" title="128"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Blessed is he who first holds out his hand for peace.
+Blessed is the king who spares the blood of his people.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>What if I were to offer my hand, only to find the
+offer rejected?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Blessed are they who are rejected for justice&rsquo; sake,
+for they are men after God&rsquo;s heart.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>I tell thee that the very children would mock me,
+and the women would laugh at me in my shame.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>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&rsquo;s will, though fools laugh. Thou hast raised
+thy head against Ashur. Humble thyself now before
+him.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Humble myself?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Humble thyself, anointed of the Lord, for the sake
+of Jerusalem. Open the gates, open thy heart, thus
+only canst thou save the city.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_129" title="129"> </a>Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>With the sword will I save Jerusalem, at the hazard
+of my life, but not of my honor. Thou knowest not
+what thou askest.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Of thee I demand the hardest of duties, as is befitting
+for the Lord&rsquo;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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Away with thee, away! I will humble myself before
+no man on earth.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Springing impetuously to his feet</span>] 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&rsquo;s mercy,
+even as thou hast forgotten Jerusalem. A curse be
+upon thee, murderer of Zion.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>Throw him from the wall!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>He has slandered the king.&mdash;Throw him from the
+wall.</p>
+
+<p><a class="pagenum" name="Page_130" title="130"> </a>[<span class="stage-direction">The members of the king&rsquo;s train close in on
+<span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span></span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Who has yielded ground as if attacked by an unseen
+enemy, recovering himself</span>] Desist! Harm him not.
+Think ye that the curse of a fool can affright me, or
+an impudent word unman me? [<span class="stage-direction">A pause</span>] Nevertheless,
+the rumor is true, and this man&rsquo;s speech is full
+of danger. Like a ram do his words batter at men&rsquo;s
+hearts. No longer must such a liar speak freely to the
+people, endeavoring to spread dismay among our
+warriors.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>He should be put to death. Unworthy to live is the
+man who has lost faith in God.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Stone the hireling.&mdash;He would sell the town to the
+Chaldeans.&mdash;He prays for our defeat.&mdash;Slay him.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Death is over Jerusalem. Death&rsquo;s hand is upon us
+all. Naught but surrender can save us.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_131" title="131"> </a>Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Away then, and surrender. Save thine own life.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> stares at him in bewilderment</span>]</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>Too gentle, O king, in thy dealings with this
+slanderer.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> struggles for speech</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>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&rsquo;s words! Jerusalem
+endureth for ever!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Others</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Shouting</span>] Jerusalem endureth for ever.&mdash;God&rsquo;s
+house shall never pass away.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Haste, haste to Ashur. I give thee free permission.
+Leave us to our deaths; and for thy part, crawl to
+safety.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_132" title="132"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Controlling himself</span>] I will not forsake Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Didst thou not even now assure us that death was
+hanging over Zion? Flee, that thou at least save thyself
+alive.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>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&rsquo;s walls fall, I
+will fall with them.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>I have warned thee, Jeremiah, as thou warnedst me.
+Henceforth thy life is in thine own charge. [<span class="stage-direction">To the
+others</span>] 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. [<span class="stage-direction">To <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span></span>] 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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Motionless, his voice unsteady</span>] Not myself would
+I guard, but Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Returning to the outer edge of the wall</span>] Still
+they come! Still they come! The noise of their
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_133" title="133"> </a>
+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! [<span class="stage-direction">Breathes deeply</span>] God
+save Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker"><ins title="Zekediah">Zedekiah</ins></span> turns away, and slowly resumes the
+round, plunged in thought. He is followed by
+<span class="speaker">Abimelech</span> and the other members of the train. The
+two sentries move after them out of sight</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Rushing forward from the shadow</span>] Quick, quick!
+Hasten after him. The spirit of God is upon you.
+Hasten that you may compel him.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Awakening as from a trance</span>] Compel whom?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>The king. Let your words be like flame. Save
+Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>The king? [<span class="stage-direction">He looks round horror-stricken upon
+the deserted wall</span>] Lost, lost the sacred hour. My
+hasty tongue has ruined all.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Try once again and you will overcome him. Already
+he was yielding.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_134" title="134"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Too late, too late. Why did God choose a weakling?
+Why did he put words of gall into my mouth?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Do not torment yourself, master. Your sufferings
+confuse your mind.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>I believe you. I will not forsake you. You are
+great. I cleave to you for your very sorrow.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Praise me not. My soul burns with shame. What
+have I done that shall profit Jerusalem? Have I
+softened the king&rsquo;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?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>You seek an envoy from Nebuchadnezzar to our
+king?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_135" title="135"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Will Nebuchadnezzar be readier to parley than Zedekiah?
+Kings are like boys, each waiting for the other
+to begin.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Ardently</span>] Jeremiah, your words bear fruit in my
+soul.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>What mean you?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Whither will you go?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Farewell, master. Your blessing should I succeed.
+Spare me your curse should I fail. For Jerusalem!
+[<span class="stage-direction">He begins to climb down the wall</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>But Baruch, whither are you going?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>By your road. Farewell. [<span class="stage-direction">He disappears over the
+parapet</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_136" title="136"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Leaning forward</span>] 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!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Running in</span>] Who calls there in the night? What
+is afoot?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Standing up</span>] I call, I call; but no one heeds me.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>Still you, is it? What are you doing here? I
+thought I saw a shadow pass down the wall. Are you
+alone?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>I am alone! I am alone!</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Slowly, with heavy steps, <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> 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: &ldquo;<em>Samson guard us</em>&rdquo;, &ldquo;<em>Samson
+guard us</em>&rdquo;, begins to pass once more round the walls</span>]</p>
+
+<h2><a class="pagenum" name="Page_137" title="137"> </a>THE PROPHET&rsquo;S ORDEAL</h2>
+
+<p class="scene-heading"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_139" title="139"> </a><a name="Scene_5">SCENE FIVE</a></p>
+
+<p>Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put
+him to grief. <span class="small-caps">Isaiah</span>&nbsp;LIII, 10.</p>
+
+<p class="scene-heading"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_141" title="141"> </a>SCENE FIVE</p>
+
+<div class="scene-description">
+<p>The small bed-chamber where <span class="speaker">Jeremiah&rsquo;s Mother</span>
+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 <span class="speaker">Ahab</span>, the elderly
+servingman.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jochebed</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">A female relative, coming from without, <ins title="cautionsly">cautiously</ins>
+draws aside the curtain over the doorway</span>] Ahab!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>Speak low! Tread softly! Her sleep is light as
+thistle-down. A breath will scatter it.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jochebed</p>
+
+<p>Well for one who can still sleep, when the gates of
+the city are being assailed.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>Not a word of the matter. Not a word of the
+enemy. As you love her, spare her.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jochebed</p>
+
+<p>What do you mean? What must I not speak of?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_142" title="142"> </a>Ahab</p>
+
+<p>Not a word of our troubles. She knows naught of
+Jerusalem&rsquo;s evil plight.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jochebed</p>
+
+<p>I don&rsquo;t understand. She does not know that the
+town is besieged?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>Why should we tell her what is impending? The
+very thought would kill her.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jochebed</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Greatly astonished</span>] 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?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jochebed</p>
+
+<p>She knows nothing? Wonderful, and yet horrible.
+Has she no suspicion?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_143" title="143"> </a>Ahab</p>
+
+<p>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&rsquo;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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jochebed</p>
+
+<p>&rsquo;Tis wondrous strange. But what has thus confused
+her?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>In her sickness she craves for her son.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jochebed</p>
+
+<p>Jeremiah, the madman! The zealot of the streets.
+She herself drove him from the house.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_144" title="144"> </a>Jochebed</p>
+
+<p>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?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>He knows naught of her longing. No less proud
+is he than she, and he will never cross the threshold
+until he is summoned.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jochebed</p>
+
+<p>Summon him then.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>How dare I without her command? I am but a
+servingman. How can I act upon words which she
+mutters unwitting?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jochebed</p>
+
+<p>You may and you must, since her life is at stake.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>Do you believe I should do rightly to summon
+Jeremiah without awaiting her command?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jochebed</p>
+
+<p>By God&rsquo;s mercy I believe it. Thus will you save
+her alive.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_145" title="145"> </a>Ahab</p>
+
+<p>God be praised, Jochebed. In my sore need I have
+already done what you wish.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jochebed</p>
+
+<p>A blessing on you therefor!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>I have sent my boys seeking him.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jochebed</p>
+
+<p>If they can but find him. Lacking him, she will die
+of mingled pride and longing.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>Truly, since she drove him forth, she has been
+unceasingly at war with herself.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jochebed</p>
+
+<p>Who is at peace in this stormy time?</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The mother wakens with a sigh</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jochebed</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Speaking softly to <span class="speaker">Ahab</span></span>] Ahab, she stirs, she is
+waking. Her eyes are still closed, but her lips move
+as if to speak.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Ahab</span> bends over the sick woman</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_146" title="146"> </a>The Mother</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Speaks with closed eyes, the tones of her voice like
+those of a song heard in the distance</span>] Has he come?
+Is he here? Where is he, the son of my sorrow?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jochebed</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Whispering</span>] How wonderful! For the first time
+she speaks of him plainly.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>Nay, she is still dreaming.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Moves and opens her eyes</span>] Are you there, Ahab?
+Is that you Jochebed? My dreams are dark and
+uneasy.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Tenderly</span>] How do you feel? Have you slept
+well?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>How can I sleep well, when my dreams are so
+dreadful? Where is he? I saw him. Why did he
+go away?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>Whom do you mean?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>Why did he go away? Why did you let him go
+away?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_147" title="147"> </a>Ahab</p>
+
+<p>There has been no one in the room but Jochebed
+and me.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>Not he? Not he? The house is haunted with
+dreams. [<span class="stage-direction">She sits up suddenly in bed, glancing round
+with feverish anxiety</span>] Why do you not summon him?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>Summon whom?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>How can you ask? Can you not see that death&rsquo;s
+hand is upon me? Yet you will not send for him.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>How should I dare&nbsp;&hellip;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>Alas, that I should be immured here, too ill to move,
+tended by blind servants with hearts of stone. Away,
+away.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>But mistress&nbsp;&hellip;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>You have betrayed me. You have forbidden him
+the house. I know he must have come, and you have
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_148" title="148"> </a>
+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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>Hearken, mistress&nbsp;&hellip;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>Woe is me! Away! May you die as I am dying,
+abandoned by your children; may you die in the straw
+like an outcast.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>Let me say a word&nbsp;&hellip;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>One word only will I listen to, that he is coming,
+that he is here.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>That is what I would fain tell you. He is coming.
+His footsteps draw nigh.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Rapturously</span>] He is coming, my Jeremiah? Deceive
+me not, Ahab. Cheat not a dying woman.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jochebed</p>
+
+<p>Ahab has already sent his sons to seek out Jeremiah.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_149" title="149"> </a>The Mother</p>
+
+<p>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?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Endeavoring to calm her</span>] Mistress, he will be here
+anon. Early this morning did I send my boys.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">In excitement once more</span>] 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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>Have patience, you will do yourself a harm.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>Not yet is he here, but he will come ere long.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jochebed</p>
+
+<p>He will soon be here. Have patience a while.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_150" title="150"> </a>The Mother</p>
+
+<p>No, no; he is there, but you are keeping him from
+me. My time is short. My limbs are cold&nbsp;&hellip;</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> comes quietly into the doorway, and
+remains standing in doubt, his hands clenched, his head
+bowed as if he were carrying a heavy burden</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>Don&rsquo;t throw yourself about so. He will be here
+anon.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Catching sight of <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span>, he starts and stops
+speaking. <span class="speaker">Jochebed</span> likewise preserves an anxious
+silence. For a few moments no one speaks in the
+darkened room</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Raising herself with difficulty</span>] Why are you both
+silent? [<span class="stage-direction">She suddenly gives a cry of joy</span>] Has he
+come? Is my Jeremiah here? Where are you,
+Jeremiah?</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Hesitatingly, <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> moves forward a few
+steps. He, too, is a prey to strong emotion</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Stretching out her arms towards him</span>] You are
+there, I feel it. Would that I could see you clearly.
+Why come you not close, that I may touch you?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Not moving, his hands still clenched</span>] I dare not, I
+dare not. Disaster dogs my footsteps. Curses go
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_151" title="151"> </a>
+before me. Let me stand thus apart, lest my breath
+harm you, lest it strike terror to your soul.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Feverishly</span>] My child, my arms crave for you.
+Come close, dear, come close. Are my lips so hateful
+to you? Is my hand so estranged?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>I am estranged from myself, and a stranger in this
+house.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>Alas, he repels me, will leave me once more. What
+makes you so cold, so hard-hearted?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>A word burns between us like the sword of the angel
+of God.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>The curse, for which I have cursed myself a thousand
+times? Idle breath was it, and the wind has
+blown it away.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>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&rsquo;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
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_152" title="152"> </a>
+myself leave me. Let me remain in the darkness,
+most accurst of all men.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>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&rsquo;s heart.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Falling to his knees with a groan</span>] Mother, spirit of
+eternal kindness. Mother, you give me back my lost
+world.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">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</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Child of my heart, whom the world thrusts aloof,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Had you but stayed with me, ne&rsquo;er left my roof!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Home now returning, find peace in my arms,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">They hold you once more, son, safe from all harms.<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_153" title="153"> </a><div class="line">Tranquilly cradled, unscathed shall you bide,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Keeping the house, no more ranging wide.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Tenderly stroking your brow and your hair,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I will set your heart free from all sorrow and care,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And the curse which I spoke on that ill-omened day,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Lo, with my hands I have brushed it away!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">[<span class="stage-direction">Awestruck</span>] Oh Mother, how thin your hands have become;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Oh Mother, how wan your cheeks have become.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Your heart is scarce beating; your lips are so pale.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">How can I help you? Can nothing avail?<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">My days have been lonely, my nights have been dreary.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">When you did not return, I grew heart-sick and weary.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Your absence was killing me. Now you are back,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Your coming suffices. Naught more do I lack.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Through the streets did I wander, my heart turned to stone.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Your forgiveness now craving, I fain would atone.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Nightly I dreamed your dreams,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">As I lay in the empty house,<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_154" title="154"> </a><div class="line">Alone and forsaken.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">By day they lurked in the shadows;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">But as night fell,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Stealing forth from dark corners,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Like toads, bats, and owls,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">They crawled and flittered round my temples,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Filling my soul with horror.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Rending and gnawing,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Devouring sleep,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Like vampires did they sap my strength,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">So that the dawning of day<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Found me hag-ridden,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Shattered and broken.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Jeremiah, I adjure you,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Leave me not again.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Jeremiah, I implore you,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Stay with me, stay with me,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For the time is short.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Mother, what mean you?<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Seek not to deceive me.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Think you I know not<br/></div>
+<div class="line">That death draws near?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Even as on a dial<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The shadow rises<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Stage by stage up the wall<br/></div>
+<div class="line">While the sun sinks in the west,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">So, with every breath I draw,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Does darkness rise within me.<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_155" title="155"> </a><div class="line">Woe is me that, still living and aware,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I feel the grip of death&rsquo;s cold hand.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Nay, Mother, God&rsquo;s purpose with us is plain.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">How can you think he will part us anew?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">No more am I froward. Your child once again,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I am sent back by him for a fresh life with you.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Were it otherwise, say to me why should I be<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Unclouded by visions, from dreaming set free?<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Do you dream no longer?<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">My sleep is dreamless; my slumber is mute.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The night-time faces trouble me no more.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">My dreams have become daylight realities.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Revealed in full horror, they stalk &rsquo;neath the sun.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I dream no longer, now the world&rsquo;s awake.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Ecstatically, for she has heeded only the first part of <span class="speaker">Jeremiah&rsquo;s</span> speech</span>]</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Your dreaming is over?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Then joy comes again.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Indeed, I was certain<br/></div>
+<div class="line">That God in his mercy<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Would scatter the darkness<br/></div>
+<div class="line">That clouded your brain.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Recall but my words<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_156" title="156"> </a><div class="line">When we parted in pain:<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Ne&rsquo;er shall an enemy circle our wall,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">David&rsquo;s city be taken, Jerusalem fall.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Though foes from the ends of the earth should rage,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The towering battlements ever shall stand.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Firm Israel&rsquo;s heart, and mighty her hand,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Eternal the days of Jerusalem.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Rises from his knees. He stares blankly as he
+mutters in amaze</span>] Ne&rsquo;er shall &hellip; an enemy
+&hellip; circle &hellip; our wall?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">What sudden fear assails your soul?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">What thought steals color from your cheek?<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Still shuddering</span>] Ne&rsquo;er shall &hellip; an enemy &hellip;
+circle &hellip; our wall?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Jeremiah,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">What has befallen you?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">What has frightened you?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">What has taken you aback?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And you,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Ahab and Jochebed,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Why are you making signs to him?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Jeremiah, I conjure you,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Tell me what is amiss.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_157" title="157"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">There is nothing wrong, Mother, nothing at all.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I was but mazed for a moment,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Startled out of myself by your words.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Nay, nay, it is false.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Your faces, of a sudden, grew dark and careworn;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Now you all turn away, exchange glances, and whisper.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Awesome, indeed, must be the secret you hide.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">It chills me like death;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Like God&rsquo;s wrath it affrights me.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Stammering</span>] Nothing, Mother, we are hiding
+nothing.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Why seek to deceive me? Why hoodwink my eyes?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Not yet am I dead, nor in coffin enclosed.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Life&rsquo;s breath in my lungs,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Life&rsquo;s pulse at my heart,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I can hear, I can speak;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Why then hide ye the truth?<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Mother, you are distraught with fever. Your
+temples are burning, your hands are cold.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_158" title="158"> </a>The Mother</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Why are doors and windows curtained so close?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Why is all so dark and still?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">You stifle me in wrappings,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Bury me in cushions,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Me, who am yet alive.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Tell me, tell me why.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Mother, calm yourself. Take my hands. I am
+here beside you.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">I live, I live; I say to you that I live.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">No longer shall you deceive me.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Fearful is my awakening.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Too well do I know the truth,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">That my dreams were not dreams but realities.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Again and again did I hear<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The rolling of the chariots,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The trampling of the chargers,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The clashing of the weapons,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The singing of the hosannas.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Muffled were the sounds,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">As they reached me in this darkened room;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And I fancied all was a dream.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Yet now I am awake,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Horribly awake.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Death has forced open my lids.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I know<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Why you have shut away light and sound.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Disaster assails the city, has entered the gates.<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_159" title="159"> </a><div class="line">We are besieged, we are lost.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Woe is me, there is war in Israel!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Mother, Mother!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Jeremiah, speak!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Tell me,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Is he come,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">He whose advent you foretold,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The king of kings from the north?<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Mother, you are dreaming.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jochebed</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Whispering</span>] Lie to her! For her life&rsquo;s sake, lie
+to her!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">[<span class="stage-direction">In delirium</span>] Alas, hear the trumpets<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Sounding the onslaught!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">He comes in his panoply,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The king from the north.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">War is upon us.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">They swarm to attack.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The ramparts are crumbling,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The gates broken down.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The city is lost,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The temple destroyed.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I am crushed in the ruins,<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_160" title="160"> </a><div class="line">I burn in my bed.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Save me, oh save me,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Jeremiah, save me,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Carry me forth!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">[<span class="stage-direction">Kneels beside her</span>] Mother, an evil fancy<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Enthrals your mind.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Mother, hearken.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">I hold your hands.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Swear to me, swear,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">That it is not true.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Swear to me, swear,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">That no danger threatens Israel.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Swear to me, swear,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">That no enemy shall disturb my last rest,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">That my burial place shall be Zion.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>So shall it be. God will be gracious to us in death
+as in life.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Jeremiah,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Do I wander in mind?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Is the foe at the gates?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Or is our world filled with peace?<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> struggles vainly for words</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_161" title="161"> </a>Ahab</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">[<span class="stage-direction">Breaking in on his hesitation</span>] Deceive her, speak ere she passes.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Can you not see<br/></div>
+<div class="line">How the darkness shadows her face,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">As the angel of death hovers nigh?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Speak, and chase the terror from her soul.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jochebed</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Speak, or it will be too late.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">A word, only one word,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">So that she may die in peace.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">[<span class="stage-direction">Still struggling with contending passions</span>] I cannot, I cannot.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">There is one grips my throat,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Holds my soul in his grasp.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">He is silent.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">It must then be true<br/></div>
+<div class="line">That God has smitten his own people:<br/></div>
+<div class="line">May the day perish wherein I was born!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Alas, the darkness gains on me.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Fire ravages the land.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I burn. Bear me forth.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Interrupting, to <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span></span>] A word, only one
+word.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_162" title="162"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">[<span class="stage-direction">Choking, as if strangled</span>] No such word can I utter.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">God&rsquo;s hand grips my throat;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">God&rsquo;s hand grasps my soul.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Ah, cruel one, free me&nbsp;&hellip;<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Mother</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">[<span class="stage-direction">With a wild cry</span>] Lost, all is lost.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I burn.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The city &hellip; the temple &hellip; God falls.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">God has fallen!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The flames of Gehenna strike home to my heart.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Jerusalem!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">She collapses suddenly. There is silence</span>]</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Ahab</span> and <span class="speaker">Jochebed</span> move in alarm to the bedside
+and bend over the dead woman</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">His voice bursting forth as when a fountain is unsealed</span>]</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">It is false!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I lied, I lied!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Eternal the days of Jerusalem.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Ne&rsquo;er shall an enemy circle our wall,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">David&rsquo;s city be taken, Jerusalem fall.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">O Mother, once again give ear.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I swear it, look you, I solemnly swear,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Eternal the days of Jerusalem!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">[<span class="stage-direction">Fiercely</span>] Away!<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_163" title="163"> </a><div class="line">Your oaths will not waken her!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Leave her in peace!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">She must hear me before &rsquo;tis too late.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">[<span class="stage-direction">Bitterly</span>] As you say, &rsquo;tis too late.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Away from the room.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Your cries will not waken her,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Nor your lies break her sleep.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">While she lived you were silent,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Unfeeling as stone.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Idle dreamer and outcast,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Hence, get you begone!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jochebed</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Away, rejected of men,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Scorn of the just,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Away from the house.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Why, ah why,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Did she readmit you?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Away, man accurst,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Break not the calm<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Of the death which you wrought.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">[<span class="stage-direction">Overwhelmed</span>] Ever accursèd,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Ever rejected,<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_164" title="164"> </a><div class="line">Thrust forth from home,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Unfriended to roam.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">God, God, it is hard to bear men thy word!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Ahab</span> and <span class="speaker">Jochebed</span> pay the last duties to the
+dead, pressing down the eyelids, and wrapping the body
+in a shroud. <span class="speaker">Ahab</span> goes to the pitchers and sprinkles
+water on the ground. No sound but their solemn
+paces can be heard. <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> stares before him in
+stupor. Silence prevails for a time, full of the mystery
+of death. Then a clamor is heard without.
+There is a vehement knocking at the door</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>Who knocks?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jochebed</p>
+
+<p>There is a turbulent crowd without.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>They assail the door as if they were enemies. You
+had better open.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jochebed</p>
+
+<p>Hark to the savages, they have burst in the door.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The sound of splintering wood is heard. Then
+hasty footsteps. <span class="speaker">Zebulon</span>, <span class="speaker">Pashur</span>, <span class="speaker">Hananiah</span>, the
+<span class="speaker">First Sentry</span>, and many others, rush in</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zebulon</p>
+
+<p>He must be here.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Boy</p>
+
+<p>I saw him go in.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_165" title="165"> </a>Voices</p>
+
+<p>So did I.&mdash;He slipped in an hour back.&mdash;I was on
+watch as you ordered.&mdash;I saw him too.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>Whom do you seek?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>Deliver him up&mdash;the man you are hiding.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zebulon</p>
+
+<p>We will have blood for blood.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>What mean ye by breaking in here? Away, rabble.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Catching sight of the corpse, raises his hands and
+speaks reverently</span>] Praise to the eternal judge. May
+he be merciful to the just. [<span class="stage-direction">Turning away he passes
+into the background</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Others</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Suddenly stilled, murmur</span>] Praise to the eternal
+judge.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">One Speaks</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Gently</span>] Who has died?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Ahab</p>
+
+<p>One from whom God had hidden the light of his
+countenance. One full of sorrows, and acquainted
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_166" title="166"> </a>
+with grief. One whose bitterest affliction was that she
+gave birth to the enemy of her nation.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Another Speaks</p>
+
+<p>Jeremiah!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zebulon</p>
+
+<p>It is Jeremiah whom we seek. Where is Jeremiah?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Comes forward, speaking loudly in grief and
+indignation</span>] Who seeks Jeremiah? Who still desires
+to rain curses on me? Let him come, let him curse. I
+am the mark for all the curses in the world.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zebulon</p>
+
+<p>It is I, wretch, who come to curse you, I, Zebulon,
+father of Baruch, whom you have led astray. Where
+is my son?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Tonelessly</span>] How should I know? Am I your
+son&rsquo;s keeper?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>This man makes a charge against you. Answer,
+Jeremiah.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>He, too, makes a charge. Should I begin to bring
+charges I should speak from now till midnight.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_167" title="167"> </a>Voices</p>
+
+<p>He answers not.&mdash;He talks at random, evading the
+charge.&mdash;Pashur, Hananiah, make an end.&mdash;Pass
+judgment upon him.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>Have you brought witnesses, Zebulon?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zebulon</p>
+
+<p>My son has vanished from the town. He has been
+continually with Jeremiah. On the ramparts, last
+night, this man heard Jeremiah inciting Baruch to
+desert to the enemy.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">To the <span class="speaker">First Sentry</span></span>] Do you bear this witness?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>Verily, prophet, while I stood on guard, there came
+two men. One was Jeremiah, well known to me. The
+other was young, little more than a boy, with black hair
+and flashing eyes.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zebulon</p>
+
+<p>It was Baruch my son, whom this man hath
+corrupted.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>There was much talk between them. Jeremiah
+prophesied disaster, so that my heart grew hot
+within me.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_168" title="168"> </a>Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">To the others</span>] Do you hear? He prophesied the
+fall of Zion.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Sentry</p>
+
+<p>When the king had gone, and Jeremiah and the
+other were alone, then the other, he whom you name
+Baruch, climbed down the wall and deserted to the
+enemy, leaving Jeremiah on the ramparts.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zebulon</p>
+
+<p>Do you hear, men of Israel? I charge Jeremiah
+with leading my son astray, with bringing shame upon
+my house.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Advancing to the front</span>] Your answer, Jeremiah.
+What say you to this charge? [<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> is silent</span>]
+Do you call witnesses?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">In low tones</span>] The one who would testify for me
+must not be named.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>Will he come forward in due time?</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> is silent</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Make an end, make an end.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_169" title="169"> </a>Pashur</p>
+
+<p>Silence. I will hold just judgment! Jeremiah, I
+cite you to answer. [<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> is silent</span>] You are
+charged with having, in defiance of the king&rsquo;s command,
+foretold disaster.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> is silent</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>Do you deny your words? [<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> still holds
+his peace</span>] Lo, the fear of death has moved him at
+length. For the first time he is silent.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>You who have misled Israel, would you tempt me to
+say No when God says Yes, and Yes when God says
+No? More strongly hath he tempted me to depart
+from his ways, yet would I not depart from them.
+He raised up one against me whose breath was dearer
+to me than the breath of my own life, but I would not
+yield to her, for the Lord cuts from the tree of life
+him whom he hath chosen for a scourge. Go, and
+leave me in peace.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zebulon</p>
+
+<p>I will not go. He has destroyed my son. I demand
+judgment.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>Twice have I charged you to speak. You have
+spoken when you should have been silent; now you are
+silent when you should speak. For the third time I
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_170" title="170"> </a>
+cite you. [<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> is silent</span>] Hear then my
+judgment. No longer shall you seek to daunt the
+courageous, no longer shall you lead youth astray,
+Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah in Israel.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Make short work! Wither me no longer with your
+glances. Enough, enough.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>You shall be lowered into a pit, that you may no
+longer be an offence to God&rsquo;s daylight, nor your voice
+an affliction to the city. May you perish, and your
+words with you, in the darkness of the earth.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Life is affliction! Words are affliction! Blessed
+be darkness, thrice blessed the tomb.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>Lay hands on him. Execute judgment!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Oh, just judgment!&mdash;Great is the wisdom of
+Pashur.&mdash;Away with Jeremiah.&mdash;Fetch a rope, that we
+may lower him into the pit.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_171" title="171"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Shrinking from their touch</span>] Touch me not. Better,
+far better is darkness, for the hour is at hand in
+Israel when the living will envy the dead, and when
+those that wake will envy the sleepers. My heart
+yearns for silence; my soul is consumed with longing
+that I may become brother to the dead. Make way, I
+will bury myself, that I may deliver myself from the
+world, and Israel of my presence. [<span class="stage-direction">He folds his arms
+and moves towards the doorway. The others begin to
+follow him hesitatingly</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Bursting in on the silence with an exultant cry</span>]
+Rejoice, Zion, for broken is the song of thy destruction,
+rent are the lips of thy slanderer. Rejoice, Zion, for
+eternal is thy springtime. Jerusalem endureth for
+ever!</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> turns fiercely, raising his arms as if
+about to rebuke <span class="speaker">Hananiah</span>. His eyes flash fire.
+Those at his heels draw back in alarm, as from a wild
+beast at bay. But <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> controls himself. His
+arms sink to his sides, and the fierce expression vanishes
+from his countenance. With a last look at the dead
+form of his mother, he regains composure. Covering
+his face, he walks forth alone, like one carrying a heavy
+burden. The rest follow in disorder. Last of all
+walks <span class="speaker">Pashur</span>, deep in thought. <span class="speaker">Ahab</span> and <span class="speaker">Jochebed</span>
+are left, looking at one another uneasily. <span class="speaker">Ahab</span> takes
+a linen sheet and spreads it reverently over the body</span>]</p>
+
+<h2><a class="pagenum" name="Page_173" title="173"> </a>VOICES IN THE NIGHT</h2>
+
+<p class="scene-heading"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_175" title="175"> </a><a name="Scene_6">SCENE SIX</a></p>
+
+<p>Evening cometh and the shadows lengthen. <span class="small-caps">Jeremiah</span>,
+VI, 4.</p>
+
+<p class="scene-heading"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_177" title="177"> </a>SCENE SIX</p>
+
+<div class="scene-description">
+<p><span class="speaker">King Zedekiah&rsquo;s</span> bed-chamber, large and stately.
+It is dimly lighted, so that details are scarcely visible.
+What light there is comes from a lamp hanging in a
+golden bowl, and from the soft moonbeams which
+stream in through the casement. This is widely open
+and commands a view of the town. In the foreground
+stands a large table surrounded by broad seats.
+The curtained bed occupies the center of the background.
+<span class="speaker">Zedekiah</span> is standing motionless at the
+window, looking down on the moonlit city. <span class="speaker">Joab</span>, a
+young spearman, enters, and stands respectfully waiting
+for the king to notice him. <span class="speaker">Zedekiah</span> pays no
+heed, but continues to gaze out of the window.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Lad</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">After a pause ventures to speak</span>] My Lord King!
+[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Zedekiah</span> turns with a start</span>] It is midnight, O King.
+This is the hour at which thou orderedst me to summon
+the council.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Are they all here?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Lad</p>
+
+<p>All, at thy command.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_178" title="178"> </a>Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Have they come unseen by the people and by the
+palace servants?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Lad</p>
+
+<p>Unseen, Lord King. By secret ways I led them
+hither.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Where is the spy? Hast thou kept him apart?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Lad</p>
+
+<p>He tarries with the doorkeepers.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Let him tarry. Summon the council.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">The Lad</span> bows, and disappears through the
+doorway</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Strides to and fro, and then returns to the window.
+He soliloquizes</span>] Never have I seen the stars shine so
+brightly. They stand confusedly in rows, like letters
+on the dark background of heaven, a writing which no
+man can read. In Babylon, they say, are interpreters
+and priests who serve the stars, conversing with them
+by night. Other kings can talk with their gods; they
+have shrines on their towers where they can learn the
+will of heaven when their hearts are troubled. Why
+have I no soothsayers who can tell the future? It is
+terrible to be the servant of a god who is always silent;
+whom no one has ever seen! [<span class="stage-direction">A pause while he contemplates
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_179" title="179"> </a>
+the city</span>] They are all asleep, those over
+whom I rule; they rest beside their wives or beside
+their weapons; in me is centered their need and their
+wakefulness. I must counsel others, but who shall
+counsel me? I must lead others, but who shall lead
+me? I am exalted over others, but over me is exalted
+one whom I cannot see. Below is sleep; above is
+silence.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">The Lad</span> draws aside the curtain; and the five
+councilors enter noiselessly. They are <span class="speaker">Pashur</span>, the
+high priest; <span class="speaker">Hananiah</span>, the prophet; <span class="speaker">Imre</span>, the oldest
+burgher; <span class="speaker">Abimelech</span>, the general; <span class="speaker">Nahum</span>, the
+steward. <span class="speaker">Zedekiah</span> turns to receive them. They
+bow</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>I summoned you by night that our talk might be
+private. I demand from you a pledge of secrecy.
+Lay your hands within the priest&rsquo;s hands; he will
+answer for you to the Most High. [<span class="stage-direction">Silently they raise
+their hands in adjuration, and each in turn lays his
+hand in <span class="speaker">Pashur&rsquo;s</span></span>] I swear by Almighty God that I
+will show no anger against any who opposes me.
+[<span class="stage-direction">He lays his hand in <span class="speaker">Pashur&rsquo;s</span></span>] Now let us take
+counsel. [<span class="stage-direction">He waves them towards the table, and all
+take their seats</span>] We are in the eleventh month of the
+siege. The vines are green once more. Nebuchadnezzar
+has been unable to take Jerusalem, but we on
+our part have not been able to force him to raise the
+siege. His sword against us beats the water, but so
+likewise does ours beat the water against him. We
+have left nothing undone that might bring aid. I
+have sent envoys to the king of the Medes; I have
+sent to the princes of the east, asking their help against
+Ashur. The missions were fruitless. We stand alone.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_180" title="180"> </a>Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Fiercely</span>] God is on our side.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The others say nothing</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Quietly</span>] God is on our side. He has set up his
+tabernacle upon this hill, and my own roof stands in
+the shadow of his holy house. But God sends trials
+upon his own people. Those who swore faith to us,
+betrayed us; the Egyptians abandoned us; we are
+alone. Let us take counsel together, how to fight out
+our quarrel with Nebuchadnezzar, or whether we can
+find a means to end it.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>Let us pray to God for a miracle. Let our hearts
+overflow with prayer, our altars smoke with sacrifices.
+What we have done once hitherto, let us now do twice
+over.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nahum</p>
+
+<p>There is nothing left to sacrifice, neither bulls nor
+rams.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>It is false. I have heard the lowing of the cattle
+which you refuse to deliver up to the sacrifice.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nahum</p>
+
+<p>The last we have. They are milch cows to provide
+food for nursing mothers and the sick.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_181" title="181"> </a>Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>Such thrift is impious where God is concerned. Let
+the sick starve and the breasts of the women run dry,
+so long as God receives due meed of sacrifice.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Earnestly</span>] God requires no gifts to make him
+aware of our distresses.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>Naught is sweeter to the Lord than the gifts of the
+needy. We should give to the uttermost, tearing the
+morsels from our own mouths.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>I know the customs. It is not for you, Hananiah,
+to teach me my duty, which I know better perchance
+than you know God&rsquo;s word and God&rsquo;s will.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>Who sacrifices grudgingly, who sacrifices with a
+cold heart, is but a slaughterman, and no true servant
+of the Lord. Lo, I say unto you unless ye give of
+your uttermost need, ye are unworthy to stand in the
+light of his countenance.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Passionately</span>] Hold your peace. Your words are
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_182" title="182"> </a>
+past bearing. But a few grains of sand have run
+through the hour glass, and already you rail against
+one another. We do not meet to discuss what it is
+fitting we should render unto God. We meet to consider
+our pressing need, and how we can relieve it.
+We are in the throes of war, and to you therefore I
+turn first for counsel, Abimelech, general of my army.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>Stout are the walls of Jerusalem, O King, but stouter
+still is my heart.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>And your men, old stalwart; are they, too, stout-hearted?
+Rarely do I hear them raise exultant cries.
+When I pass among them, no longer do they strike
+their shields. They turn away their faces.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>War makes men silent, but it steels their hearts. No
+longer, indeed, do they shout with delight, for that
+they can use their swords freely. Custom stales all
+joys. But they watch and wait; strong as brass are
+they, guarding the walls of Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>But what if the moons still wax and wane; what if
+the second year of the siege begins? There is no
+help coming from outside.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_183" title="183"> </a>Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>The siege will last as long as God pleases, and we
+shall last as long as the siege.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>May the Lord fulfil thy words. [<span class="stage-direction">To the others</span>]
+Are ye all of the same opinion?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>We must be steadfast, enduring patiently until the
+end.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>What sayest thou, Hananiah?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>Never shall Nebuchadnezzar overthrow us. Woe
+unto all faint-hearts. Did it rest with me, I would
+put them to the sword.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Imre</p>
+
+<p>Mine eyes are dim with age, but being old, I saw the
+days when Senaccherib was arrayed against Israel, and I
+saw his men lying dead in heaps around our walls.
+Never were the jackals so fat as in the year when
+Jerusalem was encircled by the enemies of the Lord.
+The same may happen again to those who now besiege
+us. Let mine eyes not be wholly darkened ere this
+day dawn. Jerusalem endureth for ever!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_184" title="184"> </a>Abimelech, Hananiah, Pashur</p>
+
+<p>Jerusalem endureth for ever!</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">A pause</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Thou sayest nothing, Nahum. Wherefore art thou
+silent?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nahum</p>
+
+<p>Gloomy are my thoughts, Lord King, and bitter will
+be my speech. He thrusts not himself forward, to
+whom joy is lacking.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>I summoned you in council, one and all. Welcome
+is the bearer of good tidings, but no less welcome he
+who brings wise warnings. Speak freely.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nahum</p>
+
+<p>Shortly before you called me to the council, I was
+visiting the storehouses, and having the grain measured,
+bushel by bushel. They were full when the siege
+began, but now they are almost empty. No longer
+can we provide a whole loaf for the day&rsquo;s ration.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">All sit in dismayed silence</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Was there not ample provision of grain from the
+villages? Was not an abundance of milch cows and
+other beasts driven within the walls?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_185" title="185"> </a>Nahum</p>
+
+<p>Forget not that the siege has lasted nearly a year,
+and that there are many mouths to feed.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">After another pause</span>] We can reduce the rations yet
+further. Let nothing be wasted.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nahum</p>
+
+<p>Long have we been careful to avoid waste. Yet the
+storehouses gape with emptiness. Time is a mighty
+eater.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>How long, then, thinkest thou, ere famine is upon
+us?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nahum</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">In low tones</span>] Three weeks, Lord. No more.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">A pause</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Three weeks &hellip; And then?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nahum</p>
+
+<p>How can I answer thee, O King? God alone knows
+the answer. [<span class="stage-direction">Renewed silence</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">In great excitement</span>] Cut the loaves in half. Cut
+them in three, and let that suffice for the day. Too
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_186" title="186"> </a>
+long have they lived riotously, they and their concubines;
+let them grow lean, now, fighting the Lord&rsquo;s
+fight.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>My soldiers must not have their food cut down. No
+man can fight on an empty stomach.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>We must all share and share alike, the soldiers as
+well as the others. Jerusalem is at stake.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>My men must have their strength kept up. Let the
+useless mouths go hungry, the windbags and the
+prattlers.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nahum</p>
+
+<p>You talk folly. What would it avail to pinch ourselves
+unduly, seeing that there are an hundred thousand
+within the walls. There is food to last us three
+weeks. If we slaughter the beasts reserved for the
+temple, we can hold out a fortnight more.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>Let us keep the peace among ourselves. Ye rail
+against one another like enemies. Let us stand united
+against Nebuchadnezzar and likewise against our own
+people. Neither he nor they must know aught of our
+need.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_187" title="187"> </a>Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>What if he know it already?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nahum</p>
+
+<p>None can know it. Daily I set my seal on the doors
+of the storehouses. Neither the people nor Nebuchadnezzar
+can be aware of our distress.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>God be praised. Nebuchadnezzar would show us no
+mercy if he knew.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">After a pause</span>] I have called you in council, elders
+of the people. Wars are not ended by the sword alone.
+I have summoned you to ask whether I should send
+an envoy to Nebuchadnezzar, praying him that there
+should be peace between our nations.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>No peace with the blasphemers of the Almighty!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>Let him make the first offer.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>I think it would be dangerous for us to begin.
+Should we open the parley, he would seek to make
+slaves of us.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_188" title="188"> </a>Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>I hold other views. Though as yet he knows nothing
+of our desperate plight, it can remain hidden for a few
+days only. We must turn these days to account.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nahum</p>
+
+<p>True are thy words, O King. We must seek mercy
+of Nebuchadnezzar before he triumphs over us with
+the sword.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Bitterly</span>] Sue for mercy! Death were better!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>We need God&rsquo;s mercy, not man&rsquo;s.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">To <ins title="Nahum"><span class="speaker">Nahum</span></ins></span>] Coward and traitor!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Imre</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Wearily</span>] When will you cease quarreling? The
+king&rsquo;s words are true. It would be folly to wait till the
+last hour. Let us seek parley while we can still show
+a bold front.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>It is too late. The dead lying before the walls will
+cry reproach on us.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>It is too late. The war has heaped up such mountains
+of hatred.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_189" title="189"> </a>Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Nay, it is not too late. [<span class="stage-direction">He pauses for a moment</span>]
+An envoy has already passed between Nebuchadnezzar
+and me.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The councilors spring excitedly to their feet</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nahum</p>
+
+<p>Thou hast received an envoy from Nebuchadnezzar?
+Blessed be the hour.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>Traitor! Thou holdest parley with the enemy!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>No treaty without our consent! Thou hast forgotten.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>Thou hast held parley, King, without consulting us?
+Why then are we summoned in council?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Peace, peace. Can ye not wait till I have finished?
+Ye snap at my first word like a pack of hungry hounds.
+[<span class="stage-direction">A pause. He continues more quietly</span>] A messenger
+has come from Nebuchadnezzar. I have not yet heard
+the message. Is this to hold parley? Is this treachery?
+Answer!</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">All are silent for a while</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_190" title="190"> </a>Pashur</p>
+
+<p>I crave thy pardon, King. It is hard to weigh one&rsquo;s
+words when so much hangs in the balance.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>It is for you to decide; for you to hear the envoy,
+or to send him away unheard.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nahum</p>
+
+<p>Our position is desperate. We must hear him.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Imre</p>
+
+<p>We can listen to his message, and be cautious about
+accepting it.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>We can hear him, and can settle afterwards whether
+we will let him return. He may be sent only to spy
+out the land.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>What say ye, Pashur and Hananiah?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>Let us hear him.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Hananiah</span> is silent and averts his face</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Since no one opposes, we will hear the message.
+[<span class="stage-direction">Going to the doorway he calls out</span>] Joab, fetch the
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_191" title="191"> </a>
+envoy. [<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Zedekiah</span> returns to the table</span>] Let each
+ask what questions he will. But our answers must show
+one mind.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Baruch</span> is ushered in by <span class="speaker">Joab</span>. The latter passes
+out again, replacing the curtain. <span class="speaker">Baruch</span> bows before
+the king</span>]</p>
+
+<p>Dost thou bring a message to Israel from King
+Nebuchadnezzar?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>He has sent me with a message to thee, O King.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>These are my councilors. Who speaks to me speaks
+to them also, for they and I, Israel and Israel&rsquo;s king,
+are at one by God&rsquo;s will. [<span class="stage-direction">Turning to the others</span>]
+Question him.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Scornfully</span>] What grace does the king of the
+heathen vouchsafe&nbsp;&hellip;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Interrupting</span>] Let us consider practical matters
+first! What is your name?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Baruch, son of Zebulon, of the house of Naphtali.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>Are you then of our blood?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_192" title="192"> </a>Baruch</p>
+
+<p>I am a servant of the one God, and was born in
+Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>Does anyone here know this man?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>I know his father, a just man, and a faithful servant
+of the Lord.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>How did you fall into the enemy&rsquo;s hands?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>I was drawing water from Moria well when they
+seized me.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>What proof have you that you are an envoy? Have
+you a letter, signed and sealed?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Nebuchadnezzar gave me his signet ring, that I
+might pass the sentries going and returning. [<span class="stage-direction">He
+shows the ring on his finger.</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>I have no more questions to ask. Let him deliver
+his message.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>When the Assyrian soldiers waylaid me, they took
+me to the king&rsquo;s tent. Nebuchadnezzar has kept me
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_193" title="193"> </a>
+under guard these eleven months. Sending for me
+yesterday, he said: &ldquo;Wilt thou take my message to
+King Zedekiah?&rdquo; Standing before him without fear,
+I answered: &ldquo;I will.&rdquo; Then spake Nebuchadnezzar:
+&ldquo;Eleven months have I laid siege to this town. I have
+sworn that not again will I lie with woman until the
+gates of Jerusalem have been opened. But I will wait
+no longer. Should King Zedekiah wish for terms,
+let him hasten. Never has an enemy withstood me
+more stoutly. To none will I be more gentle than
+to him, should he hasten to sue for mercy.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>Nebuchadnezzar is a great warrior. It is an honor
+to have held out against him for eleven months.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>He said further: &ldquo;If ye open the gates and humble
+yourselves ere the moon be full, I will grant you your
+lives. Every man may dwell in safety under his vine
+and under his fig tree. Though ye have shed our
+blood, I seek not yours, but only victory and renown.
+It is my will that from sunrise to sunset the nations
+should learn the news that none can withstand my
+sword; that there is no king but shall bow before me,
+the king of kings. I need but a sign, and your city
+shall be safe, your days long in the land.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nahum</p>
+
+<p>Methinks the terms are easy.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_194" title="194"> </a>Pashur</p>
+
+<p>Too easy for me to trust them.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>But the sign! What sign does Nebuchadnezzar
+demand?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>He said: &ldquo;Zedekiah, who has taken up arms against
+me, must abase himself. When I enter the city, let
+him walk to meet me, from the gates of the temple to
+the wall, carrying his crown in his hands, and wearing
+a wooden yoke on his neck&nbsp;&hellip;&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Drawing himself up</span>] A yoke?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>&ldquo;A yoke that all men may know his stubbornness is
+broken and his pride humbled. I will meet him, will
+lift the yoke from his neck, and replace the crown on
+his head.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Never shall the man wear a crown whose neck has
+borne a yoke. Never! [<span class="stage-direction">He rises to his feet</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>I could not endure it! [<span class="stage-direction">He also rises</span>]</p>
+
+<p><a class="pagenum" name="Page_195" title="195"> </a>[<span class="stage-direction">The others remain seated and silent. After a long
+pause, <span class="speaker">Nahum</span> speaks meditatively</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nahum</p>
+
+<p>From the gates of the temple to the wall?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>It is barely an hundred paces.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Imre</p>
+
+<p>No more than seventy, I think. No more than
+seventy.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Turning fiercely upon them</span>] Ye reckon up the
+paces I am to take, with my neck yoked like an ox
+drawing the plough? Are ye all mad to think that I
+shall so humble myself? Did ye show courage only
+while your own lives were at stake? Do ye think
+nothing of my shame, if ye can make your own peace?
+Cowards all!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>Thou hast sworn, O King, that each of us should
+speak freely the words which came to his mouth.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Thou dost well to remind me. Pardon my anger.
+Speak freely.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_196" title="196"> </a>Nahum</p>
+
+<p>I beseech thee to accept the terms, not for our sake
+alone but for that of our children.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Imre</p>
+
+<p>For the sake of our country.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>For temple and altar.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>For God, who commands it.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Abimelech</span> is silent, hiding his face</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Paces up and down, as the struggle rages within
+him. At length he steps up to the table, and speaks in
+solemn tones</span>] I will do what ye demand, breaking
+my pride like a potter&rsquo;s vessel, bowing my neck beneath
+the yoke.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">All move to speak, but he imposes silence, and
+continues</span>]</p>
+
+<p>I will take the crown from my head, and offer it
+up with my hands, as is enjoined. But holy is the
+crown of Israel, and none shall wear it whose neck hath
+borne a yoke. When I have put off from me the wood
+of shame, I shall put away likewise sceptre and ring,
+consigning both to my son. Young is he, but ye will
+counsel him. Swear that ye will be true to him, so
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_197" title="197"> </a>
+that the people may look up to him. Swear that ye
+will invest him with crown and with ring.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Greatly moved</span>] I swear it, O King.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Imre, Hananiah, Nahum</p>
+
+<p>We swear it.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>As a king hast thou acted. Praised be thy name.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nahum</p>
+
+<p>Eternal honor to King Zedekiah.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Thus shall the walls stand fast, thus shall the holy
+city be saved, though I sink into the dust. Better I
+should perish than Zion. Jerusalem endureth for ever.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">All</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Fervently</span>] Jerusalem endureth for ever.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">To <span class="speaker">Baruch</span></span>] Thou hearest, boy? Go, then, to
+the king of Ashur, and say unto him: &ldquo;Zedekiah, who
+hath been ruler, and hath taken up arms against thee,
+boweth himself before thee, that thou mayest show
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_198" title="198"> </a>
+him thy mercy.&rdquo; Hasten, that soon I may stand before
+the door of my house, saying to my people the precious
+word, &ldquo;Peace&rdquo;.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Disquieted, speaks in subdued tones</span>] I hear, Lord
+King. But there is yet one other thing I have to tell
+thee, one more demand from the king of Ashur.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Angrily</span>] Yet more? Does not this shame suffice
+him?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>A trifle he termed it. It looms large in my mind.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>What does his pride still crave?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>He spake unto me and said: &ldquo;I will take the yoke
+from the king&rsquo;s neck and restore the crown to his head.
+He shall walk at my left hand, that men may know I
+honor him as my royal brother. But there is still one
+within your walls, of whom folk say that he is mightier
+than any. I would see this mighty one. They say
+that there is a god within your walls, whose countenance
+ye hide behind the curtains of a tabernacle, for that no
+one can bear to look upon him. To me, fear is
+unknown, and I wish to enter his presence, that I may
+behold him. I will not lay hands on his altar, nor
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_199" title="199"> </a>
+touch his bread, neither will I covet his treasures. One
+thing only do I ask, that I may enter his tabernacle,
+for I would fain set eyes on him who hath proved
+mightier than I.&rdquo; Thus spake Nebuchadnezzar.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>Never! Never!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>The fire of the Lord consume him for the sacrilegious
+thought.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>Better that the temple should crumble to dust, than
+that the tabernacle should be desecrated.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Imre</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">In consternation</span>] He would look upon the holy
+of holies! Terrible is the request.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>Unbounded is the insolence of the heathen ruler!
+Dismiss his messenger, Lord King. Send back the
+envoy.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>Send back the envoy. Never must such a thing be.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nahum</p>
+
+<p>Be not too hasty, O King. In our hands lies the
+welfare of the nation.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_200" title="200"> </a>Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>A thousand deaths were better than this shame.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>I will face death with you, will perish in the midst
+of your warriors.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Savagely</span>] Dismiss the envoy. Rather death than
+this sacrilege.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Imre</p>
+
+<p>Ye talk lightly of dying. Bethink ye that your
+pride means seventy thousand deaths.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>Would you profane God&rsquo;s holy of holies?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Imre</p>
+
+<p>Life is part of God&rsquo;s holiness. God himself is life.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>It would be an everlasting disgrace could the heathen
+<ins title="on">look on</ins> the face of <ins title="Jehovah.&rdquo;">Jehovah.</ins></p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nahum</p>
+
+<p>Let our foes exult; let our pride be humbled. So
+be it, if the city outlast our pride and our lives. King
+Zedekiah, save Jerusalem!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_201" title="201"> </a>Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>Nay, dismiss the envoy.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>I am naught but the hand holding the scales. I stand
+aloof from your decision. Make up your minds.
+Count your votes. Speed ye, that the matter may be
+settled for good or for ill.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Imre</p>
+
+<p>I am the oldest among you. My word is, let us
+comply with Nebuchadnezzar&rsquo;s demands.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>Let us refuse. God will help us. Let us refuse.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>I will not chaffer with God&rsquo;s majesty. Never will
+I consent to such impiety.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nahum</p>
+
+<p>Let God&rsquo;s city stand for ever. Accept the terms.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>What sayest thou, Abimelech?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_202" title="202"> </a>Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>Not for me to advise thee, King Zedekiah. Not for
+me, who am but thy servant and thy sword. By yes
+and by no, in life and in death, do I stand by thy
+decision.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Two votes against two, and in my own mind there
+are voices twain! Conflict without; conflict within. I
+hold aloof, leaving it to you to direct my will. You
+cast it back to me like seadrift, and, trembling, I am
+still constrained to decide. Have I, indeed, to throw
+these dreadful dice?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>God will give thee light.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Ah, would he but speak to me. Happy our forefathers
+to whom he appeared in a cloud. I stretch
+forth my hands towards him, but still for me the voice
+of heaven is dumb. I grope in the darkness, finding
+I know not what. Pray for me that I may be rightly
+guided.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nahum</p>
+
+<p>Thou hast our love, O King.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Time presses. Ere the night is spent I must say
+yes or no; where perchance no is yes, and yes is no. God
+give me light. [<span class="stage-direction">He rises to his feet and all rise with
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_203" title="203"> </a>
+him</span>] Leave me to myself. The cleavage among you
+increases my own indecision. I shall act as my heart
+dictates, and it may well be that ere ye reach home I
+shall have made my choice, for my soul travaileth.
+Pray, friends, pray, that my choice may be the best
+for Israel. Pray for me, pray for Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Pashur</p>
+
+<p>God give thee light. I shall not close my eyes in
+sleep until thou hast chosen. I will hold vigil before
+the altar.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Hananiah</p>
+
+<p>Remember God.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nahum</p>
+
+<p>Remember the city.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Imre</p>
+
+<p>Remember the children, remember the women.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>I abide by thy choice in life or in death.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">All depart, leaving <span class="speaker">Baruch</span> and the king</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Quietly</span>] Shall I, too, take my leave, King
+Zedekiah?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Collecting his thoughts</span>] What sayest thou? Nay,
+thou must remain.</p>
+
+<p><a class="pagenum" name="Page_204" title="204"> </a>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Baruch</span> stands by the doorway while <span class="speaker">Zedekiah</span>
+walks restlessly to and fro for a time. Then, pausing
+by the window, the king stares over the town, subsequently
+resuming his restless pacing. At length he
+turns and speaks to <span class="speaker">Baruch</span></span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Nebuchadnezzar demands an answer to-day?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Yea, Lord; for to-morrow the moon is full.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Paces the floor again. Then abruptly</span>] Thou
+sawest him face to face. Did he ask thee anything
+concerning me?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>His chief counselor and his scribe were present.
+The former asked me about you, but Nebuchadnezzar
+bade him be silent.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Full of pride is he, and his wrath is like a storm over
+our heads. But I fear him not. Himself, he asked
+nothing concerning me?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Nothing, Lord King.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_205" title="205"> </a>Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>To him we are naught. To him our walls are but a
+handful of dust. Yet we can meet defiance with defiance.
+For eleven months he has been breaking his
+teeth against the ramparts of the city, and he would
+dismiss us with a smile. I am not worth a word, and
+he rates our town at a breath. Nevertheless my yoke
+is not yet ready; the walls of Jerusalem still stand.
+We have taught him to wait, but he has not yet learned
+his lesson. Shall I be the slave of his caprices? He
+would tarry but a day? Let him tarry for weeks and
+months. [<span class="stage-direction">Drawing himself up</span>] Take this message
+to Nebuchadnezzar. Say unto him&nbsp;&hellip;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">In alarm</span>] Decide not in anger, King Zedekiah.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Rigid with astonishment</span>] How darest thou interrupt
+me?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Kneels</span>] I implore thee, save Jerusalem. Stretch
+forth thine hand in peace, lest the walls crumble and
+the temple be shattered. Lord King, I adjure thee,
+open the gates, open thy heart.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Wrathfully</span>] &ldquo;Open the gates, open thy heart&rdquo;.
+I have heard those words before. They have been put
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_206" title="206"> </a>
+into thy mouth. One stands behind thee speaking
+against me with thy voice.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Nay, Lord King. My supplication arises from the
+depths of my heart. Something will I tell thee, which
+hitherto I have withheld. It was not at Nebuchadnezzar&rsquo;s
+summons that I went to him, but of my own
+free will, hoping that I might soften his heart. I saw
+that either side waited for the other to propose peace.
+Day after day, for eleven long months, did I importune
+him till he sent me with this message.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Thou, a boy, a child? While we were holding counsel,
+thou soughtest out the king of kings to seek peace
+and ensure it?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>This did I, O King, in the urgency of my heart&rsquo;s
+wishes.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Regards him fixedly for a time. Then, speaking
+sharply</span>] Not thine own deed, this, nor thy thought.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>I went at no man&rsquo;s orders.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Thou speakest falsely. No boy could conceive such
+a deed for himself.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_207" title="207"> </a>Baruch</p>
+
+<p>I swear to thee that I did it unadvised. He knew
+naught of it, neither commanded it nor approved.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>He? Who is he of whose orders thou speakest?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Evasively</span>] My teacher, my master.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Who is thy master, who? I would know who issues
+commands to the boys of this city.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>God&rsquo;s servant and prophet is my master. Men call
+him Jeremiah.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Furiously</span>] Jeremiah, always Jeremiah. Ever the
+shadow that follows my deeds, ever in revolt against
+me. I have cast him into a dungeon, but still, as in the
+beginning, rises his clamor for peace. Why this persecution?
+Why?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Thou art mistaken. Jeremiah hath more love for
+thee than for any other in this town.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_208" title="208"> </a>Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>I need not his love. I spew forth his love, and I
+despise his anger. Who is he, that he should dare to
+love me? Shall one venture to stand up in the streets
+and give tongue, declaring that he loveth me, or loveth
+me not? Why should Jeremiah push in twixt me and
+my resolve? Would he show himself the greater of
+us twain? I am the king, I alone! Let him cry,
+Peace, peace! Not in his hand lieth the fate of Jerusalem.
+I am king in Zion, and never shall he boast
+that he frightened me with his dreams. Better the
+city should perish, than be saved by the hand of Jeremiah.
+Go thou to Nebuchadnezzar and say unto him:
+Never will Zedekiah bear a yoke. Never shall the
+king of Ashur raise the curtain before the holy of
+holies. Nebuchadnezzar may come with all his men;
+he will find Zedekiah ready to meet him.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Baruch</span> raising both hands imploringly, is about to
+speak. <span class="speaker">Zedekiah</span> continues</span>]</p>
+
+<p>Not a word. If thou failest to carry my message, I
+will have Jeremiah&rsquo;s head.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Again <span class="speaker">Baruch</span> endeavors to speak</span>]</p>
+
+<p>A single word, and Jeremiah&rsquo;s life is forfeit. Away,
+I command thee, away!</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Baruch</span> stands for a moment, and then, veiling his
+face, passes out. <span class="speaker">Zedekiah</span> draws himself up threateningly
+when <span class="speaker">Baruch</span> hesitates. As soon as the young
+man has gone, the king lowers his outstretched arm,
+and his countenance is once more shadowed with
+anxiety. Then he draws a deep breath and speaks</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_209" title="209"> </a>Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>It is finished. No longer the torture of indecision.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">He paces to and fro once more. Then he stamps
+twice. <span class="speaker">Joab</span> enters</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Joab</p>
+
+<p>The king calls?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Wine, bring me wine. I need sleep, deep and
+dreamless sleep.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Joab</span> brings a pitcher and fills a silver goblet.
+<span class="speaker">Zedekiah</span> empties it at a draught. Then he listens,
+and his face is again clouded</span>]</p>
+
+<p>Who is walking outside there? I hear footsteps.
+Does the spy still tarry?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Joab</p>
+
+<p>He has gone forth, Lord. You hear the sentry, my
+brother Nehemiah.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Tell him to tread softly when he is on guard outside
+my bedchamber at night. I need sleep just as much
+as other men.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Joab</p>
+
+<p>I will see to it, Lord. [<span class="stage-direction">He draws aside the curtains
+of the bed and veils the lamp. Now the only light in
+the room comes from the pale moonbeams</span>] Shall I
+read from the scriptures, Lord King, as heretofore?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_210" title="210"> </a>Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Nay, not even the scriptures can help me. I would
+fain sleep, even as other men sleep. My lids ache and
+my heart aches likewise.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Joab</span> helps him to remove his outer garment.
+<span class="speaker">Zedekiah</span> flings himself on the couch</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Joab</p>
+
+<p>God guard thy slumbers, O King.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Joab</span> calls <span class="speaker">Nehemiah</span>. Silently the two stand at
+the head of the bed, motionless figures holding spears.
+In the moonlight their shadows rise in giant silhouettes
+on the wall. The only sound is the gentle plashing
+of a fountain in the court-yard</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Springing up with a wild cry</span>] Why do ye whisper
+together? Did I not command ye to silence?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Joab</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Alarmed</span>] We said nothing, Lord King.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Some one is talking. Who is it that devours my
+slumber? All should sleep, so that I too may sleep. Is
+there anyone awake in the neighboring rooms?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Joab</p>
+
+<p>No one, Lord King. Nor anywhere throughout the
+palace.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_211" title="211"> </a>Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>So I alone hold vigil. Why should all the burden
+be laid upon me? All the walls of the city, all the
+towers of care? Get me wine.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Joab</span> fills the goblet once more. <span class="speaker">Zedekiah</span> drains
+it and flings it away. With a groan he lies down again.
+All is still save for the murmur of the fountain. <span class="speaker">Zedekiah</span>,
+who has been lying motionless on the bed, now
+very quietly sits up in the gloom. Crouching like a
+wild beast about to spring, he listens intently. Then
+he suddenly screams</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Some one is speaking. I hear a voice which drones
+unendingly. I have given orders that none shall speak
+in my house. The voice is chanting. But I have forbidden
+that any should sing under my roof. Do ye not
+hear it?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Joab</p>
+
+<p>I hear nothing, Lord.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nehemiah</p>
+
+<p>No sound has reached me.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Glares at the two lads. Crouching he listens for a
+moment, and breaks forth again</span>] I hear it, I tell you;
+an interminable monotone. Listen, Joab, here where
+I am listening. It is somewhere beneath us, burrowing
+like a mole in the darkness of my slumber, devouring
+my sleep. Canst not hear, lad?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_212" title="212"> </a>Joab</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Listens intently for a moment, and then shudders</span>]
+I hear a voice rising from the depths. Like the voice
+of one singing. The spirits of the deep are awake
+beneath the house. The voice laments and moans like
+a caged beast.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nehemiah</p>
+
+<p>Perchance it is but the wind moaning through a
+cranny.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>I hear words; I feel them without understanding
+them. Who dares to sing by night in my house? Is it
+so well with my slaves that they must sing while I toss
+sleepless? Away, Joab, and silence the disturber.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Joab</span> hastens out. <span class="speaker">Zedekiah</span> crouches, listening.
+He seems at first to hear something. Then he raises
+his head, and subsequently lowers it to listen once more.
+Suddenly three dull blows are heard. The king listens
+eagerly. He draws a breath of relief</span>]</p>
+
+<p>God be praised, the voice is stilled.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Joab</span> reenters with troubled mien</span>]</p>
+
+<p>Who was talking?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Joab</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Trembling</span>] I know not, Lord, I did not find him.
+As I neared the marketplace, the noise of singing came
+to me louder, rising as it were from the depths of the
+earth. I followed the direction of the sound. There
+was no one singing in the marketplace. The utterance
+had a hollow ring, as if it came from a well or from a
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_213" title="213"> </a>
+pit. Now I could hear the words, and they were terrible.
+Thrice did I strike the ground with the haft
+of my spear. Then was the Gehenna silent.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>What were the words?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Joab</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Shuddering</span>] I dare not repeat them.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Tell me the words, I command thee.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Joab</p>
+
+<p>It was blasphemy that rose from the pit.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Repeat the words, if you fear my anger.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Joab</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Complies. His voice rises in a psalm</span>]</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">I have forsaken mine house,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I have cast off mine heritage;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I have given the dearly beloved of my soul<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Into the hand of her enemies.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">My tears run down like a river day and night,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For grievous is the affliction<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Of the daughter of my people.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_214" title="214"> </a>Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">With a loud cry</span>] Jeremiah! Always Jeremiah.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Joab</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Continuing to chant as if inspired</span>]</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">He hath given up into the hand of the enemy<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The walls of her palaces;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">They have made a noise in the house of the Lord,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">As in the day of a solemn feast.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">He hath&nbsp;&hellip;<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Be still, be still. I will hear no more. Always Jeremiah,
+and again Jeremiah. Wherever I go he stands
+at the cross roads; his challenge rings behind all my
+doings; he forces his way into my dreams, and feeds
+my indecision. How can I outrun this terrible shadow?
+He cries to me even from the pit. Who will free me
+from him?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Joab</p>
+
+<p>Lord, if he be thine enemy, say the word &hellip; [<span class="stage-direction">He
+makes a movement with his spear</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Startled out of his anger, looks at the lad wonderingly.
+Then, with awakening pride</span>] Thou wouldst
+&hellip; Nay, I fear him not. I fear no man. Nor am I
+certain if he be my enemy. I was foolish, perhaps, to
+flee from him. Who can tell? [<span class="stage-direction">He paces the room</span>]
+Joab!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_215" title="215"> </a>Joab</p>
+
+<p>My Lord?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Go forth, taking with thee thy brother Nehemiah.
+Open the pit and bring hither the man ye will find
+there. None must know that he enters and leaves the
+palace.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Joab</span> and <span class="speaker">Nehemiah</span> pass out. The king soliloquizes
+in low tones</span>]</p>
+
+<p>At every cross road, behind my back, always too late
+and always compelling me to listen. Why did I appeal
+only to God, who vouchsafes me no answer? Why
+did I not hearken to those who say that he declares his
+will through their mouths? But wherefore do they
+speak with conflicting voices? How could I discern
+the false from the true? Dread is this God who will
+not break silence, and whose messengers cannot be certainly
+known.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> enters accompanied by the two lads. At
+a sign from <span class="speaker">Zedekiah</span>, <span class="speaker">Joab</span> unveils the lamp. Then
+he and <span class="speaker">Nehemiah</span> withdraw. <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> is pale and
+emaciated. His dark eyes flash from a white and bony
+face, looking almost as if set in a skull. He regards
+the king with a questioning calm. After a momentary
+embarrassment the king speaks</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>I sent for thee, Jeremiah, to ask why thou dost disturb
+my rest. Why singest thou in the night when
+others sleep?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_216" title="216"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>He may not sleep who watches over the people. The
+Lord hath appointed me to watch and to give warning.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Jeremiah, I have summoned thee to hold counsel
+with me. No man knoweth that to this end I have
+drawn thee from the pit where thou hast been prisoned.
+Wilt thou advise me truly?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>God helping me, I will.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Know, then, what none other knows save my innermost
+counselors. An envoy has come from Nebuchadnezzar,
+seeking to end the war between our nations.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Exultantly</span>] God be praised! Open the gates,
+open thy heart to humbleness.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Rejoice not too soon. Hard are the terms and
+measureless is the arrogancy of the king of Ashur.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Arrogant hast thou been towards him, therefore must
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_217" title="217"> </a>
+thou accept arrogancy in return. Put compulsion on
+thy heart, so thou save Jerusalem from destruction.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>He asks my honor.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Sacrifice thine honor for the city.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Is not honor my office; is not pride my crown?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>If they be truly thine, cast them from thee. Peace
+is better than honor; suffering is better than death.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>He would bow my neck beneath a yoke.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Blessed is he who suffers for all; who suffers that
+all may live. Bow thy neck, and save the city.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>I should bring shame on all the kings whose throne
+is my heritage; I should disgrace the mantle of my
+forefathers.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_218" title="218"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Think no longer of those who have been. They are
+dead, and worms have eaten them. Think of the city
+and of those who now live therein.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Not me alone will Nebuchadnezzar abase, but God
+also.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>God smiles at those who would abase him. Open
+the gates, open thy heart to humbleness.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Nebuchadnezzar would enter the holy of holies
+which none may approach.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>God will avert it, should it be his will; thou canst
+not avert it. Open the gates, open thy heart to
+humbleness.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Angrily</span>] Thy wisdom is stubbornness; thy counsel,
+insolence. With deaf ears dost thou hearken, and
+thine answer is hard as flint.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Am I to laud thy blindness, to approve whate&rsquo;er thou
+sayest? Feigning to ask counsel, thou wouldst have
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_219" title="219"> </a>
+naught but flattery. May my tongue consume away
+in my mouth, my bones fall apart, ere I praise thy folly
+and cease from crying against thy blindness.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Why railest thou thus, when thou hast not yet heard
+my purpose?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>I know thy purpose. With words dost thou fawn on
+me, whilst thy will is set up against me. Wouldst
+mock me, and play with God&rsquo;s word? Thou hast not
+summoned me to help thee decide. Long ere this has
+the message been signed and sealed within thy soul.
+Thou mayst deceive thyself, King of Israel, but me
+thou canst not deceive.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Jeremiah!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Yea, verily, I, Jeremiah, say unto thee, the king:
+Thou dealest falsely with me, and thy words are a
+blind. No longer is thy will free, nor dost thou truly
+desire me to influence thy decision.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Unsteadily</span>] How canst thou know this?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Thy lips betray thee. Thou quailest before my
+wrath like a guilty man. Fain wouldst thou tempt me
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_220" title="220"> </a>
+to approve thy decision, to lift the guilt from thy
+shoulders. Woe unto him who tempts men, for he
+tempts the god that is in men.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Hesitates, greatly moved. Then he speaks in low
+tones</span>] Much, indeed, is it given thee to know,
+Jeremiah. Too true are thy words. My will is no
+longer free, I have delivered my message to the
+envoy.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Recall it! Save the city.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>He is on his way to Nebuchadnezzar.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Send for him! Bring him back!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Too late. The advice comes too late.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Hasten after him. Pursue him with runners and
+riders.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>It is too late. By now my message must have
+reached the king of Ashur.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_221" title="221"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Hides his face, lamenting</span>] Woe, woe unto Jerusalem,
+woe unto Jerusalem!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Drawing near him in alarm</span>] What ails thee
+Jeremiah?</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> does not heed the king. Sobs shake his
+frame. Soon, however, he draws himself up once
+more. Now his gaze is fixed on the distance. He
+speaks as in a dream, raising his hands, like one
+inspired</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">How art thou fallen from heaven,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Jerusalem, sun of the morning!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Thou hast said in thine heart,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I will ascend into heaven,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Alas, thou art fallen from glory,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Art sunken in darkness and night.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Calls to him loudly, hoping to awaken him from
+the trance</span>] Jeremiah!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">What star was brighter than thine,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Thou city of Jacob,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Thou fortress of David,<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_222" title="222"> </a><div class="line">Thou tabernacle of Solomon,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">God&rsquo;s treasure and his holy house?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Who could herald thy ways, who could signal thy praise?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">All happy the psalteries, the cymbals grew light,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">With sounding thy triumphs from morning till night.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Thou ravest, Jeremiah; awake, awake!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">[<span class="stage-direction">Unheeding</span>] How still art thou now, my beloved.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Thy brightness, say, where hath it gone?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride<br/></div>
+<div class="line">No longer are heard among thy houses.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The market hath become desolate.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Quenched are the voice of joy,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The voice of gladness,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The sound of flute playing,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And the song of the maidens.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">A slayer hath fallen upon thee,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">An avenger from the north.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Waste places are thy streets,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Nettles grow in thy pleasant places,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Thorns and brambles in the palace of thy kings.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Alas, thy walls are laid low,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">All thy towers are broken down;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Shamefully overthrown<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Is the everlasting heart of thy sanctuary.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_223" title="223"> </a>Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Accursèd one, thou liest! High and hale stand the
+walls of Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">[<span class="stage-direction">With growing frenzy</span>] Every head hath been shorn,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Every beard hath been clipt.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The mothers, wearing sackcloth,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Tear the flesh from their cheeks,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Wailing:<br/></div>
+<div class="line">&ldquo;Where are my sons, where are my daughters?&rdquo;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Woe is me!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The dead bodies of the sons<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Lie like dung in the streets<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Where they have perished by the sword;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The daughters have been strangled with their own hair,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And the women with child have been ripped up.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The jackals of the wilderness are gorged,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The ravens weary with feasting.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Be silent, be silent! Thou liest!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">What availeth it to seek safety in thorny thickets,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">To flee from death into the burning fissures of the rock?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">They hunt thee with horses, with companies of spearmen,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Track thee down, and with sticks beat the coverts for their game,<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_224" title="224"> </a><div class="line">Drive thee forth from the crannies with firebrands and smoke,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Pursue thee, and seize thee, and slay.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">They ravish the women, they slaughter the elders,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Just men are made slaves of their lowliest bondsmen,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Made servants of servants the daughters of kings.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Hold thy peace, liar, lest my wrath smite thee!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">[<span class="stage-direction">Lamenting</span>] Jerusalem, virgin and daughter of Judah,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The heathen make mock of thy pitiful plight.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Woe is me that I must look on thine affliction.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">All thine enemies have opened their mouths against thee,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Laughing, and hissing, and gnashing their teeth,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Saying:<br/></div>
+<div class="line">&ldquo;We have swallowed her up!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">&ldquo;Is this the city that men call<br/></div>
+<div class="line">&ldquo;The perfection of beauty,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">&ldquo;The joy of the whole earth?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">&ldquo;Verily we have laid her low.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">&ldquo;Certainly this is the day we looked for,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">&ldquo;We have found it,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">&ldquo;We have seen it.&rdquo;<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Beside himself with rage, clenching his fists</span>] Be
+silent, liar, I will listen no longer.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_225" title="225"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Jerusalem, holy city of the Lord,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Cradle of the nations, treasure of the world!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Who will extol thee, who now will search thee out?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">A legend of the ages hast thou become,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">A fable and a proverb among the peoples.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Ah, I see&nbsp;&hellip;<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Raving madman, naught more shalt thou see.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">I see thy suffering, I witness thy death,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I see&nbsp;&hellip;<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Grappling with him, bursts out in a fury</span>] Naught
+more shalt thou see! I will have thee blinded.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Stares around, as if suddenly and dreadfully awakened.
+Then laughing loudly, he chants with renewed
+frenzy</span>]</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Me?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Blind me? Nay, ruthless one,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Not such is the purpose of God.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Know well that one shall be blinded<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Ere these days draw to a close.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">&rsquo;Tis one with eyes that see not,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">With ears that will not hear.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Yet hearken now, King Zedekiah!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Zedekiah</span> releases <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span>, and regards him
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_226" title="226"> </a>
+with amazement and terror. <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> raises his
+hands in denunciation, and continues</span>]</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Thee<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Shall they seize,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The servants of Ashur,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Seize thee in God&rsquo;s temple which thou hast destroyed.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">They tear thee away from the horns of the altar,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">To which thy hands cleave in the vain hope of help.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Naught availeth thy sword, for they break it in sunder,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Then bind thine arms straitly with fetters of brass,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Haling thee forth and the stairway adown;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Like a beast for the sacrifice scourging thee on;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">To him will they bring thee whose hand thou rejectedst;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">To him will they bring thee whose yoke thou hast broken,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">To him who thy fiery doom will have spoken.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Zedekiah</span> has retreated several steps, and makes
+gestures as if to avert the threatened fate</span>]</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">To thy knees as they force thee with curses and blows,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">In the air-blast the furnace roars fiercely and glows.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Now the iron is heated, gleaming red, flashing white.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">In thine eyeballs they plunge it, the scorching steel.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Thy flesh smokes and hisses, thy senses reel.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">God&rsquo;s daylight has vanished in infinite night.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Zedekiah</span> screams, and claps his hands to his eyes
+as if blinded</span>]</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">But ere thy sight, in a fiery mist<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Of blood and tears, is forever gone,<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_227" title="227"> </a><div class="line">Thy sons, by the sharp sword fiercely kissed,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Shall be slain in thy presence, one by one,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">As the headsman&rsquo;s blade flashes through flesh and through bone.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Bootless thy struggles; the slaves hold thee fast!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The first falls, the second, the third and last!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">They are sped, and thy weeping and wailing are vain.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Their blood drenches the ground, while thou, in thy pain,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Ere the burning steel seareth the sight from thine eyes,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Seest how Israel&rsquo;s race and kingship dies.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Groping his way across the room like a blind man,
+staggers to the couch. Now he puts up his hands
+beseechingly</span>] Mercy! Have mercy!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">By thy cries all in vain will the darkness be riven,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">As thou liftest thy hands to the unseen heaven,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">God&rsquo;s mercy imploring! God no mercy will show<br/></div>
+<div class="line">To the king whose false pride Zion&rsquo;s temple laid low.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">He casteth thee down among worms which are blind,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Which crawl on their bellies, each after his kind.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">With despised and rejected, the sick, the forsworn,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Shalt thou walk, Zedekiah, debased and forlorn,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Consorting with lepers, with halt and with lame,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Among outcasts the poorest. Thus thy pride God shall tame.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">With beggars shall harbor; a beggar thyself,<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_228" title="228"> </a><div class="line">Wearing sackcloth and ashes, shalt pass through the land.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Those who know thee&mdash;once splendent in power and in pelf,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">King erstwhile in Zion&mdash;uplifting the hand,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Shall curse thee, Zedekiah.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Utterly crushed by the adjuration, has collapsed,
+groaning, on to the couch. Now he slowly rises, and
+contemplates <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> blankly</span>] What a power is
+entrusted to thee, Jeremiah. Thou hast broken the
+strength of my limbs. The very marrow is frozen in
+my bones. Terrible are thy words, Jeremiah.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">He has awakened from his trance, and the fire in
+his eyes is quenched</span>] Poor are my words, Zedekiah.
+Weakness is all my strength. I know, but cannot act!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Why didst thou not come to me sooner?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>I was ever at hand, but thou couldst not find me.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Thou hast filled my heart with dread, yet I bear thee
+no grudge. There must be no quarrel betwixt us twain
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_229" title="229"> </a>
+who stand in the shadow of death. Get thee back
+whence thou hast come. Thou shalt not lack food, for
+I will share my last crust with thee. Let none know
+of our converse, save God. [<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> turns to go</span>]
+Stay, Jeremiah. Must the fate be, which thou hast
+foretold? Jerusalem, my Jerusalem. Canst thou not
+avert it?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Gloomily</span>] Naught can I do to avert it. I can only
+prophesy. Woe upon the impotent.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">After a pause</span>] Jeremiah, I did not want war. I
+was forced to declare war, but I loved peace. And I
+love thee because of thy love for peace. Not with a
+light heart did I take up arms, but before I lived there
+was war under God&rsquo;s heaven, and there will be war after
+I am dead. I have suffered greatly, as thou canst
+testify when the time comes. Be thou near me when
+thy words are fulfilled.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>I will be near thee, Zedekiah, my brother. [<span class="stage-direction">Slowly
+he averts his face from the king and moves towards the
+doorway</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Jeremiah! [<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> turns</span>] Thou hast cursed
+me, Jeremiah. Bless me now, ere we part.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_230" title="230"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">After a moment&rsquo;s hesitation, strides back and holds
+his hands over the king</span>] The Lord bless thee, and keep
+thee in all thy ways. May the light of his countenance
+shine upon thee, and may he give thee peace.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">As in a dream</span>] May he give us peace.</p>
+
+<h2><a class="pagenum" name="Page_231" title="231"> </a>THE SUPREME AFFLICTION</h2>
+
+<p class="scene-heading"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_233" title="233"> </a><a name="Scene_7">SCENE SEVEN</a></p>
+
+<p>I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them
+that pluck off the hair: I hid not my face from shame
+and spitting. <span class="small-caps">Isaiah</span>&nbsp;L, 6.</p>
+
+<p class="scene-heading"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_235" title="235"> </a>SCENE SEVEN</p>
+
+<div class="scene-description">
+<p>The following morning; the great square before the
+temple. A large crowd, consisting chiefly of women
+and children, is swarming up the steps leading to the
+palace, shouting and screaming. The leaders of the
+mob have reached the palace door, and are hammering
+on it with their fists.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Doorkeeper</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Appearing through a wicket which he closes behind
+him</span>] Are you still there? I have told you already
+that no more bread will be given out to-day.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Woman</p>
+
+<p>But I am hungry.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Second Woman</p>
+
+<p>You gave me one tiny loaf for my three children, a
+loaf no larger than my fist. Look at my little girl
+here; see how skinny her fingers are. [<span class="stage-direction">She lifts the
+child to show him</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Third Woman</p>
+
+<p>Look at mine too. [<span class="stage-direction">She also shows her child</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_236" title="236"> </a>Confused and Angry Voices</p>
+
+<p>I am hungry.&mdash;Give me bread.&mdash;We are hungry.&mdash;Bread.&mdash;Bread.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Another Voice</p>
+
+<p>Let us have the keys.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Yes.&mdash;Give us the keys.&mdash;Open the storehouses.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Doorkeeper</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Pushing back the foremost among the mob</span>] Away
+with you! The king&rsquo;s orders are that everyone shall
+have a loaf at daybreak. Then the storehouses are to
+be closed.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>I got no loaf.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Other Voices</p>
+
+<p>Nor I, nor I.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Woman</p>
+
+<p>You could hardly see mine; and I have a child at the
+breast. Justice!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Second</p>
+
+<p>Mine was full of sand and gravel.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Third</p>
+
+<p>They are not the same loaves we used to get. We
+are being cheated. Justice!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_237" title="237"> </a>The Doorkeeper</p>
+
+<p>Nahum treats you all alike. He is perfectly fair.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>Where is he?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Other Voices</p>
+
+<p>Where is he? We want to see him.&mdash;Let him show
+himself.&mdash;We will talk to him.&mdash;He is a thief.&mdash;Where
+is he?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Another Voice</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Shouting stridently</span>] He sits at home and fattens
+up his own household. They bake cake for themselves.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Second Voice</p>
+
+<p>Yes, the rich have hoarded all they need.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>While we go hungry.&mdash;Bread for the poor.&mdash;Bread,
+bread.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Strident Voice</p>
+
+<p>The king has golden dishes filled with dainties. In
+the palace they would rather throw their leavings to
+the dogs than feed our children.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>I don&rsquo;t believe that.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_238" title="238"> </a>Other Voices</p>
+
+<p>Yes.&mdash;Yes.&mdash;I have seen them do it.&mdash;My sister
+says they do.&mdash;Where is Nahum?&mdash;Give us bread.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Gradually the voices fuse into a single shout for
+bread. The mob thronging the steps grows more
+threatening. Some of those in the front ranks are
+about to seize the doorkeeper, while others continue to
+beat on the closed door. The doorkeeper blows a
+trumpet</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Hastening from the palace, attended by a number
+of soldiers</span>] Away with you. Push them back. Down
+the steps. Clear the entrance to the palace.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The soldiers use the hafts of their spears freely,
+and the mob yields ground, panicstricken</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>He struck me.&mdash;They are killing us.&mdash;Where is my
+child?&mdash;Help.&mdash;Help!</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The crowd forms again at the foot of the steps, and
+faces <span class="speaker">Abimelech</span> angrily</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>Are you all mad? The enemy is attacking us.
+Since dawn I have been on the ramparts to marshal the
+defence, and you meanwhile are raising a tumult at our
+backs. What would ye, rabble?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_239" title="239"> </a>Voices</p>
+
+<p>Bread.&mdash;We are hungry.&mdash;Bread.&mdash;Our children
+have nothing to eat.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>Everyone has had his loaf.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Not I.&mdash;They left me out.&mdash;Not enough.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>The town is besieged. You must make the most of
+what you have. We are at war.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>There is not enough bread.&mdash;We are hungry.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>Well, be hungry! We are shedding our blood for
+you. The city must be our first care. [<span class="stage-direction">Trying to
+hearten them up he exclaims</span>] Jerusalem for ever!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Half-heartedly</span>] Jerusalem for ever!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Strident Voice</p>
+
+<p>Who or what is Jerusalem? Has Jerusalem a
+stomach? Has Jerusalem blood? The stones and the
+walls are not Jerusalem. We are Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_240" title="240"> </a>Voices</p>
+
+<p>Yes, we are Jerusalem.&mdash;Give us life.&mdash;Give us
+food.&mdash;Feed our children.&mdash;What is Jerusalem to me?
+I want bread.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Stamping fiercely</span>] Be silent, all. Back to your
+homes. Why do you loiter in the marketplace? Do
+you not know that we are at war?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Woman</p>
+
+<p>Why are we at war?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Yes, why?&mdash;Why are we at war?&mdash;Let us make
+peace.&mdash;Peace.&mdash;Peace.&mdash;Bread.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Strident Voice</p>
+
+<p>Was it not well with us under Nebuchadnezzar?
+Was not his yoke light? Were not our days pleasant?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Yea, yea.&mdash;Peace with Nebuchadnezzar.&mdash;End the
+war.&mdash;Down with the war.&mdash;A curse on him who began
+the war.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Woman</p>
+
+<p>It was Zedekiah&rsquo;s doing. He wanted war to help
+his friends the Egyptians.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_241" title="241"> </a>Voices</p>
+
+<p>Yes, he has betrayed us.&mdash;While we suffer, he lies
+at ease among his wives.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>Who dares to slander the Lord&rsquo;s anointed? He is
+ever in the forefront of the battle.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Strident Voice</p>
+
+<p>It is false.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>Who says it is false? Let him stand forth and face
+my sword. Who says it? [<span class="stage-direction">The crowd is silent</span>]
+Beware of slanderers! Now then, off home with you.
+Let those who can fight, man the walls.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">From the back</span>] Nahum, Nahum! Here he comes.
+[<span class="stage-direction">The crowd surges round <span class="speaker">Nahum</span></span>] Nahum, good
+Nahum.&mdash;Give us bread.&mdash;Bread.&mdash;Bread.&mdash;You will
+treat us fairly.&mdash;Help us.&mdash;Good Nahum.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nahum</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Elbowing his way through the press</span>] Let me pass!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Follows him up the steps</span>] Nahum! Nahum!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_242" title="242"> </a>Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>Back! Stand back.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The soldiers raise their spears, and the crowd
+shrinks away to the foot of the steps</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nahum</p>
+
+<p>What would ye?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>Open the storehouses.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nahum</p>
+
+<p>The storehouses are empty. Each of you has a loaf
+every day. That must suffice.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>I have had no loaf.&mdash;Nor I.&mdash;Open the storehouses.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nahum</p>
+
+<p>I tell you they are empty.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Strident Voice</p>
+
+<p>Let us see for ourselves.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Yes, let us see for ourselves.&mdash;I don&rsquo;t believe it.&mdash;Open
+the storehouses.&mdash;Let us see for ourselves.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_243" title="243"> </a>Nahum</p>
+
+<p>I swear to you&nbsp;&hellip;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Strident Voice</p>
+
+<p>When we see we will believe. We have been
+cheated too long.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>They are all cheats, the priests, the king, all.&mdash;Give
+up the keys.&mdash;How they lied when they prophesied
+victory. [<span class="stage-direction">The voices become more menacing</span>] Where
+are the Egyptians?&mdash;Zedekiah promised that the
+Egyptians would help us.&mdash;Where are the signs and
+wonders?&mdash;Bread, bread, bread.&mdash;Give up the keys.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The mob surges up the steps once more, surrounding
+<span class="speaker">Nahum</span> and endeavoring to snatch the keys</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Nahum</p>
+
+<p>Help, help!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Beating them back, aided by his men</span>] Down, down!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>Oh, I am wounded. See, I bleed!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>For the last time. To your homes! Clear the
+marketplace, or I shall use my sword.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_244" title="244"> </a>The Strident Voice</p>
+
+<p>The marketplace and the city belong to us.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">A messenger appears at the back of the crowd</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Messenger</p>
+
+<p>Abimelech! Where is Abimelech?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>Here.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>There he is, the wretch, the murderer!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Messenger</p>
+
+<p>Help, Abimelech. They have broken in at Moria
+Gate.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Cries of terror arise from the crowd</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Abimelech</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Cutting a path through them with his sword</span>] Make
+way, make way.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">He strides off. <span class="speaker">Doorkeeper</span>, <span class="speaker">Nahum</span>, and the
+soldiers withdraw through the wicket</span>]</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The crowd becomes chaotic. Previously it had
+been animated by a definite will. Now its units form
+a confused medley of horror-stricken persons, giving
+vent to hardly intelligible cries of terror and distress</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_245" title="245"> </a>Voices</p>
+
+<p>They have broken in at Moria Gate.&mdash;All is lost.&mdash;My
+wife.&mdash;My children.&mdash;God help us.&mdash;To the
+temple.&mdash;Elijah, Elijah!&mdash;Where shall we hide?&mdash;What
+will become of us?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>To the walls! Man the walls!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Man</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Rushing in</span>] We are betrayed! The king has fled!
+We are lost!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>We are betrayed.&mdash;We are lost.&mdash;Where is the
+king?&mdash;Where are the priests?&mdash;Where is Hananiah?&mdash;Revenge,
+revenge.&mdash;Death is upon us.&mdash;The
+Chaldeans.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Strident Voice</p>
+
+<p>Curses upon the king!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Fiercely</span>] Curses upon the king!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Strident Voice</p>
+
+<p>A curse on the priests! A curse on the prophets!
+They lied to us one and all.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_246" title="246"> </a>Voices</p>
+
+<p>Yes, curse them every one!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Strident Voice</p>
+
+<p>They persecuted those who warned us, those who
+counseled peace.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>They persecuted Jeremiah.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Second Voice</p>
+
+<p>Yes, Jeremiah told us what would happen.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>He warned us.&mdash;He wanted peace.&mdash;In this very
+place he shouted for peace.&mdash;I heard him.&mdash;He is the
+true prophet.&mdash;Everything has happened as he foretold.
+Where is Jeremiah?&mdash;Fetch Jeremiah. He
+will help us.&mdash;Where is he?&mdash;Where is he?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>They have prisoned him in the pit, here in the palace.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Cries of fury arise from the crowd</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Set him free.&mdash;He will save us.&mdash;Force the doors.&mdash;Jeremiah,
+Jeremiah! God has sent him to help us.&mdash;Jeremiah,
+man of God, come to our aid.&mdash;Down with
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_247" title="247"> </a>
+the false prophets.&mdash;God spoke through Jeremiah.&mdash;Bring
+an axe to force the door.&mdash;Jeremiah shall be
+king.&mdash;Where is our saviour?</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">For a time nothing can be heard but the cry,
+<em>Jeremiah, Jeremiah</em>, and the noise made by the beating
+of axes and staves upon the door. Suddenly the door
+is opened and the doorkeeper appears</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Doorkeeper</p>
+
+<p>What would ye?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>Let us pass.&mdash;Jeremiah, Jeremiah!</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The <span class="speaker">Doorkeeper</span> is thrust aside</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Doorkeeper</p>
+
+<p>Help, help!</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Part of the mob disappears through the doorway,
+and from within is heard the noise of doors being
+broken down with axes. Those who remain on the
+steps are tense with excitement and impatience</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">From within</span>] The dogs have lowered him into the
+pit.&mdash;They were afraid of him.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">From the steps</span>] He is a holy man.&mdash;He is the
+chosen of the Lord.&mdash;Jeremiah will save us all.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_248" title="248"> </a>A Woman</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Frenzied with excitement</span>] He stretched forth his
+hand and cried, Peace. God&rsquo;s fire breathed from his
+lips. His brow shone like that of an angel. He will
+save us.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Another Woman</p>
+
+<p>Could I but look upon his blessed face once more.
+It will shed light over Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Cries come from within</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>They have found him.&mdash;He is saved.&mdash;We are
+saved.&mdash;God will help us.&mdash;Jeremiah! Jeremiah!</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Reappearing from within, the rest of the crowd
+brings <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> triumphantly to the top of the steps.
+He stands with his hand shielding his eyes from the
+light</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Ecstatically</span>] Holy One!&mdash;Master!&mdash;Samuel.&mdash;Elijah.&mdash;Prophet.&mdash;Save
+us, Jeremiah.&mdash;King.&mdash;Anointed
+of the Lord.&mdash;Israel hear his words.&mdash;Jeremiah.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Frenzied Woman</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Throwing herself at his feet</span>] Why do you hide
+your face? Your glance brings healing. Look on this
+child of mine that it may grow hale. Look upon us
+all that we may arise from death.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_249" title="249"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Slowly withdraws his hand from his eyes. His gaze
+is serious and even gloomy, as he contemplates the
+agitated and expectant throng</span>] The light is strange to
+my eyes, and burns them. Strange, too, is this love
+you show me, and it burns my soul. What would ye?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>Save us, Jeremiah, anointed of the Lord.&mdash;Save the
+city.&mdash;Be our king.&mdash;Show a miracle.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Your words are dark to me. What is your will?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">All speaking at once</span>] Moria.&mdash;The fortress of
+Zion.&mdash;Save Jerusalem.&mdash;A miracle.&mdash;We are lost.&mdash;You
+are our shepherd.&mdash;Save us.&mdash;Save Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Speak one at a time.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Woman</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Again throwing herself at his feet</span>] Holy One,
+anointed of the Lord, star of our hope! Stretch forth
+your hand and save Jerusalem. What you foretold
+hath been fulfilled. The Chaldeans are upon us.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_250" title="250"> </a>A Voice</p>
+
+<p>They have broken down Moria Gate.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Second Voice</p>
+
+<p>Our men have been defeated.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Third Voice</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Despairingly</span>] Save Jerusalem, or we perish.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Taking up the cry</span>] Save Jerusalem, or we perish.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> stands motionless, hiding his face in his
+hands</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Woman</p>
+
+<p>We would take vengeance on your enemies; we
+would tear the faces of those who have reviled you.
+Have pity on us, you who are our saviour and our hope.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>Who shall save us unless it be you?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Strident Voice</p>
+
+<p>The priests have betrayed us. The king has sold us
+to the enemy.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Indignantly</span>] It is false! Why slander ye the
+king?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_251" title="251"> </a>Voices</p>
+
+<p>Zedekiah has forsaken us.&mdash;Where is he?&mdash;Why
+does he not come to our help?&mdash;He has fled.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Vehemently</span>] It is not true.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>It is true.&mdash;They led us into this war.&mdash;They have
+sacrificed us.&mdash;We wanted peace.&mdash;Let us have peace.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Tardily comes your longing for peace. Why do ye
+put your transgressions on the king&rsquo;s shoulders? Ye
+clamored for war.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>No, not I.&mdash;No, not I.&mdash;It was the king.&mdash;Not I.&mdash;Not
+one of us.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Ye all wanted war, all, all! Your hearts are fickle,
+and ye sway in the wind like reeds. The very ones
+who now shout for peace, I have heard howling for
+war. Those who raise their voices against the king,
+hounded him on to the fray. Woe unto you, O people!
+Ye speak with two voices, and drive before every breeze.
+Ye have fornicated with war, and shall now bear the
+fruit of war. Ye have played with the sword, and
+shall now taste its edge.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_252" title="252"> </a>Voices</p>
+
+<p>Alas, he spurns us.&mdash;Jeremiah, be merciful to us in
+our distress.&mdash;Aid us in our wretchedness.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>No man can help you. Help cometh from God
+alone.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Strident Voice</p>
+
+<p>God has forsaken us.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>Yea, God has forsaken us.&mdash;Where is he?&mdash;Where
+is the covenant?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Fugitives</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Rush past shouting</span>] The enemy is within the gates.
+Abimelech is slain.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Shrieks with terror, and then appeals once more to
+<span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span></span>] Hearken, hearken!&mdash;We are lost!&mdash;Show
+a miracle, a miracle.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Despairingly</span>] What would ye that I should do?
+Am I to stretch forth my bare hands against the
+enemy?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Ecstatically</span>] Yea, yea; that do, and save us.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_253" title="253"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Think ye then that I can drive back those whom God
+sendeth against you?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>Yea, yea.&mdash;You can.&mdash;You must.&mdash;You can do what
+you will.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Naught can I do. Naught against the will of God.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>You can save Jerusalem.&mdash;Show a miracle.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Fiercely</span>] Were it in my power to work against
+God&rsquo;s will, verily I would not do so. Tempt me not.
+I am on God&rsquo;s side, not on yours. Whatever he
+decrees, I bow myself before him.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Alas, he spurns us.&mdash;He forsakes us.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">In growing excitement</span>] 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. [<span class="stage-direction">Cries of horror from the crowd</span>] Let thy
+temple fall, so it be thy will, I submit. [<span class="stage-direction">The crowd
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_254" title="254"> </a>
+bursts into furious exclamations</span>] 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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>He raves.&mdash;Strike him down.&mdash;He is mad.&mdash;He
+rains curses on us.&mdash;Silence the traitor!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">[<span class="stage-direction">In a trance</span>] Whatsoever thou doest, Lord, I submit.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Whatsoever thou sendest, I glorify thy name.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Rain down on me terrors uncounted,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Thine anger I welcome, I seek not to hide.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Break my heart! Burst the gates! Raze the walls!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">With fire consume thine own altar,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">To defend which now myriads fall!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Rejecting thy people, the chosen,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Turn thy face from me too in thy wrath!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">From the depth of my sorrow I cling to thee;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Though thou slay me, I trust thee in death.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Shouting fiercely</span>] Traitor.&mdash;He is cursing us.&mdash;He
+prays for our death. Stone him.&mdash;Stone him!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">More frenzied than ever, as he daunts the menacing
+and turbulent mob with the fire of his enthusiasm</span>]</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_255" title="255"> </a><div class="line">Not my will, Lord, but thine be done!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Thou hast led me into darkness;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I have known many afflictions;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Lord, I will bear all patiently.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Pour out the vials of thine anger,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Break my bones, close mine eyes,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Fill up the measure of my sufferings,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Pressed down and running over,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Still am I thy faithful servant,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For art not thou the Most High?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The more thou visitest me with wormwood and gall,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The more will I testify to thine abounding love.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Let me double the martyrdom thou wouldst impose,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Let me kiss the rod that striketh the blows,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Let me thank the hand that bruiseth my flesh,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Let me praise the brand that seareth my flesh,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Let me bless the death wrought by foes without pity,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Let me bless the destruction befallen thy city,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Let me bless bitterness, slavery, shame,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Let me bless the enemy, bless in thy name.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Lord to thy wishes I humbly bow!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">To accept all thy sendings I fervently vow!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Lord, hear my words; Lord, prove me now!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Cutting him short</span>] Traitor.&mdash;Stone him.&mdash;He
+blesses our foes.&mdash;He prays for our enemies.&mdash;Stone
+the blasphemer, stone him.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Strident Voice</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Dominating the rest</span>] Crucify him! Crucify him!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_256" title="256"> </a>The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Echoing the cry and rushing up the steps</span>] Crucify
+him! Nail the blasphemer to the cross.&mdash;Stone the
+traitor.&mdash;Crucify him!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">In ecstasy, stretching out his arms as if on the cross</span>]</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Let God&rsquo;s will be done. Come hither, draw near,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Nail my limbs to the cross, pierce my side with the spear,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Spit upon me, and scourge and revile me,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Break my bones, and debase and defile me,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Thus shall I be, for one and for all,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">A trespass offering made for Israel!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Seize me, then, seize;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Let my sacrifice please<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Jehovah, his anger yet stem;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And save, even now, save Jerusalem.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The crowd surges round him. Some grasp his
+limbs, while others strive on his behalf and endeavor
+to free him</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Crucify him!&mdash;Stone him!&mdash;He blasphemes.&mdash;A
+curse upon Jeremiah!&mdash;Crucify him.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Other Voices</p>
+
+<p>Let be.&mdash;The spirit of God is upon him.&mdash;He is
+beside himself.&mdash;Harm him not.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_257" title="257"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Amid the tumult he continues to stretch out his
+arms as if on the cross</span>]</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">But why do ye tarry? Thrice-blessed day!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The price of martyrdom fain would I pay.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For suffering I am athirst.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Let me die the death accurst.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Who hangs on the cross in mortal pain,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The world&rsquo;s eternal welfare shall gain,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Saviour and intercessor, he,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">With arms outstretched on the cruel tree.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">His lips, trembling with anguish till death bring release,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Shall speak the redeeming message of peace;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">His sighs to melody shall give birth,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">His torment, to love everlasting on earth.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">His death shall bring life; his sorrows, forgiveness.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Though his flesh know corruption, his body decay,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Yet his soul, winging heavenward,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Beareth all our sins Godward,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The glorious messenger, he, of man&rsquo;s new day!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Ah, were I but that herald of deliverance!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">My spirit is on fire! Lo, I pray:<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Crucify me, oh, crucify me!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">With wild cries they seize him, and begin to
+carry him away, buffeting him as they go</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Crucify him!&mdash;Let him taste the death he yearns
+for.&mdash;He is our enemy.&mdash;Crucify him.&mdash;Stone him!</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">At this moment a number of fugitives rush into the
+marketplace in wild disorder, throwing away their
+weapons as they run</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_258" title="258"> </a>Fugitives</p>
+
+<p>The walls are down.&mdash;The enemy is in the city.
+The Chaldeans have gained the day.&mdash;Israel is lost.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">More Fugitives</p>
+
+<p>Abimelech is slain.&mdash;All is lost.&mdash;Jerusalem is fallen.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Yet More Fugitives</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">In full flight</span>] They are hard on our heels.&mdash;To
+the temple.&mdash;All is lost.&mdash;Israel! Israel.&mdash;Alas for
+Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The crowd joins the fugitives, uttering shrieks of
+terror. <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> is forgotten. The whole city
+seems to ring with cries of despair and the noise of vain
+attempts at flight</span>]</p>
+
+<h2><a class="pagenum" name="Page_259" title="259"> </a>THE CONVERSION</h2>
+
+<p class="scene-heading"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_261" title="261"> </a><a name="Scene_8">SCENE EIGHT</a></p>
+
+<p>My desire is that Job may be tried unto the end.
+<span class="small-caps">Job</span>&nbsp;XXXIV, 36.</p>
+
+<p class="scene-heading"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_263" title="263"> </a>SCENE EIGHT</p>
+
+<div class="scene-description">
+<p>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 <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span>, 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.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">[<span class="stage-direction">Reading</span>] Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Thou that dwellest between the cherubims,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Shine forth! Stir up thy strength!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Others</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Murmuring in unison</span>] Shine forth! Stir up thy
+strength!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_264" title="264"> </a>The Elder</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">[<span class="stage-direction">Reading</span>] Give ear, O Shepherd, come and save us.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">How long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Thou feedest them with the bread of tears,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And givest them tears to drink in great measure.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">O God of hosts,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Others</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">[<span class="stage-direction">Reading</span>] O remember not against us former iniquities;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us:<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For we are brought very low.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">We are consumed by thine anger,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And by thy wrath we are troubled.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Remember not against us our former iniquities.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Remember thy covenant, remember thy name.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Appear, Shepherd, lead thy flock home;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Shine forth! Stir up thy strength!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Others</p>
+
+<p>Shine forth! Stir up thy strength!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Other Voices</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Joining in fervently</span>] Cause thy face to shine, and
+we shall be saved.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_265" title="265"> </a>The Wounded Man</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Who has hitherto been moaning, now bursts into a
+loud cry</span>] Oh, oh, I am burning. Water! Water!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Woman</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Trying to soothe him</span>] Be quiet, there&rsquo;s a good man.
+For God&rsquo;s sake, be quiet, or they will hear us.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>Be silent! Control yourself, or you will destroy
+us all.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Another</p>
+
+<p>They will slay us if they find us.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Wounded Man</p>
+
+<p>Let them kill me. I cannot bear it. My wound is
+on fire. Water! Water!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Man</p>
+
+<p>We must silence him. His cries will betray our
+hiding place.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Woman</p>
+
+<p>Touch him not. He is my brother. I bore him
+hither from the walls. [<span class="stage-direction">She kneels beside him</span>] Dear,
+I implore you to stifle your cries. I will fetch you
+some water. Take my kerchief and muffle your mouth
+in it.</p>
+
+<p><a class="pagenum" name="Page_266" title="266"> </a>[<span class="stage-direction">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</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>Go on reading, Pinchas. God&rsquo;s word consoles us.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Another Voice</p>
+
+<p>Go on reading about the promise.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Other Voices</p>
+
+<p>Yes, read us about the Messiah; about the rod that
+shall come forth out of the stem of Jesse.&mdash;Read about
+the saviour.&mdash;Our hearts are thirsting after the dew of
+the word.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">The Elder</span> takes up the roll once more, and is
+about to resume his reading, when there comes a
+knocking. All start</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Woman</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Alarmed</span>] Someone knocks!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Others</p>
+
+<p>They are there!&mdash;They have tracked us.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Man</p>
+
+<p>It is not on the outer door, but from the secret
+entrance, which is known to our own folk alone. Open!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_267" title="267"> </a>The Women</p>
+
+<p>No! No, there are traitors among us. Let be!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>Silence! [<span class="stage-direction">He cautiously approaches a door hidden
+among buttresses</span>] Who is there?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voice</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">From without</span>] Zephaniah!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>It is Zephaniah, my son-in-law, whom we sent forth
+for news.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">He draws back the bolt, and a man enters, helmeted
+and garbed like a Chaldean. All rush towards him,
+<span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> alone remaining motionless</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>What has happened?&mdash;Have you seen Neter, my
+son? Tebiah, my wife?&mdash;Have they burned down
+my house?&mdash;Where is the king?&mdash;What has happened
+to the temple? Do you know anything about my
+husband, Ishmael?&mdash;What is happening outside?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>Be silent all. Let Zephaniah speak, for he has seen
+the daylight and the city.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_268" title="268"> </a>Zephaniah</p>
+
+<p>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&rsquo;s city has become a city
+of the dead; the citadel of Solomon is utterly destroyed.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">All</p>
+
+<p>Alas, alas, for Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zephaniah</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Rending his garments</span>] I can live no longer!
+Could I but tear my bowels as I tear my raiment.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Where is the power of God?&mdash;The covenant.&mdash;The
+promise.&mdash;Where are our leaders?&mdash;Jerusalem is lost.&mdash;My
+husband?&mdash;Whom have you seen?&mdash;What has
+become of Nahum?&mdash;What has become of&nbsp;&hellip;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zephaniah</p>
+
+<p>For many do you ask, and I can give but one answer
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_269" title="269"> </a>
+for them all. Of the nobles of Judah, not one now
+looketh on the light of day.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>All slain? All?&mdash;Impossible!&mdash;Abodassar?&mdash;Jehoiachin?&mdash;Hedassar?&mdash;Imre?&mdash;Nahum?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zephaniah</p>
+
+<p>Ask me no more. Their troubles are over, and they
+are with God.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Nahum too?&mdash;The king&rsquo;s sons?&mdash;My brother-in-law
+Absalom?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zephaniah</p>
+
+<p>None are left alive. Those who fell not at the wall
+were slain afterwards by Nebuchadnezzar&rsquo;s officers.
+Zedekiah alone remains.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Zedekiah still alive?&mdash;Why spare him more than
+another?&mdash;He has betrayed us.&mdash;Why show him mercy
+when all the rest have been butchered?&mdash;Why spare
+him?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zephaniah</p>
+
+<p>Honor the king! Reverence his sufferings.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>What has happened to him?&mdash;Is he a prisoner?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_270" title="270"> </a>Zephaniah</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>And then?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zephaniah</p>
+
+<p>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&nbsp;&hellip;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Suddenly roused from his impassivity and speaking
+in horror-stricken tones</span>] Blinded, you say? Blinded?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zephaniah</p>
+
+<p>Who is this?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Do not speak to him.&mdash;Do not look at him.&mdash;He is
+the most infamous of men.&mdash;A curse lies on him.&mdash;Utter
+not his name.&mdash;Utter not his name.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zephaniah</p>
+
+<p>Who is it that spake, saying &ldquo;Blinded?&rdquo; I am sure I
+know the voice.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_271" title="271"> </a>Voices</p>
+
+<p>Ask not his name.&mdash;He is one accurst.&mdash;He is
+rejected of God.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Woman</p>
+
+<p>He is the curse of God, sent for our burning torment.
+He is the scourge of God.&mdash;Jeremiah, Jeremiah!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zephaniah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">With a wild outcry, stretching forth his hands as if
+to thrust away something horrible</span>] Jeremiah!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zephaniah</p>
+
+<p>I tremble before you, man of doom.&mdash;He foresaw
+everything. He alone. That other called on his
+name.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>Who called on his name?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zephaniah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Utterly crushed</span>] 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.
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_272" title="272"> </a>
+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, &ldquo;Jeremiah,
+Jeremiah.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">All shudder</span>]</p>
+
+<p>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: &ldquo;Jeremiah, Jeremiah,
+where art thou, revealer? Where art thou, Jeremiah,
+my brother?&rdquo; Zedekiah called upon his name, the
+name of him who had foreseen.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">They shrink away from <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span>, as from a dangerous
+beast</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Struggling with emotion</span>] 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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zephaniah</p>
+
+<p>What is he talking about?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Woman</p>
+
+<p>Madness hath seized him.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Another Woman</p>
+
+<p>He raves.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_273" title="273"> </a>A Man</p>
+
+<p>Nay, he foretold these happenings. A sage is he,
+and a prophet.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>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. [<span class="stage-direction">A pause</span>] No longer
+will I speak his words. I will hold my peace. [<span class="stage-direction">A
+pause</span>] 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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>He is in a frenzy.&mdash;Look how convulsions rack
+him.&mdash;He is twisted with pain like a woman in labour.&mdash;Heed
+not his words.&mdash;God has punished him.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> sinks to the ground broken</span>]</p>
+
+<p>Look, look, the hand of the Lord hath fallen upon
+him.&mdash;Go not near him whom God hath banned.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">They draw farther away from <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> and
+huddle together. <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> 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</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_274" title="274"> </a>Zephaniah</p>
+
+<p>Alas, they draw near, the heralds of disaster.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">To <span class="speaker">Zephaniah</span></span>] What is it?&mdash;What has happened?&mdash;What
+meaneth this summons?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zephaniah</p>
+
+<p>&rsquo;Tis Nebuchadnezzar&rsquo;s message to the remnant of
+the people.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Must we go forth to hear the message?&mdash;Dare we
+leave our shelter?&mdash;What shall we do, Zephaniah?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zephaniah</p>
+
+<p>No need for haste. Evil tidings ever come too soon.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>What is to happen?&mdash;What is our doom?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zephaniah</p>
+
+<p>It is the will of Nebuchadnezzar that our city be
+utterly destroyed.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">There is a wail of horror. The trumpet is heard
+once more, nearer</span>]</p>
+
+<p>Those who survive must go as slaves to Babylon.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_275" title="275"> </a>Voices</p>
+
+<p>We are to leave Zion?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>I will not go. Here will I remain.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zephaniah</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Woman</p>
+
+<p>My brother, my nephew, and my husband have all
+been slain. Tombs are my heritage, and this heritage
+will I keep.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Man</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_276" title="276"> </a>Voices</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">In the enthusiasm of despair</span>] Let us stay.&mdash;Let
+us choose death.&mdash;Better death than slavery.&mdash;Never
+will we go into exile.&mdash;Better to die.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Wounded Man</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Half rising</span>] No, no.&mdash;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!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">His Sister</p>
+
+<p>Be calm. I will carry you.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Wounded Man</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Deliriously</span>] Yes &hellip; Let us go. Let us leave
+these mad folk, who want to die. Why should we
+seek death?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>His body is parched with fever. He knows not
+what he says.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Wounded Man</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Fiercely</span>] 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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Young Woman</p>
+
+<p>True, true! I too want to live. My life lies before
+me. As yet I have seen nothing, felt nothing. Young
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_277" title="277"> </a>
+and vigorous are my limbs. Death is cold, life is
+warm. I will not stay. I will go with you, anywhere,
+anywhere.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Another Woman</p>
+
+<p>Shameless one, are you willing to be the concubine
+of an enemy?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Young Woman</p>
+
+<p>Anything, if I can but live.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Wounded Man</p>
+
+<p>Life, at any cost of suffering.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Man</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Wildly</span>] No life without God! No life without
+Jerusalem!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Death were better.&mdash;Death were better.&mdash;Let us
+not accept slavery.&mdash;Death is a fearful thing.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Again the trumpet sounds, now close at hand</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>I hold thee fast, city of Zion. Weak though my
+hands, still do I cling to thee. My life hast thou
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_278" title="278"> </a>
+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&rsquo;s house and God&rsquo;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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zephaniah</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Wounded Man</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Raising himself</span>] 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!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>Shame upon you, weaklings! Would you live without
+God?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>God will be with us wherever we go.&mdash;God speaks to
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_279" title="279"> </a>
+us wherever we may be.&mdash;Even from exile our voices
+will rise towards him.&mdash;There too shall we be faithful.
+The light of his countenance shines upon all roads.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">In conflict</span>] No.&mdash;Yes.&mdash;God is everywhere.&mdash;He
+is here only.&mdash;He will reveal himself to us anywhere.&mdash;God
+abides nowhere but in his own temple.&mdash;Anywhere,
+everywhere.&mdash;Nowhere but in Jerusalem can
+we look upon his face.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Suddenly springing to his feet, with an awesome
+outburst</span>] 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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">His jaw has dropped in amazement and horror. At
+length he raises his hands tremblingly towards heaven,
+with the invocation</span>] Blasphemy! Blasphemy! Strike
+him down with thy lightnings.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_280" title="280"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">More fiercely</span>] 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!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>Heed him not! A backslider is he, and an outcast.
+Heed him not, ye servants of the Almighty.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Still more fiercely</span>] Who has served him in Israel
+as I have served him? Who within Jerusalem&rsquo;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
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_281" title="281"> </a>
+wishes that I in turn should mock their distress. But
+I do not laugh, God! I will not laugh at my brothers&rsquo;
+torment. Not like thee can I rejoice at another&rsquo;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!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>He raves.&mdash;He blasphemes.&mdash;Away with him.&mdash;He
+is beside himself.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">In an ecstasy, speaks over their heads into the void</span>]</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Dumb and sinister Being, I witness against thee!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Be thou silent no longer, witness thou against me!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Say,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Have I ever, I charge thee, proved backward or loath?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Have I ever, I charge thee, been false to my oath?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Dumb and sinister Being, thy silence now break.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Ope thy mouth, and against me thy parable take.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Thou hast sought me by day and by night and hast found me,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">With dreams to amaze, and with fears to confound me.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">With fire my soul thou hast filled. As a brand<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Spreading flame, spreading flame far and wide through the land,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Hast thou driven me on. &rsquo;Twas thy will not mine,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Made me stand as a foe &rsquo;gainst this people of thine.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I was the hand their throats fiercely clamping,<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_282" title="282"> </a><div class="line">I was the hoof, their peace roughly down stamping,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I was the saw, their limbs ever rending,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I was the goad, bringing torment unending,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I was the terror, the vision of fright,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I was the nightmare that rode them by night.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">In their bones I the fire, in their flesh I the thorn,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The mockery, likewise, that laughed them to scorn;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For relentless, unfeeling, as any dumb beast,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Made mad by thy will, I obeyed thy behest.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Of the love of my brothers though still I was fain,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Made mad by thy will, I but cursed them again.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Thus quelling compassion, constrained to do ill,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I spurred myself onward thy word to fulfil.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>He is seized with the frenzy of fever.&mdash;He raves.&mdash;To
+whom is he speaking?&mdash;He is out of his wits.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">But I renounce my allegiance!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Resuming my freedom, no longer a thrall,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I nor heed thy commandments nor answer thy call!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Where &rsquo;twas shrined in my heart I thy image discrown,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And from out thy high heaven I hurl thee adown!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Thou spurnedst thy people, so thee too I reject;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">No merciless God shall compel my respect!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For why is it seemly that reverence be paid<br/></div>
+<div class="line">To a god who gives scorn when his children seek aid?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">He only is God who turns sorrow aside,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Almighty but he who can solace provide!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And of men him alone may we prophet proclaim<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_283" title="283"> </a><div class="line">Whose spirit with measureless love is aflame,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Whose words and whose deeds teach all men to know<br/></div>
+<div class="line">That his soul with compassion is ever aglow.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Now to me my purpose in life is plain,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For the plaints that assail thine ears all in vain<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Wring my heart with the passion of infinite pain.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Come cries from the city thine anger hath burned,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Come cries from the people thy hatred hath spurned,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Come cries from the widows, made widows by thee,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Come cries from the mothers, made childless by thee,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">From the king, now blind, as by thee ordained,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">From thine altar, by thine own self profaned;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">From the earth, from the air, the message is sent;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">As I hearken, with anguish my bowels are rent;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Appeals from the living, appeals from the dead;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">As I hearken, perforce I must turn my head<br/></div>
+<div class="line">From thee, who art cold and unfeeling as stone,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">From thee, who art deaf when thy children make moan,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">To my brothers, my sisters, who are bone of my bone<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And flesh of my flesh, those whom sorrows invest,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Those whom torments afflict. With them, none but them,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Can my spirit find peace or my heart be at rest.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">In reverence I bow before them, none but them;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For them, tenderest love; for thee, God, naught but hate!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>He hath cursed God. Strike him down.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>He raves.&mdash;He is mad.&mdash;He dreams.&mdash;&rsquo;Tis dangerous
+to listen to him.&mdash;Silence the madman!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_284" title="284"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Suddenly kneels and apostrophizes the others</span>]</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">My brothers, my brothers, forgive me, forgive<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The vain pride of a man now unfitted to live!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For God, none but he, with dreams dazzled my eyes.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">With words he confused me, with signs led astray,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Until, to an evil self-will giving way,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I believed myself prophet, all-knowing, all-wise!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I believed myself great with the greatness of God,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">When, invoking his name, your dooms I shrilled.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">When with his curses my mouth was filled!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">But lo, I abjure him, this pitiless God!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Though toward you I proved myself arrogant, vain,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I beseech you, my brothers, show mercy again.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Though my curses rained down on you many a day,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Repulse me not now&mdash;for he led me astray.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">There is naught but forgiveness my spirit to heal;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">At your feet now abased, craving pardon, I kneel.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">All draw away from him in horror. He moves
+after them, without rising from his knees</span>]</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">My brothers, my brothers, look kindly on me!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Well assured is my heart that we brothers be,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And I the least worthy, the youngest of all!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Lo, I curse you no longer, but breathe benediction,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Lo, I yearn to share with you the bread of affliction!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Let it please you, my brothers, whate&rsquo;er may befall,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">That I love you, that thanks to the love I bear,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">No more word of mine, I swear it, I swear,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Shall add by one grain to your load of care.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">In atonement for wrongdoing ask what you will.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The meanest of services glad to fulfil,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">As the slave of your slaves I demand only this,<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_285" title="285"> </a><div class="line">That the dust from your shoes I may thankfully kiss.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">My brothers in darkness, my brothers in grief,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">From my humble repentance withhold not belief.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">My brothers, my brothers, your pardon were bliss.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>Death to the man who touches him! God hath
+judged him.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Accursed of God, away.&mdash;Forth from among us.&mdash;Poison
+us no longer with thy presence.&mdash;Away liar,
+away!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">When they thrust him from them, cries plaintively</span>]
+Driven out like a leper! [<span class="stage-direction">He falls prone</span>]</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">There is a peremptory knocking, at the door</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>The heralds!&mdash;The Chaldeans!&mdash;They knock like
+masters.&mdash;It is not one of our own people. [<span class="stage-direction">The
+knocking becomes more imperative</span>] What impatience!&mdash;We
+must not anger him.&mdash;Do not unbar the door,
+for they are all robbers, the Chaldeans.&mdash;We must open
+to him, or he will grow angry.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>I will open the door. In the midst of life we are
+in death.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">He cautiously begins to open the great door, but as
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_286" title="286"> </a>
+soon as the bar is down one of the leaves is violently
+pushed open and <span class="speaker">Baruch</span> rushes in. <span class="speaker">The Elder</span>
+rebars the door</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">His face working with anxiety</span>] Brothers, is
+Jeremiah here?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>Name him not! Speak not to him.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Looking around</span>] Jeremiah, Jeremiah!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Slowly rising, stares at <span class="speaker">Baruch</span> as if he were a
+stranger</span>] Who still seeks me? Who now would
+tempt me?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Master mine, do you not know me? Do you not
+recognize my voice?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>I will look no more and listen no more. Away, you
+who still breathe the breath of life! Let me lie and
+rot!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Jeremiah, beloved master, I implore you to collect
+yourself. The enemy is hunting for you.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_287" title="287"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Who still seeks me in this world?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>You have been betrayed; they know your hiding-place.
+Nebuchadnezzar has sent officers in search of
+you.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Let them come! Blessed be the slayers! Blessed
+be death!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Jeremiah, if you love me, seek refuge in flight. I
+cannot bear that your life should be forfeited.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>No more love have I for anyone.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Embracing him</span>] Nay, master, my blood rather than
+yours. I will die with you.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Violent blows are struck on the door</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Scattering into the darkest corners</span>] Alas, alas.&mdash;The
+Chaldeans.&mdash;Our hour has come.&mdash;Jeremiah has
+brought disaster upon us.&mdash;Let us deliver him up.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_288" title="288"> </a>Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Too late! They are already here.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Open to them, Baruch. [<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Baruch</span> hesitates.
+<span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> standing erect speaks slowly and clearly,
+almost exultantly</span>] Open, that I may receive them.
+My soul yearns for death. Welcome, first fulfiller of
+my word! Welcome, Death. Open, Baruch! Open
+to the deliverer. [<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Baruch</span> moves to the door where
+he again hesitates. The door is once more shaken by
+violent blows from without. <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> repeats
+masterfully</span>] Open, Baruch, I command you.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">Baruch</span> veils his face and unbars the door. The
+two leaves of the folding door are flung open, and a
+gleam of the fading light of evening penetrates the
+dark crypt. The king&rsquo;s three officers enter, richly
+appareled, their figures showing in strong relief against
+the red sky. <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> stands alone, confronting
+them</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Chief Officer</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Advancing to the front</span>] Is the man named
+Jeremiah among you, the son of Hilkiah of Anathoth?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>I am he whom you seek. Fulfil your orders.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker">The Chief Officer</span> prostrates himself before
+<span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span>, touching the ground three times with his
+forehead. The two other officers do the same.
+<span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span>, startled, draws back a pace.
+<span class="speaker">The Chief Officer</span> rises to his knees</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_289" title="289"> </a>The Chief Officer</p>
+
+<p>Hail to the interpreter of signs! Honor and glory
+to the revealer of events, to the seer of that which is
+hidden. [<span class="stage-direction">Having again abased himself three times,
+he stands erect; his companions follow his example.
+<span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span>, recovering composure, regards him
+gloomily</span>] I bear a message through my unworthy
+mouth from Nebuchadnezzar, my master, king of
+kings, destroyer of nations. Thus saith my dread
+lord. It hath been reported to Nebuchadnezzar that
+thou alone among thy people foretoldest destruction
+to the rebels and disgrace to those who goaded on the
+people to revolt. Melted like lead are the words of
+the priests who withstood thy strength; but thy warning,
+like gold, hath endured the test of time. Thy
+fame hath reached the ears of Nebuchadnezzar, and
+now he is eager to set eyes upon thee. He sendeth
+thee raiment such as is worn by the princes of Chaldea,
+and will have thee for the chief among his servants
+who wait at his table.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>No more will I serve any, either in heaven above or
+in the earth beneath, for I have served God and have
+wearied of that service. Say unto Nebuchadnezzar
+that I refuse to serve him.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Chief Officer</p>
+
+<p>Thou understandest not the words of my lord and
+master. Not to any menial service doth he appoint
+thee, but would have thee to be the chief over all his
+servants. Master of the magicians, astrologers, and
+soothsayers, shalt thou be, reading the stars and foretelling
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_290" title="290"> </a>
+that which is to come. Second to none shalt
+thou be, but shalt come and go in the palace even as
+thou wilt.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>I hear your words, and therefrom I learn the king&rsquo;s
+wishes. Great is the call of Nebuchadnezzar, but
+greater is the need of mine own people. Hearken,
+therefore! I enter not the palace where the daughters
+of Israel will scour the steps as bondwomen. No
+bread do I break as guest at the table of him who hath
+profaned the temple of Zion. Not for me the favors
+of the cruel, nor the grace of him who hath been
+pitiless.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Chief Officer</p>
+
+<p>The message I brought thee was a king&rsquo;s message,
+and to kings obedience is due.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>You brought me true word from Nebuchadnezzar.
+Render him my answer no less truly. Return to him
+who sent you, and say unto him: &ldquo;Thus saith
+Jeremiah to Nebuchadnezzar. My bitterness has no
+sweetness for thee, nor shall my lips minister to thy
+pride. Wert thou to summon me with the tongues of
+angels, yet would I not heed thy call; wert thou to
+load for me with gold all the stones of Jerusalem, yet
+would I not speak soft words to thee. Honor me if
+you wilt, to thee I pay not honor. Seek me if thou
+wilt, but thee I will not seek.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_291" title="291"> </a>The Chief Officer</p>
+
+<p>Bethink thee, &rsquo;tis the king of kings who summons
+thee to enjoy the light of his countenance.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>I refuse to go! I refuse!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Chief Officer</p>
+
+<p>Never before hath any man refused to comply with
+the wishes of Nebuchadnezzar.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Nevertheless I refuse, I, the least among the sons
+of Israel. Who is he, that I should fear him? His
+power is but a straw, and his wrath but a breath of
+wind.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Chief Officer</p>
+
+<p>Rash and presumptuous art thou, to speak thus
+lightly of the king my master. Curb thy tongue, and
+have a care for thy life.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Fiercely</span>] Who is he that I should fear him?
+Many have there been who bore the proud name of
+Pharaoh, many whose foreheads were once adorned
+with circlets of gold, but no man careth to remember
+their deeds, and no man taketh pen to inscribe their
+names in the book of time. There have been mightier
+than he, whom the generations of men have forgotten
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_292" title="292"> </a>
+ere the trees they planted have rotted. Who is
+Nebuchadnezzar under the stars, that I should fear
+him? Is he not a worm, even as other men? Does
+not death dog his footsteps, and corruption await his
+body? Shall he escape the finger of time? Think
+you that he, more than another, can keep that which
+he now hath, or that he can find an issue from the doom
+which awaits all the sons of men? Return, therefore,
+to your master, bearing from me this message: &ldquo;Woe
+to the destroyer, for he shall be destroyed! Woe to
+the robber, for he shall be robbed. He who has drunk
+his fill of blood, shall be drowned in blood; he who has
+battened on the flesh of the nations, shall himself soon
+become food for worms! Hearken! A wind is
+rising against Babylon, and a tempest is about to break
+over Nineveh! Numbered are the days of Ashur.
+Drawn is the sword, and it hangs over thee, thy people,
+and thy realm. Thou art greedy for news of that
+which is to come. Learn, O Nebuchadnezzar, that
+Ashur is ripe for destruction; the measure of thine
+iniquity is full.&rdquo;</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The officers shrink before these fiery words, and
+make gestures as if to avert the threatened doom</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Suddenly stands forth from a dark corner, and
+cries enthusiastically</span>] Hear him, O Lord, hear him!
+Fulfil the promise of his words.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Imploringly</span>] Hear him, Lord God of Sabaoth!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_293" title="293"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Already hath the avenger awakened, for the Lord
+hath summoned him, and hath equipped him with
+strength. He is coming. Already is he near.
+Mighty are his hands; they will crush Babylon like a
+bird&rsquo;s nest, and will scatter the people of Ashur like
+chaff before the wind. Set watchmen in the towers
+upon the walls, that they may warn you of his coming;
+send forth men in armor, bearing sharp spears, that
+they may resist his onslaught. Just as little as thou
+canst blow away the clouds of heaven with thy breath,
+just so little canst thou avert the coming of the avenger,
+whose sword will slay the children of Ashur.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Ecstatically</span>] So let it be, Lord, so let it be!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Other Refugees</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">They have collected round <span class="speaker">The Elder</span>, and have
+caught fire from his enthusiasm</span>] Smite them, O Lord,
+as he has foretold.&mdash;Fulfil the words he has spoken.&mdash;Send
+the avenger.&mdash;Cast down Babylon even as he has
+prophesied.&mdash;Hear him, O Lord, hear him.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The officers, panic-stricken, make for the door</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">In a frenzy of joy</span>] O fool among fools, didst thou
+verily believe thou couldst enslave us; didst thou
+verily believe that God would forget us, would forsake
+his city of Jerusalem? Are we not his children, his
+first-born and his heirs? Is not his spirit upon us, and
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_294" title="294"> </a>
+his blessing upon the seed of Abraham? He has
+chastised us for our sins, but will now have pity on us.
+What his left hand has taken from us, his right hand
+will restore a thousandfold. For know, brothers, that
+sooner shall mountains fall and rivers flow upwards,
+sooner shall the stars be darkened, than that God shall
+forget his covenant, shall abandon Israel, shall turn
+away his face from Zion.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The officers have vanished during this speech</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder and The Others</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Thronging round <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span></span>] Blessings upon your
+words.&mdash;Blessings upon your head.&mdash;God will be mindful
+of Jerusalem.&mdash;O glorious prophecy!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Ignoring them in his growing exaltation</span>] How dark
+were the days upon earth when God frowned upon his
+children. We thought to perish in that darkness, to
+go down unto death in our anguish. But with the end
+of his wrath came the beginning of his love. A storm
+has raged; God has broken our strength like a reed.
+But now, once more, the sun of his mercy shines upon
+us. He has laid aside the lightnings; he has stilled the
+thunder of his voice; his words fall softly on our ears.
+Sweet do they sound, sweet and gentle:</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Arise, Jerusalem,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Arise, city of affliction.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Fear no longer,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For I have compassion upon thee.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I have been wroth with thee,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For a moment I have forsaken thee,<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_295" title="295"> </a><div class="line">But not for ever doth mine anger endure.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Therefore, since thou hast been forsaken,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Hast been for a day the rejected of God,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Now shall thy glories be restored unto thee,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And now shalt thou be exalted for all eternity.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I will deck thee with my love,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And girdle thee with peace,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Will show thee the light of my countenance,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And bestow my blessing upon thee.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Arise, Jerusalem,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Arise,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For I have delivered thee.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>A blessing upon your words.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Others</p>
+
+<p>Hear him, God.&mdash;Fulfil his words.&mdash;Deliver
+Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Lo, she is risen. She has heard the call. The Lord
+has loosened the fetters from her limbs, and has lifted
+the yoke from her neck. He has wiped the tears from
+her cheeks, has consoled the widows and the orphans.
+Smiles succeed to sorrow. The season of blossoming
+hath returned. Zion yearns for her children, that
+they may look upon her in her happiness and rejoice in
+her renewal. Already have the children of Israel
+heard the summons of the Lord. Dispersed never so
+widely to the ends of the earth and among the islands
+of the sea, yet do they return in their myriads to Zion.
+From the north and the south, from the east and the
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_296" title="296"> </a>
+west, the happy pilgrims come. Their footsteps hasten
+across the hills of Gilead, eagerly do they make their
+way over Bashan and Carmel, that they may see the
+city of our love, the city of our suffering, the holy
+fortress of Zion. And Jerusalem rejoices to welcome
+her children, returned in countless numbers from the
+prison-houses of exile. Where the flowers were
+withered, new buds are springing; where darkness had
+loomed, there shines fresh light; those who have been
+dumb, find voice. Jerusalem has risen from the
+tomb. The hills nod to her as of old; the shadows of
+the mountains lie athwart her plains; as dew gleams in
+the meadows, so peace shines in the city, the peace of
+the Lord, the peace of Israel, the peace of Jerusalem!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Others</p>
+
+<p>Fulfil the prophecy, O God.&mdash;Bring peace to Israel.&mdash;Let
+Jerusalem arise.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">When the glad day comes, and in Zion we meet,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">We, who so long have been captives and slaves,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Who have dwelt with the stranger in gloomy abodes,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Joyfully reassembling,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">We shall pray:<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Blessed be thy name, Lord God of Sabaoth!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Great and wonderful have been thy mercies!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Breaking the bitter bread of slavery;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">We mingled the wine in our pitchers with tears;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For our souls were sick with longing for home,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And our servitude was a daily death.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Then we called unto thee, compassionate one, and called not in vain,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For thou didst break our bonds.<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_297" title="297"> </a><div class="line">With the dew of thy goodness, with the waters of life,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Didst thou quench the fever of our thirsty souls.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Us the dispersed, us the vanquished,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Didst thou raise from the dust and lead home to Zion.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Look on us, O mountains; look on us, O fields!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">We have returned, we have risen as from the dead!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Let the sound of our streamlets murmur in our prayers;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Let the gardens welcome us with their flowers;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Let the roses of Sharon greet us with their perfume,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The forests of Carmel and Lebanon with their shade.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And thou, holy city, the beloved, ne&rsquo;er forgotten,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The vision of our days, and the dream of our nights,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The bride of our love and the mother of us all,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Let thy cymbals sound, thy flutes breathe notes of gladness;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Arouse thee and give utterance to thy rejoicing,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For we have returned to thee, Jerusalem!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Others</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Pressing near him in their delight, throwing themselves
+at his feet, embracing his knees</span>] Returned!&mdash;Risen
+as from the dead.&mdash;Glorious prophecy.&mdash;Jerusalem.&mdash;Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">On his knees</span>] My master, my teacher, how sweet
+are your words, how blissful is your message.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>Blessed be he who brings comfort in time of affliction.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_298" title="298"> </a>A Woman</p>
+
+<p>His eyes glow like stars and light up the vault.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Another Woman</p>
+
+<p>God&rsquo;s spirit has descended on him.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Wounded Man</p>
+
+<p>His words have heartened me. I live, I live again.
+Oh that I, too, might one day return to Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zephaniah</p>
+
+<p>Your words have brought me new courage, Jeremiah.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Paying no heed, but gradually awakening from his
+trance and looking round with alarm</span>] Where are they
+to whom I spake? Surely I talked with messengers
+from King Nebuchadnezzar? Have I been dreaming?
+Methought there were three men, richly appareled.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>They fled before the lightnings of your glance.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Another</p>
+
+<p>Your anger smote them like a sword.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Still confused</span>] What did I say? My mind is
+dark, and yet I seem to recall something. What did
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_299" title="299"> </a>
+I say? Why do you all look at me yearningly? Why
+do you crowd round me? You looked at me with
+horror in your faces, but now &hellip; What has
+happened to me, and what has happened to you?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>Man of God, man into whose heart the fire of God
+has passed, this light streams from you. Mightily
+have you prophesied to us.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Man</p>
+
+<p>You have freed my soul from its anguish.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Woman</p>
+
+<p>You have feasted my heart on manna.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Wounded Man</p>
+
+<p>Look at me. I can get up. I can walk. The pain
+has gone. Your words have called me back from
+death.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>A miracle.&mdash;A miracle like those of Elijah.&mdash;Raising
+from the dead.&mdash;Let us bow before God&rsquo;s
+messenger.&mdash;A miracle.&mdash;A miracle.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Gently</span>] Nay, brothers, shame me not by your
+praises. I have no part in what has befallen. A
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_300" title="300"> </a>
+miracle has there doubtless been, but it has been
+wrought on me, not by me. I cursed God, and he has
+blessed me; I fled from him, and he has found me.
+None can escape his love, nor can anyone overcome his
+power. He has vanquished me, my brothers; and
+nothing is sweeter than to be vanquished by God.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Ecstatically</span>] Jeremiah, Jeremiah, may God do by
+all of us even as he has done by you.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Alas, that I knew not the Lord till so late! Alas,
+that I found you so late, my brothers! Dark lies the
+city, and dark our fate; but wonderful is life, holy the
+world wherein we dwell. O earth which I have
+despised, be gentle to me as I kneel; God, whom but
+now I renounced, be gracious to my prayer! [<span class="stage-direction">He
+kneels</span>]</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">I thank thee, O Lord, for thy gentleness toward me,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">When I, froward and fierce, did thy service abjure.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For that thou whom I cursed didst with blessings reward me,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">My heart will be grateful while life doth endure.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">In life I will praise thee, in death I will praise.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">With the bread of thy word thou dost nourish my days.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Let me bless thee for filling my soul with thy breath,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">With that spirit of love which is stronger than death.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Let me bless thee for this, that harshly thou dravest<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Me forth from thy face; that sorrow thou gavest<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_301" title="301"> </a><div class="line">To me and to others. Nay, sorrow I bless,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For when men keep aloof, lo, the touch of distress<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Makes them know they are kin. But the sorrows God sendeth<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Are the firstfruits of storm, which in sunshine oft endeth.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">I bless thee then, God, on life&rsquo;s journey the guide,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Whom all seek to escape, but from whom none can hide,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For the lowliest ever thy grace can best win,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And the sinner thy love, yea, because of his sin!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Blessed the man who can lose self in God!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Blessed the man who is chosen of God!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Blessed the heaven, in music ensphered,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Blessed the world, as thy mirror endeared!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Blest the stars which shine peacefully, far above strife,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Blest the quiet of death&mdash;blest the turmoil of life!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Throwing himself on his knees before <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span></span>]
+Jeremiah, my master, Jeremiah! Let not thy word
+shine upon us alone. Many are waiting in the marketplace,
+their souls full of fear. Give courage to the
+despairing. Fill the thirsty with the waters of life.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>Yea, strengthen the knees of the tottering. Console
+the afflicted!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Go forth to our brothers.&mdash;To them, as to us, bring
+solace.&mdash;Give them the message.&mdash;The promise.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_302" title="302"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Rising</span>] So be it, brothers, lead me to them. I
+have been comforted of God, and now will I comfort
+others. Let us go forth, that we may build again the
+temple in the hearts of the hopeless, may build there
+the everlasting Jerusalem. [<span class="stage-direction">He strides out through
+the door</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Others</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Surrounding him, some leading the way, while all
+the voices mingle in exaltation</span>] Jerusalem.&mdash;Jerusalem
+the undying.&mdash;Prophesy!&mdash;On, God&rsquo;s master-builder.&mdash;Jerusalem
+endureth for ever!</p>
+
+<h2><a class="pagenum" name="Page_303" title="303"> </a>THE EVERLASTING ROAD</h2>
+
+<p class="scene-heading"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_305" title="305"> </a><a name="Scene_9">SCENE NINE</a></p>
+
+<p>For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,
+saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to
+give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me,
+and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me,
+and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your
+heart. And I will be found of you, saith the Lord:
+and I will turn away your captivity. <span class="small-caps">Jeremiah</span>&nbsp;XXIX,
+11&ndash;14.</p>
+
+<p class="scene-heading"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_307" title="307"> </a>SCENE NINE</p>
+
+<div class="scene-description">
+<p>The great square in front of the temple, as in the
+<a href="#Scene_1">first scene</a>, save that now everywhere signs of the sack
+are visible.</p>
+
+<p>In the square we see a medley of hand-carts laden
+with household goods, of packhorses and other beasts
+of burden, and of wagons. Men and women, preparing
+for the exodus, are busied among these. New
+groups continually flock into the square from the surrounding
+streets, and the noise of conversation grows
+ever louder. The women and children, together with
+the men too old for work, sit apart on the steps.
+Chaldean warriors, fully armed, stride masterfully
+through the crowd, making way for themselves with
+their spears.</p>
+
+<p>The moon shines fitfully. Gradually the dawn
+reddens in the east.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>This is our meeting place.&mdash;How many of us are
+here?&mdash;Keep together, sons of Reuben.&mdash;How dark it
+is.&mdash;This is the best place, so that we can lead the way.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Other Voices</p>
+
+<p>Don&rsquo;t push.&mdash;This is our place.&mdash;Our mules have
+been standing here since evening.&mdash;The place is ours.&mdash;The
+sons of Reuben always want to be first.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_308" title="308"> </a>An Elder</p>
+
+<p>Do not quarrel, children. Let Reuben lead the
+way, for such is the law.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>There is no longer any law.&mdash;The scriptures are
+burned.&mdash;Who are you to order us about?&mdash;It is the
+priests&rsquo; commandment.&mdash;There are no priests left; they
+have all been put to the sword.&mdash;Hananiah escaped the
+slaughter.&mdash;Nay, they made an end of him too.&mdash;We
+are leaderless.&mdash;Who shall give us the law?&mdash;Who will
+make the sacrifices for us in Babylon?&mdash;Who will
+interpret the scriptures?&mdash;All of the race of Aaron have
+been slain.&mdash;Woe unto us that are orphaned.&mdash;Had we
+but the ark and the roll of the law.&mdash;The roll of the
+law has been burned.&mdash;Nay, the word of God cannot
+be burned.&mdash;I tell you I saw it perish in the flames.&mdash;Alas,
+is the law burned?&mdash;Impossible, how can God&rsquo;s
+word be burned?&mdash;Has not his house been burned; has
+not his altar been overthrown?&mdash;Did he not deliver
+over his holy city to destruction?&mdash;Yea, yea, he has
+made us the slaves of our enemies. He has broken the
+covenant.&mdash;Blaspheme not.&mdash;I fear him no longer.&mdash;We
+are leaderless; would that Moses could lead us as
+of old; would that there were still a judge among the
+people.&mdash;What has become of the king, him whom they
+blinded?&mdash;He has always been blind.&mdash;To him we
+owe these disasters.&mdash;Alas for the fate of Israel, the
+destruction of Jerusalem!</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">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
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_309" title="309"> </a>
+one to another, so that he totters, and is continually in
+danger of falling</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Chaldean Princes</p>
+
+<p>Are you ready for a fresh attack on Nebuchadnezzar?&mdash;On,
+stormer of Babylon.&mdash;Pillar of Israel,
+take heed lest you fall.&mdash;He cannot dance like King
+David.&mdash;He cannot play the psaltery.&mdash;Enough of
+him, let us go back to our wine.&mdash;I would rather
+amuse myself with his wives.&mdash;Let him drink darkness
+while we drink wine.&mdash;Come away!</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">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</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Whispering Voices</p>
+
+<p>Who is it?&mdash;Why have they cast him out from their
+board?&mdash;Why does he not speak?&mdash;Look how he raises
+his hands imploringly to heaven.&mdash;Who is he?&mdash;Don&rsquo;t
+go near him.&mdash;Yes, I will see who it is.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Some of the bolder spirits have mounted the steps</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">With a cry of recognition</span>] Zedekiah!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_310" title="310"> </a>The Crowd</p>
+
+<p>The king.&mdash;The blinded king.&mdash;God&rsquo;s judgment.&mdash;Zedekiah.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Falteringly</span>] Who calls me?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>No one calls thee.&mdash;For thee there are naught but
+curses, and God&rsquo;s judgments.&mdash;Where are thy Egyptian
+friends?&mdash;Where is Zion?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Other Voices</p>
+
+<p>Be silent!&mdash;He is the anointed of the Lord, blinded
+by our enemies.&mdash;Reverence the king.&mdash;Have pity on
+his sufferings.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The First Voices</p>
+
+<p>Nay, he shall not sit among us.&mdash;Where are my
+children?&mdash;Give me back my children.&mdash;A curse on
+the man who has murdered Israel.&mdash;He is to blame for
+all.&mdash;Why should he live when better men have died?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">To one who has taken his hand, to lead him</span>] Who
+are these who rail against me? Are my foes those of
+mine own household?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Guide</p>
+
+<p>Lord, they are thy companions in misfortune.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_311" title="311"> </a>Voices</p>
+
+<p>Do not bring him down here, for his lot and ours
+shall not be mingled.&mdash;Let him sit apart.&mdash;God has
+punished him.&mdash;A curse lies upon him.&mdash;No longer
+shall he be king.&mdash;Of what use is a blind king?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Wellnigh weeping in his helplessness</span>] Lead me
+forth. They have put out my eyes, and now they will
+take my crown. Hide me from my enemies.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Woman</p>
+
+<p>Rest here, Lord King. Lie down and rest.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">A couch is extemporized for <span class="speaker">Zedekiah</span> at the foot
+of the steps. The inquisitive gather round</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Elder</p>
+
+<p>Keep away, keep away. Reverence the Lord&rsquo;s
+anointed. God has appointed him our leader.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>How can a blind man lead us?&mdash;He cannot reign in
+Jerusalem, for Zion has fallen.&mdash;We are all slaves,
+and slaves need no leader.&mdash;Nay, we need a deliverer.&mdash;Were
+but Moses here to help us at this hour.&mdash;How
+can a man so afflicted give us help and consolation?&mdash;No
+one can help us.&mdash;See, the dawn comes. Let us
+make ready for the journey.&mdash;Alas the day!&mdash;As
+wanderers and exiles, we go leaderless into a far
+country. [<span class="stage-direction">Loud chanting is heard in the distance</span>]
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_312" title="312"> </a>
+Hark, the trumpet.&mdash;Alas the trumpet sounds.&mdash;The
+first signal for departure.&mdash;No, no, that is not a
+trumpet.&mdash;Cannot you hear singing, with cymbals and
+drums?&mdash;Our enemies are rejoicing.&mdash;O shame! O
+torment!</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">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</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>Look! They are of our own people.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Impossible.&mdash;They are rejoicing.&mdash;How could any
+son of Israel exult on this day of sorrow?&mdash;They must
+be drunken with wine.&mdash;Assuredly they are our
+brothers of Israel.&mdash;Who is it in their midst?&mdash;Look
+at that frenzied woman clashing the cymbals!</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">The approaching singers, <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> 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</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Chanting Voices</p>
+
+<p>Hosanna!&mdash;A prophecy.&mdash;Jerusalem endureth for
+ever!&mdash;Blessed our return home.&mdash;Blessed be the consoler,
+and blessed the comfort he brings.&mdash;Hosanna!&mdash;Jerusalem
+endureth for ever!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_313" title="313"> </a>Voices from the Crowd</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">In excitement</span>] They are mad.&mdash;What has happened?&mdash;Hark
+how they shout Hosanna!&mdash;Who is the
+prophet?&mdash;What is his message?&mdash;Let him deliver it
+to us also.&mdash;Who shall bring us consolation?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>Look, is it not Jeremiah whom they surround?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Yes.&mdash;No.&mdash;His face was lowering, but this man&rsquo;s
+face is radiant.&mdash;Nay, it is he.&mdash;How changed he is.&mdash;A
+curse upon him who breathed curses.&mdash;How can
+sweetness come from the bitter?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Hearken to the message of comfort, brothers. Feed
+your souls with the word of God, with the bread of
+life!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>How can comfort be brought by this man accurst?&mdash;His
+words are like scorpions.&mdash;His message will choke
+us.&mdash;We have had enough of the prophets, for they
+have misled us one and all.&mdash;No, no, Jeremiah gave
+us true warning.&mdash;I tell you he will rub salt into
+our wounds.&mdash;Away, away, man without bowels of
+compassion!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>I beseech you to hear his message. He has uplifted
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_314" title="314"> </a>
+our hearts, and will uplift yours likewise, brothers in
+God.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Wounded Man</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Who is this?&mdash;Listen to what he says.&mdash;He tells of
+a miracle, and a miracle is what we need.&mdash;I need comfort.&mdash;Naught
+but Zion&rsquo;s valleys will comfort me.&mdash;What
+comfort can he give?&mdash;Can he raise the dead;
+can he rebuild the temple?&mdash;Let us hear his message.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Woman</p>
+
+<p>Balaam! Balaam! Balaam! Hail, for that you
+who came to curse Israel have blessed us thrice.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Baruch</p>
+
+<p>Master, look upon their discord. Make their hearts
+one, their spirits fruitful. Lift them from their
+mourning, lift their souls to God.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Leaving his companions and going to the top of the
+steps</span>] 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?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_315" title="315"> </a>Voices</p>
+
+<p>Hearken to the blasphemer.&mdash;I warned you against
+him.&mdash;He mocks us.&mdash;He asks why we lament!&mdash;He
+rubs salt into our wounds.&mdash;Are we to rejoice on the
+day of our exodus?&mdash;Are we to forget the dead?&mdash;He
+laughs at our tears.&mdash;Silence, let us hear him.&mdash;Let us
+hear his message.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Hearken, brothers, give ear unto my words. Is all
+lost, that you should lament? There still remains the
+precious gift of life.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Voice</p>
+
+<p>What a life!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Words, only words, which avail nothing.&mdash;If you
+would lift up our hearts, lift up the walls of Jerusalem.&mdash;Rebuild
+the fortress of Zion.&mdash;Alas, he cannot see
+our distress, he cannot recognize our suffering.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Brothers, I read your suffering like an open book,
+and the scroll of your pain lies unrolled before me.
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_316" title="316"> </a>
+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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Why should God try us?&mdash;Why should he visit us,
+his chosen people, with affliction?&mdash;Why should he
+make our burden so heavy?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>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!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Not our will but his.&mdash;A blessing on our trials.&mdash;I
+must learn to stifle my complaints.&mdash;True, our forefathers
+likewise were in bondage.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_317" title="317"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>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&rsquo;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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>True is the word.&mdash;Sorrow is our heritage.&mdash;I will
+shoulder my burden.&mdash;I have faith in God&rsquo;s mercy.
+He will lead us now, as he led us out of Egypt.&mdash;God
+will deliver us, as he delivered our fathers.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>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&rsquo;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
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_318" title="318"> </a>
+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!</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">A wave of enthusiasm answers his words. The
+confused medley of voices gradually gives place to
+rhythmical choruses</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Bondmen of Mizraim<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Were our fathers,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Bridled and bitted<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Were our fathers,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Israel&rsquo;s children.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Taskmasters cruel<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Hasted our fathers,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Beat them with rods,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Scourged them with cords,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Afflicted our fathers<br/></div>
+<div class="line">With manifold tasks.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Higher Voices</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Ere long the darkness which encompassed us<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Was pierced by Jehovah&rsquo;s compassionate gaze.<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_319" title="319"> </a><div class="line">To save his people before it had perished,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">God raised up a deliverer,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">One of the house of Levi.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Moses came to our aid,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">A man mighty of tongue,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">A man mighty of hand.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">He led us forth from the land of Egypt.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">He freed us from the house of bondage.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Exultant Voices</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Those who had numbered but seventy<br/></div>
+<div class="line">When they entered the land of Egypt,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Went out from it numbering countless thousands,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Driving before them flocks and herds,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And bearing with them great possessions.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Before their faces went the pillar of cloud,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Before them went the pillar of fire,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And the angel of God went before the camp of Israel.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Such was the first exodus,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Such the beginning of happiness,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">When God was bringing our fathers to the land of promise.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">But new tribulations awaited us,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Fresh trials;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Forbear not to recall the days of bitterness,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Forget not those days!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Pursuing us,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Came the army of Pharaoh,<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_320" title="320"> </a><div class="line">Horses and chariots,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And a multitude of horsemen.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">With vengeful clamor<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Did they follow after.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The sea barred our passage;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Death pressed at our heels.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Higher Voices</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Thereupon the Lord sent the strong east wind,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Dividing the waters that the sea might be dry land.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The waters were a wall unto us,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">On our right hand, and on our left.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Thus went we into the midst of the sea<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Upon the dry ground.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Exultant Voices</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">With the clashing of arms and the roaring of chariot wheels,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Our foes, thirsty for blood, followed after,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">On the dry ground between the walls of the sea.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">They shouted in their wrath as they thought to smite us.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">But Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And the waters returned, and covered the chariots and the horsemen,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And all the hosts of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Thus did the Lord overthrow the Egyptians in the midst of the sea!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Deep Voices</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Thus did the Lord deliver us out of danger,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And lead us forth from the land of bondage.<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_321" title="321"> </a><div class="line">Thus wonderful was the beginning<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Of our happy and unhappy wanderings!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Parched were our throats,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Blistered our lips,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Athirst were we<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And anhungered,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">In that waterless and barren region.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Exultant Voices</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Then Moses lifted up his hand,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And with his rod smote the rock twice.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Lo, the stone was riven in sunder,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The water gushed forth abundantly,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The congregation drank and their cattle,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And the wanderers laved their toilworn feet.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Higher Voices</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">When we were weary, the Lord gave us rest.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">He sent cool breezes<br/></div>
+<div class="line">To temper the burning heats of noontide.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Bitter springs did he sweeten for our sake.<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_322" title="322"> </a><div class="line">The wind brought fat quails from the sea.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">When our entrails were gnawed with hunger,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Lo, after the morning dews had risen,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">There lay on the face of the wilderness<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Manna, small and round, the bread of heaven.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Albeit, never was it granted us to live in safety.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Continually did the Lord chastise us with his holy hand.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Ever and again did he renew the tribulations of his people.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">The nations stood<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Against us in arms;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Greed and envy<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Closed the roads<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Of our pilgrimage;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Cities shut their gates;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Spears gleamed,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Strewing our path with death.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Higher Voices</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Then God forged us new weapons,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Making our hearts like sharp swords,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Giving us strength against thousands,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Victory over tens of thousands.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Exultant Voices</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Trumpets blew, walls fell down;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Moab was overthrown, and Amalek.<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_323" title="323"> </a><div class="line">With the sword we carved ways<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Through the anger of the peoples and the times,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Until our hearts stood the test,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Until we reached the land of promise,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Canaan, where after labor we could rest.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Here was a home for the wanderers,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Now could we ungird our loins,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Doff our shoes, lay aside our staves.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">These staves put forth green shoots,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Israel blossomed, and Zion arose.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">All the Voices</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Again and again have we been yoked to the plough,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Necks bowed; again and again enslaved:<br/></div>
+<div class="line">But never has he failed to break our yoke,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">To free us from captivity and exile:<br/></div>
+<div class="line">From all our afflictions, all our privations,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Never has he failed to deliver us,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">To summon us home at last,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">To grant us a renewed flowering.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Have no fear, have no fear, that the Lord will forsake us!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Mistrust him not, brothers, in days that are dark!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For when he debases us, when he afflicts us,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The suffering he sends is but sign of his love.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Then bow ye, my brothers, bend necks to the yoke,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Accept gladly the lot by Jehovah decreed.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Know, that sorrow but proves us, that trial uplifts us,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">That affliction, though sore, brings us nearer to God.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Each pang that we feel is a step toward his kingdom,<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_324" title="324"> </a><div class="line">Since the vanquished on earth are in heaven beloved.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Up brothers, march onward, march onward to God.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Ecstatically</span>] Yea, now let us begin our wanderings.&mdash;Lead
+us forth.&mdash;We shall suffer, even as our fathers
+suffered.&mdash;Exodus and never-ending return.&mdash;Hasten,
+hasten, sunrise is at hand.&mdash;Let us march steadfastly
+into slavery.&mdash;Now as ever, God will deliver us.&mdash;We
+will all go, not one will stay behind.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Alas, alas! Who will lead me? Leave me not
+behind! Who will carry me?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Who calls?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Let him stay where he is.&mdash;He is chaff for the winnowing
+fan.&mdash;He is rejected of God. [<span class="stage-direction">To <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span></span>]
+Lead us, prophet.&mdash;You shall be our master.&mdash;Leave
+the outcast.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>No one is an outcast! Whoever calls for help must
+be heard, for all our sakes.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Not he.&mdash;He is the cause of our troubles.&mdash;He is
+the rejected of God.&mdash;He is one accurst!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_325" title="325"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>&rsquo;Tis the man lying on the steps.&mdash;God&rsquo;s wrath has
+smitten his pride.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Why lies he alone there? Wherefore does he not
+join us?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<p>Look, his stars are darkened.&mdash;No longer can he find
+his way, for he is blind.&mdash;They have put out his eyes.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Drawing near the recumbent figure with profound
+emotion</span>] Zedekiah! Lord King!</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Is it thou, Jeremiah?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>It is I, Lord King. I am thy faithful servant,
+Jeremiah. [<span class="stage-direction">He kneels beside the king</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_326" title="326"> </a>Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>I am with thee, King Zedekiah.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Groping for him</span>] Where art thou? I cannot find
+thee.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>I am at thy feet, thy servant and thy slave.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Trembling</span>] 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.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>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
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_327" title="327"> </a>
+who now seest God only, who no longer seest the world,
+guide thy people. [<span class="stage-direction">He rises and faces the multitude</span>]</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Behold, behold,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Children of sorrow, children of God,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The Lord hath hearkened to your cry,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">He hath sent you a leader!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">One crowned with suffering,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">One scorned of men!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Who is more fitted than he<br/></div>
+<div class="line">To reign over those that are blessed by defeat?<br/></div>
+<div class="line">God hath closed Zedekiah&rsquo;s eyes on earth<br/></div>
+<div class="line">That he may better see the glories of heaven.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Brothers, has any son of the house of David<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Been so fitted as he to be king of the sorrowful?<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Zedekiah</p>
+
+<p>Whither would you take me? What will become
+of me?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Lift him up,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Him who has been abased,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Pay him all honor!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Harness the horses,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Make ready the litters,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Tenderly lift him,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Israel&rsquo;s guardian,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">King over Zion.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">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</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_328" title="328"> </a>Voices</p>
+
+<p>The signal!&mdash;The first signal!&mdash;God summons us.&mdash;The
+day of our trial has dawned.&mdash;Soon the sun will
+shine over Jerusalem.&mdash;The exodus.&mdash;The exodus.&mdash;Exodus
+and return.&mdash;Jerusalem.&mdash;Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">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</span>]</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Up, ye rejected,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Up, all ye vanquished,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Brisk for the journey!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Wanderers,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Chosen of God and the world,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Lift up your hearts!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">A surge of activity passes through the crowd.
+<span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> gazes out over the city</span>]</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">On Jerusalem&rsquo;s pinnacles<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Now for the last time<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Look through your tears.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Carry with you the image<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Of the home you so love.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Drink your fill of the towers,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Drink your fill of the walls,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Drink your fill of Jerusalem.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Yea, yea, ere we go<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Let us drink our fill of Jerusalem.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_329" title="329"> </a>Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Bend down a last time,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Piously caressing<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Your native earth.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">He apostrophizes the earth</span>]</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Earth drenched with blood and tears,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Lo, I touch you<br/></div>
+<div class="line">With loving hand.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The memory of this touch<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Shall go with me,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Shall be an undying hunger.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">He addresses the people once more</span>]</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Unceasingly,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Wherever we wander,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Shall we be anhungered,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Shall we be athirst,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For Zion!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Voices</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Unceasingly,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Wherever we wander,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Shall we be anhungered,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Shall we be athirst,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For Zion!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Wanderers, chosen of God,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Filled with your hunger, your thirst,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Having now said your farewells,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Manfully turn to the journey.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Look forward, not backward.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Stay-at-homes<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Have home;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Wanderers<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_330" title="330"> </a><div class="line">Have the world!<br/></div>
+<div class="line">God&rsquo;s are the ways<br/></div>
+<div class="line">On which ye shall walk.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Made wise through suffering,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Wanderers, chosen of God,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">On, through the world!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The People</p>
+
+<p>Shall we ever see Jerusalem again?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>He who believes, looks always on Jerusalem.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The People</p>
+
+<p>Who shall rebuild the city?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>The ardor of desire, the night of prison, and the
+suffering which brings counsel.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The People</p>
+
+<p>Will it endure?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Jeremiah</p>
+
+<p>Yea. Stones fall, but that which the soul builds in
+suffering, endureth for ever.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">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</span>]</p>
+
+<p><a class="pagenum" name="Page_331" title="331"> </a>[<span class="stage-direction">Raising his voice to dominate the tumult</span>]</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Wanderers, sufferers, march in the name<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Of your forefather Jacob, who erstwhile with God,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Having wrestled the livelong night,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Strove till dawn for a blessing.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">March on in the morning light<br/></div>
+<div class="line">By a path like that which your forefathers trod,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">When from Mizraim forth by Moses led<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Toward the land of promise their way they sped.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Scatter your seeds, scatter your seeds,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">In unknown lands,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Through numberless years.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Wander your wanderings, watered with tears.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">On, people of God; for, wherever ye roam,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Your road leads through the world to eternity, home.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">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</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">First Chorus of Wanderers</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">In strangers&rsquo; houses now must we dwell,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Eating bread salted with tears.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">By an enemy&rsquo;s hearth, with souls full of dread,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Must we sit upon stools of shame.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The weight of the years will lie heavy upon us<br/></div>
+<div class="line">When, captives and bondmen, we must serve men of might.<br/></div>
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_332" title="332"> </a><div class="line">But from exile escaping, from bondage redeemed,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">To Jerusalem homing, to Zion returning,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Our spirits shall ever be free and at rest.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Second Chorus of Wanderers</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Our drink must be drawn from distant waters;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Evil their taste, bitter in the mouth.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">We must shelter from the sun beneath strange trees,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Their leaves breathing fear as they rustle in the wind.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">But we shall win solace from the starry skies;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Dreams of home will comfort our nights;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Our souls will find continual refreshment<br/></div>
+<div class="line">In the thought of Jerusalem.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">Third Chorus of Wanderers</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">We shall journey by unfamiliar roads;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The wind will carry us afar, through many lands;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Weary shall we be, footsore and weary,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">As the nations drive us from home after home.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Nowhere at all will they suffer us to take root,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Perpetual our pilgrimage through the changing world.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Yet happy shall we be, eternally vanquished;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Happy shall we be, chaff blown by the breeze;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Kindred to none, and by none made welcome;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For through the ages our path leads unerringly,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">To the goal of our desire,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Jerusalem!<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">A few Chaldeans, among them a captain, have come
+out from the palace. Some of them are half drunk.
+Their voices sound shrill in contrast with the chanting
+of the wanderers</span>]</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_333" title="333"> </a>The Captain</p>
+
+<p>The dogs are mutinous. They murmur against
+their fate. Beat them with rods if they refuse to go.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Chaldean</p>
+
+<p>Look, Captain, they have not waited for an order.
+There is no sign of mutiny.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Captain</p>
+
+<p>If they complain, strike them on the mouth.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Chaldean</p>
+
+<p>Captain, they are not complaining.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Another Chaldean</p>
+
+<p>Watch them marching. They stride along like
+conquerors. Their eyes flash with joy.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Chaldeans</p>
+
+<p>What people are these?&mdash;Have they not been vanquished?&mdash;Can
+anyone have spread among them false
+tidings of liberation?&mdash;What are they chanting?&mdash;A
+strange people.&mdash;No one can understand them, whether
+in their dejection or in their exultation.&mdash;Their very
+gentleness is a danger, for it has a strength of its own.&mdash;This
+resembles rather the triumphal entry of a king,
+than the exodus of an enslaved people.&mdash;Saw the world
+ever such a nation?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_334" title="334"> </a>Fourth Chorus of Wanderers</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">Here <span class="speaker">Jeremiah</span> inconspicuously joins his tribe</span>]</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">Through ages we wander, we march through the nations,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The tale of our sufferings ever renewed;<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Aeon after aeon eternally vanquished,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Thralls at the hearths where in passing we rest.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">But the cities wither, and the nations<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Shoot into darkness like wandering stars.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The oppressors who scourged us with many whips<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Have become a hissing and a byword among the generations.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Whereas we march onward, march onward, march onward,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Drawing strength from within, eternity from earth,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And God from pains and tribulations.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Chaldean Captain</p>
+
+<p>Verily madness has seized them. We are the victors,
+they the defeated and the disgraced. Why, then, do
+they not complain?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">A Chaldean</p>
+
+<p>An invisible force must sustain them.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Another Chaldean</p>
+
+<p>True, they believe in the invisible. That is the
+mystery of their faith.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Captain</p>
+
+<p>How is it possible to see the invisible, or to believe
+in what cannot be seen? They must have secret arts,
+<a class="pagenum" name="Page_335" title="335"> </a>
+like those of our astrologers and soothsayers. It
+would be well to learn their mysteries.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Chaldean</p>
+
+<p>These mysteries cannot be taught; the secret lies in
+faith. What sustains them, they say, is their faith in
+the invisible God.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">Fifth Chorus of Wanderers</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="stanza">
+<div class="line">We wander adown the road of suffering,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Through our trials we are purified,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Everlastingly vanquished, and everlastingly overthrown,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">For ever enslaved, for ever enfranchised,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">Unceasingly broken and unceasingly renewed,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">The mock and the sport of all nations on earth.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">We wander through the eternities,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">A remnant, a remnant,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">And yet numberless.<br/></div>
+<div class="line">We march onward to God,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">To God who is the beginning and the end,<br/></div>
+<div class="line">To God who is our home.<br/></div>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Chaldean</p>
+
+<p>See how they are walking to meet the sun. His
+light shines on their foreheads, and they themselves
+shine with the strength of the sun. Mighty must their
+God be.</p>
+
+<p class="speaker"><a class="pagenum" name="Page_336" title="336"> </a>The Captain</p>
+
+<p>Their God? Have we not broken down his altars?
+Have we not conquered him?</p>
+
+<p class="speaker">The Chaldean</p>
+
+<p>Who can conquer the invisible? Men we can slay,
+but the God who lives in them we cannot slay. A
+nation can be controlled by force; its spirit, never.</p>
+
+<p>[<span class="stage-direction">For the third time the trumpet sounds. The sun
+has risen, shining on the exodus of the chosen people,
+beginning their march athwart the ages</span>]</p>
+
+<div id="tnote-bottom">
+<p class="center"><a name="tn-bottom"><b>Transcriber&rsquo;s Note:</b></a></p>
+<p>The following is a list of corrections made to the original. The
+first passage is the original passage, the second the corrected one.</p>
+
+<ul id="corrections">
+<li><a href="#Page_33">Page 33</a>:<br/>
+<span class="correction">No</span> we, nor we.&mdash;Down with Ashur.&mdash;Let us break<br/>
+<span class="correction">Nor</span> we, nor we.&mdash;Down with Ashur.&mdash;Let us break
+</li>
+<li><a href="#Page_45">Page 45</a>:<br/>
+us, is it time to start?&mdash;War against <span class="correction">Ashur,</span>&mdash;Say, shall<br/>
+us, is it time to start?&mdash;War against <span class="correction">Ashur.</span>&mdash;Say, shall
+</li>
+<li><a href="#Page_85">Page 85</a>:<br/>
+keep their <span class="correction">virginity</span><br/>
+keep their <span class="correction">virginity.</span>
+</li>
+<li><a href="#Page_88">Page 88</a>:<br/>
+<span class="correction">happened</span> people of Jerusalem, a miracle which delivers<br/>
+<span class="correction">happened,</span> people of Jerusalem, a miracle which delivers
+</li>
+<li><a href="#Page_120">Page 120</a>:<br/>
+Jeremiah, who leads the people astray? <span class="correction">Jeremiah</span><br/>
+Jeremiah, who leads the people astray? <span class="correction">Jeremiah,</span>
+</li>
+<li><a href="#Page_122">Page 122</a>:<br/>
+broken. Jerusalem endureth for <span class="correction">ever</span><br/>
+broken. Jerusalem endureth for <span class="correction">ever.</span>
+</li>
+<li><a href="#Page_133">Page 133</a>:<br/>
+[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker"><span class="correction">Zekediah</span></span> turns away, and slowly resumes the</span><br/>
+[<span class="stage-direction"><span class="speaker"><span class="correction">Zedekiah</span></span> turns away, and slowly resumes the</span>
+</li>
+<li><a href="#Page_141">Page 141</a>:<br/>
+[<span class="stage-direction">A female relative, coming from without, <span class="correction">cautionsly</span></span><br/>
+[<span class="stage-direction">A female relative, coming from without, <span class="correction">cautiously</span></span>
+</li>
+<li><a href="#Page_188">Page 188</a>:<br/>
+[<span class="stage-direction">To <span class="correction">Nahum</span></span>] Coward and traitor!<br/>
+[<span class="stage-direction">To <span class="correction"><span class="speaker">Nahum</span></span></span>] Coward and traitor!
+</li>
+<li><a href="#Page_200">Page 200</a>:<br/>
+<span class="correction">on</span> the face of <span class="correction">Jehovah.&rdquo;</span><br/>
+<span class="correction">look on</span> the face of <span class="correction">Jehovah.</span>
+</li>
+</ul>
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Jeremiah, by Stefan Zweig
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Jeremiah, by Stefan Zweig
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Jeremiah
+       A Drama in Nine Scenes
+
+Author: Stefan Zweig
+
+Translator: Eden Paul
+            Cedar Paul
+
+Release Date: April 9, 2012 [EBook #39402]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JEREMIAH ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Sharon Joiner, Jana Srna and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
+file was produced from images generously made available
+by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+  [ Transcriber's Notes:
+
+    Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully
+    as possible, including inconsistencies in spelling and hyphenation.
+    Some corrections of spelling and punctuation have been made. They
+    are listed at the end of the text.
+
+    Stage directions in brackets were italicised in the original.
+    Upright text within them has been marked with _underscores_.
+  ]
+
+
+
+
+  JEREMIAH
+
+  A Drama in Nine Scenes
+
+  By
+  STEFAN ZWEIG
+
+  Translated
+  from the Author's revised German Text
+  by
+  Eden and Cedar Paul
+
+  New York
+  THOMAS SELTZER
+  1922
+
+
+  Copyright, 1922, by
+  Thomas Seltzer, Inc.
+
+  Printed in the United States of America
+
+
+
+
+  TO
+  FRIEDERIKE MARIA von WINTERNITZ
+
+
+  Easter 1915-Easter 1917
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+  SCENE                                PAGE
+
+     I. The Awakening of the Prophet      1
+
+    II. The Warning                      27
+
+   III. Rumors                           71
+
+    IV. The Watch on the Ramparts        99
+
+     V. The Prophet's Ordeal            137
+
+    VI. Voices in the Night             173
+
+   VII. The Supreme Affliction          231
+
+  VIII. The Conversion                  259
+
+    IX. The Everlasting Road            303
+
+
+
+
+THE AWAKENING OF THE PROPHET
+
+
+
+
+THE PERSONS OF THE DRAMA
+
+
+  ZEDEKIAH, the King.
+  PASHUR, the High Priest.
+  NAHUM, the Steward.
+  IMRE, the oldest Burgher.
+  ABIMELECH, the General.
+  HANANIAH, the Prophet of the People.
+  SWORDBEARERS, WARRIORS.
+
+                   *       *       *       *       *
+
+  JEREMIAH.
+  HIS MOTHER.
+  JOCHEBED, a Relative.
+  AHAB, the Servingman.
+  BARUCH, a young Man.
+  ZEBULON, his Father.
+
+                   *       *       *       *       *
+
+  THE PEOPLE OF JERUSALEM.
+  THE ENVOYS OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR.
+  CHALDEAN AND EGYPTIAN WARRIORS.
+
+                   *       *       *       *       *
+
+The action takes place in Jerusalem at the time of the Destruction of
+the City.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE ONE
+
+Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty
+things, which thou knowest not. JEREMIAH XXXIII, 3.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE ONE
+
+The flat roof of JEREMIAH'S house; the white flagstones gleam in the dim
+moonlight. Below are seen the towers and battlements of sleeping
+Jerusalem. Nothing stirs, save that from time to time we hear the
+whispering of the breeze that heralds the dawn.
+
+Of a sudden, impetuous footsteps sound upon the stair. JEREMIAH staggers
+in; his robe is torn open at the throat; he gasps like one being
+strangled.
+
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+They batter in the gates ... to the walls ... to the walls!... Faithless
+watchmen ... they are coming ... they are upon us.... The temple is in
+flames.... Help, help!... The walls are breached.... [He has rushed
+forward to the edge of the roof, where he abruptly stops. His cry rends
+the shimmering silence. With a start, he awakens from his trance. He
+looks forth over the town like a drunken man; his arms, which in his
+terror he has raised, sink slowly to his sides; then wearily he draws
+his hand across his open eyes] Illusion! Once again these terrible
+visions. Full, how full, is the House of Dreams! [He leans on the
+parapet and gazes down] Peace broods over the city; the country is at
+peace; in me alone, in my breast alone, this fire rages. How quietly the
+town reposes in God's arms, nestling in slumber, roofed over by peace,
+the moonbeams falling on every house, and every house plunged in gentle
+sleep. But I, I alone, am consumed with fire night after night; I crash
+earthward with the falling towers, rush to escape, perish amid the
+flames; I, and none but I, my bowels troubled, leap heated from my bed
+and stagger forth into the moonlight seeking coolness! For me alone
+comes a vision to shatter sleep; for me alone does a fiery horror wrench
+the darkness from my lids. The martyrdom of this vision; the madness of
+these faces which swarm in their blood-stained multitude and then fade
+in the clear moonlight!
+
+Always the same dream, the same illusion. Night after night, the same
+terror seizes me, the same dream, culminating in the same torment. Who
+has instilled this dream poison into my veins? Who hunts me thus with
+terror? Who covets my sleep, that he must rob me of it; who is my
+torturer, and for whom must I thus hold vigil? Answer! Who art thou,
+invisible one, aiming at me from the darkness thy winged shafts? Who art
+thou, terror incarnate, coming to lie with me by night, quickening me
+with thy spirit until my frame is twisted as with labor pains? Wherefore
+in this slumbering city should the curse be laid on me alone? [He is
+silent, straining his ear to the all-pervading silence, and then
+continues with growing excitement] Silence, nothing but silence, while
+within is unceasing turmoil and storm-tossed night. With scorching
+talons it tears at my vitals and yet cannot grasp them. I am scourged
+with visions, and know not who holds the scourge. My cries go forth into
+the void. Desist, invisible hunter, or if it must be otherwise, seize
+your quarry; call to me when I wake, not when I sleep; speak to me in
+words, not in visions. Reveal what you are hiding from me; tell me the
+meaning of these torments.
+
+A VOICE
+
+[Calling softly from the darkness. It seems to come from far above or
+far beneath, mysterious in its remoteness] Jeremiah!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Staggers as if struck by a stone] Who calls? Surely I heard my name?
+Was it a voice from the stars, or was it the voice of my own dream? [He
+listens. All is quiet again] Is it thou, invisible one, who huntest me
+and tormentest me? Or is it I myself; is it the fierce current of my own
+blood? Voice, speak once more, that I may know thee. Call to me once
+again.
+
+THE VOICE
+
+[Drawing nearer] Jeremiah!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Quailing, sinks to his knees] Here am I, Lord! Thy servant heareth.
+[Breathless he hearkens. Nothing stirs; he trembles with emotion] Speak,
+Lord, to thy servant. Thou didst call my name. Give me thy message that
+I may understand it. I am ready for thy word and await thy command. [He
+listens again with strained attention. Profound silence] Is it
+presumption that I should long for thee? I am no more than an ignorant
+fellow, a man of no account, a speck of dust in the world thou hast
+made, but thine is all power of choice. Thou who choosest kings from
+among shepherds, and who often unsealest the lips of a boy so that he
+glows with thy speech, thy choice is made by other tokens. Whom thou
+touchest, Lord, he is chosen; whom thou choosest, Lord, he is appointed.
+If it were thy call which came to me, lo I have hearkened to the call.
+If it be thou, Lord, who huntest me, I flee thee not. Seize thy quarry,
+Lord, seize thy prey; or hunt me yet farther to the goal! But make
+thyself known, that I may not fail thee; reveal the heaven of thy word,
+that I, thy servant, may behold thee!
+
+THE VOICE
+
+[Nearer and more urgent] Jeremiah!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Rapturously] I hear, Lord, I hear. With all my soul I listen to thy
+word. Unworthy vessel that I am, I wait to be filled with thy message. I
+vow myself to thy service, Lord, to thine alone, for my soul is athirst
+to serve thee. I await thy word and thy sign.
+
+THE VOICE OF JEREMIAH'S MOTHER
+
+[Now close at hand and plainly recognizable] Jeremiah!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[In ecstasy] Show thyself to me, Lord; my heart is racked with the
+imminence of thy coming. Pour forth thy waters, holy storm; plough me
+up, that I may bear thy seed; make my earth fruitful, inspire my lips;
+brand me with the mark of thy service! Set thy yoke upon me. See, my
+neck is bowed in readiness, for thine am I, thine for evermore. Make
+thyself known to me, Lord, even as I know thee; let me but see thy
+glory, even as thou lookest down upon my unworthiness in the gloom;
+deign only to show me the way of thy will, point the way to him who is
+thy servant for ever!
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+[Her search has led her up the stair; her countenance shows anxiety, her
+voice is full of tenderness] Here at last I find you, my son.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Springing to his feet in fear and wrath] Begone! Alas the voices are
+stilled; the way is lost, never shall I find it again.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Woe is me, why do you stand here so thinly clad in the chill night air?
+Come down, my son. The morning mist brings fever.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Wildly] Why do you follow me, why do you pester me? Unending chase. You
+follow me without pause, waking or sleeping.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Jeremiah, what do you mean? I was sleeping below, and then I seemed to
+hear people talking on the roof.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+You heard, you too? God's holy truth! You heard him speak? Understood
+his call?
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Whom do you mean? You have no companion.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Seizing her arm] Mother, tell me I beseech you. Death or joy hangs upon
+your words. Did you hear a voice; did you hear it after you had
+awakened?
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+I heard a voice on the roof and went to summon you. But your bed was
+cold and empty. Then fear came upon me, and I called your name.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Trembling] You called my name?
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Thrice did I call you. But why ...
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Thrice? Mother, are you certain ...
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Thrice did I call you.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[His voice breaking] Disaster and derision! Fraud everywhere, without
+and within. There came an earnest call, and in my terror I thought it
+was God.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+How strange you are! I meant no harm. Since there was no answer, I came
+to the roof to see if there was anyone here. I found no one.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Nay, you found a madman. The torture of these visions! Sense and
+nonsense join in cheating me. I am befooled by my own fantasy.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+What are you talking about? What is troubling you?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Nothing, Mother, nothing. Pay no heed to my words.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+I must heed them, Jeremiah; but they are dark to me. An evil mood has
+beset you, and has estranged you from me. What has happened; what is
+tormenting you?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Nothing is tormenting me, Mother. I was too hot in bed, and sought the
+roof for coolness.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+You are closing your heart to me, and yet I can read you. I know that
+night after night for months past you have been wandering about. I have
+often heard you groaning in your sleep. When you have left your bed to
+walk restlessly in the darkness, my heart has followed your every step.
+Tell me your troubles. Shut not yourself away from me.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Do not concern yourself about it, Mother.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+How can I help but concern myself about it? Are you not the day of my
+days and the prayer of my nights? You have outgrown the arms which used
+to carry you; but I still hold you in my soul, which watches over your
+life. I knew, ere you yourself were aware; I saw months ago, before you
+yourself had seen. I saw the shadow upon your brow and the anguish of
+your soul. You have become a stranger to your friends; you shun
+merrymakings; you keep away from the marketplace and from the dwellings
+of men. Buried in thought, you renounce life. Jeremiah, bethink
+yourself. You were trained for the priesthood. Your father's mantle
+awaits you, that you may praise the Lord with psaltery and song. Look
+forth from the darkness into the daylight. The hour has come for you to
+begin your life's work.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Not now the time for beginnings. The end draws nigh.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+It is time! It is time! Long since have you grown to manhood. The house
+has need of a wife, and of children to raise up seed to your father.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[In bitter distress] Lead a wife home to desolation? Beget children for
+the slaughter? In sooth, it is not the bridal hour that approaches!
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+I do not understand.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Shall I build a house in the abyss? Shall I build my life in death?
+Shall I sow corruption, and sing the praises of disaster? I say unto
+you, Mother, blessed is he whose heart is now free from ties to the
+living, for whosoever breathes this day is already drinking the waters
+of death.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+What mad fancy has seized you? When were the times more propitious? When
+was the land more peaceful?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+No, Mother, the fools say: Peace, Peace. But their words do not bring
+peace. They lie down to sleep unheeding, and as they sleep they are on
+their way to death. A time is coming such as Israel has never yet known,
+a war such as the world has never yet seen. The living will covet the
+peace of the dead in their graves, and those who can see will envy the
+darkness with which the blind are stricken. Not yet can the fools see,
+not yet is it manifest to the dreamers; but I have beheld it night after
+night. Higher leap the flames, nearer comes the foe; the day of tumult
+and destruction is at hand; war's red star is rising on the night.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+[Greatly moved] How know you these things?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  A word has come to me in secret,
+  For I have seen faces in the night,
+  I have wandered in my dreams.
+  Fear and dread fell upon me,
+  I trembled in every limb,
+  And like a crumbling wall
+  My heart fainted within me.
+  Mother,
+  Such sights have I seen,
+  That, if they were written,
+  Men's hair would stand on end,
+  And sleep would depart from them
+  For ever.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Jeremiah, what do you mean?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  The end draweth near; the end!
+  Evil appeareth out of the north,
+  Fire is its chariot,
+  Massacre its pinions!
+  Already the heavens ring with terror,
+  The earth shakes with the stamping of the hoofs.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+[Horrified] Jeremiah!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Seizing her arm, listens] Do you hear, do you not hear, the rushing of
+chariots?
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+I hear nothing! Day is dawning. The shepherds are piping in the valleys,
+and a gentle breeze blows across the roof.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  A gentle breeze?
+  Woe is me!
+  With mighty roaring
+  The wind is rising,
+  The whirlwind of God.
+  From the caverns
+  Of the north down-rushing,
+  Terror it brandishes
+  Over the town.
+  Mother! Mother! Do you not hear it?
+  Swords clash in the wind,
+  Loud roar the chariot wheels,
+  The night flashes with lances and with armor;
+  Warrior upon warrior, countless in number,
+  The whirlwind scatters over the land.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+All is illusion, the madness of dreams!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  They are coming, they are coming,
+  Strangers from the east,
+  Men of an ancient people,
+  Men of a mighty people.
+  They hasten from the east
+  In unending files;
+  Their arrows speed like lightning;
+  Their chargers are shod with swiftness;
+  Their chariots are solid as rock.
+  Among them there rideth,
+  With blood-stained crown,
+  The destroyer of cities
+  By fire and sword,
+  The tyrant of nations,
+  The king of kings from the north.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+The king from the north? You dream. The king from the north!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  Whom the Lord has awakened
+  That he may scourge the people for all its transgressions,
+  That he may crumble the walls and throw down the towers,
+  That he may quench the light and the laughter of homes,
+  That he may raze the city and the temple to the ground,
+  And that he may plough up the streets of Jerusalem.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Blasphemous folly! The city endureth for ever!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  It is falling!
+  The onslaughts of God
+  None may withstand!
+  Below ground
+  Its roots shall wither,
+  Above ground
+  Its fruits shall rot!
+  With axe and with fire
+  The horsemen shall ravage
+  Israel's forest and Zion's fair plains.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  [Breaking in] It is false!
+  Ne'er shall an enemy circle our wall,
+  David's city be taken, Jerusalem fall.
+  Though foes from the ends of the earth should rage,
+  The towering battlements ever shall stand.
+  Firm Israel's heart, and mighty her hand,
+  Eternal the days of Jerusalem!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+It is falling! Broken is the staff and foretold is the hour. The end
+draws near, the end of Israel.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+False prophet! We are the elect of the Lord, and our strength shall
+endure through the ages! Never shall Jerusalem perish!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I have seen it in my dreams; 'twas made plain to my eyes.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Evil is he who dreams such dreams, and seven times an evildoer he who
+believes them. Alas that I should have lived to see this day when my own
+blood is fearful for Zion and has lost faith in the Lord! Jeremiah, do
+you wish me to curse the womb that bore you?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+The horror came upon me against my will; naught could I do to ward off
+the faces.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Watch and pray against them and shatter their lies in the name of the
+Lord. Forget not, Jeremiah, that you are an anointed and consecrated
+son, that your voice should praise the Lord, that you should uplift the
+hearts of the sorrowful and fill with hope the minds of the despairing!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+How can I? My own despair is the greatest of all. Leave me, Mother,
+leave me!
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+I will not leave you, neither will I abandon your soul to despair.
+Jeremiah, my only son, hearken to me. For the first time let me tell you
+something which may awaken your courage. Hear the words that are forced
+from me by my distress. I, too, was once filled with despair, inasmuch
+as for ten years the Lord had closed my womb. I was the sport of my
+companions and the mock of the concubines. For ten long years I bore my
+lot patiently, and had almost given up hope; but in the eleventh year my
+heart was kindled, and I went to the house of God to implore him that my
+womb should bear fruit. Throwing myself on the ground, I watered it with
+tears, vowing that if a son were vouchsafed me I would devote him to the
+Lord's service. I swore to be silent, to utter no word during my time of
+trial, that my son in days to come might speak abundantly, praising God.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+You also consecrated me, Mother?
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+The selfsame day your father knew me and I was blessed with you.
+Hearken, Jeremiah. For nine months did I faithfully refrain from speech
+that you might speak abundantly, that you might glorify the everlasting
+God! Thus did I fulfil my vow, and we brought you up to read the
+scripture, and sweetly did you sing to the psaltery. Know, then, that
+from the first you were a consecrated priest and devoted to the service
+of the Lord. Rend the veil of your dreams and come forth into the
+daylight.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+A double consecration, Mother, a twofold witness of this night. A second
+time you have called me to life. Through your words the light has come
+to me, for, wonderful to relate, I cried my question to God and he sent
+you to speak to me! Now do I know who knocked on the wall of my sleep
+until I awakened from my life's slumber; now do I know who summoned me.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+What has befallen you? Your words are like those of a drunken man.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Yea, drunk am I now with the certainty of his will; so full am I of
+speech, that the words must forth. The seals upon my mouth are broken,
+and my lips burn to utter the revelation.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Woe is me if you should reveal your mad dreams. You are no son of mine
+if you cry such fancies aloud!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Your son, Mother? Indeed and indeed I am your son, with a fate like unto
+yours! Learn that I too have been barren, and that the Lord hath
+quickened me with a word and a secret. I have renewed your vow, Mother,
+and have given myself to the Lord.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Go, then, to God's house. Give yourself to him who has called you,
+praise his holy name.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Nay, Mother, not for me the service of the sacrificial priest. I myself
+must be the sacrifice. For God my veins run blood; for him my flesh is
+consumed; for him my soul burns. I will serve him as none ever served
+him before; his paths shall henceforward be mine. Behold the dawn upon
+the valley, and within me likewise is darkness dispelled by light! God's
+heaven flames, and in me no less the heart is aflame. Chariot of Elijah,
+fiery chariot, carry my words that they may fall like thunder into the
+hearts of men. My lips scorch me, I must go, I must go.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Whither would you go ere the day has well begun?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I know not, God knoweth.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Tell me what you mean to do.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I know not, I know not! My heart is his, and my deeds are his.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Jeremiah, you shall not go unless you swear to me to say naught of your
+dreams ...
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I will not swear! I am vowed to him alone.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+... to refrain from breathing terror into the people.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+His is the revelation, mine are the lips alone!
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Woe is me, you will not hearken to my words. Know, then, that he who
+sows despair in Israel shall never enter my house more.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+His is my word; my dwelling is his care.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Who believes not in Zion is no longer my son.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I am his alone, his who placed me within thy womb.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+You will go then? But first hear me, Jeremiah, hear me before you open
+your lips to the people. With all my strength do I curse him who spreads
+terror over Israel, I curse ...
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Shuddering] Curse not, Mother, curse not!
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+I curse him who saith the walls shall fall and the streets be laid
+waste; I curse him who cries death over Israel. May his body be consumed
+with fire and his soul fall into the hands of the living God.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Curse not, Mother ...
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+I curse the unbeliever, who has more faith in his own dreams than in
+God's mercy. Cursed be he who denies God, were he my own son! For the
+last time, Jeremiah, choose!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I follow my own path. [With heavy steps he makes ready to descend the
+stair]
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+Jeremiah, my only son, the stay of my old age, bring not my curse upon
+you, for God will hear it as he heard my vow.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I, too, am vowed to him, Mother; me also has he heard. Farewell! [He
+descends the first step]
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+[With a loud cry] Jeremiah! You trample me down. Your footsteps crush my
+heart.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I know not the road along which I move. All I know is that one calls me,
+and I follow the call. [He slowly goes down the stair, his face
+expressing restrained emotion, and his gaze turned heavenward]
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+[Rushing in despair to the top of the staircase] Jeremiah! Jeremiah!
+Jeremiah!
+
+[There is no answer. Her cry sinks to a wail, and after a while she is
+silent. Her figure, broken with grief, is silhouetted against the sky,
+where the colors of dawn are showing in fire and blood]
+
+
+
+
+THE WARNING
+
+
+
+
+SCENE TWO
+
+The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied
+both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of
+evil, and of pestilence.
+
+The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet
+shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the Lord hath
+truly sent him. JEREMIAH, XXVIII, 8 and 9.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE TWO
+
+The great square of Jerusalem. Thence a broad long flight of steps leads
+to the porch of pillars of the fortress of Zion; on the right is the
+king's palace and in the center the adjoining temple. On the other side
+the great square is bounded by houses and streets which seem low and
+mean in contrast with the towering structures facing them. The walls of
+the entrances to the palace are lined with cedar, carved with figures of
+cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, all overlaid with gold; there
+are lavers in the foreground with running water. In the background are
+seen the brazen gates of the temple.
+
+In front of the palace, in the streets and on the stairway, the people
+of Jerusalem move to and fro confusedly; a motley mass of men, women,
+and children, swayed by strong excitement, and in eager expectation.
+Many voices rise from the crowd, usually in animated dispute, but
+uniting at times to a single cry. When the scene opens, all have pressed
+towards the streets and are restlessly expectant.
+
+
+VOICES
+
+The sentinel has already given the signal from the tower.--No, not
+yet.--But I heard the trumpet.--So did I.--So did I.--They must be close
+at hand.--From which side are they coming?--Shall we see them?
+
+OTHER VOICES
+
+They are coming from Moria Gate.--They must pass this way as they go to
+the palace.--Don't block up the whole street.--We want to get a sight of
+them.--Stand back.--Room, room for the Egyptians.
+
+A VOICE
+
+But is it certain that they are coming?
+
+ANOTHER VOICE
+
+I myself spoke to the messenger who brought the tidings.
+
+VOICES
+
+He spoke with the messenger.--Tell us all about it.--How many are
+there?--Do they bring gifts?--Who is their leader?--Speak up, Issachar!
+
+[A group forms round ISSACHAR]
+
+ISSACHAR
+
+I can only tell you what the messenger, my father-in-law, told me.
+Pharaoh is sending the finest warriors of Egypt. With them are many
+slaves bearing gifts. Nothing like these gifts has come to Zion since
+the days of Solomon.
+
+VOICES
+
+Long live Pharaoh!--Glory to his reign!--Hail Egypt!
+
+AN OLD MAN
+
+No alliance with Egypt! Their wars are not ours!
+
+ISSACHAR
+
+But our need is the same as theirs. They do not want to be the slaves of
+the Chaldeans.
+
+VOICES
+
+Nor we, nor we.--Down with Ashur.--Let us break the yoke.--Let us be on
+our guard.
+
+BARUCH
+
+[A young man, in great excitement] We spend our days in chains. Month
+after month, when the moon is new, our messengers go forth to Babylon
+bearing tribute of golden shekels. How long shall we suffer it?
+
+ZEBULON
+
+[BARUCH'S father] Silence. It is not for you to speak. A light yoke is
+the yoke of Chaldea.
+
+VOICES
+
+But we want no yoke at all.--The day of freedom has dawned.--Down with
+Ashur!--Let us form an alliance with the Egyptians.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+Never did good come out of Mizraim. We must feel our way cautiously,
+patient and ever mistrustful.
+
+VOICES
+
+We must renew the furniture of the temple.--No longer shall Baal enjoy
+our holy things.--Down with the robbers of the temple!--Now is the
+appointed hour.
+
+OTHER VOICES
+
+[From farther up the street] They are coming! They are coming!
+
+VOICES
+
+[From all sides] Here they are.--Make room.--Come higher up.--Come back
+here.--I can see them already. You can see them from here.
+
+[The people swarm up the steps and form a lane through which the
+Egyptian embassy can pass to the palace. At first nothing can be seen of
+the newcomers but the spear points showing above the noisy throng]
+
+VOICES
+
+How finely they march.--Who is the leader?--Araxes is their
+leader.--Look at the gifts.--Look at the carrying chairs.--One of them
+is curtained.--That must be Pharaoh's daughter.--Hail Araxes!--Hail
+Egypt!--Those are heavy chests; there must be gold in them!--We shall
+have to pay for it with our blood!--How short their swords are.--Ours
+are better.--Look at their proud gait.--They must be mighty
+warriors.--Long live Pharaoh-Necho.--Hail Egypt!--God punish
+Ashur.--Hail Araxes!--Blessings on Pharaoh!--Blessings on the alliance!
+
+[With frenzied acclamations, the people close in upon the procession of
+the Egyptians. These latter, richly appareled, march proudly by. They
+rattle their swords and make gracious acknowledgments]
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Speaking from the steps] May the king fulfil your wishes! May he cement
+the alliance!
+
+[The Egyptians have mounted the steps to the palace, and have entered
+the porch of pillars. The people throng at their heels. Other sections
+of the crowd disappear into the streets. On the steps there now remain
+only isolated groups of the older men, while the soldiers and the women
+hasten after the Egyptians, eager to see what they are bearing, and
+vanishing after the train in the entry to the palace]
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Who has been looking on in ecstasy] I must go with them.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+Stay where you are.
+
+BARUCH
+
+I want to see for myself how Israel rises against the oppressors. My
+soul is consumed with desire to behold great deeds, and now the hour is
+at hand.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+Stay where you are. The time is God's choice, not ours. The king will
+decide.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Listen to the shouts of joy! Let me go with them, father.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+You will have many other opportunities. The people always flock to hear
+loud talkers, and crowd ever to witness showy sights.
+
+ANOTHER
+
+Why do you deny him the pleasure? Is not the day come for which we have
+been longing? Friends have been raised up for Israel.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+Never was Mizraim the friend of Israel.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Our shame is theirs, and Israel's need is Egypt's.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+Naught have we in common with any other folk on earth. Our strength lies
+in isolation.
+
+THE OTHER
+
+But they will fight for us.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+They will fight for themselves. Each nation fights for itself alone.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Are we still to be slaves? Shall Zedekiah be a king of slaves, and Zion
+remain in bondage to Chaldea? Were but Zedekiah a true king!
+
+ZEBULON
+
+Silence, I command you. It befits not a boy to lay down the law for
+kings.
+
+BARUCH
+
+It is true that I am young; but who is Jerusalem, if it be not her young
+men? It was not the cautious elders who built Jerusalem. David, young
+David, established her towers, and made her great among the nations.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+Hold your peace. You have no right to speak in the marketplace.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Shall only the cautious elders speak, none but the aged give counsel,
+that Israel may grow old before her time and God's word decay in our
+hearts? The moment is ours, and it is for us to take revenge. You have
+abased yourselves, and we will lift ourselves up; you have faltered, but
+we will bring fruition; you had peace, and we want war.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+What do you know of war? We, the fathers, have known war. In books war
+is great, but in reality war is a destroyer, a ravisher of life.
+
+BARUCH
+
+I fear not war. Let us have done with slavery!
+
+A VOICE
+
+Zedekiah hath sworn an oath of peace.
+
+VOICES
+
+The oath matters nothing.--Let him break his oath.--No oath need be kept
+with the heathen.
+
+OTHER VOICES
+
+[Exultant, coming from the street] Abimelech!--Hail Abimelech!--Abimelech,
+our leader!
+
+[Groups crowd round ABIMELECH, the general, and acclaim him]
+
+VOICES
+
+Abimelech!--Is it true that Egypt offers an alliance? Draw your
+sword.--Up, march against Ashur.--Gather Israel's forces.--We are
+ready.--We are ready.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+[Speaks to the crowd from the top of the steps] Make ready, people of
+Jerusalem, for the hour of freedom is at hand.
+
+[The crowd shouts exultantly]
+
+Pharaoh-Necho has offered us the help of his armies. He wishes us to
+join him in breaking the might of Ashur, and we shall do it, people of
+Jerusalem.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+On against Ashur.--War with Chaldea.--Hail Abimelech!
+
+A WARRIOR
+
+We shall drive them before us like sheep. They have grown soft in the
+houses of the women, and their king has never worn harness.
+
+A VOICE
+
+That is false.
+
+THE WARRIOR
+
+Who says it is false?
+
+THE VOICE
+
+I say so. I have been in Babylon and I have seen Nebuchadnezzar. He is a
+mighty man of valor, and his soldiers have no equals.
+
+VOICES
+
+Wretch, you praise our foes.--He is sold to the enemy.--His wife is a
+Chaldean.--She has gone a-whoring with all the men of Babylon.--Traitor!
+
+THE WARRIOR
+
+[Approaching the speaker] Do you mean to say that we cannot beat them?
+
+THE VOICE
+
+I say that the Chaldeans are mighty men.
+
+THE WARRIOR
+
+[Pressing closer] Look upon my fist, and say once more that they are
+better than the men of Israel.
+
+VOICES
+
+Say it again.--Tear him to pieces.--Traitor.--Traitor.
+
+THE SPEAKER
+
+[Encircled by a threatening mob, loses courage] I did not say that. All
+I meant to say was that they are many in number.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Always have our foes been many, and always have we laid them low.
+
+VOICES
+
+Who can stand against us?--We have overthrown all our enemies.--None can
+withstand us.--Death to him who despises our power.
+
+[Messengers hasten from the palace]
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[Thronging round them] Whither so fast?--What news do you bear?--Whom do
+you seek?--What's afoot?
+
+A MESSENGER
+
+The king has summoned the council.
+
+VOICES
+
+War.--He decides for war.--War.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Whom has he summoned?
+
+THE MESSENGER
+
+Imre, the oldest burgher; Nahum, the steward. To you also the summons
+goes forth.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Waverers and wiseacres are to be my fellow councilors; men who weigh
+their words overmuch and shrink from deeds. But I have my sword with me,
+and I will cast it from me if I may not draw it against Ashur. Yours is
+the hour, people of Jerusalem; I fight in your behalf.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+Hail Abimelech.--Hail Abimelech, hail soldier of God.--Hail!
+
+[ABIMELECH hastens into the palace]
+
+BARUCH
+
+Follow him, follow him! The king shall hear our voices. Let us thunder
+our will beneath the windows of his palace.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+I shall disown you if you do not hold your peace. The king has summoned
+a council, and there must be no clamor to disturb its deliberations.
+
+BARUCH
+
+He shall not deliberate. Let him decide! Let him decide for war! We are
+all for war.
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes, all of us.--All of us.--Shout that the king may hear us.
+
+A VOICE
+
+Nay, I am not for war, I am not for war.
+
+VOICES
+
+Silence.--Traitor.--Another spy.--Who are you?--Down with him.--Who are
+you?
+
+THE SPEAKER
+
+I am a peasant, and in peace only will my land bear fruit. War comes
+trampling across my fields. No war for me, I am against it.
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Savagely] Shame upon you! May you rot amid your fields and be choked
+with your fruits! Cursed be he whose courage is measured by his gains,
+and cursed be he who values his own pitiful life more than the welfare
+of his country! Israel is our land for tillage. We will manure it with
+our blood. Are we not happy, brothers, to die for the one God?
+
+THE PEASANT
+
+Die, then, and let me live. I love the land. This, too, is God's, and he
+has given it to me for my own.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Nothing is given to us for our own. We hold everything in trust from the
+living God, and must restore everything when the call comes. Now has the
+call sounded; let us hearken to it gladly. The signs are fulfilled.
+Where are they who should reveal his words? Where are they who disclose
+his spirit, who can spur on the slothful and make the deaf hear? Where
+are the priests, and where the prophets? Why are their voices silent at
+this hour in Jerusalem?
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes.--The prophets.--Where are the priests?
+
+BARUCH
+
+To the temple! Nothing must be done without God's word! Let the men of
+God decide.
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes, where are our shepherds? In them is the truth.--Hananiah--Pashur--
+where are they? Open the temple.--Open the gates.--Hananiah.--Pashur.
+
+[Some of the crowd race up the steps and knock upon the brazen gates.
+The gates open and HANANIAH appears. He is received with fierce
+acclamations]
+
+BARUCH
+
+Hananiah, messenger of God, the people thirst for your speech. Let your
+words pour forth to kindle our hearts, to make fruitful our wrath, and
+to direct our aim. The fate of Jerusalem is in your hands.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+Pour forth God's word over us.--Reveal the promise.--Say, shall we
+fight?--Let us know God's will.--Teach the people, messenger of the
+Lord, teach the king.--Give utterance to the promise.--Look upon our
+weakness.--Awaken our courage.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+[Standing before the threshold of the temple, speaks with strong
+emotion] Blessed your questions, blessed your voices, blessed are you,
+people of Jerusalem, who at length hearken to the cry. For sleep had
+fallen upon you, Jerusalem; you had been passive in the chains of
+slavery. The nations have been marching over you as over a drunken man;
+they have been spitting upon your garments; they have mocked your
+nakedness. But a call has summoned the sleepers; a message has roused
+the dreamers; and I will testify to you, now that God has awakened you.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[Breaking into fanatical cries] Listen to him!--We are awakened!--It is
+true that we have been sleeping.--Tell us, master, is it time?--Say, has
+the hour struck?
+
+HANANIAH
+
+How long will you refrain from deeds, now that God hath awakened you?
+How long will you remain passive, now that the Lord hath summoned you?
+God is athirst, for his pitchers are empty; God is anhungered, for his
+altars are broken; God is cold, for the hangings of the temple have been
+stolen; God suffers, for the priests of Baal and the servants of
+Ashtaroth heap scorn upon him! Cast off the yoke, break your chains,
+raise hosannas, unsheathe your swords. God has awakened you; fight for
+the Lord!
+
+BARUCH
+
+Let hosannas sound! Up, Israel; up Jerusalem, and break the yoke!
+
+THE CROWD
+
+Let us break the yoke.--Down with Ashur.--To arms against
+Nebuchadnezzar.--Unfurl the flag.--Tell us, is it time to start?--War
+against Ashur.--Say, shall the victory be ours?
+
+HANANIAH
+
+The voice of the Lord burns within me. The words come to my mouth like
+the roaring of the sea, and thus do they sound: "Arise, Israel. I have
+delivered Ashur into thy hand; clench thy fist, Israel, and break the
+bones of thy foe! Tread the oppressor beneath thy heels, bring back my
+stolen goods, deliver me as I deliver thee. Reject those who would
+counsel thee otherwise; destroy those who would curb thee; pay no heed
+to the weaklings, and hearken only to the words of my messenger! Hear
+the words of my messenger, O Israel!"
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Calling wildly from amid the crowd] Heed him not! Heed him not! Heed
+him not!
+
+[A tumult ensues, and the crowd draws apart, disclosing JEREMIAH in the
+midst. He tries to make his way up the steps to the place from which
+HANANIAH is speaking]
+
+VOICES
+
+Who is that speaking?--What is he saying?--Who is he?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Do not heed him. Pay no heed to him who speaks through the lips only;
+reject the lure of his words. Do not listen to the hypocrites who would
+lead you into slippery places. Do not fall into the snare of the
+fowlers. Do not listen to the decoy calling to war.
+
+PASHUR
+
+[The high priest, wearing full vestments, has appeared on the threshold
+of the temple] Who speaks in the crowd?
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Who speaks against the Lord? Let him show himself in the open.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Coming forward] Dismay speaks; concern for Jerusalem cries aloud; the
+mouth of terror is opened. I speak for Israel, and for the life of
+Israel.
+
+VOICES
+
+Who is he?--I know him not.--He is not one of the prophets.--I know him
+not.--Who is he?
+
+A VOICE
+
+It is Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, of the priests in Anathoth.
+
+VOICES
+
+Who is Jeremiah?--Who is he?--What do the people of Anathoth want in
+Jerusalem?--He is the son of Hilkiah.--Who is he?--What does he want?
+
+PASHUR
+
+[To JEREMIAH, who is mounting the steps] Away from the steps of the
+temple! The messengers of the Lord, the men of God and the prophets, may
+alone tread the holy threshold. To none but us is it given to reveal
+God's will.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Who dares declare that to him only has the Lord vouchsafed wisdom and
+the secret of his will? God speaks to men in dreams, and to me likewise
+has he sent dreams. He has filled my nights with horror, and has
+awakened me at due time; he has given me a mouth that I may speak and a
+voice that I may cry aloud. He has breathed dismay into my mind that I
+may spread it over you like a burning cloth. I will utter my dismay on
+behalf of Jerusalem; I will cry my cry before the people; I will reveal
+my dreams.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Away with dreamers and interpreters of dreams. The hour needs waking
+men.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Dreams come to all. Beasts stir in their sleep, and the dreams of slaves
+are full of visions. Who has anointed you, that you should speak before
+the temple?
+
+VOICES
+
+No.--Let him speak.--We want to hear him.--He is out of his mind.--Let
+him reveal his dreams.--The marketplace is free to all.--God's house is
+free. Speak, Jeremiah.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Not from the threshold of the temple.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+I am the prophet of God, and there is no other prophet in Israel to-day.
+You shall hear my words, not those of the chatterers in the streets.
+Scourge the dreamers out of the marketplace.
+
+BARUCH
+
+He is a coward, shun his terrors.
+
+VOICES
+
+Let him speak.--We want to hear what he has to say.--No, let Hananiah
+speak.--Perhaps Jeremiah is sent by the Lord.--Why should not we hear
+him.--Speak, Jeremiah.--What has he dreamed?--Revelation often comes in
+dreams.--Let him speak, Hananiah.--We can compare their words.--Speak,
+Jeremiah.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[From the top of the steps] Brothers in Israel, brothers in Jerusalem,
+in my dream I heard a storm burst upon the city, and I saw warriors
+assail our walls. The pillars fell and the battlements were laid low.
+Fire sat upon the roofs like a red beast devouring our dwellings. No
+stone was left standing upon another, and the streets were laid waste. I
+saw the dead lying in heaps upon the ground, so that my heart was turned
+within me and my mouth was unsealed even in sleep.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Madness is crying from the steps of the temple.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+The falling sickness afflicts him, and he in turn afflicts us.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Down with him.
+
+VOICES
+
+No, we want to hear his dreams.--What do they mean?--He is a madman.--He
+is a fool.--Away with him!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+But, brothers, when I awakened in the sweat of my body, I mocked myself
+even as you mock me now. Did not peace brood over the land; were not the
+walls untouched, so that no breeze stirred athwart them? I went forth
+from the house full of shame for my own terrors; I sought the
+marketplace that I might rejoice in its peace. But when I came thither I
+heard shouts of exultation; and my heart broke within me, for the shouts
+were clamors for war. Brothers, my soul was bitter as gall, and the
+words came to my lips against my will. Tell me, is war so precious that
+you should praise it? Is it so kindly that you should long for it? Does
+it bring so much good that you should greet it with all the warmth of
+your heart? I say unto you, people of Jerusalem, that war is a fierce
+and evil beast, one that devours the flesh of the strong and sucks the
+marrow of the mighty, crushing towns in its jaws and trampling the land
+beneath its hoofs. Those who awaken it, shall not again lay it to sleep;
+and he who draws the sword, is like to perish by the sword. Woe,
+therefore, to the contentious man who quarrels when there is no need,
+for he shall come out upon one way, and flee upon seven. Woe to those
+who murder peace with the words of their mouth. Beware of all such, O
+people of Jerusalem.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Beware of cowards, O people of Jerusalem; beware of traitors in the pay
+of the enemy.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+What promise does he bring? Where is God's word? He speaks for Babylon
+and for Baal.
+
+VOICES
+
+No, no.--His words are just.--There is much truth in what he says.--Let
+him deliver his message.--Dreams.--Where is the promise?--Go on.--We
+want to hear him too.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Why do you awaken the ravening beast with your shouts. Why do you summon
+the king of the north to your city? Why do you clamor for war, men of
+Jerusalem? Did you beget your sons for slaughter, and your daughters for
+shame? Did you build your houses for destruction by fire, and your walls
+for the battering ram? Bethink thee, Israel; call a halt ere thou
+runnest into the darkness, Jerusalem. Is thy slavery so hard, are thy
+sorrows beyond assuagement? Look around. God's sun shines over the land;
+the vines bloom in peace; lovers walk happily together; children play
+unhindered; the moon shines gently over the sleep of Jerusalem. Fire and
+water keep their appointed places, the storehouses are well filled, and
+God has his spacious mansion. Say, Israel, is it not well with thee
+within the walls of Zion; art thou not blithe in the valleys of Sharon;
+art thou not happy by the blue waters of Jordan? Let it suffice thee to
+live at peace under God's tranquil gaze. Hold fast to peace, people of
+Jerusalem.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+His words are just! Hail unto him. His speech is golden.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Like the gold of Chaldea.
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes, he has been bribed.--No, his words are just.--Peace.--We want
+peace.--He is a traitor.--He is in the pay of Ashur.--Let him
+speak.--No, Hananiah is right.--Let us listen to Hananiah.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Away with you, away. Go, talk to Samaria, the land of slaves. Deliver
+your message to Moab, or to the uncircumcised, but not to Israel, God's
+first-born among the nations.
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Menacingly, to JEREMIAH] Answer me, in face of the people. Is our
+slavery to endure? Are we still to pay tribute to Chaldea? Answer me,
+traitor.
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes, yes.--Answer.--Speak.--Are we to go on paying tribute?--Answer.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Loudly do I speak my mind before the people. It is better to pay tribute
+of gold to the enemy than tribute of blood to war. It is better to be
+wise than powerful; it is better to be the servant of God than the ruler
+of men.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Man of servile obedience, slave of Chaldea, will you deny God's word
+which commandeth war against the oppressor; will you deny his holy word?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+But it is also written: "In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in
+quietness and in confidence shall be your strength."
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes, thus is it written.--He speaks truth.--His words are the words of
+wisdom.--Nay, he twists the scripture to his own purpose.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+This is written of an unholy war, of dissension among the brethren of
+Israel. But ours is a holy war, a war of God waged in the everlasting
+name of Jerusalem, a war of God, a war of God.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Couple not God's name with war. Not God makes war, but man. No war is
+holy; no death is holy; life alone is holy.
+
+BARUCH
+
+You lie! Life is given us that we may sacrifice it to God. I will offer
+myself upon his altar, I will fall before his foes, I will die for
+Israel and for Israel's rule upon earth. Never shall Israel be
+vanquished so long as all her sons share these thoughts.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Never shall Israel be vanquished while God's stars shine in heaven. If
+we join forces with Egypt, Babylon will fall into our hands within three
+months.
+
+VOICES
+
+[Exultantly] Within three months.--Hail Hananiah.--Hearken to
+Hananiah.--Within three months.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Israel will gain the victory over countless thousands.
+
+BARUCH
+
+He spreads fear as they spread gold before him.
+
+VOICES
+
+Israel shall rule the nations.--Down with Ashur.--War.--War.--Nay,
+peace.--Peace in Israel.--War.--War.--He is speaking for Ashur.--He is a
+traitor.--Do those only speak truth who clamor for war?--He has taken
+bribes.--Let us not decide too quickly.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Send the coward to the house of the women!
+
+A WOMAN
+
+[Spitting on JEREMIAH] His company would bring shame on us. That for the
+man whose cringing is a disgrace! War against Ashur!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Flashing out in wrath] Who are you that you crave blood so fiercely?
+Did you bear children and suckle them only for the tomb? A curse upon
+the man who thirsts for blood, but seven times accursed be the woman who
+is eager for war; for war shall devour the fruit of her womb, and the
+men of Ashur shall cast lots for her and for her raiment. You and such
+as you shall be mourners, tearing your cheeks with your nails, and
+uttering shrill cries of lamentation, you women who spit upon me and
+revile peace.
+
+WOMEN'S VOICES
+
+Woe, Woe! Listen to the curse.--Our sons.--Woe, woe!--Man of
+terror!--Woe!
+
+BARUCH
+
+You can frighten women, faint-heart, but not men. Down, down!
+
+CERTAIN WARRIORS
+
+Down with him. Hunt him into the street.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Close his mouth!
+
+VOICES
+
+Away with him!--He frightens women.--Away with him.--He has foretold
+enough disaster.--My flesh crept while he was speaking.--Let him hold
+his peace.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I will not hold my peace, for Jerusalem cries aloud through my mouth.
+The walls of Jerusalem stand up in my heart, and would fain still stand;
+the land of Israel blossoms in my soul, and my hope is to safeguard it.
+Thy own blood calls through me, Jerusalem, that it may not be shed; thy
+seed, that it may not be scattered; thy stones, that they may not fall;
+and thy name, that it may not perish. Stand firm, waverer, and gather
+thy children under thy care; hearken, Jerusalem, to my voice of warning.
+Hearken, Zion, thou citadel of God. Keep the peace, keep the peace!
+
+VOICES
+
+[Fiercely disputing] Yes.--God's peace upon Israel.--Traitor.--He has
+taken a bribe.--God's peace upon us.--I would fain save my
+sons.--War.--War against Ashur.--Leave the matter to the king.--He is a
+traitor.--We want to live at peace.--He is a coward.--He has sold
+himself to the enemy.--War.--Peace.--Hananiah speaks the truth.--Nay,
+Jeremiah speaks the truth.--Break the yoke.--War.--Peace.
+
+[A bustle arises at the entrance to the palace. A number of men come
+forth. In their midst is ABIMELECH, swordless]
+
+VOICES
+
+[From among the newcomers] Treason.--Treason.--Treason in Israel.
+
+[The dispute around JEREMIAH ceases]
+
+VOICES
+
+What has happened?--Abimelech.--What has happened?--He comes from the
+king.--Abimelech.--Look at his angry frown.--Tell us what has happened.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+[Standing at the top of the steps beside JEREMIAH] Israel has been sold
+by the weaklings; chaffered away by the hucksters. Imre and Nahum gained
+the upper hand in the council. They spoke against Egypt, and the king
+hearkened to their words.
+
+VOICES
+
+Down with Nahum.--Treason.--Imre, the dotard.--Traitor.--What was the
+decision?--What did the king say?--Peace, hail to peace.--God's
+judgment.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+His heart quaileth within him, for he dreads war. He will think the
+matter over, will take further counsel ere he decide.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Glory to Zedekiah, girdled with wisdom!
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+He is hedged about with weakness; old age and fear are his counselors.
+For my part I threw my sword aside, for no longer will I wear a sword
+while Zion pays tribute to Ashur.
+
+BARUCH
+
+[In ecstasy] Soldier of God, your sword is holy since it flashes for
+Israel.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Blessings upon you that you will have naught to do with hucksters.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Shall we still hesitate? Whose is the hour? Is it that of Nahum, the
+huckster, and that of Imre, the dotard; or is it your hour, people of
+Jerusalem? God's hour has come, therefore seize it. To the palace, to
+the king; let him behold us and hear us. People of Jerusalem, raise your
+voices, give vent to the breath of your anger. To the palace, to the
+palace!
+
+PASHUR
+
+To the king! Show yourselves to him, people of Jerusalem. To the king
+and to victory! Such is God's will.
+
+VOICES
+
+To the king!--To the palace!--To victory!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Springing forward to block the entry to the porch of pillars] Keep the
+peace, keep the peace; you are murdering Jerusalem.
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Drawing his sword] Here's for him who still speaks of peace.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Cut him down!
+
+PASHUR
+
+Down with the traitor!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Help me, friends of God; help me to save Jerusalem.
+
+BARUCH
+
+For the last time! Let us pass in to the king. [He endeavors to push
+JEREMIAH aside]
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Resists and shouts at the top of his voice] No step will I yield to
+folly! Peace! God's peace be upon Israel.
+
+[BARUCH cuts him down, and JEREMIAH falls bleeding to the foot of the
+steps]
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[Scattering in horror] Murder.--They have killed him.--Murder.--Who is
+it?--Jeremiah.--They have killed him.--Woe.--Why use force?--Why kill
+the prophets?--Justice has been dealt on the liar.--To the king, to the
+king!
+
+[BARUCH stands thunderstruck with lowered sword]
+
+HANANIAH
+
+[Shouts exultantly] May such be the fate of all faint-hearts, all slaves
+of Chaldea, all hirelings of Ashur! To the palace, to the king. Save
+Israel, deliver Jerusalem.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Death to traitors! Vengeance on Ashur!
+
+PASHUR
+
+God has struck him down.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+God's thunderbolt has fallen on the liar.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[After its brief pause of consternation, begins to flow into the porch
+of pillars of the palace] To the king.--Let Israel rule the
+nations.--War.--War against Ashur.--Down with the traitors.--To the
+king.--God is on our side.--Down with Ashur.--Freedom.--Freedom.
+[Rejoicing they stream into the palace]
+
+[JEREMIAH still lies in a swoon at the base of the steps, none heeding
+him. The crowd passes over him in a flood, leaving him like jetsam among
+the stones. BARUCH, who, in his bewilderment, was swept along by the
+mob, has struggled back from among them. Slowly, as if driven by an
+inner force, he comes down to the swooning man, bends over him, feels
+his brow, and listens for his breath]
+
+BARUCH
+
+Jeremiah, speak, Jeremiah, if you are still alive. [He raises JEREMIAH
+into a sitting posture]
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[His eyes still closed, not yet himself, speaks hesitatingly] The fiery
+cloud has fallen. Fire is raging through the town. Woe is me!
+
+BARUCH
+
+Keep still a moment, that I may wipe the blood from your eyes.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Away! Your face was full of hatred towards me. Your eyes flashed
+fiercely. Was it not you who struck me down?
+
+BARUCH
+
+I indeed it was who drew sword upon you in anger, but the blade turned
+in my hand so that I struck you with the flat only. I rejoice thereat,
+for I drew upon an unarmed man. I will pay blood-money. Let me staunch
+your wound.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Let the blood flow. Would that mine alone were to flow in Jerusalem.
+[Half rising] What has become of the crowd? The marketplace is empty.
+Have they gone to the palace, gone to force war upon the king? Where are
+they?
+
+BARUCH
+
+Compose yourself ...
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+They have gone. It is too late. Curse upon you for that you felled me to
+the ground. More, far more, than me have you slain. Not my blood alone
+has been shed, but the blood of all Israel. Through you, Zion has been
+broken and destroyed. You have killed the watchman, and they are raging
+in the holy places of the Lord. Let me rise. Avaunt, murderer of Israel!
+
+BARUCH
+
+What do you wish to do?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[In febrile excitement] Help me, help me to my feet. You struck me down,
+so now you must help me. Perhaps there is still time. [Distant shouts
+are heard from the palace] Their jubilation means death; their joy means
+destruction. Too late! Too late! For Jerusalem's sake I must give
+warning. Your aid! I must go to him. The hour calls. [He struggles to
+his feet]
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Confused] Whither away? You are still too weak to do anything.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Let me testify against Hananiah, against Pashur; against those who would
+lure to war; against the people. I must cry the words of peace ...
+
+BARUCH
+
+Will you make the attempt once again, alone against them all? Great,
+indeed, is the force that drives you. Steadfastly did you face my sword,
+you whom I had despised as a coward, whom I had proclaimed a faint-heart
+before the people. But in the strength of your will you are ready to
+defy death, proving yourself a mighty man of valor.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+If you reverence me, then help me. Help me to cry aloud. Help me to save
+Zion from destruction.
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Supporting him] I will help you, Jeremiah, against my will, for you
+have in you a power which compels me. I had believed you a weakling, and
+therefore did I oppose you as one who shunned action and favored the
+easy path of peace.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+The easy path of peace! Do you fancy that peace is not action, that
+peace is not the action of all actions? Day by day you must wrest it
+from the mouths of liars and from the hearts of men. You must stand
+alone against the multitude; for clamor is always on the side of the
+many, and the liar has ever the first word. The meek must be strong;
+those who desire peace are continually at war.
+
+BARUCH
+
+But you will not go alone?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I must go, I must go. I must make my words good. Empty is the speech of
+him who will not stand by it with his life. Let me publish my visions;
+let me proclaim my warning before the king.
+
+BARUCH
+
+I would fain go with you, would fain do what you are doing, for it is
+borne in on me that you are beginning a great work.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+You would walk with me? But did you not resist me with your will and
+with your sword?
+
+BARUCH
+
+You are too strong for me, and I who stood up against you wish to help
+you now. Your blood has won me to your cause. I will do what you do, for
+I have faith in you, Jeremiah, who faced my sword so steadfastly.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+You believe in me, against the priests and the prophets who deny me,
+against the people and the city?
+
+BARUCH
+
+I believe in you, for you have shed your blood for your words.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+You believe in me when I myself hardly believe in my own dreams. Is it
+true, boy?
+
+BARUCH
+
+I believe in you, for I saw you stand steadfast against death. Your will
+is my will.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Greatly moved] You believe in me, you who wounded me, who resisted me
+to the uttermost? You are the first to believe in me, you whose very
+name is unknown to me.
+
+BARUCH
+
+I am Baruch, the son of Zebulon of Gilead.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+No longer will you be any man's son, if you believe in me. Despised and
+rejected will you be, should you follow me. He who would shine in the
+word, must burn in the flames. Think well, Baruch. You are little more
+than a boy. You have shed my blood, shall I therefore shed yours?
+
+BARUCH
+
+Let me go with you, for the sake of Jerusalem.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+For the sake of Jerusalem! Indeed and indeed Jerusalem needs help in
+this hour. Come, then, Baruch, first-born of my faith, son of my
+anguish, support me that we may testify together. My anguish shall be
+turned against the king, my sorrow shall be thundered in his ears. Aid
+me, aid me against king and people.
+
+BARUCH
+
+I will go with you.
+
+[Exultant shouts nearer at hand]
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Woe, woe! When the mob rejoices, disaster is afoot.
+
+BARUCH
+
+They are streaming forth from the palace.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Forward, let us meet them. Lend me the strength of your arm, for I am
+still weak.
+
+BARUCH
+
+The king is among them. He carries a naked sword. They are making for
+the temple.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Help me forward. There is still time.
+
+BARUCH
+
+The clamor echoes through the marketplace. Hananiah is dancing before
+them even as David danced before the ark. The war-makers have triumphed.
+It is too late. Give way before them. Hide yourself. It is too late.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+It is never too late. Let me forth to encounter them.
+
+BARUCH
+
+What would you do? Let me go instead, for I am young and strong.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I would brandish the word against them like a sword. I would turn the
+king's heart. Let me go to him.
+
+[Shouting and singing, the crowd streams out of the palace, down the
+steps, and then up again towards the temple. All are in a frenzy,
+shouting for war and for victory]
+
+HANANIAH
+
+[Drunken with excitement, leading the way to the temple] Open the gates.
+Throw the gates wide. The king will swear before the altar the oath of
+alliance against Ashur!
+
+VOICES
+
+Hail to the alliance!--Day of promise!--Slavery is overthrown!--Down
+with Ashur!--Hail Zedekiah!--Victory, victory!--Israel shall rule the
+nations.--God is on our side.
+
+[KING ZEDEKIAH, followed by the Egyptian envoys, has come out of the
+palace. He bears a drawn sword. His expression is grave. Amid the
+exultant crowd he seems oppressed with thought. Scarcely heeding the
+tumult and the acclamations, he makes for the temple with slow strides.
+Suddenly, above the clamor of the multitude, rises the voice of
+JEREMIAH]
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Zedekiah, Zedekiah, sheathe thy sword.
+
+[Disorder in the crowd; the cries are stilled. The king, standing on the
+steps of the temple, looks round for the speaker]
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Shouting yet more loudly] Sheathe thy sword, Zedekiah! Thus wilt thou
+save Jerusalem. Give peace to Israel, God's peace.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[Vociferating wildly] War! War upon Ashur!--Who is the speaker?--He is
+sold to the enemy.--Down with all traitors.--Israel shall rule the
+nations.--War, war!
+
+[The voice of JEREMIAH is drowned amid the general uproar. He is thrust
+aside, and BARUCH has difficulty in protecting him. With redoubled
+energy the crowd continues to shout in an ecstasy around the king.
+ZEDEKIAH stands awhile, still trying to find the one who had called on
+him to sheathe the sword. For a moment, indeed, he lowers his weapon,
+and seems to be looking round for help. But, amid fanatical cries of the
+populace, the gates are opened. After a moment's further hesitation,
+ZEDEKIAH raises his sword once more, and with earnest mien mounts the
+last steps and disappears into the temple]
+
+
+
+
+RUMORS
+
+
+
+
+SCENE THREE
+
+Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth
+fire, and this people, wood, and it shall devour them. JEREMIAH V, 14.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE THREE
+
+The same square in front of the temple and the king's palace. Groups of
+idlers, men and women, loiter upon the steps, some sitting and some
+standing. In the streets and in the porch of pillars there is the usual
+coming and going of persons working and conversing.
+
+
+A MAN
+
+[One of the larger group on the steps] I have it for certain that there
+has been a great battle between Nebuchadnezzar and Pharaoh.
+
+ANOTHER MAN
+
+I have heard the same report. A messenger has come.
+
+A VOICE
+
+That means nothing. Messengers are always coming to the palace.
+
+THE SECOND MAN
+
+But I have spoken to him. I'm sure of it.
+
+THE VOICE
+
+Have you spoken to the messenger?
+
+THE SECOND MAN
+
+No, it was Aphitor, the king's scribe. He told me that a battle had
+begun, a great battle.
+
+THE FIRST MAN
+
+A mighty battle, such as there has never been before within the memory
+of man, Egypt against Nebuchadnezzar.
+
+VOICES
+
+May the heavens crush him, the accursed.--Egypt is all-powerful.--Our
+army is there too.--They will know how to deal with him, the man of
+pride.
+
+A VOICE
+
+God will break him, for God is on our side.
+
+ANOTHER VOICE
+
+The Egyptians are strong, and Nebuchadnezzar will not be able to
+withstand them.
+
+A THIRD VOICE
+
+Nebuchadnezzar is likewise strong. They say ...
+
+A FOURTH VOICE
+
+[Interrupting] Let them say, the faint-hearts. Who cares what they say?
+
+THIRD VOICE
+
+They say that his warriors are like a swarm of locusts.
+
+ANOTHER VOICE
+
+Warriors! His men are no warriors! Small in stature are they like boys,
+and unhandy with their swords. My sister's husband has seen many of
+them. Among the women they are men, but they are not men in battle.
+[Laughter]
+
+VOICES
+
+Pharaoh will destroy them.--He will sweep them like chaff from the
+threshing-floor.--Long live Pharaoh!
+
+OTHERS
+
+[Hearing the shouts and coming to join the group] What is he saying
+about Pharaoh?
+
+A VOICE
+
+Pharaoh is fighting a great battle against Nebuchadnezzar.
+
+OTHER VOICES
+
+He will conquer.--He will set us free.--Long live Pharaoh.--Pharaoh for
+ever.--They shall grave him a tablet of fine gold.--Long live Pharaoh,
+the conqueror of Ashur.
+
+NEWCOMERS
+
+[Eager to know what is afoot] What is it? What has happened?
+
+ONE OF THE RECENT COMERS
+
+Pharaoh has defeated Nebuchadnezzar.
+
+VOICES
+
+Hail Pharaoh-Necho!--Is it true? I must go home and tell my wife.--Hail
+Pharaoh-Necho!
+
+A VOICE
+
+But we have no certain news yet.
+
+OTHER VOICES
+
+What do you mean by saying the news is not certain?--Can you doubt
+it?--I have always known that God would strengthen our arms.--Victory is
+ever on God's side.--None can stand against us.
+
+ONE OF THE GROUP
+
+[Hastening away, shouting as he goes] The victory is ours. Pharaoh has
+defeated Nebuchadnezzar.
+
+[Hearing these words, idlers in the square flock to join the group on
+the steps]
+
+VOICES
+
+They are talking of a victory.--Is it true that Pharaoh has vanquished
+Nebuchadnezzar?--Quite true.--No one really knows yet.--It is absolutely
+certain.--Who says so?--Everyone says so.--The king's scribe says so.
+
+A MAN
+
+[Detaching himself from the crowd, runs away shouting] Victory! Victory
+at last. Hail Pharaoh. I must get home with the news. Victory over
+Ashur.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[Swelling in numbers, growing more enthusiastic as it is enheartened by
+its own clamor] It was God's will that we should begin this war.--Hail
+Zedekiah!--Now we must conquer all the others.--Israel shall rule the
+nations.--A sacrifice on the altar.--Give praise unto God, for that he
+has cast down our enemies.--They shall be our bondsmen.--My heart has
+thirsted for this hour.
+
+A VOICE
+
+A messenger is coming from the gate of the city.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[Making a rush in the direction of the last voice] A messenger.--A
+messenger.--Who said so?--He comes from beyond the walls.--What news
+does he bring? Where is he?
+
+[A messenger, drenched with sweat and gasping for breath, struggles
+through the crowd]
+
+VOICES
+
+Tell us the news.--Pharaoh is victorious.--What has happened to
+Nebuchadnezzar?--How many have been slain?
+
+THE MESSENGER
+
+Let me be. Make room. My message is for the king.
+
+VOICES
+
+Don't be so churlish.--Let us hear one word at least.--Has he
+fled?--Tell us the news.--Let the man alone.--His business is with the
+king.--Just a word.
+
+THE MESSENGER
+
+[Breaking loose] Let me be, let me be. You will learn soon enough. My
+message is urgent, and for the king. [Exit messenger.]
+
+VOICES
+
+What did he say? The message was urgent.--What did he say?
+
+A VOICE
+
+He said we should soon hear, but that he must go to the king at once.
+
+ANOTHER VOICE
+
+That is good news.
+
+A THIRD VOICE
+
+Wherefore good?
+
+THE SECOND VOICE
+
+Would the bearer of evil tidings be in so desperate a hurry?
+
+VOICES
+
+True, true.--The king will pay him a silver shekel for every word.--He
+is eager to earn the messenger's guerdon.--He brings tidings of
+victory.--Victory!--Good news.--Victory!
+
+SOME NEWCOMERS
+
+What has happened? Why are you shouting?
+
+VOICES
+
+Victory!--Victory!--A messenger has come.--He brings tidings of
+victory.--Nebuchadnezzar is beaten.--A great and glorious victory.--God
+be praised.--Alleluia! The news is certain.--Victory.--Victory!
+
+A VOICE
+
+It must be a mighty victory.
+
+A SECOND VOICE
+
+Were it otherwise he would not have been so secret.
+
+A THIRD VOICE
+
+They grudge us the news.
+
+A NEWCOMER
+
+[Pressing forward] Is it true? Is Nebuchadnezzar slain? So the word runs
+from street to street.
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes, slain is the oppressor.--Nay, the news is not yet confirmed.--But
+the messenger said so; he told us that Nebuchadnezzar had been killed in
+his tent.--Myriads of the enemy have fallen with him, God be
+thanked.--The oppressor is slain.--Alleluia!
+
+AN OLD MAN
+
+But all that the messenger said was ...
+
+VOICES
+
+He told us of the victory.--Why are you still in doubt?--I wish we could
+exterminate these faint-hearts.--I heard it myself.--So did I.--So did
+I.--The messenger said that Nebuchadnezzar had been killed in his
+tent.--No, he never said that.--Yes.--No.--But undoubtedly he brought
+tidings of victory.--Israel is free.--Free!
+
+THE OLD MAN
+
+I tell you I was standing quite close to him. I could hear every word he
+said.
+
+VOICES
+
+Your ears and your heart are deafened.--These kill-joys should
+themselves be killed.--Let us don our festal attire.--Out of the way,
+chatterbox.
+
+A VOICE
+
+Hananiah was a true prophet. Wise were we to heed his words, and not to
+hearken to those who declared that the temple would fall ...
+
+ANOTHER VOICE
+
+Who said that Ashur would lay Zion low ...
+
+A THIRD VOICE
+
+Who said that our maids would be ravished by the Chaldeans ...
+
+FIRST VOICE
+
+To the temple, to the temple. Let us give thanks there to God, and to
+Hananiah, his prophet!
+
+VOICES
+
+No, let us wait here, for the king will come soon.--Who said so?--Kings
+always appear in public after a victory.--The king will go to the
+temple.--The king must be the first to offer a sacrifice.--All right,
+let us stay here.--Let us send for drums and cymbals to celebrate the
+victory.--We will dance like David before the ark.--God is once more
+showing his love for Jerusalem.--Fetch the dancers.--Summon the
+women.--Call the trumpeters and the lute-players.--Let us make merry and
+give praise to the king of kings.
+
+[The crowd sways to and fro joyfully, in movements like those of a
+troubled sea. Groups form, dissolve, and reform. The general mood is one
+of expectation and impatience. JEREMIAH and BARUCH enter from a side
+street, and endeavor to make their way through the press]
+
+ONE OF THE CROWD
+
+[Laughing] Look! There he comes! Jeremiah.
+
+OTHERS
+
+[Giving vent to their high spirits] Hail to the revealer!--Lo, the
+prophet draws nigh.--Let us welcome the destroyer of Jerusalem.--Behold
+the mob orator.--Come and join us.
+
+[Some of the crowd form a circle round JEREMIAH and BARUCH, bowing
+before them in mock veneration.]
+
+ONE OF THE CROWD
+
+[With a profound reverence] Hail anointed of the Lord!
+
+THE OTHERS
+
+Hail Elijah!--Hail revealer.--Hail mighty man of valor! Hail Jeremiah,
+the prophet!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Standing his ground, gloomily] What would ye of me?
+
+BARUCH
+
+Hold no converse with them. Mockery is on their lips, and derision in
+their glance.
+
+ONE OF THE CROWD
+
+Deign to bestow upon us wisdom and revelation.
+
+ANOTHER
+
+We would fain ask you whether our daughters shall keep their virginity.
+
+A THIRD
+
+Prithee be patient, and allow the walls of Jerusalem to remain standing
+yet awhile.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[With conviction] What would ye of me? This is no time for jesting, when
+blood flows and war hangs over Israel.
+
+THE FIRST SPEAKER
+
+The war is finished, and we can make merry once more.
+
+THE SECOND SPEAKER
+
+What has become of your king from the north? Tell us, revealer, where
+does he tarry?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+What has confused your senses? Are you all mad? Can the war already be
+over when it is hardly begun?
+
+BARUCH
+
+Hold no speech with them. He makes himself a mock who speaks with
+mockers.
+
+FIRST SPEAKER
+
+Jeremiah knows nothing about it yet! The prophet knows nothing.
+
+SECOND SPEAKER
+
+He does not know what happened yesterday, and yet he would tell us what
+will happen to-morrow.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+What is it that I do not yet know? What makes you so joyful? It must be
+something of ill omen.
+
+FIRST SPEAKER
+
+He says it is something of ill omen. It is that, in very truth, for your
+wishes.
+
+SECOND SPEAKER
+
+Your king is slain and welters in his blood.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Nebuchadnezzar is slain? Ashur is vanquished?
+
+FIRST SPEAKER
+
+Even so, all-knower. Hananiah's word has been fulfilled.
+
+SECOND SPEAKER
+
+Rend your raiment and clip your beard. Israel is victorious.
+
+THIRD SPEAKER
+
+Bury yourself, prophet. Cut out your tongue. Nebuchadnezzar is dead, but
+Zion endureth for ever.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Greatly moved] Nebuchadnezzar dead? Is it true, it is certain? Tell me,
+and do not jest in matters of such moment.
+
+FIRST SPEAKER
+
+He still doubts! Weep, prophet, weep!
+
+SECOND SPEAKER
+
+I will cry it aloud in your ears; dead is Nebuchadnezzar; overthrown are
+his chariots; scattered are his armies. Israel is saved.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Remains motionless for a moment. Then he spreads his arms wide, drawing
+a deep breath of joyful relief. Dropping his arms, he speaks fast and
+almost exultantly] Blessed be God. I thank thee, all-good, that thou
+hast brought my dreams to shame, that thou hast saved Jerusalem. Better,
+assuredly that I should be fooled by my illusions than that the city
+should be laid waste by the foe. Blessings upon God's name.
+
+FIRST SPEAKER
+
+Yea, all-knower, God is more merciful than you; he loves us and gladdens
+our hearts.
+
+SECOND SPEAKER
+
+What will your next revelation be? Into which corner will you creep,
+mole? Whom will you now lead astray?
+
+THIRD SPEAKER
+
+Whom will you now deceive, deceiver?
+
+A FOURTH SPEAKER
+
+[With feigned anger, to the others] How irreverently you speak to the
+messenger of the Lord! Let us kiss the hem of his garment; let us pay
+honor to his visions!
+
+VOICES
+
+[Mingled with laughter] Prophesy to us Elijah.--Instruct us further,
+all-knower.--Happy the man who puts his trust in Jeremiah.--Where did
+you pick up that fledgling that chirps at your heels?--Prophesy,
+Jeremiah; prophesy disaster; mountains of disaster.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Suddenly breaking forth into speech] A miracle has happened, people of
+Jerusalem, a miracle which delivers you from death, and instead of
+trembling with fear, you make merry. Hardly an hour ago, you were racked
+with anxiety; your hearts are still quaking, and yet you are already
+beginning to give tongue. Woe unto you, that your first cry, when the
+cord is loosed from your necks, should be one of folly and presumption.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Speak not with them. Folly alone holds converse with fools.
+
+SECOND SPEAKER
+
+Stop your ears as you may, I will cry aloud in my joy: "The victory is
+ours, the victory is ours!"
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Addressing one of them] Where have you conquered? Whom have you
+defeated, that you should strut in the marketplace? There is no blood on
+your sword. [To another] Show the scar of the wound you received at the
+battle front! You have all been about your business in the city, have
+all lain in safety beside your wives at night. What have you and such as
+you to do with the victory of the Egyptians, with the deeds of foreign
+fighters? Bow your knees humbly, for the victory is not your work.
+
+VOICES
+
+Egypt's victory is Israel's victory.--We are Israel.--His very rage
+shows that the victory is ours.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+But it is not yours, nor yours, nor yours, you who now swell with pride,
+battening on the deeds of others. The soldiers have won the victory, not
+you! Meekly went they forth, to deal death and to suffer it; their backs
+were bent beneath the weight of their weapons; the shadow of death fell
+across their path, and all but the strongest fainted by the way. Where
+they ploughed with naked limbs, you would fain harvest pride. Abandoned
+wretches, you crave to quench your thirst with their blood. Alas that
+they have conquered for you and your hateful arrogance!
+
+VOICES
+
+Alas that they have conquered, did you hear him? Let us rend our
+garments, for that we have conquered. Let us strew ashes on our heads,
+for that Nebuchadnezzar is slain.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[His wrath blazing up] Verily, O people, to be among you is to dwell
+among scorpions; but I say unto you that your laughter shall wither more
+quickly than the blossoms of the vine. God has been gracious to you.
+Again has he saved Jerusalem; yet not for your laughter, but for the
+sake of those who are humble in spirit. You will not acknowledge him in
+his gentleness, men of evil. So be it; ere long shall you acknowledge
+him in his wrath. Like a curtain shall he rend your laughter asunder,
+and in your terror your eyes shall become fixed like stones. Your joy
+then must you put behind you, Jerusalem, for the hour of retribution is
+at hand, and terrible is the doom that awaits you.
+
+VOICES
+
+The walls shall crumble.--The virgins shall weep.--We have heard it all
+before.--Zion shall perish.--Jeremiah, Jeremiah, you alone are wise
+among fools.--To him our rejoicing is bitter as gall.--Do you hear the
+cracking of the walls?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Do you scorn the messenger of doom? But the avenger is at hand, who
+shall purge you of your accursed pride; drawn is the sword which shall
+hew away your presumption; the bearer of evil tidings is afoot; he is
+running, he is running; his swift footsteps lead towards Jerusalem.
+Already he is at hand, the messenger of fear, the messenger of terror;
+his words will fall on you like the blows of a hammer; even now he is
+entering the gate.
+
+VOICES
+
+Go home, Jeremiah.--Sate yourself with your own venom, and do not vomit
+it forth upon our joy.
+
+A VOICE
+
+[In the background] A messenger! He is coming from Moria gate.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[Again rushing in the direction of the voice] A messenger? Where is he?
+He brings further news of the victory.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Trembling with fear] The messenger! The messenger!
+
+A VOICE
+
+He runs hitherward from the gate, and he reels like a drunken man from
+weariness.
+
+VOICES
+
+Where is he?--Here he comes. [MESSENGER enters. The crowd surrounds him
+as he tries to hasten to the palace and sinks to the ground exhausted]
+Hail you who bring tidings of victory.--Hail.--Tell us your news.
+
+THE MESSENGER
+
+[So breathless he can hardly speak, tries to rise and make his way
+forward] Room, room, let me go to the king.
+
+VOICES
+
+Just a word.--How did Nebuchadnezzar die?
+
+THE MESSENGER
+
+Are you all struck with madness? Why this jubilation in Jerusalem? To
+arms! To arms! Let me pass to the king.
+
+VOICES
+
+What has happened?--Is Nebuchadnezzar still alive?--Pharaoh has beaten
+him.--Why this call to arms?
+
+THE MESSENGER
+
+He draws near with all his forces. Nebuchadnezzar is close at hand.
+Hardly could I outrun his riders. To arms, to arms! Sentinels to the
+walls.
+
+VOICES
+
+What does the man say?--Who has been beaten?--Where is Pharaoh?--You
+don't know what you are talking about.--Get him some water.--Nebuchadnezzar
+alive?--It is impossible.--What has become of the Egyptians?
+
+THE MESSENGER
+
+Water! I am worn out. The Egyptians have been routed. Necho has made
+peace, and must pay tribute to Ashur. Nebuchadnezzar is coming; his
+riders are at my heels. I must to the king.
+
+[Some of the crowd help the MESSENGER to the palace]
+
+VOICES
+
+[From the back] What did he say?--Are the Chaldeans beaten?--Why does
+not the man tell us what has happened?
+
+[Anxiety gradually spreads through the crowd, and the tumult of
+rejoicing is stilled. In their stupefaction all are mute for a while,
+and then terrified voices break the silence]
+
+THE CROWD
+
+Impossible!--It cannot be true.--The man is a liar.--He was drunk.--Nay,
+he was only staggering from fatigue.--He said the horsemen were hard at
+his heels.--The whole story is false.--The messenger had not the mien of
+a liar.--It cannot be true.--God would never allow such a thing to
+happen.
+
+A VOICE
+
+[Loudly] Pharaoh has betrayed us.
+
+OTHER VOICES
+
+[Quickly and angrily taking up the cry] Pharaoh has betrayed us.--A
+curse upon Pharaoh.--Egypt has sworn a peace.--A curse upon
+Mizraim.--The Egyptians are traitors.
+
+A VOICE
+
+I have always said that we should never form an alliance with Egypt.
+
+VOICES
+
+So did I.--So did I.--We all said so.--Accursed be Pharaoh.--What will
+happen to us now?--Alas for Israel.--My wife.--My children.--I warned
+you what would happen.--So did I.
+
+A MAN
+
+[Rushing in] To arms! To arms! Close the gates, Nebuchadnezzar and his
+hordes are at hand. The advance guard has already reached Hebron.
+
+VOICES
+
+Hebron did he say?--To arms!--Nay, peace, peace! Let us march out
+against him.--All is lost.--From the very first I told you what would
+happen.
+
+ONE OF THE CROWD
+
+[Pointing to JEREMIAH who leans brokenly against a pillar, his face
+hidden] Look, there is the man.
+
+VOICES
+
+What?--Who?--What do you mean?
+
+THE SAME MAN
+
+It is his doing. He summoned them. He announced the coming of the
+messenger. His curse has fallen upon us.
+
+VOICES
+
+Who?--Jeremiah!--Who is it?--It is Jeremiah, he has cursed us.--It is
+indeed his doing.--He prayed for Nebuchadnezzar's victory.--He is sold
+to the enemy.--Tear him to pieces.--Touch him not; he foretold what
+would happen; he is a true prophet.--He has been bribed.--See how he
+stands there brooding.
+
+THE SAME MAN
+
+He hides his face lest we should see his laughter. But he makes merry
+too soon. Zion still stands; Jerusalem shall endure for ever.
+
+[A herald comes hastily from the palace]
+
+VOICES
+
+A herald.--A messenger from the king.--Silence.
+
+[The crowd gathers round the steps to hear the herald's announcement]
+
+THE HERALD
+
+A message from the king! The enemy is about to attack Jerusalem. The
+Chaldeans are at the gates. Let every man able to bear arms make ready
+to fight; women must fashion arrows. All that are sick and weakly must
+leave the city. Let every man store what food he may in his house lest
+hunger overcome us. For our walls can withstand attack; Baal can do
+naught against Jehovah, nor can Ashur prevail against Zion.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+True, true.--We will make ready.--God is on our side.--To arms!
+
+THE HERALD
+
+Let none hold back; let none be faint-hearted. Who speaks of fear, him
+shall ye put to the sword; who talks of flight, him shall ye chase
+beyond the walls. Ye may not gather in the streets; each shall keep his
+own house, ready for the fight. Up, Israel! Gather your forces, fearing
+nothing, for Jerusalem endureth for ever!
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[Again in tumult] Jerusalem endureth for ever.--To arms.--I must fetch
+my sword.--Up, against Ashur.--Let us take heart.--To the walls.--We
+shall break them.--Jerusalem endureth for ever.
+
+[The crowd disperses in confusion, so that the square is rapidly
+emptied, and the noise is followed by silence. JEREMIAH slowly draws
+himself up, and, still hiding his face, ascends the steps of the temple.
+BARUCH follows him]
+
+BARUCH
+
+Whither away, master? Do not leave your faithful disciple.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I must go alone to seek light from the Lord. He made me deliver a sign
+before the people. Nevertheless, Baruch, I cannot believe that the faces
+in my ghastly visions are truly from God. Would that I could feel
+assured they are all illusion, and not the message of God's spirit. Woe
+indeed if I be chosen as revealer and if my dreams be true.
+
+BARUCH
+
+You are chosen, master. It has been made plain to me in this hour. The
+sign came to you from God. The spirit and the power of the prophets are
+upon you.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Still mounting the steps, flees before him, repelling BARUCH with his
+hands] Say not that I am chosen. Tempt me not! For Israel's sake, for
+Jerusalem's sake, it is impossible that my words can be true. Far better
+for me to bear the laughter and the scorn of the people, than that this
+message of terror should be fulfilled. Rather let me be proved liar and
+fool, than the prophet of such a truth. May I be thy victim Lord, and
+not this city. Let me disappear into the darkness of oblivion, if thy
+towers may still shine, O Jerusalem. May my words vanish like smoke, so
+long as thou endurest, eternal city. God forget me, if he will but
+remember thee. I will kneel before his altar praying him to give me the
+lie; I will beseech him to prove my message false. Pray with me, Baruch,
+that I be known for a liar in Jerusalem.
+
+[JEREMIAH, humbly bending his head, goes up the last steps into the
+porch of pillars of the temple. Without moving, BARUCH gazes after him
+until he disappears]
+
+
+
+
+THE WATCH ON THE RAMPARTS
+
+
+
+
+SCENE FOUR
+
+Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying: ... When I bring the
+sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man from among them,
+and set him for their watchman, ... if the watchman see the sword come,
+and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned, and the sword
+come, and take any person from among them, ... his blood will I require
+at the watchman's hand. EZEKIEL XXXIII, 1-6.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE FOUR
+
+On the ramparts of Jerusalem. The walls, of hewn stone, surround the
+town. In the background is the starry sky, and faint in the distance the
+valley with hazy outlines and lights twinkling here and there. The
+masonry shines in the moonlight. On the wall two sentries march up and
+down. Their faces are shadowed by their helmets; their spears gleam as
+they move. Though the hour is late and midnight approaches, a few
+civilians have ventured on to the wall and are looking out into the
+distance.
+
+
+A WOMAN
+
+It is bedtime. You will see the wretches soon enough in the morning. Do
+come home; this may be our last quiet night.
+
+A MAN
+
+How can one sleep when the enemy is arrayed against us? My heart has
+been heavier than lead since I have been standing here; and yet I cannot
+leave. It seems as if I were forced to remain in the flood which is
+rising to overwhelm us. Last night and to-day the horsemen have been
+streaming across the plain. Again and again we thought that all must
+have come, but still there came more and yet more, as if whole countries
+had been emptied like sacks of grain; while the spears were as the
+stalks of the corn in number.
+
+ANOTHER
+
+Already have they pitched their tents, so that a white forest now stands
+in the valley.
+
+A THIRD
+
+Alas, they are settling down for the siege.
+
+A FOURTH
+
+They must have come with the speed of the wind. Yesterday they were
+still at Bethel, and to-day they have already encircled Zion.
+
+THE FIRST MAN
+
+Terrible is the might of Ashur. God help us all.
+
+THE WOMAN
+
+Look at the glow in the north, like a pillar rising heavenward.
+
+SECOND MAN
+
+That is where Samaria lies.
+
+THIRD MAN
+
+'Tis a pillar of fire that rises heavenward. Samaria has fallen.
+
+VOICES
+
+Alas!--It is not possible.--Samaria is a strong fortress, within a
+triple wall.--Nay, it is certainly Samaria.
+
+A VOICE
+
+Look there to the east, another pillar of fire. That must be Gilgal.
+
+ANOTHER VOICE
+
+They are ravaging the countryside like a hurricane. Fierce is the wrath
+of Ashur.
+
+ANOTHER VOICE
+
+Never should we have entered into a struggle with such as they.
+
+VOICES
+
+Who began it?--Not we.--Not I.--It was the king.--It was the
+priests.--We wanted to live at peace with them.
+
+A VOICE
+
+Egypt lured us on, and then betrayed us.
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes, it was Egypt.--It was Pharaoh.--A curse upon Pharaoh.--The
+Egyptians have sold us to the enemy, have abandoned us to our
+misery.--Where are the fifty thousand bowmen they promised? We are
+alone.--All is lost.
+
+ANOTHER VOICE
+
+Woe, Jerusalem, Jerusalem. Thou art given over to thine enemies, and
+those who hate thee are showing their teeth.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+[Fiercely interrupting] Away with you! Why are you loitering on the
+walls? Home to your wives, and to bed. We stand guard for you.
+
+A MAN
+
+We want to see ...
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+There is nothing to see. You have been clamoring for Ashur, and now
+Ashur has come. Leave it to us men-at-arms to chase them home again. For
+yourselves, go sleep, or pray if you cannot sleep.
+
+A MAN
+
+But tell us ...
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+Naught to tell. There has been too much talking already; the time has
+come for blows. Away, away!
+
+[The two sentries roughly clear the loiterers from the wall. The crowd
+disappears in the darkness down the steps leading from the wall into the
+shadow. When all have gone, quiet reigns. In the white moonlight the
+sentries stand like figures of brass]
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+They give way to despair at the first gleam of an enemy's spear. They
+must not be allowed to talk like that.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+One who is afraid and cannot master his fear must perforce speak. It is
+of no use, and yet it gives relief.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+Let them sleep, not chatter.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+Sleep is not man's servant. Vainly do we summon sleep to a couch of
+sorrow. To-night many hold vigil and look forth into the moonlight.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+In any case, those alone should speak who wear a sword. We stand guard
+for all.
+
+[The two sentries are silent for a while, marching to and fro]
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+[Stands and listens] Do you hear?
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+What?
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+The sound is very faint, but the breeze bears it to us. When I was in
+Joppa, for the first time I heard in the night the distant murmur of the
+waves. Such a sound rises now from the plain. They are there in their
+thousands, moving quietly, but the air is stirred by the rolling wheels
+and the clashing arms. A whole nation must be afoot, falling upon
+Israel. The noise echoes from our walls like the noise of the sea.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+[Obdurately] I refuse to hear anything but my orders. I care not what
+wheels roll, or noises stir.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+Why does God hurl the nations against one another? There is room for all
+beneath the skies. There is still plenty of land unploughed; many
+forests still await the axe. Yet men turn their ploughshares into
+swords, and hew living flesh with their axes. I cannot understand, I
+cannot understand.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+It has always been so.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+But must it always be so? Why does God wish the nations to fight?
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+The nations want war for its own sake.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+What are nations? Are not you one of our nation, am not I another? Are
+not our wives, your wife and mine, part of this same people? Did any of
+us want war? I stand here armed with a spear, not knowing against whom
+it is to be turned. Down there in the darkness, unwitting, waits the man
+for whom it is destined. I know him not, have never seen his face, or
+the breast I must pierce with death. In the enemy's camp another
+perchance warms his hands at the camp fire, the man who is to kill the
+father of my children. He has never seen me, and I have never done him
+harm. We are strangers, like trees in the forest. They grow quietly and
+bear their blossoms. But we rage furiously one against the other with
+axe and with spear, until our blood runs like resin, and therewith the
+life oozes forth. What puts death between the nations? What is it which
+sows hatred when there is room and to spare for life, and when there is
+abundant scope for love? I cannot understand, I cannot understand!
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+These things must be God's will, for they have always happened. I
+question no further.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+This crime cannot be God's will. He has given us our lives that we may
+live them. Everything that men do not understand they describe as God's
+will. War does not come from God. Whence comes it then?
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+How can I tell whence it comes? I know that there is war, and that it is
+useless to chatter about it. I do my duty; sharpen my spear, not my
+tongue.
+
+[For a time they are silent once more, gazing out into the white
+stillness. From a great distance come the words of the challenge
+"_Samson guard us_," scarcely audible at first. Then the sound grows
+louder, still coming from unseen sentries. At length the words "_Samson
+guard us_," loud and clear from the next post. Our two sentries take up
+the challenge, and it is heard with diminishing loudness as it passes on
+round the wall. Again all is still. The two sentries stand silent in the
+moonlight, their faces shadowed by their helmets]
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+Know you aught of the Chaldeans?
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+I know that they are our enemies, that they are attacking our homes.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+I am not thinking about that. Have you ever seen any of them close at
+hand; do you know their customs and their country?
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+I have been told that they are cruel as wild cats and venomous as
+serpents. It is said that they sacrifice their children to idols of
+copper and lead. But I have never set eyes on a Chaldean.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+Nor I. Too many mountains tower skyward between Jerusalem and Babylon;
+there are rivers to cross, and more country than a man can march over in
+many weeks. The very stars in the sky are different, and yet the men of
+Ashur are arrayed against us and we against them. What do they covet
+from us? If I were to question one of them, all he could tell me would
+doubtless be that in his house as in mine are wife and children lying
+upon straw. I believe if I could talk things over with such a man we
+should understand one another well enough. Often I feel that I should
+like to summon one of them, to hold out a friendly hand, so that we
+could have a heart to heart talk.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+You must not do that.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+Wherefore not?
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+They are our enemies and it is our duty to hate them.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+Why should I hate them if my heart knows no reason for hatred?
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+They began the war; they were the aggressors.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+Yes, that is what we say in Jerusalem. In Babylon, perchance, they tell
+another story. If we could talk things over with them, we might get some
+light on the question.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+You must not talk with them. Our duty is to strike them down. Such are
+our orders, and we must obey.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+My reason tells me that I must not converse with them, but in my soul I
+feel that I must. Whom do we serve by compassing their death?
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+What a question, simpleton! We serve God, and the king our master.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+But God said, and it is written: "Thou shalt not kill". Mayhap, if I
+were to take my sword and cast it from me, I should serve God better
+than by slaying an enemy.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+But it is likewise written: "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth".
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+[Sighs] Many things are written. Who can understand them all?
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+This is idle dreaming. The Chaldeans have invested our town; they wish
+to burn our houses; I stand here with sword and spear, and will do my
+utmost to prevent them. Too much knowledge is unwholesome. I know all I
+want to know.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+Yet I cannot but ask myself ...
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+[Stubbornly] You should not ask so many questions. A soldier's business
+is to fight, not to reason why. You ponder overmuch, instead of doing
+your duty unquestioningly.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+How can a man help questioning himself? How can he be other than uneasy,
+at such an hour? Do I know where I am, or how long I have still to stand
+on guard? This darkness beneath the wall, where the masonry is
+crumbling, will perhaps be my grave to-morrow. Maybe the wind which now
+caresses my cheek will not find me here in the morning. But can I fail,
+while I live, to ask the meaning of life? The flame flickers until the
+torch goes out. How can life do other than question until it is quenched
+by death? Maybe death is already within me; perchance the questioner is
+no longer life, but death.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+You brood and brood. You are only tormenting yourself to no purpose.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+God has given us a heart precisely that it may torment us.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+What is the use of talking about it? We are on guard here. That's enough
+for me.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+Talking helps to keep us awake, and only the stars hear our words.
+
+[Both are again silent for a time]
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+Who goes there? Someone is moving in the darkness.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+More busybodies. Why cannot they stay in bed? Send them home.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+No! Let them talk while we stay in the shadow.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+You are a strange fellow. I shall continue my round.
+
+[The two sentries pass into the shadow of the tower on the wall, their
+figures disappearing in the darkness. The gleam of their spears is still
+seen from time to time.--JEREMIAH and BARUCH ascend out of the darkness
+of the stairway and advance to the battlements, JEREMIAH hastening on in
+front, while BARUCH, who does not share the prophet's excitement, lags
+in the rear. The second sentry stands unnoticed in the shadow of the
+tower]
+
+BARUCH
+
+Whither are you leading me, master?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+On, on! I must look Terror in the face. [He gazes down into the valley,
+standing motionless and silent]
+
+BARUCH
+
+What are you staring at?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Still gazing] The king has come, the king from the north. [He seizes
+BARUCH'S sleeve] Come closer, Baruch! Touch my hand that I may know
+whether I wake or sleep. Are my eyes open? Is this wall builded of
+stones or of tears? Does Jerusalem lie behind us unheeding in the
+darkness? Are the forces of Ashur couched in the plain beneath? Tell me,
+Baruch, convince me that I am dreaming. Shake me till I awake, to laugh
+at my mad fancy that Zion is encircled by the Chaldeans.
+
+BARUCH
+
+What do you mean, master? I don't understand. How can you doubt?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Alas, it is true, then. I am not dreaming now. The horses are there and
+the chariots; Ashur is arrayed against Zion; the vision is fulfilled.
+All these miseries spring from my dreams, for they existed in me before
+they were in the world of reality. I alone knew, before ever God's words
+became deeds. In me they arose; through me they came. Yet naught can I
+do to hinder their flow; nor by sword nor by shield can I stay their
+progress.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Master, you talk at random. Speak in words that I can believe and
+understand.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Words that you can believe? But Baruch will you believe the words that I
+have to say to you at this hour beneath the stars? I fear you will deny
+me, will laugh at me, for what I would fain say will sound like nonsense
+in your ears.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Faith in you is my very life.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Hearken, then. [He speaks low and impressively] All that is now
+happening, I have beheld in my dreams for months past. Not a star shines
+in heaven which I have not seen above this wall and above God's temple.
+I have looked down upon the multitude of the foe, upon their myriad
+tents. Baruch, do you hear me?
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Shuddering] I hear, I hear.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Why was all this made plain to me before the day? It cannot be against
+God's will that he should disclose his plans to me, should vouchsafe me
+visions of the future. Nor can I rebel; nor can I be silent; though in
+truth for long I refused the summons, and stopped my ears to the call.
+But now, when I see in the real world what has again and again been
+revealed to me in dreams, for the first time do I feel assured that God
+speaks through me. I say to you, Baruch, that I am the chosen of the
+Lord. Woe unto me should I conceal my forebodings from the people and
+from the king. For this is no more than the beginning, and I know the
+end.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Reveal it, chosen one. Cry your words aloud.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Baruch, do you see the camp and the tents; do you see this sleeping
+ocean surging down from the north?
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Shuddering] I see the enemy; I see the tents.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+You see the night, sleep, and the false quiet of repose. But in my ears
+the trumpets blare and the arms clash as the Chaldeans arise and storm
+the city. The walls whereon our feet are now planted, crumble at their
+onslaught; the cries of the fugitives ring in my ears. The brazen flood
+foams over us. I hear the beating of Death's wings o'er city and walls;
+I see the destruction of Zion. Baruch, waking I see it, for God hath
+opened an eye within the darkness of my body; my heart maketh a noise in
+me; my soul hath heard the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Why
+sleep they still? Time is it they should wake, ere their sleep pass into
+death. Verily the hour is come to awaken Jerusalem!
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Stirred by his words] Yea, yea, Jeremiah, awaken Jerusalem!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[More and more carried away]
+
+  O foolish people, afflicted town,
+  How, ah how, can you sleep at peace
+  When Death's cold winding sheet is spread
+  Beneath you where you lie.
+  O foolish people, afflicted town,
+  How can you rest when thunder rages?
+  How can you drowse,
+  Lost in dreams,
+  When Ashur's rams
+  Are battering the gates?
+  Who shall waken the fools? Who make the deaf hear?
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Ecstatically] You, master. Cry aloud. Awaken them. Save them from the
+jaws of death.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  Awaken, awaken, up and away!
+  The land is afire, the foe holds the town!
+  Flee ere his wrath wholly consume you,
+  Flee from the sword, flee from the flames,
+  Leave your possessions, abandon your homes,
+  Gather your households, your women and children;
+  Ere he can seize you take refuge in flight.
+  Up and away!
+  The land is afire, the foe holds the town!
+  Up and away!
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+[Coming forward from the shadows] Who shouts here? You will waken the
+sleepers.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Oh that I could awaken them. Up, Jerusalem, awake! City of God, save
+thyself.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+You are drunk. Go home to sleep.
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Stepping between] Touch him not.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I must not sleep. No one must sleep. I am the watchman. Woe to him who
+hinders me.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+[Taking him by the shoulder] You must be moonstruck to think yourself
+watchman. I am the watchman. Away with you.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Touch him not, the chosen of the Lord, the prophet.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+[Loosing JEREMIAH] Are you Hananiah, the prophet of God?
+
+BARUCH
+
+It is Jeremiah the prophet.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+Jeremiah, who leads the people astray? Jeremiah, who cried through the
+street that Ashur would prevail? Have you come hither to gloat over the
+fulfilment of your vision? Too soon, faint-heart, too soon; and yet in
+an apt moment, prophet of evil, to feel the weight of my anger. I will
+reveal you something.
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Struggling with the sentry] Hands off, touch him not.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+[Entering hurriedly] The king is coming. Zedekiah goes the rounds. Clear
+away the people.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+The king! God be praised! His meaning is plain. The Lord sends him to my
+hand.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+Away chatterer, away.
+
+SECOND SENTRY
+
+Down with you. Away. Creep down there and keep quiet, or you shall rue
+it.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+Here comes the king.
+
+[JEREMIAH and BARUCH are hustled from the wall and disappear into the
+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
+
+  Nightly I dreamed your dreams,
+  As I lay in the empty house,
+  Alone and forsaken.
+  By day they lurked in the shadows;
+  But as night fell,
+  Stealing forth from dark corners,
+  Like toads, bats, and owls,
+  They crawled and flittered round my temples,
+  Filling my soul with horror.
+  Rending and gnawing,
+  Devouring sleep,
+  Like vampires did they sap my strength,
+  So that the dawning of day
+  Found me hag-ridden,
+  Shattered and broken.
+  Jeremiah, I adjure you,
+  Leave me not again.
+  Jeremiah, I implore you,
+  Stay with me, stay with me,
+  For the time is short.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  Mother, what mean you?
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  Seek not to deceive me.
+  Think you I know not
+  That death draws near?
+  Even as on a dial
+  The shadow rises
+  Stage by stage up the wall
+  While the sun sinks in the west,
+  So, with every breath I draw,
+  Does darkness rise within me.
+  Woe is me that, still living and aware,
+  I feel the grip of death's cold hand.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  Nay, Mother, God's purpose with us is plain.
+  How can you think he will part us anew?
+  No more am I froward. Your child once again,
+  I am sent back by him for a fresh life with you.
+  Were it otherwise, say to me why should I be
+  Unclouded by visions, from dreaming set free?
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  Do you dream no longer?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  My sleep is dreamless; my slumber is mute.
+  The night-time faces trouble me no more.
+  My dreams have become daylight realities.
+  Revealed in full horror, they stalk 'neath the sun.
+  I dream no longer, now the world's awake.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+[Ecstatically, for she has heeded only the first part of JEREMIAH'S
+speech]
+
+  Your dreaming is over?
+  Then joy comes again.
+  Indeed, I was certain
+  That God in his mercy
+  Would scatter the darkness
+  That clouded your brain.
+  Recall but my words
+  When we parted in pain:
+  Ne'er shall an enemy circle our wall,
+  David's city be taken, Jerusalem fall.
+  Though foes from the ends of the earth should rage,
+  The towering battlements ever shall stand.
+  Firm Israel's heart, and mighty her hand,
+  Eternal the days of Jerusalem.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Rises from his knees. He stares blankly as he mutters in amaze] Ne'er
+shall ... an enemy ... circle ... our wall?
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  What sudden fear assails your soul?
+  What thought steals color from your cheek?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Still shuddering] Ne'er shall ... an enemy ... circle ... our wall?
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  Jeremiah,
+  What has befallen you?
+  What has frightened you?
+  What has taken you aback?
+  And you,
+  Ahab and Jochebed,
+  Why are you making signs to him?
+  Jeremiah, I conjure you,
+  Tell me what is amiss.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  There is nothing wrong, Mother, nothing at all.
+  I was but mazed for a moment,
+  Startled out of myself by your words.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  Nay, nay, it is false.
+  Your faces, of a sudden, grew dark and careworn;
+  Now you all turn away, exchange glances, and whisper.
+  Awesome, indeed, must be the secret you hide.
+  It chills me like death;
+  Like God's wrath it affrights me.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Stammering] Nothing, Mother, we are hiding nothing.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  Why seek to deceive me? Why hoodwink my eyes?
+  Not yet am I dead, nor in coffin enclosed.
+  Life's breath in my lungs,
+  Life's pulse at my heart,
+  I can hear, I can speak;
+  Why then hide ye the truth?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Mother, you are distraught with fever. Your temples are burning, your
+hands are cold.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  Why are doors and windows curtained so close?
+  Why is all so dark and still?
+  You stifle me in wrappings,
+  Bury me in cushions,
+  Me, who am yet alive.
+  Tell me, tell me why.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Mother, calm yourself. Take my hands. I am here beside you.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  I live, I live; I say to you that I live.
+  No longer shall you deceive me.
+  Fearful is my awakening.
+  Too well do I know the truth,
+  That my dreams were not dreams but realities.
+  Again and again did I hear
+  The rolling of the chariots,
+  The trampling of the chargers,
+  The clashing of the weapons,
+  The singing of the hosannas.
+  Muffled were the sounds,
+  As they reached me in this darkened room;
+  And I fancied all was a dream.
+  Yet now I am awake,
+  Horribly awake.
+  Death has forced open my lids.
+  I know
+  Why you have shut away light and sound.
+  Disaster assails the city, has entered the gates.
+  We are besieged, we are lost.
+  Woe is me, there is war in Israel!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Mother, Mother!
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  Jeremiah, speak!
+  Tell me,
+  Is he come,
+  He whose advent you foretold,
+  The king of kings from the north?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Mother, you are dreaming.
+
+JOCHEBED
+
+[Whispering] Lie to her! For her life's sake, lie to her!
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  [In delirium] Alas, hear the trumpets
+  Sounding the onslaught!
+  He comes in his panoply,
+  The king from the north.
+  War is upon us.
+  They swarm to attack.
+  The ramparts are crumbling,
+  The gates broken down.
+  The city is lost,
+  The temple destroyed.
+  I am crushed in the ruins,
+  I burn in my bed.
+  Save me, oh save me,
+  Jeremiah, save me,
+  Carry me forth!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  [Kneels beside her] Mother, an evil fancy
+  Enthrals your mind.
+  Mother, hearken.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  I hold your hands.
+  Swear to me, swear,
+  That it is not true.
+  Swear to me, swear,
+  That no danger threatens Israel.
+  Swear to me, swear,
+  That no enemy shall disturb my last rest,
+  That my burial place shall be Zion.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+So shall it be. God will be gracious to us in death as in life.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  Jeremiah,
+  Do I wander in mind?
+  Is the foe at the gates?
+  Or is our world filled with peace?
+
+[JEREMIAH struggles vainly for words]
+
+AHAB
+
+  [Breaking in on his hesitation] Deceive her, speak ere she passes.
+  Can you not see
+  How the darkness shadows her face,
+  As the angel of death hovers nigh?
+  Speak, and chase the terror from her soul.
+
+JOCHEBED
+
+  Speak, or it will be too late.
+  A word, only one word,
+  So that she may die in peace.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  [Still struggling with contending passions] I cannot, I cannot.
+  There is one grips my throat,
+  Holds my soul in his grasp.
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  He is silent.
+  It must then be true
+  That God has smitten his own people:
+  May the day perish wherein I was born!
+  Alas, the darkness gains on me.
+  Fire ravages the land.
+  I burn. Bear me forth.
+
+AHAB
+
+[Interrupting, to JEREMIAH] A word, only one word.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  [Choking, as if strangled] No such word can I utter.
+  God's hand grips my throat;
+  God's hand grasps my soul.
+  Ah, cruel one, free me ...
+
+THE MOTHER
+
+  [With a wild cry] Lost, all is lost.
+  I burn.
+  The city ... the temple ... God falls.
+  God has fallen!
+  The flames of Gehenna strike home to my heart.
+  Jerusalem!
+
+[She collapses suddenly. There is silence]
+
+[AHAB and JOCHEBED move in alarm to the bedside and bend over the dead
+woman]
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[His voice bursting forth as when a fountain is unsealed]
+
+  It is false!
+  I lied, I lied!
+  Eternal the days of Jerusalem.
+  Ne'er shall an enemy circle our wall,
+  David's city be taken, Jerusalem fall.
+  O Mother, once again give ear.
+  I swear it, look you, I solemnly swear,
+  Eternal the days of Jerusalem!
+
+AHAB
+
+  [Fiercely] Away!
+  Your oaths will not waken her!
+  Leave her in peace!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  She must hear me before 'tis too late.
+
+AHAB
+
+  [Bitterly] As you say, 'tis too late.
+  Away from the room.
+  Your cries will not waken her,
+  Nor your lies break her sleep.
+  While she lived you were silent,
+  Unfeeling as stone.
+  Idle dreamer and outcast,
+  Hence, get you begone!
+
+JOCHEBED
+
+  Away, rejected of men,
+  Scorn of the just,
+  Away from the house.
+  Why, ah why,
+  Did she readmit you?
+  Away, man accurst,
+  Break not the calm
+  Of the death which you wrought.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  [Overwhelmed] Ever accursed,
+  Ever rejected,
+  Thrust forth from home,
+  Unfriended to roam.
+  God, God, it is hard to bear men thy word!
+
+[AHAB and JOCHEBED pay the last duties to the dead, pressing down the
+eyelids, and wrapping the body in a shroud. AHAB goes to the pitchers
+and sprinkles water on the ground. No sound but their solemn paces can
+be heard. JEREMIAH stares before him in stupor. Silence prevails for a
+time, full of the mystery of death. Then a clamor is heard without.
+There is a vehement knocking at the door]
+
+AHAB
+
+Who knocks?
+
+JOCHEBED
+
+There is a turbulent crowd without.
+
+AHAB
+
+They assail the door as if they were enemies. You had better open.
+
+JOCHEBED
+
+Hark to the savages, they have burst in the door.
+
+[The sound of splintering wood is heard. Then hasty footsteps. ZEBULON,
+PASHUR, HANANIAH, the FIRST SENTRY, and many others, rush in]
+
+ZEBULON
+
+He must be here.
+
+A BOY
+
+I saw him go in.
+
+VOICES
+
+So did I.--He slipped in an hour back.--I was on watch as you
+ordered.--I saw him too.
+
+AHAB
+
+Whom do you seek?
+
+PASHUR
+
+Deliver him up--the man you are hiding.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+We will have blood for blood.
+
+AHAB
+
+What mean ye by breaking in here? Away, rabble.
+
+PASHUR
+
+[Catching sight of the corpse, raises his hands and speaks reverently]
+Praise to the eternal judge. May he be merciful to the just. [Turning
+away he passes into the background]
+
+THE OTHERS
+
+[Suddenly stilled, murmur] Praise to the eternal judge.
+
+ONE SPEAKS
+
+[Gently] Who has died?
+
+AHAB
+
+One from whom God had hidden the light of his countenance. One full of
+sorrows, and acquainted with grief. One whose bitterest affliction was
+that she gave birth to the enemy of her nation.
+
+ANOTHER SPEAKS
+
+Jeremiah!
+
+ZEBULON
+
+It is Jeremiah whom we seek. Where is Jeremiah?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Comes forward, speaking loudly in grief and indignation] Who seeks
+Jeremiah? Who still desires to rain curses on me? Let him come, let him
+curse. I am the mark for all the curses in the world.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+It is I, wretch, who come to curse you, I, Zebulon, father of Baruch,
+whom you have led astray. Where is my son?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Tonelessly] How should I know? Am I your son's keeper?
+
+HANANIAH
+
+This man makes a charge against you. Answer, Jeremiah.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+He, too, makes a charge. Should I begin to bring charges I should speak
+from now till midnight.
+
+VOICES
+
+He answers not.--He talks at random, evading the charge.--Pashur,
+Hananiah, make an end.--Pass judgment upon him.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Have you brought witnesses, Zebulon?
+
+ZEBULON
+
+My son has vanished from the town. He has been continually with
+Jeremiah. On the ramparts, last night, this man heard Jeremiah inciting
+Baruch to desert to the enemy.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+[To the FIRST SENTRY] Do you bear this witness?
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+Verily, prophet, while I stood on guard, there came two men. One was
+Jeremiah, well known to me. The other was young, little more than a boy,
+with black hair and flashing eyes.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+It was Baruch my son, whom this man hath corrupted.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+There was much talk between them. Jeremiah prophesied disaster, so that
+my heart grew hot within me.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+[To the others] Do you hear? He prophesied the fall of Zion.
+
+FIRST SENTRY
+
+When the king had gone, and Jeremiah and the other were alone, then the
+other, he whom you name Baruch, climbed down the wall and deserted to
+the enemy, leaving Jeremiah on the ramparts.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+Do you hear, men of Israel? I charge Jeremiah with leading my son
+astray, with bringing shame upon my house.
+
+PASHUR
+
+[Advancing to the front] Your answer, Jeremiah. What say you to this
+charge? [JEREMIAH is silent] Do you call witnesses?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[In low tones] The one who would testify for me must not be named.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Will he come forward in due time?
+
+[JEREMIAH is silent]
+
+VOICES
+
+Make an end, make an end.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Silence. I will hold just judgment! Jeremiah, I cite you to answer.
+[JEREMIAH is silent] You are charged with having, in defiance of the
+king's command, foretold disaster.
+
+[JEREMIAH is silent]
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Do you deny your words? [JEREMIAH still holds his peace] Lo, the fear of
+death has moved him at length. For the first time he is silent.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+You who have misled Israel, would you tempt me to say No when God says
+Yes, and Yes when God says No? More strongly hath he tempted me to
+depart from his ways, yet would I not depart from them. He raised up one
+against me whose breath was dearer to me than the breath of my own life,
+but I would not yield to her, for the Lord cuts from the tree of life
+him whom he hath chosen for a scourge. Go, and leave me in peace.
+
+ZEBULON
+
+I will not go. He has destroyed my son. I demand judgment.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Twice have I charged you to speak. You have spoken when you should have
+been silent; now you are silent when you should speak. For the third
+time I cite you. [JEREMIAH is silent] Hear then my judgment. No longer
+shall you seek to daunt the courageous, no longer shall you lead youth
+astray, Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah in Israel.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Make short work! Wither me no longer with your glances. Enough, enough.
+
+PASHUR
+
+You shall be lowered into a pit, that you may no longer be an offence to
+God's daylight, nor your voice an affliction to the city. May you
+perish, and your words with you, in the darkness of the earth.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Life is affliction! Words are affliction! Blessed be darkness, thrice
+blessed the tomb.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Lay hands on him. Execute judgment!
+
+VOICES
+
+Oh, just judgment!--Great is the wisdom of Pashur.--Away with
+Jeremiah.--Fetch a rope, that we may lower him into the pit.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Shrinking from their touch] Touch me not. Better, far better is
+darkness, for the hour is at hand in Israel when the living will envy
+the dead, and when those that wake will envy the sleepers. My heart
+yearns for silence; my soul is consumed with longing that I may become
+brother to the dead. Make way, I will bury myself, that I may deliver
+myself from the world, and Israel of my presence. [He folds his arms and
+moves towards the doorway. The others begin to follow him hesitatingly]
+
+HANANIAH
+
+[Bursting in on the silence with an exultant cry] Rejoice, Zion, for
+broken is the song of thy destruction, rent are the lips of thy
+slanderer. Rejoice, Zion, for eternal is thy springtime. Jerusalem
+endureth for ever!
+
+[JEREMIAH turns fiercely, raising his arms as if about to rebuke
+HANANIAH. His eyes flash fire. Those at his heels draw back in alarm, as
+from a wild beast at bay. But JEREMIAH controls himself. His arms sink
+to his sides, and the fierce expression vanishes from his countenance.
+With a last look at the dead form of his mother, he regains composure.
+Covering his face, he walks forth alone, like one carrying a heavy
+burden. The rest follow in disorder. Last of all walks PASHUR, deep in
+thought. AHAB and JOCHEBED are left, looking at one another uneasily.
+AHAB takes a linen sheet and spreads it reverently over the body]
+
+
+
+
+VOICES IN THE NIGHT
+
+
+
+
+SCENE SIX
+
+Evening cometh and the shadows lengthen. JEREMIAH, VI, 4.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE SIX
+
+KING ZEDEKIAH'S bed-chamber, large and stately. It is dimly lighted, so
+that details are scarcely visible. What light there is comes from a lamp
+hanging in a golden bowl, and from the soft moonbeams which stream in
+through the casement. This is widely open and commands a view of the
+town. In the foreground stands a large table surrounded by broad seats.
+The curtained bed occupies the center of the background. ZEDEKIAH is
+standing motionless at the window, looking down on the moonlit city.
+JOAB, a young spearman, enters, and stands respectfully waiting for the
+king to notice him. ZEDEKIAH pays no heed, but continues to gaze out of
+the window.
+
+
+THE LAD
+
+[After a pause ventures to speak] My Lord King! [ZEDEKIAH turns with a
+start] It is midnight, O King. This is the hour at which thou orderedst
+me to summon the council.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Are they all here?
+
+THE LAD
+
+All, at thy command.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Have they come unseen by the people and by the palace servants?
+
+THE LAD
+
+Unseen, Lord King. By secret ways I led them hither.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Where is the spy? Hast thou kept him apart?
+
+THE LAD
+
+He tarries with the doorkeepers.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Let him tarry. Summon the council.
+
+[THE LAD bows, and disappears through the doorway]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Strides to and fro, and then returns to the window. He soliloquizes]
+Never have I seen the stars shine so brightly. They stand confusedly in
+rows, like letters on the dark background of heaven, a writing which no
+man can read. In Babylon, they say, are interpreters and priests who
+serve the stars, conversing with them by night. Other kings can talk
+with their gods; they have shrines on their towers where they can learn
+the will of heaven when their hearts are troubled. Why have I no
+soothsayers who can tell the future? It is terrible to be the servant of
+a god who is always silent; whom no one has ever seen! [A pause while he
+contemplates the city] They are all asleep, those over whom I rule; they
+rest beside their wives or beside their weapons; in me is centered their
+need and their wakefulness. I must counsel others, but who shall counsel
+me? I must lead others, but who shall lead me? I am exalted over others,
+but over me is exalted one whom I cannot see. Below is sleep; above is
+silence.
+
+[THE LAD draws aside the curtain; and the five councilors enter
+noiselessly. They are PASHUR, the high priest; HANANIAH, the prophet;
+IMRE, the oldest burgher; ABIMELECH, the general; NAHUM, the steward.
+ZEDEKIAH turns to receive them. They bow]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+I summoned you by night that our talk might be private. I demand from
+you a pledge of secrecy. Lay your hands within the priest's hands; he
+will answer for you to the Most High. [Silently they raise their hands
+in adjuration, and each in turn lays his hand in PASHUR'S] I swear by
+Almighty God that I will show no anger against any who opposes me. [He
+lays his hand in PASHUR'S] Now let us take counsel. [He waves them
+towards the table, and all take their seats] We are in the eleventh
+month of the siege. The vines are green once more. Nebuchadnezzar has
+been unable to take Jerusalem, but we on our part have not been able to
+force him to raise the siege. His sword against us beats the water, but
+so likewise does ours beat the water against him. We have left nothing
+undone that might bring aid. I have sent envoys to the king of the
+Medes; I have sent to the princes of the east, asking their help against
+Ashur. The missions were fruitless. We stand alone.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+[Fiercely] God is on our side.
+
+[The others say nothing]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Quietly] God is on our side. He has set up his tabernacle upon this
+hill, and my own roof stands in the shadow of his holy house. But God
+sends trials upon his own people. Those who swore faith to us, betrayed
+us; the Egyptians abandoned us; we are alone. Let us take counsel
+together, how to fight out our quarrel with Nebuchadnezzar, or whether
+we can find a means to end it.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Let us pray to God for a miracle. Let our hearts overflow with prayer,
+our altars smoke with sacrifices. What we have done once hitherto, let
+us now do twice over.
+
+NAHUM
+
+There is nothing left to sacrifice, neither bulls nor rams.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+It is false. I have heard the lowing of the cattle which you refuse to
+deliver up to the sacrifice.
+
+NAHUM
+
+The last we have. They are milch cows to provide food for nursing
+mothers and the sick.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Such thrift is impious where God is concerned. Let the sick starve and
+the breasts of the women run dry, so long as God receives due meed of
+sacrifice.
+
+PASHUR
+
+[Earnestly] God requires no gifts to make him aware of our distresses.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Naught is sweeter to the Lord than the gifts of the needy. We should
+give to the uttermost, tearing the morsels from our own mouths.
+
+PASHUR
+
+I know the customs. It is not for you, Hananiah, to teach me my duty,
+which I know better perchance than you know God's word and God's will.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Who sacrifices grudgingly, who sacrifices with a cold heart, is but a
+slaughterman, and no true servant of the Lord. Lo, I say unto you unless
+ye give of your uttermost need, ye are unworthy to stand in the light of
+his countenance.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Passionately] Hold your peace. Your words are past bearing. But a few
+grains of sand have run through the hour glass, and already you rail
+against one another. We do not meet to discuss what it is fitting we
+should render unto God. We meet to consider our pressing need, and how
+we can relieve it. We are in the throes of war, and to you therefore I
+turn first for counsel, Abimelech, general of my army.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Stout are the walls of Jerusalem, O King, but stouter still is my heart.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+And your men, old stalwart; are they, too, stout-hearted? Rarely do I
+hear them raise exultant cries. When I pass among them, no longer do
+they strike their shields. They turn away their faces.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+War makes men silent, but it steels their hearts. No longer, indeed, do
+they shout with delight, for that they can use their swords freely.
+Custom stales all joys. But they watch and wait; strong as brass are
+they, guarding the walls of Jerusalem.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+But what if the moons still wax and wane; what if the second year of the
+siege begins? There is no help coming from outside.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+The siege will last as long as God pleases, and we shall last as long as
+the siege.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+May the Lord fulfil thy words. [To the others] Are ye all of the same
+opinion?
+
+PASHUR
+
+We must be steadfast, enduring patiently until the end.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+What sayest thou, Hananiah?
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Never shall Nebuchadnezzar overthrow us. Woe unto all faint-hearts. Did
+it rest with me, I would put them to the sword.
+
+IMRE
+
+Mine eyes are dim with age, but being old, I saw the days when
+Senaccherib was arrayed against Israel, and I saw his men lying dead in
+heaps around our walls. Never were the jackals so fat as in the year
+when Jerusalem was encircled by the enemies of the Lord. The same may
+happen again to those who now besiege us. Let mine eyes not be wholly
+darkened ere this day dawn. Jerusalem endureth for ever!
+
+ABIMELECH, HANANIAH, PASHUR
+
+Jerusalem endureth for ever!
+
+[A pause]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Thou sayest nothing, Nahum. Wherefore art thou silent?
+
+NAHUM
+
+Gloomy are my thoughts, Lord King, and bitter will be my speech. He
+thrusts not himself forward, to whom joy is lacking.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+I summoned you in council, one and all. Welcome is the bearer of good
+tidings, but no less welcome he who brings wise warnings. Speak freely.
+
+NAHUM
+
+Shortly before you called me to the council, I was visiting the
+storehouses, and having the grain measured, bushel by bushel. They were
+full when the siege began, but now they are almost empty. No longer can
+we provide a whole loaf for the day's ration.
+
+[All sit in dismayed silence]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Was there not ample provision of grain from the villages? Was not an
+abundance of milch cows and other beasts driven within the walls?
+
+NAHUM
+
+Forget not that the siege has lasted nearly a year, and that there are
+many mouths to feed.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[After another pause] We can reduce the rations yet further. Let nothing
+be wasted.
+
+NAHUM
+
+Long have we been careful to avoid waste. Yet the storehouses gape with
+emptiness. Time is a mighty eater.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+How long, then, thinkest thou, ere famine is upon us?
+
+NAHUM
+
+[In low tones] Three weeks, Lord. No more.
+
+[A pause]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Three weeks ... And then?
+
+NAHUM
+
+How can I answer thee, O King? God alone knows the answer. [Renewed
+silence]
+
+HANANIAH
+
+[In great excitement] Cut the loaves in half. Cut them in three, and let
+that suffice for the day. Too long have they lived riotously, they and
+their concubines; let them grow lean, now, fighting the Lord's fight.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+My soldiers must not have their food cut down. No man can fight on an
+empty stomach.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+We must all share and share alike, the soldiers as well as the others.
+Jerusalem is at stake.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+My men must have their strength kept up. Let the useless mouths go
+hungry, the windbags and the prattlers.
+
+NAHUM
+
+You talk folly. What would it avail to pinch ourselves unduly, seeing
+that there are an hundred thousand within the walls. There is food to
+last us three weeks. If we slaughter the beasts reserved for the temple,
+we can hold out a fortnight more.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Let us keep the peace among ourselves. Ye rail against one another like
+enemies. Let us stand united against Nebuchadnezzar and likewise against
+our own people. Neither he nor they must know aught of our need.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+What if he know it already?
+
+NAHUM
+
+None can know it. Daily I set my seal on the doors of the storehouses.
+Neither the people nor Nebuchadnezzar can be aware of our distress.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+God be praised. Nebuchadnezzar would show us no mercy if he knew.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[After a pause] I have called you in council, elders of the people. Wars
+are not ended by the sword alone. I have summoned you to ask whether I
+should send an envoy to Nebuchadnezzar, praying him that there should be
+peace between our nations.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+No peace with the blasphemers of the Almighty!
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Let him make the first offer.
+
+PASHUR
+
+I think it would be dangerous for us to begin. Should we open the
+parley, he would seek to make slaves of us.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+I hold other views. Though as yet he knows nothing of our desperate
+plight, it can remain hidden for a few days only. We must turn these
+days to account.
+
+NAHUM
+
+True are thy words, O King. We must seek mercy of Nebuchadnezzar before
+he triumphs over us with the sword.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+[Bitterly] Sue for mercy! Death were better!
+
+PASHUR
+
+We need God's mercy, not man's.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+[To NAHUM] Coward and traitor!
+
+IMRE
+
+[Wearily] When will you cease quarreling? The king's words are true. It
+would be folly to wait till the last hour. Let us seek parley while we
+can still show a bold front.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+It is too late. The dead lying before the walls will cry reproach on us.
+
+PASHUR
+
+It is too late. The war has heaped up such mountains of hatred.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Nay, it is not too late. [He pauses for a moment] An envoy has already
+passed between Nebuchadnezzar and me.
+
+[The councilors spring excitedly to their feet]
+
+NAHUM
+
+Thou hast received an envoy from Nebuchadnezzar? Blessed be the hour.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Traitor! Thou holdest parley with the enemy!
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+No treaty without our consent! Thou hast forgotten.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Thou hast held parley, King, without consulting us? Why then are we
+summoned in council?
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Peace, peace. Can ye not wait till I have finished? Ye snap at my first
+word like a pack of hungry hounds. [A pause. He continues more quietly]
+A messenger has come from Nebuchadnezzar. I have not yet heard the
+message. Is this to hold parley? Is this treachery? Answer!
+
+[All are silent for a while]
+
+PASHUR
+
+I crave thy pardon, King. It is hard to weigh one's words when so much
+hangs in the balance.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+It is for you to decide; for you to hear the envoy, or to send him away
+unheard.
+
+NAHUM
+
+Our position is desperate. We must hear him.
+
+IMRE
+
+We can listen to his message, and be cautious about accepting it.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+We can hear him, and can settle afterwards whether we will let him
+return. He may be sent only to spy out the land.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+What say ye, Pashur and Hananiah?
+
+PASHUR
+
+Let us hear him.
+
+[HANANIAH is silent and averts his face]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Since no one opposes, we will hear the message. [Going to the doorway he
+calls out] Joab, fetch the envoy. [ZEDEKIAH returns to the table] Let
+each ask what questions he will. But our answers must show one mind.
+
+[BARUCH is ushered in by JOAB. The latter passes out again, replacing
+the curtain. BARUCH bows before the king]
+
+Dost thou bring a message to Israel from King Nebuchadnezzar?
+
+BARUCH
+
+He has sent me with a message to thee, O King.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+These are my councilors. Who speaks to me speaks to them also, for they
+and I, Israel and Israel's king, are at one by God's will. [Turning to
+the others] Question him.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+[Scornfully] What grace does the king of the heathen vouchsafe ...
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+[Interrupting] Let us consider practical matters first! What is your
+name?
+
+BARUCH
+
+Baruch, son of Zebulon, of the house of Naphtali.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Are you then of our blood?
+
+BARUCH
+
+I am a servant of the one God, and was born in Jerusalem.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Does anyone here know this man?
+
+PASHUR
+
+I know his father, a just man, and a faithful servant of the Lord.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+How did you fall into the enemy's hands?
+
+BARUCH
+
+I was drawing water from Moria well when they seized me.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+What proof have you that you are an envoy? Have you a letter, signed and
+sealed?
+
+BARUCH
+
+Nebuchadnezzar gave me his signet ring, that I might pass the sentries
+going and returning. [He shows the ring on his finger.]
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+I have no more questions to ask. Let him deliver his message.
+
+BARUCH
+
+When the Assyrian soldiers waylaid me, they took me to the king's tent.
+Nebuchadnezzar has kept me under guard these eleven months. Sending for
+me yesterday, he said: "Wilt thou take my message to King Zedekiah?"
+Standing before him without fear, I answered: "I will." Then spake
+Nebuchadnezzar: "Eleven months have I laid siege to this town. I have
+sworn that not again will I lie with woman until the gates of Jerusalem
+have been opened. But I will wait no longer. Should King Zedekiah wish
+for terms, let him hasten. Never has an enemy withstood me more stoutly.
+To none will I be more gentle than to him, should he hasten to sue for
+mercy."
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Nebuchadnezzar is a great warrior. It is an honor to have held out
+against him for eleven months.
+
+BARUCH
+
+He said further: "If ye open the gates and humble yourselves ere the
+moon be full, I will grant you your lives. Every man may dwell in safety
+under his vine and under his fig tree. Though ye have shed our blood, I
+seek not yours, but only victory and renown. It is my will that from
+sunrise to sunset the nations should learn the news that none can
+withstand my sword; that there is no king but shall bow before me, the
+king of kings. I need but a sign, and your city shall be safe, your days
+long in the land."
+
+NAHUM
+
+Methinks the terms are easy.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Too easy for me to trust them.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+But the sign! What sign does Nebuchadnezzar demand?
+
+BARUCH
+
+He said: "Zedekiah, who has taken up arms against me, must abase
+himself. When I enter the city, let him walk to meet me, from the gates
+of the temple to the wall, carrying his crown in his hands, and wearing
+a wooden yoke on his neck ..."
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Drawing himself up] A yoke?
+
+BARUCH
+
+"A yoke that all men may know his stubbornness is broken and his pride
+humbled. I will meet him, will lift the yoke from his neck, and replace
+the crown on his head."
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Never shall the man wear a crown whose neck has borne a yoke. Never! [He
+rises to his feet]
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+I could not endure it! [He also rises]
+
+[The others remain seated and silent. After a long pause, NAHUM speaks
+meditatively]
+
+NAHUM
+
+From the gates of the temple to the wall?
+
+PASHUR
+
+It is barely an hundred paces.
+
+IMRE
+
+No more than seventy, I think. No more than seventy.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Turning fiercely upon them] Ye reckon up the paces I am to take, with
+my neck yoked like an ox drawing the plough? Are ye all mad to think
+that I shall so humble myself? Did ye show courage only while your own
+lives were at stake? Do ye think nothing of my shame, if ye can make
+your own peace? Cowards all!
+
+PASHUR
+
+Thou hast sworn, O King, that each of us should speak freely the words
+which came to his mouth.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Thou dost well to remind me. Pardon my anger. Speak freely.
+
+NAHUM
+
+I beseech thee to accept the terms, not for our sake alone but for that
+of our children.
+
+IMRE
+
+For the sake of our country.
+
+PASHUR
+
+For temple and altar.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+For God, who commands it.
+
+[ABIMELECH is silent, hiding his face]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Paces up and down, as the struggle rages within him. At length he steps
+up to the table, and speaks in solemn tones] I will do what ye demand,
+breaking my pride like a potter's vessel, bowing my neck beneath the
+yoke.
+
+[All move to speak, but he imposes silence, and continues]
+
+I will take the crown from my head, and offer it up with my hands, as is
+enjoined. But holy is the crown of Israel, and none shall wear it whose
+neck hath borne a yoke. When I have put off from me the wood of shame, I
+shall put away likewise sceptre and ring, consigning both to my son.
+Young is he, but ye will counsel him. Swear that ye will be true to him,
+so that the people may look up to him. Swear that ye will invest him
+with crown and with ring.
+
+PASHUR
+
+[Greatly moved] I swear it, O King.
+
+IMRE, HANANIAH, NAHUM
+
+We swear it.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+As a king hast thou acted. Praised be thy name.
+
+NAHUM
+
+Eternal honor to King Zedekiah.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Thus shall the walls stand fast, thus shall the holy city be saved,
+though I sink into the dust. Better I should perish than Zion. Jerusalem
+endureth for ever.
+
+ALL
+
+[Fervently] Jerusalem endureth for ever.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[To BARUCH] Thou hearest, boy? Go, then, to the king of Ashur, and say
+unto him: "Zedekiah, who hath been ruler, and hath taken up arms against
+thee, boweth himself before thee, that thou mayest show him thy mercy."
+Hasten, that soon I may stand before the door of my house, saying to my
+people the precious word, "Peace".
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Disquieted, speaks in subdued tones] I hear, Lord King. But there is
+yet one other thing I have to tell thee, one more demand from the king
+of Ashur.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+[Angrily] Yet more? Does not this shame suffice him?
+
+BARUCH
+
+A trifle he termed it. It looms large in my mind.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+What does his pride still crave?
+
+BARUCH
+
+He spake unto me and said: "I will take the yoke from the king's neck
+and restore the crown to his head. He shall walk at my left hand, that
+men may know I honor him as my royal brother. But there is still one
+within your walls, of whom folk say that he is mightier than any. I
+would see this mighty one. They say that there is a god within your
+walls, whose countenance ye hide behind the curtains of a tabernacle,
+for that no one can bear to look upon him. To me, fear is unknown, and I
+wish to enter his presence, that I may behold him. I will not lay hands
+on his altar, nor touch his bread, neither will I covet his treasures.
+One thing only do I ask, that I may enter his tabernacle, for I would
+fain set eyes on him who hath proved mightier than I." Thus spake
+Nebuchadnezzar.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Never! Never!
+
+HANANIAH
+
+The fire of the Lord consume him for the sacrilegious thought.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Better that the temple should crumble to dust, than that the tabernacle
+should be desecrated.
+
+IMRE
+
+[In consternation] He would look upon the holy of holies! Terrible is
+the request.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Unbounded is the insolence of the heathen ruler! Dismiss his messenger,
+Lord King. Send back the envoy.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Send back the envoy. Never must such a thing be.
+
+NAHUM
+
+Be not too hasty, O King. In our hands lies the welfare of the nation.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+A thousand deaths were better than this shame.
+
+PASHUR
+
+I will face death with you, will perish in the midst of your warriors.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+[Savagely] Dismiss the envoy. Rather death than this sacrilege.
+
+IMRE
+
+Ye talk lightly of dying. Bethink ye that your pride means seventy
+thousand deaths.
+
+PASHUR
+
+Would you profane God's holy of holies?
+
+IMRE
+
+Life is part of God's holiness. God himself is life.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+It would be an everlasting disgrace could the heathen look on the face
+of Jehovah.
+
+NAHUM
+
+Let our foes exult; let our pride be humbled. So be it, if the city
+outlast our pride and our lives. King Zedekiah, save Jerusalem!
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Nay, dismiss the envoy.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+I am naught but the hand holding the scales. I stand aloof from your
+decision. Make up your minds. Count your votes. Speed ye, that the
+matter may be settled for good or for ill.
+
+IMRE
+
+I am the oldest among you. My word is, let us comply with
+Nebuchadnezzar's demands.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Let us refuse. God will help us. Let us refuse.
+
+PASHUR
+
+I will not chaffer with God's majesty. Never will I consent to such
+impiety.
+
+NAHUM
+
+Let God's city stand for ever. Accept the terms.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+What sayest thou, Abimelech?
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Not for me to advise thee, King Zedekiah. Not for me, who am but thy
+servant and thy sword. By yes and by no, in life and in death, do I
+stand by thy decision.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Two votes against two, and in my own mind there are voices twain!
+Conflict without; conflict within. I hold aloof, leaving it to you to
+direct my will. You cast it back to me like seadrift, and, trembling, I
+am still constrained to decide. Have I, indeed, to throw these dreadful
+dice?
+
+PASHUR
+
+God will give thee light.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Ah, would he but speak to me. Happy our forefathers to whom he appeared
+in a cloud. I stretch forth my hands towards him, but still for me the
+voice of heaven is dumb. I grope in the darkness, finding I know not
+what. Pray for me that I may be rightly guided.
+
+NAHUM
+
+Thou hast our love, O King.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Time presses. Ere the night is spent I must say yes or no; where
+perchance no is yes, and yes is no. God give me light. [He rises to his
+feet and all rise with him] Leave me to myself. The cleavage among you
+increases my own indecision. I shall act as my heart dictates, and it
+may well be that ere ye reach home I shall have made my choice, for my
+soul travaileth. Pray, friends, pray, that my choice may be the best for
+Israel. Pray for me, pray for Jerusalem.
+
+PASHUR
+
+God give thee light. I shall not close my eyes in sleep until thou hast
+chosen. I will hold vigil before the altar.
+
+HANANIAH
+
+Remember God.
+
+NAHUM
+
+Remember the city.
+
+IMRE
+
+Remember the children, remember the women.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+I abide by thy choice in life or in death.
+
+[All depart, leaving BARUCH and the king]
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Quietly] Shall I, too, take my leave, King Zedekiah?
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Collecting his thoughts] What sayest thou? Nay, thou must remain.
+
+[BARUCH stands by the doorway while ZEDEKIAH walks restlessly to and fro
+for a time. Then, pausing by the window, the king stares over the town,
+subsequently resuming his restless pacing. At length he turns and speaks
+to BARUCH]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Nebuchadnezzar demands an answer to-day?
+
+BARUCH
+
+Yea, Lord; for to-morrow the moon is full.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Paces the floor again. Then abruptly] Thou sawest him face to face. Did
+he ask thee anything concerning me?
+
+BARUCH
+
+His chief counselor and his scribe were present. The former asked me
+about you, but Nebuchadnezzar bade him be silent.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Full of pride is he, and his wrath is like a storm over our heads. But I
+fear him not. Himself, he asked nothing concerning me?
+
+BARUCH
+
+Nothing, Lord King.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+To him we are naught. To him our walls are but a handful of dust. Yet we
+can meet defiance with defiance. For eleven months he has been breaking
+his teeth against the ramparts of the city, and he would dismiss us with
+a smile. I am not worth a word, and he rates our town at a breath.
+Nevertheless my yoke is not yet ready; the walls of Jerusalem still
+stand. We have taught him to wait, but he has not yet learned his
+lesson. Shall I be the slave of his caprices? He would tarry but a day?
+Let him tarry for weeks and months. [Drawing himself up] Take this
+message to Nebuchadnezzar. Say unto him ...
+
+BARUCH
+
+[In alarm] Decide not in anger, King Zedekiah.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Rigid with astonishment] How darest thou interrupt me?
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Kneels] I implore thee, save Jerusalem. Stretch forth thine hand in
+peace, lest the walls crumble and the temple be shattered. Lord King, I
+adjure thee, open the gates, open thy heart.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Wrathfully] "Open the gates, open thy heart". I have heard those words
+before. They have been put into thy mouth. One stands behind thee
+speaking against me with thy voice.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Nay, Lord King. My supplication arises from the depths of my heart.
+Something will I tell thee, which hitherto I have withheld. It was not
+at Nebuchadnezzar's summons that I went to him, but of my own free will,
+hoping that I might soften his heart. I saw that either side waited for
+the other to propose peace. Day after day, for eleven long months, did I
+importune him till he sent me with this message.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Thou, a boy, a child? While we were holding counsel, thou soughtest out
+the king of kings to seek peace and ensure it?
+
+BARUCH
+
+This did I, O King, in the urgency of my heart's wishes.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Regards him fixedly for a time. Then, speaking sharply] Not thine own
+deed, this, nor thy thought.
+
+BARUCH
+
+I went at no man's orders.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Thou speakest falsely. No boy could conceive such a deed for himself.
+
+BARUCH
+
+I swear to thee that I did it unadvised. He knew naught of it, neither
+commanded it nor approved.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+He? Who is he of whose orders thou speakest?
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Evasively] My teacher, my master.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Who is thy master, who? I would know who issues commands to the boys of
+this city.
+
+BARUCH
+
+God's servant and prophet is my master. Men call him Jeremiah.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Furiously] Jeremiah, always Jeremiah. Ever the shadow that follows my
+deeds, ever in revolt against me. I have cast him into a dungeon, but
+still, as in the beginning, rises his clamor for peace. Why this
+persecution? Why?
+
+BARUCH
+
+Thou art mistaken. Jeremiah hath more love for thee than for any other
+in this town.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+I need not his love. I spew forth his love, and I despise his anger. Who
+is he, that he should dare to love me? Shall one venture to stand up in
+the streets and give tongue, declaring that he loveth me, or loveth me
+not? Why should Jeremiah push in twixt me and my resolve? Would he show
+himself the greater of us twain? I am the king, I alone! Let him cry,
+Peace, peace! Not in his hand lieth the fate of Jerusalem. I am king in
+Zion, and never shall he boast that he frightened me with his dreams.
+Better the city should perish, than be saved by the hand of Jeremiah. Go
+thou to Nebuchadnezzar and say unto him: Never will Zedekiah bear a
+yoke. Never shall the king of Ashur raise the curtain before the holy of
+holies. Nebuchadnezzar may come with all his men; he will find Zedekiah
+ready to meet him.
+
+[BARUCH raising both hands imploringly, is about to speak. ZEDEKIAH
+continues]
+
+Not a word. If thou failest to carry my message, I will have Jeremiah's
+head.
+
+[Again BARUCH endeavors to speak]
+
+A single word, and Jeremiah's life is forfeit. Away, I command thee,
+away!
+
+[BARUCH stands for a moment, and then, veiling his face, passes out.
+ZEDEKIAH draws himself up threateningly when BARUCH hesitates. As soon
+as the young man has gone, the king lowers his outstretched arm, and his
+countenance is once more shadowed with anxiety. Then he draws a deep
+breath and speaks]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+It is finished. No longer the torture of indecision.
+
+[He paces to and fro once more. Then he stamps twice. JOAB enters]
+
+JOAB
+
+The king calls?
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Wine, bring me wine. I need sleep, deep and dreamless sleep.
+
+[JOAB brings a pitcher and fills a silver goblet. ZEDEKIAH empties it at
+a draught. Then he listens, and his face is again clouded]
+
+Who is walking outside there? I hear footsteps. Does the spy still
+tarry?
+
+JOAB
+
+He has gone forth, Lord. You hear the sentry, my brother Nehemiah.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Tell him to tread softly when he is on guard outside my bedchamber at
+night. I need sleep just as much as other men.
+
+JOAB
+
+I will see to it, Lord. [He draws aside the curtains of the bed and
+veils the lamp. Now the only light in the room comes from the pale
+moonbeams] Shall I read from the scriptures, Lord King, as heretofore?
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Nay, not even the scriptures can help me. I would fain sleep, even as
+other men sleep. My lids ache and my heart aches likewise.
+
+[JOAB helps him to remove his outer garment. ZEDEKIAH flings himself on
+the couch]
+
+JOAB
+
+God guard thy slumbers, O King.
+
+[JOAB calls NEHEMIAH. Silently the two stand at the head of the bed,
+motionless figures holding spears. In the moonlight their shadows rise
+in giant silhouettes on the wall. The only sound is the gentle plashing
+of a fountain in the court-yard]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Springing up with a wild cry] Why do ye whisper together? Did I not
+command ye to silence?
+
+JOAB
+
+[Alarmed] We said nothing, Lord King.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Some one is talking. Who is it that devours my slumber? All should
+sleep, so that I too may sleep. Is there anyone awake in the neighboring
+rooms?
+
+JOAB
+
+No one, Lord King. Nor anywhere throughout the palace.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+So I alone hold vigil. Why should all the burden be laid upon me? All
+the walls of the city, all the towers of care? Get me wine.
+
+[JOAB fills the goblet once more. ZEDEKIAH drains it and flings it away.
+With a groan he lies down again. All is still save for the murmur of the
+fountain. ZEDEKIAH, who has been lying motionless on the bed, now very
+quietly sits up in the gloom. Crouching like a wild beast about to
+spring, he listens intently. Then he suddenly screams]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Some one is speaking. I hear a voice which drones unendingly. I have
+given orders that none shall speak in my house. The voice is chanting.
+But I have forbidden that any should sing under my roof. Do ye not hear
+it?
+
+JOAB
+
+I hear nothing, Lord.
+
+NEHEMIAH
+
+No sound has reached me.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Glares at the two lads. Crouching he listens for a moment, and breaks
+forth again] I hear it, I tell you; an interminable monotone. Listen,
+Joab, here where I am listening. It is somewhere beneath us, burrowing
+like a mole in the darkness of my slumber, devouring my sleep. Canst not
+hear, lad?
+
+JOAB
+
+[Listens intently for a moment, and then shudders] I hear a voice rising
+from the depths. Like the voice of one singing. The spirits of the deep
+are awake beneath the house. The voice laments and moans like a caged
+beast.
+
+NEHEMIAH
+
+Perchance it is but the wind moaning through a cranny.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+I hear words; I feel them without understanding them. Who dares to sing
+by night in my house? Is it so well with my slaves that they must sing
+while I toss sleepless? Away, Joab, and silence the disturber.
+
+[JOAB hastens out. ZEDEKIAH crouches, listening. He seems at first to
+hear something. Then he raises his head, and subsequently lowers it to
+listen once more. Suddenly three dull blows are heard. The king listens
+eagerly. He draws a breath of relief]
+
+God be praised, the voice is stilled.
+
+[JOAB reenters with troubled mien]
+
+Who was talking?
+
+JOAB
+
+[Trembling] I know not, Lord, I did not find him. As I neared the
+marketplace, the noise of singing came to me louder, rising as it were
+from the depths of the earth. I followed the direction of the sound.
+There was no one singing in the marketplace. The utterance had a hollow
+ring, as if it came from a well or from a pit. Now I could hear the
+words, and they were terrible. Thrice did I strike the ground with the
+haft of my spear. Then was the Gehenna silent.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+What were the words?
+
+JOAB
+
+[Shuddering] I dare not repeat them.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Tell me the words, I command thee.
+
+JOAB
+
+It was blasphemy that rose from the pit.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Repeat the words, if you fear my anger.
+
+JOAB
+
+[Complies. His voice rises in a psalm]
+
+  I have forsaken mine house,
+  I have cast off mine heritage;
+  I have given the dearly beloved of my soul
+  Into the hand of her enemies.
+  My tears run down like a river day and night,
+  For grievous is the affliction
+  Of the daughter of my people.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[With a loud cry] Jeremiah! Always Jeremiah.
+
+JOAB
+
+[Continuing to chant as if inspired]
+
+  He hath given up into the hand of the enemy
+  The walls of her palaces;
+  They have made a noise in the house of the Lord,
+  As in the day of a solemn feast.
+  He hath ...
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Be still, be still. I will hear no more. Always Jeremiah, and again
+Jeremiah. Wherever I go he stands at the cross roads; his challenge
+rings behind all my doings; he forces his way into my dreams, and feeds
+my indecision. How can I outrun this terrible shadow? He cries to me
+even from the pit. Who will free me from him?
+
+JOAB
+
+Lord, if he be thine enemy, say the word ... [He makes a movement with
+his spear]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Startled out of his anger, looks at the lad wonderingly. Then, with
+awakening pride] Thou wouldst ... Nay, I fear him not. I fear no man.
+Nor am I certain if he be my enemy. I was foolish, perhaps, to flee from
+him. Who can tell? [He paces the room] Joab!
+
+JOAB
+
+My Lord?
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Go forth, taking with thee thy brother Nehemiah. Open the pit and bring
+hither the man ye will find there. None must know that he enters and
+leaves the palace.
+
+[JOAB and NEHEMIAH pass out. The king soliloquizes in low tones]
+
+At every cross road, behind my back, always too late and always
+compelling me to listen. Why did I appeal only to God, who vouchsafes me
+no answer? Why did I not hearken to those who say that he declares his
+will through their mouths? But wherefore do they speak with conflicting
+voices? How could I discern the false from the true? Dread is this God
+who will not break silence, and whose messengers cannot be certainly
+known.
+
+[JEREMIAH enters accompanied by the two lads. At a sign from ZEDEKIAH,
+JOAB unveils the lamp. Then he and NEHEMIAH withdraw. JEREMIAH is pale
+and emaciated. His dark eyes flash from a white and bony face, looking
+almost as if set in a skull. He regards the king with a questioning
+calm. After a momentary embarrassment the king speaks]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+I sent for thee, Jeremiah, to ask why thou dost disturb my rest. Why
+singest thou in the night when others sleep?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+He may not sleep who watches over the people. The Lord hath appointed me
+to watch and to give warning.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Jeremiah, I have summoned thee to hold counsel with me. No man knoweth
+that to this end I have drawn thee from the pit where thou hast been
+prisoned. Wilt thou advise me truly?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+God helping me, I will.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Know, then, what none other knows save my innermost counselors. An envoy
+has come from Nebuchadnezzar, seeking to end the war between our
+nations.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Exultantly] God be praised! Open the gates, open thy heart to
+humbleness.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Rejoice not too soon. Hard are the terms and measureless is the
+arrogancy of the king of Ashur.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Arrogant hast thou been towards him, therefore must thou accept
+arrogancy in return. Put compulsion on thy heart, so thou save Jerusalem
+from destruction.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+He asks my honor.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Sacrifice thine honor for the city.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Is not honor my office; is not pride my crown?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+If they be truly thine, cast them from thee. Peace is better than honor;
+suffering is better than death.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+He would bow my neck beneath a yoke.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Blessed is he who suffers for all; who suffers that all may live. Bow
+thy neck, and save the city.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+I should bring shame on all the kings whose throne is my heritage; I
+should disgrace the mantle of my forefathers.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Think no longer of those who have been. They are dead, and worms have
+eaten them. Think of the city and of those who now live therein.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Not me alone will Nebuchadnezzar abase, but God also.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+God smiles at those who would abase him. Open the gates, open thy heart
+to humbleness.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Nebuchadnezzar would enter the holy of holies which none may approach.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+God will avert it, should it be his will; thou canst not avert it. Open
+the gates, open thy heart to humbleness.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Angrily] Thy wisdom is stubbornness; thy counsel, insolence. With deaf
+ears dost thou hearken, and thine answer is hard as flint.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Am I to laud thy blindness, to approve whate'er thou sayest? Feigning to
+ask counsel, thou wouldst have naught but flattery. May my tongue
+consume away in my mouth, my bones fall apart, ere I praise thy folly
+and cease from crying against thy blindness.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Why railest thou thus, when thou hast not yet heard my purpose?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I know thy purpose. With words dost thou fawn on me, whilst thy will is
+set up against me. Wouldst mock me, and play with God's word? Thou hast
+not summoned me to help thee decide. Long ere this has the message been
+signed and sealed within thy soul. Thou mayst deceive thyself, King of
+Israel, but me thou canst not deceive.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Jeremiah!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Yea, verily, I, Jeremiah, say unto thee, the king: Thou dealest falsely
+with me, and thy words are a blind. No longer is thy will free, nor dost
+thou truly desire me to influence thy decision.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Unsteadily] How canst thou know this?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Thy lips betray thee. Thou quailest before my wrath like a guilty man.
+Fain wouldst thou tempt me to approve thy decision, to lift the guilt
+from thy shoulders. Woe unto him who tempts men, for he tempts the god
+that is in men.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Hesitates, greatly moved. Then he speaks in low tones] Much, indeed, is
+it given thee to know, Jeremiah. Too true are thy words. My will is no
+longer free, I have delivered my message to the envoy.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Recall it! Save the city.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+He is on his way to Nebuchadnezzar.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Send for him! Bring him back!
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Too late. The advice comes too late.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Hasten after him. Pursue him with runners and riders.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+It is too late. By now my message must have reached the king of Ashur.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Hides his face, lamenting] Woe, woe unto Jerusalem, woe unto Jerusalem!
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Drawing near him in alarm] What ails thee Jeremiah?
+
+[JEREMIAH does not heed the king. Sobs shake his frame. Soon, however,
+he draws himself up once more. Now his gaze is fixed on the distance. He
+speaks as in a dream, raising his hands, like one inspired]
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  How art thou fallen from heaven,
+  Jerusalem, sun of the morning!
+  Thou hast said in thine heart,
+  I will ascend into heaven,
+  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.
+  Alas, thou art fallen from glory,
+  Art sunken in darkness and night.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Calls to him loudly, hoping to awaken him from the trance] Jeremiah!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  What star was brighter than thine,
+  Thou city of Jacob,
+  Thou fortress of David,
+  Thou tabernacle of Solomon,
+  God's treasure and his holy house?
+  Who could herald thy ways, who could signal thy praise?
+  All happy the psalteries, the cymbals grew light,
+  With sounding thy triumphs from morning till night.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Thou ravest, Jeremiah; awake, awake!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  [Unheeding] How still art thou now, my beloved.
+  Thy brightness, say, where hath it gone?
+  The voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride
+  No longer are heard among thy houses.
+  The market hath become desolate.
+  Quenched are the voice of joy,
+  The voice of gladness,
+  The sound of flute playing,
+  And the song of the maidens.
+  A slayer hath fallen upon thee,
+  An avenger from the north.
+  Waste places are thy streets,
+  Nettles grow in thy pleasant places,
+  Thorns and brambles in the palace of thy kings.
+  Alas, thy walls are laid low,
+  All thy towers are broken down;
+  Shamefully overthrown
+  Is the everlasting heart of thy sanctuary.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Accursed one, thou liest! High and hale stand the walls of Jerusalem.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  [With growing frenzy] Every head hath been shorn,
+  Every beard hath been clipt.
+  The mothers, wearing sackcloth,
+  Tear the flesh from their cheeks,
+  Wailing:
+  "Where are my sons, where are my daughters?"
+  Woe is me!
+  The dead bodies of the sons
+  Lie like dung in the streets
+  Where they have perished by the sword;
+  The daughters have been strangled with their own hair,
+  And the women with child have been ripped up.
+  The jackals of the wilderness are gorged,
+  The ravens weary with feasting.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Be silent, be silent! Thou liest!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  What availeth it to seek safety in thorny thickets,
+  To flee from death into the burning fissures of the rock?
+  They hunt thee with horses, with companies of spearmen,
+  Track thee down, and with sticks beat the coverts for their game,
+  Drive thee forth from the crannies with firebrands and smoke,
+  Pursue thee, and seize thee, and slay.
+  They ravish the women, they slaughter the elders,
+  Just men are made slaves of their lowliest bondsmen,
+  Made servants of servants the daughters of kings.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Hold thy peace, liar, lest my wrath smite thee!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  [Lamenting] Jerusalem, virgin and daughter of Judah,
+  The heathen make mock of thy pitiful plight.
+  Woe is me that I must look on thine affliction.
+  All thine enemies have opened their mouths against thee,
+  Laughing, and hissing, and gnashing their teeth,
+  Saying:
+  "We have swallowed her up!
+  "Is this the city that men call
+  "The perfection of beauty,
+  "The joy of the whole earth?
+  "Verily we have laid her low.
+  "Certainly this is the day we looked for,
+  "We have found it,
+  "We have seen it."
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Beside himself with rage, clenching his fists] Be silent, liar, I will
+listen no longer.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  Jerusalem, holy city of the Lord,
+  Cradle of the nations, treasure of the world!
+  Who will extol thee, who now will search thee out?
+  A legend of the ages hast thou become,
+  A fable and a proverb among the peoples.
+  Ah, I see ...
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Raving madman, naught more shalt thou see.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  I see thy suffering, I witness thy death,
+  I see ...
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Grappling with him, bursts out in a fury] Naught more shalt thou see! I
+will have thee blinded.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Stares around, as if suddenly and dreadfully awakened. Then laughing
+loudly, he chants with renewed frenzy]
+
+  Me?
+  Blind me? Nay, ruthless one,
+  Not such is the purpose of God.
+  Know well that one shall be blinded
+  Ere these days draw to a close.
+  'Tis one with eyes that see not,
+  With ears that will not hear.
+  Yet hearken now, King Zedekiah!
+
+[ZEDEKIAH releases JEREMIAH, and regards him with amazement and terror.
+JEREMIAH raises his hands in denunciation, and continues]
+
+  Thee
+  Shall they seize,
+  The servants of Ashur,
+  Seize thee in God's temple which thou hast destroyed.
+  They tear thee away from the horns of the altar,
+  To which thy hands cleave in the vain hope of help.
+  Naught availeth thy sword, for they break it in sunder,
+  Then bind thine arms straitly with fetters of brass,
+  Haling thee forth and the stairway adown;
+  Like a beast for the sacrifice scourging thee on;
+  To him will they bring thee whose hand thou rejectedst;
+  To him will they bring thee whose yoke thou hast broken,
+  To him who thy fiery doom will have spoken.
+
+[ZEDEKIAH has retreated several steps, and makes gestures as if to avert
+the threatened fate]
+
+  To thy knees as they force thee with curses and blows,
+  In the air-blast the furnace roars fiercely and glows.
+  Now the iron is heated, gleaming red, flashing white.
+  In thine eyeballs they plunge it, the scorching steel.
+  Thy flesh smokes and hisses, thy senses reel.
+  God's daylight has vanished in infinite night.
+
+[ZEDEKIAH screams, and claps his hands to his eyes as if blinded]
+
+  But ere thy sight, in a fiery mist
+  Of blood and tears, is forever gone,
+  Thy sons, by the sharp sword fiercely kissed,
+  Shall be slain in thy presence, one by one,
+  As the headsman's blade flashes through flesh and through bone.
+  Bootless thy struggles; the slaves hold thee fast!
+  The first falls, the second, the third and last!
+  They are sped, and thy weeping and wailing are vain.
+  Their blood drenches the ground, while thou, in thy pain,
+  Ere the burning steel seareth the sight from thine eyes,
+  Seest how Israel's race and kingship dies.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Groping his way across the room like a blind man, staggers to the
+couch. Now he puts up his hands beseechingly] Mercy! Have mercy!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  By thy cries all in vain will the darkness be riven,
+  As thou liftest thy hands to the unseen heaven,
+  God's mercy imploring! God no mercy will show
+  To the king whose false pride Zion's temple laid low.
+  He casteth thee down among worms which are blind,
+  Which crawl on their bellies, each after his kind.
+  With despised and rejected, the sick, the forsworn,
+  Shalt thou walk, Zedekiah, debased and forlorn,
+  Consorting with lepers, with halt and with lame,
+  Among outcasts the poorest. Thus thy pride God shall tame.
+  With beggars shall harbor; a beggar thyself,
+  Wearing sackcloth and ashes, shalt pass through the land.
+  Those who know thee--once splendent in power and in pelf,
+  King erstwhile in Zion--uplifting the hand,
+  Shall curse thee, Zedekiah.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[Utterly crushed by the adjuration, has collapsed, groaning, on to the
+couch. Now he slowly rises, and contemplates JEREMIAH blankly] What a
+power is entrusted to thee, Jeremiah. Thou hast broken the strength of
+my limbs. The very marrow is frozen in my bones. Terrible are thy words,
+Jeremiah.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[He has awakened from his trance, and the fire in his eyes is quenched]
+Poor are my words, Zedekiah. Weakness is all my strength. I know, but
+cannot act!
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Why didst thou not come to me sooner?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I was ever at hand, but thou couldst not find me.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Thou hast filled my heart with dread, yet I bear thee no grudge. There
+must be no quarrel betwixt us twain who stand in the shadow of death.
+Get thee back whence thou hast come. Thou shalt not lack food, for I
+will share my last crust with thee. Let none know of our converse, save
+God. [JEREMIAH turns to go] Stay, Jeremiah. Must the fate be, which thou
+hast foretold? Jerusalem, my Jerusalem. Canst thou not avert it?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Gloomily] Naught can I do to avert it. I can only prophesy. Woe upon
+the impotent.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[After a pause] Jeremiah, I did not want war. I was forced to declare
+war, but I loved peace. And I love thee because of thy love for peace.
+Not with a light heart did I take up arms, but before I lived there was
+war under God's heaven, and there will be war after I am dead. I have
+suffered greatly, as thou canst testify when the time comes. Be thou
+near me when thy words are fulfilled.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I will be near thee, Zedekiah, my brother. [Slowly he averts his face
+from the king and moves towards the doorway]
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+Jeremiah! [JEREMIAH turns] Thou hast cursed me, Jeremiah. Bless me now,
+ere we part.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[After a moment's hesitation, strides back and holds his hands over the
+king] The Lord bless thee, and keep thee in all thy ways. May the light
+of his countenance shine upon thee, and may he give thee peace.
+
+ZEDEKIAH
+
+[As in a dream] May he give us peace.
+
+
+
+
+THE SUPREME AFFLICTION
+
+
+
+
+SCENE SEVEN
+
+I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that pluck off the
+hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. ISAIAH L, 6.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE SEVEN
+
+The following morning; the great square before the temple. A large
+crowd, consisting chiefly of women and children, is swarming up the
+steps leading to the palace, shouting and screaming. The leaders of the
+mob have reached the palace door, and are hammering on it with their
+fists.
+
+
+THE DOORKEEPER
+
+[Appearing through a wicket which he closes behind him] Are you still
+there? I have told you already that no more bread will be given out
+to-day.
+
+A WOMAN
+
+But I am hungry.
+
+A SECOND WOMAN
+
+You gave me one tiny loaf for my three children, a loaf no larger than
+my fist. Look at my little girl here; see how skinny her fingers are.
+[She lifts the child to show him]
+
+A THIRD WOMAN
+
+Look at mine too. [She also shows her child]
+
+CONFUSED AND ANGRY VOICES
+
+I am hungry.--Give me bread.--We are hungry.--Bread.--Bread.
+
+ANOTHER VOICE
+
+Let us have the keys.
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes.--Give us the keys.--Open the storehouses.
+
+THE DOORKEEPER
+
+[Pushing back the foremost among the mob] Away with you! The king's
+orders are that everyone shall have a loaf at daybreak. Then the
+storehouses are to be closed.
+
+A VOICE
+
+I got no loaf.
+
+OTHER VOICES
+
+Nor I, nor I.
+
+A WOMAN
+
+You could hardly see mine; and I have a child at the breast. Justice!
+
+A SECOND
+
+Mine was full of sand and gravel.
+
+A THIRD
+
+They are not the same loaves we used to get. We are being cheated.
+Justice!
+
+THE DOORKEEPER
+
+Nahum treats you all alike. He is perfectly fair.
+
+A VOICE
+
+Where is he?
+
+OTHER VOICES
+
+Where is he? We want to see him.--Let him show himself.--We will talk to
+him.--He is a thief.--Where is he?
+
+ANOTHER VOICE
+
+[Shouting stridently] He sits at home and fattens up his own household.
+They bake cake for themselves.
+
+A SECOND VOICE
+
+Yes, the rich have hoarded all they need.
+
+VOICES
+
+While we go hungry.--Bread for the poor.--Bread, bread.
+
+THE STRIDENT VOICE
+
+The king has golden dishes filled with dainties. In the palace they
+would rather throw their leavings to the dogs than feed our children.
+
+A VOICE
+
+I don't believe that.
+
+OTHER VOICES
+
+Yes.--Yes.--I have seen them do it.--My sister says they do.--Where is
+Nahum?--Give us bread.
+
+[Gradually the voices fuse into a single shout for bread. The mob
+thronging the steps grows more threatening. Some of those in the front
+ranks are about to seize the doorkeeper, while others continue to beat
+on the closed door. The doorkeeper blows a trumpet]
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+[Hastening from the palace, attended by a number of soldiers] Away with
+you. Push them back. Down the steps. Clear the entrance to the palace.
+
+[The soldiers use the hafts of their spears freely, and the mob yields
+ground, panicstricken]
+
+VOICES
+
+He struck me.--They are killing us.--Where is my child?--Help.--Help!
+
+[The crowd forms again at the foot of the steps, and faces ABIMELECH
+angrily]
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Are you all mad? The enemy is attacking us. Since dawn I have been on
+the ramparts to marshal the defence, and you meanwhile are raising a
+tumult at our backs. What would ye, rabble?
+
+VOICES
+
+Bread.--We are hungry.--Bread.--Our children have nothing to eat.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Everyone has had his loaf.
+
+VOICES
+
+Not I.--They left me out.--Not enough.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+The town is besieged. You must make the most of what you have. We are at
+war.
+
+VOICES
+
+There is not enough bread.--We are hungry.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Well, be hungry! We are shedding our blood for you. The city must be our
+first care. [Trying to hearten them up he exclaims] Jerusalem for ever!
+
+A VOICE
+
+[Half-heartedly] Jerusalem for ever!
+
+THE STRIDENT VOICE
+
+Who or what is Jerusalem? Has Jerusalem a stomach? Has Jerusalem blood?
+The stones and the walls are not Jerusalem. We are Jerusalem.
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes, we are Jerusalem.--Give us life.--Give us food.--Feed our
+children.--What is Jerusalem to me? I want bread.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+[Stamping fiercely] Be silent, all. Back to your homes. Why do you
+loiter in the marketplace? Do you not know that we are at war?
+
+A WOMAN
+
+Why are we at war?
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes, why?--Why are we at war?--Let us make peace.--Peace.--Peace.--Bread.
+
+THE STRIDENT VOICE
+
+Was it not well with us under Nebuchadnezzar? Was not his yoke light?
+Were not our days pleasant?
+
+VOICES
+
+Yea, yea.--Peace with Nebuchadnezzar.--End the war.--Down with the
+war.--A curse on him who began the war.
+
+A WOMAN
+
+It was Zedekiah's doing. He wanted war to help his friends the
+Egyptians.
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes, he has betrayed us.--While we suffer, he lies at ease among his
+wives.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Who dares to slander the Lord's anointed? He is ever in the forefront of
+the battle.
+
+THE STRIDENT VOICE
+
+It is false.
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Who says it is false? Let him stand forth and face my sword. Who says
+it? [The crowd is silent] Beware of slanderers! Now then, off home with
+you. Let those who can fight, man the walls.
+
+VOICES
+
+[From the back] Nahum, Nahum! Here he comes. [The crowd surges round
+NAHUM] Nahum, good Nahum.--Give us bread.--Bread.--Bread.--You will
+treat us fairly.--Help us.--Good Nahum.
+
+NAHUM
+
+[Elbowing his way through the press] Let me pass!
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[Follows him up the steps] Nahum! Nahum!
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Back! Stand back.
+
+[The soldiers raise their spears, and the crowd shrinks away to the foot
+of the steps]
+
+NAHUM
+
+What would ye?
+
+A VOICE
+
+Open the storehouses.
+
+NAHUM
+
+The storehouses are empty. Each of you has a loaf every day. That must
+suffice.
+
+VOICES
+
+I have had no loaf.--Nor I.--Open the storehouses.
+
+NAHUM
+
+I tell you they are empty.
+
+THE STRIDENT VOICE
+
+Let us see for ourselves.
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes, let us see for ourselves.--I don't believe it.--Open the
+storehouses.--Let us see for ourselves.
+
+NAHUM
+
+I swear to you ...
+
+THE STRIDENT VOICE
+
+When we see we will believe. We have been cheated too long.
+
+VOICES
+
+They are all cheats, the priests, the king, all.--Give up the keys.--How
+they lied when they prophesied victory. [The voices become more
+menacing] Where are the Egyptians?--Zedekiah promised that the Egyptians
+would help us.--Where are the signs and wonders?--Bread, bread,
+bread.--Give up the keys.
+
+[The mob surges up the steps once more, surrounding NAHUM and
+endeavoring to snatch the keys]
+
+NAHUM
+
+Help, help!
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+[Beating them back, aided by his men] Down, down!
+
+A VOICE
+
+Oh, I am wounded. See, I bleed!
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+For the last time. To your homes! Clear the marketplace, or I shall use
+my sword.
+
+THE STRIDENT VOICE
+
+The marketplace and the city belong to us.
+
+[A messenger appears at the back of the crowd]
+
+MESSENGER
+
+Abimelech! Where is Abimelech?
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+Here.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+There he is, the wretch, the murderer!
+
+MESSENGER
+
+Help, Abimelech. They have broken in at Moria Gate.
+
+[Cries of terror arise from the crowd]
+
+ABIMELECH
+
+[Cutting a path through them with his sword] Make way, make way.
+
+[He strides off. DOORKEEPER, NAHUM, and the soldiers withdraw through
+the wicket]
+
+[The crowd becomes chaotic. Previously it had been animated by a
+definite will. Now its units form a confused medley of horror-stricken
+persons, giving vent to hardly intelligible cries of terror and
+distress]
+
+VOICES
+
+They have broken in at Moria Gate.--All is lost.--My wife.--My
+children.--God help us.--To the temple.--Elijah, Elijah!--Where shall we
+hide?--What will become of us?
+
+A VOICE
+
+To the walls! Man the walls!
+
+A MAN
+
+[Rushing in] We are betrayed! The king has fled! We are lost!
+
+VOICES
+
+We are betrayed.--We are lost.--Where is the king?--Where are the
+priests?--Where is Hananiah?--Revenge, revenge.--Death is upon us.--The
+Chaldeans.
+
+THE STRIDENT VOICE
+
+Curses upon the king!
+
+VOICES
+
+[Fiercely] Curses upon the king!
+
+THE STRIDENT VOICE
+
+A curse on the priests! A curse on the prophets! They lied to us one and
+all.
+
+VOICES
+
+Yes, curse them every one!
+
+THE STRIDENT VOICE
+
+They persecuted those who warned us, those who counseled peace.
+
+A VOICE
+
+They persecuted Jeremiah.
+
+A SECOND VOICE
+
+Yes, Jeremiah told us what would happen.
+
+VOICES
+
+He warned us.--He wanted peace.--In this very place he shouted for
+peace.--I heard him.--He is the true prophet.--Everything has happened
+as he foretold. Where is Jeremiah?--Fetch Jeremiah. He will help
+us.--Where is he?--Where is he?
+
+A VOICE
+
+They have prisoned him in the pit, here in the palace.
+
+[Cries of fury arise from the crowd]
+
+VOICES
+
+Set him free.--He will save us.--Force the doors.--Jeremiah, Jeremiah!
+God has sent him to help us.--Jeremiah, man of God, come to our
+aid.--Down with the false prophets.--God spoke through Jeremiah.--Bring
+an axe to force the door.--Jeremiah shall be king.--Where is our
+saviour?
+
+[For a time nothing can be heard but the cry, _Jeremiah, Jeremiah_, and
+the noise made by the beating of axes and staves upon the door. Suddenly
+the door is opened and the doorkeeper appears]
+
+DOORKEEPER
+
+What would ye?
+
+THE CROWD
+
+Let us pass.--Jeremiah, Jeremiah!
+
+[The DOORKEEPER is thrust aside]
+
+DOORKEEPER
+
+Help, help!
+
+[Part of the mob disappears through the doorway, and from within is
+heard the noise of doors being broken down with axes. Those who remain
+on the steps are tense with excitement and impatience]
+
+VOICES
+
+[From within] The dogs have lowered him into the pit.--They were afraid
+of him.
+
+VOICES
+
+[From the steps] He is a holy man.--He is the chosen of the
+Lord.--Jeremiah will save us all.
+
+A WOMAN
+
+[Frenzied with excitement] He stretched forth his hand and cried, Peace.
+God's fire breathed from his lips. His brow shone like that of an angel.
+He will save us.
+
+ANOTHER WOMAN
+
+Could I but look upon his blessed face once more. It will shed light
+over Jerusalem.
+
+[Cries come from within]
+
+VOICES
+
+They have found him.--He is saved.--We are saved.--God will help
+us.--Jeremiah! Jeremiah!
+
+[Reappearing from within, the rest of the crowd brings JEREMIAH
+triumphantly to the top of the steps. He stands with his hand shielding
+his eyes from the light]
+
+VOICES
+
+[Ecstatically] Holy One!--Master!--Samuel.--Elijah.--Prophet.--Save us,
+Jeremiah.--King.--Anointed of the Lord.--Israel hear his
+words.--Jeremiah.
+
+THE FRENZIED WOMAN
+
+[Throwing herself at his feet] Why do you hide your face? Your glance
+brings healing. Look on this child of mine that it may grow hale. Look
+upon us all that we may arise from death.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Slowly withdraws his hand from his eyes. His gaze is serious and even
+gloomy, as he contemplates the agitated and expectant throng] The light
+is strange to my eyes, and burns them. Strange, too, is this love you
+show me, and it burns my soul. What would ye?
+
+THE CROWD
+
+Save us, Jeremiah, anointed of the Lord.--Save the city.--Be our
+king.--Show a miracle.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Your words are dark to me. What is your will?
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[All speaking at once] Moria.--The fortress of Zion.--Save Jerusalem.--A
+miracle.--We are lost.--You are our shepherd.--Save us.--Save Jerusalem.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Speak one at a time.
+
+THE WOMAN
+
+[Again throwing herself at his feet] Holy One, anointed of the Lord,
+star of our hope! Stretch forth your hand and save Jerusalem. What you
+foretold hath been fulfilled. The Chaldeans are upon us.
+
+A VOICE
+
+They have broken down Moria Gate.
+
+A SECOND VOICE
+
+Our men have been defeated.
+
+A THIRD VOICE
+
+[Despairingly] Save Jerusalem, or we perish.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[Taking up the cry] Save Jerusalem, or we perish.
+
+[JEREMIAH stands motionless, hiding his face in his hands]
+
+THE WOMAN
+
+We would take vengeance on your enemies; we would tear the faces of
+those who have reviled you. Have pity on us, you who are our saviour and
+our hope.
+
+A VOICE
+
+Who shall save us unless it be you?
+
+THE STRIDENT VOICE
+
+The priests have betrayed us. The king has sold us to the enemy.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Indignantly] It is false! Why slander ye the king?
+
+VOICES
+
+Zedekiah has forsaken us.--Where is he?--Why does he not come to our
+help?--He has fled.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Vehemently] It is not true.
+
+VOICES
+
+It is true.--They led us into this war.--They have sacrificed us.--We
+wanted peace.--Let us have peace.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Tardily comes your longing for peace. Why do ye put your transgressions
+on the king's shoulders? Ye clamored for war.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+No, not I.--No, not I.--It was the king.--Not I.--Not one of us.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Ye all wanted war, all, all! Your hearts are fickle, and ye sway in the
+wind like reeds. The very ones who now shout for peace, I have heard
+howling for war. Those who raise their voices against the king, hounded
+him on to the fray. Woe unto you, O people! Ye speak with two voices,
+and drive before every breeze. Ye have fornicated with war, and shall
+now bear the fruit of war. Ye have played with the sword, and shall now
+taste its edge.
+
+VOICES
+
+Alas, he spurns us.--Jeremiah, be merciful to us in our distress.--Aid
+us in our wretchedness.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+No man can help you. Help cometh from God alone.
+
+THE STRIDENT VOICE
+
+God has forsaken us.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+Yea, God has forsaken us.--Where is he?--Where is the covenant?
+
+FUGITIVES
+
+[Rush past shouting] The enemy is within the gates. Abimelech is slain.
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[Shrieks with terror, and then appeals once more to JEREMIAH] Hearken,
+hearken!--We are lost!--Show a miracle, a miracle.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Despairingly] What would ye that I should do? Am I to stretch forth my
+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
+
+  But I renounce my allegiance!
+  Resuming my freedom, no longer a thrall,
+  I nor heed thy commandments nor answer thy call!
+  Where 'twas shrined in my heart I thy image discrown,
+  And from out thy high heaven I hurl thee adown!
+  Thou spurnedst thy people, so thee too I reject;
+  No merciless God shall compel my respect!
+  For why is it seemly that reverence be paid
+  To a god who gives scorn when his children seek aid?
+  He only is God who turns sorrow aside,
+  Almighty but he who can solace provide!
+  And of men him alone may we prophet proclaim
+  Whose spirit with measureless love is aflame,
+  Whose words and whose deeds teach all men to know
+  That his soul with compassion is ever aglow.
+  Now to me my purpose in life is plain,
+  For the plaints that assail thine ears all in vain
+  Wring my heart with the passion of infinite pain.
+  Come cries from the city thine anger hath burned,
+  Come cries from the people thy hatred hath spurned,
+  Come cries from the widows, made widows by thee,
+  Come cries from the mothers, made childless by thee,
+  From the king, now blind, as by thee ordained,
+  From thine altar, by thine own self profaned;
+  From the earth, from the air, the message is sent;
+  As I hearken, with anguish my bowels are rent;
+  Appeals from the living, appeals from the dead;
+  As I hearken, perforce I must turn my head
+  From thee, who art cold and unfeeling as stone,
+  From thee, who art deaf when thy children make moan,
+  To my brothers, my sisters, who are bone of my bone
+  And flesh of my flesh, those whom sorrows invest,
+  Those whom torments afflict. With them, none but them,
+  Can my spirit find peace or my heart be at rest.
+  In reverence I bow before them, none but them;
+  For them, tenderest love; for thee, God, naught but hate!
+
+THE ELDER
+
+He hath cursed God. Strike him down.
+
+VOICES
+
+He raves.--He is mad.--He dreams.--'Tis dangerous to listen to
+him.--Silence the madman!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Suddenly kneels and apostrophizes the others]
+
+  My brothers, my brothers, forgive me, forgive
+  The vain pride of a man now unfitted to live!
+  For God, none but he, with dreams dazzled my eyes.
+  With words he confused me, with signs led astray,
+  Until, to an evil self-will giving way,
+  I believed myself prophet, all-knowing, all-wise!
+  I believed myself great with the greatness of God,
+  When, invoking his name, your dooms I shrilled.
+  When with his curses my mouth was filled!
+  But lo, I abjure him, this pitiless God!
+  Though toward you I proved myself arrogant, vain,
+  I beseech you, my brothers, show mercy again.
+  Though my curses rained down on you many a day,
+  Repulse me not now--for he led me astray.
+  There is naught but forgiveness my spirit to heal;
+  At your feet now abased, craving pardon, I kneel.
+
+[All draw away from him in horror. He moves after them, without rising
+from his knees]
+
+  My brothers, my brothers, look kindly on me!
+  Well assured is my heart that we brothers be,
+  And I the least worthy, the youngest of all!
+  Lo, I curse you no longer, but breathe benediction,
+  Lo, I yearn to share with you the bread of affliction!
+  Let it please you, my brothers, whate'er may befall,
+  That I love you, that thanks to the love I bear,
+  No more word of mine, I swear it, I swear,
+  Shall add by one grain to your load of care.
+  In atonement for wrongdoing ask what you will.
+  The meanest of services glad to fulfil,
+  As the slave of your slaves I demand only this,
+  That the dust from your shoes I may thankfully kiss.
+  My brothers in darkness, my brothers in grief,
+  From my humble repentance withhold not belief.
+  My brothers, my brothers, your pardon were bliss.
+
+THE ELDER
+
+Death to the man who touches him! God hath judged him.
+
+VOICES
+
+Accursed of God, away.--Forth from among us.--Poison us no longer with
+thy presence.--Away liar, away!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[When they thrust him from them, cries plaintively] Driven out like a
+leper! [He falls prone]
+
+[There is a peremptory knocking, at the door]
+
+VOICES
+
+The heralds!--The Chaldeans!--They knock like masters.--It is not one of
+our own people. [The knocking becomes more imperative] What
+impatience!--We must not anger him.--Do not unbar the door, for they are
+all robbers, the Chaldeans.--We must open to him, or he will grow angry.
+
+THE ELDER
+
+I will open the door. In the midst of life we are in death.
+
+[He cautiously begins to open the great door, but as soon as the bar is
+down one of the leaves is violently pushed open and BARUCH rushes in.
+THE ELDER rebars the door]
+
+BARUCH
+
+[His face working with anxiety] Brothers, is Jeremiah here?
+
+THE ELDER
+
+Name him not! Speak not to him.
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Looking around] Jeremiah, Jeremiah!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Slowly rising, stares at BARUCH as if he were a stranger] Who still
+seeks me? Who now would tempt me?
+
+BARUCH
+
+Master mine, do you not know me? Do you not recognize my voice?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I will look no more and listen no more. Away, you who still breathe the
+breath of life! Let me lie and rot!
+
+BARUCH
+
+Jeremiah, beloved master, I implore you to collect yourself. The enemy
+is hunting for you.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Who still seeks me in this world?
+
+BARUCH
+
+You have been betrayed; they know your hiding-place. Nebuchadnezzar has
+sent officers in search of you.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Let them come! Blessed be the slayers! Blessed be death!
+
+BARUCH
+
+Jeremiah, if you love me, seek refuge in flight. I cannot bear that your
+life should be forfeited.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+No more love have I for anyone.
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Embracing him] Nay, master, my blood rather than yours. I will die with
+you.
+
+[Violent blows are struck on the door]
+
+THE CROWD
+
+[Scattering into the darkest corners] Alas, alas.--The Chaldeans.--Our
+hour has come.--Jeremiah has brought disaster upon us.--Let us deliver
+him up.
+
+BARUCH
+
+Too late! They are already here.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Open to them, Baruch. [BARUCH hesitates. JEREMIAH standing erect speaks
+slowly and clearly, almost exultantly] Open, that I may receive them. My
+soul yearns for death. Welcome, first fulfiller of my word! Welcome,
+Death. Open, Baruch! Open to the deliverer. [BARUCH moves to the door
+where he again hesitates. The door is once more shaken by violent blows
+from without. JEREMIAH repeats masterfully] Open, Baruch, I command you.
+
+[BARUCH veils his face and unbars the door. The two leaves of the
+folding door are flung open, and a gleam of the fading light of evening
+penetrates the dark crypt. The king's three officers enter, richly
+appareled, their figures showing in strong relief against the red sky.
+JEREMIAH stands alone, confronting them]
+
+THE CHIEF OFFICER
+
+[Advancing to the front] Is the man named Jeremiah among you, the son of
+Hilkiah of Anathoth?
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I am he whom you seek. Fulfil your orders.
+
+[THE CHIEF OFFICER prostrates himself before JEREMIAH, touching the
+ground three times with his forehead. The two other officers do the
+same. JEREMIAH, startled, draws back a pace. THE CHIEF OFFICER rises to
+his knees]
+
+THE CHIEF OFFICER
+
+Hail to the interpreter of signs! Honor and glory to the revealer of
+events, to the seer of that which is hidden. [Having again abased
+himself three times, he stands erect; his companions follow his example.
+JEREMIAH, recovering composure, regards him gloomily] I bear a message
+through my unworthy mouth from Nebuchadnezzar, my master, king of kings,
+destroyer of nations. Thus saith my dread lord. It hath been reported to
+Nebuchadnezzar that thou alone among thy people foretoldest destruction
+to the rebels and disgrace to those who goaded on the people to revolt.
+Melted like lead are the words of the priests who withstood thy
+strength; but thy warning, like gold, hath endured the test of time. Thy
+fame hath reached the ears of Nebuchadnezzar, and now he is eager to set
+eyes upon thee. He sendeth thee raiment such as is worn by the princes
+of Chaldea, and will have thee for the chief among his servants who wait
+at his table.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+No more will I serve any, either in heaven above or in the earth
+beneath, for I have served God and have wearied of that service. Say
+unto Nebuchadnezzar that I refuse to serve him.
+
+THE CHIEF OFFICER
+
+Thou understandest not the words of my lord and master. Not to any
+menial service doth he appoint thee, but would have thee to be the chief
+over all his servants. Master of the magicians, astrologers, and
+soothsayers, shalt thou be, reading the stars and foretelling that which
+is to come. Second to none shalt thou be, but shalt come and go in the
+palace even as thou wilt.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I hear your words, and therefrom I learn the king's wishes. Great is the
+call of Nebuchadnezzar, but greater is the need of mine own people.
+Hearken, therefore! I enter not the palace where the daughters of Israel
+will scour the steps as bondwomen. No bread do I break as guest at the
+table of him who hath profaned the temple of Zion. Not for me the favors
+of the cruel, nor the grace of him who hath been pitiless.
+
+THE CHIEF OFFICER
+
+The message I brought thee was a king's message, and to kings obedience
+is due.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+You brought me true word from Nebuchadnezzar. Render him my answer no
+less truly. Return to him who sent you, and say unto him: "Thus saith
+Jeremiah to Nebuchadnezzar. My bitterness has no sweetness for thee, nor
+shall my lips minister to thy pride. Wert thou to summon me with the
+tongues of angels, yet would I not heed thy call; wert thou to load for
+me with gold all the stones of Jerusalem, yet would I not speak soft
+words to thee. Honor me if you wilt, to thee I pay not honor. Seek me if
+thou wilt, but thee I will not seek."
+
+THE CHIEF OFFICER
+
+Bethink thee, 'tis the king of kings who summons thee to enjoy the light
+of his countenance.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+I refuse to go! I refuse!
+
+THE CHIEF OFFICER
+
+Never before hath any man refused to comply with the wishes of
+Nebuchadnezzar.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Nevertheless I refuse, I, the least among the sons of Israel. Who is he,
+that I should fear him? His power is but a straw, and his wrath but a
+breath of wind.
+
+THE CHIEF OFFICER
+
+Rash and presumptuous art thou, to speak thus lightly of the king my
+master. Curb thy tongue, and have a care for thy life.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Fiercely] Who is he that I should fear him? Many have there been who
+bore the proud name of Pharaoh, many whose foreheads were once adorned
+with circlets of gold, but no man careth to remember their deeds, and no
+man taketh pen to inscribe their names in the book of time. There have
+been mightier than he, whom the generations of men have forgotten ere
+the trees they planted have rotted. Who is Nebuchadnezzar under the
+stars, that I should fear him? Is he not a worm, even as other men? Does
+not death dog his footsteps, and corruption await his body? Shall he
+escape the finger of time? Think you that he, more than another, can
+keep that which he now hath, or that he can find an issue from the doom
+which awaits all the sons of men? Return, therefore, to your master,
+bearing from me this message: "Woe to the destroyer, for he shall be
+destroyed! Woe to the robber, for he shall be robbed. He who has drunk
+his fill of blood, shall be drowned in blood; he who has battened on the
+flesh of the nations, shall himself soon become food for worms! Hearken!
+A wind is rising against Babylon, and a tempest is about to break over
+Nineveh! Numbered are the days of Ashur. Drawn is the sword, and it
+hangs over thee, thy people, and thy realm. Thou art greedy for news of
+that which is to come. Learn, O Nebuchadnezzar, that Ashur is ripe for
+destruction; the measure of thine iniquity is full."
+
+[The officers shrink before these fiery words, and make gestures as if
+to avert the threatened doom]
+
+THE ELDER
+
+[Suddenly stands forth from a dark corner, and cries enthusiastically]
+Hear him, O Lord, hear him! Fulfil the promise of his words.
+
+VOICES
+
+[Imploringly] Hear him, Lord God of Sabaoth!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Already hath the avenger awakened, for the Lord hath summoned him, and
+hath equipped him with strength. He is coming. Already is he near.
+Mighty are his hands; they will crush Babylon like a bird's nest, and
+will scatter the people of Ashur like chaff before the wind. Set
+watchmen in the towers upon the walls, that they may warn you of his
+coming; send forth men in armor, bearing sharp spears, that they may
+resist his onslaught. Just as little as thou canst blow away the clouds
+of heaven with thy breath, just so little canst thou avert the coming of
+the avenger, whose sword will slay the children of Ashur.
+
+THE ELDER
+
+[Ecstatically] So let it be, Lord, so let it be!
+
+THE OTHER REFUGEES
+
+[They have collected round THE ELDER, and have caught fire from his
+enthusiasm] Smite them, O Lord, as he has foretold.--Fulfil the words he
+has spoken.--Send the avenger.--Cast down Babylon even as he has
+prophesied.--Hear him, O Lord, hear him.
+
+[The officers, panic-stricken, make for the door]
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[In a frenzy of joy] O fool among fools, didst thou verily believe thou
+couldst enslave us; didst thou verily believe that God would forget us,
+would forsake his city of Jerusalem? Are we not his children, his
+first-born and his heirs? Is not his spirit upon us, and his blessing
+upon the seed of Abraham? He has chastised us for our sins, but will now
+have pity on us. What his left hand has taken from us, his right hand
+will restore a thousandfold. For know, brothers, that sooner shall
+mountains fall and rivers flow upwards, sooner shall the stars be
+darkened, than that God shall forget his covenant, shall abandon Israel,
+shall turn away his face from Zion.
+
+[The officers have vanished during this speech]
+
+THE ELDER AND THE OTHERS
+
+[Thronging round JEREMIAH] Blessings upon your words.--Blessings upon
+your head.--God will be mindful of Jerusalem.--O glorious prophecy!
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Ignoring them in his growing exaltation] How dark were the days upon
+earth when God frowned upon his children. We thought to perish in that
+darkness, to go down unto death in our anguish. But with the end of his
+wrath came the beginning of his love. A storm has raged; God has broken
+our strength like a reed. But now, once more, the sun of his mercy
+shines upon us. He has laid aside the lightnings; he has stilled the
+thunder of his voice; his words fall softly on our ears. Sweet do they
+sound, sweet and gentle:
+
+  Arise, Jerusalem,
+  Arise, city of affliction.
+  Fear no longer,
+  For I have compassion upon thee.
+  I have been wroth with thee,
+  For a moment I have forsaken thee,
+  But not for ever doth mine anger endure.
+  Therefore, since thou hast been forsaken,
+  Hast been for a day the rejected of God,
+  Now shall thy glories be restored unto thee,
+  And now shalt thou be exalted for all eternity.
+  I will deck thee with my love,
+  And girdle thee with peace,
+  Will show thee the light of my countenance,
+  And bestow my blessing upon thee.
+  Arise, Jerusalem,
+  Arise,
+  For I have delivered thee.
+
+THE ELDER
+
+A blessing upon your words.
+
+THE OTHERS
+
+Hear him, God.--Fulfil his words.--Deliver Jerusalem.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Lo, she is risen. She has heard the call. The Lord has loosened the
+fetters from her limbs, and has lifted the yoke from her neck. He has
+wiped the tears from her cheeks, has consoled the widows and the
+orphans. Smiles succeed to sorrow. The season of blossoming hath
+returned. Zion yearns for her children, that they may look upon her in
+her happiness and rejoice in her renewal. Already have the children of
+Israel heard the summons of the Lord. Dispersed never so widely to the
+ends of the earth and among the islands of the sea, yet do they return
+in their myriads to Zion. From the north and the south, from the east
+and the west, the happy pilgrims come. Their footsteps hasten across the
+hills of Gilead, eagerly do they make their way over Bashan and Carmel,
+that they may see the city of our love, the city of our suffering, the
+holy fortress of Zion. And Jerusalem rejoices to welcome her children,
+returned in countless numbers from the prison-houses of exile. Where the
+flowers were withered, new buds are springing; where darkness had
+loomed, there shines fresh light; those who have been dumb, find voice.
+Jerusalem has risen from the tomb. The hills nod to her as of old; the
+shadows of the mountains lie athwart her plains; as dew gleams in the
+meadows, so peace shines in the city, the peace of the Lord, the peace
+of Israel, the peace of Jerusalem!
+
+THE OTHERS
+
+Fulfil the prophecy, O God.--Bring peace to Israel.--Let Jerusalem
+arise.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+  When the glad day comes, and in Zion we meet,
+  We, who so long have been captives and slaves,
+  Who have dwelt with the stranger in gloomy abodes,
+  Joyfully reassembling,
+  We shall pray:
+  Blessed be thy name, Lord God of Sabaoth!
+  Great and wonderful have been thy mercies!
+  By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept,
+  Breaking the bitter bread of slavery;
+  We mingled the wine in our pitchers with tears;
+  For our souls were sick with longing for home,
+  And our servitude was a daily death.
+  Then we called unto thee, compassionate one, and called not in vain,
+  For thou didst break our bonds.
+  With the dew of thy goodness, with the waters of life,
+  Didst thou quench the fever of our thirsty souls.
+  Us the dispersed, us the vanquished,
+  Didst thou raise from the dust and lead home to Zion.
+  Look on us, O mountains; look on us, O fields!
+  We have returned, we have risen as from the dead!
+  Let the sound of our streamlets murmur in our prayers;
+  Let the gardens welcome us with their flowers;
+  Let the roses of Sharon greet us with their perfume,
+  The forests of Carmel and Lebanon with their shade.
+  And thou, holy city, the beloved, ne'er forgotten,
+  The vision of our days, and the dream of our nights,
+  The bride of our love and the mother of us all,
+  Let thy cymbals sound, thy flutes breathe notes of gladness;
+  Arouse thee and give utterance to thy rejoicing,
+  For we have returned to thee, Jerusalem!
+
+THE OTHERS
+
+[Pressing near him in their delight, throwing themselves at his feet,
+embracing his knees] Returned!--Risen as from the dead.--Glorious
+prophecy.--Jerusalem.--Jerusalem.
+
+BARUCH
+
+[On his knees] My master, my teacher, how sweet are your words, how
+blissful is your message.
+
+THE ELDER
+
+Blessed be he who brings comfort in time of affliction.
+
+A WOMAN
+
+His eyes glow like stars and light up the vault.
+
+ANOTHER WOMAN
+
+God's spirit has descended on him.
+
+THE WOUNDED MAN
+
+His words have heartened me. I live, I live again. Oh that I, too, might
+one day return to Jerusalem.
+
+ZEPHANIAH
+
+Your words have brought me new courage, Jeremiah.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Paying no heed, but gradually awakening from his trance and looking
+round with alarm] Where are they to whom I spake? Surely I talked with
+messengers from King Nebuchadnezzar? Have I been dreaming? Methought
+there were three men, richly appareled.
+
+THE ELDER
+
+They fled before the lightnings of your glance.
+
+ANOTHER
+
+Your anger smote them like a sword.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Still confused] What did I say? My mind is dark, and yet I seem to
+recall something. What did I say? Why do you all look at me yearningly?
+Why do you crowd round me? You looked at me with horror in your faces,
+but now ... What has happened to me, and what has happened to you?
+
+THE ELDER
+
+Man of God, man into whose heart the fire of God has passed, this light
+streams from you. Mightily have you prophesied to us.
+
+A MAN
+
+You have freed my soul from its anguish.
+
+A WOMAN
+
+You have feasted my heart on manna.
+
+THE WOUNDED MAN
+
+Look at me. I can get up. I can walk. The pain has gone. Your words have
+called me back from death.
+
+VOICES
+
+A miracle.--A miracle like those of Elijah.--Raising from the dead.--Let
+us bow before God's messenger.--A miracle.--A miracle.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Gently] Nay, brothers, shame me not by your praises. I have no part in
+what has befallen. A miracle has there doubtless been, but it has been
+wrought on me, not by me. I cursed God, and he has blessed me; I fled
+from him, and he has found me. None can escape his love, nor can anyone
+overcome his power. He has vanquished me, my brothers; and nothing is
+sweeter than to be vanquished by God.
+
+THE ELDER
+
+[Ecstatically] Jeremiah, Jeremiah, may God do by all of us even as he
+has done by you.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+Alas, that I knew not the Lord till so late! Alas, that I found you so
+late, my brothers! Dark lies the city, and dark our fate; but wonderful
+is life, holy the world wherein we dwell. O earth which I have despised,
+be gentle to me as I kneel; God, whom but now I renounced, be gracious
+to my prayer! [He kneels]
+
+  I thank thee, O Lord, for thy gentleness toward me,
+  When I, froward and fierce, did thy service abjure.
+  For that thou whom I cursed didst with blessings reward me,
+  My heart will be grateful while life doth endure.
+  In life I will praise thee, in death I will praise.
+  With the bread of thy word thou dost nourish my days.
+  Let me bless thee for filling my soul with thy breath,
+  With that spirit of love which is stronger than death.
+  Let me bless thee for this, that harshly thou dravest
+  Me forth from thy face; that sorrow thou gavest
+  To me and to others. Nay, sorrow I bless,
+  For when men keep aloof, lo, the touch of distress
+  Makes them know they are kin. But the sorrows God sendeth
+  Are the firstfruits of storm, which in sunshine oft endeth.
+  I bless thee then, God, on life's journey the guide,
+  Whom all seek to escape, but from whom none can hide,
+  For the lowliest ever thy grace can best win,
+  And the sinner thy love, yea, because of his sin!
+  Blessed the man who can lose self in God!
+  Blessed the man who is chosen of God!
+  Blessed the heaven, in music ensphered,
+  Blessed the world, as thy mirror endeared!
+  Blest the stars which shine peacefully, far above strife,
+  Blest the quiet of death--blest the turmoil of life!
+
+BARUCH
+
+[Throwing himself on his knees before JEREMIAH] Jeremiah, my master,
+Jeremiah! Let not thy word shine upon us alone. Many are waiting in the
+marketplace, their souls full of fear. Give courage to the despairing.
+Fill the thirsty with the waters of life.
+
+THE ELDER
+
+Yea, strengthen the knees of the tottering. Console the afflicted!
+
+VOICES
+
+Go forth to our brothers.--To them, as to us, bring solace.--Give them
+the message.--The promise.
+
+JEREMIAH
+
+[Rising] So be it, brothers, lead me to them. I have been comforted of
+God, and now will I comfort others. Let us go forth, that we may build
+again the temple in the hearts of the hopeless, may build there the
+everlasting Jerusalem. [He strides out through the door]
+
+THE OTHERS
+
+[Surrounding him, some leading the way, while all the voices mingle in
+exaltation] Jerusalem.--Jerusalem the undying.--Prophesy!--On, God's
+master-builder.--Jerusalem endureth for ever!
+
+
+
+
+THE EVERLASTING ROAD
+
+
+
+
+SCENE NINE
+
+For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord,
+thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then
+shall ye call upon me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek
+me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I
+will be found of you, saith the Lord: and I will turn away your
+captivity. JEREMIAH XXIX, 11-14.
+
+
+
+
+SCENE NINE
+
+The great square in front of the temple, as in the first scene, save
+that now everywhere signs of the sack are visible.
+
+In the square we see a medley of hand-carts laden with household goods,
+of packhorses and other beasts of burden, and of wagons. Men and women,
+preparing for the exodus, are busied among these. New groups continually
+flock into the square from the surrounding streets, and the noise of
+conversation grows ever louder. The women and children, together with
+the men too old for work, sit apart on the steps. Chaldean warriors,
+fully armed, stride masterfully through the crowd, making way for
+themselves with their spears.
+
+The moon shines fitfully. Gradually the dawn reddens in the east.
+
+
+VOICES
+
+This is our meeting place.--How many of us are here?--Keep together,
+sons of Reuben.--How dark it is.--This is the best place, so that we can
+lead the way.
+
+OTHER VOICES
+
+Don't push.--This is our place.--Our mules have been standing here since
+evening.--The place is ours.--The sons of Reuben always want to be
+first.
+
+AN ELDER
+
+Do not quarrel, children. Let Reuben lead the way, for such is the law.
+
+VOICES
+
+There is no longer any law.--The scriptures are burned.--Who are you to
+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!
+
+[A few Chaldeans, among them a captain, have come out from the palace.
+Some of them are half drunk. Their voices sound shrill in contrast with
+the chanting of the wanderers]
+
+THE CAPTAIN
+
+The dogs are mutinous. They murmur against their fate. Beat them with
+rods if they refuse to go.
+
+A CHALDEAN
+
+Look, Captain, they have not waited for an order. There is no sign of
+mutiny.
+
+THE CAPTAIN
+
+If they complain, strike them on the mouth.
+
+THE CHALDEAN
+
+Captain, they are not complaining.
+
+ANOTHER CHALDEAN
+
+Watch them marching. They stride along like conquerors. Their eyes flash
+with joy.
+
+THE CHALDEANS
+
+What people are these?--Have they not been vanquished?--Can anyone have
+spread among them false tidings of liberation?--What are they
+chanting?--A strange people.--No one can understand them, whether in
+their dejection or in their exultation.--Their very gentleness is a
+danger, for it has a strength of its own.--This resembles rather the
+triumphal entry of a king, than the exodus of an enslaved people.--Saw
+the world ever such a nation?
+
+FOURTH CHORUS OF WANDERERS
+
+[Here JEREMIAH inconspicuously joins his tribe]
+
+  Through ages we wander, we march through the nations,
+  The tale of our sufferings ever renewed;
+  Aeon after aeon eternally vanquished,
+  Thralls at the hearths where in passing we rest.
+  But the cities wither, and the nations
+  Shoot into darkness like wandering stars.
+  The oppressors who scourged us with many whips
+  Have become a hissing and a byword among the generations.
+  Whereas we march onward, march onward, march onward,
+  Drawing strength from within, eternity from earth,
+  And God from pains and tribulations.
+
+THE CHALDEAN CAPTAIN
+
+Verily madness has seized them. We are the victors, they the defeated
+and the disgraced. Why, then, do they not complain?
+
+A CHALDEAN
+
+An invisible force must sustain them.
+
+ANOTHER CHALDEAN
+
+True, they believe in the invisible. That is the mystery of their faith.
+
+THE CAPTAIN
+
+How is it possible to see the invisible, or to believe in what cannot be
+seen? They must have secret arts, like those of our astrologers and
+soothsayers. It would be well to learn their mysteries.
+
+THE CHALDEAN
+
+These mysteries cannot be taught; the secret lies in faith. What
+sustains them, they say, is their faith in the invisible God.
+
+FIFTH CHORUS OF WANDERERS
+
+  We wander adown the road of suffering,
+  Through our trials we are purified,
+  Everlastingly vanquished, and everlastingly overthrown,
+  For ever enslaved, for ever enfranchised,
+  Unceasingly broken and unceasingly renewed,
+  The mock and the sport of all nations on earth.
+  We wander through the eternities,
+  A remnant, a remnant,
+  And yet numberless.
+  We march onward to God,
+  To God who is the beginning and the end,
+  To God who is our home.
+
+THE CHALDEAN
+
+See how they are walking to meet the sun. His light shines on their
+foreheads, and they themselves shine with the strength of the sun.
+Mighty must their God be.
+
+THE CAPTAIN
+
+Their God? Have we not broken down his altars? Have we not conquered
+him?
+
+THE CHALDEAN
+
+Who can conquer the invisible? Men we can slay, but the God who lives in
+them we cannot slay. A nation can be controlled by force; its spirit,
+never.
+
+[For the third time the trumpet sounds. The sun has risen, shining on
+the exodus of the chosen people, beginning their march athwart the ages]
+
+
+
+
+
+  [ Transcriber's Note:
+
+    The following is a list of corrections made to the original.
+    The first line is the original line, the second the corrected one.
+
+  No we, nor we.--Down with Ashur.--Let us break the yoke.--Let us be on
+  Nor we, nor we.--Down with Ashur.--Let us break the yoke.--Let us be on
+
+  against Ashur,--Say, shall the victory be ours?
+  against Ashur.--Say, shall the victory be ours?
+
+  We would fain ask you whether our daughters shall keep their virginity
+  We would fain ask you whether our daughters shall keep their virginity.
+
+  [Suddenly breaking forth into speech] A miracle has happened people of
+  [Suddenly breaking forth into speech] A miracle has happened, people of
+
+  Jeremiah, who leads the people astray? Jeremiah who cried through the
+  Jeremiah, who leads the people astray? Jeremiah, who cried through the
+
+  Jerusalem endureth for ever
+  Jerusalem endureth for ever.
+
+  [ZEKEDIAH turns away, and slowly resumes the round, plunged in thought.
+  [ZEDEKIAH turns away, and slowly resumes the round, plunged in thought.
+
+  [A female relative, coming from without, cautionsly draws aside the
+  [A female relative, coming from without, cautiously draws aside the
+
+  [To Nahum] Coward and traitor!
+  [To NAHUM] Coward and traitor!
+
+  It would be an everlasting disgrace could the heathen on the face
+  It would be an everlasting disgrace could the heathen look on the face
+
+  of Jehovah."
+  of Jehovah.
+
+  ]
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Jeremiah, by Stefan Zweig
+
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