The Project Gutenberg eBook, David, by Cale Young Rice

DAVID;
A TRAGEDY

BY
CALE YOUNG RICE

BY THE SAME AUTHOR
Charles Di Tocca

DAVID;
A TRAGEDY
BY
CALE YOUNG RICE

NEW YORK
MCCLURE, PHILLIPS & CO.
MCMIV

Two hundred and fifty copies of this book have been
printed at the McClure Press, of which
this is No. __________

Copyright, 1904, by
McClure, Phillips & Co.

Published May, 1904. N.

AFFECTIONATELY
TO MY BROTHER
LACY L. RICE

CHARACTERS

A Chorus of Women. A Band of Prophets. Followers of David. Soldiers of Saul. People of the Court, etc.

DAVID

ACT I

SCENE: A Hall of Judgment in the palace of Saul at Gibeah. The walls, pillars and ceiling are of cedar richly carven with images of serpents, pomegranates and cherubim in gold. The floors are of bright marble; the throne of ivory, hung with a lion’s skin whose head is its footstool. On the right and left, doors, draped with finely woven curtains of purple and white, lead to other portions of the palace. Seats toward the front. Lamps burn low.

The Hall, supported on pillars, is open along the back, where a Porch, surrounding the Court of the palace, crosses. Through the Porch, on the environing hills, glow the camp-fires of the Philistines, the enemies of Israel.

JUDITH, LEAH and ZILLA are reclining restively on the floor of the Hall.

JUDITH

[Springing to her feet impatiently.]

O for a feast! pomegranate wine and song!

LEAH

Oh! oh!

ZILLA

A feast indeed! the men in camp!

When was a laugh or any leaping here?

Never; and none to charm with timbreling!

[She goes to the porch.]

LEAH

What shall we do?

JUDITH

I’ll dance.

ZILLA

Until you’re dead.

JUDITH

Or till a youth wed Zilla for her beauty?

I’ll not soil mine with sullen fear all day

Because these Philistines press round. As well

Be wenches gathering grapes or wool! Come, Leah.

[She prepares to dance.]

LEAH

No, Judith, I’ll put henna on my nails,

And mend my anklet.

[She sits down.]

ZILLA [At the curtains.]

Oh! oh, oh!

JUDITH

Now hear her!

Who, who, now? who, who is it? dog, fox, devil?

ZILLA

All!

JUDITH

Then ’tis Ishui! [Bounding to curtains.] Yes, Ishui!

And fury in him, sallow, sour fury!

A jackal were his mate! Come, come, we’ll plague him.

ZILLA

And too—with David whom he hates!

JUDITH

Aie, David!

A joy to rouse men up to jealousy!

LEAH

Why hates he David, Zilla?

ZILLA

Stupid Leah!

JUDITH

Hush, hush, be meet and ready now; he’s near.

Look as for silly visions and for dreams!

[They pose themselves. Ishui enters—sees them. Judith sighs.]

ISHUI

Now timbrel-gaud, why gaping here!

JUDITH

O! ’tis

Prince Ishui!

ZILLA

Prince Ishui! Then he

Will tell us! he will tell us!

LEAH

Yes!

JUDITH

Of David!

O is he come! when, where, quick, quick, and will

He pluck us ecstasies out of his harp,

Winning until we’re wanton for him, mad,

And sigh and laugh and weep to the moon!

ISHUI

Low thing!

Chaff of the king!

JUDITH

The king! I had not thought!

David a king! how beauteous would he be!

ISHUI

David?

JUDITH

Turban of sapphire! robe of gold!

ISHUI

A king? o’er Israel?

JUDITH

Who, who can tell!

Have you not heard? Yesterday in the camp

Among war-old but fearful men he offered

Kingly to meet Goliath—great Goliath!

ISHUI

What do you say? to meet Goliath?

JUDITH [Laughing in his face.]

Aie!

[He thrusts her from him. She goes dancing with Zilla and Leah.]

ADRIEL [Who has entered.]

Ishui, in a rage?

ISHUI

Should I not be!

ADRIEL

Not would you be yourself.

ISHUI

Not? [Deftly.] You say well.

I should not, no. Pardon, then, Adriel.

ADRIEL

What was the offence?

ISHUI

Turn from it.—I have not

Bidden you here for vapours; yet they had

Substance as well for you!

ADRIEL

For me?

ISHUI

Who likes

Laughter against him!

ADRIEL

I was laughed at?

ISHUI

Why,

It is this shepherd!

ADRIEL

David?

ISHUI

With his harp!

Flinging enchantment on the palace air

Till he impassions to him all who breathe.

ADRIEL

What sting from that? He’s lovable and brave.

ISHUI

Lovable? Lovable?

ADRIEL

I do not see.

ISHUI

This then: you’ve hither come with gifts and gold,

Dream-bringing amethyst and weft of Ind,

To wed my sister, Merab?

ADRIEL

It is so.

ISHUI

And you’ve the king’s consent; but she denies?

ADRIEL

As every wind, you know it.

ISHUI

Still denies!

And you, lost in the maze of her, fare on

Blindly and find no reason for it!

ADRIEL

How?

What reason can be? women are not clear;

And least unto themselves.

ISHUI

Or to their fools.

[He goes to curtains and draws out Adah.]

Your mistress, Merab, girl, whom does she love?

Unclench your hands.

ADAH

I hate her.

ISHUI

Insolent!

Answer; I am not milky Jonathan.

Answer; and for the rest—You hear?

ADAH

She loves—

The shepherd David!

ADRIEL

Who, girl?

ADAH

I care not!

She is unkind; I wilt not spy for her

On Michal, and I’ll tell her secrets all!

And David does not love her—and she raves.

ISHUI

Off to your sleep; now off—

[Makes to strikes her.]

ADRIEL

Ishui, no.

[Adah goes.]

ISHUI

And see you now how ‘lovable’ he is!

I tell you that he stands athwart us all!

The heart of Merab swung a censer to him,

My seat at table with the king usurped!

Mildew and mocking to the harp of Doeg,

As it were any slave’s; the while we all

Are lepered with suspicion.

ADRIEL

Of the king?

ISHUI

Ah! and of Jonathan and Michal.

ADRIEL

Hush.

[Enter Michal passing with Miriam.]

Michal, delay. Whom lead you?

MICHAL

Miriam,

A prophetess.

ADRIEL

How of the king to-night?

MICHAL

He’s not at rest; dreads Samuel’s prophecy

The throne shall pass from him, and darkens more

Against this boundless Philistine Goliath

Who dares at Israel daily on the hills,

As we were dogs!

ADRIEL

Is David with him?

MICHAL

No;

But he is sent for—and will ease him—Ah!

He’s wonderful to heal the king with his harp!

A waft, a sunny leap of melody,

And swift the hovering mad shadow’s gone—

As magic!

ISHUI

Michal.… Curst!

MICHAL

What anger’s this?

ISHUI

Disdaining Doeg and his plea to dust,

His waiting and the winning-o’er of Edom,

You are enamoured of this David too?

MICHAL

I think my brother Ishui hath a fever.

[She goes—calmly, with Miriam.]

ISHUI

Now are you kindled—are you quivering,

Or must this shepherd put upon us more?

ADRIEL

But has he not dealt honorably?

ISHUI

No.

ADRIEL

Why do you urge it?

ISHUI

Why have senses. He

With Samuel the prophet fast enshrouds

Some secret, and has Samuel not told

The kingdom from my father shall be rent

And fall unto another?

ADRIEL

You are certain?

ISHUI

As granite.

[Voices are heard in altercation.]

Yonder!

ADRIEL

The king?

ISHUI

And Samuel

With prophecy or some refusal tears him!

[They step aside. Saul followed by Samuel strides in and mounts the throne.]

SAUL

You threat, and ever thunder threatening!

Pour seething prophesy into my veins,

Till a simoon of madness in me moves.

Am I not king, the king? chosen and sealed?

Who’ve been anathema and have been bane

Unto the foes of Israel, and filled

The earth with death of them?

And do you still forbid that I bear gold

And bribe away this Philistine array

Folded about us, fettering with flame?

SAMUEL

Yes,—yes! While there is air, and awe of Heaven

Do I forbid! A champion must rise

To level this Goliath. Thus may we

Loose on them pest of panic and of fear.

SAUL

Are forty days not dead? A champion!

None will arise—’tis vain. And I’ll not wait

On miracle.

SAMUEL

Offer thy daughter then,

Michal, thy fairest, to whoever shall.

SAUL

Demand and drain for more! without an end.

Ever vexation! No; I will not.

SAMUEL

Then,

Out of Jehovah and a vast foreseen

I tell thee again, thou perilous proud king,

The sceptre shall slip from thee to another!