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 marked like this in the text. The original text appears when hovering the cursor over the marked text. A [list of amendments] is at the end of the text.
JEREMIAH
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.
Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Jeremiah XXXIII, 3.
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.
[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?
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.
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.
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?
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!
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 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.
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?
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.
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 …
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]
[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
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.
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?
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
[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]
[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]
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.
[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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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]
[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!
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!
[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]
[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?
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.
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.
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.
[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
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.
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?
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?
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?
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.
[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?
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
[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.
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!