Chapter III: Part 3

I will prepare myself for burial, Since but a little time remains to me. There is the dust of Jehu’s charioting; The two Assyrian stallions which we gave him Coming to end my house. But first, those women. Hush! All is still. They must have reached the stable. That woman spoke the truth, the way was clear. There is no noise of men arresting them. The guards are still. Thus far they must be safe. There is no sound; and see, those men are quiet. O gods, send messengers to make them safe! Ay, there they go, on horseback. They are free. Now let me pray. “O thou great fire of life, Of whom all lives of men are but the sparks, Take back this spark into the fire that burns In the great sun, in all the lesser suns, In the suns’ moons, and everything that lives In wild blood, and the pushing of the spring; And if my ways were darkness, give me darkness, And if my ways were brightness, give me light.” Now I will decorate myself for death, As once before, when I was crowned a bride Here to the King. First, with this pencil, I Darken my brows, because they go to death. And make my eyes bright, since I join my husband And go again to look upon my sons. Next I will set this scarlet on my lips, And on my cheek, lest men should think me pale And say that I, the Queen, am pale from fear. Now I will draw Queen Helen’s robe about me. This golden bird is Helen’s very hair That Paris kissed in Troy, my father told me. Lastly, I will make consecrate my hair With royal gold, for I will die a Queen. Now am I as the beauty that I was, When in my father’s palace near the sea The princes of the Islands came to court me, Phorbas, and Kreon, and Andemakos, Kings of the Islands, bright-eyed from the sea, Men who had gone as strangers to strange lands, And there made friends by something kindling in them: Not like this Queen whom once they courted there. Where are they now, those men who loved me once? Perhaps alive still in their island homes. Decked with the precious things of half the world, And thinking of me sometimes, as men do Think of old loves long over utterly. And Tsor of Mura, whom I might have married, Had I been wise. He will still think of me. Now will I bare my throat that they may kill me. How the blood beats that soon will cease to beat! Poor servant blood, that kept this flesh alive Knowing not why, and now shall serve no more This captive soul that was an earthly Queen. And I without this servant shall not know The hour of pain, the sleepless night, the day Anxious as fever with this troublous world; Shall know, it may be, nothing more forever, Or know, it may be, all things burningly, Know god the spirit as a lover would. Now I will look if those who come to kill Are on their way. (_Goes to window._) O prison of a city Which I have hated! Little evil lanes, Filthy with dogs and lepers and blind men Made eyeless by the flies. O nest of vipers, Within few moments I shall pass from you. Once an Egyptian told me that at death The soul has power to will its resting-place: So do I will that I be far from here, At Sidon on a hilltop near the sea, Looking at Kittim at a sun-setting, When all the peaks rise up like crowns of gods And flame with the gods’ thoughts. And past those peaks, Beyond, in the imagined, never seen, Behind its reef of rocks, and beautiful With marble and with wonders and with waters, Is Mura, where my lover was a King. But hark, they come. I would go forth to Sidon. To Sidon, or to Kittim, or to Mura, Some place of the sea-princes near the sea. I would go forth to Sidon or to Mura, To Mura, or to Sidon, or to Kittim--- (_She sings._) The April moon is in the sky, Last night I heard the wild geese cry. _Oh, ho!_

The brooks are bright on Lebanon, The rain has come, the snows are gone. _Oh, ho!_

The north wind faints and soon the south Will blow the spice smell in the mouth. _Oh, ho!_

Then shall my bird the ship take wing And sail the green seas with the King, And find, maybe, a finer thing Than any here. _Oh, ho!_

_Enter_ PHARMAS _and_ ASHOBAL.

PHARMAS.

Madam, King Jehu and his men are come: They ask to see you at the window yonder.

JEHU (_outside._)

Come out, you Jezebel, and taste God’s judgment, So that this land which you have wrecked may find Some little peace!

JEZEBEL.

Had Zimri peace
Who killed his master?

JEHU.

Let me see this whore!
(_He clambers up to look in._)
And who is with her?
(_Speaks to_ PHARMAS _and_ ASHOBAL.)
Who is on my side?
Who of you men within are for King Jehu?

PHARMAS _and_ ASHOBAL.

We are, great King!

JEHU.

Then throw her down to me.
Seize her and throw her down

ASHOBAL _and_ PHARMA (_together._)

Down with you, Mistress
(_Throw her down._)

JEHU.

Get up, you horses. Would you shrink from flesh? Tread her; come up, you; over her; once more. Tread her again. I’ll teach you who is master. Ride over her, you fellows, every one. Ride over her and trample on her body; Let the beasts kick her. That’s the way. Again. You tread the harlot who has wrecked this land. Come here and hold my horses, one of you. Give me a hand, you men, and let me in.

_Enter_ JEHU (_by the window_).

That’s made an end of her, the filthy witch!

PHARMAS.

I stabbed her with a knife before I threw her.

JEHU.

You, did you? Well, then fetch me wine to drink, In the King’s cup, by God. So. Give it here. (_Drinks._) I needed drink after this day of fighting. A hot day’s work, but, by the living God, To-morrow shall be hotter. Ahab’s sons, And Ahab’s friends, and Ahab’s ministers Shall have their heads in baskets by to-morrow. Where is this man who says he killed the Queen?

PHARMAS.

Here, mighty King.

JEHU.

Go, find the cursed hag
And bury up her carrion in the earth,
For after all she was a King’s daughter.
[_Exit_ PHARMAS.

JEHU (_sings_).

_Oh, out in the desert my bow and my spear
Shall win me whatever I need,
Another man’s tent, and another man’s gear,
And another man’s...._

Fill me more wine. Go to the window yonder. Halt. As you were. I’ll go myself. You, fellow. You fellow, there. Is the Queen’s body there? What does he say?

ASHOBAL.

He says that the wild dogs have torn the body.

JEHU.

Good enough end and fitting burial for her. Now I have sacrifice to do to Baal. By God, a lusty sacrifice! By God, These damned idolaters shall learn the truth! None of your knives on me. [_Goes out._

[_The_ SERVANTS _and_ MEN _go out_.

_Enter_ MICAIAH (_from in front_).

MICAIAH.

She was too good a woman to be Queen In such a land as this, at such a time. Would she had gone! Her women have escaped. And I am freed from prison by the rabble.

Wisdom is gone from the city,
The killer alone is obeyed,
A man without law, without pity,
Who was fed by the King he betrayed.
The debt that was owing is paid,
By a new deed of murder that cries
To the gods who are Kings in the skies.
Though the ways of the gods are most wise,
They are dark, they make me afraid.

CURTAIN.

Transcriber’s Notes

Simple typographical errors were corrected.

Page 52: Transcriber added “are” to “But there are other laws which do persist”, as its omission seems to be a typographical error, and it was found in other books containing this play.

Page 71: “And of both the men who had me neither knew me” ended with an em dash in a different copy of this play.

Page 99: “Agammemnon” was printed that way in this edition.

Page 112: “I am not terrified.” ended with a question mark in the source book, but should end with a period, as it does in this eBook.