Chapter VII: Epilogue

_Nothing has happened; nothing has changed. As before, the earth is weighted down by the heavy iron Gates, closed from time immemorial, beyond which dwells in silence and in mystery the Beginning of every being, the Supreme Wisdom of the universe. And the Guardian of the Entrances is just as silent and as sternly motionless as before. Nothing has happened; nothing has changed._

_The grey light, as grey as the rocks, is terrible; the place is terrible, but Anathema likes it. And he appears again; but he does not crawl on his belly like a dog; nor does he hide himself beyond the rocks like a thief. Like a conqueror, he is trying to seal his victory by his haughty gait, by the importance of his slow movements. But as the Devil can never be truthful, and as there are no bounds to his doubts, he brings his duality even into this: He walks like a conqueror, yet he is afraid; he throws his head back high like a sovereign, and yet he laughs at his exaggerated self-importance; a gloomy and malicious clown, he longs for greatness; and forced to laugh, he despises laughter._

_Thus, assuming important airs beyond measure, he goes up to the middle of the mountain and waits there in a haughty pose. But his uncertain importance is devoured by the silence, even as dry wood is devoured by fire--and he begins to hurry, without holding out the pause, like a poor musician, striving to conceal himself and his doubts and his odious fear in a vast deal of jests, in loud shouting and in rapid gestures. He stamps his foot and shouts in a voice of assumed sternness._

ANATHEMA.

Why are there no trumpets here? Why no celebration? Why are these old and rusty gates closed? And why does no one hand me the keys? Is it proper in decent circles to meet thus an eminent guest, the reigning prince of the earth, which is friendly to us? Only the doorkeeper is here, apparently asleep, and no one else. It is bad--bad!

_He bursts into laughter, and stretching himself wearily, sits down upon a rock. He speaks humbly and with an air of fatigue._

But I am not vainglorious. Trumpets, flowers, and shouting--all this is useless! I myself heard at one time how the people trumpeted glory for David Leizer, but what has come of it?

_He heaves a sigh._

It is sad to think of it.

_He whistles mournfully._

You have surely heard of the misfortune that has come upon my friend David Leizer? I remember when I last chatted with you,--you did not know this name then.... But do you know it now? It is a name to be proud of! When I left the earth, the entire earth in a million of hungry throats called this glorious name, shouting: "David is a deceiver! David is a traitor! David is a liar!" Then it seemed to me that some of the people reproached also another one--for my honest friend, who died an untimely death, did not act so incautiously in his own name.

_The Guardian is silent. And Anathema shouts now
with an air of real triumph, breathing malice._

The name! Call the name of him who has ruined David and thousands of people! I, Anathema, have no heart, my eyes have dried up from the fire of Hell, and there are no tears in them, but if the tears were there I would have given them all to David. I have no heart, but there was an instant when something five trembled in my chest, and I was frightened: I wondered whether a heart could be born. I saw how David was perishing and thousands of people with him, I saw how his spirit, grown dark, curled up piteously like a dead worm in the sun, was hurled down into the abyss of non-existence, into my abode of darkness and death.... Tell me, are you not the one who has ruined David?

GUARDIAN OF THE ENTRANCES.

David has attained immortality, and he lives forever in the deathlessness of fire. David has attained immortality, and he fives forever in the deathlessness of fight, which is fife.

_Dumfounded, Anathema falls to the ground and lies
motionless for an instant. Then he lifts his head,
which is as angry as that of a serpent. He rises
and speaks with the calm of boundless wrath._

ANATHEMA.

You fie! Forgive me my daring, but you fie. Surely your power is immense--and you can give immortality to a dead worm that has turned black from the sun. But would that be just? Or do the numbers fie to which you, too, must submit? Or do all the scales fie, and is all your world nothing but one fie,--a cruel and mad game of laws, a malicious laugh of a despot at the dumbness and submissiveness of the slave?

_He speaks gloomily, in the grief of deathless
blindness._

ANATHEMA.

I am tired of searching. I have grown tired of life, of aimless tortures--of the quest after the ever elusive. Give me death, but do not torment me with ignorance; answer me honestly, even as I am honest in my uprising as a slave. Did not David love? Answer. Did not David give his soul away? Answer. And did they not stone David, who had given his soul away? Answer.

GUARDIAN.

Yes. They stoned David, who had given his soul away.

ANATHEMA.

_Smiling darkly._

Now you are honest and you answer me with modesty. Without having stilled the hunger of the hungry, without having restored sight to the blind, without having brought to life those who had died innocently,--having stirred up dissension and dispute and cruel bloodshed, for the people have already risen against one another and are committing violence, murder, and plunder in the name of David,--did not David manifest the powerlessness of love, and did he not create a great evil which could be numbered and weighed?

GUARDIAN.

Yes. David has done that which you say; and the people have done that of which you accuse them. And the numbers do not lie, and the scales are correct, and every measure is what it is.

ANATHEMA.

_Triumphantly._

You say that!

GUARDIAN.

But that which you do not know, Anathema, is not measured with a measure, and is not calculated in numbers, and is not weighed on scales. Light has no boundaries, nor is there any boundary for the glow of fire--there is a red fire, and there is a yellow fire, and there is a white fire, in which the sun bums like a yellow straw,--and there is still another unknown fire, whose name no one knows--for there is no limit to the glow of fire. Having died in numbers, having died in measures and in weights, David has attained immortality in the deathlessness of fire.

ANATHEMA,

You lie again!

_He flings himself about on the ground in despair._

ANATHEMA.

Oh, who will help the honest Anathema? He is being deceived eternally. Oh, who will help the unfortunate Anathema? His immortality is deception. Oh, weep, you who have grown fond of the Devil; wail and grieve, you who strive for truth, who honor wisdom,--Anathema is being deceived eternally. When I win, he takes it away from me. When I come out victorious, he fetters the conqueror in chains, he pricks out the eyes of the ruler, and to the haughty he gives the traits of a dog, a wagging and quivering tail. David, David, I was a friend to you,--tell him that he lies.

_He puts his head down on his outstretched arms,
like a dog, and wails bitterly._

Where is the truth? Where is the truth? Where is the truth? Was it not crushed with stones? Is it not lying in the ditch together with the carrion? Oh, the light has died out from the world! Oh, the world has no eyes!... he crows have pecked them out.... Where is the truth? Where is the truth? Where is the truth?

_Plaintively._

Tell me, will Anathema ever learn the truth?

GUARDIAN.

No.

ANATHEMA.

Tell me, will Anathema ever see the gates open? Shall I ever see your face?

GUARDIAN.

No. Never. My face is open, but you see it not. My speech is loud, but you hear it not. My commands are clear, but you know them not, Anathema. And you will never see, and you will never hear, and you will never know, Anathema, unfortunate spirit, deathless in numbers, ever alive in measure and in weight, but as yet unborn to life.

_Anathema leaps to his feet._

ANATHEMA.

You lie,--silent dog, you who have robbed the world of the truth, you who have barred the entrances with iron! Farewell; I like a fair game, and I pay when I lose. And if you will not pay, I shall cry before the whole universe: "Help! I have been robbed!"

_He bursts into laughter. Whistling, he retreats
a few steps, and turns around. He speaks
unconcernedly._

ANATHEMA.

I have nothing to do, so I roam about the world. Do you know where I am going now? I shall go to the grave of David Leizer. Like a grieving widow, like the son of a father who had been murdered from behind the corner by a traitor's blow,--I shall sit down on David Leizer's grave and shall weep so bitterly, and cry so loudly, and call so terribly, that not one honest soul will remain that would not curse the murderer. Insane from grief, I shall point to the right and to the left.... Was not this the one who killed him? Did not that one assist in the bloody crime? Did not that one betray? I shall cry so bitterly, I shall accuse so sternly, that all on earth will become murderers and hangmen, in the name of Leizer, in the name of David Leizer, in the name of David, who brought joy to mankind! And when from the heap of corpses, of filthy, foulsmelling, and disgusting corpses I shall announce to the people that you are the one who killed David and the people,--they will believe me.

_Bursts into laughter._

For you have such a bad reputation--of a liar, a deceiver, a murderer. Good-by.

_He goes off laughing. His laughter resounds once
more from the depths. And then everything relapses
into silence._

CURTAIN.