Chapter II: Part 2

[JEREMIAH still lies in a swoon at the base of the steps, none heeding him. The crowd passes over him in a flood, leaving him like jetsam among the stones. BARUCH, who, in his bewilderment, was swept along by the mob, has struggled back from among them. Slowly, as if driven by an inner force, he comes down to the swooning man, bends over him, feels his brow, and listens for his breath]

BARUCH

Jeremiah, speak, Jeremiah, if you are still alive. [He raises JEREMIAH into a sitting posture]

JEREMIAH

[His eyes still closed, not yet himself, speaks hesitatingly] The fiery cloud has fallen. Fire is raging through the town. Woe is me!

BARUCH

Keep still a moment, that I may wipe the blood from your eyes.

JEREMIAH

Away! Your face was full of hatred towards me. Your eyes flashed fiercely. Was it not you who struck me down?

BARUCH

I indeed it was who drew sword upon you in anger, but the blade turned in my hand so that I struck you with the flat only. I rejoice thereat, for I drew upon an unarmed man. I will pay blood-money. Let me staunch your wound.

JEREMIAH

Let the blood flow. Would that mine alone were to flow in Jerusalem. [Half rising] What has become of the crowd? The marketplace is empty. Have they gone to the palace, gone to force war upon the king? Where are they?

BARUCH

Compose yourself ...

JEREMIAH

They have gone. It is too late. Curse upon you for that you felled me to the ground. More, far more, than me have you slain. Not my blood alone has been shed, but the blood of all Israel. Through you, Zion has been broken and destroyed. You have killed the watchman, and they are raging in the holy places of the Lord. Let me rise. Avaunt, murderer of Israel!

BARUCH

What do you wish to do?

JEREMIAH

[In febrile excitement] Help me, help me to my feet. You struck me down, so now you must help me. Perhaps there is still time. [Distant shouts are heard from the palace] Their jubilation means death; their joy means destruction. Too late! Too late! For Jerusalem's sake I must give warning. Your aid! I must go to him. The hour calls. [He struggles to his feet]

BARUCH

[Confused] Whither away? You are still too weak to do anything.

JEREMIAH

Let me testify against Hananiah, against Pashur; against those who would lure to war; against the people. I must cry the words of peace ...

BARUCH

Will you make the attempt once again, alone against them all? Great, indeed, is the force that drives you. Steadfastly did you face my sword, you whom I had despised as a coward, whom I had proclaimed a faint-heart before the people. But in the strength of your will you are ready to defy death, proving yourself a mighty man of valor.

JEREMIAH

If you reverence me, then help me. Help me to cry aloud. Help me to save Zion from destruction.

BARUCH

[Supporting him] I will help you, Jeremiah, against my will, for you have in you a power which compels me. I had believed you a weakling, and therefore did I oppose you as one who shunned action and favored the easy path of peace.

JEREMIAH

The easy path of peace! Do you fancy that peace is not action, that peace is not the action of all actions? Day by day you must wrest it from the mouths of liars and from the hearts of men. You must stand alone against the multitude; for clamor is always on the side of the many, and the liar has ever the first word. The meek must be strong; those who desire peace are continually at war.

BARUCH

But you will not go alone?

JEREMIAH

I must go, I must go. I must make my words good. Empty is the speech of him who will not stand by it with his life. Let me publish my visions; let me proclaim my warning before the king.

BARUCH

I would fain go with you, would fain do what you are doing, for it is borne in on me that you are beginning a great work.

JEREMIAH

You would walk with me? But did you not resist me with your will and with your sword?

BARUCH

You are too strong for me, and I who stood up against you wish to help you now. Your blood has won me to your cause. I will do what you do, for I have faith in you, Jeremiah, who faced my sword so steadfastly.

JEREMIAH

You believe in me, against the priests and the prophets who deny me, against the people and the city?

BARUCH

I believe in you, for you have shed your blood for your words.

JEREMIAH

You believe in me when I myself hardly believe in my own dreams. Is it true, boy?

BARUCH

I believe in you, for I saw you stand steadfast against death. Your will is my will.

JEREMIAH

[Greatly moved] You believe in me, you who wounded me, who resisted me to the uttermost? You are the first to believe in me, you whose very name is unknown to me.

BARUCH

I am Baruch, the son of Zebulon of Gilead.

JEREMIAH

No longer will you be any man's son, if you believe in me. Despised and rejected will you be, should you follow me. He who would shine in the word, must burn in the flames. Think well, Baruch. You are little more than a boy. You have shed my blood, shall I therefore shed yours?

BARUCH

Let me go with you, for the sake of Jerusalem.

JEREMIAH

For the sake of Jerusalem! Indeed and indeed Jerusalem needs help in this hour. Come, then, Baruch, first-born of my faith, son of my anguish, support me that we may testify together. My anguish shall be turned against the king, my sorrow shall be thundered in his ears. Aid me, aid me against king and people.

BARUCH

I will go with you.

[Exultant shouts nearer at hand]

JEREMIAH

Woe, woe! When the mob rejoices, disaster is afoot.

BARUCH

They are streaming forth from the palace.

JEREMIAH

Forward, let us meet them. Lend me the strength of your arm, for I am still weak.

BARUCH

The king is among them. He carries a naked sword. They are making for the temple.

JEREMIAH

Help me forward. There is still time.

BARUCH

The clamor echoes through the marketplace. Hananiah is dancing before them even as David danced before the ark. The war-makers have triumphed. It is too late. Give way before them. Hide yourself. It is too late.

JEREMIAH

It is never too late. Let me forth to encounter them.

BARUCH

What would you do? Let me go instead, for I am young and strong.

JEREMIAH

I would brandish the word against them like a sword. I would turn the king's heart. Let me go to him.

[Shouting and singing, the crowd streams out of the palace, down the steps, and then up again towards the temple. All are in a frenzy, shouting for war and for victory]

HANANIAH

[Drunken with excitement, leading the way to the temple] Open the gates. Throw the gates wide. The king will swear before the altar the oath of alliance against Ashur!

VOICES

Hail to the alliance!--Day of promise!--Slavery is overthrown!--Down with Ashur!--Hail Zedekiah!--Victory, victory!--Israel shall rule the nations.--God is on our side.

[KING ZEDEKIAH, followed by the Egyptian envoys, has come out of the palace. He bears a drawn sword. His expression is grave. Amid the exultant crowd he seems oppressed with thought. Scarcely heeding the tumult and the acclamations, he makes for the temple with slow strides. Suddenly, above the clamor of the multitude, rises the voice of JEREMIAH]

JEREMIAH

Zedekiah, Zedekiah, sheathe thy sword.

[Disorder in the crowd; the cries are stilled. The king, standing on the steps of the temple, looks round for the speaker]

JEREMIAH

[Shouting yet more loudly] Sheathe thy sword, Zedekiah! Thus wilt thou save Jerusalem. Give peace to Israel, God's peace.

THE CROWD

[Vociferating wildly] War! War upon Ashur!--Who is the speaker?--He is sold to the enemy.--Down with all traitors.--Israel shall rule the nations.--War, war!

[The voice of JEREMIAH is drowned amid the general uproar. He is thrust aside, and BARUCH has difficulty in protecting him. With redoubled energy the crowd continues to shout in an ecstasy around the king. ZEDEKIAH stands awhile, still trying to find the one who had called on him to sheathe the sword. For a moment, indeed, he lowers his weapon, and seems to be looking round for help. But, amid fanatical cries of the populace, the gates are opened. After a moment's further hesitation, ZEDEKIAH raises his sword once more, and with earnest mien mounts the last steps and disappears into the temple]

RUMORS

SCENE THREE

Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people, wood, and it shall devour them. JEREMIAH V, 14.

SCENE THREE

The same square in front of the temple and the king's palace. Groups of idlers, men and women, loiter upon the steps, some sitting and some standing. In the streets and in the porch of pillars there is the usual coming and going of persons working and conversing.

A MAN

[One of the larger group on the steps] I have it for certain that there has been a great battle between Nebuchadnezzar and Pharaoh.

ANOTHER MAN

I have heard the same report. A messenger has come.

A VOICE

That means nothing. Messengers are always coming to the palace.

THE SECOND MAN

But I have spoken to him. I'm sure of it.

THE VOICE

Have you spoken to the messenger?

THE SECOND MAN

No, it was Aphitor, the king's scribe. He told me that a battle had begun, a great battle.

THE FIRST MAN

A mighty battle, such as there has never been before within the memory of man, Egypt against Nebuchadnezzar.

VOICES

May the heavens crush him, the accursed.--Egypt is all-powerful.--Our army is there too.--They will know how to deal with him, the man of pride.

A VOICE

God will break him, for God is on our side.

ANOTHER VOICE

The Egyptians are strong, and Nebuchadnezzar will not be able to withstand them.

A THIRD VOICE

Nebuchadnezzar is likewise strong. They say ...

A FOURTH VOICE

[Interrupting] Let them say, the faint-hearts. Who cares what they say?

THIRD VOICE

They say that his warriors are like a swarm of locusts.

ANOTHER VOICE

Warriors! His men are no warriors! Small in stature are they like boys, and unhandy with their swords. My sister's husband has seen many of them. Among the women they are men, but they are not men in battle. [Laughter]

VOICES

Pharaoh will destroy them.--He will sweep them like chaff from the threshing-floor.--Long live Pharaoh!

OTHERS

[Hearing the shouts and coming to join the group] What is he saying about Pharaoh?

A VOICE

Pharaoh is fighting a great battle against Nebuchadnezzar.

OTHER VOICES

He will conquer.--He will set us free.--Long live Pharaoh.--Pharaoh for ever.--They shall grave him a tablet of fine gold.--Long live Pharaoh, the conqueror of Ashur.

NEWCOMERS

[Eager to know what is afoot] What is it? What has happened?

ONE OF THE RECENT COMERS

Pharaoh has defeated Nebuchadnezzar.

VOICES

Hail Pharaoh-Necho!--Is it true? I must go home and tell my wife.--Hail Pharaoh-Necho!

A VOICE

But we have no certain news yet.

OTHER VOICES

What do you mean by saying the news is not certain?--Can you doubt it?--I have always known that God would strengthen our arms.--Victory is ever on God's side.--None can stand against us.

ONE OF THE GROUP

[Hastening away, shouting as he goes] The victory is ours. Pharaoh has defeated Nebuchadnezzar.

[Hearing these words, idlers in the square flock to join the group on the steps]

VOICES

They are talking of a victory.--Is it true that Pharaoh has vanquished Nebuchadnezzar?--Quite true.--No one really knows yet.--It is absolutely certain.--Who says so?--Everyone says so.--The king's scribe says so.

A MAN

[Detaching himself from the crowd, runs away shouting] Victory! Victory at last. Hail Pharaoh. I must get home with the news. Victory over Ashur.

THE CROWD

[Swelling in numbers, growing more enthusiastic as it is enheartened by its own clamor] It was God's will that we should begin this war.--Hail Zedekiah!--Now we must conquer all the others.--Israel shall rule the nations.--A sacrifice on the altar.--Give praise unto God, for that he has cast down our enemies.--They shall be our bondsmen.--My heart has thirsted for this hour.

A VOICE

A messenger is coming from the gate of the city.

THE CROWD

[Making a rush in the direction of the last voice] A messenger.--A messenger.--Who said so?--He comes from beyond the walls.--What news does he bring? Where is he?

[A messenger, drenched with sweat and gasping for breath, struggles through the crowd]

VOICES

Tell us the news.--Pharaoh is victorious.--What has happened to Nebuchadnezzar?--How many have been slain?

THE MESSENGER

Let me be. Make room. My message is for the king.

VOICES

Don't be so churlish.--Let us hear one word at least.--Has he fled?--Tell us the news.--Let the man alone.--His business is with the king.--Just a word.

THE MESSENGER

[Breaking loose] Let me be, let me be. You will learn soon enough. My message is urgent, and for the king. [Exit messenger.]

VOICES

What did he say? The message was urgent.--What did he say?

A VOICE

He said we should soon hear, but that he must go to the king at once.

ANOTHER VOICE

That is good news.

A THIRD VOICE

Wherefore good?

THE SECOND VOICE

Would the bearer of evil tidings be in so desperate a hurry?

VOICES

True, true.--The king will pay him a silver shekel for every word.--He is eager to earn the messenger's guerdon.--He brings tidings of victory.--Victory!--Good news.--Victory!

SOME NEWCOMERS

What has happened? Why are you shouting?

VOICES

Victory!--Victory!--A messenger has come.--He brings tidings of victory.--Nebuchadnezzar is beaten.--A great and glorious victory.--God be praised.--Alleluia! The news is certain.--Victory.--Victory!

A VOICE

It must be a mighty victory.

A SECOND VOICE

Were it otherwise he would not have been so secret.

A THIRD VOICE

They grudge us the news.

A NEWCOMER

[Pressing forward] Is it true? Is Nebuchadnezzar slain? So the word runs from street to street.

VOICES

Yes, slain is the oppressor.--Nay, the news is not yet confirmed.--But the messenger said so; he told us that Nebuchadnezzar had been killed in his tent.--Myriads of the enemy have fallen with him, God be thanked.--The oppressor is slain.--Alleluia!

AN OLD MAN

But all that the messenger said was ...

VOICES

He told us of the victory.--Why are you still in doubt?--I wish we could exterminate these faint-hearts.--I heard it myself.--So did I.--So did I.--The messenger said that Nebuchadnezzar had been killed in his tent.--No, he never said that.--Yes.--No.--But undoubtedly he brought tidings of victory.--Israel is free.--Free!

THE OLD MAN

I tell you I was standing quite close to him. I could hear every word he said.

VOICES

Your ears and your heart are deafened.--These kill-joys should themselves be killed.--Let us don our festal attire.--Out of the way, chatterbox.

A VOICE

Hananiah was a true prophet. Wise were we to heed his words, and not to hearken to those who declared that the temple would fall ...

ANOTHER VOICE

Who said that Ashur would lay Zion low ...

A THIRD VOICE

Who said that our maids would be ravished by the Chaldeans ...

FIRST VOICE

To the temple, to the temple. Let us give thanks there to God, and to Hananiah, his prophet!

VOICES

No, let us wait here, for the king will come soon.--Who said so?--Kings always appear in public after a victory.--The king will go to the temple.--The king must be the first to offer a sacrifice.--All right, let us stay here.--Let us send for drums and cymbals to celebrate the victory.--We will dance like David before the ark.--God is once more showing his love for Jerusalem.--Fetch the dancers.--Summon the women.--Call the trumpeters and the lute-players.--Let us make merry and give praise to the king of kings.

[The crowd sways to and fro joyfully, in movements like those of a troubled sea. Groups form, dissolve, and reform. The general mood is one of expectation and impatience. JEREMIAH and BARUCH enter from a side street, and endeavor to make their way through the press]

ONE OF THE CROWD

[Laughing] Look! There he comes! Jeremiah.

OTHERS

[Giving vent to their high spirits] Hail to the revealer!--Lo, the prophet draws nigh.--Let us welcome the destroyer of Jerusalem.--Behold the mob orator.--Come and join us.

[Some of the crowd form a circle round JEREMIAH and BARUCH, bowing before them in mock veneration.]

ONE OF THE CROWD

[With a profound reverence] Hail anointed of the Lord!

THE OTHERS

Hail Elijah!--Hail revealer.--Hail mighty man of valor! Hail Jeremiah, the prophet!

JEREMIAH

[Standing his ground, gloomily] What would ye of me?

BARUCH

Hold no converse with them. Mockery is on their lips, and derision in their glance.

ONE OF THE CROWD

Deign to bestow upon us wisdom and revelation.

ANOTHER

We would fain ask you whether our daughters shall keep their virginity.

A THIRD

Prithee be patient, and allow the walls of Jerusalem to remain standing yet awhile.

JEREMIAH

[With conviction] What would ye of me? This is no time for jesting, when blood flows and war hangs over Israel.

THE FIRST SPEAKER

The war is finished, and we can make merry once more.

THE SECOND SPEAKER

What has become of your king from the north? Tell us, revealer, where does he tarry?

JEREMIAH

What has confused your senses? Are you all mad? Can the war already be over when it is hardly begun?

BARUCH

Hold no speech with them. He makes himself a mock who speaks with mockers.

FIRST SPEAKER

Jeremiah knows nothing about it yet! The prophet knows nothing.

SECOND SPEAKER

He does not know what happened yesterday, and yet he would tell us what will happen to-morrow.

JEREMIAH

What is it that I do not yet know? What makes you so joyful? It must be something of ill omen.

FIRST SPEAKER

He says it is something of ill omen. It is that, in very truth, for your wishes.

SECOND SPEAKER

Your king is slain and welters in his blood.

JEREMIAH

Nebuchadnezzar is slain? Ashur is vanquished?

FIRST SPEAKER

Even so, all-knower. Hananiah's word has been fulfilled.

SECOND SPEAKER

Rend your raiment and clip your beard. Israel is victorious.

THIRD SPEAKER

Bury yourself, prophet. Cut out your tongue. Nebuchadnezzar is dead, but Zion endureth for ever.

JEREMIAH

[Greatly moved] Nebuchadnezzar dead? Is it true, it is certain? Tell me, and do not jest in matters of such moment.

FIRST SPEAKER

He still doubts! Weep, prophet, weep!

SECOND SPEAKER

I will cry it aloud in your ears; dead is Nebuchadnezzar; overthrown are his chariots; scattered are his armies. Israel is saved.

JEREMIAH

[Remains motionless for a moment. Then he spreads his arms wide, drawing a deep breath of joyful relief. Dropping his arms, he speaks fast and almost exultantly] Blessed be God. I thank thee, all-good, that thou hast brought my dreams to shame, that thou hast saved Jerusalem. Better, assuredly that I should be fooled by my illusions than that the city should be laid waste by the foe. Blessings upon God's name.

FIRST SPEAKER

Yea, all-knower, God is more merciful than you; he loves us and gladdens our hearts.

SECOND SPEAKER

What will your next revelation be? Into which corner will you creep, mole? Whom will you now lead astray?

THIRD SPEAKER

Whom will you now deceive, deceiver?

A FOURTH SPEAKER

[With feigned anger, to the others] How irreverently you speak to the messenger of the Lord! Let us kiss the hem of his garment; let us pay honor to his visions!

VOICES

[Mingled with laughter] Prophesy to us Elijah.--Instruct us further, all-knower.--Happy the man who puts his trust in Jeremiah.--Where did you pick up that fledgling that chirps at your heels?--Prophesy, Jeremiah; prophesy disaster; mountains of disaster.

JEREMIAH

[Suddenly breaking forth into speech] A miracle has happened, people of Jerusalem, a miracle which delivers you from death, and instead of trembling with fear, you make merry. Hardly an hour ago, you were racked with anxiety; your hearts are still quaking, and yet you are already beginning to give tongue. Woe unto you, that your first cry, when the cord is loosed from your necks, should be one of folly and presumption.

BARUCH

Speak not with them. Folly alone holds converse with fools.

SECOND SPEAKER

Stop your ears as you may, I will cry aloud in my joy: "The victory is ours, the victory is ours!"

JEREMIAH

[Addressing one of them] Where have you conquered? Whom have you defeated, that you should strut in the marketplace? There is no blood on your sword. [To another] Show the scar of the wound you received at the battle front! You have all been about your business in the city, have all lain in safety beside your wives at night. What have you and such as you to do with the victory of the Egyptians, with the deeds of foreign fighters? Bow your knees humbly, for the victory is not your work.

VOICES

Egypt's victory is Israel's victory.--We are Israel.--His very rage shows that the victory is ours.

JEREMIAH

But it is not yours, nor yours, nor yours, you who now swell with pride, battening on the deeds of others. The soldiers have won the victory, not you! Meekly went they forth, to deal death and to suffer it; their backs were bent beneath the weight of their weapons; the shadow of death fell across their path, and all but the strongest fainted by the way. Where they ploughed with naked limbs, you would fain harvest pride. Abandoned wretches, you crave to quench your thirst with their blood. Alas that they have conquered for you and your hateful arrogance!

VOICES

Alas that they have conquered, did you hear him? Let us rend our garments, for that we have conquered. Let us strew ashes on our heads, for that Nebuchadnezzar is slain.

JEREMIAH

[His wrath blazing up] Verily, O people, to be among you is to dwell among scorpions; but I say unto you that your laughter shall wither more quickly than the blossoms of the vine. God has been gracious to you. Again has he saved Jerusalem; yet not for your laughter, but for the sake of those who are humble in spirit. You will not acknowledge him in his gentleness, men of evil. So be it; ere long shall you acknowledge him in his wrath. Like a curtain shall he rend your laughter asunder, and in your terror your eyes shall become fixed like stones. Your joy then must you put behind you, Jerusalem, for the hour of retribution is at hand, and terrible is the doom that awaits you.

VOICES

The walls shall crumble.--The virgins shall weep.--We have heard it all before.--Zion shall perish.--Jeremiah, Jeremiah, you alone are wise among fools.--To him our rejoicing is bitter as gall.--Do you hear the cracking of the walls?

JEREMIAH

Do you scorn the messenger of doom? But the avenger is at hand, who shall purge you of your accursed pride; drawn is the sword which shall hew away your presumption; the bearer of evil tidings is afoot; he is running, he is running; his swift footsteps lead towards Jerusalem. Already he is at hand, the messenger of fear, the messenger of terror; his words will fall on you like the blows of a hammer; even now he is entering the gate.

VOICES

Go home, Jeremiah.--Sate yourself with your own venom, and do not vomit it forth upon our joy.

A VOICE

[In the background] A messenger! He is coming from Moria gate.

THE CROWD

[Again rushing in the direction of the voice] A messenger? Where is he? He brings further news of the victory.

JEREMIAH

[Trembling with fear] The messenger! The messenger!

A VOICE

He runs hitherward from the gate, and he reels like a drunken man from weariness.

VOICES

Where is he?--Here he comes. [MESSENGER enters. The crowd surrounds him as he tries to hasten to the palace and sinks to the ground exhausted] Hail you who bring tidings of victory.--Hail.--Tell us your news.

THE MESSENGER

[So breathless he can hardly speak, tries to rise and make his way forward] Room, room, let me go to the king.

VOICES

Just a word.--How did Nebuchadnezzar die?

THE MESSENGER

Are you all struck with madness? Why this jubilation in Jerusalem? To arms! To arms! Let me pass to the king.

VOICES

What has happened?--Is Nebuchadnezzar still alive?--Pharaoh has beaten him.--Why this call to arms?

THE MESSENGER

He draws near with all his forces. Nebuchadnezzar is close at hand. Hardly could I outrun his riders. To arms, to arms! Sentinels to the walls.

VOICES

What does the man say?--Who has been beaten?--Where is Pharaoh?--You don't know what you are talking about.--Get him some water.--Nebuchadnezzar alive?--It is impossible.--What has become of the Egyptians?

THE MESSENGER

Water! I am worn out. The Egyptians have been routed. Necho has made peace, and must pay tribute to Ashur. Nebuchadnezzar is coming; his riders are at my heels. I must to the king.

[Some of the crowd help the MESSENGER to the palace]

VOICES

[From the back] What did he say?--Are the Chaldeans beaten?--Why does not the man tell us what has happened?

[Anxiety gradually spreads through the crowd, and the tumult of rejoicing is stilled. In their stupefaction all are mute for a while, and then terrified voices break the silence]

THE CROWD

Impossible!--It cannot be true.--The man is a liar.--He was drunk.--Nay, he was only staggering from fatigue.--He said the horsemen were hard at his heels.--The whole story is false.--The messenger had not the mien of a liar.--It cannot be true.--God would never allow such a thing to happen.

A VOICE

[Loudly] Pharaoh has betrayed us.

OTHER VOICES

[Quickly and angrily taking up the cry] Pharaoh has betrayed us.--A curse upon Pharaoh.--Egypt has sworn a peace.--A curse upon Mizraim.--The Egyptians are traitors.

A VOICE

I have always said that we should never form an alliance with Egypt.

VOICES

So did I.--So did I.--We all said so.--Accursed be Pharaoh.--What will happen to us now?--Alas for Israel.--My wife.--My children.--I warned you what would happen.--So did I.

A MAN

[Rushing in] To arms! To arms! Close the gates, Nebuchadnezzar and his hordes are at hand. The advance guard has already reached Hebron.

VOICES

Hebron did he say?--To arms!--Nay, peace, peace! Let us march out against him.--All is lost.--From the very first I told you what would happen.

ONE OF THE CROWD

[Pointing to JEREMIAH who leans brokenly against a pillar, his face hidden] Look, there is the man.

VOICES

What?--Who?--What do you mean?

THE SAME MAN

It is his doing. He summoned them. He announced the coming of the messenger. His curse has fallen upon us.

VOICES

Who?--Jeremiah!--Who is it?--It is Jeremiah, he has cursed us.--It is indeed his doing.--He prayed for Nebuchadnezzar's victory.--He is sold to the enemy.--Tear him to pieces.--Touch him not; he foretold what would happen; he is a true prophet.--He has been bribed.--See how he stands there brooding.

THE SAME MAN

He hides his face lest we should see his laughter. But he makes merry too soon. Zion still stands; Jerusalem shall endure for ever.

[A herald comes hastily from the palace]

VOICES

A herald.--A messenger from the king.--Silence.

[The crowd gathers round the steps to hear the herald's announcement]

THE HERALD

A message from the king! The enemy is about to attack Jerusalem. The Chaldeans are at the gates. Let every man able to bear arms make ready to fight; women must fashion arrows. All that are sick and weakly must leave the city. Let every man store what food he may in his house lest hunger overcome us. For our walls can withstand attack; Baal can do naught against Jehovah, nor can Ashur prevail against Zion.

THE CROWD

True, true.--We will make ready.--God is on our side.--To arms!

THE HERALD

Let none hold back; let none be faint-hearted. Who speaks of fear, him shall ye put to the sword; who talks of flight, him shall ye chase beyond the walls. Ye may not gather in the streets; each shall keep his own house, ready for the fight. Up, Israel! Gather your forces, fearing nothing, for Jerusalem endureth for ever!

THE CROWD

[Again in tumult] Jerusalem endureth for ever.--To arms.--I must fetch my sword.--Up, against Ashur.--Let us take heart.--To the walls.--We shall break them.--Jerusalem endureth for ever.

[The crowd disperses in confusion, so that the square is rapidly emptied, and the noise is followed by silence. JEREMIAH slowly draws himself up, and, still hiding his face, ascends the steps of the temple. BARUCH follows him]

BARUCH

Whither away, master? Do not leave your faithful disciple.

JEREMIAH

I must go alone to seek light from the Lord. He made me deliver a sign before the people. Nevertheless, Baruch, I cannot believe that the faces in my ghastly visions are truly from God. Would that I could feel assured they are all illusion, and not the message of God's spirit. Woe indeed if I be chosen as revealer and if my dreams be true.

BARUCH

You are chosen, master. It has been made plain to me in this hour. The sign came to you from God. The spirit and the power of the prophets are upon you.

JEREMIAH

[Still mounting the steps, flees before him, repelling BARUCH with his hands] Say not that I am chosen. Tempt me not! For Israel's sake, for Jerusalem's sake, it is impossible that my words can be true. Far better for me to bear the laughter and the scorn of the people, than that this message of terror should be fulfilled. Rather let me be proved liar and fool, than the prophet of such a truth. May I be thy victim Lord, and not this city. Let me disappear into the darkness of oblivion, if thy towers may still shine, O Jerusalem. May my words vanish like smoke, so long as thou endurest, eternal city. God forget me, if he will but remember thee. I will kneel before his altar praying him to give me the lie; I will beseech him to prove my message false. Pray with me, Baruch, that I be known for a liar in Jerusalem.

[JEREMIAH, humbly bending his head, goes up the last steps into the porch of pillars of the temple. Without moving, BARUCH gazes after him until he disappears]

THE WATCH ON THE RAMPARTS

SCENE FOUR

Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying: ... When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man from among them, and set him for their watchman, ... if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned, and the sword come, and take any person from among them, ... his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. EZEKIEL XXXIII, 1-6.

SCENE FOUR

On the ramparts of Jerusalem. The walls, of hewn stone, surround the town. In the background is the starry sky, and faint in the distance the valley with hazy outlines and lights twinkling here and there. The masonry shines in the moonlight. On the wall two sentries march up and down. Their faces are shadowed by their helmets; their spears gleam as they move. Though the hour is late and midnight approaches, a few civilians have ventured on to the wall and are looking out into the distance.

A WOMAN

It is bedtime. You will see the wretches soon enough in the morning. Do come home; this may be our last quiet night.

A MAN

How can one sleep when the enemy is arrayed against us? My heart has been heavier than lead since I have been standing here; and yet I cannot leave. It seems as if I were forced to remain in the flood which is rising to overwhelm us. Last night and to-day the horsemen have been streaming across the plain. Again and again we thought that all must have come, but still there came more and yet more, as if whole countries had been emptied like sacks of grain; while the spears were as the stalks of the corn in number.

ANOTHER

Already have they pitched their tents, so that a white forest now stands in the valley.

A THIRD

Alas, they are settling down for the siege.

A FOURTH

They must have come with the speed of the wind. Yesterday they were still at Bethel, and to-day they have already encircled Zion.

THE FIRST MAN

Terrible is the might of Ashur. God help us all.

THE WOMAN

Look at the glow in the north, like a pillar rising heavenward.

SECOND MAN

That is where Samaria lies.

THIRD MAN

'Tis a pillar of fire that rises heavenward. Samaria has fallen.

VOICES

Alas!--It is not possible.--Samaria is a strong fortress, within a triple wall.--Nay, it is certainly Samaria.

A VOICE

Look there to the east, another pillar of fire. That must be Gilgal.

ANOTHER VOICE

They are ravaging the countryside like a hurricane. Fierce is the wrath of Ashur.

ANOTHER VOICE

Never should we have entered into a struggle with such as they.

VOICES

Who began it?--Not we.--Not I.--It was the king.--It was the priests.--We wanted to live at peace with them.

A VOICE

Egypt lured us on, and then betrayed us.

VOICES

Yes, it was Egypt.--It was Pharaoh.--A curse upon Pharaoh.--The Egyptians have sold us to the enemy, have abandoned us to our misery.--Where are the fifty thousand bowmen they promised? We are alone.--All is lost.

ANOTHER VOICE

Woe, Jerusalem, Jerusalem. Thou art given over to thine enemies, and those who hate thee are showing their teeth.

FIRST SENTRY

[Fiercely interrupting] Away with you! Why are you loitering on the walls? Home to your wives, and to bed. We stand guard for you.

A MAN

We want to see ...

FIRST SENTRY

There is nothing to see. You have been clamoring for Ashur, and now Ashur has come. Leave it to us men-at-arms to chase them home again. For yourselves, go sleep, or pray if you cannot sleep.

A MAN

But tell us ...

FIRST SENTRY

Naught to tell. There has been too much talking already; the time has come for blows. Away, away!

[The two sentries roughly clear the loiterers from the wall. The crowd disappears in the darkness down the steps leading from the wall into the shadow. When all have gone, quiet reigns. In the white moonlight the sentries stand like figures of brass]

FIRST SENTRY

They give way to despair at the first gleam of an enemy's spear. They must not be allowed to talk like that.

SECOND SENTRY

One who is afraid and cannot master his fear must perforce speak. It is of no use, and yet it gives relief.

FIRST SENTRY

Let them sleep, not chatter.

SECOND SENTRY

Sleep is not man's servant. Vainly do we summon sleep to a couch of sorrow. To-night many hold vigil and look forth into the moonlight.

FIRST SENTRY

In any case, those alone should speak who wear a sword. We stand guard for all.

[The two sentries are silent for a while, marching to and fro]

SECOND SENTRY

[Stands and listens] Do you hear?

FIRST SENTRY

What?

SECOND SENTRY

The sound is very faint, but the breeze bears it to us. When I was in Joppa, for the first time I heard in the night the distant murmur of the waves. Such a sound rises now from the plain. They are there in their thousands, moving quietly, but the air is stirred by the rolling wheels and the clashing arms. A whole nation must be afoot, falling upon Israel. The noise echoes from our walls like the noise of the sea.

FIRST SENTRY

[Obdurately] I refuse to hear anything but my orders. I care not what wheels roll, or noises stir.

SECOND SENTRY

Why does God hurl the nations against one another? There is room for all beneath the skies. There is still plenty of land unploughed; many forests still await the axe. Yet men turn their ploughshares into swords, and hew living flesh with their axes. I cannot understand, I cannot understand.

FIRST SENTRY

It has always been so.

SECOND SENTRY

But must it always be so? Why does God wish the nations to fight?

FIRST SENTRY

The nations want war for its own sake.

SECOND SENTRY

What are nations? Are not you one of our nation, am not I another? Are not our wives, your wife and mine, part of this same people? Did any of us want war? I stand here armed with a spear, not knowing against whom it is to be turned. Down there in the darkness, unwitting, waits the man for whom it is destined. I know him not, have never seen his face, or the breast I must pierce with death. In the enemy's camp another perchance warms his hands at the camp fire, the man who is to kill the father of my children. He has never seen me, and I have never done him harm. We are strangers, like trees in the forest. They grow quietly and bear their blossoms. But we rage furiously one against the other with axe and with spear, until our blood runs like resin, and therewith the life oozes forth. What puts death between the nations? What is it which sows hatred when there is room and to spare for life, and when there is abundant scope for love? I cannot understand, I cannot understand!

FIRST SENTRY

These things must be God's will, for they have always happened. I question no further.

SECOND SENTRY

This crime cannot be God's will. He has given us our lives that we may live them. Everything that men do not understand they describe as God's will. War does not come from God. Whence comes it then?

FIRST SENTRY

How can I tell whence it comes? I know that there is war, and that it is useless to chatter about it. I do my duty; sharpen my spear, not my tongue.

[For a time they are silent once more, gazing out into the white stillness. From a great distance come the words of the challenge "_Samson guard us_," scarcely audible at first. Then the sound grows louder, still coming from unseen sentries. At length the words "_Samson guard us_," loud and clear from the next post. Our two sentries take up the challenge, and it is heard with diminishing loudness as it passes on round the wall. Again all is still. The two sentries stand silent in the moonlight, their faces shadowed by their helmets]

SECOND SENTRY

Know you aught of the Chaldeans?

FIRST SENTRY

I know that they are our enemies, that they are attacking our homes.

SECOND SENTRY

I am not thinking about that. Have you ever seen any of them close at hand; do you know their customs and their country?

FIRST SENTRY

I have been told that they are cruel as wild cats and venomous as serpents. It is said that they sacrifice their children to idols of copper and lead. But I have never set eyes on a Chaldean.

SECOND SENTRY

Nor I. Too many mountains tower skyward between Jerusalem and Babylon; there are rivers to cross, and more country than a man can march over in many weeks. The very stars in the sky are different, and yet the men of Ashur are arrayed against us and we against them. What do they covet from us? If I were to question one of them, all he could tell me would doubtless be that in his house as in mine are wife and children lying upon straw. I believe if I could talk things over with such a man we should understand one another well enough. Often I feel that I should like to summon one of them, to hold out a friendly hand, so that we could have a heart to heart talk.

FIRST SENTRY

You must not do that.

SECOND SENTRY

Wherefore not?

FIRST SENTRY

They are our enemies and it is our duty to hate them.

SECOND SENTRY

Why should I hate them if my heart knows no reason for hatred?

FIRST SENTRY

They began the war; they were the aggressors.

SECOND SENTRY

Yes, that is what we say in Jerusalem. In Babylon, perchance, they tell another story. If we could talk things over with them, we might get some light on the question.

FIRST SENTRY

You must not talk with them. Our duty is to strike them down. Such are our orders, and we must obey.

SECOND SENTRY

My reason tells me that I must not converse with them, but in my soul I feel that I must. Whom do we serve by compassing their death?

FIRST SENTRY

What a question, simpleton! We serve God, and the king our master.

SECOND SENTRY

But God said, and it is written: "Thou shalt not kill". Mayhap, if I were to take my sword and cast it from me, I should serve God better than by slaying an enemy.

FIRST SENTRY

But it is likewise written: "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth".

SECOND SENTRY

[Sighs] Many things are written. Who can understand them all?

FIRST SENTRY

This is idle dreaming. The Chaldeans have invested our town; they wish to burn our houses; I stand here with sword and spear, and will do my utmost to prevent them. Too much knowledge is unwholesome. I know all I want to know.

SECOND SENTRY

Yet I cannot but ask myself ...

FIRST SENTRY

[Stubbornly] You should not ask so many questions. A soldier's business is to fight, not to reason why. You ponder overmuch, instead of doing your duty unquestioningly.

SECOND SENTRY

How can a man help questioning himself? How can he be other than uneasy, at such an hour? Do I know where I am, or how long I have still to stand on guard? This darkness beneath the wall, where the masonry is crumbling, will perhaps be my grave to-morrow. Maybe the wind which now caresses my cheek will not find me here in the morning. But can I fail, while I live, to ask the meaning of life? The flame flickers until the torch goes out. How can life do other than question until it is quenched by death? Maybe death is already within me; perchance the questioner is no longer life, but death.

FIRST SENTRY

You brood and brood. You are only tormenting yourself to no purpose.

SECOND SENTRY

God has given us a heart precisely that it may torment us.

FIRST SENTRY

What is the use of talking about it? We are on guard here. That's enough for me.

SECOND SENTRY

Talking helps to keep us awake, and only the stars hear our words.

[Both are again silent for a time]

SECOND SENTRY

Who goes there? Someone is moving in the darkness.

FIRST SENTRY

More busybodies. Why cannot they stay in bed? Send them home.

SECOND SENTRY

No! Let them talk while we stay in the shadow.

FIRST SENTRY

You are a strange fellow. I shall continue my round.

[The two sentries pass into the shadow of the tower on the wall, their figures disappearing in the darkness. The gleam of their spears is still seen from time to time.--JEREMIAH and BARUCH ascend out of the darkness of the stairway and advance to the battlements, JEREMIAH hastening on in front, while BARUCH, who does not share the prophet's excitement, lags in the rear. The second sentry stands unnoticed in the shadow of the tower]

BARUCH

Whither are you leading me, master?

JEREMIAH

On, on! I must look Terror in the face. [He gazes down into the valley, standing motionless and silent]

BARUCH

What are you staring at?

JEREMIAH

[Still gazing] The king has come, the king from the north. [He seizes BARUCH'S sleeve] Come closer, Baruch! Touch my hand that I may know whether I wake or sleep. Are my eyes open? Is this wall builded of stones or of tears? Does Jerusalem lie behind us unheeding in the darkness? Are the forces of Ashur couched in the plain beneath? Tell me, Baruch, convince me that I am dreaming. Shake me till I awake, to laugh at my mad fancy that Zion is encircled by the Chaldeans.

BARUCH

What do you mean, master? I don't understand. How can you doubt?

JEREMIAH

Alas, it is true, then. I am not dreaming now. The horses are there and the chariots; Ashur is arrayed against Zion; the vision is fulfilled. All these miseries spring from my dreams, for they existed in me before they were in the world of reality. I alone knew, before ever God's words became deeds. In me they arose; through me they came. Yet naught can I do to hinder their flow; nor by sword nor by shield can I stay their progress.

BARUCH

Master, you talk at random. Speak in words that I can believe and understand.

JEREMIAH

Words that you can believe? But Baruch will you believe the words that I have to say to you at this hour beneath the stars? I fear you will deny me, will laugh at me, for what I would fain say will sound like nonsense in your ears.

BARUCH

Faith in you is my very life.

JEREMIAH

Hearken, then. [He speaks low and impressively] All that is now happening, I have beheld in my dreams for months past. Not a star shines in heaven which I have not seen above this wall and above God's temple. I have looked down upon the multitude of the foe, upon their myriad tents. Baruch, do you hear me?

BARUCH

[Shuddering] I hear, I hear.

JEREMIAH

Why was all this made plain to me before the day? It cannot be against God's will that he should disclose his plans to me, should vouchsafe me visions of the future. Nor can I rebel; nor can I be silent; though in truth for long I refused the summons, and stopped my ears to the call. But now, when I see in the real world what has again and again been revealed to me in dreams, for the first time do I feel assured that God speaks through me. I say to you, Baruch, that I am the chosen of the Lord. Woe unto me should I conceal my forebodings from the people and from the king. For this is no more than the beginning, and I know the end.

BARUCH

Reveal it, chosen one. Cry your words aloud.

JEREMIAH

Baruch, do you see the camp and the tents; do you see this sleeping ocean surging down from the north?

BARUCH

[Shuddering] I see the enemy; I see the tents.

JEREMIAH

You see the night, sleep, and the false quiet of repose. But in my ears the trumpets blare and the arms clash as the Chaldeans arise and storm the city. The walls whereon our feet are now planted, crumble at their onslaught; the cries of the fugitives ring in my ears. The brazen flood foams over us. I hear the beating of Death's wings o'er city and walls; I see the destruction of Zion. Baruch, waking I see it, for God hath opened an eye within the darkness of my body; my heart maketh a noise in me; my soul hath heard the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Why sleep they still? Time is it they should wake, ere their sleep pass into death. Verily the hour is come to awaken Jerusalem!

BARUCH

[Stirred by his words] Yea, yea, Jeremiah, awaken Jerusalem!

JEREMIAH

[More and more carried away]

O foolish people, afflicted town,
How, ah how, can you sleep at peace
When Death's cold winding sheet is spread
Beneath you where you lie.
O foolish people, afflicted town,
How can you rest when thunder rages?
How can you drowse,
Lost in dreams,
When Ashur's rams
Are battering the gates?
Who shall waken the fools? Who make the deaf hear?

BARUCH

[Ecstatically] You, master. Cry aloud. Awaken them. Save them from the jaws of death.

JEREMIAH

Awaken, awaken, up and away!
The land is afire, the foe holds the town!
Flee ere his wrath wholly consume you,
Flee from the sword, flee from the flames,
Leave your possessions, abandon your homes,
Gather your households, your women and children;
Ere he can seize you take refuge in flight.
Up and away!
The land is afire, the foe holds the town!
Up and away!

SECOND SENTRY

[Coming forward from the shadows] Who shouts here? You will waken the sleepers.

JEREMIAH

Oh that I could awaken them. Up, Jerusalem, awake! City of God, save thyself.

SECOND SENTRY

You are drunk. Go home to sleep.

BARUCH

[Stepping between] Touch him not.

JEREMIAH

I must not sleep. No one must sleep. I am the watchman. Woe to him who hinders me.

SECOND SENTRY

[Taking him by the shoulder] You must be moonstruck to think yourself watchman. I am the watchman. Away with you.

BARUCH

Touch him not, the chosen of the Lord, the prophet.

SECOND SENTRY

[Loosing JEREMIAH] Are you Hananiah, the prophet of God?

BARUCH

It is Jeremiah the prophet.

SECOND SENTRY

Jeremiah, who leads the people astray? Jeremiah, who cried through the street that Ashur would prevail? Have you come hither to gloat over the fulfilment of your vision? Too soon, faint-heart, too soon; and yet in an apt moment, prophet of evil, to feel the weight of my anger. I will reveal you something.

BARUCH

[Struggling with the sentry] Hands off, touch him not.

FIRST SENTRY

[Entering hurriedly] The king is coming. Zedekiah goes the rounds. Clear away the people.

JEREMIAH

The king! God be praised! His meaning is plain. The Lord sends him to my hand.

FIRST SENTRY

Away chatterer, away.

SECOND SENTRY

Down with you. Away. Creep down there and keep quiet, or you shall rue it.

FIRST SENTRY

Here comes the king.

[JEREMIAH and BARUCH are hustled from the wall and disappear into the dark. The two sentries stand at the extreme edge of the ramparts to leave room for the king and his train to pass. When ZEDEKIAH enters they clash spears on shields in salute and then stand to attention. ZEDEKIAH is making the rounds, accompanied by ABIMELECH and others. He is unarmed and bareheaded; his face looks pale and thoughtful in the moonlight. He halts, and gazes for a time over the plain]

ZEDEKIAH

See how the camp fires burn athwart the plain. It looks as if the black heavens had fallen upon earth, whence star after star now shines forth. A people countless in numbers is encamped round Israel. Spears are leveled; hands are raised; even in sleep, their dreams turn against us. To-morrow they will all arise as the herbage rises after rain; stillness will be replaced by the screams of death. This is perchance the last night of peaceful slumber.

ABIMELECH

Be not despondent, O king. Upon this very wall where now thou standest sorely troubled, stood aforetime King Hezekiah. His mind, likewise, was full of care, for in the plain beneath, wave upon wave, countless like these, lay the hosts of Senaccherib. Then, as now, the flood of Ashur threatened the holy city. But the Lord stretched forth his hand and smote the enemy with a pestilence. These walls shall never be broken. Jerusalem endureth for ever.

THE OTHERS

Jerusalem endureth for ever.

THE VOICE OF JEREMIAH

[From the darkness] Awaken, doomed city, that thou mayest save thyself. Awaken from your heavy slumbers, heedless ones, lest you be slain in sleep; awaken, for the walls are crumbling, and will crush you; awaken, for Ashur's sword is brandished over your heads.

ZEDEKIAH

[On the alert] Who speaks? Who speaks?

VOICES

Who speaks?

THE VOICE OF JEREMIAH

The anger of the Lord hath fallen upon the disturbers of the peace. God hath sent the king of the north against Israel, to break her towers, and her pride. Awaken that ye may flee; awaken that ye may save yourselves; for he has come, the slayer of your sons, the ravisher of your daughters, he who will lay your fields waste. Awaken, awaken!

ZEDEKIAH

[Shrinking with alarm, and then recovering himself] Who speaks?

FIRST SENTRY

A madman, Lord; he is moonstruck.

VOICES

Close his mouth.--Away with him.--He is mad.

ZEDEKIAH

Nay, bring him hither. I wish to see him. I wish to see that he who spoke was a living man. Terrible was the sound of his voice. It seemed to me as if the stones of Jerusalem were uttering lamentations, as if the words issued from the very walls.

[The two sentries hasten away into the darkness]

ABIMELECH

Suffer not thyself to be misled, Lord. Many in the city have been bought with Chaldean gold.

OTHERS

Heed him not.--Hurl him from the wall.--Hold no converse with a coward.

[JEREMIAH and BARUCH are brought into the light by the sentries, and JEREMIAH is thrust forward to the king]

SECOND SENTRY

This is he who spoke the words of shame. He was railing in like fashion, Lord, just before thou camest.

ZEDEKIAH

There has been talk of one going up and down the city and foretelling disaster to the people. Is this the man?

VOICES

It is he.--Jeremiah.--Curses light on him.--He foretells disaster.--Poisons men's hearts.--Bears false witness.

BARUCH

Nay, he is God's messenger and utters words of truth. I testify for him.

VOICES

Who are you to testify?--You are no more than a boy.--Heed him not.--Such vipers should be crushed.

ZEDEKIAH