Thou art not Cæsar’s friend. For whosoever 45
Maketh himself a King, speaks against Cæsar.
PILATE.
Ye Jews, behold your King!
CHIEF PRIESTS.
Away with him!
Crucify him!
PILATE.
Shall I crucify your King?
CHIEF PRIESTS.
We have no King but Cæsar!
PILATE
Take him, then,
Take him, ye cruel and bloodthirsty Priests, 50
More merciless than the plebeian mob,
Who pity and spare the fainting gladiator
Blood-stained in Roman amphitheatres, —
Take him, and crucify him if ye will;
But if the immortal Gods do ever mingle 55
With the affairs of mortals, which I doubt not,
And hold the attribute of justice dear,
They will commission the Eumenides
To scatter you to the four winds of heaven,
Exacting tear for tear, and blood for blood. 60
Here, take ye this inscription, Priests, and nail it
Upon the cross, above your victim’s head:
Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.
CHIEF PRIESTS.
Nay, we entreat! write not, the King of the Jews;
But that he said: I am the King of the Jews! 65
PILATE.
Enough. What I have written, I have written.
IX.
Aceldama
JUDAS ISCARIOT.
LOST! lost! Forever lost! I have betrayed
The innocent blood! O God! if thou art love,
Why didst thou leave me naked to the tempter?
Why didst thou not commission thy swift lightning
To strike me dead? or why did I not perish 5
With those by Herod slain, the innocent children
Who went with playthings in their little hands
Into the darkness of the other world,
As if to bed? Or wherefore was I born,
If thou in thy foreknowledge didst perceive 10
All that I am, and all that I must be?
I know I am not generous, am not gentle,
Like other men; but I have tried to be,
And I have failed. I thought by following Him
I should grow like Him; but the unclean spirit 15
That from my childhood up hath tortured me
Hath been too cunning and too strong for me.
Am I to blame for this? Am I to blame
Because I cannot love, and ne’er have known
The love of woman or the love of children? 20
It is a curse and a fatality,
A mark, that hath been set upon my forehead,
That none shall slay me, for it were a mercy
That I were dead, or never had been born.
Too late! too late! I shall not see Him more 25
Among the living. That sweet, patient face
Will never more rebuke me, nor those lips
Repeat the words: One of you shall betray me!
It stung me into madness. How I loved,
Yet hated Him! But in the other world! 30
I will be there before Him, and will wait
Until he comes, and fall down on my knees
And kiss his feet, imploring pardon, pardon!
I heard Him say: All sins shall be forgiven,
Except the sin against the Holy Ghost. 35
That shall not be forgiven in this world,
Nor in the world to come. Is that my sin?
Have I offended so there is no hope
Here nor hereafter? That I soon shall know.
O God, have mercy! Christ have mercy on me!
Throws himself headlong from the cliff. 40
X.
The Three Crosses
MANAHEM, THE ESSENIAN.
THREE crosses in this noonday night uplifted,
Three human figures that in mortal pain
Gleam white against the supernatural darkness;
Two thieves, that writhe in torture, and between them
The Suffering Messiah, the Son of Joseph, 5
Ay, the Messiah Triumphant, Son of David!
A crown of thorns on that dishonored head!
Those hands that healed the sick now pierced with nails,
Those feet that wandered homeless through the world
Now crossed and bleeding, and at rest forever! 10
And the three faithful Maries, over-whelmed
By this great sorrow, kneeling, praying, weeping!
O Joseph Caiaphas, thou great High-Priest,
How wilt thou answer for this deed of blood?
SCRIBES and ELDERS.
Thou that destroyest the Temple, and dost build it 15
In three days, save thyself; and if thou be
The Son of God, come down now from the cross.
CHIEF PRIESTS.
Others he saved, himself he cannot save!
Let Christ the King of Israel descend
That we may see and believe!
SCRIBES and ELDERS.
In God he trusted; 20
Let Him deliver him, if He will have him,
And we will then believe.
CHRISTUS.
Father! forgive them;
They know not what they do.
THE IMPENITENT THIEF.
If thou be Christ,
Oh save thyself and us!
THE PENITENT THIEF.
Remember me,
Lord, when thou comest into thine own kingdom. 25
CHRISTUS.
This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.
MANAHEM.
Golgotha! Golgotha! Oh the pain and darkness!
Oh the uplifted cross, that shall forever
Shine through the darkness, and shall conquer pain
By the triumphant memory of this hour! 30
SIMON MAGUS.
O Nazarene! I find thee here at last!
Thou art no more a phantom unto me!
This is the end of one who called himself
The Son of God! Such is the fate of those
Who preach new doctrines, ‘T is not what he did, 35
But what he said, hath brought him unto this.
I will speak evil of no dignitaries.
This is my hour of triumph, Nazarene!
THE YOUNG RULER.
This is the end of him who said to me:
Sell that thou hast, and give unto the poor! 40
This is the treasure in heaven he promised me!
CHRISTUS.
Eloi, Eloi, lama sabacthani!
A SOLDIER, preparing the hyssop.
He calleth for Elias!
ANOTHER.
Nay, let be!
See if Elias now will come to save him!
CHRISTUS.
I thirst.
A SOLDIER.
Give him the wormwood!
CHRISTUS, with a loud cry, bowing his head.
It is finished! 45
XI.
The Two Maries
MARY MAGDALENE.
We have arisen early, yet the sun
O’ertakes us ere we reach the sepulchre,
To wrap the body of our blessed Lord
With our sweet spices.
MARY, MOTHER OF JAMES.
Lo, this is the garden,
And yonder is the sepulchre. But who 5
Shall roll away the stone for us to enter?
MARY MAGDALENE.
It hath been rolled away! The sepulchre
Is open! Ah, who hath been here before us,
When we rose early, wishing to be first?
MARY, MOTHER OF JAMES.
I am affrighted!
MARY MAGDALENE.
Hush! I will stoop down 10
And look within. There is a young man sitting
On the right side, clothed in a long white garment!
It is
an angel!
THE ANGEL.
Fear not; ye are seeking
Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified.
Why do ye seek the living among the dead? 15
He is no longer here; he is arisen!
Come see the place where the Lord lay! Remember
How He spake unto you in Galilee,
Saying: The Son of Man must be delivered
Into the hands of sinful men; by them 20
Be crucified, and the third day rise again!
But go your way, and say to his disciples,
He goeth before you into Galilee;
There shall ye see Him as He said to you.
MARY, MOTHER OF JAMES.
I will go swiftly for them.
MARY MAGDALENE, alone, weeping.
They have taken 25
My Lord away from me, and now I know not
Where they have laid Him! Who is there to tell me?
This is the gardener. Surely he must know.
CHRISTUS.
Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou?
MARY MAGDALENE.
They have taken my Lord away; I cannot find Him. 30
O Sir, if thou have borne him hence, I pray thee
Tell me where thou hast laid Him.
CHRISTUS.
Mary!
MARY MAGDALENE.
Rabboni!
XII.
The Sea of Galilee
NATHANAEL, in the ship.
All is now ended.
JOHN.
Nay, He is arisen,
I ran unto the tomb, and stooping down
Looked in, and saw the linen grave-clothes lying,
Yet dared not enter.
PETER.
I went in, and saw
The napkin that had been about his head, 5
Not lying with the other linen clothes,
But wrapped together in a separate place.
THOMAS.
And I have seen Him. I have seen the print
Of nails upon his hands, and thrust my hands
Into his side. I know He is arisen; 10
But where are now the kingdom and the glory
He promised unto us? We have all dreamed
That we were princes, and we wake to find
We are but fishermen.
PETER.
Who should have been
Fishers of men!
JOHN.
We have come back again 15
To the old life, the peaceful life, among
The white towns of the Galilean lake.
PETER.
They seem to me like silent sepulchres
In the gray light of morning! The old life,
Yea, the old life! for we have toiled all night 20
And have caught nothing.
JOHN.
Do ye see a man
Standing upon the beach and beckoning?
‘T is like an apparition. He hath kindled
A fire of coals, and seems to wait for us.
He calleth.
CHRISTUS, from the shore.
Children, have ye any meat? 25
PETER.
Alas! We have caught nothing.
CHRISTUS.
Cast the net
On the right side of the ship, and ye shall find.
PETER.
How that reminds me of the days gone by,
And one who said: Launch out into the deep,
And cast your nets!
NATHANAEL.
We have but let them down 30
And they are filled, so that we cannot draw them!
JOHN.
It is the Lord!
PETER, girding his fisher’s coat about him.
He said: When I am risen
I will go before you into Galilee!
He casts himself into the lake.
JOHN.
There is no fear in love; for perfect love
Casteth out fear. Now then, if ye are men, 35
Put forth your strength; we are not far from shore;
The net is heavy, but breaks not. All is safe.
PETER, on the shore.
Dear Lord! I heard thy voice and could not wait.
Let me behold thy face, and kiss thy feet!
Thou art not dead, thou livest! Again I see thee. 40
Pardon, dear Lord! I am a sinful man;
I have denied thee thrice. Have mercy on me!
THE OTHERS, coming to land.
Dear Lord! stay with us! cheer us! comfort us!
Lo! we again have found thee! Leave us not!
CHRISTUS.
Bring hither of the fish that ye have caught, 45
And come and eat!
JOHN.
Behold! He breaketh bread
As He was wont. From his own blessed hands
Again we take it.
CHRISTUS.
Simon, son of Jonas,
Lovest thou me, more than these others?
PETER.
Yea,
More, Lord, than all men; even more than these. 50
Thou knowest that I love thee.
CHRISTUS.
Feed my lambs.
THOMAS, aside.
How more than we do? He remaineth ever
Self-confident and boastful as before.
Nothing will cure him.
CHRISTUS.
Simon, son of Jonas,
Lovest thou me?
PETER.
Yea, dearest Lord, I love thee. 55
Thou knowest that I love thee.
CHRISTUS.
Feed my sheep.
THOMAS, aside.
Again, the selfsame question, and the answer
Repeated with more vehemence. Can the Master
Doubt if we love Him?
CHRISTUS.
Simon, son of Jonas,
Lovest thou me?
PETER, grieved.
Dear Lord! thou knowest all things. 60
Thou knowest that I love thee.
CHRISTUS.
Feed my sheep.
When thou wast young thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst
Whither thou wouldst; but when thou shalt be old,
Thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and other men
Shall gird and carry thee whither thou wouldst not. 65
Follow thou me!
JOHN, aside.
It is a prophecy
Of what death he shall die.
PETER, pointing to JOHN.
Tell me, O Lord,
And what shall this man do?
CHRISTUS.
And if I will
He tarry till I come, what is it to thee?
Follow thou me! 70
PETER.
Yea, I will follow thee, dear Lord and Master!
Will follow thee through fasting and temptation,
Through all thine agony and bloody sweat,
Thy cross and passion, even unto death!
Part I. The Divine Tragedy.
Epilogue
Symbolum Apostolorum
PETER.
I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty;
JOHN.
Maker of Heaven and Earth;
JAMES.
And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord;
ANDREW.
Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary;
PHILIP.
Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; 5
THOMAS.
And the third day He rose again from the dead;
BARTHOLOMEW.
He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God, the Father Almighty;
MATTHEW.
From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
JAMES, THE SON OF ALPHEUS.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Catholic Church;
SIMON ZELOTES.
The communion of Saints; the forgiveness of sins; 10
JUDE.
The resurrection of the body;
MATTHIAS.
And the Life Everlasting.
First Interlude
The Abbot Joachim
A Room in the Convent of Flora in Calabria. Night.
JOACHIM.
THE WIND is rising; it seizes and shakes
The doors and window-blinds and makes
Mysterious moanings in the halls;
The convent-chimneys seem almost
The trumpets of some heavenly host, 5
Setting its watch upon our walls!
Where it listeth, there it bloweth;
We hear the sound, but no man knoweth
Whence it cometh or whither it goeth,
And thus it is with the Holy Ghost. 10
O breath of God! O my delight
In many a vigil of the night,
Like the great voice in Patmos heard
By John, the Evangelist of the Word,
I hear thee behind me saying: Write 15
In a book the things that thou hast seen,
The things that are, and that have been,
And the things that shall hereafter be!
This convent, on the rocky crest
Of the Calabrian hills, to me 20
A Patmos is wherein I rest;
While round about me like a sea
The white mists roll, and overflow
The world that lies unseen below
In darkness and in mystery. 25
Here in the Spirit, in the vast
Embrace of God’s encircling arm,
Am I uplifted from all harm;
The world seems something far away,
Something belonging to the Past, 30
Delphi Complete Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Delphi Poets Series Book 13) Page 96
