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Page 1 of 21898 · PDF PAGE 45
JEPHTHAH. 4! To give Thee thanks, nor take ungratefully This first of favours from the Hand Divine. SOLDIERS. A noble vow: and God is glad thereat. PROPHET. I charge you in the name of God, go not ! ‘I see a mischief fallen on your souls Most bitter. Aye! an evil day is this If ye go forth with such a sacrifice, And vows most hideous in their consequence. SOLDIERS. It is the prophet of the Lord. JEPHTHAH. Possessed By Baal; scourge him hence; he lies, for God With powerful proof and many lightnings came Devouring up the offering at the altar. P…
1898 · PDF PAGE 51
…this Monstrous impossible villainy of fate. CHORUS. O wise old man, thou speakest cleverly. AHINOAM. So do, and praise be given you from God. ELEAZAR. God, Who this day has sliumbered not, nor slept, He only keepeth Israel: He is God! CHORUS. When God uplifted hands to smite, And earth from chaos was unrolled, And skies and seas from blackest night Unfurled, twin sapphires set with gold, And tumult of the boisterous deep Roared from its slow ungainly sleep, And flocks of heaven were driven to fold, Then rose the walls of Israel] steep, For in H…
1898 · PDF PAGE 62
…will await, and hide myself away Behind yon bushes, to behold the plot Bud to fulfilment. Then, Leviathan, I am thy master. Mockery of a God That seest this thing prosper—Ha! thine altar! Let me give thanks, Jehovah! O thou God That rulest Israel as sheep and slaves, But over me no ruler; thou proud God - That marshallest these petty thunder-clouds That blacken over the inane abyss But canst not tame one fierce desire of mine, Nor satiate my hatred, nor destroy This power of mine over thy devil-brood, The hatchment of thine incest, O thou God W…
1898 · PDF PAGE 14
…nd the struggle is keen as the strife to be, And the heart is tossed by the thankless wind. ELEAZAR, Nay, for a man’s sure purpose is of God. CHORUS. The large pale limbs of the earth are tanned With the sun and the sea and the yellow sand And the face of earth is dark with love Of the lords of hell and the spirits above That move in the foggy air of night, And the spirit of God, most like a dove, Hovers, and lingers, and wings his flight, Spurned and rejected and lost to sight; But we desire him, a holy bird, And we turn eyes to the hollow hil…
1898 · PDF PAGE 40
…their hinges The soul of the sage may discern, Till the water with crimson that tinges Beyond them miraculous burn ; And the presence of God to the senses Is the passion of God in the mind, As the string of a harp that intenses The note that its fire may not find. For here in the tumult and labour And blindness of cowering man, _ The spirit has God for a neighbour, And the wheels unreturning that ran Return to the heart of the roses, And curl in the new blossom now, As the holiest fire that encloses Gray flame on the holiest brow. So midnight w…
1898 · PDF PAGE 37
…it, did determine To gather all his people, and to pitch Tents hostile in the plains before Jahaz. And there he fought with Israel ; but God Delivered Sihon to our hands, and all That followed him: whom therefore we destroyed With many slaughters: so we dispossessed _ The envious Amorites, and had their land, A land whose borders were the Ammon brook On the one hand, and on the other Jabbok And Jordan: we, who slew the Amorites. What hast thou, king of Ammon, here to do? How thinkst thou to inherit their possessions That the Lord God hath given…
1898 · PDF PAGE 52
…sacred songs ineffable, In all the words of power that fly About the world, this song they spell : He keepeth Israel. AHINOAM. Ye praise God of full heart: I would to God Your minds were somewhat fuller, and could keep Discretion seated on her ivory throne. What folly is it they will now be at, Gray beards, and goatish manners? Hearken them! CHORUS. In the brave old days ere men began To bind young hearts with an iron tether, Ere love was brief as life, a span, Ere love was light as life, a feather, Earth was free as the glad wild weather, God …
1898 · PDF PAGE 11
JEPHTHAH. Throbbing with fire more potent than all wine, All sting of fleshly pangs and pleasures. Oh! The god is fast upon my back ; he rides My spirit like a stallion ; for I hate The awful thong his hand is heavy with. ELEAZAR. Speak, for the god compels, and we behold. PROPHET. A harlot shall be mother of Israel. CHORUS. He speaks of her who sighed for Gilead. PROPHET. A maiden shall be slain for many men. CHORUS. A doubtful word, and who shall fathom it? | PROPHET. Thy help is from the hills and desert lands. CHORUS. Our help is from the h…
1898 · PDF PAGE 12
8 JEPHTHAH. CHORUS. And who shall bridle him, or turn his way? For Fate alone of gods, inflexible, And careless of men’s deeds, is firm in heaven. PROPHET. I see a sword whose hilt is to thy hand. CHORUS. But which of us shall wield the shining blade? PROPHET. I see a dove departing to the hills. CHORUS. I pray it bring an olive-branch to us. PROPHET. The god has overcome me, I am silent. CHORUS. He lies as one lies dead; none wakens him. Nor life nor death must touch him now: beware! ELEAZAR. Beware now, all ye old wise men, of this. For high …
1898 · PDF PAGE 19
…is sure. But they come hither. Shall we rather flee ? ELEAZAR. I stand here manly, and will die a man. CHORUS. For cowardice not pleases God, nor fear. Shall we not take up weapons? Or shall He Rather defend us with His Holy Arm, We not presuming in our arrogance To come with cunning, and defend ourselves ? ELEAZAR. Nay, but God smites with sharpness of our swords, CHORUS. The sword is made sharp in our hands, but the point He shall guide; We grasp the tough ash of the spear, but His hand is beside ; We drive in a cloud at the foe, but His char…
1898 · PDF PAGE 63
… What is this blackened and distorted thing? , A SOLDIER. | Some fellow by the altar that kept watch, Some faithful fellow—he is gone to God. JEPHTHAH. How is ’t the cattle have been driven home? I trusted we had found a tender lamb, A lamb of the first year, unblemished, white, To greet me, that we do meet sacrifice, Fulfilling thus my vow, and all our duty. [A nose of timbrels and singing. Surely some merriment—our news hath reached. Glad news and welcome: God is very good. Enter Adulah, running, followed by singing Maidens.
1898 · PDF PAGE 17
JEPHTHAH. 13 Who high truth and faith may swear, And betray us at the end /To his robber bands. So we clasp our humble hands, Praying God to lift His sword From our bleeding state, that stands Tottering to its fall. Though we call not Jephthah back To repel the harsh attack, Nor his followers call, Hear thou, O Most High, give ear To our pitiful complaint: Under woes of war we faint. Pity, Lord of Hosts, our fear! Hear, Most High, oh, hear! ° Enter Messenger. MESSENGER. My lords, take heed now, prayer is good to save - While yet the foemen are …
1898 · PDF PAGE 16
…desolate marauder Never over us shall swing Such a sceptre as should bring Sorrow to one home of ours. Better bear the heavy hours Under God’s avenging breath, Better brave the horrid powers, Nor avoid the foreign death, Humbling all our pride before God’s most holy throne, abasing Every man’s strong soul, and facing All the heathen Ammon bore On the angry shore, Trusting to the mercy rare Of Jehovah, than to bare Hearts and bosoms to a friend
1898 · PDF PAGE 71
…THAH. 67 With calm impenetrable eyes The after glory that shall be ; But we, of mortal bodies born, Laugh lies consoling unto scorn. The God of Israel is strong ; His mighty arm hath wrought this day A victory and a triumph-song— And now He breathes upon His clay, And we, who were as idols crowned, Lie dust upon the empty ground. She goes, our sorrow’s sacrifice, Our lamb, our firstling, frail and white, With large sweet love-illumined eyes Into the night, into the night. The throne of night shall be withdrawn ; So moveth she toward the dawn. A…
1898 · PDF PAGE 26
…d Death was the piteous path ; With ashes we covered our hair; The voice of the singer was dumb, the voice of the triumph of prayer. But God had pity upon us, Our evil and fallen way; His mercy was mighty on us ; His lips are as rosy as day Broken out of the sea at the sunrise, as fragrant as flowers in May. Our sin was great in His sight: _ We chased from our gates our brother, We shamed his father’s might, We spat on the grave of his mother, We laughed in his face and mocked, looking slyly one to another. But God beheld, and His hand Was heav…
1898 · PDF PAGE 56
…d perfumes teem divine, And all the air grows one pale fume of wine. Their songs, their purity, their peace, Glide slowly in the arms of God; His lips assume their sanctities, His eyes perceive the period Of woven webs of lutes at ease, e And measures by pure maidens trod, Till, like the smoke of mountains risen at dawn, The cloud-veils of the Ain are withdrawn. | Pure spirits rise to heaven, the bride. Pure bodies are as lamps below. The shining essence, glorified With fire more cold than fresh-fallen snow, And influences, white and wide, - De…
1898 · PDF PAGE 31
…ame With iron, massacre, and flame, And turn their own devouring blade On city fired and violate maid, That Israel conquer, and men know God is our God against a foe. For the web of the battle is woven Of men that are strong as the sea, When the rocks by its tempest are cloven, And waves wander wild to the lee; When ships are in travail forsaken, And tempest and tumult awaken ; When foam by fresh foam overtaken Boils sanguine and fervent and free. For its sides are a million of paces; Its centre is Death as he stands Pale-horsed, where the icie…
1898 · PDF PAGE 41
JEPHTHAH. 37 As the lives before remember the perished hours of gold. [Exeunt all but Jephthah. JEPHTHAH. Surely, my God, now I am left alone Kneeling before Thy throne, I may grow beautiful, even I, to see Thy beauty fair and free. For on the vast expanses of the wold I hear the feet of gold, And over all the skies I see a flame That flickers with Thy Name. Therefore, because Thou hast hid Thy face, and yet Given me not to forget The foaming cloud that shaped itself a rose, Whose steady passion glows Within the secretest fortress of my heart, …
1898 · PDF PAGE 49
… of maidens most, Shall strike a measure of delight, and boys With bright unsullied curls shall minister Before him all the days of life God grants, And all his platters shall be made of gold, And jewels beyond price shall stud them all. What sayest thou, O wisest of our race, Ahinoam, the aged priest of God, , Who weighest out the stars with balances, And knowest best of men the heart of man? AHINOAM. Ye are as children, and nowise your tongues Speak sense. I never hear your voice but know Some geese are gabbling. Sing to him perchance! The vo…
1898 · PDF PAGE 75
…ests ; the sceptre was wielded by those who, swathed in thick darkness, and enthroned on their own thunderclouds, looked with the eye of gods upon this earth, and carried out the designs of God with tranquil power. I have depicted such a Servant of God stepping down from his throne at the precise moment when his presence was required, and the tragedy represented in the play stands for the impotent spite of the Evil One, venting itself in personal malice. In short, I have ventured (I trust that in so doing the human pathos of the story has lost …