House of Rimmon, The - Act 4
ACT IV
Scene I
E LISHA :
Daughter of Israel, what dost thou here?
Thy prayer is granted. Naaman is healed:
Mar not true service with a selfish thought.
Nothing remains for thee to do, except
Give thanks, and go whither the Lord commands.
Obey, — obey! Ere Naaman returns
Thou must depart to thine own house in Shechem.
R UAHMAH :
A dream, a dream, a messenger of God!
O dear and dreadful vision, art thou true?
Then am I glad with all my broken heart.
Nothing remains, — nothing remains but this, —
Give thanks, obey, depart, — and so I do.
Farewell, my master's sword! Farewell to you,
My amulet! I lay you on the hilt
His hand shall clasp again: bid him farewell
For me, since I must look upon his face
No more for ever! — Hark, what sound was that?
S OLDIER :
Mistress, an armed troop, footmen and horse,
Mounting the hill!
R UAHMAH :
My lord returns in triumph.
S OLDIER :
Not so, for these are enemies; they march
In haste and silence, answering not our cries.
R UAHMAH :
Our enemies? Then hold your ground, — on guard!
Fight! fight! Defend the pass, and drive them down.
R EZON :
Hold her! So, tiger-maid, we've found your lair
And trapped you. Where is Naaman,
Your master?
R UAHMAH :
He is far beyond your reach.
R EZON :
Brave captain! He has saved himself, the leper,
And left you here?
R UAHMAH :
The leper is no more.
R EZON :
What mean you?
R UAHMAH :
He has gone to meet his God.
R EZON :
Dead? Dead? Behold how Rimmon's wrath is swift!
Damascus shall be mine; I'll terrify
The King with this, and make my terms. But no!
False maid, you sweet-faced harlot, you have lied
To save him, — speak.
R UAHMAH :
I am not what you say,
Nor have I lied, nor will I ever speak
A word to you, vile servant of a traitor-god.
R EZON :
Break off this little flute of blasphemy,
This ivory neck, — twist it, I say!
Give her a swift despatch after her leper!
But stay, — if he still lives he'll follow her,
And so we may ensnare him. Harm her not!
Bind her! Away with her to Rimmon's House!
Is all this carrion dead? There's one that moves, —
A spear, — fasten him down! All quiet now?
Then back to our Damascus! Rimmon's face
Shall be made bright with sacrifice.
W OUNDED S OLDIER :
The signet of my lord, her amulet!
Lost, lost! Ah, noble lady, — let me die
With this upon my breast.
N AAMAN :
What bloody work
Is here? God, let me live to punish him
Who wrought this horror! Treacherously slain
At night, by unknown hands, my brave companions:
Tsarpi, my best beloved, light of my soul,
Put out in darkness! O my broken lamp
Of life, where art thou? Nay, I cannot find her.
W OUNDED S OLDIER :
Master!
N AAMAN :
One living? Quick, a torch this way!
Lift up his head, — so, — carefully!
Courage, my friend, your captain is beside you.
Call back your soul and make report to him.
W OUNDED S OLDIER :
Hail, captain! O my captain, — here!
N AAMAN :
Be patient, — rest in peace, — the fight is done.
Nothing remains but render your account.
W OUNDED S OLDIER :
They fell upon us suddenly, — we fought
Our fiercest, — every man, — our lady fought
Fiercer than all. They beat us down, — she's gone.
Rezon has carried her away a captive. See, —
Her amulet, — I die for you, my captain.
N AAMAN :
Farewell. This last report was brave; but strange
Beyond my thought! How came the High Priest here?
And what is this? my chain, my seal! But this
Has never been in Tsarpi's hand. I gave
This signet to a captive maid one night, —
A maid of Israel. How long ago?
Ruahmah was her name, — almost forgotten!
So long ago, — how comes this token here?
What is this mystery, Saballidin?
S ABALLIDIN :
Ruahmah is her name who brought you hither.
N AAMAN :
Where then is Tsarpi?
S ABALLIDIN :
In Damascus.
She left you when the curse of Rimmon fell, —
Took refuge in his House, — and there she waits
Her lord's return, — Rezon's return.
N AAMAN :
'Tis false!
S ABALLIDIN :
The falsehood is in her. She hath been friend
With Rezon in his priestly plot to win
Assyria's favour, — friend to his design
To sell his country to enrich his temple, —
And friend to him in more, — I will not name it.
N AAMAN :
Nor will I credit it. Impossible!
S ABALLIDIN :
Did she not plead with you against the war,
Counsel surrender, seek to break your will?
N AAMAN :
She did not love my work, a soldier's task.
She never seemed to be at one with me
Until I was a leper.
S ABALLIDIN :
From whose hand
Did you receive the sacred cup?
N AAMAN :
From hers.
S ABALLIDIN :
And from that hour the curse began to work.
N AAMAN :
But did she not have pity when she saw
Me smitten? Did she not beseech the King
For letters and a guard to make this journey?
Has she not been the fountain of my hope,
My comforter and my most faithful guide
In this adventure of the dark? All this
Is proof of perfect love that would have shared
A leper's doom rather than give me up.
Can I doubt her who dared to love like this?
S ABALLIDIN :
O master, doubt her not, — but know her name;
Ruahmah! It was she alone who wrought
This wondrous work of love. She won the King
To furnish forth this company. She led
Our march, kept us in heart, fought off despair,
Watched over you as if you were her child,
Prepared your food, your cup, with her own hands,
Sang you asleep at night, awake at dawn, —
N AAMAN :
Enough! I do remember every hour
Of that sweet comradeship! And now her voice
Wakens the echoes in my lonely breast.
Shall I not see her, thank her, speak her name?
Ruahmah! Let me live till I have looked
Into her eyes and called her my Ruahmah!
Away! away! I burn to take the road
That leads me back to Rimmon's House, —
But not to bow, — by God, never to bow!
Scene II
T IME : Three days later
K HAMMA : All is ready for the rites of worship; our lady will play a great part in them. She has put on her Tyrian robes, and all her ornaments.
N UBTA : That is a sure sign of a religious purpose. She is most devout, our lady Tsarpi!
K HAMMA : A favourite of Rimmon, too! The High Priest has assured her of it. He is a great man, — next to the King, now that Naaman is gone.
N UBTA : But if Naaman should come back, healed of the leprosy?
K HAMMA : How can he come back? The Hebrew slave that went away with him, when they caught her, said that he was dead. The High Priest has shut her up in the prison of the temple, accusing her of her master's death.
N UBTA : Yet I think he does not believe it, for I heard him telling our mistress what to do if Naaman should return.
K HAMMA : What, then?
N UBTA : She will claim him as her husband. Was she not wedded to him before the god? That is a sacred bond. Only the High Priest can loose it. She will keep her hold on Naaman for the sake of the House of Rimmon. A wife knows her husband's secrets, she can tell — —
K HAMMA : Hush! here comes the fool Shumakim. He is never sober.
S HUMAKIM : Are there two of you? I see two, but that is no proof. I think there is only one, but beautiful enough for two. What were you talking to yourself about, fairest one!
K HAMMA : About the lady Tsarpi, fool, and what she would do if her husband returned.
S HUMAKIM : Fie! fie! That is no talk for an innocent fool to hear. Has she a husband?
N UBTA : You know very well that she is the wife of Lord Naaman.
S HUMAKIM : I remember that she used to wear his name and his jewels. But I thought he had exchanged her, — for a leprosy.
K HAMMA : You must have heard that he went away to Samaria to look for healing. Some say that he died on the journey; but others say he has been cured, and is on his way home to his wife.
S HUMAKIM : It may be, for this is a mad world, and men never know when they are well off, — except us fools. But he must come soon if he would find his wife as he parted from her, — or the city where he left it. The Assyrians have returned with a greater army, and this time they will make an end of us. There is no Naaman now, and the Bull will devour Damascus like a bunch of leeks, flowers and all, — flowers and all, my double-budded fair one! Are you not afraid?
N UBTA : We belong to the House of Rimmon. He will protect us.
S HUMAKIM : What? The mighty one who hides behind the curtain there, and tells his secrets to Rezon? No doubt he will take care of you, and of himself. Whatever game is played, the gods never lose. But for the protection of the common people and the rest of us fools, I would rather have Naaman at the head of an army than all the sacred images between here and Babylon.
K HAMMA : You are a wicked old man. You mock the god. He will punish you.
S HUMAKIM : How can he punish me? Has he not already made me a fool? Hark, here comes my brother the High Priest, and my brother the King. Rimmon made us all; but nobody knows who made Rimmon, except the High Priest; and he will never tell.
C HANT
Hail, mighty Rimmon, ruler of the whirl-storm,
Hail, shaker of mountains, breaker-down of forests,
Hail, thou who roarest terribly in the darkness,
Hail, thou whose arrows flame across the heavens!
Hail, great destroyer, lord of flood and tempest,
In thine anger almighty, in thy wrath eternal,
Thou who delightest in ruin, maker of desolations,
Immeru, Addu, Berku, Rimmon!
See we tremble before thee, low we bow at thine altar,
Have mercy upon us, be favourable unto us,
Save us from our enemy, accept our sacrifice,
Barku, Immeru, Addu, Rimmon!
R EZON :
O King, last night the counsel from above
Was given in answer to our divination.
Ambassadors must go forthwith to crave
Assyria's pardon, and a second offer
Of the same terms of peace we did reject
Not long ago.
B ENHADAD :
Dishonour! Yet I see
No other way! Assyria will refuse,
Or make still harder terms. Disaster, shame
For this gray head, and ruin for Damascus!
R EZON :
Yet may we trust Rimmon will favour us,
If we adhere devoutly to his worship.
He will incline his brother-god, the Bull,
To spare us, if we supplicate him now
With costly gifts. Therefore I have prepared
A sacrifice: Rimmon shall be well pleased
With the red blood that bathes his knees to-night!
B ENHADAD :
My mind is dark with doubt, — I do forebode
Some horror! Let me go, — I am an old man, —
If Naaman my captain were alive!
But he is dead, — the glory is departed!
B ENHADAD :
Art thou a ghost escaped from Allatu?
How didst thou pass the seven doors of death?
O noble ghost I am afraid of thee,
And yet I love thee, — let me hear thy voice!
N AAMAN :
No ghost, my King, but one who lives to serve
Thee and Damascus with his heart and sword
As in the former days. The only God
Has healed my leprosy: my life is clean
To offer to my country and my King.
B ENHADAD :
O welcome to thy King! Thrice welcome!
R EZON :
Stay!
The leper must appear before the priest,
The only one who can pronounce him clean.
Yea, — thou art cleansed: Rimmon hath pardoned thee, —
In answer to the daily prayers of her
Whom he restores to thine embrace, — thy wife.
N AAMAN :
From him who rules this House will I receive
Nothing! I seek no pardon from his priest,
No wife of mine among his votaries!
T SARPI :
Am I not yours? Will you renounce our vows?
N AAMAN :
The vows were empty, — never made you mine
In aught but name. A wife is one who shares
Her husband's thought, incorporates his heart
With hers by love, and crowns him with her trust,
She is God's remedy for loneliness,
And God's reward for all the toil of life.
This you have never been to me, — and so
I give you back again to Rimmon's House
Where you belong. Claim what you will of mine, —
Not me! I do renounce you, — or release you, —
According to the law. If you demand
A further cause than what I have declared,
I will unfold it fully to the King.
R EZON :
No need of that! This duteous lady yields
To your caprice as she has ever done:
She stands a monument of loyalty
And woman's meekness.
N AAMAN :
Let her stand for that!
Adorn your temple with her piety!
But you in turn restore to me the treasure
You stole at midnight from my tent.
R EZON :
What treasure! I have stolen none from you.
N AAMAN :
The very jewel of my soul, — Ruahmah!
My King, the captive maid of Israel,
To whom thou didst commit my broken life
With letters to Samaria, — my light,
My guide, my saviour in this pilgrimage, —
Dost thou remember?
B ENHADAD :
I recall the maid, —
But dimly, — for my mind is old and weary,
She was a fearless maid, I trusted her
And gave thee to her charge. Where is she now?
N AAMAN :
This robber fell upon my camp by night, —
While I was with Elisha at the Jordan, —
Slaughtered my soldiers, carried off the maid,
And holds her somewhere in imprisonment.
O give this jewel back to me, my King,
And I will serve thee with a grateful heart
For ever. I will fight for thee, and lead
Thine armies on to glorious victory
Over all foes! Thou shalt no longer fear
The host of Asshur, for thy throne shall stand
Encompassed with a wall of dauntless hearts,
And founded on a mighty people's love,
And guarded by the God of righteousness.
B ENHADAD :
I feel the flame of courage at thy breath
Leap up among the ashes of despair.
Thou hast returned to save us! Thou shalt have
The maid; and thou shalt lead my host again!
Priest, I command you give her back to him.
R EZON :
O master, I obey thy word as thou
Hast ever been obedient to the voice
Of Rimmon. Let thy fiery captain wait
Until the sacrifice has been performed,
And he shall have the jewel that he claims.
Must we not first placate the city's god
With due allegiance, keep the ancient faith,
And pay our homage to the Lord of Wrath?
B ENHADAD :
I am the faithful son of Rimmon's House, —
And lo, these many years I worship him!
My thoughts are troubled, — I am very old,
But still a King! O Naaman, be patient!
Priest, let the sacrifice be offered.
R EZON :
Behold the sacrifice! Bow down, bow down!
N AAMAN :
Bow thou, black priest! Down, — down to hell!
Ruahmah! do not die! I come to thee.
B ENHADAD :
Peace, peace! The King commands all weapons down!
O Naaman, what wouldst thou do? Beware
Lest thou provoke the anger of a god.
N AAMAN :
There is no God but one, the Merciful,
Who gave this perfect woman to my soul
That I might learn through her to worship Him,
And know the meaning immortal Love.
B ENHADAD :
Yet she is consecrated, bound, and doomed
To sacrificial death; but thou art sworn
To live and lead my host, — Hast thou not sworn?
N AAMAN :
Only if thou wilt keep thy word to me!
Break with this idol of iniquity
Whose shadow makes a darkness in the land;
Give her to me who gave me back to thee;
And I will lead thine army to renown
And plant thy banners on the hill of triumph.
But if she dies, I die with her, defying Rimmon.
B ENHADAD :
Is this the choice? Must we destroy the bond
Of ancient faith, or slay the city's living hope!
I am an old, old man, — and yet the King!
Must I decide? — O let me ponder it!
N AAMAN :
Ruahmah, my Ruahmah! I have come
To thee at last! And art thou satisfied?
R UAHMAH :
Beloved, my beloved, I am glad
Of all, and glad for ever, come what may.
Nothing can harm me, — since my lord is come!
Scene I
E LISHA :
Daughter of Israel, what dost thou here?
Thy prayer is granted. Naaman is healed:
Mar not true service with a selfish thought.
Nothing remains for thee to do, except
Give thanks, and go whither the Lord commands.
Obey, — obey! Ere Naaman returns
Thou must depart to thine own house in Shechem.
R UAHMAH :
A dream, a dream, a messenger of God!
O dear and dreadful vision, art thou true?
Then am I glad with all my broken heart.
Nothing remains, — nothing remains but this, —
Give thanks, obey, depart, — and so I do.
Farewell, my master's sword! Farewell to you,
My amulet! I lay you on the hilt
His hand shall clasp again: bid him farewell
For me, since I must look upon his face
No more for ever! — Hark, what sound was that?
S OLDIER :
Mistress, an armed troop, footmen and horse,
Mounting the hill!
R UAHMAH :
My lord returns in triumph.
S OLDIER :
Not so, for these are enemies; they march
In haste and silence, answering not our cries.
R UAHMAH :
Our enemies? Then hold your ground, — on guard!
Fight! fight! Defend the pass, and drive them down.
R EZON :
Hold her! So, tiger-maid, we've found your lair
And trapped you. Where is Naaman,
Your master?
R UAHMAH :
He is far beyond your reach.
R EZON :
Brave captain! He has saved himself, the leper,
And left you here?
R UAHMAH :
The leper is no more.
R EZON :
What mean you?
R UAHMAH :
He has gone to meet his God.
R EZON :
Dead? Dead? Behold how Rimmon's wrath is swift!
Damascus shall be mine; I'll terrify
The King with this, and make my terms. But no!
False maid, you sweet-faced harlot, you have lied
To save him, — speak.
R UAHMAH :
I am not what you say,
Nor have I lied, nor will I ever speak
A word to you, vile servant of a traitor-god.
R EZON :
Break off this little flute of blasphemy,
This ivory neck, — twist it, I say!
Give her a swift despatch after her leper!
But stay, — if he still lives he'll follow her,
And so we may ensnare him. Harm her not!
Bind her! Away with her to Rimmon's House!
Is all this carrion dead? There's one that moves, —
A spear, — fasten him down! All quiet now?
Then back to our Damascus! Rimmon's face
Shall be made bright with sacrifice.
W OUNDED S OLDIER :
The signet of my lord, her amulet!
Lost, lost! Ah, noble lady, — let me die
With this upon my breast.
N AAMAN :
What bloody work
Is here? God, let me live to punish him
Who wrought this horror! Treacherously slain
At night, by unknown hands, my brave companions:
Tsarpi, my best beloved, light of my soul,
Put out in darkness! O my broken lamp
Of life, where art thou? Nay, I cannot find her.
W OUNDED S OLDIER :
Master!
N AAMAN :
One living? Quick, a torch this way!
Lift up his head, — so, — carefully!
Courage, my friend, your captain is beside you.
Call back your soul and make report to him.
W OUNDED S OLDIER :
Hail, captain! O my captain, — here!
N AAMAN :
Be patient, — rest in peace, — the fight is done.
Nothing remains but render your account.
W OUNDED S OLDIER :
They fell upon us suddenly, — we fought
Our fiercest, — every man, — our lady fought
Fiercer than all. They beat us down, — she's gone.
Rezon has carried her away a captive. See, —
Her amulet, — I die for you, my captain.
N AAMAN :
Farewell. This last report was brave; but strange
Beyond my thought! How came the High Priest here?
And what is this? my chain, my seal! But this
Has never been in Tsarpi's hand. I gave
This signet to a captive maid one night, —
A maid of Israel. How long ago?
Ruahmah was her name, — almost forgotten!
So long ago, — how comes this token here?
What is this mystery, Saballidin?
S ABALLIDIN :
Ruahmah is her name who brought you hither.
N AAMAN :
Where then is Tsarpi?
S ABALLIDIN :
In Damascus.
She left you when the curse of Rimmon fell, —
Took refuge in his House, — and there she waits
Her lord's return, — Rezon's return.
N AAMAN :
'Tis false!
S ABALLIDIN :
The falsehood is in her. She hath been friend
With Rezon in his priestly plot to win
Assyria's favour, — friend to his design
To sell his country to enrich his temple, —
And friend to him in more, — I will not name it.
N AAMAN :
Nor will I credit it. Impossible!
S ABALLIDIN :
Did she not plead with you against the war,
Counsel surrender, seek to break your will?
N AAMAN :
She did not love my work, a soldier's task.
She never seemed to be at one with me
Until I was a leper.
S ABALLIDIN :
From whose hand
Did you receive the sacred cup?
N AAMAN :
From hers.
S ABALLIDIN :
And from that hour the curse began to work.
N AAMAN :
But did she not have pity when she saw
Me smitten? Did she not beseech the King
For letters and a guard to make this journey?
Has she not been the fountain of my hope,
My comforter and my most faithful guide
In this adventure of the dark? All this
Is proof of perfect love that would have shared
A leper's doom rather than give me up.
Can I doubt her who dared to love like this?
S ABALLIDIN :
O master, doubt her not, — but know her name;
Ruahmah! It was she alone who wrought
This wondrous work of love. She won the King
To furnish forth this company. She led
Our march, kept us in heart, fought off despair,
Watched over you as if you were her child,
Prepared your food, your cup, with her own hands,
Sang you asleep at night, awake at dawn, —
N AAMAN :
Enough! I do remember every hour
Of that sweet comradeship! And now her voice
Wakens the echoes in my lonely breast.
Shall I not see her, thank her, speak her name?
Ruahmah! Let me live till I have looked
Into her eyes and called her my Ruahmah!
Away! away! I burn to take the road
That leads me back to Rimmon's House, —
But not to bow, — by God, never to bow!
Scene II
T IME : Three days later
K HAMMA : All is ready for the rites of worship; our lady will play a great part in them. She has put on her Tyrian robes, and all her ornaments.
N UBTA : That is a sure sign of a religious purpose. She is most devout, our lady Tsarpi!
K HAMMA : A favourite of Rimmon, too! The High Priest has assured her of it. He is a great man, — next to the King, now that Naaman is gone.
N UBTA : But if Naaman should come back, healed of the leprosy?
K HAMMA : How can he come back? The Hebrew slave that went away with him, when they caught her, said that he was dead. The High Priest has shut her up in the prison of the temple, accusing her of her master's death.
N UBTA : Yet I think he does not believe it, for I heard him telling our mistress what to do if Naaman should return.
K HAMMA : What, then?
N UBTA : She will claim him as her husband. Was she not wedded to him before the god? That is a sacred bond. Only the High Priest can loose it. She will keep her hold on Naaman for the sake of the House of Rimmon. A wife knows her husband's secrets, she can tell — —
K HAMMA : Hush! here comes the fool Shumakim. He is never sober.
S HUMAKIM : Are there two of you? I see two, but that is no proof. I think there is only one, but beautiful enough for two. What were you talking to yourself about, fairest one!
K HAMMA : About the lady Tsarpi, fool, and what she would do if her husband returned.
S HUMAKIM : Fie! fie! That is no talk for an innocent fool to hear. Has she a husband?
N UBTA : You know very well that she is the wife of Lord Naaman.
S HUMAKIM : I remember that she used to wear his name and his jewels. But I thought he had exchanged her, — for a leprosy.
K HAMMA : You must have heard that he went away to Samaria to look for healing. Some say that he died on the journey; but others say he has been cured, and is on his way home to his wife.
S HUMAKIM : It may be, for this is a mad world, and men never know when they are well off, — except us fools. But he must come soon if he would find his wife as he parted from her, — or the city where he left it. The Assyrians have returned with a greater army, and this time they will make an end of us. There is no Naaman now, and the Bull will devour Damascus like a bunch of leeks, flowers and all, — flowers and all, my double-budded fair one! Are you not afraid?
N UBTA : We belong to the House of Rimmon. He will protect us.
S HUMAKIM : What? The mighty one who hides behind the curtain there, and tells his secrets to Rezon? No doubt he will take care of you, and of himself. Whatever game is played, the gods never lose. But for the protection of the common people and the rest of us fools, I would rather have Naaman at the head of an army than all the sacred images between here and Babylon.
K HAMMA : You are a wicked old man. You mock the god. He will punish you.
S HUMAKIM : How can he punish me? Has he not already made me a fool? Hark, here comes my brother the High Priest, and my brother the King. Rimmon made us all; but nobody knows who made Rimmon, except the High Priest; and he will never tell.
C HANT
Hail, mighty Rimmon, ruler of the whirl-storm,
Hail, shaker of mountains, breaker-down of forests,
Hail, thou who roarest terribly in the darkness,
Hail, thou whose arrows flame across the heavens!
Hail, great destroyer, lord of flood and tempest,
In thine anger almighty, in thy wrath eternal,
Thou who delightest in ruin, maker of desolations,
Immeru, Addu, Berku, Rimmon!
See we tremble before thee, low we bow at thine altar,
Have mercy upon us, be favourable unto us,
Save us from our enemy, accept our sacrifice,
Barku, Immeru, Addu, Rimmon!
R EZON :
O King, last night the counsel from above
Was given in answer to our divination.
Ambassadors must go forthwith to crave
Assyria's pardon, and a second offer
Of the same terms of peace we did reject
Not long ago.
B ENHADAD :
Dishonour! Yet I see
No other way! Assyria will refuse,
Or make still harder terms. Disaster, shame
For this gray head, and ruin for Damascus!
R EZON :
Yet may we trust Rimmon will favour us,
If we adhere devoutly to his worship.
He will incline his brother-god, the Bull,
To spare us, if we supplicate him now
With costly gifts. Therefore I have prepared
A sacrifice: Rimmon shall be well pleased
With the red blood that bathes his knees to-night!
B ENHADAD :
My mind is dark with doubt, — I do forebode
Some horror! Let me go, — I am an old man, —
If Naaman my captain were alive!
But he is dead, — the glory is departed!
B ENHADAD :
Art thou a ghost escaped from Allatu?
How didst thou pass the seven doors of death?
O noble ghost I am afraid of thee,
And yet I love thee, — let me hear thy voice!
N AAMAN :
No ghost, my King, but one who lives to serve
Thee and Damascus with his heart and sword
As in the former days. The only God
Has healed my leprosy: my life is clean
To offer to my country and my King.
B ENHADAD :
O welcome to thy King! Thrice welcome!
R EZON :
Stay!
The leper must appear before the priest,
The only one who can pronounce him clean.
Yea, — thou art cleansed: Rimmon hath pardoned thee, —
In answer to the daily prayers of her
Whom he restores to thine embrace, — thy wife.
N AAMAN :
From him who rules this House will I receive
Nothing! I seek no pardon from his priest,
No wife of mine among his votaries!
T SARPI :
Am I not yours? Will you renounce our vows?
N AAMAN :
The vows were empty, — never made you mine
In aught but name. A wife is one who shares
Her husband's thought, incorporates his heart
With hers by love, and crowns him with her trust,
She is God's remedy for loneliness,
And God's reward for all the toil of life.
This you have never been to me, — and so
I give you back again to Rimmon's House
Where you belong. Claim what you will of mine, —
Not me! I do renounce you, — or release you, —
According to the law. If you demand
A further cause than what I have declared,
I will unfold it fully to the King.
R EZON :
No need of that! This duteous lady yields
To your caprice as she has ever done:
She stands a monument of loyalty
And woman's meekness.
N AAMAN :
Let her stand for that!
Adorn your temple with her piety!
But you in turn restore to me the treasure
You stole at midnight from my tent.
R EZON :
What treasure! I have stolen none from you.
N AAMAN :
The very jewel of my soul, — Ruahmah!
My King, the captive maid of Israel,
To whom thou didst commit my broken life
With letters to Samaria, — my light,
My guide, my saviour in this pilgrimage, —
Dost thou remember?
B ENHADAD :
I recall the maid, —
But dimly, — for my mind is old and weary,
She was a fearless maid, I trusted her
And gave thee to her charge. Where is she now?
N AAMAN :
This robber fell upon my camp by night, —
While I was with Elisha at the Jordan, —
Slaughtered my soldiers, carried off the maid,
And holds her somewhere in imprisonment.
O give this jewel back to me, my King,
And I will serve thee with a grateful heart
For ever. I will fight for thee, and lead
Thine armies on to glorious victory
Over all foes! Thou shalt no longer fear
The host of Asshur, for thy throne shall stand
Encompassed with a wall of dauntless hearts,
And founded on a mighty people's love,
And guarded by the God of righteousness.
B ENHADAD :
I feel the flame of courage at thy breath
Leap up among the ashes of despair.
Thou hast returned to save us! Thou shalt have
The maid; and thou shalt lead my host again!
Priest, I command you give her back to him.
R EZON :
O master, I obey thy word as thou
Hast ever been obedient to the voice
Of Rimmon. Let thy fiery captain wait
Until the sacrifice has been performed,
And he shall have the jewel that he claims.
Must we not first placate the city's god
With due allegiance, keep the ancient faith,
And pay our homage to the Lord of Wrath?
B ENHADAD :
I am the faithful son of Rimmon's House, —
And lo, these many years I worship him!
My thoughts are troubled, — I am very old,
But still a King! O Naaman, be patient!
Priest, let the sacrifice be offered.
R EZON :
Behold the sacrifice! Bow down, bow down!
N AAMAN :
Bow thou, black priest! Down, — down to hell!
Ruahmah! do not die! I come to thee.
B ENHADAD :
Peace, peace! The King commands all weapons down!
O Naaman, what wouldst thou do? Beware
Lest thou provoke the anger of a god.
N AAMAN :
There is no God but one, the Merciful,
Who gave this perfect woman to my soul
That I might learn through her to worship Him,
And know the meaning immortal Love.
B ENHADAD :
Yet she is consecrated, bound, and doomed
To sacrificial death; but thou art sworn
To live and lead my host, — Hast thou not sworn?
N AAMAN :
Only if thou wilt keep thy word to me!
Break with this idol of iniquity
Whose shadow makes a darkness in the land;
Give her to me who gave me back to thee;
And I will lead thine army to renown
And plant thy banners on the hill of triumph.
But if she dies, I die with her, defying Rimmon.
B ENHADAD :
Is this the choice? Must we destroy the bond
Of ancient faith, or slay the city's living hope!
I am an old, old man, — and yet the King!
Must I decide? — O let me ponder it!
N AAMAN :
Ruahmah, my Ruahmah! I have come
To thee at last! And art thou satisfied?
R UAHMAH :
Beloved, my beloved, I am glad
Of all, and glad for ever, come what may.
Nothing can harm me, — since my lord is come!
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