Classic Poem

RUTH

SHOKHAIN

I feel for those dear souls of saddened lives,
Three aliens, and friendless widow-wives;
Bereaved of bread-winners, and left in need:
And oh! I hope their going hence may speed:
For they in steadfast faith have struggled through
Most heavy trials, to be tried anew.

NEIGHBOUR

Who are they then so overwhelm'd with woe?
Some friends of yours whom I may chance to know?

SHOKHAIN

A worthy friend that I have long known here,
Long dear, and dearer to me year by year:
Good Naomi, " my Joy," so means her name.

NEIGHBOUR

Wife of the late Elimelech?

SHOKHAIN

The same.

NEIGHBOUR

Ah! yes, then, I have often heard of them.
The wife and husband came from Bethlehem.
Then do, I pray you, tell me what you know
About their coming hither, and their woe.

SHOKHAIN

Some years ago, in Israel, the land
Gave nought of bread-corn to the reaper's hand;
And man and child, in longsome hunger pined
For lack of daily food, too hard to find:
And those two friends, with two young sons, came o'er
The sund'ring Jordan to our eastern shore.
Of those two brothers you may know that one
Was Mahlon, and the other Chilion.
Ere long their father died, and " Joy" was left
All helpless, with her sons of sire bereft.
And they in later manhood sought no gates
Of Judah's high-walled towns to choose their mates,
But took two Moabites in looks and lives
As good as, aye, the best of Jewish wives.
And Orpah was the faithful wife of one,
And Ruth, the other, blest the second son.

NEIGHBOUR

Yes, I have heard folk tell of Ruth; have heard
Of Ruth, so true in heart, and kind in word.

SHOKHAIN

But now no more hath Naomi a son,
Both sons are dead, Mahlon and Chilion.
And all three wives, well nigh in want of food,
Are left with us, in friendless widowhood.
And she is bent in mind to leave our shore,
And seek the land of Bethlehem once more.
For she has heard that now the Lord hath spread
Again, before his folk, unstinted bread.
And she to-morrow leaves her old abode
With us, in Moab, and will take the road
To Bethlehem, the dwelling of her youth;
Haply with Orpah, and the loving Ruth.

NEIGHBOUR

May God, who to the friendless is a friend,
Speed their outsetting to a happy end.

NAOMI

There now, may you be blessed of the Lord,
None else can give to you a meet reward.
Go back, my daughters, go; no further roam,
Go back, each dear one, to your mother's home.
May God as kindly deal with you as ye
Have dealt with my two lost ones, and with me;
And grant that each of you, for ever blest,
In her own husband's house may find sweet rest.

RUTH

We, surely, to thy folk will go with thee.

ORPAH

With thee back to thy people go will we.

NAOMI

Nay turn ye back, my daughters, turn, for why
Will ye go farther onward at my side?
Nay, nay, alas! no other son have I
That now in any land can choose a bride.
Full sad am I, for your sakes, that I see
The hand of God put heavily on me.

NAOMI (to RUTH )

Behold thy sister turneth back
Unto her people and her gods.
So turn thou homeward on her track.

RUTH

O bid me not to leave thee so,
Nor turn me backward from thy way;
Where'er thou goest I will go,
And where thou stayest I will stay;
Thy people henceforth shall be mine,
And my God shall be only thine;
Where'er thou diest I will die,
And there at last by thee will lie.
May God do so, and even worse, to me
If aught but death shall sunder me from thee.

NAOMI

Dear Ruth, thou meek and faithful dove,
Full blest may be thy truth and love
To me myself and to my son.
Be thy will God's, and God's be done.
Come on then, dearest Ruth, for ever sweet
Will be thy presence by my weary feet.

RUTH

Happy am I, to see my pathway clear.
Where thou hast room for hope, I have no fear.

BETHLEHEMITE 1

O who is this? Can this be Naomi?
" My Joy" her name is. Yes, it must be she.

BETHLEHEMITE 2

'Tis " Joy," a child of Bethlehem by birth,
Who wandered into Moab in the dearth,
Wife of Elimelech.

BETHLEHEMITE 3

I remember them
While yet they found their bread in Bethlehem.

BETHLEHEMITE 1

O " Joy," our Joy, full many will rejoice
To see thy face, and hear again thy voice;
Welcome among thy people to be fed
In Bethlehem once more, " The house of bread."

BETHLEHEMITE 2

Welcome be " Joy."

NAOMI

No longer call me so,
But call me " Bitterness," yea, call me " Woe;"
For God hath dealt with me in bitter wise,
In " Woe," not " Joy," I come before your eyes.
I went forth full upon my outward track,
But Oh! The Lord hath brought me empty back.
I went with husband and with son on son,
And now come back bereaved of everyone.
Why call me " Joy" then, when the Lord hath borne
His witness straight against me thus forlorn,
And the Almighty hath afflicted me.

NAOMI

Well, may our coming here at harvest-tide,
Betoken that the Lord hath been our guide.
The grain hath ripened in our summer sun;
To-day the barley harvest is begun,
And men are busy in the whiten'd field,
To reap and thresh the corn the land may yield.
And you should know that many of the hands
Will ply to-day upon our kinsman's lands,
A man of mighty power, and born within
The kindred of Elimelech's own kin;
His name is Boaz; he is known to all
At Bethlehem as rich in barn and stall.

RUTH

Pray let me go into the field,
And glean some ears upon his land
Behind some reaper who may yield
Such freedom to a stranger's hand.

NAOMI

Go daughter, go, and may God send
To meet you there another friend.

BOAZ

The Lord be with you.

REAPERS

The Lord bless thee.

FOREMAN

It is the Moabite who lately came
With Naomi from Moab, Ruth by name.
She said to me, " I pray thee to allow
That I may glean among the sheaves of corn,"
And came, and here hath been, from early morn,
All but awhile, throughout the day till now.

BOAZ (to RUTH )

My daughter, hearest thou the words I say?
In any other field from first to last
Go not to glean, nor any further stray,
But here among my maidens keep thee fast;
Mark well the ground on which the reapers go,
And follow on thy gleaning in their train;
Have I not warn'd the young men ne'er to show
One single deed or look to give thee pain?
And if thou art athirst, then go at will
To seek the water-jars the young men lay
Hard by the threshing-floor, and take thy fill
Of water drawn in morning for the day.

RUTH

Why find I grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldst thus
acknowledge me, seeing I am a stranger to thy land?

BOAZ

It has been shown to me all thou hast done
To thy dear husband's mother, since his death;
How thou hast left thy mother and thy sire,
And with them Moab, homeland of thy birth,
And come unto a folk thou knewest not.
Full blessing may God give thee for thy work!
From God, our Israel's Lord, be full thy meed,
Beneath whose wings thou now art come to trust.

RUTH

Let me, my Lord, find favour in thy sight,
For thou hast strengthened me to better cheer,
And spoken to thy handmaid kindly words,
Though I be not like one of thy handmaidens.

BOAZ

And now, at meal-time, come thou up with us,
And eat thou of the bread, and dip thy sop
In our vinegar.

RIGHT CHOIR

Thou dost visit the earth and refresh it.

LEFT CHOIR

And makest it teemingly full.

RIGHT CHOIR

The rainstore hath fulness of water.

LEFT CHOIR

Thou bringest forth fruits from the earth.

RIGHT AND LEFT CHOIRS

And thus in Thy wisdom fore-workest.

RIGHT CHOIR

Thou soakest with water her chinks.

LEFT CHOIR

Thou sendest down rain on her furrows.

RIGHT CHOIR

Thou moistenest her with the rain.

LEFT CHOIR

And blessest the germs of her growth.

RIGHT CHOIR

Thou crownest the year with thy goodness.

LEFT CHOIR

Thy path in the air droppeth fatness.

RIGHT CHOIR

They drop on the homes of the waste.

LEFT CHOIR

And the hills are all crowned with joy.

BOAZ

Aye, let her even glean among the sheaves,
And chide her not.
And, aye, let fall and leave for her some grips,
That she may glean them; and upbraid her not.

NAOMI

Where hast thou glean'd to-day? where hast thou wrought?
Full blest be he that doth acknowledge thee.

RUTH

The man with whom I wrought to-day is Boaz.

NAOMI

Blest of the Lord be he who leaves not off
His kindness to the living or the dead.
The man is near akin to us;
A Goel he, a warden of his kin.

RUTH

And, mother, he hath clearly said to me,
" Thou here shalt keep thee fast behind my reapers
Until they shall have taken in my harvest."

NAOMI

It is good for thee, my daughter, that thou go out with
his maidens, and that they may never find thee out in any
other field.
My daughter, should I not seek rest for thee,
That all with thee hereafter may be well?
And is not Boaz now of our own kin?
With whose hand-maidens thou to-day hast gleaned?
And oh, I yearn to hear him freely own
Thy husband's kindred still alive in thee;
And own it openly to witnesses.
By Judah's laws, a kinsman often holds
High right and might both for and o'er his kin;
A Goel, or Redeemer , is his name;
To him belongs the buying for his tribe
The land a childless kinsman might have left,
As is the land of my Elimelech,
Which you, a childless widow, cannot hold.
A lower kinsman, by the higher's will,
May be the Goel of the loosen'd land.
And may God will that Boaz for thy good
May now become the Goel of the field.
Behold, to-night, upon his threshing-floor,
He winnoweth some barley. Wash thee then,
And let sweet ointments breathe from thy best robes,
And go thou down towards the threshing floor.
But yet, thou shalt not tell him who thou art
Till he hath eaten bread, and quenched his thirst;
And when he lieth down, awhile, to rest,
Mark thou the peaceful spot that he shall choose;
Then go thou down and lay thee at his feet,
And when he speaketh to thee — answer him:
" Thy hand-maid Ruth am I,
So o'er thy hand-maid spread thy wing,
Thy skirt, for thou my Goel art."
And he will tell thee what thou hast to do.
And if he owns his kindred unto thee,
He then becomes thy Goel for his life,
A Goel for the land, and for thy head.
Think not that this will shame thy womanhood.
It is an olden custom of our land.

RUTH

Thy counsel always aimeth for my good;
Whate'er thou sayest I will try to do.

BOAZ

I thank thee Lord
For all Thy gifts I take upon my land,
And daily food Thou givest to my hand.

BOAZ

He bringeth forth grass for the cattle.

CHORUS

And plants for the service of men.

BOAZ

He draweth out bread from the earth.

CHORUS

And wine that may gladden man's heart.

BOAZ

And brightens his face above oil.

CHORUS

And bread that may strengthen man's heart.

BOAZ

And man goeth forth to his work.

CHORUS

And his service till inset of night.

BOAZ

How manifold, Lord, are Thy works.

CHORUS

In wisdom Thou doest them all.

RUTH

Although my mother's counsel means me good,
Unseemly seemeth my behaviour now.
What will he say? Can I abide his words,
Or must I flee away?

BOAZ

Ah! Who art thou?

RUTH

Thy hand-maid Ruth am I,
So o'er thy hand-maid spread thy wing,
Thy skirt, for thou my Goel art.

BOAZ

O bless'd, my daughter, be thou of the Lord.
Thou show'st more kindness now than at the first;
And hast not follow'd young men, poor or rich.
And now, my daughter, do not longer fear,
For all thou cravest of me I will do;
For all the people of my town well know
How good and pure thou art.
I will become thy Goel for my life,
A Goel for the land, and for thy head;
But though I am thy kinsman by my birth,
One man is yet of nearer kin than I,
And if to-morrow he will well fulfil
The Goelship , thy Goel he shall be:
If he will not, then I, as liveth God,
Will gladly be thy Goel evermore.
Now bring the shawl thou hast upon thee, bring
And hold it here.

NAOMI

Who art thou, my daughter?

RUTH

The man hath kindly listened to my word,
And vowed to be my Goel all his life.
But one man is of nearer kin than he,
And if that man will waive to him his right,
Then he will take it for the land and me.
And then this barley gave he unto me;
For said he, " Go not empty-handed to thy mother."

NAOMI

Aye, stay thou still, my daughter, till thou know
Which way this weighty matter now may end.
For I am sure the man will never rest
Until he end the business ere the night.

BOAZ

Hail, Achi! Peace be unto thee.

ACHI

To thee be peace my brother.

BOAZ

Pray turn aside awhile and sit down here.
I ask a word with thee about our kin,
And here come ten good Elders for our witnesses.

(To the Elders)

To all of you be peace. Pray sit you here.

(They sit.)

(To Achi)

So Noami, from Moab now come home,
Will sell a piece of ground that was the land
Of one of our own kin, Elimelech;
And I would tell it to thine ears, that thou
Might'st buy it in the presence of the townsmen,
In presence of the Elders of my people.
If thou wilt buy it back, then buy it back,
But if thou willest not to buy it in,
Then tell to me thy will, that I may know.
There is no Goel that can buy ere thou,
And I am after thee.

ACHI

Yea, I will buy it.

BOAZ

And when thou buy the field from Naomi
Thou buyest it of Ruth, the Moabite,
The living widow of the childless dead;
So keep the dead man's name upon his land.

ACHI

I cannot buy it for my very self
Lest I should mar my own inheritance;
Take thou my right, and buy it. I cannot.

Thus, by an olden custom of our kin,
Herewith I give to thee my Goel right.
Thou standest in my stead.

BOAZ (to the Elders and People)

All ye are witnesses for me this day
That I have bought me all that was Elimelech's,
And all that has been Chilion's and Mahlon's,
From Naomi's own hand; and I have bought
The Moabitess Ruth, the wife of Mahlon
For my wife, to keep the dead man's name,
So that the dead man's name be not cut off
For ever from the body of his brethren,
Nor from the gate of his own place.
All ye are witnesses this day.

ELDERS

May the Lord for thy bliss make this woman,
That now cometh unto thy house,
To be like to Rachel and Leah
That built us up Israel's house;
In Ephrata do thou high deeds,
And in Bethlehem be thy name famous;
Be thy house, like the household of Pharez
Whom Tamar gave forth unto Judah,
Of the children Jehovah may give,
May give thee of this thy dear bride.

NAOMI

O faithful Ruth it is a pain to lose
From my poor house thy cheering words and smiles,
But yet a lively joy to see thee go,
The angel of a house of my own kin,
In wealth, and joy; and thou art ever kind,
An ne'er wilt lose me from thy faithful mind.

FIRST VOICE

Behold the Bridegroom cometh,
Go ye out to meet him.

SECOND VOICE

Behold the Bridegroom cometh,
Go ye out to greet him.

How blest is the fearer of God
Who walks in His ways;
Thou shalt eat of the fruit of thy hands
In blessing and weal,
With thy wife in the depth of thy house
As a flourishing vine,
Thy children like offshoots of olive
Surrounding thy board.
Lo! thus shall the father be blessed
From Sion Jehovah shall bless thee,
That feareth the Lord.
And thou shalt see Salem in joy
All the days of thy life.
And shalt see all thy children with children
And peace upon Israel.