Imágenes de página
PDF
ePub

Eve. Oh! speak not of it now: the | With scorpions! May his dreams be of his

serpent's fangs

Are in my heart. My best beloved, Abel!
Jehovah! this is punishment beyond
A mother's sin, to take him from me!
Adam. Who,

Or what hath done this deed?-speak, Cain, since thou

Wert present: was it some more hostile angel, Who walks not with Jehovah? or some wild Brute of the forest?

Eve. Ah! a livid light

victim!

His waking a continual dread of death! May the clear rivers turn to blood as he Stoops down to stain them with his raging lip!

May every element shun or change to him! May he live in the pangs which others die with!

And death itself wax something worse than death

To him who first acquainted him with man!

Breaks through as from a thunder-cloud!!Hence, fratricide! henceforth that word is

yon brand,

Massy and bloody! snatch'd from off the altar,

And black with smoke, and red with

Adam. Speak, my Son!

Speak, and assure us, wretched as we are, That we are not more miserable still.

Adah. Speak, Cain! and say it was not thou! Eve. It was.

I see it now-he hangs his guilty head, And covers his ferocious eye with hands Incarnadine.

Adah. Mother, thou dost him wrongCain! clear thee from this horrible accusal, Which grief wrings from our parent.

Eve. Hear, Jehovah!

May the eternal serpent's curse be on him!
For he was fitter for his seed than ours.
May all his days be desolate! May-
Adah. Hold!

Curse him not, mother, for he is thy son-
Curse him not, mother, for he is my brother,
And my betroth'd.

Eve. He hath left thee no brotherZillah no husband -me no son! - for thus I curse him from my sight for evermore! All bonds I break between us, as he broke That of his nature,in yon—Oh death! death! Why didst thou not take me, who first incurr'd thee?

Why dost thou not so now?

Adam. Eve! let not this, Thy natural grief, lead to impiety! A heavy doom was long forespoken to us; And now that it begins, let it be borne In such sort as may show our God, that we Are faithful servants to his holy will. Eve (pointing to Cain). His will!! the will of you incarnate spirit Of death, whom I have brought upon the earth To strew it with the dead. May all the curses Of life be on him! and his agonies Drive him forth o'er the wilderness, like us From Eden, till his children do by him As he did by his brother! May the swords And wings of fiery cherubim pursue him By day and night-snakes spring up in his path

Earth's fruits be ashes in his mouth - the leaves

[blocks in formation]

gone

Who hath provided for us this dread office. Come, Zillah!

Zillah. Yet one kiss on yon pale clay, And those lips once so warm-my heart! my heart!

[Exeunt Adam and Zillah weeping. Adah. Cain! thou hast heard, we must

go forth. I am ready,
So shall our children be. I will bear Enoch,
And you his sister. Ere the sun declines
Let us depart, nor walk the wilderness
Under the cloud of night.-Nay, speak to me,
To me thine own.

Cain. Leave me!
Adah. Why, all have left thee.
Cain. And wherefore lingerest thou?
Dost thou not fear

To dwell with one who hath done this?
Adah. I fear

Nothing except to leave thee, much as I Shrink from the deed which leaves thee brotherless.

I must not speak of this—it is between thee And the great God.

A Voice from within exclaims,
Cain! Cain!

Adah! Hearst thou that voice?
The Foice within.

On which he lays his head to sleep be Cain! Cain!

strew'd

Adah. It soundeth like an angel's tone.

Enter the Angel of the Lord.

Where is thy brother Abel?
Cain. Am I then

My brother's keeper?

Angel. Cain! what hast thou done?

The voice of thy slain brother's blood cries
out,

Even from the ground, unto the Lord!
Now art thou

Cursed from the earth, which open'd late
her mouth

To drink thy brother's blood from thy rash hand.

Henceforth,

when thou shalt till the ground, it shall not

field thee her strength; a fugitive shalt thou Be from this day, and vagabond on earth! Adah. This punishment is more than he can bear.

Behold, thou drivest him from the face of
earth,

And from the face of God shall he be hid.
A fugitive und vagabond on earth,
Twill come to pass, that who so findeth him
Shall slay him.

Cain. Would they could! but who are they Shall slay me? where are these on the lone earth

As yet unpeopled?

Angel. Thou hast slain thy brother.
And who shall warrant thee against thy son?
Adah. Angel of Light! be merciful,nor say
That this poor aching breast now nourishes
A murderer in my boy, and of his father.
Angel. Then he would but be what his
father is.

Did not the milk of Eve give nutriment
To him thou now seest so besmear'd with
blood?

The fratricide might well engender parri-
cides.-

But it shall not be so the Lord thy God
And mine commandeth me to set his seal
On Cain, so that he may go forth in safety.
Who slayeth Cain, a sevenfold vengeance

shall

Be taken on his hend. Come hither!
Cain. What

Wouldst thou with me?

Angel. To mark upon thy brow Exemption from such deeds as thou hast done. Cain. No, let me die!

Angel. It must not be.

[The Angel sets the mark on Cain's brow. Cain. It burns

My brow, but nought to that which is within it.

Is there more? let me meet it as I may. Angel. Stern hast thou been and stubborn from the womb,

As the ground thou must henceforth till; but he

Thou slew'st was gentle as the flocks he

tended.

Ere yet my mother's mind subsided from
The serpent, and my sire still mourn'd for
Eden.

That which I am, I am; I did not seek For life, nor did I make myself; but could I | With my own death redeem him from the dust

And why not so? let him return to day,
And I lie ghastly! so shall be restored
By God the life to him he loved: and taken
From me a being I ne'er loved to bear.

Angel. Who shall heal murder? what
is done is done.

Go forth! fulfil thy days! and be thy deeds
Unlike the last! [The Angel disappears.
Adah. He's gone, let us go forth;

I hear our little Enoch cry within
Our bower.

Cain. Ah! little knows he what he weeps
for!

And I who have shed blood cannot shed tears!
But the four rivers would not cleanse my

soul.

[blocks in formation]

thee,

Cain. After the fall too soon was I begotten; I alone must not weep. My office is

Henceforth to dry up tears, and not to shed Cain. And he who lieth there was child

them;

But yet, of all who mourn, none mourn

like me,

Not only for thyself, but him who slew thee.
Now, Cain! I will divide thy burden with thee.
Cain. Eastward from Eden will we take

[blocks in formation]

less. I

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

Ahol. So do I, but not with fear

Of aught save their delay.

Anah. My sister, though

Anah. But, Aholibamah,

I love our God less since his angel loved me:
This cannot be of good; and though I

know not

That I do wrong, I feel a thousand fears
Which are not ominous of right.

Ahol. Then wed thee

Unto some son of clay, and toil and spin! There's Japhet loves thee well, hath loved thee long;

Marry, and bring forth dust!

Anah. I should have loved Azaziel not less were he mortal; yet

I am glad he is not. I can not outlive

him,

And when I think that his immortal wings
Will one day hover o'er the sepulchre

I love Azaziel more than oh, too much! Of the poor child of clay which so adored

What was I going to say? 1

impious.

my heart grows

him,

As he adores the Highest, death becomes Ahol. And where is the impiety of loving Less terrible; but yet I pity him; Celestial natures?

His grief will be of ages, or at least

Mine would be such for him, were I the

Seraph,

And he the perishable.
Ahol. Rather say,

That he will single forth some other daughter

Of Earth, and love her as he once loved Anah. Anah. And if it should be so, and she so loved him,

Better thus than that he should weep for me.
Ahol. If I thought thus of Samiasa's love,
All seraph as he is, I'd spurn him from me.
But to our invocation! Tis the hour.
Anah. Seraph!

From thy sphere!
Whatever star contain thy glory:
In the eternal depths of Heaven

Albeit thou watchest with "the seven," Though through space infinite and hoary Before thy bright wings worlds be driven, Yet hear!

Oh! think of her who holds thee dear!
And though she nothing is to thee,
Yet think that thou art all to her.
Thou canst not tell,-and never be
Such pangs decreed to aught save me,—

The bitterness of tears.
Eternity is in thine years,
Unborn, undying beauty in thine eyes;
With me thou canst not sympathize,
Except in love, and there thou must
Acknowledge that more loving dust
Ne'er wept beneath the skies.

Thou walkst thy many worlds, thou seest
The face of him who made thee great,
As He hath made me of the least

Of those cast out from Eden's gate:
Yet, Seraph dear!

O hear!

[blocks in formation]

My own Azaziel! be but here,

Wheresoe'er

Thou rulest in the upper air-
Or warring with the spirits who may dare
Dispute with Him,

Who made all empires, empire; or recalling, Some wandering star which shoots through the abyss,

Whose tenants dying, while their world
is falling,

Share the dim destiny of clay in this;
Or joining with the inferior cherubim,
Thou deignest to partake their hymn-
Samiasa!

I call thee, I await thee, and I love thec.
Many worship thee, that will I not:
If that thy spirit down to mine may move
thee,

Descend and share my lot!

Though I be form'd of clay,
And thou of beams

More bright than those of day
On Eden's streams,

Thine immortality can not repay
With love more warm than mine
My love. There is a ray

In me, which, though forbidden yet toshine, I feel was lighted at thy God's and thine. It may be hidden long: death and decay

Our mother Eve bequeath'd us—but my

heart

Defies it: though this life must pass away,
Is that a cause for thee and me to part?
Thou art immortal-so am I: I feel-
I feel my immortality o'ersweep
All pains,all tears,all time,all fears,and peal,
Like the eternal thunders of the deep,
Into my ears this truth-"thou livest for
ever!"

But if it be in joy

I know not, nor would know;

That secret rests with the Almighty giver Who folds in clouds the fonts of bliss

and woe.

[blocks in formation]

And leave the stars to their own light. More joy than thou canst give and tako, Ahol. Samiasa!

remain!

Anah. Sister! sister! I view them winging Their bright way through the parted night. Ahol. The clouds from off their pinions flinging

As though they bore to-morrow's light. Anah. But if our Father see the sight! Ahol. He would but deem it was the moon Rising unto some sorcerer's tune

An hour too soon.

Anah. They come! he comes !— Azaziel!
Ahol. Haste

To meet them! Oh! for wings to bear
My spirit, while they hover there,
To Samiasa's breast!

Anah. Lo! they have kindled all the west,
Like a returning sunset;-lo!
On Ararat's late secret crest

A mild and many-colour'd bow,
The remnant of their flashing path,
Now shines! and now, behold! it hath
Return'd to night, as rippling foam,

Which the Leviathan hath lash'd
From his unfathomable home,

Irad. That I know not; but her air, If not her words,tells me she loves another. Japhet. Ay, but not Anah: she but loves her God.

Irad. Whate'er she loveth, so she loves thee not,

What can it profit thee?
Japhet. True, nothing; but
I love.

Irad. And so did I.

Japhet. And now thon lov'st not,

Or thinkst thou lov'st not, art thou happier? Irad. Yes.

Japhet. I pity thee.

Irad. Me! why?

Japhet. For being happy,

Deprived of that which makes my misery. İrad. I take thy taunt as part of thy distemper,

And would not feel as thou dost, for more shekels

Than all our father's herds would bring if weigh'd

When sporting on the face of the calm deep. Against the metal of the sons of Cain—
Subsides soon after he again hath dash'd | The yellow dust they try to barter with us,
Down, down, to where the ocean's fountains As if such useless and discolour'd trash,
sleep.
The refuse of the earth, could be received
Ahol. They have touch'd earth! Samiasa! | For milk, and wool, and flesh, and fruits,
Anah. My Azaziel!

[Exeunt.

SCENE II-Enter IRAD and JAPHET.

Irad. Despond not: wherefore wilt thou wander thus

To add thy silence to the silent night, And lift thy tearful eye unto the stars? They cannot aid thee.

Japhet. But they soothe me - now Perhaps she looks upon them as I løok. Methinks a being that is beautiful Becometh more so as it looks on beauty, The eternal beauty of undying things. Oh, Anah!

Irad. But she loves thee not.

Japhet. Alas!

and all Our flocks and wilderness afford. - Go, Japhet,

Sigh to the stars as wolves howl to the moon_ I must back to my rest.

Japhet. And so would I

If I could rest.

[blocks in formation]

To let the inner spirits of the earth
Forth when they walk its surface.
Irad Wherefore so?

What wouldst thou there?

Japhet. Soothe further my sad spirit With gloom as sad: it is a hopeless spot,

Irad. And proud Aholibamah spurns me And I am hopeless.

also.

Japhet. I feel for thee too.

Irad. Let her keep her pride,

Mine hath enabled me to bear her scorn; It may be, time too will avenge it. Japhet. Canst thou

Find joy in such a thought?

Irad. Nor joy, nor sorrow.

I loved her well; I would have loved her better,

Had love been met with love: as 'tis, I

leave her

To brighter destinies, if so she deems them. Japhet. What destinies?

Irad. I have some cause to think

She loves another.

Japhet. Anah!

Irad. No; her sister.

Japhet. What other?

Irad. But 'tis dangerous;

Strange sounds and sights have peopled it with terrors.

I must go with thee.

Japhet. Irad, no; believe me

I feel no evil thought, and fear no evil. Irad. But evil things will be thy foe the more

As not being of them: turn thy steps aside,
Or let mine be with thine.
Japhet. No; neither, Irad;

I must proceed alone.

Irad. Then peace be with thee!

[Exit Irad.

Japhet (solus). Peace! I have sought it where it should be found,

In love

with love too, which perhaps deserved it;

And, in its stead, a heaviness of heart

« AnteriorContinuar »