University of Virginia Library

SCENE VII.

—The tents of Aran.
NOEMA
(waking from her swoon).
What was that sound? Methought I heard a crash
As though the Earth were splitting! And how dark
And weird it is, even here! I must have swooned,
Again have swooned,—O thou too feeble heart,
Why art thou such a tell-tale?—and but wake
To what was happening. Aran! Art thou there?
He answers not. To the accursëd Tower,
As daily, hath he gone. Ho! Irad! Irad!
Where art thou, Irad? If there brews a storm,
He waits for it to burst, the fearless rogue,
And I shall find him, with his eager eyes
Facing the tempest!
[She goes to the front of the chief tent.
Oh! what a storm has been!
Though now it seems to sob itself away.
But look! the Tower has gone. And what is that?
Oh! as I live, the jagged and blackened stump
Of what was once the Tower! Irad! Aran!
Irad! where art thou, Irad? Where is my boy?
Oh! he hath gone, whilst I was blind in swoon,
And 'neath the rage that whelms the wicked, found
An innocent's destruction! [She runs back into the tents, and hurries to and fro.

Irad! Irad!
Art thou there, Irad? Shout but once to me,
And I shall know thou livest. What! No voice!
No sound! Not here! not here! Oh! he is dead,
And I am branchless! . . . Irad! . . . 'Tis in vain!
And I must gather up my feet and go
To seek his little limbs among the dead!
Keep up, my heart, nor totter so! When once
I press my dear dead darling to my lips,
Thou shalt have leave to fall, to rise no more!

IRAD.
(crying without).
O mother! mother! Where art thou, dearest mother?

NOEMA.
He lives! It is his voice! My boy! my boy!
Here, here! this way! I come.

[Irad rushes in.
IRAD.
O mother! mother!

[He rushes into the arms of Noema, who folds him to her heart; and for a moment both are silent.
NOEMA.
Where hast thou been, my child?

IRAD.
I went along
With father to the Tower.

NOEMA.
And where is he?

IRAD.
Father is dead.

NOEMA.
Dead!

IRAD.
Yes, and many more,
Buried beneath the Tower.

NOEMA.
Didst see it fall?

IRAD.
O yes! with such a crash—once—twice!—and men
Fell through the air in flocks. And how it thundered!
Mother, you never heard how loud it thundered!
And all the time the zigzag lightnings flashed,
And the ground heaved and swayed, and every one
Was sore afraid, save father; and he died,
Daring the Heavens to fight him.

NOEMA.
Died as he lived,
Defiant and unbroken! But, my boy,
How didst thou from the common wreck escape?

IRAD.
I scarce can tell you how. But when the Tower
Had fallen, and those who fell with it and those
On whom it fell, were or dashed down or crushed,—
Eber, and Peleg, Sidon, thousands more,—
Then all began to scatter, save a few
Who stood by father; and I stood by him.
But Korah sought to make these others fly,
Deserting father's side, and father slew him.

NOEMA.
With his own hand?

IRAD.
Yes, mother! with his spear.
And then it was that the Earth split and shook,
And I who had been terrified from first,
But did my best to stifle every cry,
Not to vex father, gave a girlish scream,
And some one, not a mortal, clove the air,
And father thrust at him, but thrust in vain,
And fell as though by lightning hit, and scorched,
And charred all in a moment! whilst, as swift,
He who had swooped upbore me through the air,
As a gerfalcon bears a suckling lamb,
But with such tender clutches, that I seemed
Only to be, mother, rocked upon your breast!
And when we had gone up, a little way,
Soft he sailed down again, and set me here,
Here at my dear, dear home. O mother! mother!

[He buries his face in her neck and clings to her tightly.
NOEMA.
But where is he who brought thee back to me?

IRAD.
I do not know. I did not look nor stay,
But rushed to find you, mother! Was it wrong?
I did not even thank him.

NOEMA.
'Twas ungracious.
Thou shouldst have thanked a saviour so alert,
And bidden him wait till I could thank him too,
For his most precious burden. Tell me, child,
What was he like?

IRAD.
I had no eyes to see;
It was so strange! But he was smooth and soft,
As, don't you know, a summer cloud might be,
If one could lie on it!

NOEMA.
Is he there still?

IRAD.
He may be, mother.

NOEMA.
Then stay here, dear boy,
Till I go see.

[She goes to the exterior of the chief tent where she beholds Afrael.