 | The sons of Usna |  |
SCENE II.
A Druidical Grove. Enter Lavercam to Caffa.CAFFA.
Oh! God! how glad I am to see you here!
LAVERCAM.
Not more than I to meet with you.
7
Alas!
Were not Slessama now in Heaven in bliss,
I would believe that she were here on earth—
Thou art so much like her in face as form.
LAVERCAM.
Didst thou not love Slessama while on earth?
CAFFA.
Oh! more than loved! I worshipped her!
LAVERCAM.
But have
You loved any one since her death?
CAFFA.
I have—
But only one—one only one on earth—
But thee!
LAVERCAM.
Did you not, on her death-bed, swear
Never to love another, but to be
Forever true to her in thought, word, deed?
CAFFA.
I did—but who informed you so?
LAVERCAM.
Thou didst—
With thine own lips. Now thou dost swear the same
Fidelity to me.
CAFFA.
I do indeed—
And will perform my oath; for I do love
Thee, Lavercam, as mortal never loved
Before!
LAVERCAM.
We cannot love but one.
CAFFA.
We can—
I feel we can. There are some souls who have
This power—for I do know, within my soul,
That I did love Slessama with a love
Boundless—above all other love, except
My love for thee!
LAVERCAM.
But was she not your wife
On earth?
CAFFA.
She was—the truest ever born!
LAVERCAM.
Is she not now your wife in Heaven?
CAFFA.
She is—
As true to me as Christ to God.
LAVERCAM.
But are
You true to her?
CAFFA.
I am—if love can make
Me true.
LAVERCAM.
How can you love us both?
CAFFA.
With love—
In spirit as in truth—as we do God.
LAVERCAM.
But were I dead, would you not love again,
As you do now, Slessama being dead?
CAFFA.
Never! never! unless the loved was like
Slessama—as thou art!
LAVERCAM.
Then you do love me
Only as I resemble her?
CAFFA.
Just so;
For thou art more like her than she herself—
(As thou hast ever been, wilt ever be)
Being the resurrection of her form,
In all her beauty, as she looked to me,
The sacred evening that I made her mine—
Full of the glorious beauty of her youth,
As with celestial meekness when she died.
The Autumn of her Summer life suffused
With all the flowery graces of her Spring.
LAVERCAM.
Is this the way that you win woman's love,
By praising other women?
CAFFA.
Thus I win
The good, who are not jealous of the good,
But love to be compared with them.
LAVERCAM.
Most true;
But this is seldom so.
CAFFA.
But is so now,
Else I had never loved; nor do I care
If it should never be again, for this
Is always unto me—the true Nunc stans
Of God's Eternity in Time; for all
The Past, the Future, are comprised in this
One moment of eternal time—of love—
For I shall never love again.
LAVERCAM.
So you
Did promise your Slessama when you wed—
As on the day she died.
8
I did, indeed,
And what I promised her I will perform;
My love for you being but my love for her.
This I can no more help than I can die
Against God's will—when living is that will.
Oh! God! now thou dost smile? It is her smile.
Now thou dost look! It is her look! all Heaven!
For the calm meekness of thy Dove-like eyes,
Is hers—thy form—thy features—all are hers!
Oh! God! thy beauty takes me back in joy
Through eighteen weary years of mortal life—
As on the Morning's wings soared Noah's Dove—
Through the Dark Portals of the day she died,
Into the sunny chambers of the Spring—
The Day I made her mine. Thou art my wife,
Fresh resurrected from the grave—reborn
Again from Death, living another life
On earth, proving the Soul can never die!
LAVERCAM.
Nay, thou art rapt.
CAFFA.
Entranced by thy sweet face—
Translated in the Chariot of thy Love,
Into the Mansions of eternal joy,
Where my Slessama lives! for were she not
Now in the grave, lying among the dead—
Where I did place her with these two fair hands—
Baptizing her dead form with tears of love,
Into the newness of immortal life,
I would believe that she were standing here,
Clothed in the beauty of thy heavenly form:
The Anistasis of her former self!
For thou art so much like herself, thou art
My wife on earth, as she is now in Heaven.
LAVERCAM.
Then I accept thy love.
CAFFA.
[Kneeling.
Then lay thy hand
Upon my brow! bathe my hot forehead with
One blessing from the fountain of thy palm,
That the benediction of celestial peace
Rejuvenate my soul with all the joys
Of our immortal Paradise of Youth—
The first unclouded Morning of our love!
Oh! down of Heaven's sweet Swan! Oh! breast
Of God's celestial Dove! filling my soul
With endless peace! Oh! perfume from the Rose
Of Paradise, whereon there is no thorn!
Where my rapt soul now lies, entranced by Love,
Dreaming of my Slessama, full of Heaven!
Thou hast baptized my soul with healing balm,
As though Christ's hand, the Medicine for Death,
Had just laid on my wounded soul new life,
Restoring me as one who touched his garment's hem.
Oh! my Slessama! Lavercam! my love!
Let me sit down by thee! Kneel at thy feet,
As at the feet of Christ, where all is peace!
The Temple where my soul must worship now!
The Ladder by which I must climb to God—
The one foot resting on my bosom here—
The other leaning against the white doors of Heaven!
For eighteen years I have not seen one hour
Like this—never since my Slessama died!
LAVERCAM.
Thus God rewards the faithful heart.
CAFFA.
He does.
Then you approve my love?
LAVERCAM.
I do—for it
Is pure—pure as the love Slessama bears
For you in Heaven—or Lavercam on earth.
CAFFA.
Then do—for I deserve such love—thy love,
As my Slessama's love in Heaven—who knows
I have been true to her as Christ to God!
LAVERCAM.
Slessama knows it—so does Lavercam.
But I must go. Farewell!
CAFFA.
Oh! do not go!
Leave me not here alone! I have been left
These eighteen weary years here on this earth,
And this is long enough for one poor soul
To pay rich penance to the greedy grave—
Filling the coffers up of avaricious Death!
Oh! when you laid your hand upon my brow,
It seemed a flock of milk-white Cygnets swam
Circling through my brain, singing of Heaven!
Then do not go, but stay here by my side,
That I may feast my soul on thy sweet face,
As Mary did on Christ, my grave-born wife!
For oh! when thou art absent from my sight,
I feel like Earth does when the Day is dead,
Buried in darkness! Thou art my soul's Spring!
A golden Summer, full of all things rich!
When thou art absent, Winter is my Spring!
Then stay with me! leave me not here alone!
Where I have been an Exile these long years,
As Adam was in banishment—but stay
9
For where you are is Heaven; are not—dark Hell!
LAVERCAM.
But, then, what will Daidra do!
CAFFA.
Ah! true!
What can she do? Then you may go. Take care
Of her—for she does need your care. Farewell.
LAVERCAM.
Thou art the Incarnation of God's love—
Standing amid these Angels of the groves,
Whose outstretched wings now shadow thee above,
Making a green Pavilion for thy head—
Like some great House of God towering aloft,
Afar off in the infinite Fields of Heaven,
Embosomed by the pathetic Sisterhood
Of Choirs of Cherubimical Willows, round
Whose holiness they weep eternal shade.
CAFFA.
And thou the Guardian Angel of the place!
[Exeunt severally.
Enter Lucifer and Caffa.
LUCIFER.
You speak the truth in saying I am wise.
The seed of knowledge cometh from above,
And I would sow it in thy soul. Come, come,—
Give me thy hand.
CAFFA.
First, tell me who thou art.
LUCIFER.
I am the king of that which thou wouldst be.
We grow angelic as we grow more wise.
But hark! I hear the rush of angels' wings!
To show you what I am,—see! there he comes!
The smiles of God descending on his wings!
CAFFA.
Upon a chariot of thick clouds he comes!
See how his countenance doth make them glow!
It is my Guardian Angel! God of Heaven!
I thank thee! Let us bow before him now!
LUCIFER.
Fool! fool!
Stand up, erect, in attitude divine!
And show thy soul as proud as mine! Arise!
Bend not thy knees upon the earth! This is
Not wisdom, 'tis abasement! Rise again!
Wisdom is lofty, noble! Let thine eyes
Look heaven full in the face, not on the earth!
This is the dwelling-place of beasts, not man!
His soul was made to walk the stars! Arise!
Thou art too noble to be thus abased!
I would not bow to anything on earth
Less than the God who made me! not to one
Mine equal! No, arise! give me thy hand!
CAFFA.
No, let me kneel! his heavenly beauty bows
Me to the earth! Bid me not rise again
Till he is gone.
LUCIFER.
He is thine equal, rise!
CAFFA.
No, Angels are above us men.
LUCIFER.
Is not
Thy soul immortal? What can his be more
Than that? Behold! he beckons thee to come!
CAFFA.
Oh! God have mercy on me! let me live!
It is the Angel of the Lord! Behold!
He holds a Scroll within his hand!
LUCIFER.
'Tis thine!
[Celestial music heard in Heaven. The Angel drops the Scroll. Caffa picks it up.
CAFFA.
Behold! he fades in Heaven! Now he is gone!
LUCIFER
(Looking over his shoulder).
Did I not tell thee to arise? Hadst thou
Continued on the earth, the Scroll had come
To me! (Aside.)
Would it were so!—
(Aloud.)
Now kneel no more!
What is there on it?
CAFFA.
Wisdom—from on high.
LUCIFER
(Aside).
I knew he was Heaven's favorite before! For this,
I would destroy his soul!— (Aloud.)
Give me the Scroll.
CAFFA.
Not for this world.
LUCIFER.
Why not?
CAFFA.
Because I am
Forbidden thus to do.
10
Does it say so?
CAFFA.
It says as much. If thou art wise, then hold
Thy peace,—I know thy name.
LUCIFER.
Does it say so?
Then I am baffled by the Power of Heaven!
Now, Hell! will I put forth my utmost power!
What shall I give thee for the scroll?
CAFFA.
You have
Nothing to give. Once thou wert rich; but now
Most poor! Once thou wert king above the host
Of Heaven; now, thou art Tyrant over those
In Hell! I know thee who thou art!
LUCIFER.
By Heaven!
You swore to be my friend!
CAFFA.
I knew thee not.
LUCIFER.
Art thou a liar, thus to treat me so?
CAFFA.
No, but thou art!
LUCIFER.
Nay, this is not the way
To show our wisdom. Give the Scroll to me,
And I will teach thee wisdom never taught
On earth. I will unfold to thee the laws
Of nature,—all the mysteries of the stars—
And solve the dark Ænigma of the grave!
CAFFA.
Not if you had the power to do all you
Have said,—which you have not! Not if you had
The stars, which you have not,—nor ever had,—
Nor ever will have! Not for all the wealth
You had in Heaven,—which you will never have
Again! It was an Angel's gift! It is
A Talisman against thine arts!
LUCIFER.
Proud man!
I love to see thee so. That cannot be
A Talisman against mine arts, which is
Thus known to me. I was but trying thee.
I know each word upon that Scroll. Ha! ha! ha!
CAFFA.
And so do I, now I have looked on it.
LUCIFER.
But I have never looked on it; yet I
Do know each word on it.
CAFFA.
In that, you are
No wiser than I am. Before I got the Scroll,
You knew what Man you were, which I did not;
But now I know thee well. This makes me proof
Against thine arts.
LUCIFER.
Why do you talk of art?
Wisdom is art. You said you would be wise;
Therefore, seek wisdom.
CAFFA.
Wise in nought but good.
LUCIFER.
All wisdom is of good.
CAFFA.
That is thine art.
LUCIFER.
Why do you love all wisdom then? You said,
But now, you would know all that could be known
In earth or Heaven.
CAFFA.
That which would make me good,
As well as wise.
LUCIFER.
The Scroll can teach thee naught
But what I know.
CAFFA.
I know not that. I know
It was an Angel's gift.
LUCIFER.
I know that well;
But what is he to me? Not even so much
As was the smallest under me in Heaven,—
Not half so near mine equal as thyself.
CAFFA.
The Angel tells me thou art proud,—nay, more—
A flatterer.
LUCIFER.
Why should I flatter thee, who art
Now sworn to be my friend?
CAFFA.
Only so far
As thou art worthy to be called my friend.
11
Wisdom is worth. The least of what I know
Is greater than the wisest angel in
God's Heaven.
CAFFA.
What thou wert once, is not what thou
Art now.
LUCIFER.
When thou hast heard, thou wilt believe,
And dash away the Scroll. Farewell!
CAFFA.
Farewell!
[Exeunt severally.
Enter Chorus of Fallen Angels, who chant the following Salutation.
Chant of Fallen Angels.
Welcome, welcome, great Lightbringer!
Rapturous theme of every Singer!
Teacher of the great Evangels,
Taught in Heaven by God's Archangels!
Richest of the Heirs of Glory!
Most renowned in ancient story!
Rapturous theme of every Singer!
Welcome, welcome, great Lightbringer!
[Exeunt omnes.
| The sons of Usna | |