 | The Hebrew |  |
SCENE I.
—The Jews' Burying Ground.—Violent Storm.— Isaac discovered sitting on the Grave of his Wife.Isaac.
—Awake! awake!—
Will nor this wind, nor rain, nor thunder, wake thee?
Thou must sleep soundly! would I slept as sound!
What light breaks through the clouds? not morn—not morn—
'Twas but the storm-fire—morn is yet far off!
Eternity freeze up the stream of time!
This moment be the ever! Perish time!
Or slumber but a week—a day—an hour—
A Clock strikes Four.
He will not—no he will not—morn will come!
My child will die—I do not think I'm mad—
No—no—not mad—But yet my brain's on fire!—
'Tis but the heat of night. (Storm)
Does it not rain?
I hear the plash upon the leaves! and yet
It falls not on my head: the trees too sob,
And shudder in the wind, and yet no wind
Blows on this burning body.
Violent Storm.
Enter Miriam.
Miriam.
Oh! through night
I've sought you, uncle: pray you now remove
From out the storm: fire, water, thunder, wind,
Contend as if for mastery; the earth
Is reeling, rocking to its strong foundation;
And were in flames, but that the clouds shoot down
River on river on its smoking breast.
Isaac.
I am not mad—no—no—I am not mad.
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I pray you now—
Isaac.
What—Miriam?—is it you?
Go home—go home.
Miriam.
I only wait for you.
Isaac.
Sings:
“Then Jeptha wept o'er his child,
“Oh must my daughter die
“For Gileads victory?
“My daughter—oh my child—
Wherefore should men be fathers? they are curs'd
In children's love as in their hate.
Storm.
Miriam.
Come in.
Isaac.
Sings:—
“In the lone wood let me die!
“In the lone wood let me lie!
“Winter shall my sexton be;
“He will shake from some oak tree
“Dry leaves, 'stead of dust, on me.
Miriam.
My dearest uncle! pr'ythee now come in.
Isaac.
(Pointing to Heaven.)
He has not call'd me yet;
But he soon will—look!—look!—dost see?—dost see
Yon eyeless fellow digging up the earth?
'Tis the bald sexton Death—he works for me:
Ha! ha! hark how his dry bones rattle in the toil!
He stops.—Art tir'd? or is it deep enough?
To it again—He shakes at me his glass;
The sands are few—they run like mill- streams—look,
He comes—most horrible—so near! Keep off—
Stretch not thy bony gripe to me—I'll fly—
Fly to earth's centre! open—open—open earth—
Tis thy son calls thee—open—let me in—
Save me from death—he clutches me! too late!
Darkness and winter—
He shudders and falls.
Miriam.
Dearest uncle!—Help!
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What can I do to aid him? Help—oh help.
The sun breaks partially through the clouds.—Robin Hood, Tuck, Scarlet, and Foresters, enter.
Miriam.
He opes his eyes—dear uncle! joy!
Isaac.
Who is it calls me? Daughter is it you?
The sun peeps through my curtains. Is it late?
What, Miriam, strangers—there was something here—
Some heavy cause of grief my child!—'tis gone!
Gone! gone!—all's blank.
Robin Hood.
The wrath of heaven sure
Is on the Jew: or else there could not be
Such misery to man.
Isaac.
Still not a word.
Anon, I shall remember.
Miriam.
Dear Sir.
Isaac.
Hush!
I shall remember. Oh! these waters roar
So fiercely in mine ear—King Jeptha—aye—
I stood before his throne—The Templar Knights—
I cannot—no, I cannot.
Robin Hood.
Poor old man,
I need must pity thee.
Miriam.
Alas—alas!
The bell tolls for Rebecca.
Isaac.
That bell—stay—stay—my brain!
The bell tolls again—Isaac Shrieks.
I know all now!
Too well—too well, my daughter! Oh, my child!
Miriam.
He weeps, and sense returns.
Robin Hood.
Come, look up man!
Here's good hope yet.
Isaac.
Hope! lead me to the place
Where, where my daughter—dies.
Robin Hood.
'Twere best, my girl,
You did to his desire; I shall be there.
Miriam.
Come, dearest uncle, lean on me.
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Thou'rt kind—
I love thee well; but thou art not my child!
I'll walk alone.
(Exit Isaac.
Robin Hood.
How's this?
Miriam.
His daughter dies—
Lest some brave Knight against the Templar prove
Her innocence in arms.
Robin Hood.
Fine faith is theirs!
A holy crew, these Templars! By St. George!
Speed, Scarlet, to young Ivanhoe! Declare
What you have heard.
(Exit Scarlet.
Miriam, 'twere best you look'd
To the old man; his grief is wild,
And may offend his life.
Miriam.
Ye kind pow'rs above,
Support my weakness in this trying hour.
(Exit Miriam.
Robin Hood.
And now as Richard bid
For Templestowe, that if these Templars dare
To beard our royal lion, our near aid
May swell his scanty numbers.
Tuck.
He'll need all:
The time was short for gathering,
Robin Hood.
Spy thou
The vantage of the time; see all—say nought.
Keep the door lockt, but throw the windows up,
Tuck.
Go to,—I'll shoe my tongue with list; go to—
I will be silent as a mill on Sunday,
An unwound clock, an organ lacking wind,
Or as a woman's tongue.
Robin Hood.
A woman's tongue?
Tuck.
Aye, marry—when she's fast asleep.
(Exit Tuck.
Robin Hood.
Now, then; tough hearts, tough bow, and limber strings.
(Exeunt Robin Hood and Foresters.
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