Jeremiah. Stefan Zweig

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      Its roots shall wither,

      Above ground

      Its fruits shall rot!

      With axe and with fire

      The horsemen shall ravage

      Israel’s forest and Zion’s fair plains.

      The Mother

      [Breaking in] It is false!

      Ne’er shall an enemy circle our wall,

      David’s city be taken, Jerusalem fall.

      Though foes from the ends of the earth should rage,

      The towering battlements ever shall stand.

      Firm Israel’s heart, and mighty her hand,

      Eternal the days of Jerusalem!

      Jeremiah

      It is falling! Broken is the staff and foretold is the hour. The end draws near, the end of Israel.

      The Mother

      False prophet! We are the elect of the Lord, and our strength shall endure through the ages! Never shall Jerusalem perish!

      Jeremiah

      I have seen it in my dreams; ’twas made plain to my eyes.

      The Mother

      Evil is he who dreams such dreams, and seven times an evildoer he who believes them. Alas that I should have lived to see this day when my own blood is fearful for Zion and has lost faith in the Lord! Jeremiah, do you wish me to curse the womb that bore you?

      Jeremiah

      The horror came upon me against my will; naught could I do to ward off the faces.

      The Mother

      Watch and pray against them and shatter their lies in the name of the Lord. Forget not, Jeremiah, that you are an anointed and consecrated son, that your voice should praise the Lord, that you should uplift the hearts of the sorrowful and fill with hope the minds of the despairing!

      Jeremiah

      How can I? My own despair is the greatest of all. Leave me, Mother, leave me!

      The Mother

      I will not leave you, neither will I abandon your soul to despair. Jeremiah, my only son, hearken to me. For the first time let me tell you something which may awaken your courage. Hear the words that are forced from me by my distress. I, too, was once filled with despair, inasmuch as for ten years the Lord had closed my womb. I was the sport of my companions and the mock of the concubines. For ten long years I bore my lot patiently, and had almost given up hope; but in the eleventh year my heart was kindled, and I went to the house of God to implore him that my womb should bear fruit. Throwing myself on the ground, I watered it with tears, vowing that if a son were vouchsafed me I would devote him to the Lord’s service. I swore to be silent, to utter no word during my time of trial, that my son in days to come might speak abundantly, praising God.

      Jeremiah

      You also consecrated me, Mother?

      The Mother

      The selfsame day your father knew me and I was blessed with you. Hearken, Jeremiah. For nine months did I faithfully refrain from speech that you might speak abundantly, that you might glorify the everlasting God! Thus did I fulfil my vow, and we brought you up to read the scripture, and sweetly did you sing to the psaltery. Know, then, that from the first you were a consecrated priest and devoted to the service of the Lord. Rend the veil of your dreams and come forth into the daylight.

      Jeremiah

      A double consecration, Mother, a twofold witness of this night. A second time you have called me to life. Through your words the light has come to me, for, wonderful to relate, I cried my question to God and he sent you to speak to me! Now do I know who knocked on the wall of my sleep until I awakened from my life’s slumber; now do I know who summoned me.

      The Mother

      What has befallen you? Your words are like those of a drunken man.

      Jeremiah

      Yea, drunk am I now with the certainty of his will; so full am I of speech, that the words must forth. The seals upon my mouth are broken, and my lips burn to utter the revelation.

      The Mother

      Woe is me if you should reveal your mad dreams. You are no son of mine if you cry such fancies aloud!

      Jeremiah

      Your son, Mother? Indeed and indeed I am your son, with a fate like unto yours! Learn that I too have been barren, and that the Lord hath quickened me with a word and a secret. I have renewed your vow, Mother, and have given myself to the Lord.

      The Mother

      Go, then, to God’s house. Give yourself to him who has called you, praise his holy name.

      Jeremiah

      Nay, Mother, not for me the service of the sacrificial priest. I myself must be the sacrifice. For God my veins run blood; for him my flesh is consumed; for him my soul burns. I will serve him as none ever served him before; his paths shall henceforward be mine. Behold the dawn upon the valley, and within me likewise is darkness dispelled by light! God’s heaven flames, and in me no less the heart is aflame. Chariot of Elijah, fiery chariot, carry my words that they may fall like thunder into the hearts of men. My lips scorch me, I must go, I must go.

      The Mother

      Whither would you go ere the day has well begun?

      Jeremiah

      I know not, God knoweth.

      The Mother

      Tell me what you mean to do.

      Jeremiah

      I know not, I know not! My heart is his, and my deeds are his.

      The Mother

      Jeremiah, you shall not go unless you swear to me to say naught of your dreams …

      Jeremiah

      I will not swear! I am vowed to him alone.

      The Mother

      … to refrain from breathing terror into the people.

      Jeremiah

      His is the revelation, mine are the lips alone!

      The Mother

      Woe is me, you will not hearken to my words. СКАЧАТЬ