Ye have brought unto me this man, as one Who doth pervert the people; and behold!
I have examined him, and found no fault Touching the things whereof ye do accuse him.
No, nor yet Herod; for I sent you to him, And nothing worthy of death he findeth in him.
Ye have a custom at the Passover;
That one condemned to death shall be released.
Whom will ye, then, that I release to you?
Jesus Barabbas, called the Son of Shame, Or Jesus, Son of Joseph, called the Christ?
THE PEOPLE, shouting.
Not this man, but Barabbas!
PILATE.
What then will ye That I should do with him that is called Christ?
THE PEOPLE.
Crucify him!
PILATE.
Why, what evil hath he done?
Lo, I have found no cause of death in him;I will chastise him, and then let him go.
THE PEOPLE, more vehemently.
Crucify him! crucify him!
A MESSENGER, to PILATE.
Thy wife sends This message to thee,--Have thou naught to do With that just man; for I this day in dreams Have suffered many things because of him.
PILATE, aside.
The Gods speak to us in our dreams! I tremble At what I have to do! O Claudia, How shall I save him? Yet one effort more, Or he must perish!
Washes his hands before them.
I am innocent Of the blood of this just person; see ye to it!
THE PEOPLE.
Let his blood be on us and on our children!
VOICES, within the palace.
Put on thy royal robes; put on thy crown, And take thy sceptre! Hail, thou King of the Jews!
PILATE.
I bring him forth to you, that ye may know I find no fault in him.Behold the man!
CHRISTUS is led in with the purple robe and crown of thorns.
CHIEF PRIESTS and OFFICERS.
Crucify him! crucify him!
PILATE.
Take ye him;
I find no fault in him.
CHIEF PRIESTS.
We have a Law, And by our Law he ought to die; because He made himself to be the Son of God.
PILATE, aside.
Ah! there are Sons of God, and demigods More than ye know, ye ignorant High-Priests!
To CHRISTUS.
Whence art thou?
CHIEF PRIESTS.
Crucify him! crucify him!
PILATE, to CHRISTUS.
Dost thou not answer me? Dost thou not know That I have power enough to crucify thee?
That I have also power to set thee free?
CHRISTUS.
Thou couldst have no power at all against me Except that it were given thee from above;Therefore hath he that sent me unto thee The greater sin.
CHIEF PRIESTS.
If thou let this man go, Thou art not Caesar's friend.For whosoever Maketh himself a King, speaks against Caesar.
PILATE.
Ye Jews, behold your King!
CHIEF PRIESTS.
Away with him!
Crucify him!
PILATE.
Shall I crucify your King?
CHIEF PRIESTS.
We have no King but Caesar!
PILATE.
Take him, then, Take him, ye cruel and bloodthirsty priests, More merciless than the plebeian mob, Who pity and spare the fainting gladiator Blood-stained in Roman amphitheatres,--Take him, and crucify him if ye will;
But if the immortal Gods do ever mingle With the affairs of mortals, which I doubt not, And hold the attribute of justice dear, They will commission the Eumenides To scatter you to the four winds of heaven, Exacting tear for tear, and blood for blood.
Here, take ye this inscription, Priests, and nail it Upon the cross, above your victim's head:
Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.
CHIEF PRIESTS.
Nay, we entreat! write not, the King of the Jews!
But that he said: I am the King of the Jews!
PILATE.
Enough.What I have written, I have written.
IX
ACELDAMA
JUDAS ISCARIOT.
Lost! Lost! Forever lost! I have betrayed The innocent blood! O God! if thou art love, Why didst thou leave me naked to the tempter?
Why didst thou not commission thy swift lightning To strike me dead? or why did I not perish With those by Herod slain, the innocent children, Who went with playthings in their little hands Into the darkness of the other world, As if to bed? Or wherefore was I born, If thou in thy foreknowledge didst perceive All that I am, and all that I must be?
I know I am not generous, am not gentle, Like other men; but I have tried to be, And I have failed.I thought by following him I should grow like him; but the unclean spirit That from my childhood up hath tortured me Hath been too cunning and too strong for me, Am I to blame for this? Am I to blame Because I cannot love, and ne'er have known The love of woman or the love of children?
It is a curse and a fatality, A mark that hath been set upon my forehead, That none shall slay me, for it were a mercy That I were dead, or never had been born.
Too late! too late! I shall not see Him more Among the living.That sweet, patient face Will never more rebuke me, nor those lips Repeat the words: One of you shall betray me!
It stung me into madness.How I loved, Yet hated Him: But in the other world!
I will be there before Him, and will wait Until he comes, and fall down on my knees And kiss his feet, imploring pardon, pardon!
I heard Him say: All sins shall be forgiven, Except the sin against the Holy Ghost.
That shall not be forgiven in this world, Nor in the world to come.Is that my sin?
Have I offended so there is no hope Here nor hereafter? That I soon shall know.
O God, have mercy! Christ have mercy on me!
Throws himself headlong from the cliff.
X
THE THREE CROSSES
MANAHEM, THE ESSENIAN.
Three crosses in this noonday night uplifted, Three human figures that in mortal pain Gleam white against the supernatural darkness;Two thieves, that writhe in torture, and between them The Suffering Messiah, the Son of Joseph, Ay, the Messiah Triumphant, Son of David!
A crown of thorns on that dishonored head!
Those hands that healed the sick now pierced with nails, Those feet that wandered homeless through the world Now crossed and bleeding, and at rest forever!
And the three faithful Maries, overwhelmed By this great sorrow, kneeling, praying weeping!
O Joseph Caiaphas, thou great High-Priest How wilt thou answer for this deed of blood?
SCRIBES and ELDERS.
Thou that destroyest the Temple, and dost build it In three days, save thyself; and if thou be The Son of God, come down now from the cross.
CHIEF PRIESTS.
Others he saved, himself he cannot save!
Let Christ the King of Israel descend That we may see and believe!
SCRIBES and ELDERS.
In God he trusted;
Let Him deliver him, if He will have him, And we will then believe.
CHRISTUS.