The end draweth near; the end!

Evil appeareth out of the north, Fire is its chariot, Ma.s.sacre its pinions!

Already the heavens ring with terror, The earth shakes with the stamping of the hoofs.

THE MOTHER

[Horrified] Jeremiah!

JEREMIAH

[Seizing her arm, listens] Do you hear, do you not hear, the rushing of chariots?

THE MOTHER

I hear nothing! Day is dawning. The shepherds are piping in the valleys, and a gentle breeze blows across the roof.

JEREMIAH

A gentle breeze?

Woe is me!

With mighty roaring The wind is rising, The whirlwind of G.o.d.

From the caverns Of the north down-rushing, Terror it brandishes Over the town.

Mother! Mother! Do you not hear it?

Swords clash in the wind, Loud roar the chariot wheels, The night flashes with lances and with armor; Warrior upon warrior, countless in number, The whirlwind scatters over the land.

THE MOTHER

All is illusion, the madness of dreams!

JEREMIAH

They are coming, they are coming, Strangers from the east, Men of an ancient people, Men of a mighty people.

They hasten from the east In unending files; Their arrows speed like lightning; Their chargers are shod with swiftness; Their chariots are solid as rock.

Among them there rideth, With blood-stained crown, The destroyer of cities By fire and sword, The tyrant of nations, The king of kings from the north.

THE MOTHER

The king from the north? You dream. The king from the north!

JEREMIAH

Whom the Lord has awakened That he may scourge the people for all its transgressions, That he may crumble the walls and throw down the towers, That he may quench the light and the laughter of homes, That he may raze the city and the temple to the ground, And that he may plough up the streets of Jerusalem.

THE MOTHER

Blasphemous folly! The city endureth for ever!

JEREMIAH

It is falling!

The onslaughts of G.o.d None may withstand!

Below ground Its roots shall wither, Above ground Its fruits shall rot!

With axe and with fire The hors.e.m.e.n 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 G.o.d 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 G.o.d.

JEREMIAH

You also consecrated me, Mother?

THE MOTHER