SCENE I
The interior of NAAMAN'S tent, at night. RUAHMAH alone, sleeping on the ground. A vision appears to her through the curtains of the font: ELISHA standing on the hillside at Dothan: NAAMAN, restored to sight, comes in and kneels before him. ELISHA blesses him, and he goes out rejoicing. The vision of the prophet turns to RUAHMAH and lifts his hand in warning.
ELISHA:
Daughter of Israel, what dost thou here?
Thy prayer is granted. Naaman is healed:
Mar not true service with a selfish thought.
Nothing remains for thee to do, except
Give thanks, and go whither the Lord commands.
Obey,--obey! Ere Naaman returns
Thou must depart to thine own house in Shechem.
[The vision vanishes.]
RUAHMAH: [Waking and rising slowly.]
A dream, a dream, a messenger of God!
O dear and dreadful vision, art thou true?
Then am I glad with all my broken heart.
Nothing remains,--nothing remains but this,--
Give thanks, obey, depart,--and so I do.
Farewell, my master's sword! Farewell to you,
My amulet! I lay you on the hilt
His hand shall clasp again: bid him farewell
For me, since I must look upon his face
No more for ever!--Hark, what sound was that?
[Enter soldier hurriedly.]
SOLDIER:
Mistress, an arméd troop, footmen and horse,
Mounting the hill!
RUAHMAH:
My lord returns in triumph.
SOLDIER:
Not so, for these are enemies; they march
In haste and silence, answering not our cries.
RUAHMAH:
Our enemies? Then hold your ground,--on guard!
Fight! fight! Defend the pass, and drive them down.
[Exit soldier. RUAHMAH draws NAAMAN'S sword from the scabbard and hurries out of the tent. Confused noise of fighting outside. Three or four soldiers are driven in by a troop of men in disguise. RUAHMAH follows: she is beaten to her knees, and her sword is broken.]
REZON: [Throwing aside the cloth which covers his face.]
Hold her! So, tiger-maid, we've found your lair
And trapped you. Where is Naaman,
Your master?
RUAHMAH: [Rising, her arms held by two of REZON'S followers.]
He is far beyond your reach.
REZON:
Brave captain! He has saved himself, the leper,
And left you here?
RUAHMAH:
The leper is no more.
REZON:
What mean you?
RUAHMAH:
He has gone to meet his God.
REZON:
Dead? Dead? Behold how Rimmon's wrath is swift!
Damascus shall be mine: I'll terrify
The King with this, and make my terms. But no!
False maid, you sweet-faced harlot, you have lied
To save him,--speak.
RUAHMAH:
I am not what you say,
Nor have I lied, nor will I ever speak
A word to you, vile servant of a traitor-god.
REZON:
Break off this little flute of blasphemy,
This ivory neck,--twist it, I say!
Give her a swift despatch after her leper!
But stay,--if he still lives he'll follow her,
And so we may ensnare him. Harm her not!
Bind her! Away with her to Rimmon's House!
Is all this carrion dead? There's one that moves,--
A spear,--fasten him down! All quiet now?
Then back to our Damascus! Rimmon's face
Shall be made bright with sacrifice.
[Exeunt forcing RUAHMAH with them. Musical interlude. A wounded soldier crawls from a dark corner of the tent and finds the chain with NAAMAN's seal, which has fallen to the ground in the struggle.]
WOUNDED SOLDIER:
This signet of my lord, her amulet!
Lost, lost! Ah, noble lady,--let me die
With this upon my breast.
[The tent is dark. Enter NAAMAN and his company in haste, with torches.]
NAAMAN:
What bloody work
Is here? God, let me live to punish him
Who wrought this horror! Treacherously slain
At night, by unknown hands, my brave companions:
Tsarpi, my best beloved, light of my soul,
Put out in darkness! O my broken lamp
Of life, where art thou? Nay, I cannot find her.
WOUNDED SOLDIER: [Raising himself on his arm.]
Master!
NAAMAN: [Kneels beside him.]
One living? Quick, a torch this way!
Lift up his head,--so,--carefully!
Courage, my friend, your captain is beside you.
Call back your soul and make report to him.
WOUNDED SOLDIER:
Hail, captain! O my captain,--here!
NAAMAN:
Be patient,--rest in peace,--the fight is done.
Nothing remains but render your account.
WOUNDED SOLDIER:
They fell upon us suddenly,--we fought
Our fiercest,--every man,--our lady fought
Fiercer than all. They beat us down,--she's gone.
Rezon has carried her away a captive. See,--
Her amulet,--I die for you, my captain.
NAAMAN: [He gently lays the dead soldier on the ground, and rises.]
Farewell. This last report was brave; but strange
Beyond my thought! How came the High Priest here?
And what is this? my chain, my seal! But this
Has never been in Tsarpi's hand. I gave
This signet to a captive maid one night,--
A maid of Israel. How long ago?
Ruahmah was her name,--almost forgotten!
So long ago,--how comes this token here?
What is this mystery, Saballidin?
SABALLIDIN:
Ruahmah is her name who brought you hither.
NAAMAN:
Where then is Tsarpi?
SABALLIDIN:
In Damascus.
She left you when the curse of Rimmon fell,--
Took refuge in his House,--and there she waits
Her lord's return,--Rezon's return.
NAAMAN:
'Tis false!
SABALLIDIN:
The falsehood is in her. She hath been friend
With Rezon in his priestly plot to win
Assyria's favour,--friend to his design
To sell his country to enrich his temple,--
And friend to him in more,--I will not name it.
NAAMAN:
Nor will I credit it. Impossible!
SABALLIDIN:
Did she not plead with you against the war,
Counsel surrender, seek to break your will?
NAAMAN:
She did not love my work, a soldier's task.
She never seemed to be at one with me
Until I was a leper.
SABALLIDIN:
From whose hand
Did you receive the sacred cup?
NAAMAN:
From hers.
SABALLIDIN:
And from that hour the curse began to work.
NAAMAN:
But did she not have pity when she saw
Me smitten? Did she not beseech the King
For letters and a guard to make this journey?
Has she not been the fountain of my hope,
My comforter and my most faithful guide
In this adventure of the dark? All this
Is proof of perfect love that would have shared
A leper's doom rather than give me up.
Can I doubt her who dared to love like this?
SABALLIDIN:
O master, doubt her not,--but know her name;
Ruahmah! It was she alone who wrought
This wondrous work of love. She won the King
By the strong pleading of resistless hope
To furnish forth this company. She led
Our march, kept us in heart, fought off despair,
Offered herself to you as to her god,
Watched over you as if you were her child,
Prepared your food, your cup, with her own hands,
Sang you asleep at night, awake at dawn,--
NAAMAN: [Interrupting.]
Enough! I do remember every hour
Of that sweet comradeship! And now her voice
Wakens the echoes in my lonely breast;
The perfume of her presence fills my sense
With longing. All my soul cries out in vain
For her embracing, satisfying love,
her eyes and called her my Ruahmah!
[To his soldiers.]
Away! away! I burn to take the road
That leads me back to Rimmon's House,--
But not to bow,--by God, never to bow!
TIME: Three days later