"Judges! He has been silent! I shall be silent too!"
All is still, and in front a new soft, trembling voice is heard:
"Bontsie, my child Bontsie!" Bontsie's heart is dissolved in tears ... he would have opened his eyes, but they are covered with tears ... he has never wept such sweet tears before.... "My child," "My Bontsie!"—ever since his mother had died, he had not heard such a voice and such words.
"My child!" the Highest Judge proceeds, "you have suffered all, and you were silent! There is not a member, not a bone in your body without wounds, without a spot of blood. There is not a hidden place in your soul where it does not bleed, and yet you were always silent....
"There they did not understand such things! It may be you yourself did not know that you can cry and that from your cries the walls of Jericho could tremble and fall! You yourself did not know of your hidden power....
"They did not reward your silence in the other
belōhnt, nor dort is' der Ōlem-hascheker, dā auf'n Ōlem-emes west du dein Lōb bekummen!
Dich wet dās Bess-din-schel-majle nischt mischpeten, dir wet es nischt paskenen, dir wet es kēin Cheelek nischt aus-un' nischt āb-thēilen! Nemm dir, wās du willst! Alles is' dein!
Bonzje hēbt dās erste Māl die Äugen auf! Er werd wie verblend't vun der Licht vun alle Seiten; Alles blankt, Alles blischtschet, vun Alles jāgen Strahlen: vun die Wänd', vun die Keelim, vun die Malochim, vun die Dajonim! Ssame Sunnen!
Er lāst die müde Äugen arāb.