You will be forced to fight with tigers, lions,
For the amusement of the Roman people.
For the amusement of the Roman people.
Krasinski - The Undivine Comedy
Who are the chief among them?
Scipio. Caesar and you ! While you exist, they live !
{He dies. )
Alexander {descending from the throne).
Nor threat nor pardon conquers such firm souls !
Domitian. No, fire and steel alone ! . . . Learn how
to walk
On the brink of the precipice without a fall !
Heed not the voice of women ! Never trust
The generosity of other men !
Rome has in thee, herself incorporated;
Then be as she is, strong and pitiless !
IRIDION. 433
SCENE V, An open space by the fountain of Neptune.
Clashing of swords and alarums heard in the distance.
Enter Iridion pursuing Tubero.
Tubcro. Through the whole night your eyes, like
brands of fire
Kindling from Erebus, have followed me !
Which of your gods tempered and forged your armor?
Marspiter ! Greek, my courage fails me not
Under your strokes, — but my strength totters . . . reels . . .
Iridion. For the last time you've parried my sharp
strokes ;
I keep the promise pledged you, Tubero !
Tubero. O Father Neptune, help ! {He falls. ) My
hour has come !
Iridion. Go, tell my sister I am coming soon !
{Kills him. )
Vengeance ! Thou givest me but single drops,
When I have prayed thee for a sea of blood !
I burn in the full force of vigorous life !
The souls of murdered, dying brothers live
And fight within my breast. I know no fear !
I grow into a Titan . . . Must I die ? . . .
I will not die ! . . .
{He stoops and picks tip the sword of Tubero, then staggers
and turns pale. )
Invisible spirit, why thus follow me ?
Christ? Christ? . . . What is that mystic name to me ?
Away 1 Away ! Torture me not, Metella !
Float with the silver clouds around the moon !
Fly ! darkness soon will shroud the crimsoned earth !
{Enter Alboin. )
Is'f friend or foe of Iridion, the Greek!
Alboin. Once an associate.
Iridion. Say, is it fear,
Or the reflection of the moon's white rays.
Which blanches thus your cheek ?
Alboin. The ghastly corpse
Of Scipio is thrown down the Gemoniae. *
» " Gemoniae Scalae," steps in Rome, down which the bodies of crimi-
nals were thrown.
37*
434
IRIDION.
Iridion. His fathers on the Capitolium sleep.
Alboin. And the Cherusci yield their arms to Caesar.
Iridion. Then our last moments will be very short !
We'll seek the palace of Amphiloclius,
There let the Romans enter in the court,
Where blazes still the pyre of Elsinoe;
With her we both will pass away in flame ;
My foes, my men, the palace of my father,
All, all shall perish ! Alboin, follow me!
Alboin. While any hope remained I served you truly,
For I hate Rome as you. However . . . now . . .
Iridion. Slave of the Golden Eagle, you betray me !
Alboin. Not I, but Fortune has deserted you !
Why, I must live; life's only on that side!
Hear you the tribunes shout? Caesar has set
A price upon your head ! {He draws his sword. ^
Iridion {felling him to the earth). Go down to Hell !
On that route, soon or late, you will meet Caesar !
{Exit. ')
SCENE VI. The court of Iridion' s palace. The still
smoking pyre of Elsinoe stands in the court. Gladiators,
slaves, soldiers enter, bearing torches. Pilades is seen
hurrying across the stage.
Sevej-al Voices. Where are you going, Pilades, so fast?
Pilades. To bring fresh pine and cypress from the
cave.
Many Men. Tear the torch from his hand ! He shall
not go !
Pilades. No nearer come ! Do you not know me,
Brothers ?
I must do as my Lord directed me.
Many Men. I'hrow down your torch at once ! Stand
still, or die !
Several Voices. Aristomachus' eagles must be near !
Other Voices. And Tubero must be almost upon us !
Iridion {entering). Brothers, you are deceived. No
day will ever dawn
For Tubero ! {He mounts the base of an obelisk. )
Why, what means this? Axes,
Shields, arms, thrown down, and my men in disorder?
IRIDION. 435
For the last time I call you to the fight : —
Then, Brothers, rest and silence evermore !
{A pause. The men stand motionless and make no reply. ')
Why do you gaze so furtively at me?
Why let the arms drop from your sturdy hands?
The very flames grow pale before your pallor !
To arms !
First Soldier. My chief! I fought from break of day
Until the moon went down. I scarce can stand.
Another Soldier. What has become of our associates?
Some fainting, exhausted, nearly dead ;
Some die in torture; others kill themselves;
Many have gone to yield themselves to Caesar!
Other Soldiers {showing their wounds').
Look at our wounds ! We cannot stand upright !
A Soldier. Aristomachus broke his heavy lance
Off in my breast. Iridion, water ! water!
Iridion. Ah ! I can only give you fire ! fire !
All. O impious ! The gods themselves desert you I
Iridion. Diomedes, were you not born in Corinth?
Will you humiliate yourself before
The tyrants of your country ? You, Glaucus, you ?
Eutelles, beautiful as Greek god?
How can you, Greeks, shame Greece before her foe ?
CHORUS OF GREEKS.
Woe ! Woe ! Our agonies are useless
To our dead Fatherland !
Iridion. Die for her glory !
CHORUS OF MEN.
Life ! Life ! Not fame ! Food, rest ! — not useless glory !
Iridion. Poor wretches, I have heard your many
oaths.
Have seen your swords oft deeply dyed in blood.
And know how bravely you have borne the brunt !
But now you stand on the very brink of the grave.
When one short hour would bring you lasting fame ;
And will you die as men are wont to die,
Not in despair, blindness, fury of combat,
But shame, submission, treachery, cowardice?
436 IRIDION.
CHORUS.
Ccesar still loves you ! For yourself, for us,
Obtain his pardon ! It is not yet too late !
Iridion. If Rome should now forgive you, can you
think
You would be suffered long to live ? Not so !
Grief, shame, I know, would not cut short your days.
But they would send you into desert sands,
Where water flows not, where the blazing sun
AVould scorch your feet, would crisp your hair and burn
Your brains, destroying you as Greeks !
Invited to their banquets, they would pledge
You deep in poisoned cups, accuse of crimes !
Know, men, that all who'd enter Caesar's service
Would find their blood sold cheaply to his foes
Because he still would number you among them.
You will be forced to fight with tigers, lions,
For the amusement of the Roman people.
Procuring them another holiday !
You cannot save your lives ! Die then as men.
With arms in your brave hands ! Die not as slaves !
A Soldier. You now abuse us ! You, who have be-
trayed us !
Another Soldier. You promised victory ! {lie seizes
Filades. ) Hold, Pi lades !
Iridion. Stab him who holds you, Pilades, and go !
A Soldier. Your head is doomed !
Another Soldier. We'll carry it to Csesar !
Iridion. Strike, wretch ! See, I have thrown away my
shield !
But your hands tremble so you cannot strike me !
(^Filades is stabbed by a soldier with ivhom he is struggling. ^
Ah ! my poor Pilades ! My faithful friend !
Filades. Son of Amphilochus, Iridion!
Thy fate is far more bitter to me than my oivn !
(ylle falls and dies. ^
CHORUS.
Seest tliou the golden eagles? Caesar's purple?
Hearest thou the trumpets of his legions swell ?
I RID ION. 437
Iridion {spriiigitig down from the base of the obelisk on
which he stood).
Each of these swords is at a traitor's throat !
Wretch, see thyself in Sigurd's glittering blade !
Miscreant, the sword of Tubero is keen !
Traitors, no nearer come ! Out of my way !
Grow not so pale ! I have no wish to kill you !
Go! press your trembling knees into the dust I
Go, beg for pity ! fold your hands in prayer !
Adore the Romans 1 I will not die a slave !
{He passes betweeti his men with a naked sword in either
hand, and mounts upon the pyre of Elsinoe. ')
CHORUS.
Son of misfortune ! May the floods of blood
Which thou hast shed, soon bear thee into Erebus !
The curses of the living follow thee !
May they still thunder on thine ears, until
Thou shiverest upon the gloomy shores of Styx I
Iridion. Father ! _ I die, weary of my few days,
Satiate with poison, bitterness of life !
Father, forgive not cowards I Cruel victors !
(Masinissa appears by Iridion upon the pyre of Elsinoe. ^
Ah ! thou appearest at last when all is o'er !
Go ! go, old man ! thine hour is not yet come !
Go ! join the traitors ! Caesar may forgive thee I
Masinissa. Son, follow me !
Iridion. No longer do I know thee !
Masinissa. I saved in battle ; but thou saw'st me not ;
Aided in thy despair ; thou knewest me not :
And I am here only to save thee now !
Iridion. To save me? No ! Die with me if a man !
Masinissa. What if I cannot die ?
(^Ile takes Iridion in his arms. )
Iridion. Why, what art thou?
Masinissa. A god !
(^He disappears with Iridion. )
(Enter Alexander, Domitian, Aristomachus, Koman
cohorts, etc.
Alexander. Rebels! Where is the son of Amphilochus?
438 I RID ION.
CHORUS.
We saw him mount upon his sister's pyre ;
We heard him speak but once ; then all was still ;
He disappeared, we cannot answer where.
See ! We lay down our arms, and pray for pardon !
Soldiers. We would have given him up to thee, O
Caesar !
Alexander. My mercy is worn out !
CHORUS.
Be pitiful !
Iridion alone was guilty ! He
Deceived us all I He led us to destruction !
Domitian. Woe to the conquered ! Call the lictors
here !
The top of a mountain. On the one side Rome is seen as
if through a fog ; on the other side, the sea. Iridion is
supported on the arm of Masinissa.
Iridion. Oh, thou that for thy sufferings I loved,
Hellas ! my Hellas ! wert thou but a shadow?
Art thou forever crushed, my cherished country,
While thy invincible foe still stands erect.
Glaring his marbles in the face of the sun,
Like the white teeth of a fierce tiger? . . .
Why am I here? Fire rages in my brain !
Thoughts gnaw my soul, as worms destroy a corpse !
i^He throws himself upon the earth. ^
Masinissa. Refresh thy forces in this morning mist ;
Drink this cool air, bathe in this strengthening light !
Iridion. Grasping my hand in thine, like iron links,
Thou'st dragged me here ! . . . I am confused ! . . .
know not . . .
Man lives but once . . . this once is past for me . . .
For I died yesterday. . . . Is all but dream ?
Masinissa. Thy course is not yet ended, O my son !
Iridion. Nay, torture me no more ! My father died
IRIDION.
439
Held in your arms ; my sister, sent by you,
Perished by her own hand in Caesar's palace;
And at your feet I lie in agony !
Is this not yet enough, stern Masinissa?
{He raises his head from the ground. ^
The innocent girl I sacrificed to you
Melted away in piteous sighs and wails.
I hear her voice still quivering in my ears;
I see her cross upon the Blue of Heaven !
Oh, if her God were greater than all gods !
What \i He were the sole Truth of the world !
Masinissa. And were it so, what wouldst thou do,
my son ?
Iridion. Dying, this broken sword still in my hand,
I would acknowledge Him, invoke, adore Him !
Masinissa {with irony). Thou'dst kneel, and say:
Father who art in Heaven,
Give life to Rome! Save those who have betrayed me 1
Deliver those who've never ceased to oppress
My Fatherland !
Iridion. No. I would kneel and pray :
Father who art in Heaven ! deign to love
My Hellas well, as I myself have loved her —
Speak, Masinissa, in this solemn hour !
You who have still deceived me, promised much,
And nothing done, making me ever wretched ;
You on whose breast my young head used to slumber;
You who even now stand o'er me like a god,
As if you had the rule of the whole universe; —
Answer ! for my brain reels and my thoughts whirl, —
Answer me quickly, truly, I conjure you !
Is Jesus Christ the Lord of Heaven and earth?
Masinissa. Thou hast said it !
Iridion. You also bear Him witness !
Masinissa. As an immortal foe, to his immortal foe I
He rules to-day the old Empyrean
And the decrepit earth ! . . . But there exist
Immensities where His name is effaced,
As my name is effaced within His Heaven !
Worlds of immortal youth there are which roll
On in confusion, full of embryos,
440
IRIDION.
Working and bringing forth in agony !
There, there are suns still without brilliancy ;
Strong future gods in chains; vast oceans, which
As yet receive no name, whose swollen waves
Forever seek, and tend toward shores of pleasure !
But He . . . He chained Himself . . . mounted a throne,
And said I Am 1 . , . And bowed His Head ! . . .
No. I deny Him not ! I see Him now !
But I turn toward the abyss of glooms, — my hopes —
Eyes wounded by His light ! . .
Scipio. Caesar and you ! While you exist, they live !
{He dies. )
Alexander {descending from the throne).
Nor threat nor pardon conquers such firm souls !
Domitian. No, fire and steel alone ! . . . Learn how
to walk
On the brink of the precipice without a fall !
Heed not the voice of women ! Never trust
The generosity of other men !
Rome has in thee, herself incorporated;
Then be as she is, strong and pitiless !
IRIDION. 433
SCENE V, An open space by the fountain of Neptune.
Clashing of swords and alarums heard in the distance.
Enter Iridion pursuing Tubero.
Tubcro. Through the whole night your eyes, like
brands of fire
Kindling from Erebus, have followed me !
Which of your gods tempered and forged your armor?
Marspiter ! Greek, my courage fails me not
Under your strokes, — but my strength totters . . . reels . . .
Iridion. For the last time you've parried my sharp
strokes ;
I keep the promise pledged you, Tubero !
Tubero. O Father Neptune, help ! {He falls. ) My
hour has come !
Iridion. Go, tell my sister I am coming soon !
{Kills him. )
Vengeance ! Thou givest me but single drops,
When I have prayed thee for a sea of blood !
I burn in the full force of vigorous life !
The souls of murdered, dying brothers live
And fight within my breast. I know no fear !
I grow into a Titan . . . Must I die ? . . .
I will not die ! . . .
{He stoops and picks tip the sword of Tubero, then staggers
and turns pale. )
Invisible spirit, why thus follow me ?
Christ? Christ? . . . What is that mystic name to me ?
Away 1 Away ! Torture me not, Metella !
Float with the silver clouds around the moon !
Fly ! darkness soon will shroud the crimsoned earth !
{Enter Alboin. )
Is'f friend or foe of Iridion, the Greek!
Alboin. Once an associate.
Iridion. Say, is it fear,
Or the reflection of the moon's white rays.
Which blanches thus your cheek ?
Alboin. The ghastly corpse
Of Scipio is thrown down the Gemoniae. *
» " Gemoniae Scalae," steps in Rome, down which the bodies of crimi-
nals were thrown.
37*
434
IRIDION.
Iridion. His fathers on the Capitolium sleep.
Alboin. And the Cherusci yield their arms to Caesar.
Iridion. Then our last moments will be very short !
We'll seek the palace of Amphiloclius,
There let the Romans enter in the court,
Where blazes still the pyre of Elsinoe;
With her we both will pass away in flame ;
My foes, my men, the palace of my father,
All, all shall perish ! Alboin, follow me!
Alboin. While any hope remained I served you truly,
For I hate Rome as you. However . . . now . . .
Iridion. Slave of the Golden Eagle, you betray me !
Alboin. Not I, but Fortune has deserted you !
Why, I must live; life's only on that side!
Hear you the tribunes shout? Caesar has set
A price upon your head ! {He draws his sword. ^
Iridion {felling him to the earth). Go down to Hell !
On that route, soon or late, you will meet Caesar !
{Exit. ')
SCENE VI. The court of Iridion' s palace. The still
smoking pyre of Elsinoe stands in the court. Gladiators,
slaves, soldiers enter, bearing torches. Pilades is seen
hurrying across the stage.
Sevej-al Voices. Where are you going, Pilades, so fast?
Pilades. To bring fresh pine and cypress from the
cave.
Many Men. Tear the torch from his hand ! He shall
not go !
Pilades. No nearer come ! Do you not know me,
Brothers ?
I must do as my Lord directed me.
Many Men. I'hrow down your torch at once ! Stand
still, or die !
Several Voices. Aristomachus' eagles must be near !
Other Voices. And Tubero must be almost upon us !
Iridion {entering). Brothers, you are deceived. No
day will ever dawn
For Tubero ! {He mounts the base of an obelisk. )
Why, what means this? Axes,
Shields, arms, thrown down, and my men in disorder?
IRIDION. 435
For the last time I call you to the fight : —
Then, Brothers, rest and silence evermore !
{A pause. The men stand motionless and make no reply. ')
Why do you gaze so furtively at me?
Why let the arms drop from your sturdy hands?
The very flames grow pale before your pallor !
To arms !
First Soldier. My chief! I fought from break of day
Until the moon went down. I scarce can stand.
Another Soldier. What has become of our associates?
Some fainting, exhausted, nearly dead ;
Some die in torture; others kill themselves;
Many have gone to yield themselves to Caesar!
Other Soldiers {showing their wounds').
Look at our wounds ! We cannot stand upright !
A Soldier. Aristomachus broke his heavy lance
Off in my breast. Iridion, water ! water!
Iridion. Ah ! I can only give you fire ! fire !
All. O impious ! The gods themselves desert you I
Iridion. Diomedes, were you not born in Corinth?
Will you humiliate yourself before
The tyrants of your country ? You, Glaucus, you ?
Eutelles, beautiful as Greek god?
How can you, Greeks, shame Greece before her foe ?
CHORUS OF GREEKS.
Woe ! Woe ! Our agonies are useless
To our dead Fatherland !
Iridion. Die for her glory !
CHORUS OF MEN.
Life ! Life ! Not fame ! Food, rest ! — not useless glory !
Iridion. Poor wretches, I have heard your many
oaths.
Have seen your swords oft deeply dyed in blood.
And know how bravely you have borne the brunt !
But now you stand on the very brink of the grave.
When one short hour would bring you lasting fame ;
And will you die as men are wont to die,
Not in despair, blindness, fury of combat,
But shame, submission, treachery, cowardice?
436 IRIDION.
CHORUS.
Ccesar still loves you ! For yourself, for us,
Obtain his pardon ! It is not yet too late !
Iridion. If Rome should now forgive you, can you
think
You would be suffered long to live ? Not so !
Grief, shame, I know, would not cut short your days.
But they would send you into desert sands,
Where water flows not, where the blazing sun
AVould scorch your feet, would crisp your hair and burn
Your brains, destroying you as Greeks !
Invited to their banquets, they would pledge
You deep in poisoned cups, accuse of crimes !
Know, men, that all who'd enter Caesar's service
Would find their blood sold cheaply to his foes
Because he still would number you among them.
You will be forced to fight with tigers, lions,
For the amusement of the Roman people.
Procuring them another holiday !
You cannot save your lives ! Die then as men.
With arms in your brave hands ! Die not as slaves !
A Soldier. You now abuse us ! You, who have be-
trayed us !
Another Soldier. You promised victory ! {lie seizes
Filades. ) Hold, Pi lades !
Iridion. Stab him who holds you, Pilades, and go !
A Soldier. Your head is doomed !
Another Soldier. We'll carry it to Csesar !
Iridion. Strike, wretch ! See, I have thrown away my
shield !
But your hands tremble so you cannot strike me !
(^Filades is stabbed by a soldier with ivhom he is struggling. ^
Ah ! my poor Pilades ! My faithful friend !
Filades. Son of Amphilochus, Iridion!
Thy fate is far more bitter to me than my oivn !
(ylle falls and dies. ^
CHORUS.
Seest tliou the golden eagles? Caesar's purple?
Hearest thou the trumpets of his legions swell ?
I RID ION. 437
Iridion {spriiigitig down from the base of the obelisk on
which he stood).
Each of these swords is at a traitor's throat !
Wretch, see thyself in Sigurd's glittering blade !
Miscreant, the sword of Tubero is keen !
Traitors, no nearer come ! Out of my way !
Grow not so pale ! I have no wish to kill you !
Go! press your trembling knees into the dust I
Go, beg for pity ! fold your hands in prayer !
Adore the Romans 1 I will not die a slave !
{He passes betweeti his men with a naked sword in either
hand, and mounts upon the pyre of Elsinoe. ')
CHORUS.
Son of misfortune ! May the floods of blood
Which thou hast shed, soon bear thee into Erebus !
The curses of the living follow thee !
May they still thunder on thine ears, until
Thou shiverest upon the gloomy shores of Styx I
Iridion. Father ! _ I die, weary of my few days,
Satiate with poison, bitterness of life !
Father, forgive not cowards I Cruel victors !
(Masinissa appears by Iridion upon the pyre of Elsinoe. ^
Ah ! thou appearest at last when all is o'er !
Go ! go, old man ! thine hour is not yet come !
Go ! join the traitors ! Caesar may forgive thee I
Masinissa. Son, follow me !
Iridion. No longer do I know thee !
Masinissa. I saved in battle ; but thou saw'st me not ;
Aided in thy despair ; thou knewest me not :
And I am here only to save thee now !
Iridion. To save me? No ! Die with me if a man !
Masinissa. What if I cannot die ?
(^Ile takes Iridion in his arms. )
Iridion. Why, what art thou?
Masinissa. A god !
(^He disappears with Iridion. )
(Enter Alexander, Domitian, Aristomachus, Koman
cohorts, etc.
Alexander. Rebels! Where is the son of Amphilochus?
438 I RID ION.
CHORUS.
We saw him mount upon his sister's pyre ;
We heard him speak but once ; then all was still ;
He disappeared, we cannot answer where.
See ! We lay down our arms, and pray for pardon !
Soldiers. We would have given him up to thee, O
Caesar !
Alexander. My mercy is worn out !
CHORUS.
Be pitiful !
Iridion alone was guilty ! He
Deceived us all I He led us to destruction !
Domitian. Woe to the conquered ! Call the lictors
here !
The top of a mountain. On the one side Rome is seen as
if through a fog ; on the other side, the sea. Iridion is
supported on the arm of Masinissa.
Iridion. Oh, thou that for thy sufferings I loved,
Hellas ! my Hellas ! wert thou but a shadow?
Art thou forever crushed, my cherished country,
While thy invincible foe still stands erect.
Glaring his marbles in the face of the sun,
Like the white teeth of a fierce tiger? . . .
Why am I here? Fire rages in my brain !
Thoughts gnaw my soul, as worms destroy a corpse !
i^He throws himself upon the earth. ^
Masinissa. Refresh thy forces in this morning mist ;
Drink this cool air, bathe in this strengthening light !
Iridion. Grasping my hand in thine, like iron links,
Thou'st dragged me here ! . . . I am confused ! . . .
know not . . .
Man lives but once . . . this once is past for me . . .
For I died yesterday. . . . Is all but dream ?
Masinissa. Thy course is not yet ended, O my son !
Iridion. Nay, torture me no more ! My father died
IRIDION.
439
Held in your arms ; my sister, sent by you,
Perished by her own hand in Caesar's palace;
And at your feet I lie in agony !
Is this not yet enough, stern Masinissa?
{He raises his head from the ground. ^
The innocent girl I sacrificed to you
Melted away in piteous sighs and wails.
I hear her voice still quivering in my ears;
I see her cross upon the Blue of Heaven !
Oh, if her God were greater than all gods !
What \i He were the sole Truth of the world !
Masinissa. And were it so, what wouldst thou do,
my son ?
Iridion. Dying, this broken sword still in my hand,
I would acknowledge Him, invoke, adore Him !
Masinissa {with irony). Thou'dst kneel, and say:
Father who art in Heaven,
Give life to Rome! Save those who have betrayed me 1
Deliver those who've never ceased to oppress
My Fatherland !
Iridion. No. I would kneel and pray :
Father who art in Heaven ! deign to love
My Hellas well, as I myself have loved her —
Speak, Masinissa, in this solemn hour !
You who have still deceived me, promised much,
And nothing done, making me ever wretched ;
You on whose breast my young head used to slumber;
You who even now stand o'er me like a god,
As if you had the rule of the whole universe; —
Answer ! for my brain reels and my thoughts whirl, —
Answer me quickly, truly, I conjure you !
Is Jesus Christ the Lord of Heaven and earth?
Masinissa. Thou hast said it !
Iridion. You also bear Him witness !
Masinissa. As an immortal foe, to his immortal foe I
He rules to-day the old Empyrean
And the decrepit earth ! . . . But there exist
Immensities where His name is effaced,
As my name is effaced within His Heaven !
Worlds of immortal youth there are which roll
On in confusion, full of embryos,
440
IRIDION.
Working and bringing forth in agony !
There, there are suns still without brilliancy ;
Strong future gods in chains; vast oceans, which
As yet receive no name, whose swollen waves
Forever seek, and tend toward shores of pleasure !
But He . . . He chained Himself . . . mounted a throne,
And said I Am 1 . , . And bowed His Head ! . . .
No. I deny Him not ! I see Him now !
But I turn toward the abyss of glooms, — my hopes —
Eyes wounded by His light ! . .
