All hail to
Africanus
!
Krasinski - The Undivine Comedy
Iridion {holding her in his arms). What is it, sister?
What can I do for thee?
Thy small hand throbs in mine with veins of fire.
And the quick bounds of thy wrung heart beat wild
Against my breastplate! Elsinoe, speak!
Elsinoe. The eyes whose fires withered my virgin
soul . . .
Must die out in their sockets! . . .
And the two arms which once embraced my neck . . .
Must fall like mangled vipers! . . .
The lips which once have dared to rest on mine . . .
Must crumble in the flames ! . . .
Iridion. Yes. He and Alexander both shall burn
Upon one funeral pyre !
Elsinoe. Unsay ! Unsay !
Hear my last wish ! I have a right to speak I
Have I not given all, — for more than life?
Because I know the power of thy hand,
392
IRIDION.
I bare to thee the last, the only wish
Which pulses in my heart, Iridion !
Spare Alexander on the battle-field !
Let no stroke fall on his broad Grecian brow !
For he alone divines . . .
Why dost thou turn
Thy face away from me, Iridion?
Iridion. Think not of him! 'Tis he alone keeps
Rome
From falling in the clutches of my hate,
And the Gods grudge him to humanity.
His doom is sealed, — the deadliest foe of Greece !
Elsinoe. Then press thy sister once more to thy breast.
Son of Amphilochus, we meet no more!
Dost feel how wildly throbs my wretched heart?
Ere thy return, I know that it will break!
Remember Elsinoe asks no blood from thee:
Let them all live ! The Syrian, the Accursed,
He too must live ! Spare Alexander, brother!
****** ,
The close of this Aveird sacrifice is near;
The virgin victim must not leave a stain
Of blood on her pure hands, her robes of snow!
Ah ! long upon the altar she has stood ;
The fires consumed her slowly; night and day
Flamed high her maiden dreams, her spring, her love,
Upon the shrine! The victim's heart is dead!
Her life is flickering fast; the fire dies out;
A fitful smoke will soon remain alone! . . .
The sacrifice is o'er; the hour draws nigh
When from the body the soul is sundered.
Like a cothurnus' easily-loosened band !
Of Elsinoe, nothing will remain
Save bitter memories, and her vexed soul,
Which will become an immortal, wandering Shade!
Voices without the Palace. Iridion, the G reek ! Iridion !
Iridion. Away! thy sorrow is insensate, when
Nemesis in both hands holds crowns of vengeance!
The victory is mine! . . . That noise, those cries,
Embody the sole thought of my whole life!
I am reborn ; and thou canst wish for death I •
I RID ION. 393
Be proud and happy, sister, that the day
For which thy father lived, thy country prayed,
Comes in the lightning's flash, the thunder's roar!
{Loud crashing heard without. )
Hear'st thou that crash? it is the doom of Rome !
And thou wouldst perish now with vengeance won !
Voices. Iridion ! Iridion !
Iridion. Farewell !
Elsinoc. Go, brother, go ! Be famous, happy, great !
And if thou ever floatest o'er the waves
Of our blue sea, and drawest near the coast,
Then throw a handful of my ashes on
Chiara's shore ! Farewell, Iridion !
{She presses him to her heart, and retires within the cur-
tain as he disappears. )
SCENE III. Tlie highest terrace of Iridion s palace, sur-
rounded by balustrades and statues of the Grecian gods.
Masinissa is seated upon a stool of ivory ; behind him
stand the slaves, barbarians, and soldiers of Iridion.
Masinissa. Slave, look again !
Pilades. Strange things are" going on
Around the temple ; what they are, the Sphinx
Alone can tell ! The arch of Septimius
Looks like a child, playing upon the sand ;
The Capitol alone looms out in all its grandeur.
Barbarian. At full two hundred paces I can strike
A nut-branch and transfix it with my arrow;
But that cursed Forum is so far, I can
Discover nothing.
Masinissa. Age weighs upon my eyelids;
The burning suns of years weaken my pupils;
I still see farther than the youngest here !
I see the vulture on Iridion's helmet ;
It floats above the crowd ; I see the gleam
Of Scipio's sword before him ; behind him are
The dark heads of your brethren.
Second Barbarian. I thought 'twas they !
Pilades. Is it a dream, or do I really hear
The distant death-cry of a thousand voices !
34
394
IRIDION.
A Young Barbarian. List to that shout !
Masinissa. I see him ! he is safe !
He pushes through the throng, — enters the peristyle, —
The gladiators sit upon the senate-steps, —
The people surge against the palace base
Like an o'erwearied sea sinking to calm.
Ho ! Verres !
Verres. Here.
Alasinissa. How many men have you?
Verres. I have with me the slaves from Sicyon ;
The Germans too from the Cisalpine legions,
Who joined us yesterday.
Masinissa. When Hesperus appears,
March with them quickly to the Samnile gate;
Wait there tlie signal ! When you see a flame
Rise from this terrace, throw your firebrands ;
Begin at the villa of Rupilius,
And kindle flames until you reach the Forum !
Verres. Rely on me as on a Catiline !
Masinissa. 1 trust you, as old patrician.
To leave no drop undrained in the cup of vengeance !
Verres. And fill it up again to the very brim.
Masinissa. A 1 bo in !
Alboin. Son of the Desert, give command !
Masinissa. Say rather. Father ! Where are the He-
ruli ?
Alboin. They've just returned, having cut one aque-
duct,
Stopped Galba's fountain, Manlius' springs.
Masinissa. At twilight take your post at Nero's pond ;
Be faithful to your task !
Alboin. I need no spur.
Caracalla burned upon the Rhine
The homes and villages of all my tribe.
Made me his slave : this day shall pay my service !
I'll drive away all who ap]M-oacii the pond.
From the blind, tottering gray head with his buckets,
To the child who stretches out his little hand
For a drop of water !
Masinissa. Ay, Alboin, that is right.
The blessing of an old man cannot hurt you !
IRIDION.
395
Verres {to Masinissd). Pray, look again ! My heart
burns with anxiety I
Masinissa. Hold ! . . . I see Scipio flying on his
horse !
All. From whence comes he?
Masinissa. From the Hostilian court.
There! there! . . . He disappears behind the palace.
Pilades. I think we ought to go to aid our Lord 1
Masinissa. Do you hear nothing?
Alboin. I hear a distant sound.
Masinissa. It is the trampling of a horse !
Verres. I hear it !
Filades. Look! Look! 'tis he ! He dashes swiftly
on !
Verres. The portico, the obelisk now hide him.
Alboin. See, like a dart he passes to the temple !
Masinissa {calling). Scipio !
The voice of Scipio. Victory !
All.
All hail to Africanus !
Scipio. No time is to be lost ! — The sun sets in
A sea of blood beyond the Tiber. Haste !
Bring cypress branches, dry wood from the vaults !
Prepare a high pyre here upon the terrace ;
It must be ready ere the stars are out !
{He enters. ') My friends, the Roman Senate is no more !
Pilades. Iridion ? . . . Where have you left my Lord ?
Scipio. He hurried to the palace of the Caesars
To gain the guard ; — he will be here anon.
( To the slaves who enter bearing cypress branches, logs of
wood, and vessels of various forms. )
Here I Here ! just in the centre, pile the wood,
Between the Athenian Minerva and
Diana of Ephesus ! Sprinkle each row
With aloes, then pour copious streams of naphtha!
Masinissa. Your voice is pleasant to my ears, O
Scipio!
How did you the patricians drive away, —
Your ancient brethren, — from their curule chairs?
Scipio. We entered with Iridion at our head.
We found the conscript Fathers seated calm,
As in the better days of the Republic.
396
IRIDION.
The statue of the Emperor was o'erthrown,
The head lay at the feet, the arms were off;
Volero, with his foot upon the breast,
Was playing Cato for the senators !
Verres. A tradesman's son !
Scipio. But when they saw the Greek,
They all grew silent, for his brow was dark
With all the gloom of the past centuries.
Then Uxor rose, and asked him : "By what right
Do you dare desecrate the majesty
Of the Roman Senate? " . . . The son of Amphilochus,
Leaning against a pillar, crossed his hands
On the Medusa chiseled on his armor,
And said : " Depart ! I banish you from Rome ! "
Then noise and fury overpowered his words ;
The priest of Jupiter, Ventidius,
Called for the lictors; some seized the curule chairs;
Some drew their swords; Iridion said, unmoved, —
An icy smile upon his haughty lips : —
" Here was it that your fathers once condemned
Unhappy Greece: and in the very s])ot
I here degrade you ! If you do not fly,
You all shall perish ! " Volero sprang upon him ;
His sword glanced off the armor of the Greek,
And with the shock, he fell against the base
Of the statue of Caligula; his head,
Striking on a sharp angle of the marble,
Was gashed ; he fainted as the blood gushed forth.
The Greek deigned not even to draw his sword ;
Majestic as a god he turned, and said :
" Scipio, I give the Senate up to you 1"
He clapjied his hands in signal ; then our men
Tore down the brazen doors and rushed within the hall !
The lictors soon repulsed, the conscript fathers i^ed,
Scared bv tlie flasliing of our naked blades !
He who resisted, lay by Volero;
The flying called on Jove, while we cried Victory !
(7b Verres. ^ And I invoked the memory of Zama. *
* A town in N'umidia, celebrated for the victory which Scipio obtained
there over Hannibal, B. C. 202.
IRIDION. 397
Verres. Alas ! I was not there !
Scipio. Console yourself;
To-night I bid you to a fuller banquet !
CHORUS.
Here comes our Lord ! We know his ringing voice !
i^Eiiter Gladiators; after them, Iridion. )
Pilades {throwing himself at the feet of Iridion).
Son of Amphilochus, I bless the gods
That you return unhurt !
Iridion. Rise ! Rise ! old friend !
I thank you from my heart, my Pilades !
I see the pyre is ready, — that is well !
Nothing is wanting but the asbestos shroud,
To save the ashes of the corpse of Rome.
Old man, have my commands been all obeyed ?
Masinissa. All has been done as you desired, ray son.
Iridion {seating himself by Alasitiissa).
A moment's rest! Take off my helmet, Pilades !
Lucius !
Scipio. I listen, Greek !
Iridion. Mark well my words,
Engraving each upon your memory
As part of your own vengeance ! I have just left
The gardens of the Palace : the praetorians were
In wild confusion, drunk, some without arms.
Some terrified. I let them spend their rage.
And when the noise was stilled, I raised my hand,
When at the sight of the imperial ring.
They knew their danger ! The tribunes thronged around
me ;
I made a short address. The eunuchs brought
Great vessels of the Syrian's silver out.
And dreadful oaths came from the praetorians' lips:
"While a drop of blood remained, they would be true,
Ay, long as life should last ! " With other vows
Which may stand for to-night, — to-morrow blots them
out !
Go, then, and watch them closely ! Take with you
The gladiators, and Eutychian's sword
34*
398 IRIDION.
As token that you come from me as Leader !
Hold the guard in suspense and expectation ;
Tell them Severus' bands have crossed the walls;
If they should hear the vvailings in the streets,
Tell them Severus' bands are raging there ! "^
When they shall see the light of the burning city,
Tell them again Severus and his bands !
They will not wish to fight their furious brothers !
Should Alexander's heralds come, toward morn,
Find pretexts for delay; reject; accept;
Break and renew your terms, as long as lasts
His patience; spinning webs of guile around him !
When that is over, rush with fury on him ;
Fight, while a drop of blood is in your veins!
Let Caracalla, Heliogabalus, be
Your treacherous war-cry through the lingering night !
Fight till you see the Forum burst in flames,
A burning crown wreathing the Capitol,
Rome rocking in the throbbing heart of fire, —
Then know, the son of Amphilochus is nigh !
Scipio. What if the Syrian should wish to leave
The palace, interfere with our success?
Iridion. My sister will take charge of the Emperor ;
But guard his life and person till the end !
The prsetorians but obey us while he lives.
Scipio. Where will your post of danger be, brave
Greek?
Iridion. I hope to be with you ere night be past!
But hasten, for the twilight's crimson streaks
Are fading from the sky.
{Exit Scipio. ^
Verres, 'tis time
You also should depart ! ^
Verres {io his soldiers'). Men, follow me !
{Exit Verres and his soldiers. ^
Iridion. Go with them, Alboin ; halt at Nero's pond !
Alboin. Sigurd, farewell, until we meet again !
{Exit Alboin with his 7nen. )
Iridion {to the slaves). My faithful slaves, you must
prepare to leave me !
Before you go, join in the parting feast
IRIDION. 399
I have prepared you in the peristyle.
For the last time you eat and drink together
AVithin the palace of Iridion !
To-morrow eve, his home will be in ashes;
To-morrow's dawn will find you rich and free !
CHORUS OF SLAVES.
Father and mother thou hast been to us,
'I'hrough exile, woe! Thou'st given us food and wine,
And made us happy in thy palace, while
Our brothers starved, whitening the deserts with
Their famished bones, dying unpitied in
Their agony upon the Arena's sands,
All crimsoned with their blood !
Should some among us ne'er return to thee.
Ask not where are thy faithful slaves ! They will
Have gladly perished for thy future glory,
Blessing thy name, son of Amphilochus !
{^They throw themselves at his feet ^
Iridion. Friends, when this pyre of cypress blazes high,
Answer the signal from your once loved home
With countless fires! Burn temples, baths, halls, palaces !
Farewell !
{^Exit slaves. Iridion rises and leasts against the pyre. ')
The nearer comes the longed-for hour
The fiercer burns my blood ! Am I deceived ?
Is it a rm/ darkness glooms the city ?
Amphilochus, is the time surely here?
Are these stars actual that shine before me,
Or are they only kindled by my thirst
Of vengeance ? . . . No ! No ! . . . the blood boils in
my veins !
I feel it must be the last night of Rome !
Look, Masinissa, how my men glide on
Like shadowy spectres through the growing darkness !
See how the torches creep in silence on !
The neigh of horses,— are they those of Verres?
As the light fades, flames flicker through the mounds !
At last, ye gods, vengeance shall fall on Rome !
But softly, softly, soldiers ! Make less noise !
400
IRIDION.
Masinissa. A desert grows around us ! Voices die
That once were wont to echo through this palace !
Hark ! they propose a health !
(Cheering heard from the slaves feasting below. ')
Slaves. Iridion !
Iridion. Ah ! how they ring my name with stalwart
cry !
Masinissa. The last glad cheer these walls will e'er
re-echo !
They leave the hall, they part, crouch to the ground, —
Their torches vanish in the thickening gloom.
Iridion. They've kept their faith; each has been true
to me ;
All gone to do my will, to ruin Rome !
All gone, old man, and we remain alone
In this doomed Palace of Amphilochus.
'Tis strange the Nazarenes are not yet here, —
What can detain them? . . . Simeon swore to me
He would be here with them within three hours !
Masinissa. They must be here ere long, for Hes-
perus
Mounts o'er the Capitol ; Berenice's
Bright hair now lights the distant Sabine hills. ^
Iridion. Night, grudge me not this once thy winds
and clouds !
But once, — and then for centuries shine down,
Girdled with starry crowns, calm, peaceable,
Upon the blackened walls, ashes of Rome !
I scarce can breathe until the hour is here;
I long for it so madly !
Masinissa. Ay, so do I ;
And not on thee alone does time weigh heavily !
Oh, I have waited longer far in vain
The ruin of my Enemy in silence !
Iridion. Your voice recalled my father's well-loved
accents.
Might not the statue of Amphilochus
Spring back to life, in this our hour supreme,
And feel a heart beat in his breast of marble ?
But as you sit upon his ivory stool.
Shadows around, you bring him to my soul !
IRIDION.
401
Exactly thus his toga fell about him
The hour I swore . . . his hour of death !
