Cain. Another sacrifice! Give way, or else | The earth swims round me :—what is this?_ That sacrifice may be'tis wet; [Puts his hand to his brow, and then looks at it. Give way! thy God loves blood! — then | And yet there are no dews! 'Tis blood-my look to it: Give way, ere he hath more! Abel. In his great name, blood My brother's and my own; and shed by me! Then what have I further to do with life, I stand between thee and the shrine which Since I have taken life from my own flesh? Cain (after a moment's stupefaction). My hand! 'tis all red, and withWhat? [Along pause.-Looking slowly round. Where am I? alone! Where's Abel? where Cain? Can it be that I am he? My brother, Awake! why liest thou so on the green earth? 'Tis not the hour of slumber :- why so pale? What hast thou!- thou wert full of life this morn! Abel! I pray thee, mock me not! I smote Too fiercely, but not fatally. Ah, why Wouldst thou oppose me? This is mockery; And only done to daunt me :-'twas a blowAnd but a blow. Stir-stir-nay, only stir! Why, so that's well! - thou breath'st! breathe upon me! Oh, God! Oh, God! But he can not be dead!-Is silence death? No; he will wake: then let me watch by him. Life cannot be so slight, as to be quench'd Thus quickly! he hath spoken to me since What shall I say to him? - My brother!--No; He will not answer to that name; for brethren Smite not each other. Yet-yet-speak to me. Oh! for a word more of that gentle voice, That I may bear to hear my own again! Enter ZILLAN Zillah. I heard a heavy sound: what can it be? 'Tis Cain; and watching by my husband. What Dost thou there, brother? Doth he sleep? Oh! heaven! What means this paleness, and yon stream? -No! no! It is not blood; for who would shed his blood? Abel! what's this?-who hath done this? He moves not; He breathes not: and his hands drop down from mine With stony lifelessness! Ah! cruel Cain ! Why cam'st thou not in time to save him from This violence? Whatever hath assail'd him, Thou wert the stronger, and shouldst have stepp'd in Between him and aggression! Father!- Adah!-come hither! Death is in the world! Abel (very faintly). What's he who speaks The name of Death so deeply, that the Eve. Oh! speak not of it now: serpent's fangs the | With scorpions! May his dreams be of his victim! Are in my heart. My best beloved, Abel! Or what hath done this deed?—speak, Cain, since thou Wert present: was it some more hostile angel, Who walks not with Jehovah? or some wild Brute of the forest? Eve. Ah! a livid light Breaks through as from a thunder-cloud! yon brand, Massy and bloody! snatch'd from off the altar, And black with smoke, and red with— Adam. Speak, my Son! Speak, and assure us, wretched as we are, That we are not more miserable still. Adah. Speak, Cain! and say it was not thou! Eve. It was. I see it now-he hangs his guilty head, And covers his ferocious eye with hands Incarnadine. Adah. Mother, thou dost him wrongCain! clear thee from this horrible accusal, Which grief wrings from our parent. Eve. Hear, Jehovah! May the eternal serpent's curse be on him! Curse him not, mother, for he is thy son- Eve. He hath left thee no brotherZillah no husband-me no son!-for thus I curse him from my sight for evermore! All bonds I break between us, as he broke That of his nature,in yon-Oh death! death! Why didst thou not take me, who first incurr'd thee? Why dost thou not so now? Adam. Eve! let not this, Thy natural grief, lead to impiety! A heavy doom was long forespoken to us; And now that it begins, let it be borne In such sort as may show our God, that we Are faithful servants to his holy will. Eve (pointing to Cain). His will!! the will of you incarnate spirit Of death, whom I have brought upon the earth To strew it with the dead. May all the curses Of life be on him! and his agonies Drive him forth o'er the wilderness, like us From Eden, till his children do by him As he did by his brother! May the swords And wings of fiery cherubim pursue him By day and night—snakes spring up in his path Earth's fruits be ashes in his mouth - the leaves His waking a continual dread of death! May the clear rivers turn to blood as he Stoops down to stain them with his raging lip! May every element shun or change to him! May he live in the pangs which others die with! And death itself wax something worse than death To him who first acquainted him with man! Hence, fratricide! henceforth that word is Cain, Through all the coming myriads of mankind, Who shall abhor thee, though thou wert their sire! May the grass wither from thy feet! the woods Who hath provided for us this dread office. Come, Zillah! Zillah. Yet one kiss on yon pale clay, And those lips once so warm-my heart! my heart! [Exeunt Adam and Zillah weeping. Adah. Cain! thou hast heard, we must go forth. I am ready, So shall our children be. I will bear Enoch, And you his sister. Ere the sun declines Let us depart, nor walk the wilderness Under the cloud of night.-Nay, speak to me, To me-thine own. Cain. Leave me! Adah. Why, all have left thee. And wherefore lingerest thou? Nothing except to leave thee, much as I Shrink from the deed which leaves thee brotherless. I must not speak of this-it is between thee And the great God. A Voice from within exclaims, Adah! Hearst thou that voice? On which he lays his head to sleep be Cain! Cain! strew'd Adah. It soundeth like an angel's tone. Enter the Angel of the Lord. Where is thy brother Abel? My brother's keeper? Angel. Cain! what hast thou done? The voice of thy slain brother's blood cries out, Even from the ground, unto the Lord! Now art thou Cursed from the earth, which open'd late her mouth To drink thy brother's blood from thy rash hand. Henceforth, when thou shalt till the ground, it shall not Yield thee her strength; a fugitive shalt thou Be from this day, and vagabond on earth! Adah. This punishment is more than he can bear. Behold, thou drivest him from the face of earth, And from the face of God shall he be hid. Cain. Would they could ! but who are they Shall slay me? where are these on the lone earth - But it shall not be so the Lord thy God Be taken on his head. Come hither! Wouldst thou with me? Angel. To mark upon thy brow Exemption from such deeds as thou hast done. Cain. No, let me die! Angel. It must not be. [The Angel sets the mark on Cain's brow. Cain. It burns My brow, but nought to that which is within it. Is there more? let me meet it as I may. Angel. Stern hast thou been and stubborn from the womb, As the ground thou must henceforth till; but he Thou slew'st was gentle as the flocks he tended. Cain. After the fall too soon was I begotten; Ere yet my mother's mind subsided from The serpent, and my sire still mourn'd for Eden. That which I am, I am; I did not seek And why not so? let him return to day, Angel. Who shall heal murder? what is done is done. Go forth! fulfil thy days! and be thy deeds Cain. Ah! little knows he what he weeps for! And I who have shed blood cannot shed tears! But the four rivers would not cleanse my soul. Thinkst thou my boy will bear to look on me? Adah. If I thought that he would not, I would Cain (interrupting her). No, No more of threats: we have had too many of them: Go to our children; I will follow thee. Adah. I will not leave thee lonely with the dead; Let us depart together. Cain. Oh! thou dead And everlasting witness! whose unsinking Blood darkens earth and heaven! what thou compose thy limbs into their grave The first grave yet dug for mortality. For all the fruits thou hast render'd to me, I Give thee back this.-Now for the wilderness. [Adah stoops down and kisses the body of Abel. Adah. A dreary, and an early doom, my brother, Has been thy lot! Of all who mourn for thee, I alone must not weep. My office is Henceforth to dry up tears, and not to shed Cain. And he who lieth there was child them; But yet, of all who mourn, none mourn like me, Not only for thyself, but him who slew thee. Now, Cain! I will divide thy burden with thee. Cain. Eastward from Eden will we take our way; 'Tis the most desolate, and suits my steps. Adah. Lead! thou shalt be my guide, and may our God Be thine! Now let us carry forth our children. Anah. But, Aholibamah, I love our God less since his angel loved me: This cannot be of good; and though I know not That I do wrong, I feel a thousand fears Which are not ominous of right. Ahol. Then wed thee Unto some son of clay, and toil and spin! There's Japhet loves thee well, hath loved thee long; Marry, and bring forth dust! Anah. I should have loved I am glad he is not. I can not outlive him, And when I think that his immortal wings As he adores the Highest, death becomes Mine would be such for him, were I the And he the perishable. That he will single forth some other daughter Of Earth,and love her as he once loved Anah. Anah. And if it should be so, and she so loved him, Better thus than that he should weep for me. Ahol. If I thought thus of Samiasa's love, All seraph as he is, I'd spurn him from me. But to our invocation! 'Tis the hour. Anah. Seraph! From thy sphere! Whatever star contain thy glory: Albeit thou watchest with "the seven," Though through space infinite and hoary Before thy bright wings worlds be driven, Yet hear! Oh! think of her who holds thee dear! And though she nothing is to thee, Yet think that thou art all to her. Thou canst not tell,-and never be Such pangs decreed to aught save me,The bitterness of tears. Eternity is in thine years, Unborn, undying beauty in thine eyes; With me thou canst not sympathize, Except in love, and there thou must Acknowledge that more loving dust Ne'er wept beneath the skies. Thou walkst thy many worlds, thou seest Of those cast out from Eden's gate: O hear! Wheresoe'er Thou rulest in the upper airOr warring with the spirits who may dare Dispute with Him, Who made all empires, empire; or recalling, Some wandering star which shoots through the abyss, Whose tenants dying, while their world Share the dim destiny of clay in this; I call thee, I await thee, and I love thee. Descend and share my lot! Though I be form'd of clay, More bright than those of day Thine immortality can not repay It In me, which, though forbidden yet toshine, I feel was lighted at thy God's and thine. may be hidden long: death and decay Our mother Eve bequeath'd us—but my heart Defies it: though this life must pass away, |