The Poems of Henry Van Dyke eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 381 pages of information about The Poems of Henry Van Dyke.

The Poems of Henry Van Dyke eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 381 pages of information about The Poems of Henry Van Dyke.

NAAMAN: 
    Behold a man delivered from the grave
    By thee!  I rose from Jordan’s waves restored
    To youth and vigour, as the eagle mounts
    Upon the sunbeam and renews his strength! 
    O mighty prophet deign to take from me
    These gifts too poor to speak my gratitude;
    Silver and gold and jewels, damask robes,—­

ELISHA:  [Interrupting.]
    As thy soul liveth I will not receive
    A gift from thee, my son!  Give all to Him
    Whose mercy hath redeemed thee from thy plague.

NAAMAN: 
    He is the only God!  I worship Him! 
    Grant me a portion of the blessed soil
    Of this most favoured land where I have found
    His mercy; in Damascus will I build
    An altar to His name, and praise Him there
    Morning and night.  There is no other God
    In all the world.

ELISHA: 
                      Thou needst not
    This load of earth to build a shrine for Him;
    Yet take it if thou wilt.  But be assured
    God’s altar is in every loyal heart,
    And every flame of love that kindles there
    Ascends to Him and brightens with His praise. 
    There is no other God!  But evil Powers
    Make war against Him in the darkened world;
    And many temples have been built to them.

NAAMAN: 
    I know them well!  Yet when my master goes
    To worship in the House of Rimmon, I
    Must enter with him; for he trusts me, leans
    Upon my hand; and when he bows himself
    I cannot help but make obeisance too,—­
    But not to Rimmon!  To my country’s King
    I’ll bow in love and honour.  Will the Lord
    Pardon thy servant in this thing?

ELISHA: 
                                      My son,
    Peace has been granted thee.  ’Tis thine to find
    The only way to keep it.  Go in peace.

NAAMAN: 
    Thou hast not answered me,—­may I bow down?

ELISHA: 
    The answer must be thine.  The heart that knows
    The perfect peace of gratitude and love,
    Walks in the light and needs no other rule. 
    When next thou comest into Rimmon’s House,
    Thy heart will tell thee how to go in peace.

CURTAIN.

[3] Note that this scene is not intended to be put upon the stage,
    the effect of the action upon the drama being given at the
    beginning of Act IV.

ACT IV

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 tent:  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.

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The Poems of Henry Van Dyke from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.