Act IV: Scene II. — Street in Front of the Prison. In the Background A, Gateway and Several Flights of Steps Leading Up Terraces to The, Governor's House. A Pump on One Side of the Street. John, Endicott, Merry, Upsall, and Others. A Drum Beats
Oh shame, shame, shame!
MERRY.Yes, it would be a shameBut for the damnable sin of Heresy!
A woman scourged and dragged about our streets!
MERRY.Well, Roxbury and Dorchester must takeTheir share of shame. She will be whipped in each!Three towns, and Forty Stripes save one; that makesThirteen in each.
And are we Jews or Christians?See where she comes, amid a gaping crowd!And she a child. Oh, pitiful! pitiful!There's blood upon her clothes, her hands, her feet!
EDITH.Here let me rest one moment. I am tired.Will some one give me water?
MERRY.At his peril.
UPSALL.Alas! that I should live to see this day!
A WOMAN.Did I forsake my father and my motherAnd come here to New England to see this?
EDITH.I am athirst. Will no one give me water?
JOHN ENDICOTT (making his way through the crowd with water).In the Lord's name!
In his name I receive it!Sweet as the water of Samaria's wellThis water tastes. I thank thee. Is it thou?I was afraid thou hadst deserted me.
Never will I desert thee, nor deny thee.Be comforted.
MERRY.O Master Endicott,Be careful what you say.
Peace, idle babbler!
MERRY.You'll rue these words!
Art thou not better now?
EDITH.They've struck me as with roses.
Ah, these wounds!These bloody garments!
EDITH.It is granted meTo seal my testimony with my blood.
O blood-red seal of man's vindictive wrath!O roses in the garden of the Lord!I, of the household of Iscariot,I have betrayed in thee my Lord and Master.
CHRISTISON.Be of good courage, O my child! my child!Blessed art thou when men shall persecute thee!Fear not their faces, saith the Lord, fear not,For I am with thee to deliver thee.
A CITIZEN.Who is it crying from the prison yonder.
MERRY.It is old Wenlock Christison.
CHRISTISON.RememberHim who was scourged, and mocked, and crucified!I see his messengers attending thee.Be steadfast, oh, be steadfast to the end!
EDITH (with exultation).I cannot reach thee with these arms, O father!But closely in my soul do I embrace theeAnd hold thee. In thy dungeon and thy deathI will be with thee, and will comfort thee.
MARSHAL.Come, put an end to this. Let the drum beat.
CHRISTISON.Dear child, farewell! Never shall I beholdThy face again with these bleared eyes of flesh;And never wast thou fairer, lovelier, dearerThan now, when scourged and bleeding, and insultedFor the truth's sake. O pitiless, pitiless town!The wrath of God hangs over thee; and the dayIs near at hand when thou shalt be abandonedTo desolation and the breeding of nettles.The bittern and the cormorant shall lodgeUpon thine upper lintels, and their voiceSing in thy windows. Yea, thus saith the Lord!
Awake! awake! ye sleepers, ere too late,And wipe these bloody statutes from your books!
MERRY.Take heed; the walls have ears!
UPSALL.At last, the heartOf every honest man must speak or break!
ENDICOTT.What is this stir and tumult in the street?
MERRY.Worshipful sir, the whipping of a girl,And her old father howling from the prison.
ENDICOTT (to his halberdiers).Go on.
CHRISTISON.Antiochus! Antiochus!O thou that slayest the Maccabees! The LordShall smite thee with incurable disease,And no man shall endure to carry thee!
MERRY.Peace, old blasphemer!
CHRISTISON.I both feel and seeThe presence and the waft of death go forthAgainst thee, and already thou dost lookLike one that's dead!
MERRY (pointing).And there is your own son,Worshipful sir, abetting the sedition.
ENDICOTT.Arrest him. Do not spare him.
MERRY (aside).His own child!There is some special providence takes careThat none shall be too happy in this world!His own first-born.
ENDICOTT.O Absalom, my son!
Words in this poem 17
- damnable a.
- Liable to damnation; deserving, or for which one deserves, to be damned; of a damning nature. [L. damnabilis, fr. damnare: cf. F. damnable. See Damn.]
- amid prep.
- In the midst or middle of; surrounded or encompassed by; among. [OE. amidde, amiddes, on midden, AS. on middan, in the middle, fr. midde the middle. The s is an adverbial ending, originally marking the genitive; the t is a la]
- athirst a.
- Wanting drink; thirsty. [OE. ofthurst, AS. ofpyrsted, p. p. of ofpyrstan; pref. of-, intensive + pyrstan to thirst. See Thirst.]
- thank n.
- A expression of gratitude; an acknowledgment expressive of a sense of favor or kindness received; obligation, claim, or desert, or gratitude; -- now generally used in the plural. [AS. Þanc, Þonc, thanks, favor, thought; akin to OS. thank favor, pleasure, thanks, D. & G. dank thanks, Icel. Þ\'94kk, Dan. tak, Sw. tack, Goth. Þagks thanks; -]
- vindictive a.
- Disposed to revenge; prompted or characterized by revenge; revengeful. [For vindicative, confused with L. vindicta revenge, punishment, fr. vindicare to vindicate. Cf. Vindicative.]
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- saith
- 3d pers. sing. pres. of Say.
- yonder adv.
- At a distance, but within view. [OE. yonder, ýonder; cf. OD. ginder, Goth. jaindr there. Yond, adv.]
- dungeon n.
- A close, dark prison, commondonjon or keep of a castle, these being used as prisons. [OE. donjoun highest tower of a castle, tower, prison, F. donjon tower or platform in the midst of a castle, turret, or closet on the top of a house, a keep of a]
- bleared a.
- Dimmed, as by a watery humor; affected with rheum.
- wast
- The second person singular of the verb be, in the indicative mood, imperfect tense; -- now used only in solemn or poetical style.
- shalt
- 2d per. sing. of Shall.
- desolation n.
- The act of desolating or laying waste; destruction of inhabitants; depopulation. [F. désolation, L. desolatio.]
- worshipful a.
- Entitled to worship, reverence, or high respect; claiming respect; worthy of honor; -- often used as a term of respect, sometimes ironically.
- maccabees n.
- The name given in later times to the Asmonæans, a family of Jewish patriots, who headed a religious revolt in the reign of Antiochus IV., 168-161 B. C., which led to a period of freedom for Israel.
- blasphemer n.
- One who blasphemes.
- waft v. t.
- To give notice to by waving something; to wave the hand to; to beckon. [Prob. originally imp. & p. p. of wave, v. t. See Wave to waver.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Act IV: Scene II. — Street in Front of the Prison. In the Background A, Gateway and Several Flights of Steps Leading Up Terraces to The, Governor's House. A Pump on One Side of the Street. John, Endicott, Merry, Upsall, and Others. A Drum Beats is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Complete Poetical Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Project Gutenberg ebook #1365; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Act IV: Scene II. — Street in Front of the Prison. In the Background A, Gateway and Several Flights of Steps Leading Up Terraces to The, Governor's House. A Pump on One Side of the Street. John, Endicott, Merry, Upsall, and Others. A Drum Beats, in Christus: A Mystery (1872), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #1365, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/longfellow-christus/act-iv-scene-ii-street-in-front-of-the-prison-in-the-backgro.html, id L19227.
Form and metre
Act IV: Scene II. — Street in Front of the Prison. In the Background A, Gateway and Several Flights of Steps Leading Up Terraces to The, Governor's House. A Pump on One Side of the Street. John, Endicott, Merry, Upsall, and Others. A Drum Beats is 123 lines in 41 stanzas.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 4 --A-A merry · take · eachA · makes · eachA
- 22 --A-A christison · child · theeA · not · theeA
- 26 --A-A exultation · father · theeA · death · theeA
- 38 -AA pointing · sonA · seditionA
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Oh shame, shame, shame! | 4 | ···· |
| MERRY. | 2 | /˘ |
| Yes, it would be a shame | 6 | ······ |
| But for the damnable sin of Heresy! | 11 | ···/˘˘··/˘˘ |
| A woman scourged and dragged about our streets! | 10 | ·/˘·····/· |
| MERRY. | 2 | /˘ |
| Well, Roxbury and Dorchester must take | 10 | ·/·˘·/·˘·· |
| Their share of shame. She will be whipped in each! | 10 | ·········· |
| Three towns, and Forty Stripes save one; that makes | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Thirteen in each. | 4 | //·· |
| And are we Jews or Christians? | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| See where she comes, amid a gaping crowd! | 10 | ····˘/·/˘· |
| And she a child. Oh, pitiful! pitiful! | 11 | ·····/˘˘/˘˘ |
| There's blood upon her clothes, her hands, her feet! | 10 | ·········· |
| EDITH. | 2 | /˘ |
| Here let me rest one moment. I am tired. | 11 | ·····/˘··/˘ |
| Will some one give me water? | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| MERRY. | 2 | /˘ |
| At his peril. | 4 | ··/˘ |
| UPSALL. | 2 | ·· |
| Alas! that I should live to see this day! | 10 | ˘/········ |
| A WOMAN. | 3 | ·/˘ |
| Did I forsake my father and my mother | 11 | ··˘/·/˘··/˘ |
| And come here to New England to see this? | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| EDITH. | 2 | /˘ |
| I am athirst. Will no one give me water? | 11 | ··˘/·····/˘ |
| JOHN ENDICOTT (making his way through the crowd with water). | 14 | ·/˘·/˘······/˘ |
| In the Lord's name! | 4 | ···· |
| In his name I receive it! | 7 | ····˘/· |
| Sweet as the water of Samaria's well | 11 | ···/˘··˘/˘· |
| This water tastes. I thank thee. Is it thou? | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| I was afraid thou hadst deserted me. | 10 | ··˘/··˘/˘· |
| Never will I desert thee, nor deny thee. | 10 | /··˘/··˘/· |
| Be comforted. | 4 | ·/˘˘ |
| MERRY. | 2 | /˘ |
| O Master Endicott, | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| Be careful what you say. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Peace, idle babbler! | 5 | ·/˘/˘ |
| MERRY. | 2 | /˘ |
| You'll rue these words! | 4 | ···· |
| Art thou not better now? | 6 | ···/˘· |
| EDITH. | 2 | /˘ |
| They've struck me as with roses. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Ah, these wounds! | 3 | ··· |
| These bloody garments! | 5 | ·/˘/˘ |
| EDITH. | 2 | /˘ |
| It is granted me | 5 | ··/˘· |
| To seal my testimony with my blood. | 10 | ···/˘·˘··· |
| O blood-red seal of man's vindictive wrath! | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| O roses in the garden of the Lord! | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| I, of the household of Iscariot, | 10 | ···/··˘/˘˘ |
| I have betrayed in thee my Lord and Master. | 11 | ··˘/·····/˘ |
| CHRISTISON. | 3 | /˘˘ |
| Be of good courage, O my child! my child! | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Blessed art thou when men shall persecute thee! | 10 | ······/˘·· |
| Fear not their faces, saith the Lord, fear not, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| For I am with thee to deliver thee. | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| A CITIZEN. | 4 | ·/˘˘ |
| Who is it crying from the prison yonder. | 11 | ···/˘··/˘/˘ |
| MERRY. | 2 | /˘ |
| It is old Wenlock Christison. | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| CHRISTISON. | 3 | /˘˘ |
| Remember | 3 | ˘/˘ |
| Him who was scourged, and mocked, and crucified! | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| I see his messengers attending thee. | 10 | ···/˘˘˘/˘· |
| Be steadfast, oh, be steadfast to the end! | 10 | ·/···/···· |
| EDITH (with exultation). | 7 | /˘····· |
| I cannot reach thee with these arms, O father! | 11 | ·/˘······/˘ |
| But closely in my soul do I embrace thee | 11 | ·/˘·····˘/· |
| And hold thee. In thy dungeon and thy death | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| I will be with thee, and will comfort thee. | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| MARSHAL. | 2 | /˘ |
| Come, put an end to this. Let the drum beat. | 10 | ·········· |
| CHRISTISON. | 3 | /˘˘ |
| Dear child, farewell! Never shall I behold | 10 | ···//˘··˘/ |
| Thy face again with these bleared eyes of flesh; | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| And never wast thou fairer, lovelier, dearer | 11 | ·/··/˘···/˘ |
| Than now, when scourged and bleeding, and insulted | 11 | ·····/˘·˘/˘ |
| For the truth's sake. O pitiless, pitiless town! | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| The wrath of God hangs over thee; and the day | 10 | ·········· |
| Is near at hand when thou shalt be abandoned | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| To desolation and the breeding of nettles. | 12 | ··˘/˘··/˘·/˘ |
| The bittern and the cormorant shall lodge | 10 | ·/˘··/˘˘·· |
| Upon thine upper lintels, and their voice | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Sing in thy windows. Yea, thus saith the Lord! | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Awake! awake! ye sleepers, ere too late, | 10 | ˘/˘/·/˘··· |
| And wipe these bloody statutes from your books! | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| MERRY. | 2 | /˘ |
| Take heed; the walls have ears! | 6 | ······ |
| UPSALL. | 2 | ·· |
| At last, the heart | 4 | ···· |
| Of every honest man must speak or break! | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| ENDICOTT. | 3 | /˘· |
| What is this stir and tumult in the street? | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| MERRY. | 2 | /˘ |
| Worshipful sir, the whipping of a girl, | 10 | /˘˘··/˘··· |
| And her old father howling from the prison. | 11 | ···/˘/˘··/˘ |
| ENDICOTT (to his halberdiers). | 8 | /˘······ |
| Go on. | 2 | ·· |
| CHRISTISON. | 3 | /˘˘ |
| Antiochus! Antiochus! | 8 | ˘/˘˘˘/˘˘ |
| O thou that slayest the Maccabees! The Lord | 11 | ···/˘·/˘··· |
| Shall smite thee with incurable disease, | 10 | ····˘/˘˘˘/ |
| And no man shall endure to carry thee! | 10 | ····˘/·/˘· |
| MERRY. | 2 | /˘ |
| Peace, old blasphemer! | 5 | ··˘/˘ |
| CHRISTISON. | 3 | /˘˘ |
| I both feel and see | 5 | ····· |
| The presence and the waft of death go forth | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Against thee, and already thou dost look | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| Like one that's dead! | 4 | ···· |
| MERRY (pointing). | 4 | /˘/˘ |
| And there is your own son, | 6 | ······ |
| Worshipful sir, abetting the sedition. | 11 | /˘˘·˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| ENDICOTT. | 3 | /˘· |
| Arrest him. Do not spare him. | 7 | ˘/····· |
| MERRY (aside). | 4 | /˘˘/ |
| His own child! | 3 | ··· |
| There is some special providence takes care | 10 | ···/˘/˘˘·· |
| That none shall be too happy in this world! | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| His own first-born. | 4 | ···· |
| ENDICOTT. | 3 | /˘· |
| O Absalom, my son! | 6 | ·/˘˘·· |
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