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The Tower

by Robert Malise Bowyer Nichols

It was deep night, and over Jerusalem's low roofs

The moon floated, drifting through high vaporous woofs.

The moonlight crept and glistened silent, solemn, sweet,

Over dome and column, up empty, endless street;

In the closed, scented gardens the rose loosed from the stem

Her white showery petals; none regarded them;

The starry thicket breathed odours to the sentinel palm;

Silence possessed the city like a soul possessed by calm.

Not a spark in the warren under the giant night,

Save where in a turret's lantern beamed a grave, still light:

There in the topmost chamber a gold-eyed lamp was lit -

Marvellous lamp in darkness, informing, redeeming it!

For, set in that tiny chamber, Jesus, the blessed and doomed,

Spoke to the lone apostles as light to men en-tombed;

And spreading his hands in blessing, as one soon to be dead,

He put soft enchantment into spare wine and bread.

The hearts of the disciples were broken and full of tears,

Because their lord, the spearless, was hedg'd about with spears;

And in his face the sickness of departure had spread a gloom,

At leaving his young friends friendless.

They could not forget the tomb.

He smiled subduedly, telling, in tones soft as voice of the dove,

The endlessness of sorrow, the eternal solace of love;

And lifting the earthly tokens, wine and sorrowful bread,

He bade them sup and remember one who lived and was dead.

And they could not restrain their weeping.

But one rose up to depart,

Having weakness and hate of weakness raging within his heart,

And bowed to the robed assembly whose eyes gleamed wet in the light.

Judas arose and departed: night went out to the night.

Then Jesus lifted his voice like a fountain in an ocean of tears,

And comforted his disciples and calmed and allayed their fears.

But Judas wound down the turret, creeping from floor to floor,

And would fly; but one leaning, weeping, barred him beside the door.

And he knew her by her ruddy garment and two yet-watching men:

Mary of Seven Evils, Mary Magdalen.

And he was frighted at her. She sighed: 'I dreamed him dead.

We sell the body for silver....'

Then Judas cried out and fled

Forth into the night!... The moon had begun to set:

A drear, deft wind went sifting, setting the dust afret;

Into the heart of the city Judas ran on and prayed

To stern Jehovah lest his deed make him afraid.

But in the tiny lantern, hanging as if on air,

The disciples sat unspeaking. Amaze and peace were there.

For his voice, more lovely than song of all earthly birds,

In accents humble and happy spoke slow, consoling words.

Thus Jesus discoursed, and was silent, sitting up-right, and soon

Past the casement behind him slanted the sinking moon;

And, rising for Olivet, all stared, between love and dread,

Seeing the torrid moon a ruddy halo behind his head.