“ ‘One day he saw, from his high dwelling-place,
All his good things devoured by vermin base;
Slaves who drank hatred with their tears, and had
No comforter; and Evil, priestly clad,
At altars keeping school; and, in the street,
Maids who ran out the libertines to meet.
“ ‘Wherefore, to purge this vileness, and to end
Man’s torment and our pilloried race befriend,
He sent his own Son out of heaven down.
Naked and poor, wearing no golden crown,
He came, was of a virgin born, and saw
The daylight first pillowed on stable-straw.
“ ‘People of Arles, turn to this lowly One.
Ourselves can show the wonders he hath done,
Who were his comrades; and, in that far land
Where rolls the yellow Jordan, saw him stand,
In his white linen robe, amid the crowd,
Who him assailed with maledictions loud.
“ ‘Full gentle was his message: for he showed
That men should love each other, and that God
Is both almighty and all merciful;
And that the kingdom where he beareth rule
Descendeth not to tyrants, cheats, and scorners,
But to the poor, the lowly, and the mourners.
“ ‘These were his teachings: and he them attested
By walking on the waters; and arrested
Sickness most bitter by a glance, a word.
The dead, by yon grim rampart undeterred,
Came back to earth. This Lazarus whom you see
Once rotted in the grave. But jealousy
“ ‘Inflamed the bad hearts of the Jewish kings.
They led him to a mountain for these things,
And cruelly unto a tree trunk nailed,
Spat on the sacred face, and coarsely railed
And lifted him on high.’ Here all the throng
Brake into loud lament and sobbing strong.
“ ‘Mercy,’ they cried, ‘for our iniquities!
What shall we do the Father to appease?
Answer us, man of God! If blood must flow,
He shall have hecatombs.’—‘Ah, no! ah, no!’
Replied the saint; ‘but slay before the Father
Your vices and your evil passions rather!’
“So knelt, and prayed: ‘Lord, thou dost not desire
Odour of slaying, sacrificial fire,
Or stately temples! Dearer far to thee
Is the bread given to those who fainting be;
Or sweet girl’s timid coming, who doth bring
Her pure heart, like a May-flower, to her king.’
“As o’er the Apostle’s lips, like sacred oil,
The word of God was flowing, ’gan recoil
The idols everywhere, and plunged at last
Adown the temple stairs; while tears dropped fast,
And rich and poor and working-men all ran
To kiss the garment of the holy man.
“Then bare Sidonius witness. In his night—
He was born blind—he led to the true light
The men of Arles. And Maximin, beside,
The resurrection of the Crucified
Set forth, and bade them turn from sin away.
Arles was baptized upon that very day.
“Then the Lord’s breath did speed us in our going,
Like wind upon a fire of shavings blowing;
For, as we turned of these to take farewell,
Came messengers, before our feet who fell,
And passionately cried, ‘O god-sent strangers!
Hear yet the story of our cruel dangers.
“ ‘To our unhappy city came the sound
Of marvels wrought and oracles new found.
She sends us hither. We are dead who stand
Before you! Such a monster wastes our land!
A scourge of God, greedy of human gore,
It haunts our woods and gorges. We implore
“ ‘Your help. The monster hath a dragon’s tail,
Bristles its back with many a horrid scale.
It hath six human feet, and fleet they are;
A lion’s jaw; eyes red like cinnabar.
Its prey it hideth in a cavern lone,
Under a rock that beetles o’er the Rhône.
“ ‘Now day by day our fishermen grow few
And fewer.’ Saying this, they wept anew
And bitterly—the men of Tarascon.
Then maiden Martha said, serene and strong,
‘Ready am I, and my heart yearns with pity.
Marcellus, haste: we two will save the city!’
“For the last time on earth we did embrace,
With hope of meeting in a happy place,
And parted. Martial to Limoges him hied,
While fair Toulouse became Saturnius’ bride:
And our Eutropius the new cause did plead,
And sow, in brave Orange, the blessèd seed.
“And thou, sweet virgin, whither goest thou?
With step unfaltering and untroubled brow,
Martha her cross and holy-water carried
Against the dragon dire, and never tarried.
The wild men clomb the pine-trees round about,
The fray to witness and the maiden’s rout.
“Startled from slumber in his darksome cave,
Thou shouldst have seen the leap the monster gave
Yet vainly writhed he ’neath the holy dew,
And growled and hissed as Martha near him drew,
Bound with a frail moss-halter, and forth led
Snorting. Then all the people worshippèd.
“ ‘Huntress Diana art thou?’ prostrate falling
Before the Christian maid, began they calling;
‘Or yet Minerva, the all-wise and chaste?’
‘Nay, nay!’ the damsel answered in all haste:
‘I am God’s handmaid only.’ And the crowd
She taught until with her to Him they bowed.
“Then by the power of her young voice alone,
She smote Avignon’s rock; and from the stone
Welled faith in so pellucid stream, that, later,
Clements and Gregories in that fair water
Dipped holy chalices their thirst to slake,
And Rome long years did for her glory quake.
“And all Provence, regenerate, sang so clear
A hymn of praise, that God was glad to hear.
Hast thou not marked, when rain begins to fall,
How spring the drooping trees and grasses all,
How soon the foliage with joy will quiver?
So fevered souls drank of this cooling river!
“Thou fair Marseilles, who openest on the sea
Thy haughty eyes and gazest languidly,
As though naught else were worthy to behold,
And, though the winds rage, dreamest but of gold,
When Lazarus preached to thee, thou didst begin
Those eyes to close, and see the night within,
“And to the sources of that river95 speeding,
That aye the tears of Magdalene were feeding,
Didst wash thy sins away: and in this hour
Art proud once more; but other storms may lower.
Forget not, then, amid thy revelries,
Whose tears they are that bathe thine olive-trees!
“Dark cedars that on Mount Sambuco96 grew,
Sheer ledges of the hills of Aix, and you,
Tall pines, clothing the flanks of Esterel,97
And junipers of Trevaresso,98 tell
How thrilled your vales with joy, when, his cross bearing,
The bishop Maximin was through them faring.
“Seest thou one with white arms on her breast,
Who kneels and prays in yonder grotto, dressed
In the bright garment of her floating hair?
Poor sufferer! Her tender knees are bare,
And cruelly by the sharp flints are torn.
The moon, with pale torch, watches the forlorn
“And sad recluse. The woods in silence
