Chapter II

Towards evening, like a shining star,
Sweet Mary wandered from the grove,
All wreathed in flowers, There Mount Thabor
Just as if wrapped in gold and silver
Shone far away so dazzling bright.
It blinded all.
Then to that Thabor
Sweet Mary lifted up her eyes,
So mild and holy as they were,
And smiled. And then she caught the goat
With its gay kid within the grove
And ’gan to sing:
“Heaven, heaven,
O dense forest!
I am young and,
Gracious God,
In Thy heaven
Can I rest me,
Play with pleasure?”
Thus she spoke;
Around her once she glanced so sadly
And then into her arms she took
The kid. She held him firmly
And felt so happy as she went
Unto the carpenter’s poor hut.
She walked along and cuddled kindly
And sang and played with the young kid
And pressed it to her bosom softly
And kissed it.
For its part, the kid,
As if it were a little kitten,
Did not object and did not struggle;
It nestled in her bosom, played.
For two long miles she danced along
With that sweet kid still in her arms
And was not wearied.
The old man
Sat sadly ’neath the hedge and sought
Her as if she were his own child;
He came to meet her, welcomed her,
And softly said: “Where have you been?
My poor, dear child, please let me know!
Let us go in the house and rest
And have our supper there together
With a delightful visitor.
Let us go, daughter.”
“Who is he,
This new-come guest?”
“From Nazareth
He has come down to spend the night,
And says, ‘The grace of God is come
Upon the old Elizabeth.
’Twas yester morn it has occurred
For yesterday,’ he says, ‘she bore
A son and aged Zachariah
Has called him by the name of John.’
That’s what he says....”
The guest, relaxing,
Well washed, now came out of the house,
Dressed only in a tunic white.
He shone like any flaming star.
He paused majestic on the threshold,
Made a low bow, and then he greeted
Sweet Mary calmly.
It seemed strange
And wondrous too. The guest stood there
And gleamed with more than human gleam.
On him one glance did Mary cast
And trembled and she turned away.
She seemed just like a frightened child
And to her aged Joseph turned.
Her eyes then asked the youthful guest
To enter in (or yet, ’tis better,
They led him in.)
At once she brought
Cool water from the nearby spring
And milk and goat’s cheese which she gave
To them to have their evening meal.
Herself she did not eat or drink,
But silently knelt in the hut
And looked and looked upon the guest
And listened till the stranger spoke
And turned his words to her directly.
His holy words fell bright and clear
Upon the heart of Mary dear,
Until they chilled and burned it too.
“In all Judea there never was--”
So spoke the guest--“in ancient times
What now is seen, for a new rabbi,
A rabbi with a flaming word,
Is coming now upon the meadow.
His words grow swiftly and will bear
A rich and overflowing crop,
A holy seed. I go to preach
A new Messiah to the people!”
Then Mary prayed a silent prayer
To the apostle.
On the hearth
The fire blazes soft and low
And righteous Joseph sits alone
And thinks ...
By now the evening star
Has risen brightly in the heavens.
Then Mary rose and took the pitcher
To fetch fresh water from the spring.
The stranger followed and caught up
With Mary in the deep ravine.

At dawn, while it was cool, they led
Th’ evangelist to that same sea
And joyful were they in their hearts
And joyously they made their way
Unto their home.