Now it is very quiet. Sometimes a peasant girl comes riding by between
her panniers, and you hear the mule’s feet beat upon the bricks of the
pavement; sometimes an old woman goes past with a bundle of weeds upon
her head, or a brigand-looking man hurries by with a bundle of sticks
in his hand; but for the rest the Chapel lies here alone upon the
promontory, between the two bays and hears the sea break at its feet.
I came here one winter’s day when the midday sun shone hot on the bricks
of the Roman road. I was weary, and the way seemed steep. I walked into
the chapel to the broken window, and looked out across the bay. Far off,
across the blue, blue water, were towns and villages, hanging white and
red dots, upon the mountain-sides, and the blue mountains rose up into
the sky, and now stood out from it and now melted back again.
The mountains seemed calling to me, but I knew there would never be a
bridge built from them to me; never, never, never! I shaded my eyes with
my hand and turned away. I could not bear to look at them.
I walked through the ruined Chapel, and looked at the Christ in red
carrying his cross, and the Blessed rubbed-out Bambino, and the Roman
soldiers, and the folded hands, and the reed; and I went and sat down
in the open porch upon a stone. At my feet was the small bay, with its
white row of houses buried among the olive trees; the water broke in a
long, thin, white line of foam along the shore; and I leaned my elbows
on my knees. I was tired, very tired; tired with a tiredness that seemed
older than the heat of the day and the shining of the sun on the bricks
of the Roman road; and I lay my head upon my knees; I heard the breaking
of the water on the rocks three hundred feet below, and the rustling of
the wind among the olive trees and the ruined arches, and then I fell
asleep there. I had a dream.
A man cried up to God, and God sent down an angel to help him; and the
angel came back and said, “I cannot help that man.”
God said, “How is it with him?”
And the angel said, “He cries out continually that one has injured him;
and he would forgive him and he cannot.”
God said, “What have you done for him?”
The angel said, “All--. I took him by the hand, and I said, ‘See, when
other men speak ill of that man do you speak well of him; secretly, in
ways he shall not know, serve him; if you have anything you value share
it with him, so, serving him, you will at last come to feel possession
in him, and you will forgive.’ And he said, ‘I will do it.’ Afterwards,
as I passed by in the dark of night, I heard one crying out, ‘I have
done all. It helps nothing! My speaking well of him helps me nothing!
If I share my heart’s blood with him, is the burning within me less? I
cannot forgive; I cannot forgive! Oh, God, I cannot forgive!’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account