For months and years, in grief and tears, He walked the silent night; Then the soul of Judas Iscariot Perceived a far-off light. A far-off light across the waste, As dim as dim might be, That came and went like a lighthouse gleam On a black night at sea. 'Twas the soul of Judas Iscariot Crawled to the distant gleam; And the rain came down, and the rain was blown Against him with a scream. . . . . . . . . . 'Twas the soul of Judas Iscariot, Strange, and sad, and tall, Stood all alone at dead of night Before a lighted hall. And the wold was white with snow, And his foot-marks black and damp, And the ghost of the silver Moon arose, Holding her yellow lamp. And the icicles were on the eaves. And the walls were deep with white, And the shadows of the guests within Passed on the window light. The shadows of the wedding guests Did strangely come and go, And the body of Judas Iscariot Lay stretch'd along the snow. But only the body. The soul which has carried it does not lie down, but runs round and round the lighted hall, where the wedding guests are assembled. What wedding? What guests? This is the mystical banquet told of in the parable of the New Testament; the bridegroom is Christ himself; the guests are the twelve disciples, or rather, the eleven, Judas himself having been once the twelfth. And the guests see the soul of Judas looking in at the window. 'Twas the Bridegroom sat at the table-head, And the lights burned bright and clear-- "Oh, who is that," the Bridegroom said, "Whose weary feet I hear?" 'Twas one look'd from the lighted hall, And answered soft and slow, "It is a wolf runs up and down With a black track in the snow." The Bridegroom in his robe of white Sat at the table-head-- "Oh, who is that who moans without?" The blessed Bridegroom said. 'Twas one looked from the lighted hall, And answered fierce and low, "'Tis the soul of Judas Iscariot Gliding to and fro." 'Twas the soul of Judas Iscariot Did hush itself and stand, And saw the Bridegroom at the door With a light in his hand. The Bridegroom stood in the open door, And he was clad in white, And far within the Lord's Supper Was spread so long and bright. The Bridegroom shaded his eyes and looked, And his face was bright to see-- "What dost thou here at the Lord's Supper With thy body's sins?" said he. 'Twas the soul of Judas Iscariot, Stood black, and sad, and bare-- "I have wandered many nights and days; There is no light elsewhere." 'Twas the wedding guests cried out within, And their eyes were fierce and bright-- "Scourge the soul of Judas Iscariot Away into the night!"