There are joys as well as sorrows into which the stranger cannot enter, and which baffle the attempt of the pen to describe; such was that of Lycidas and Zarah when they first met after the battle of Bethsura. The maiden1 had her happiness tempered indeed with something of anxiety and even alarm, for she beheld2 the young Greek pale with loss of blood, exhausted3 by excessive fatigue4, and with his left arm in a sling5, but her mind was soon relieved, for Lycidas had sustained no serious or permanent injury. The young proselyte was rather glad than otherwise to carry on his person some token of his having fought under Judas Maccabeus, and been one of the foremost of those who had stormed Bethsura.
With Zarah and her attendant for his deeply interested listeners, Lycidas gave a graphic6 and vivid description of the fight. Zarah held her breath and trembled when the narrator came to that thrilling part of his account which described his own position of imminent7 peril8, when he would have been precipitated9 from the top of the wall, had not Judas Maccabeus come to his rescue.
"I deemed that all was over with me," said Lycidas, "when the prince suddenly flashed on my sight! Had I not long since given to the winds the idle fables10 that I heard in my childhood, I should have deemed that Mars himself, radiant in his celestial11 panoply12, had burst from the cloud of war. But the hero of Israel needs no borrowed lustre13 to be thrown around him by the imagination of a poet, he realizes the noblest conception of Homer."
"And Maccabeus was the one to save and defend you! generous, noble!" murmured Zarah.
"Ay, it seems destined14 that I should be overwhelmed with an ever-growing debt of obligation," cried Lycidas, playfully throwing a veil of discontent over the gratitude15 and admiration16 which he felt towards his preserver. "I would that it had been my part to play the rescuer; that it had been my sword that had shielded his head; and that Maccabeus were not fated to eclipse me in everything, even in the power of showing generosity17 to a rival But I must not grudge18 him the harvest of laurels19," added the young Athenian, with a joyous20 glance at Zarah, "since the garland of happiness has been awarded to me."
On the morning after the battle of Bethsura, Simon and Eleazar, the Asmoneans, both visited their youthful kinswoman in the goat-herd's hut, where she and Anna had remained during the night. They regarded her still as their future sister, and offered her their escort to the house of Rachel, which was at no great distance from the fortress21 of Bethsura. As Zarah desired as soon as possible to place herself under the protection of a female relative, she gladly accepted the offer. The horse-litter was brought to the door of the lowly hut; and with the curtains closely drawn22, the maiden and her attendant proceeded to the dwelling23 of old Rachel, who joyfully25 welcomed the child of Hadassah. Zarah, on that morning, saw nothing of Lycidas, and Judas Maccabeus avoided approaching her presence. The chief could not trust himself to look on that sweet face again.
Through the Hebrew camp all was bustle26 and preparation. Tents were struck--all was made ready for the coming march to Jerusalem; the tired warriors27 forgot their weariness, and the wounded their pain, so eager were all to gather the rich fruits of their victory within the walls of Zion.
But amidst all the excitement and confusion, with so many cares pressing upon him from every side, the mind of the prince dwelt much upon Zarah. He felt that she was lost to him--he would have scorned to have claimed her hand when he knew that her heart was another's; but he resolved at least to act the part of a brother towards the orphan28 maiden. Painful to Maccabeus as was the sight of his successful rival, the chief determined29 to have an interview with Lycidas, that he might judge for himself whether the stranger were indeed worthy30 to win a Hebrew bride. Lycidas had proved himself to be a brave warrior--he had won the admiration even of the fanatic31 Jasher; but would the Greek stand firm in his newly-adopted faith when fresh laurels were no longer to be won, or fair prize gained by adhesion to it?
"The most remote hope of winning Zarah," mused32 Maccabeus, "were enough to make a man espouse33 the cause of her people, and renounce34 all idolatry--save idolatry of herself. I must question this Athenian myself. I must examine whether he have embraced the truth independently of earthly motives35, and, as a true believer, can indeed be trusted with the most priceless of gems36. If it be so, let him be happy, since her happiness is linked with his. Never will I darken the sunshine of her path with the shadow which will now rest for ever upon mine."
It was with no small anxiety that Lycidas obeyed the summons of the prince, and entered his presence alone, in one of the apartments of the fortress which he had aided to capture. The Greek could not but conjecture37 that his fate, as regarded his union with Zarah, might hang on the result of this interview with his formidable rival.
The interview was not a long one: what occurred in it never transpired38. Not even to Zarah did Lycidas ever repeat the conversation between himself and the man whose earthly happiness he had wrecked39. As the Greek passed forth40 from the presence of Maccabeus, he met Simon and Eleazar, who had just returned from escorting their young kinswoman to the dwelling of Rachel.
The Asmonean brothers frankly41 and cordially greeted the stranger whom they had seen for the first time in the thick of the conflict of the preceding day. The bandage round his temples, the sling which supported his left arm, were as credentials42 which the Athenian carried with him--a passport to the favour and confidence of his new associates in the field.
"You have leaped into fame with one bound, fair Greek!" cried Eleazar. "You had reached the highest round of the ladder ere I could plant my foot on the lowest. I could fain envy you the honour you have won."
Eleazar, accompanied by Simon, then passed on into the presence of Maccabeus, while Lycidas pursued his way. The smile with which the young Hebrew had spoken was still on his lips when he entered the apartment in which the prince sat alone, but the first glance of Eleazar at Judas banished44 every trace of that smile.
"You are ill!" he exclaimed anxiously, as he looked on the almost ghastly countenance45 of his brother; "you have received some deadly hurt!"
The chief replied in the negative by a slight movement of the head.
"The weight of responsibility, the lack of sleep, the exhaustion46 of yesterday's conflict, are sapping your strength," observed Simon gravely. "Judas, you are unfit to encounter the toils47 of the long march now before us."
"I was never more ready--never more impatient for a march," said Maccabeus, rising abruptly48, for it seemed to him as if violent physical exertions49 alone could render life endurable.
"I marvel," said Eleazar, "if our graceful50 young proselyte will bear hardships as bravely as he has proved that he can encounter danger. Methinks he shows amongst our grim warriors as a marble column from Solomon's palace amongst the rough oaks that clothe the hill-side. If Lycidas is to be--"
"He is to be--the husband of Zarah," interrupted Maccabeus. His voice sounded strange and harsh, and he turned away his face as he spoke43.
"The husband of Zarah!" re-echoed Eleazar in amazement51; "why"--Simon's warning pressure on the young man's arm prevented his uttering more. The brothers exchanged significant glances. That was the last time that the name of Zarah was ever breathed by either of them in the hearing of Maccabeus.
Zarah found that her residence in her new home would be but a brief one, and that she was likely to return to Jerusalem far sooner than she could have anticipated when she had set out on her night journey so short a time before. Rachel--a woman who, though well stricken in years, had lost none of the energy and enthusiasm of youth--was filled with triumphant52 joy at the victory of Bethsura, and declared to Zarah her intention of starting for the city in advance of the army.
"I have a vow53 upon me--a solemn vow," said the old Jewess to the maiden. "Long have I mourned over the desolation of Zion; and I have promised to the Lord that if ever holy sacrifices should again be offered up in the Temple at Jerusalem, my heifer, my fair white heifer, should be the first peace-offering. I have vowed54 also to go up myself to the holy city, and make there with my own hands wafers anointed with oil, to eat with the sacrifice of thanksgiving. The time for keeping my vow has arrived. We will go up together, my daughter, and my bondsman shall drive the white heifer before us. My soul cannot depart in peace till I have looked upon the sanctuary55 in which my ancestors worshipped, and with a thankful heart have performed this my vow to the Lord."
Zarah made no opposition56 to the wishes of her relative, which, indeed, coincided with her own. Arrangements for the proposed journey were speedily made. The horse-litter in which Zarah had travelled to Bethsura would avail for the accommodation of both the ladies on her return to the city. The faithful Joab would resume his office of attendant, and Anna join company with the handmaidens of Rachel. It was under joyful24 auspices57 that the travellers would set forth on their way to the city of David.
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maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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sling
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| vt.扔；悬挂；n.挂带；吊索，吊兜；弹弓 | |
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graphic
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| adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的 | |
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imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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precipitated
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| v.（突如其来地）使发生( precipitate的过去式和过去分词 )；促成；猛然摔下；使沉淀 | |
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fables
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| n.寓言( fable的名词复数 )；神话，传说 | |
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celestial
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| adj.天体的；天上的 | |
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panoply
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| n.全副甲胄，礼服 | |
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lustre
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| n.光亮，光泽；荣誉 | |
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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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grudge
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| n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做 | |
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laurels
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| n.桂冠，荣誉 | |
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joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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joyful
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| adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的 | |
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joyfully
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| adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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bustle
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| v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹 | |
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warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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orphan
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| n.孤儿；adj.无父母的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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fanatic
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| n.狂热者，入迷者；adj.狂热入迷的 | |
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mused
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| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
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espouse
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| v.支持，赞成，嫁娶 | |
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renounce
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| v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系 | |
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motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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gems
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| growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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transpired
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| （事实，秘密等）被人知道( transpire的过去式和过去分词 )； 泄露； 显露； 发生 | |
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wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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42
credentials
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| n.证明，资格，证明书，证件 | |
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43
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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46
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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47
toils
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| 网 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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50
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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51
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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52
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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53
vow
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| n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓 | |
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54
vowed
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| 起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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sanctuary
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| n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区 | |
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opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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auspices
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| n.资助，赞助 | |
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