[Whispers to Makrina.] His wound bleeds inwardly.
Do not weep. Let no Greek weep for me; I am ascending to the stars——
Beautiful temples—— Pictures—— But so far away.
Of what is he talking?
I know not; I think his mind is wandering.
[With closed eyes.] ’Twas given to Alexander to enter in triumph—into Babylon.—I too will—— Beautiful wreath—crown’d youths—dancing maidens,—but so far away.
Beautiful earth,—beautiful life——
Oh, Helios, Helios—why didst thou betray me?
[After a pause.] That was death.
Dead—dead!
Yes, now he is dead.
[Basil and Makrina kneel in prayer. Eutherius veils his head. A sound of drums and trumpets is heard in the distance.
Long live the Emperor Jovian!
Oh, heard you that shout?
Jovian is proclaimed Emperor.
[Laughing.] The Galilean Jovian! Yes—yes—yes!
Shameful haste! Before they knew that——
Jovian,—the victorious hero who has saved us all! The Emperor Jovian assuredly deserves a panegyric. I trust that crafty Kytron has not already——
Forgotten, ere your hand is cold. And for this pitiful splendour you sold your immortal soul!
[Rising.] The world-will shall answer for Julian’s soul!
Blaspheme not; though surely you have loved this dead man——
[Approaching the body.] Loved, and led him astray—Nay, not I!
Led astray like Cain. Led astray like Judas.—Your God is a spendthrift God, Galileans! He wears out many souls.
Wast thou not then, this time either, the chosen one—thou victim on the altar of necessity?
What is it worth to live? All is sport and mockery.—To will is to have to will.
Oh my beloved—all signs deceived me, all auguries spoke with a double tongue, so that I saw in thee the mediator between the two empires.
The third empire shall come! The spirit of man shall re-enter on its heritage—and then shall offerings of atonement[13] be made to thee, and to thy two guests in the symposium.
[Rising, pale.] Basil—did you understand the heathen’s speech?
No,—but it dawns on me like a great and radiant light, that here lies a noble, shattered instrument of God.
Ay, truly, a dear and dear-bought instrument.
Christ, Christ—how came it that thy people saw not thy manifest design? The Emperor Julian was a rod of chastisement,—not unto death, but unto resurrection.
Terrible is the mystery of election. How know we——?
Is it not written: “Some vessels are fashioned to honour, and some to dishonour”?
Oh brother, let us not seek to fathom that abyss.
Erring soul of man—if thou wast indeed forced to err, it shall surely be accounted to thee for good on that great day when the Mighty One shall descend in the clouds to judge the living dead and the dead who are yet alive!—— ——
11. The original edition here reads “benådet,” and this reading is followed in the translation. In the collected edition of Ibsen’s works (Copenhagen 1899) the word becomes “beåndet,” which is probably a misprint, but may, on the other hand, be a correction. In that case, for “highly-favoured” we should have to read “specially inspired.” Ibsen uses the word “beåndet” several times in “Hedda Gabler.”
12. In the collected edition (1899) the word “sejre” (to conquer) of earlier editions is replaced by “rejse” (journey). This is almost certainly a misprint.
13. Here occurs the one clear case I have observed of a revision of the text. In earlier editions the phrase ran “da skal der tændes rögoffer,” meaning literally “then shall burnt-offerings (smoke-offerings) be lighted.” In the collected edition (1899) “sonoffer” (offerings of atonement) is substituted for “rögoffer.” This can scarcely be a printer’s error; and as one deliberate alteration has been made, it would seem that the alterations noted on pp. 382 and 417 (especially the former) may also be due, not to the printer, but to the poet.
There are quite a few instances of missing punctuation. The conventional period following the character’s name is sometimes missing and has been added for consistency’s sake without further comment. Those missing from setting and stage direction are also added without comment, since there is no obvious purpose to be served by the omission. However, the restoration of punctuation missing from dialogue is noted below, since the punctuation is frequently expressive.
Volume I of this series included errata for each succeeding volume, but noted none in this Volume V.
Errors deemed most likely to be the printer’s have been corrected, and are noted here. The references are to the page and line in the original.
| xiii.14 | not the actual composition[:] | Restored. |
| 4.11 | I had it from Memnon himself[.] | Added. |
| 7.2 | give it him, dear brother[.] | Added. |
| 7.22 | Oh, you abandoned hound[!] | Added. |
| 14.19 | Stand, stand;—I am armed[.] | Added. |
| 17.13 | [I ]am sure my old Mardonius | Restored. |
| 23.19 | fire rained from heaven night by night[.] | Added. |
| 31.15 | along with the[ the] stranger. | Removed. |
| 48.27 | I know it[,] my Hekebolius! | Added. |
| 66.34 | once more arisen in our midst[.] | Added. |
| 70.28 | calling him my great brother[.] | Added. |
| 75.20 | in the midst of a great city[!] | Added. |
| 79.2 | To the bacchanal, friends[!] | Added. |
| 82.19 | and living in the wilderness[?] | Added. |
| 86.31 | dizzy with its sweetness[;] | Added. |
| 147.2 | By-and-by[,/.] | Replaced. |
| 158.26 | has done too much, good Decentius[!] | Added. |
| 171.23 | what have you given the Princess[?] | Added. |
| 179.2 | noble Caesar[,/.] But my | Replaced. |
| 182.7 | auxiliaries, and other allies[,] climb | Removed. |
| 182.14 | Caesar, Caesar[!] | Added. |
| 182.18 | Down with the faithless [Cæsar. Caesar!] | Inconsistent. |
| 188.19 | Caesar, do you take[ take] the helm! | Removed. |
| 209.19 | Think[?/.] | Replaced. |
| 210.32 | [“]Either with us or against us”? | Added. |
| 243.28 | to sp[r]ead terror to the ends of the earth. | Inserted. |
| 300.7 | cry their wares[.] | Added. |
| 300.9 | talking eagerly[.] | Added. |
| 308.1 | sanctuary, the very house of Apollo[,] which | Added. |
| 322.17 | [t/T]here you are not far wrong. | Replaced. |
| 326.29 | No, no, it needs more than that[.] | Added. |
| 408.29 | Ah, sire, you may well marvel[?/!] | Replaced. |
| 428.21 | Woe, woe, woe[!] | Added. |
| 352.24 | Arise, friend[?/!] | Replaced. |
| 461.4 | To Fromenti[n]us | Inserted. |