Part 17

“Oh, fill our jars with wine, dear Lord.”

“Our jars with wine.”

“Give peace and plenty in our time, dear Lord.”

“Peace and plenty in our time”--I said to God, “Whom is it they are talking to?” God said, “Do I know whom they speak of?” And I saw they were looking up at the roof; but out in the sunshine, God lay.

“--dear Lord!”

“Dear Lord.”

“Our children’s children, Lord, shall rise and call thee blessed.”

“Our children’s children, Lord.”--I said to God, “The grapes are crying!” God said, “Still! I hear them”--“shall call thee blessed.”

“Shall call thee blessed.”

“Pour forth more wine upon us, Lord.”

“More wine.”

“More wine.”

“More wine!”

“Wine!!”

“Wine!!”

“Wine!!!”

“Dear Lord!”

Then men and women sat down and the feast went on. And mothers poured out wine and fed their little children with it, and men held up the cup to women’s lips and cried, “Beloved! drink,” and women filled their lovers’ flagons and held them up; and yet the feast went on.

And after a while I looked, and I saw the curtain that hung behind the house moving.

I said to God, “Is it a wind?”

God said, “A wind.”

And it seemed to me, that against the curtain I saw pressed the forms of men and women. And after a while the feasters saw it move, and they whispered, one to another. Then some rose and gathered the most worn-out cups, and into them they put what was left at the bottom of other vessels. Mothers whispered to their children, “Do not drink all, save a little drop when you have drunk.” And when they had collected all the dregs they slipped the cups out under the bottom of the curtain without lifting it. After a while the curtain left off moving.

I said to God, “How is it so quiet?”

He said, “They have gone away to drink it.”

I said, “They drink it--their own!”

God said, “It comes from this side of the curtain, and they are very thirsty.”

Then the feast went on, and after a while I saw a small, white hand slipped in below the curtain’s edge along the floor; and it motioned towards the wine jars.

And I said to God, “Why is that hand so bloodless?”