Why are they in ruins? Is it that human structures are not to be endured
amid the awful temples of nature and revelation; and that the column and
the cupola crumble into nothingness in sight of the hallowed Horeb and
on the soil of the eternal Sinai?
Ascending the mountain, about half way between the convent and the
utmost height of the towering peak, is a small plain surrounded by
rocks. In its centre are a cypress tree and a fountain. This is the
traditional scene of the greatest event of time.
Tis night; a solitary pilgrim, long kneeling on the sacred soil, slowly
raises his agitated glance to the starry vault of Araby, and, clasping
his hands in the anguish of devotion, thus prays:--
'O Lord God of Israel, Creator of the Universe, ineffable Jehovah! a
child of Christendom, I come to thine ancient Arabian altars to pour
forth the heart of tortured Europe. Why art thou silent? Why no longer
do the messages of thy renovating will descend on earth? Faith fades and
duty dies. A profound melancholy has fallen on the spirit of man. The
priest doubts, the monarch cannot rule, the multitude moans and toils,
and calls in its frenzy upon unknown gods. If this transfigured mount
may not again behold Thee; if not again, upon thy sacred Syrian plains,
Divinity may teach and solace men; if prophets may not rise again to
herald hope; at least, of all the starry messengers that guard thy
throne, let one appear, to save thy creatures from a terrible despair!'
[Illustration: page2-157]
A dimness suffused the stars of Arabia; the surrounding heights, that
had risen sharp and black in the clear purple air, blended in shadowy
and fleeting masses, the huge branches of the cypress tree seemed to
stir, and the kneeling pilgrim sank upon the earth senseless and in a
trance.
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