Sárospataki Füzetek 17. (2013)
2013 / 1-2. szám - TANULMÁNYOK - Sawyer, Frank: Krisztus, egyház és világ T. S. Eliot Kórusok "A sziklá"-ból, 1934 c. versében
[31] A further thought in the chorus echoes Psalm 127: “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labour in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain” (NIV). III. 4. Fourth chorus — Nehemiah rebuilds Jerusalem afier the return from Exile in Babylon Since this section is historically focused we shall leave it aside here. Ill 5. Fifth chorus — Deliver us from excellent intentions. O Lord, deliver me from the man of excellent intention and impure heart... Preserve me from the enemy who has something to gain: and from the friend who has something to lose. If humility and purity be not in the heart, they are not in the home: and if they are not in the home, they are not in the City. [39] III. 6. Sixth chorus — Betrayal of faith in God turns modern complacency into violence. It is hard for those who have never known persecution, And who have never known a Christian, To believe these tales of Christian persecution. It is hard for those who live near a Bank To doubt the security of their money. It is hard for those who live near a Police Station, To believe in the triumph of violence. Do you think that the Faith has conquered the World And that lions no longer need keepers? Why should men love the Church? Why should they love her laws? She tells them of Life and Death, and of all that they would forget. She is tender where they would be hard, and hard where they like to be soft. She tells them of Evil and Sin, and other unpleasant facts. They constantly try to escape From the darkness outside and within By dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good. [42] The scene shows Redshirts and Blackshirts in military formation. They represent an alternative system of values compared to the ‘system’ of grace. Alternative systems create their own values, laws, and ethics and one can see that this is a historical reference to Fascism and Communism. Also: workers in the new industrial capitalist C WORLD r.S ELIOT'S 1934 CHORUSES FROM THE P 2013/1-2 Sárospataki Füzetek 73
