{"id":190,"date":"2021-04-01T11:51:23","date_gmt":"2021-04-01T15:51:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca\/flintandfeather\/?post_type=chapter&p=190"},"modified":"2022-02-04T09:45:48","modified_gmt":"2022-02-04T14:45:48","slug":"give-us-barabbas","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/chapter\/give-us-barabbas\/","title":{"raw":"\"Give Us Barabbas\"","rendered":"“Give Us Barabbas”"},"content":{"raw":"[footnote]Written after Dreyfus was exiled.[\/footnote]\r\n\r\nThere was a man\u2014a Jew of kingly blood,\r\nBut of the people\u2014poor and lowly born,\r\nAccused of blasphemy of God, He stood\r\nBefore the Roman Pilate, while in scorn\r\nThe multitude demanded it was fit\r\nThat one should suffer for the people, while\r\nAnother be released, absolved, acquit,\r\nTo live his life out virtuous or vile.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhom will ye have\u2014Barabbas or this Jew?\u201d\r\nPilate made answer to the mob, \u201cThe choice\r\nIs yours; I wash my hands of this, and you,\r\nDo as you will.\u201d With one vast ribald voice\r\nThe populace arose and, shrieking, cried,\r\n\u201cGive us Barabbas, we condone his deeds!\u201d\r\nAnd He of Nazareth was crucified\u2014\r\nMisjudged, condemned, dishonoured for their needs.\r\n\r\nAnd down these nineteen centuries anew\r\nComes the hoarse-throated, brutalized refrain,\r\n\u201cGive us Barabbas, crucify the Jew!\u201d\r\nOnce more a man must bear a nation\u2019s stain,\u2014\r\nAnd that in France, the chivalrous, whose lore\r\nMade her the flower of knightly age gone by.\r\nNow she lies hideous with a leprous sore\r\nNo skill can cure\u2014no pardon purify.\r\n\r\nAnd an indignant world, transfixed with hate\r\nOf such disease, cries, as in Herod\u2019s time,\r\nPointing its finger at her festering state,\r\n\u201cRoom for the leper, and her leprous crime!\u201d\r\nAnd France, writhing from years of torment, cries\r\nOut in her anguish, \u201cLet this Jew endure,\r\nDamned and disgraced, vicarious sacrifice.\r\nThe honour of my army is secure.\u201d\r\n\r\nAnd, vampire-like, that army sucks the blood\r\nFrom out a martyr\u2019s veins, and strips his crown\r\nOf honour from him, and his herohood\r\nFlings in the dust, and cuts his manhood down.\r\nHide from your God, O! ye that did this act!\r\nWith lesser crimes the halls of Hell are paved.\r\nYour army\u2019s honour may be still intact,\r\nUnstained, unsoiled, unspotted,\u2014but unsaved.","rendered":"

[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

There was a man\u2014a Jew of kingly blood,
\nBut of the people\u2014poor and lowly born,
\nAccused of blasphemy of God, He stood
\nBefore the Roman Pilate, while in scorn
\nThe multitude demanded it was fit
\nThat one should suffer for the people, while
\nAnother be released, absolved, acquit,
\nTo live his life out virtuous or vile.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhom will ye have\u2014Barabbas or this Jew?\u201d
\nPilate made answer to the mob, \u201cThe choice
\nIs yours; I wash my hands of this, and you,
\nDo as you will.\u201d With one vast ribald voice
\nThe populace arose and, shrieking, cried,
\n\u201cGive us Barabbas, we condone his deeds!\u201d
\nAnd He of Nazareth was crucified\u2014
\nMisjudged, condemned, dishonoured for their needs.<\/p>\n

And down these nineteen centuries anew
\nComes the hoarse-throated, brutalized refrain,
\n\u201cGive us Barabbas, crucify the Jew!\u201d
\nOnce more a man must bear a nation\u2019s stain,\u2014
\nAnd that in France, the chivalrous, whose lore
\nMade her the flower of knightly age gone by.
\nNow she lies hideous with a leprous sore
\nNo skill can cure\u2014no pardon purify.<\/p>\n

And an indignant world, transfixed with hate
\nOf such disease, cries, as in Herod\u2019s time,
\nPointing its finger at her festering state,
\n\u201cRoom for the leper, and her leprous crime!\u201d
\nAnd France, writhing from years of torment, cries
\nOut in her anguish, \u201cLet this Jew endure,
\nDamned and disgraced, vicarious sacrifice.
\nThe honour of my army is secure.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, vampire-like, that army sucks the blood
\nFrom out a martyr\u2019s veins, and strips his crown
\nOf honour from him, and his herohood
\nFlings in the dust, and cuts his manhood down.
\nHide from your God, O! ye that did this act!
\nWith lesser crimes the halls of Hell are paved.
\nYour army\u2019s honour may be still intact,
\nUnstained, unsoiled, unspotted,\u2014but unsaved.<\/p>\n

  1. Written after Dreyfus was exiled. ↵<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"author":251,"menu_order":23,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[48],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-190","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","chapter-type-numberless"],"part":136,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/251"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/190\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":191,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/190\/revisions\/191"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/136"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/190\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=190"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=190"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}