Final stanzas of Disputation, from Jewish Stories and Hebrew Melodies, p. 143-145

 …

 

“Smite the Capuchins, O Lord God,

Show these scoundrels living proof

That the lightnings of thine anger

Haven’t fizzled to a poof.

 

“Then I’ll sing the praise and glory

Of thy might, thy worshiper;

And I’ll dance, as Miriam did once,

And I’ll beat the drum, like her.”

 

Here the monk broke in with anger

As his fury sizzled through:

“May the Lord destroy you damn you,

May He heap His curse on you!

 

“I defy your insect devils,

All your dirty gods of death,

Lucifer, Beelzebub,

Belial, and Ashtoreth.

 

“I defy your hellish spirits,

All their tricks are cheap and shoddy,

For within me is Christ Jesus,

I’ve partaken of His body.

 

“Christ’s my favorite dish, much better

Than Leviathan-in-a-pot,

Even with white garlic gravy

Made by Satan, like as not.

 

“Oh! Instead of wrangling, I would

Rather roast you on a fire,

Stew you and your comrades with you

On the hottest funeral pyre.”

 

Thus with insults and grave charges

Raged the joust for Faith and God,

But in vain the champions scolded,

Screamed and raged and oh’d and ah’d.

 

Now the fight’s gone on twelve hours

With no end in sight, not yet;

And the audience grows weary,

And the women swim in sweat.

 

And the court, too, grows impatient,

Servants yawning hollow-eyed;

Then the king turns with a question

To the fair queen at his side:

 

“Tell me, what is your opinion?

Which of them is in the right?

Do you think it is the rabbi

Or the monk that’s won the fight?”

 

Donna Blanca gazes at him,

Fingers twined and hands pressed fast

To her forehead, as if musing,

And then this she says at last:

 

“I don’t know which one is right–

But I’ll tell you what I think

Of the rabbi and the friar:

Both of them alike, they stink.”