Page:The collected works of Henrik Ibsen (Heinemann Volume 3).djvu/91

 Another law is burnt and bit,— And that I execute. Thou blind! Learn to have sight! Thou hast debased The dwelling-place of God on earth, The spirit He lent thee hast laid waste, The image that thou bor'st at birth With mould and filthiness defaced; Thy Soul, that once had flight and song, Thrust, clipp'd, among the common throng. That is your debt. What will you do When God demands His own of you?

[Confused.]

What will I do? Do?

Never fear; I take your debt upon me whole. God's image, blotted in your soul, In mine, Will-cleansed, shall stand clear. Go with good courage to your rest. By debt you shall not sleep oppress'd.

My debt and sin you'll wipe away?

Your debt. Observe. The debt: no more. Your debt alone I can repay; Your sin yourself must answer for. The sum of native human worth Crush'd in the brutish toil of earth Can verily by human aid To the last atom be repaid; But in the losing of it lies The sin, which who repents not—dies!