Chương 40: Chapter 40: The Premiere in Turbulent Times (Part 3)
The choir had been strategically placed in the audience, without any elaborate costumes. So when the song entered its chorus, these individuals suddenly began to sing, leaving the surrounding audience astonished.
In this scene, they had only sung the first part of the song. As the song concluded, the choir members promptly silenced, instantly blending back into the audience.
"Hey, buddy, can you guys sing this song?" A young man with faint freckles on his nose gently tugged on the sleeve of a nearby choir member, whispering.
"Yes, we can sing it," the choir member replied simply.
"This song is amazing!" the young man exclaimed.
"There are several more verses to this song. We only sang one here. I live nearby and have heard them practicing this song for days," another person chimed in.
"Shh, I can't hear the lines!" someone else complained.
Onstage, the drama continued to unfold. Spartacus had become too small to contain the rebel forces. Spartacus and another rebellion leader, Crixus, had different ideas about the future of the rebellion. Spartacus believed the Roman legions were too powerful, and it was no longer sustainable to stay in the region. The rebellion should leave Rome, head north, cross the Alps, establish their own free nation to the north of the Alps, and return to Rome after strengthening their forces to liberate all the slaves. On the other hand, Crixus thought Spartacus was being too cautious and believed that the Roman legions were not as formidable as Spartacus perceived. The rebellion should stay in the area, capture Roman cities, free the slaves, and continuously fight to expand their forces, ultimately eradicating the evil of slavery.
Neither leader could convince the other, so they resorted to a democratic vote. Most of the rebel fighters chose to support Spartacus, leaving Crixus frustrated. In the end, when Spartacus led the army north, Crixus volunteered to be the rear guard. However, once the rebellion began its journey, Crixus and a group of fighters left the main army and launched an attack on a Roman city. Unfortunately, they fell into a Roman ambush, and by the time Spartacus arrived, they had all been killed. The Romans executed all the prisoners in a cruel manner. Witnessing this, the rebel fighters were enraged, and many demanded revenge. Spartacus couldn't convince them and had to hold another vote, where they all decided to stay and fight in Rome.
"Staying in Rome is risky. Why is Spartacus submitting to democracy?" one audience member couldn't help but comment. "What do these slaves know?"
"That's not fair," another person retorted. "If only Crixus could have followed democracy like Spartacus, we wouldn't be in this situation. Besides, you say, 'What do these slaves know?' The priests and nobles would say the same thing about us!"
Spartacus' rebellion remained in Italy, led by Spartacus himself, and they achieved numerous victories. But Spartacus was increasingly worried because he knew that victory was only temporary. The Roman main forces were closing in, and he repeatedly tried to persuade his fighters to head north. Still, his recommendations were consistently rejected.
Crassus led the Roman legions to block Spartacus's path north. As they closed in, Spartacus led the rebellion south and contacted pirates, hoping to escape to Sicily by sea. However, when they arrived at the agreed location, the pirate fleet did not appear. Instead, they found themselves surrounded by Crassus's forces. Crassus sent Spartacus a letter proposing surrender. He promised that if Spartacus surrendered, he would become a Roman citizen and a general. However, when Spartacus inquired about the fate of the other slaves, Crassus replied, "They will return to the estates and gladiator schools as slaves."
Spartacus refused Crassus's offer and led his forces to break through. They managed to escape but were pursued by more Roman armies, forcing Spartacus to confront Crassus in a decisive battle in Apulia.
Before the battle, Spartacus and Crassus met. Crassus once again offered terms to Spartacus, who again declined. They agreed to fight a final battle on the next day.
On the battlefield, the rebel forces, outnumbered, were finally defeated. Spartacus died in battle. His deputy, Enomayi, and over six thousand fighters were captured. Crassus ordered all of them to be crucified.
The final scene of the play featured Enomayi and two other rebel fighters being crucified. They were forced to carry their own crosses and erect them. Then the Romans nailed them to the crosses. The two fighters were crucified on the sides, while Enomayi was in the middle.
"This is a blasphemy against the sacred!" a priest held his cross tightly, muttering with a sinister tone.
Indeed, this scene was an obvious imitation of the crucifixion of Jesus in the Bible. Just as in the Bible, Jesus had carried his own cross and was crucified alongside two criminals, with Jesus in the center.
The two fighters, hanging on the crosses, wept, and even the onlookers were moved. Suddenly, Enomayi looked to his left and right, then shouted, "What's wrong, my brothers? Is death worse than living as slaves? Yes, we may have lost our lives, but we've at least won freedom from this day forward, never to be enslaved again! We may have lost this battle, but in the long run, our cause will never fail. Oppression will be overthrown, and the system of slavery will be dismantled! Spartacus's name and legacy will endure forever! Brothers, let us sing our battle song one last time!"
Enomayi began to sing, "Debout ! les damnés de la terre, Debout ! les forats de la faim..."
In his singing, the two crucified fighters stopped crying, raised their heads, and joined in, singing, "La raison tonne en son cratère : C'est l'éruption de la fin."
Roman soldiers with spears were shocked, looking up at these crucified slaves and shouting in panic, "No singing! Stop singing!" One soldier even jabbed Enomayi in the side with his spear, drawing blood.
"This is... this is a dreadful blasphemy! May the Lord unleash his wrath…" the priest muttered through clenched teeth.
In the Bible, after Jesus was crucified, a Roman soldier named Longinus, to ensure Jesus was dead, thrust his spear into Jesus's side. Later, this spear became a holy relic in Catholicism, known as the Spear of Longinus. Legends surrounding it claimed that whoever possessed it could subdue anyone within a range of 120 feet and control the fate of the world, but if they lost it, they would die instantly. These legends even deceived people in later times, with even Hitler fervently seeking it. It was said he briefly possessed the holy spear, but it didn't secure his victory in World War II.
Yet, Enomayi's singing continued, undeterred. This part of the song had been sung before, with a simple melody and lyrics. Many members of the audience joined in this time, carried away by the song's powerful anti-religious message. As the chorus started, even more people joined the choir, stirred by the song's call to rebellion.
Following that came the more explicit and passionate sixth stanza:
By now, the priest had quietly slipped away, disappearing into the streets.
After the song finished, the entire theater fell into a moment of silence. Then a voice broke the stillness, "That was incredible! Can you sing it again?"
Soon, the whole theater was filled with similar requests:
"Sing it again, please! I haven't memorized all the lyrics yet!"
"Please, sing it again."
"Once more, please!"
The curtains had already descended, and the actors and choir were ready to leave. However, in response to the audience's demands, they were compelled to sing the song again. And again. In the end, they performed the song six times in total. Clearly, this debut had achieved unprecedented success.
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