The Destruction Of The Spanish Inquisition (Ballade) Poem by Gert Strydom

(in answer to N. P. van Wyk Louw)

1
The thought came to me that man is fragile
around me, colonel Lehmanowsky, chilly the wind do blow
while in darkness I walk through the streets of Madrid
and in the fog turn off into the wrong alley.

2
Chorus:
That Christians do murder other Christians
I did hear about the Jesuits and Inquisition
but did not want to believe it of godly men
where rumours can lead to unreasonable actions.

3
Suddenly two armed men do overwhelm me,
I call for help to a patrol of mounted soldiers that are passing
and I struggle to draw my sword from its sheath,
that my enemies are soldiers of the Inquisition leaves me dumbstruck.

4
Musket-shots resound from the French soldiers that do come to help,
quickly with the rapier I slash to the nearest enemy's head
do get in a cutting wound on his cheek and in the lantern-light pick up an ear
and realize that members of the Inquisition tried to kill me

5
My enemies have escaped and are gone and I a protestant do live
and what further action to take I demand from Marshal Soult?
That they tried to kill me makes me tremble with rage
and I remind him of Napoleon Bonaparte's decree.

6
Marshal Soult orders me to go and destroy the Inquisition,
I ask for more soldiers, for help from my comrade colonel de Lile,
as without the help of the 117th regiment the 9th Polish Lancers are trivial,
obliging Marshal Soult says that I can have another third regiment if I want to.

7
Outside the city a wall surrounds the castle of the Inquisition,
a small company of soldiers defend it and I ask them to call the fathers,
order that they bring the Inquisitor-General to the entrance
where my men and I in three regiments stand in the open in a group.

8
The sentinel gets his orders; shoot with his musket and brushing past
the bullet hits the soldier next to me and others fire from a breastwork on the wall,
with us in the open plain it's unequal warfare
where with three regiments we surround the thick wall of that castle.

9
That I first had to reconnoitre the castle comes to me
and if I went to fetch a cannon explosives would be set by the enemy
but colonel de Lile finds a weak spot in the wall
and I order the men to cut down two trees and to bring them.

10
A breach is made through the wall through which we enter
while we fire at the enemy soldiers on the inside
and inside the complex a strange incident happens:
priests do wait on us in their robes with long faces,

11
with arms crossed over their breasts and fingers on their shoulders,
standing as if they have been deaf to fighting,
I become aware of the glance of the Inquisitor-General
try to find meaning in sinister eyes and a self-satisfied smile.

12
"Why do you fight against the French, our friends? "
is asked of the soldiers of the Inquisition
and the acute glances between the inquisitors I cannot miss
they make as if the attack was unauthorized by them.

13
I do arrest the lot of them and place them under guard
and Colonel de Lile and I pass through chamber after chamber,
find rooms full of candles, altars and crucifixes,
without finding any sign of instruments of torture.

14
There is no sign of iniquity that is being practised,
we do find lovely paintings, a noble atmosphere, an extensive great library,
beautiful architecture and perfect order,
the wooden floors shine, the marble floors are perfect.

15
There is no hollow sound when I stamp down with my boots upon the floor
but colonel de Lile looks at everything thoughtful and unsettled,
the rumours and reports of torture disappear into the naught, as if vapour,
and where I am prepared to stop my comrade do not believe their innocence.

16
The sinister eyes and a self-satisfied smile keeps bothering me in my thoughts
when my comrade asks if they could pour out water over the marble tiles,
the soldiers of his 117th regiment go to fetch water and I am dumbfounded
when water sinks away quickly at a place and the inquisitors are dissatisfied.

17
Swords, bayonets, and butts of muskets are used to lift a tile
while the Inquisitor-General remonstrate about desecrating a holy place
but his expression of hidden fear brings insight and all hands to work
where I use my own sword to try and hasten discovery.

18
At first it seems purely in vain until a soldiers hits a tile right next to it
everyone stand speechless and the Catholics are shocked pale
when a spring causes a marble slab to stand up
and stairs in the darkness lead to beneath and do invite further inspection.

19
I take a four feet long candle from a nearby altar.
"It is holy you cannot touch that candle, "
I am stopped and restrained by the hand of an inquisitor.
"With this candle I will shed light on dark things and on iniquity."

20
I brush the hand away and follow the stairs down,
notice a golden throne that is higher than the other chairs,
in the middle a marble block where the condemned had to wait on punishment
with chains on it and in the distance cells smell foul in the darkness.

21
The cells are awful places of severe solitary confinement,
at some do only lay the bones of the prisoners,
a place for the human spirit grinding it down and exploiting it
and it's difficult to express this madness in words.

22
People from fourteen years to very old are found,
from both sexes naked in chains,
where hunger and pain are devouring them
and for a hardened soldier this is a terrible thing.

23
Without being ordered the prisoners are set free by the soldiers,
from their knapsacks overcoats and other clothes they bring,
where intensely they are sorry for this people
and without me realising the lot of the inquisitors are determined.

24
In another room on the left we find instruments of torture:
a machine that breaks and pulls apart all joints in hands and in the body,
a machine in which the head is motionless while water drips in pain and horror,
another machine is covered with razor-sharp blades,

25
another machine has a doll that clasps a person
while grating blades do cut a person little by little to pieces
and screws do pull tighter
until nothing living is left.

26
Everything works terribly on the disposition of the soldiers
far past rage and abhorrence they fetch the inquisitors
the will for requiting is overwhelming strong
and each one begs, pleads and asks for mercy

27
but everyone is right here executed,
the Inquisitor-General has to meet the doll,
no notice is taken of my counter-command
and to them revenge is bittersweet.

28
Outside a crowd waits upon the prisoners
fathers, mothers, wives, husbands and children do embrace
at the same time people do cry and laugh
some are happy other over everything in revolt

29
but for a moment everyone do stand still,
do in silence look at the buildings, towers and wall
while explosives goes off in the dungeons of the Inquisition
and when everything falls to ruins cheering they do hold on to each other.

[Reference: "Die hond van God" (The dog of God)by N. P. van Wyk Louw.

Poet's note:A person that views this poem as an attack on the Roman- Catholic church or religion reads it totally wrong. Here the clash between time periods, words and people are expressed and it is indicated how dangerous it is were church and state becomes one institution and religion and worship is forced down on people.This is a report of the events before and during the destruction of the Spanish Inquisition and also a piece of history where a person can learn about human impurity that leads to such things as death and slaughter on both sides.

Footnotes:

Colonel Lehmanowsky was attached to Napoleon Bonaparte's army that was stationed in Madrid and was in command of the 9th Polish Lancers regiment.
Marshal Soult was the Governor of Madrid in 1809.
Napoleon Bonaparte's decree did order the suppression of the Inquisition and up to that time was not carried out.
Both colonels Lehmanowsky and de Lile did after the war become pastors of the Evangelical Church in Marseilles in France.]

© Gert Strydom