Letter 20 – The Aqueduct Problem
[Introduction]: The popular anger sparked by Pilate's use of the sacred Temple funds (Corban) to finance the construction of an aqueduct in Jerusalem. • [Verse 1] Water must flow from the distant spring, But it is the people's blood that feeds the suffering. Pilate has drawn from the sacred treasury, To build his aqueduct without a plea. The Corban profaned, the sanctuary wounded, The anger of the faithful can no longer be grounded. • [Chorus] Water flows through the stone at the price of spilled blood, The treasury of the temple has been looted. Beneath the blows of Rome and the cries of the town, The thirst for justice remains elusive and vile. • [Verse 2] When the governor comes to inspect the work, A massive crowd surrounds his horse's lurk. Their cries rise like a hailstorm of sound, Against this plunder and injustice profound. Soldiers concealed beneath their tunics wait, For the signal of orders sealing their fate. • [Chorus] Water flows through the stone at the price of spilled blood, The treasury of the temple has been looted. Beneath the blows of Rome and the cries of the town, The thirst for justice remains elusive and vile. • [Verse 3] At the given signal, the batons strike down, And in the tumult, innocents shrink to the ground. Blood flows upon the stones of Jerusalem, Where those defending their emblem are crushed by them. The aqueduct's water will taste of tears, As long as the rule of weapons appears. • [Outro] The water finally reaches the basins... Tinged with purple...
