How do you capture the weight of exile?
In 1920, German artist Gebhard Fugel painted his masterpiece Waters of Babylon, illustrating the profound sorrow of the Babylonian Captivity.
The emotional core of this scene relies heavily on a single, powerful image from the ancient text: hanging up their musical instruments because they are simply too heartbroken to play. (Zoom in to see the harps hanging on the willow trees in the background.)
▎ “By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps…”
▎ — Psalm 137:1-2
If this imagery sounds familiar to modern theater fans, there is a reason! This exact scriptural passage serves as the literal lyrics for the moving, acoustic track “On the Willows” from Stephen Schwartz’s hit musical Godspell. Just as the captives in Babylon hung up their harps, the song plays during a poignant moment of farewell and transition in the show.
Fun historical fact: Fugel painted classic weeping willows and harps here following traditional European translations (and mistaken tree taxonomy), but history tells us the exiles actually hung ancient Judean lyres on Euphrates poplar trees!
Artwork: Waters of Babylon (1920) by Gebhard Fugel
Musical Reference: “On the Willows” – Godspell (The New Broadway Cast Recording) 👇 Listen link in the comments!
