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www.it-ebooks.info
JIRA Essentials
Third Edition

Use the features of JIRA to manage projects and

effectively handle bugs and software issues

Patrick Li

BIRMINGHAM - MUMBAI

www.it-ebooks.info
JIRA Essentials
Third Edition

Copyright © 2015 Packt Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written
permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in
critical articles or reviews.

Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy
of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is
sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt
Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages
caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book.

Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the
companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals.
However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

First published: May 2011

Second published: April 2013

Third edition: April 2015

Production reference: 1220415

Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.

Livery Place
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ISBN 978-1-78439-812-5

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 Credits

Author Project Coordinator

Patrick Li Danuta Jones

Reviewers Proofreaders
Mizan Ali Sayed Safis Editing
Miroslav Králik Lauren E. Harkins
Heiko Lübbe Paul Hindle
Sabina Şerbu Joanna McMahon

Commissioning Editor Indexer

Taron Pereira Hemangini Bari

Acquisition Editor Production Coordinator

Harsha Bharwani Nilesh R. Mohite

Content Development Editor Cover Work

Arwa Manasawala Nilesh R. Mohite

Technical Editor
Saurabh Malhotra

Copy Editor
Charlotte Carneiro

www.it-ebooks.info
 About the Author

Patrick Li is a cofounder and senior engineer at AppFusions. AppFusions is

an expert in developing and packaging integrated solutions for many enterprise
applications and platforms, including IBM Connections, Jive, Atlassian, Google
Apps, Box, Dropbox, and more.

He has worked in the Atlassian ecosystem for over 8 years, developing products and
solutions for the Atlassian platform and providing expert consulting services. He
is one of the top contributors to the Atlassian community, providing answers and
advices on forums such as Atlassian Answers and Quora.

He has extensive experience in designing and deploying Atlassian solutions from the
ground up and customizing existing deployments for clients across verticals, such as
healthcare, software engineering, financial services, and government agencies.

I would like to thank all the reviewers for their valuable feedback
and also the publishers and coordinators for their help and support
in making this happen. Lastly, I would like to thank my family,
especially my wife Katherine, for encouraging me along the way.

www.it-ebooks.info
 About the Reviewers

Mizan Ali Sayed is an Atlassian expert who has extensive experience in

implementing, customizing, and supporting Atlassian tools, mainly JIRA and
Confluence. He also has experience in training small, medium, and large teams on
JIRA and JIRA administration.

He is active within the Atlassian community and has published free add-ons
on the Atlassian Marketplace. He has previously reviewed two books on JIRA
administration and development by Packt publishing. Mizan has won the Star
Employee Award for 3 consecutive years.

You can reach him at [email protected].

First and foremost, I would like to thank my wife. She has been my
inspiration and motivation for continuing to improve my knowledge
and moving my career forward. I also thank my wonderful daughter,
Aaminah, for always making me smile. I'd like to thank my parents
for allowing me to follow my ambitions throughout my childhood.
My co-workers, especially Amrut Bhonsle, showed me the ropes in
IT. Without this knowledge, I wouldn't have ventured into learning
about JIRA and other Atlassian tools.

Miroslav Králik is a young professional focusing on ITIL-based ITSM, with a

passion for helping clients succeed and getting them excited about making their
products, services, and processes better. He is currently working at a multinational
integrated digital agency, where he leads a technical team and is responsible for
EMEA web applications, maintenance and support services.

He has been using, administrating, and developing custom plugins and scripts for
JIRA for 3 years at many different companies.

www.it-ebooks.info
He is also one of the cofounders of Next Kickoff, an SRO, a lean start-up company
based in Prague that focuses on solving specific domain problems.
Miroslav can be found on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikralik).

I would like to thank my girlfriend, Maria, for her support and

understanding when I have worked evenings and nights. I would
also like to thank all my current and former colleagues that I have
had the pleasure of working with, and a special thanks to my
colleague and friend, Kaveh, for "transferring" all the knowledge
while working together over the past few years.

Heiko Lübbe has been working with JIRA, on a daily basis, since 2007. He has worked
in different roles, as an end user with ticket-based workflows, setting up and introducing
JIRA, JIRA administration, JIRA migration, as a project manager, and a Scrum master.
As a freelance consultant, Mr. Lübbe works with many different companies, from small
Internet companies to big multinational companies, but always with JIRA.
He presented "Using JIRA for project management" at the Berlin/Brandenburg PMI
Chapter meeting in 2012.
He is still working as a senior technical IT project manager on a freelance basis in
Berlin, Germany.

Sabina Şerbu has a PhD in distributed systems from the University of Neuchâtel,
Switzerland, and an MSc in computer science from the Politehnica University of
Bucharest, Romania.
Sabina has been working in the areas of networking and document management,
and she is often involved in academic projects. She has hands-on and managerial
experience with JIRA and has been an active reviewer for conferences and technical
documentation.
Sabina Şerbu can be found at www.sabinaserbu.ch.

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www.it-ebooks.info
 Table of Contents
Preface xi
Chapter 1: Getting Started with JIRA 1
The JIRA architecture 1
High-level architecture 2
Web browsers 3
Application services 3
Data storage 3
The JIRA installation directory 3
The JIRA home directory 4
System requirements 5
Hardware requirements 5
Software requirements 6
Operating systems 6
Java platforms 7
Databases 7
Application servers 8
Installation options 8
Installing and configuring JIRA 9
Installing Java 10
Installing MySQL 12
Preparing MySQL for JIRA 12
Installing JIRA 14
Obtaining and installing JIRA 14
Installing MySQL driver 19
The JIRA setup wizard 19
Starting and stopping JIRA 26
Post-installation configurations 27
Increasing JIRA's memory 27
Changing JIRA's port number and context path 29

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Configuring HTTPS 29
Summary 31
Chapter 2: Project Management 33
The JIRA hierarchy 33
Project category 34
Project 35
Issue 35
Field 35
Project permissions 36
Creating projects 37
Changing the project key format 39
Importing data into JIRA 40
Importing data through CSV 41
Project user interfaces 46
Project Browser 47
The Summary tab 48
The Issues tab 48
The Road Map tab 49
The Change Log tab 49
The Versions and Components tab 49
The Source and Reviews tab 50
Project Administration 50
The Summary tab 51
The Components tab 52
Creating components 53
Managing components 53
Component lead and default assignee 53
The Versions tab 54
Creating versions 54
Managing versions 55
Other tabs 56
The Help Desk project 57
Creating a new project category 57
Creating a new project 58
Assigning a project to a category 59
Creating new components 59
Putting it together 60
Summary 61
Chapter 3: Issue Management 63
Understanding issues 64
JIRA issue summary 64

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Working with issues 66

Creating an issue 66
Editing an issue 68
Deleting an issue 69
Moving an issue between projects 70
Casting a vote on an issue 72
Receiving notifications on an issue 73
Assigning issues to users 74
Sharing issues with other users 75
Issue linking 76
Enabling issue linking 76
Creating link types 76
Linking issues with other issues 78
Linking issues with remote contents 79
Issue cloning 80
Time tracking 81
Configuring time tracking 81
Specifying original estimates 83
Logging work 83
Issues and comments 85
Adding comments 85
Managing your comments 86
Permalinking a comment 86
Attachments 87
Enabling attachments in JIRA 87
Attaching files 89
Attaching screenshots 90
Issue types and subtasks 90
Creating issue types 92
Deleting issue types 92
Subtasks 93
Enabling subtasks 93
Creating subtasks 94
Issue type schemes 94
Issue priorities 97
The help desk project 98
Adding new issue types 98
Creating an issue type scheme 99
Putting it together 100
Summary 100

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Chapter 4: Field Management 101

Built-in fields 102
Custom fields 102
Custom field types 102
Standard fields 103
Advanced fields 104
Searchers 105
Custom field context 105
Managing custom fields 106
Adding a custom field 107
Editing/deleting a custom field 109
Configuring a custom field 111
Adding custom field contexts 112
Configuring select options 113
Setting default values 114
Field configuration 114
Adding a field configuration 116
Editing/deleting a field configuration 116
Copying a field configuration 117
Managing field configurations 117
Field description 118
Field requirement 119
Field visibility 119
Field rendering 120
Screens 122
Field configuration scheme 122
Managing field configuration schemes 122
Adding a field configuration scheme 123
Editing/deleting a field configuration scheme 124
Copying a field configuration scheme 124
Configuring a field configuration scheme 125
Associating a field configuration scheme with a project 126
The Help Desk project 127
Setting up a custom field 128
Setting up the field configuration 129
Setting up a field configuration scheme 129
Putting it together 130
Summary 132
Chapter 5: Screen Management 133
JIRA and screens 133
Working with screens 135
Adding a new screen 137
Editing/deleting a screen 137

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Copying a screen 138

Configuring screens 138
Adding a field to a screen 139
Deleting a field from a screen 140
Using screen tabs 140
Adding a tab to a screen 141
Editing/deleting a tab 142
Working with screen schemes 143
Adding a screen scheme 144
Editing/deleting a screen scheme 145
Copying a screen scheme 146
Configuring a screen scheme 146
Associating screens to issue operations 147
Editing/deleting an association 148
Issue type screen scheme 148
Adding an issue type screen scheme 149
Editing/deleting an issue type screen scheme 150
Copying an issue type screen scheme 150
Configuring an issue type screen scheme 151
Associating issue types to screen schemes 151
Editing/deleting an association 152
Associating an issue type screen scheme with a project 152
The Help Desk project 153
Setting up screens 154
Setting up screen schemes 156
Setting up issue type screen schemes 157
Putting it together 158
Summary 159
Chapter 6: Workflows and Business Processes 161
Mapping business processes 161
Understanding workflows 162
Managing workflows 164
Issue statuses 165
Transitions 165
Triggers 166
Conditions 166
Validators 167
Post functions 167
Using the workflow designer 168
Authoring a workflow 170
Adding a trigger to a transition 174
Adding a condition to a transition 175

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Adding a validator to a transition 176

Adding a post function to a transition 178
Updating an existing workflow 179
Workflow schemes 180
Creating a workflow scheme 182
Configuring a workflow scheme 182
Assigning an issue type to a workflow 183
Editing/deleting an association 185
Activating a workflow scheme 186
Extending workflow with workflow add-ons 187
JIRA Suite Utilities 187
JIRA Workflow Toolbox 187
JIRA Misc Workflow Extensions 187
Workflow Enhancer for JIRA 188
Script Runner 188
The Help Desk project 188
Setting up workflows 189
Setting up workflow schemes 191
Putting it together 192
Summary 194
Chapter 7: E-mails and Notifications 195
JIRA and e-mail 195
Mail servers 196
Working with outgoing mails 197
Adding an outgoing mail server 197
Disabling outgoing mail 200
Enabling SMTP over SSL 200
Sending a test e-mail 201
Mail queues 202
Viewing the mail queue 203
Flushing the mail queue 204
Manually sending e-mails 204
Events 206
Adding a mail template 207
Adding a custom event 210
Firing a custom event 210
Notifications 212
The notification scheme 213
Adding a notification scheme 214
Editing a notification scheme 214
Deleting a notification scheme 215

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 Table of Contents

Copying a notification scheme 215

Managing a notification scheme 216
Adding a notification 216
Deleting a notification 218
Assigning a notification scheme 218
Troubleshooting notifications 220
Incoming e-mails 221
Adding an incoming mail server 222
Mail handlers 223
Creating a new issue or adding a comment to an existing issue 224
Adding a comment with the entire e-mail body 225
Adding a comment from the non-quoted e-mail body 225
Creating a new issue from each e-mail message 225
Adding a comment before a specified marker or separator in the e-mail body 226
Adding a mail handler 226
Editing and deleting a mail handler 228
The Help Desk project 228
Setting up mail servers 229
Setting up custom events 229
Setting up a notification scheme 230
Setting up notifications 231
Putting it together 231
Summary 232
Chapter 8: Securing JIRA 233
User directories 233
Managing user directories 235
Connecting to LDAP 236
Users 238
User Browser 239
Adding a user 240
Enabling public signup 242
Enabling CAPTCHA 243
Groups 244
Group Browser 245
Adding a group 246
Editing group memberships 246
Deleting a group 248
Project roles 248
Project Role Browser 248
Adding a project role 249
Editing a project role 249
Deleting a project role 250

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Table of Contents

Managing default members 250

Assigning project role members 251
JIRA permissions hierarchy 253
Global permissions 254
JIRA system administrator versus JIRA administrator 255
Configuring global permissions 255
Granting global permissions 256
Revoking global permissions 257
Project permissions 258
Permission schemes 260
Applying a permission scheme 265
Issue security 266
Issue security scheme 266
Adding an issue security scheme 267
Configuring an issue security scheme 267
Applying an issue security scheme 271
Troubleshooting permissions 271
Workflow security 272
The Help Desk project 273
Setting up groups 273
Setting up user group association 273
Setting up permission schemes 274
Setting up permissions 274
Putting it together 275
Summary 276
Chapter 9: Searching, Reporting, and Analysis 277
Search interface and options in JIRA 277
Issue navigator 278
Basic search 279
Advanced search with JQL 280
Quick search 283
Working with search results 284
Switching result views 284
Exporting search results 284
Customizing the column layout 285
Sharing search results 286
Filters 286
Creating a filter 287
Managing filters 287
Editing and sharing a filter 288
Subscribing to a filter 290
Deleting a filter 291
Changing the ownership of a filter 292

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 Table of Contents

Reports 293
Generating a report 294
Dashboard 297
Managing dashboards 297
Creating a dashboard 298
Editing and sharing a dashboard 299
Deleting a dashboard 299
Configuring a dashboard 299
Setting a layout for the dashboard 300
Gadgets 300
Placing a gadget on the dashboard 301
Moving a gadget 303
Editing a gadget 303
Deleting a gadget 304
The Help Desk project 304
Setting up filters 304
Setting up dashboards 305
Setting up gadgets 306
Putting it together 306
Summary 307
Chapter 10: JIRA Service Desk 309
Introducing JIRA Service Desk 309
Installing JIRA Service Desk 310
Getting started with JIRA Service Desk 311
Creating a new service desk 313
Branding your customer portal 315
Service desk users 316
Adding an agent to service desk 317
Adding a customer to service desk 318
Adding a collaborator to service desk 319
Request types 319
Setting up request types 319
Organizing request types into groups 320
Setting up fields 321
Setting up workflow 323
Service-level agreement 325
Setting up an SLA 325
Setting up custom calendars 328
Queues 329
Creating a new queue 330
Creating knowledge base articles 331
Summary 333
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Table of Contents

Chapter 11: Advanced Features 335

JIRA Agile 335
Getting JIRA Agile 336
Starting with JIRA Agile 337
Working with boards 338
Creating a new board 339
Working with Scrum boards 341
Working with epics 341
Working with sprints 343
Working with Kanban boards 345
Setting up column constraints 345
Releasing a version 346
Setting JIRA Agile as the home page 347
Issue collector 348
Setting up an issue collector 349
Embedding the issue collector 350
Summary 352
Index 353

[x]

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 Preface
Over the years, JIRA has grown from a simple bug tracking system designed for
engineers to manage their projects to an all-purpose issue tracking solution. As it has
matured over time, JIRA has become more than an application, it has transformed
into a platform, with a suite of other products that are built on it, enabling it to adapt
and deliver value to a wide variety of use cases.

JIRA 6 is the latest major release of JIRA and its product family. It comes with new
features that include support for service desk applications and enhancements made
to existing features such as providing flexible and robust workflow design and agile
methodology support. In this book, we will cover all the basics of JIRA and its core
capabilities as a feature-rich, issue-tracking system, as well as add-ons that add
additional features to the JIRA platform.

Packed with real-life examples and step-by-step instructions, this book will help you
become a JIRA expert.

What this book covers

This book is organized into eleven chapters. The first chapter starts with setting
up your own JIRA, and the subsequent chapters will introduce key features and
concepts. With each chapter, you will learn important concepts such as business
processes, workflows, e-mails, and notifications. You will also have the opportunity
to put your newly-acquired knowledge into practice by following a live JIRA sample
implementation.

Chapter 1, Getting Started with JIRA, serves as the starting point of the book and aims
to guide you to set up a local copy of a JIRA application that will be used throughout
the book. For seasoned JIRA experts, this will both refresh your knowledge and also
introduce you to the changes in JIRA 6. By the end of this chapter, you should have a
running JIRA application.

[ xi ]

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Preface

Chapter 2, Project Management, covers how to set up projects and project-related

administration tasks in JIRA. The concept of schemes is also introduced as it is the
core concept of JIRA administration.

Chapter 3, Issue Management, covers everything related to issue creation and the
operations that can be performed on an issue (excluding workflow transitions).
Furthermore, this chapter touches on the various aspects of issues, as they are the
focal point of JIRA. This chapter also serves as an opportunity to show and allow
you to set up dummy data that will be used by the sample project.

Chapter 4, Field Management, covers how JIRA collects data through the use of fields
and how to expand on this ability through the use of custom fields. This chapter then
continues with the various behaviors that can be configured for fields.

Chapter 5, Screen Management, builds on the preceding chapter and explores the
concept of screens and how users can create and manage their own screens. This
chapter ties in all the previous chapters to show the power behind JIRA's screen
design capabilities.

Chapter 6, Workflows and Business Processes, explores the most powerful feature
offered by JIRA, workflows. The concept of issue life cycles is introduced, and
various aspects of workflows explained. This chapter also explores the relationship
between workflows and other various JIRA aspects that have been previously
covered, such as screens. The concept of JIRA extensions is also briefly touched in the
sample project, using some popular free extensions.

Chapter 7, E-mails and Notifications, focuses on how to get automatic e-mail

notifications from JIRA and explores the different settings that can be applied. This is
a very important and powerful feature of JIRA and also a critical part of the example
project featured in this book. This chapter also ties in the workflow chapter and
explains in detail how JIRA manages its notification mechanism.

Chapter 8, Securing JIRA, focuses on the different security control features offered
by JIRA. As this topic affects all aspects of JIRA, all previous topics are touched on,
explaining how security can be applied to each. It also covers LDAP integration,
where you can hook up your JIRA with an existing LDAP system for user
management.

Chapter 9, Searching, Reporting, and Analysis, focuses on how data captured in JIRA
can be retrieved to provide various types of reporting features. It also covers the
changes introduced in JIRA 6.

Chapter 10, JIRA Service Desk, covers the new JIRA Service Desk product, an add-on
to transform JIRA into a fully-fledged service desk solution. It looks at installing
add-ons, setting up service desks, and defining custom SLA metrics.

[ xii ]

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 Preface

Chapter 11, Advanced Features, covers advanced features that can help to change your
JIRA into more than just a traditional issue tracking system. It looks at how you can
run agile projects with JIRA through the use of JIRA Agile and how you can turn
JIRA into an effective feedback collection system.

What you need for this book

The installation package used in this book will be the Windows Installer standalone
distribution, which you can get directly from Atlassian at http://www.atlassian.
com/software/jira/download.

You will also need additional software, including Java SDK, which you can get from
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html
and MySQL, which you can get from http://dev.mysql.com/downloads.

Who this book is for

If you want to get started with JIRA, and learn how to install, use, and manage your
instance, then this is the perfect book for you.

You will need to be familiar with basic computer operations, specifically the system
on which you will use JIRA, and software project management. Familiarity with
agile methodologies such as Scrum will also be useful. For the first chapter, we will
assume you are familiar with the operating system you are going to install JIRA on.

Conventions
In this book, you will find a number of text styles that distinguish between different
kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles and an explanation of
their meaning.

Code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions,
pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles are shown as follows:
"open the server.xml file in a text editor from the JIRA_INSTALL/conf directory."

A block of code is set as follows:

<Resource name="mail/JiraMailServer"
auth="Container"
type="javax.mail.Session"
mail.smtp.host="mail.server.host"
mail.smtp.port="25"
mail.transport.protocol="smtp"

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Preface

mail.smtp.auth="true"
mail.smtp.user="username"
password="password"
/>

Any command-line input or output is written as follows:

grant all on jiradb.* to 'jirauser'@'localhost' identified by
'jirauser';

New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on the
screen, for example, in menus or dialog boxes, appear in the text like this: "select the
Simple Issue Tracking project template and click on the Next button."

Warnings or important notes appear in a box like this.

Tips and tricks appear like this.

Reader feedback
Feedback from our readers is always welcome. Let us know what you think about
this book—what you liked or disliked. Reader feedback is important for us as it helps
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 Preface

Downloading the color images of this book

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 Getting Started with JIRA
In this chapter, we will start with a high-level view of JIRA, going through each
of the components that make up the overall application. We will then examine
the various deployment options, system requirements for JIRA 6, and platforms/
software that are supported. Finally, we will get our hands dirty by installing our
very own JIRA 6 from scratch, with the newly improved installation wizard. In the
end, we will also cover some post-installation steps, such as setting up SSL to secure
your new instance.

By the end of this chapter, you will have learned about the following:

• The overall architecture of JIRA

• The basic hardware and software requirements to deploy and run JIRA
• Platforms and applications supported by JIRA
• Installing JIRA and all of the required software
• Post-installation configuration options to customize your JIRA

The JIRA architecture

Installing JIRA is simple and straightforward. However, it is important for you to
understand the components that make up the overall architecture of JIRA and the
installation options available. This will help you make an informed decision and be
better prepared for future maintenance and troubleshooting.

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High-level architecture
Atlassian provides a comprehensive overview of the JIRA architecture at https://
developer.atlassian.com/display/JIRADEV/JIRA+Architectural+Overview.
However, for day-to-day administration and usage of JIRA, we do not need to go
into details; the information provided can be overwhelming at first glance. For
this reason, we have summarized a high-level overview that highlights the most
important components in the architecture, as shown in the following figure:

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Web browsers
JIRA is a web application, so there is no need for users to install anything on
their machines. All they need is a web browser that is compatible with JIRA. The
following table summarizes the browser requirements for JIRA:

Browsers Compatibility
Internet Explorer 8.0 (not supported with JIRA 6.3)
9.0, 10.0, 11.0
Mozilla Firefox Latest stable versions
Safari Latest stable versions on Mac OSX
Google Chrome Latest stable versions
Mobile Mobile Safari
Mobile Chrome

Application services
The application services layer contains all the functions and services provided by
JIRA. These services include various business functions, such as workflow and
notification, which will be discussed in depth in Chapter 6, Workflows and Business
Processes and Chapter 7, E-mails and Notifications, respectively. Other services such as
REST/Web Service provide integration points to other applications The OSGi service
provides the base add-on framework to extend JIRA's functionalities.

Data storage
The data storage layer stores persistent data in several places within JIRA. Most
business data, such as projects and issues, are stored in a relational database. Content
such as uploaded attachments and search indexes are stored in the filesystem in the
JIRA_HOME directory, which we will talk about in the next section. The underlying
relational database used is transparent to the users, and you can migrate from one
database to another with ease as referenced at https://confluence.atlassian.
com/display/JIRA/Switching+Databases.

The JIRA installation directory

The JIRA installation directory is where you install JIRA. It contains all the
executable and configuration files of the application. JIRA neither modifies the
contents of the files in this directory during runtime, nor does it store any data files
inside the directory; the directory is used primarily for execution. For the remainder
of the book, we will be referring to this directory as JIRA_INSTALL.

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The JIRA home directory

The JIRA home directory contains key data and configuration files that are specific to
each JIRA instance, such as JIRA's database connectivity details. As we will see later
in this chapter, setting the path to this directory is part of the installation process.

There is a one-to-one relationship between JIRA and this directory. This means each
JIRA instance must and can have only one home directory, and each directory can
serve only one JIRA instance. In the old days, this directory was sometimes called the
data directory. It has now been standardized as the JIRA Home. It is for this reason
that, for the rest of the book, we will be referring to this directory as JIRA_HOME.

The JIRA_HOME directory can be created anywhere on your system, or even on a

shared drive. It is recommended to use a fast disk drive with low network latency to
get the best performance from JIRA.

This separation of data and application makes tasks such as maintenance and future
upgrades an easier process. Within JIRA_HOME, there are several subdirectories that
contain vital data, as shown in the following table:

Directory Description
data This directory contains data that is not stored in the database. For
example, uploaded attachment files.
export This directory contains the automated backup archives created by
JIRA. This is different from a manual export executed by a user;
manual exports require the user to specify where to store the archive.
We will cover this in Chapter 10, JIRA Service Desk.
import This directory contains the backups that can be imported. JIRA will
only load the backup files from this directory.
log This directory contains the JIRA logs.
plugins This directory is where the installed add-ons are stored. In the previous
versions of JIRA, add-ons were installed by copying the add-on files
to this directory manually; however in JIRA 5, you will no longer need
to do this, unless specifically instructed to do so. Add-ons will be
discussed further in the later chapters.
caches This directory contains cache data that JIRA uses to improve its
performance at runtime. For example, search indexes are stored in this
directory.
tmp This directory contains temporary files created at runtime, such as file
uploads.

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When JIRA is running, the JIRA_HOME directory is locked. When JIRA shuts down,
it is unlocked. This locking mechanism prevents multiple JIRA instances from
reading/writing to the same JIRA_HOME directory and causing data corruption.

JIRA locks the JIRA_HOME directory by writing a temporary file called jira-home.
lock into the root of the directory. During shutdown, this file will be removed.
However, sometimes JIRA may fail to remove this file, such as during an ungraceful
shutdown. In this case, you can manually remove this locked file to unlock the
directory so that you can start up JIRA again.

You can manually remove the locked file to unlock the JIRA_HOME
directory if JIRA fails to clean it up during shutdown.

System requirements
Just like any other software application, there is a set of base requirements that need
to be met before you can install and run JIRA. Therefore, it is important for you
to be familiar with these requirements so that you can plan out your deployment
successfully. Note that these requirements are for a behind-the-firewall deployment,
also known as the JIRA Server. Atlassian also offers a Cloud-based alternative called
JIRA Cloud, available at https://www.atlassian.com/software#cloud-products.

The cloud version of JIRA is similar to the behind-the-firewall JIRA deployment in most
areas, and it is perfect for organizations that do not want to have the overhead of the
initial setup and just want to get up and running quickly. One major limitation of JIRA
Cloud is that you cannot use many of the third-party add-ons available. If you want to
have all the power and flexibility of the JIRA Server and worry-free server management,
you may consider managed hosting for JIRA offered by third-party vendors.

Hardware requirements
For evaluation purposes, where there will only be a small number of users, JIRA will
run happily on any server that has a 1.5 GHz processor and 1 GB to 2 GB of RAM. As
your JIRA usage grows, a typical server will have a quad core 2 GHz CPU and 4 GB
of RAM dedicated to the JIRA application.

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For production deployment, as in most applications, it is recommended that you run

JIRA on its own dedicated server. There are many factors that you should consider
when deciding how much resource to allocate to JIRA, and also keep in mind how
JIRA will scale and grow. When deciding on your hardware needs, you should
consider the following:

• Number of users in the system

• Number of issues and projects in the system
• Number of concurrent users, especially during peak hours

It can be difficult at times to estimate these figures. As a reference, a server running

with 2.0+ GHz of dual/quad CPU and 1 GB of RAM will be sufficient for most
instances with around 200 users.

Officially, JIRA only supports x86 hardware and 64-bit derivatives of it. When
running JIRA on a 64-bit system, you will be able to allocate more than 4 GB of
memory to JIRA, a limit if you are using a 32-bit system. If you are planning to
deploy a large instance, it is recommended that you use a 64-bit system.

Software requirements
JIRA has four requirements when it comes to software. It needs a supported
operating system and a Java environment. It also needs an application server to host
and serve its contents and a database to store all of its data. In the following sections,
we will discuss each of these requirements and the options that you have to install
and run JIRA with.

Operating systems
JIRA supports most of the major operating systems, so the choice of which operating
system to run JIRA on becomes a matter of expertise, comfort, and in most cases,
existing organization's IT infrastructure and requirements.

The operating systems supported by Atlassian are Windows and Linux. There is a
JIRA distribution for Mac OSX, but it is not officially supported. With both Windows
and Linux, Atlassian provides an executable installer wizard package, which bundles
all the necessary components to simplify the installation process (only available for
standalone distribution).

There are minimal differences when it comes to installing, configuring, and

maintaining JIRA on different operating systems. If you do not have any preferences
and would like to keep the initial cost down, Linux is a good choice.

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Java platforms
JIRA is a Java-based web application, so it needs to have a Java environment
installed. This can be a Java Development Kit (JDK) or a Java Runtime
Environment (JRE). The executable installer that comes with Windows or Linux
contains the necessary files and will install and configure the JRE for you. However,
if you want to use the archive distributions, you will need to make sure that you
have the required Java environment installed and configured.

JIRA 6 requires Java 7 or later. If you run JIRA on an unsupported Java version,
including its patch version, you may run into unexpected errors. The following table
shows the supported Java versions for JIRA:

Java platforms Support status

Oracle JDK/JRE Java 7 — JIRA 6 and later
Java 8 — JIRA 6.3 and later

Databases
JIRA stores all its data in a relational database. While you can run JIRA with
HyperSQL Database (HSQLDB), the in-memory database that comes bundled
with JIRA, it is prone to data corruption. You should only use this to set up a new
instance quickly for evaluation purposes, where no important data will be stored.
For this reason, it is important that you use a proper database such as MySQL for
production systems.

Most relational databases available on the market today are supported by JIRA, and
there are no differences when you install and configure JIRA. Just like operating
systems, your choice of database will come down to your IT staff's expertise,
experience, and established corporate standards. If you run Windows as your
operating system, then you might probably want to go with the Microsoft SQL
Server. On the other hand, if you run Linux, then you should consider Oracle (if you
already have a license), MySQL, or PostgreSQL.

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The following table summarizes the list of databases that are currently supported
by JIRA. It is worth mentioning that both MySQL and PostgreSQL are open source
products, so they are excellent options if you are looking to minimize your
initial investments.

Database Support Status

MySQL MySQL 5.x (excluding 5.0)
Requires JDBC Connector/J 5.1
PostgreSQL PostgreSQL 8.4 and newer
Requires PostgreSQL Driver 8.4.x
Microsoft SQL Server SQL Server 2005 and newer
Requires JTDS 1.2.4 driver
Oracle Oracle 11g
Requires Oracle 11.2.x driver
HSQLDB Bundled with standalone distribution, for evaluation
only

Take a special note of the driver's requirement on each database, as some drivers
that come bundled with the database vendor (for example, the SQL Server) are
not supported.

Application servers
JIRA 6 officially only supports Apache Tomcat as the application server. While it is
possible to deploy JIRA into other application servers, you will be doing this at your
own risk, and is not recommended.

The following table shows the versions of Tomcat that are supported by JIRA 6:

Application server Support Status

Apache Tomcat Tomcat 6.0.32 — JIRA 6 and 6.1
Tomcat 7.0.47 — JIRA 6.2 and newer

Installation options
JIRA comes in two distributions: the standalone and WAR distributions. The only
difference is that the standalone distribution comes bundled with Apache Tomcat, an
in-memory database, and Java, if you use the executable installer version. The WAR
distribution, on the other hand, contains only the JIRA web application.

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As you can see, the standalone distribution comes with everything required to get
JIRA installed. The standalone distribution comes in two flavors: an executable
installer and a ZIP archive. The executable installer provides a wizard-driven
interface that will walk you through the entire installation process. It even comes
with a Java installer to save you some time. The ZIP archive flavor contains
everything except for a Java installer, which means you will have to install Java
yourself. You will also need to perform some post-installation steps manually, such
as install JIRA as a service. However, you do get the advantage of learning what
really goes on under the hood.

The WAR distribution is for more advanced users who are familiar with the Java EE
application deployment model. With the WAR distribution, you have to make the
necessary changes to the configuration files, build your own deployable JIRA, and
then deploy it to an application server; in this case, Tomcat. The advantage of using
WAR distribution is that it is very easy for you to version control all the changes you
make to the standard distribution files, which makes future upgrades much easier.

Installing and configuring JIRA

Now that you have a good understanding of the overall architecture of JIRA, the
basic system requirements, and the various installation options, we are ready to
deploy our own JIRA instances.

In the following exercise, we will be installing and configuring a fresh JIRA

instance that will be ready for a small production team. We will be performing
our installation on a Windows platform with a MySQL database server. If you
are planning to use a different platform or database, please refer to the vendor
documentation on installing the required software for your platform.

In this exercise, you will:

• Install a fresh instance of JIRA

• Connect JIRA to a MySQL database

We will continue to use this JIRA instance in our subsequent chapters and exercises
as we build up our help desk implementation.

For our deployment, we will be using the following:

• JIRA standalone distribution 6.3.1

• MySQL 5.6.19
• Microsoft Windows 7

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Installing Java
Since we will be using the installer package with Java bundled, you can skip this
section. If you are using the ZIP archive or WAR distribution, you need to make sure
you have Java installed on your system.

JIRA 6 requires Java Runtime Environment (JRE) version 7 or a newer run. You
can verify the version of Java you have by running the following command in a
Command Prompt:
java -version

The preceding command tells us which version of Java is running on your system as
shown in the following screenshot:

If you do not see a similar output, then chances are you do not have Java installed.
You will need to perform the following steps to set up your Java environment:

To install JDK on your system, simply perform the following steps:

1. Download the latest JDK from http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/

java/javase/downloads/index.html.

At the time of writing, the latest version of Java 8 is

JDK 8 Update 11.

2. Double-click on the downloaded installation file to start the

installation wizard.
3. Select where you would like to install Java, or you can simply accept the
default values. The location where you install JDK will be referred to as
JAVA_HOME for the rest of the book.

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4. Create a new environment variable named JAVA_HOME with the value set to
the full path of where you installed Java. You can do this as follows:
1. Open the System Properties window by holding down your Windows
key and press the Pause key on your keyboard.
2. Select the Advanced system settings option.
3. Click the Environment Variable button from the new popup.

5. Edit the PATH environment variable and append the following to the end
of its current value:
;%JAVA_HOME%\bin

6. Test the installation by typing the following command in a new

command prompt:
java -version

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This will display the version of Java installed if everything is done correctly. In
Windows, you have to start a new command prompt after you have added the
environment variable to see the change.

Installing MySQL
The next step is to prepare an enterprise database for your JIRA installation. JIRA
requires a fresh database. If during the installation process, JIRA detects that the
target database already contains any data, it will not proceed. If you already have a
database system installed, then you may skip this section.

To install MySQL, simply perform the following steps:

1. Download MySQL from http://dev.mysql.com/downloads, select MySQL

Community Server, and then select the MSI installer for Windows.

At the time of writing, the latest version of MySQL is 5.6.19.

2. Double-click on the downloaded installation file to start the

installation wizard.
3. Click on Install MySQL Products on the welcome screen.
4. Read and accept the license agreement and click the Next button.
5. Select the Server only option on the next screen. If you are an experienced
database administrator, you can choose to customize your installation.
Otherwise, just accept the default values for all subsequent screens.
6. Configure the MySQL root user password. The username will be root. Do
not lose this password, as we will be using it in the next section.
7. Complete the configuration wizard by accepting the default values.

Preparing MySQL for JIRA

Now that you have MySQL installed, you need to first create a user for JIRA to
connect MySQL with, and then create a fresh database for JIRA to store all its data:

1. Start the MySQL Command Line Client by navigating to Start | All

Programs | MySQL | MySQL Server 5.6 | MySQL 5.6
Command Line Client.
2. Enter your MySQL root user password you set during installation.

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3. Use the following command to create a database:

create database jiradb character set utf8;

4. Here, we are creating a database called jiradb. You can name the database
anything you like. As you will see later in this chapter, this name will be
referenced when you connect JIRA to MySQL. We have also set the database
to use UTF-8 character encoding, as this is a requirement for JIRA. You need
to ensure that the database uses the InnoDB storage engine to avoid data
corruption, by using the following command:
grant all on jiradb.* to 'jirauser'@'localhost' identified by
'jirauser';

5. We are doing several things here. First, we create a user called jirauser and
assign the password jirauser to him. You should change the username and
password to something else.
6. We have also granted all the privileges to the user for the jiradb database
that we just created so that the user can perform database operations, such as
create/drop tables and insert/delete data. If you have named your database
something other than jiradb in step 5, then make sure you change the
command so that it uses your database name.
7. This allows you to control the fact that only authorized users (specified in
the preceding command) are able to access the JIRA database to ensure data
security and integrity.
8. To verify your setup, exit the current interactive session by issuing the
following command:
quit;

9. Start a new interactive session with your newly created user:

mysql –u jirauser –p

10. You will be prompted for a password, which you have set up in the
preceding command as jirauser.
11. Use the following command:
show databases;

12. This will list all the databases that are currently accessible by the logged-in
user. You should see jiradb among the list of databases.
13. Examine the jiradb database by issuing the following commands:
use jiradb;
show tables;

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14. The first command connects you to the jiradb database, so all of your
subsequent commands will be executed against the correct database.
15. The second command lists all the tables that exist in the jiradb database.
Right now, the list should be empty, since tables have been created for
JIRA, but don't worry— as soon as we connect to JIRA, all the tables will
automatically be created.

Installing JIRA
With the Java environment and database prepared, you can now move on to
installing JIRA. Normally, there are only two steps:

• Download and install the JIRA application

• Run through the JIRA setup wizard

Obtaining and installing JIRA

The first step is to download the latest stable release of JIRA. You can download
Atlassian JIRA from http://www.atlassian.com/software/jira/download.

The Atlassian website will detect the operating system you are using and
automatically suggest the installation package for you to download. If you intend to
install JIRA on a different operating system than the one you are currently on, make
sure you select the correct operating system package.

As mentioned earlier, with Windows, there is a Windows installer package and a

self-extracting ZIP package. For the purpose of this exercise, we will use the installer
package (Windows 64-bit Installer):

1. Double-click on the downloaded installation file to start the installation

wizard, and click the Next button to continue.

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2. Select the Custom Install option and click the Next button to continue. Using
the custom installation will let us decide where to install JIRA and also many
configuration options.

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3. Select the directory where JIRA will be installed. This will become the JIRA_
INSTALL directory. Click the Next button to continue.

4. Select where JIRA will store its data files, such as attachments and log files.
This will become the JIRA_HOME directory. Click the Next button to continue.

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5. Select where you would like to create shortcuts to the Start menu, and click
the Next button to continue.
6. In the Configure TCP Ports step, we need to select the port on which JIRA
will be listening for incoming connections. By default, JIRA will run on port
8080. If 8080 is already taken by another application or you want JIRA to run
on a different port such as port 80, select the Set custom value for HTTP and
Control ports option and specify the port numbers you want to use. Click the
Next button to continue.

7. For the last step, select whether you would like JIRA to run as a service. If
you enable this option, JIRA will be installed as a system service and can be
configured to start automatically with the server.

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8. Click the Install button to start the installation.

9. Once the installation is complete, check the Launch JIRA 6.3.1 in browser
option and click Finish. This will close the installation wizard and open up
your web browser to access JIRA. This might take a few minutes to load as
JIRA starts up for the first time.

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Since we need to install the MySQL database driver for JIRA, we are
launching JIRA in the browser now to verify that the installation was
successful.

Installing MySQL driver

JIRA does not come bundled with the MySQL database driver, so we have to install
it manually. You can download the required driver from http://dev.mysql.com/
downloads/connector/j/. Once downloaded, you can install the driver by copying
the driver jar file into the JIRA_INSTALL/lib directory. After that, you need to
restart JIRA. If you have installed JIRA as a Windows service in step 9, please see the
Starting and stopping JIRA section.

Make sure you select the Platform Independent option and

download the jar or tar archive.

The JIRA setup wizard

JIRA comes with an easy-to-use setup wizard that will walk you through the
installation and configuration process in six simple steps. You will be able to configure
the database connections, default language, and much more. You can access the wizard
by opening http://localhost:<port number> in your browser, where the <port
number> is the number you have assigned to JIRA in step 6 of the installation.

In the first step of the wizard, you will be asked to select Server Language and what
database JIRA should connect to.

The server language will determine what language will be used when users access
JIRA. You will see that as soon as you make a change from the drop-down list, JIRA
will automatically change its onscreen text to the selected language.

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The database connection setting will determine what database JIRA will use. If you
select the Built In option, JIRA will use its bundled in-memory database, which is
good for evaluation purposes. If you want to use a proper database, such as in our
case, you should select the My Own Database option.

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pouvoirs occultes.
Helcias, fils de Schellüm et de Holda,
la prophétesse, est pareil au désert, plus
stérile encore après les tombées de la
manne. Il a franchi les épreuves et les a
bénies comme l’arbre du Liban parfume
la hache qui le frappe; mais il porte, au-
dessus de ses larges orbites, la marque
de son œuvre accomplie: le temps a
dénudé ses sourcils, les sourcils accordés
à l’Homme seulement pour que la sueur
qui doit rouler de son front ne ruisselle
pas jusqu’en ses yeux et ne l’aveugle
pas.

L’eau lustrale tombe, resplendissante,

dans les bassins d’or. Les captives
royales, chargées d’anneaux et de
bracelets d’ambre, et les saras,
princesses de parfums, agenouillées au
milieu des coussins, font brûler, avec des
gestes sabbatiques, les poudres de
myrrhe et de santal rouge, les aromates
arabes, les grains d’encens mâle, sur les
cassolettes émaillées de pierres de
Tharsis.
Aux deux côtés du trône, les Sars-
d’armées, songeant toujours à la gloire
de David, regardent, par instants, luire,
autour d’eux, les herrebs des anciens
d’Israël, qui, à travers les batailles,
supportaient l’Arche du Sabaoth,—la
Barque-d’alliance, où s’entrecroisent les
deux stèles de la Loi sous le rouleau de
la Thora écrit de la main même de Bar-
Iokabëd, le moschë sublime, le
Libérateur.
Autour de l’estrade, les nègres, vêtus
d’écarlate, font osciller des flabelles
d’autruche, incrustées par des sardoines
aux tiges de longs roseaux d’or; ils
invoquent, tout bas, leur dieu Baal-
Zéboub, le Seigneur des mouches.
 Sur les degrés, des lynx féroces,
bondissant dans leurs chaînes, veillent
sur le lourd trépied d’onyx, œuvre
d’Adoniram et de ses ciseleurs, où repose
le sceptre d’Orient. Nul ne saurait séduire
par des caresses, ni fléchir par des
offrandes, les chiens mystérieux du Roi.
Entre les statues latérales, sous les
candélabres à sept branches, les fleurs et
les fruits de l’Hermon s’écroulent dans
les porphyres. La table, chargée des
présents de la reine Makédeïa,
l’enchanteresse venue de la saba
libyenne pour proposer des similitudes
au roi de la Judée, ploie sous les coupes
précieuses, les pannags de la Samarie,
les herbes amères, les gazelles, les
paons, les cédrats, les pains de
proposition, les oiseaux et les buires de
vins de Chanaan.
Sur un siège de cèdre, aux pieds des
chroubïm lumineux du Trône et entouré
de ses rudes guibborim, est assis, voûté,
pâle et sans boire, et le glaive sur les
genoux, le Sar-des-gardes Ben-Jëhu.
C’est l’antique exécuteur du rebelle
Adônia, ce frère du Maître, préféré
d’Abischag-la-Sulamite;—c’est le grand
serviteur militaire, le meurtrier
d’Ébyathar et du sar Simëi! et de Joab, le
vieux Pontife!—c’est le vivant herrëb du
Roi, celui qui frappe les victimes
désignées, même suspendues, avec des
mains suppliantes, aux coins de l’Autel.
 Auprès de lui, debout, le front éclairé
par la torche d’une statue, se tient muet,
les mains crispées sur les bras et comme
attendant quelque moment obscur,
l’héritier d’Israël, l’impolitique fils de
Naëma la princesse ammonite, le funeste
Réhabëam, qui ne doit régner que sur
Juda.
Au loin, sur les tapis du trône sont
étendues deux très jeunes vierges de
Millô, deux schoschannas, destinées aux
encensements dans les cryptes
souterraines du Temple devant la Pierre
fondamentale, l’Ebën-Schëtiya, que ne
touchèrent pas les eaux du Déluge. Entre
elles est assis, vêtu de pourpre noire
fleurie d’or, le prince Hayëm, l’adolescent
olivâtre, le baalkide aux cheveux tressés,
l’énigmatique rejeton que la reine du
Sud, dès son retour en Libye, avait
envoyé au beau Sage, seigneur des
Hébreux, en accompagnant ce fils d’une
suite d’éléphants chargés d’arbustes,
d’étoffes, d’essences, d’aromates et de
pierres brillantes. Hayëm, d’une voix très
basse, chantonne un chant inconnu! Et
quand les syllabes découvrent, entre ses
rouges lèvres, ses dents, celles-ci sont
toutes pareilles à celles de la pâle
épousée du Sir-Hasirim, blanches comme
des brebis sortant du bain.
Autour de la table se tient debout,
mangeant comme les pèlerins,
l’assemblée étincelante des Sophêtim,
patriarches de la Sagesse.
 Derrière eux resplendissent les
Industriels de l’or d’Ophir, les Négociants
des Vingt-villes de Schabul, les
Ambassadeurs de la mécontente
Idumée,—les Envoyés de Zour, et le
Collège des docteurs de Saddoc.
Toutes les tribus, toutes les
montagnes d’Israël ont livré leurs
richesses. Les grenades du mont Sanir,
les gâteaux de raisins de Cypre, les
grappes de troène du Galaad, les dattes
et les mandragores d’En-gaddi débordent
les aiguières.
Là-bas, près des gradins de cette
terrasse jusqu’où montent les feuillages
d’Étham,—au centre d’un groupe de
guerriers du pays d’Ézion-Güéber, avec
lesquels il boit, en riant, le vin de
Hébron,—un élancé jeune homme à
l’armure de cuir parfumé, au visage de
femme et vêtu en Sar-des-cavaleries,
parle, en étendant la main vers l’horizon.
C’est le favori du palais de Millô,—
l’ennemi!—le futur diviseur du royaume
de Dieu, le subtil Iarobëam qui doit
régner sur Israël et qui, déjà, s’enquiert,
sans se laisser distraire par la fête, des
frontières d’Éphraïme.
Mais, voici: les Musiciennes des
Chants-défendus, objuratrices d’amour,
inviolées comme le lis de leurs seins,
s’avancent, pâles sous leurs pierreries,
au son des kinnors, des tymbrils et des
cymbales. Soudain cessent les cantiques
des chanteuses de la tribu d’Issachar et
les harpes.
Parées d’étoffes sombres et le
bandeau de perles au front, les Femmes-
du-second-rang s’accoudent, avec des
poses abandonnées, sur les lits de
pourpre,—et, lorsqu’elles respirent leurs
sachets de besham, tintent les clochettes
d’argent qui brodent la frange de leurs
syndônes.
Au loin, les Charmeuses-
nephtaliennes, aux tresses rousses, les
vierges de la Palestine, les Hébreuses,
blanches comme les narcisses de
Schârons, les courtisanes sacrées venues
de la Babylonie, nageuses dorées de
l’Euphrate, les Sulamites, plus hâlées que
les tentes du Cédar, les Thébaïennes, aux
lignes déliées, au teint d’un rouge
sombre,—suivantes, autrefois, de
l’épouse morte du roi Mage, de la fille de
Psousennès, le pharaon,—enfin, les
Iduméennes, filles de délices, fleurs-vives
de la sauvage contrée aux brunes irisées
qu’à peine peut percer, de nuit, le feu
des étoiles, dansent, au nombre de trois
mille, en agitant des voiles tyriens, des
herrebim, des reptiles et des guirlandes,
devant l’Élu magnifique de la Judée, le
Maçon du Seigneur.

Mais le troisième côté de la Salle

donne sur la Nuit. Il plonge dans
l’obscurité ses esplanades désertes au-
dessus des régions de Josaphat.
Et voici que l’épaule du Médiateur a
tressailli sous la main du Roi, car les
ombres de la plate-forme solitaire
deviennent, d’instant en instant, plus
solennelles; elles s’épaississent et
s’émeuvent comme sous l’action d’un
soudain prodige.
A l’aspect des tourbillons précurseurs
des épouvantements, le Grand-ministre
détourne sa face de marbre vers les
femmes terrifiées et vers les guerriers
pâles; il s’écrie:
—Prêtres, ravivez la flamme-
septénaire des Chandeliers d’or! Qu’on
allume les sept-Chandeliers des
conjurations funèbres.—De vaines
fumées, tout à l’heure, vont apparaître,
qui se dissiperont d’elles-mêmes si on ne
les interroge pas. Que les nuages de vos
encensoirs, ô filles de Judée, vous
épargnent les obsessions inquiètes des
Esprits de l’éternelle Limite! Exultez,
avant que l’Heure vous rappelle au sein
de la terre.

Il dit. Et la fête reprend son

allégresse: on défie les sortilèges de
l’Assyrie! ses mages noirs avaient-ils su
délivrer, avant l’heure, Nëbou-Kudurri-
Ousour, son roi,—son roi, visionnaire de
baalïm d’or aux pieds d’argile,—qui,
marqué d’une réprobation d’Èlohim, erra,
sept années, sous le poil bestial, loin de
son opulence, à travers ces diluviennes
forêts qui enserrent l’immense
Schëunaar-aux-quatre-fleuves?—Les
danses de Maha-Naïm secouent leurs
palmes en fleur, les coupes scintillent; les
Nephtaliennes entrelacent les éclairs de
leurs javelots rassemblés, font siffler
leurs colliers de serpents; les torches
jettent des reflets de sang sur les
chevelures; des cris d’amour, des hymnes
idolâtres retentissent vers le Pacifique!...
Soudain, en mémoire de Jéricho, les
Capitaines des cavaliers de Sodome font
sonner sept fois leurs tubals de fer, et les
Rhoïms couronnés d’hysope, les Cohènes
de la souveraine-Sacrificature, en longs
vêtements blancs, apparaissent,
précédant l’Agneau-pascal.
Alors le feu de l’ivresse envahit la
multitude étincelante! On maudit le nom
de l’horrible statue qui, frappée du soleil,
appelait, aux travaux des Pharaons, les
ancêtres,—lorsque, accédant à la
menace, levée sur eux toujours, de ces
roseaux brûlants que dévora le bâton de
l’Échappé-des-eaux, ils se résignaient à
creuser, sur le granit rose des
pyramidions, malgré la défense des
Livres-futurs,—malgré la prohibition du
Lévitique!—les simulacres des ibis, des
criosphynx, des phœnix et des licornes,
êtres en horreur au Saint-des-saints, ou,
en durs hiéroglyphes, les hauts faits,
(nombreux comme le sable, évanouis
comme lui), et les noms d’abomination
de ces dynasties oubliées filles de Menès
le Ténébreux. On maudit les oignons du
salaire, les levains du pain de Memphis.
Malgré l’alliance avec le roi Nëchao, les
Plaies sont évoquées dans les
acclamations.
On heurte les cymbales sacrées,
prises au trésor du Temple, les cymbales
de triomphe que portait la vieille sœur
d’Aaron, lorsque, sous ses cheveux gris,
elle dansait, ivre de la colère de Dieu,
devant l’armée, sur les rivages de la mer.
Des poignées de roses sont lancées par
les gamaddim à la face des idoles
abjurées. Les eunuques simulent des
menaces dérisoires contre les Égyptiens;
un rugissement de délivrance et de joie,
pareil au murmure lointain du tonnerre,
passe, dans les nuées, au-dessus de
Hiérouschalaïm.

Cependant le Grand-Initié, ayant une

seconde fois relevé la tête et considéré,
plus attentif, le caractère des ombres, est
devenu soucieux.
La flamme des sept-Chandeliers qui
brûlent, espacés, devant l’esplanade,
s’est renversée contre l’assemblée: les
sept langues de feu, recourbées en
arrière sur leurs tiges d’or, palpitent,
allongées et haletantes, avec un bruit de
fléaux.
 Les serpents des Nephtaliennes se
sont dénoués et se cachent dans les
replis des chevelures. Les lynx,
maintenant blottis autour du vieillard
redouté, le regardent, inquiets et pleins
de grondements.
Mais lui s’efforce de pénétrer le sens
des présages: croisant ses phylactères
sacerdotaux sur les plis de son pallah
d’hyacinthe, il délibère. Vainement il a
consulté, d’un regard, les téraphim
mystérieux; avec le son de l’or vierge les
lames révélatrices se sont brisées.
Sur l’épaule du Médiateur est
demeurée la main radieuse du Roi. Les
yeux de Helcias la rencontrent: il voit
l’Anneau, le joyau-d’Alliance où s’allume
la première clavicule, la clef-cruciale,
figure de l’Abîme partagé en quatre
voies.
Le puissant pantacle est entouré par
la forme même de l’Anneau. Il est
emprisonné dans l’éclair de l’Anneau,
figure du Cercle-universel.
L’âme de Salomon, germe divin, est
mêlée aux reflets de ce signe victorieux
où s’épure, doucement, la lueur des
étoiles.
La clavicule est l’expression où le
Mage a concentré une partie des efforts
de sa pensée, une somme des pouvoirs
conquis dans le triomphe des épreuves,
afin d’agir plus directement sur les forces
intimes de l’Univers.
Ce Talisman de la Croix stellaire que
contemple Helcias est pénétré d’une
énergie capable de maîtriser la violence
des éléments. Dilué, par myriades, sur la
terre, ce Signe, en son poids spirituel,
exprime et consacre la valeur des
hommes, la science prophétique des
nombres, la majesté des couronnes, la
beauté des douleurs. Il est l’emblème de
l’autorité dont l’Esprit revêt, secrètement,
un être ou une chose. Il détermine, il
rachète, il précipite à genoux, il éclaire!...
Les profanateurs eux-mêmes fléchissent
devant lui. Qui lui résiste est son esclave.
Qui le méconnaît étourdiment souffre à
jamais de ce dédain. Partout il se dresse,
ignoré des enfants du siècle, mais
inévitable.
La Croix est la forme de l’Homme
lorsqu’il étend les bras vers son désir ou
se résigne à son destin. Elle est le
symbole même de l’Amour, sans qui tout
acte demeure stérile. Car à l’exaltation
du cœur se vérifie toute nature
prédestinée. Lorsque le front seul
contient l’existence d’un homme, cet
homme n’est éclairé qu’au-dessus de la
tête: alors son ombre jalouse, renversée
toute droite au-dessous de lui, l’attire par
les pieds, pour l’entraîner dans l’Invisible.
En sorte que l’abaissement lascif de ses
passions n’est, strictement, que le revers
de la hauteur glacée de ses esprits. C’est
pourquoi le Seigneur dit: Je connais les
pensées des sages et je sais jusqu’à quel
point elles sont vaines.

A peine le Grand-Médiateur a-t-il

considéré l’infaillible, le céleste Anneau,
qu’aussitôt, en face de lui, les sept
flammes des Chandeliers d’or se tendent
et se prolongent, immobiles, pareilles à
sept épées brûlantes.
Le conjurateur reconnaît, enfin, les
concordances dénonciatrices d’un Être du
plus haut ciel. Son visage, plus
impassible que celui des idoles, prend,
silencieusement, la couleur des
sépulcres. Il sent que le mandataire d’un
Ordre incommutable s’approche, dans
l’intérieur des airs, franchissant et
refoulant les profondeurs: la tempête de
son vol motive l’amoncellement des
ombres. Une colonne s’écroule, soudain,
près de l’esplanade; le flamboiement
d’une signature occulte sillonne les
ruines...
Helcias a recouvré l’intrépidité de son
âme. Avec un frémissement de joie
auguste, il a constaté le salëm de Dieu,
le signe d’Élohim, le pantacle de la Mort.
—Celui qui vient, c’est Azraël.
Et la multitude livide s’écrie, dans la
Salle:
—Un éclair!
 —La foudre vient de tomber sur la
vallée!...
—C’est un orage qui passe.

Les voix se sont tues sur le mont des

Offenses; c’est la douzième heure de la
nuit: un souffle très froid parcourt, de
toutes parts, l’embrasement de la joie
pascale.
La foule veut se rapprocher des
terrasses: le malaise devient supplice.
L’aspect de la Salle change avec la
soudaineté des visions: des flots vivants
refluent vers le Trône et des clameurs,
sans nombre, en désordre:
—Éveille-toi, Fort d’Israël!
—Pomme d’or!
—Très élevé!
Et les épouses de la tribu de Ruben,
les compagnes de Bath-Schëba, la royale
mère, saisies de frayeur:
—Roi, voici la lèpre qui vient du
désert!
Et les femmes de la reine Naëma, les
radieuses Ammonites, ajoutent, en
dialecte jébuséen:
—Fils de l’amour! Un signe de ta
droite puissante vers la contrée du fléau!
 Dès les premiers ordres d’Helcias,
Iarobëam, bondissant sur l’un des
chevaux du roi, s’est précipité à travers
les dalles des terrasses et a disparu vers
Ir-David.
L’atmosphère semble chargée d’un
poids très lourd: elle cesse lentement
d’être de celles que peut respirer
l’Humanité.
Comme aux soirs du Déluge, une
pluie inconnue tombe, au dehors, en
larges gouttes pressées: la nuit,
cependant, reste claire au-dessus des
ombres, dans les cieux.
Les Médecins de la ville-basse qui
sont demeurés assis, avec des sourires,
se dressent brusquement et, bégayant
en mémoire du Législateur, montrent, du
bout de leurs bâtons d’olivier, les
danseuses de Nephtali:
—Ce sont les violatrices des
étrangers. Elles portent le ferment des
contagions, allumé par les anciens
adultères! Ce sont ces femmes de qui
proviennent les émanations mortelles!
Consultez le livre des Sophêtim! A la
croix, ces lépreuses! Elles ont
empoisonné les urnes du palais, les
vieilles coupes de David.
En entendant cette accusation, les
Nécromanciennes du pays de Moâb,
reconnaissables à l’aileron de corbeau
qu’elles portent sur le front pour toute
parure et, la nuit, sur les champs de
bataille, pour tout vêtement:
—Helcias! Prononce-toi contre elles
devant les grands d’Israël, et que la
progéniture de Khamôs invoque son
père!
Mais le Ministre regarde fixement les
nuées au-dessus de Josaphat.
Le prince Réhabëam, n’osant dire
«Mon père!» au Roi-des-Mages, regarde
aussi, mais avec un tremblement,
l’effrayant aspect de l’espace:
—Quel nouveau visage prend la Nuit!
s’écrie-t-il.
Ceux de Lévi—les sectateurs du Que
faut-il faire? Je le fais!—trébuchant de
frayeur dans leurs robes sacrées,
s’efforcent de haranguer les convives:
des cris les interrompent: ce sont les
Industriels de l’or d’Ophir, hommes pleins
de ruses, fort au-dessus des
superstitions, mais qui estiment la
science du Roi:
—Cent talents à qui réveillera le
Maître!
Ils ne disent pas si les talents seront
d’argent ou d’or, et l’argent, sous le
règne de Salomon, est, comme les
pierres, sans aucune valeur.
De toutes parts ce sont des poitrines
plus oppressées.
 Les pâles musiciennes de Sidon,
présent du roi Hiram, s’embrassent, dans
l’ombre, avec de longs adieux: elles se
disent à l’oreille, sur un rythme
monotone, leur chant de mort où revient
sans cesse le nom d’Astarté.
Les saras se tordent les bras et,
contemplant l’Ecclésiaste:
—Rouvre les yeux, fils de David!
—Il nous abandonne! Il est perdu
devant la face même d’Addôn-aï!
s’écrient les Amorrhéennes plus amères
que la Mort.
Et les Sars-d’armées:
—Iahvè cède à la prière indignée des
nabis, qui, perdus au fond des cavernes
de l’Idumée ou sur les monts, te
menacent!
—Un ordre contre les vieux rebelles,
Schëlomo!
—Songe que David, le triomphateur
de Séïr, en expirant te disait: «Que leurs
cheveux blancs descendent,
ensanglantés, dans le schëol!»
Et les Négociants des Vingt-Villes:
—Yoschua, cette nuit, eût hâté le
retour de l’Astre, lui qui obtint d’en
prolonger la lumière sur les combats!... Il
n’est plus, le Pasteur d’Israël!
A ce nom, les Capitaines des cavaliers
de Sodome s’émeuvent en vociférations
horribles: ils se souviennent des
victoires! Leurs voix dominent, un
instant, toutes les rumeurs de la Salle:
—C’était lui, le Précurseur!
—Qui marcha dans Chanaan!
—Qui tua trente-deux rois, incendia
deux cent trois villes!
—Et qui, à l’instigation de l’Être-des-
Dieux, fit passer au fil de l’épée les
femmes, les guerriers, les mulets, les
vieillards, les ambassadeurs, les enfants
et les otages!
—Puis s’endormit, en Éphraïm, avec
ses pères, rassasié de jours et satisfait!
Un silence douloureux succède à ces
lourdes clameurs militaires; l’on n’entend
plus, devant le Trône, que la paisible
respiration du prince Hayëm, qui s’est
endormi, sur des coussins, entre les
schoschannas aussi ensommeillées, et
qui, naïves, le front sur son sein,
tiennent encore, comme lui, des osselets
d’ébène entre leurs doigts d’enfants
surpris par le naturel repos.
—Déchirons nos vêtements! crient les
Hébreuses épouvantées.—De la cendre,
esclaves!...
Tel le vent d’orage courbe les plantes
et leur souffle des mots sans suite.
 Mais le roi Salomon n’est,
essentiellement, ni dans la Salle, ni dans
la Judée, ni dans les mondes sensibles,—
ni, même, dans le Monde.
Depuis longtemps son âme est
affranchie;—elle n’est plus celle des
hommes;—elle habite des lieux
inaccessibles, au delà des sphères
révélées.
Vivre? Mourir?... Ces paroles ne
touchent plus son esprit passé dans
l’Éternel.
Le Mage n’est que par accident où il
paraît être. Il ne connaît plus les désirs,
les terreurs, les plaisirs, les colères, les
peines. Il voit; il pénètre. Dispersé dans
les formes infinies, lui seul est libre.
Parvenu à ce degré suprême
d’impersonnalité qui l’identifie à ce qu’il
contemple, il vibre et s’irradie en la
totalité des choses.
Salomon n’est plus dans l’Univers que
comme le jour est dans un édifice.

Où sont, à présent, les danses du

Bourg-de-Volupté? les éclats des
cymbales? le bourdonnement des
lyres?... Un souffle a dissipé ce rêve.
On étouffe, on chancelle sur les tapis
sombres, on assiège le Trône.
 Ben Jëhu, le sar-des-gardes, a fait un
signe: ses guibborim vont tendre leurs
lances d’airain contre la foule...
Mais les lynx invulnérables grondent;
leurs trente-trois têtes forment une
hydre pareille à la queue d’un paon qui
se déploie: on recule; la frayeur distend
toutes les prunelles.
Aveuglés par l’ivresse des
consternations subites, les convives ne
se sont pas aperçus de ce qui se passe
autour d’eux. Pourtant sur eux pèse une
influence souveraine.
Insensiblement les torches ont pâli:
les glaives ont perdu leurs reflets; les
parfums des encensoirs sont devenus
amers; l’eau du Temps mortel a cessé de
couler des horloges; les rumeurs ne
trouvent plus dans l’air ni vibrations, ni
échos.—Voici: des chuchotements, par
milliers, et, cependant, très distincts, se
répondent; la foule hurlante semble
parler à voix basse.
Une intensité croissante d’obscurité a
suffoqué les lampes, les torches, les
lumières; on se heurte dans des vagues
de brouillard: le palais de Salomon,
depuis la base jusqu’au faîte, semble
enveloppé de cette brume qui, au pied
du granitique Nébo, couvre la mer Morte.
Et les formes humaines s’effacent
sous les statues.
 Tout à coup, sur la trame
crépusculaire de l’espace, transparaît le
Violateur de la Vie, le Visiteur-aux-mains-
éteintes!... Il est debout sur l’esplanade
devant les Sept-Chandeliers; il tressaille
et flamboie. Ses bras fluides sont
chargés de ruissellements d’orage. Ses
yeux d’aurores boréales s’abaissent sur
la fête; sa chevelure, que le vent n’ose
effleurer, couvre ses épaules
surnaturelles, comme le feuillage des
saules sur les eaux d’argent, la nuit;—
déjà les dalles se fendent sous la glace
des pieds nus du mélancolique Azraël!—
Et, à travers le crêpe de ses six ailes qui
tremblent encore sur l’horizon, les astres
ne sont plus que des points rouges, des
charbons fumant çà et là dans les
abîmes.
Instantanément les lambris d’ivoire se
ternissent comme sous le poids des
siècles.
Les ouvertures des draperies tendues
entre les colonnes par les torsades de
bronze laissent passer tristement, dans la
Salle, un long triangle de clarté.
Le croissant glisse entre les nuées du
ciel, illuminant, parmi des groupes
confus, la face pâle d’un sophet, étendu
dans ses vêtements sacerdotaux.
Par instants, une escarboucle jette sa
lueur livide; des chevelures, des
cymbales d’or, des voiles, des blancheurs
éparses scintillent; ce sont les
musiciennes entrelacées, qui n’ont pas
jeté de plaintes.
Aux pieds des lits de pourpre, contre
le gland des coussins, sur les tapis, des
pierreries brûlent, isolées.
Et là-bas, perdu sous les profondeurs
des colonnades, un lynx, ayant au cou le
tronçon de sa chaîne, hurle, vacillant, sur
les épaules d’une statue.—Il tombe; sa
chute résonne un moment, puis
s’étouffe... C’est le dernier bruit.
Tout s’ensevelit dans la solennité des
noirs silences, dans le sommeil sans
rêves.
Sous l’ombre d’Azraël la Salle est
devenue immémoriale.
Seuls, aux trois angles, sous les
lampes d’argile consacrées au Nom, les
sphynx d’Égypte ont soulevé lentement
leurs paupières et, faisant évoluer leurs
prunelles de granit, glissent vers le
Messager leur regard éternel.

Ainsi qu’un foudre radieux qui a

traversé des torrents de vapeurs
fumantes, ce soir, moulant sur l’épaisseur
de nos airs mortels sa forme nébuleuse,
le fatal Chëroub est là, debout, sur cette
terrasse du palais de Salomon.
Impénétrable à des yeux d’argile, la
face du Messager ne peut être perçue
que par l’esprit. Les créatures éprouvent
seulement les influences qui sont
inhérentes à l’entité archangélique.
Aucun espace ne pourrait contenir un
seul de ces esprits que proféra l’Irrévélé
en deçà des temps et des jours. Efflux
éternisés de la Nécessité divine, les
Anges ne sont, en substance, que dans
la libre sublimité des Cieux-absolus, où la
réalité s’unifie avec l’idéal. Ce sont des
pensers de Dieu, discontinués en êtres
distincts par l’effectualité de la Toute-
puissance.—Réflexes, ils ne
s’extériorisent que dans l’extase qu’ils
suscitent et qui fait partie d’Eux-mêmes.
Cependant, de même qu’en un miroir
d’airain, posé à terre, se reproduisent, en
leur illusion, les profondes solitudes de la
nuit et ses mondes d’étoiles, ainsi les
Anges, à travers les voiles translucides
de la vision, peuvent impressionner les
prunelles des prédestinés, des saints,
des mages! C’est la terre seule, brouillard
oublié, que ne distinguent plus ces
prunelles élues; elles ne répercutent que
l’infinie-Clarté.
C’est pourquoi, dans son regard
sacré, le roi Salomon a le pouvoir de
réfléchir la face même d’Azraël.

Au sentiment des approches de

l’Exterminateur, Helcias a tressailli
d’espérance. Abîmé en soi-même, il
songe que le dernier chaînon qui le
rattache encore à la vie va se briser tout
à l’heure.
Dans la hiérarchie suprême des
intelligences purifiées, n’a-t-il pas
conquis le rang précis et légitime où il
pouvait parvenir? N’a-t-il pas atteint sa
limite glorieuse et suffi à ses futurs
destins?
Voici donc l’instant de sa vocation
vers de plus hautes natures! Son cercle
est enfin révolu. De nouveaux efforts,
désormais stériles, ne le rendraient que
pareil à ces grands oiseaux solitaires qui,
jaloux d’élévations toujours plus
radieuses, battent inutilement des ailes
dans des hauteurs irrespirables,
devenues trop éthérées pour supporter
leur poids et que leur vol ne dépasse
plus.
Il attend le souffle libérateur d’Azraël.

Il attend!
Tout lui prouve la visitation de Dieu.
Il a souffert, pieusement, les
dernières minutes d’angoisses bénies qui
précèdent le salut.
Il va donc recevoir le prix de ses
épreuves!... Il goûte déjà, sans doute,
les joies suprêmes de l’Élection!
 L’espérance de l’évasion prochaine le
transfigure à tel point que le long éclair
de ses prunelles, traversant la
profondeur des ombres, sous les voûtes,
suspend, un instant, le sommeil funèbre
de la foule.
Çà et là, dans la brume, des yeux
presque ressuscités le contemplent avec
une religieuse épouvante.
Une seconde encore et le terme sera
franchi de toute servitude!...
—Mais comment se fait-il que, la
seconde étant passée, il n’ait pu
s’évanouir en la Vision divine?
D’où vient que, à peine ranimée, la
foule de ces êtres muets défaille de
nouveau, et s’assombrisse, et
s’immobilise, et se confonde avec la nuit?
C’est que le vieil Initié a perdu, tout à
coup, la splendeur de sa sérénité. Il
s’émeut, en effet,—et l’étrange indécision
de son regard dénonce le vertige de ses
sensations.
—Ah! c’est qu’il se sent toujours
palpiter dans les entraves de la Vie!...
C’est que le divin anéantissement ne
s’est pas accompli.
Déjà les doutes l’assaillent; déjà,
pareils à la fumée d’une torche, les
hordes inquiètes des samaëls, qui
importunent les accesseurs du Parvis-
Occulte, s’émeuvent, tentateurs aux
suggestions désolatrices, autour de lui:
son front s’enténèbre au frôler de leurs
ailes mortes. Il se ressouvient, en un
désespoir jaloux, que des éternités le
séparent de cet état de pureté sublime
où, dès ce monde et à travers toutes les
joies, est parvenu Salomon.
Le sentiment de cette différence
entre sa consécration et celle du Royal-
Inspiré suscite en lui des terreurs
nouvelles dont l’intensité s’augmente à
chaque battement de ses tempes
glacées.
Comment l’horreur de ces instants lui
est-elle infligée, s’il a mérité la
Lumière!...
Il subit un intervalle inconnu.
Il est pareil à une pierre volcanique
qui, animée d’une impulsion terrible,
serait retenue au bord du cratère par la
vertu d’une loi miraculeuse, et qui se
consumerait de sa vitesse intérieure,
sans se désagréger ni se dissoudre.
L’heure passe, vague, lourde,
insaisissable...
Il s’interroge. Certes, un trouble se
produit, à son sujet, au fond des lois
divines?...
Épouvantée de l’hésitation du Ciel,
son intelligence retombe et tournoie
dans un délire d’inquiétudes
surnaturelles. Un vaste effroi neutralise
la vertu de ses pensées.
 Ainsi l’influence d’Azraël immobile se
manifeste pour Helcias sous la forme de
ces anxiétés effroyables.
Le vieillard, maintenant éperdu,
ressemble à un prêtre qui survivrait à ses
dieux morts. Il ne peut déserter
l’habitacle charnel où il est surpris et rivé
par le regard d’un Être dont la
conception totale dépasse la hauteur de
son esprit. Le voici haletant comme une
victime. Ce qui le précipite du Seuil de
Domination et le replonge dans la vieille
poussière oubliée des sensations
humaines, ce n’est pas la présence de
l’Exterminateur même, c’est
l’impénétrable inaction, en son attribut
essentiel, d’un Être de cette origine.
Inconscient de ses actes, il agite
autour de lui le faisceau redoutable des
conjurations, oubliant leur vanité devant
ce Messager! Mais sa voix n’est déjà plus
celle qui obtient toujours sans jamais
prier.
Ses obsécrations, refoulées par les
Sept-Flammes de l’esplanade, retombent
autour de lui, peuplant l’air, tristement,
de larves et de fantômes! Son aspect
actuel annonce qu’il est né en des âges
plus anciens que l’heure de sa naissance
terrestre. Il ramène sur son front un pan
du manteau du Roi d’Israël et,
abandonnant sa volonté au sombre
Destin:
 —Ellël! invoque-t-il,—si la foudre, en
frappant tes yeux, n’y devient qu’une
lueur de plus, soulève, de tes doigts
impérissables, les paupières du Roi!...
Tel, autrefois, sous les voûtes
d’Endor, sa mère Holda, sur le trépied
des évocations, aboya des formules qui
firent surgir devant la muraille, l’ombre
de Schemouël.

Cependant Salomon, ayant enfin

relevé ses longues paupières, considérait
en silence le Génie des Vallées-futures.
Mais ce n’était pas sur le visage du
Roi que les yeux fixes de l’Ange se
tendaient, éblouissants comme les
flèches qui volent dans le soleil.
L’Envoyé regardait Helcias avec
l’anxieux frémissement d’une surprise
mystérieuse: il semblait que le Misaël,
hésitant à se rapprocher du vieillard,
méditât, pour la première fois, depuis les
temps, sur l’ordre qu’ON lui avait donné.
C’est pourquoi le front du Roi-divin se
couvrit de nuages au-dessus du vieil
Initié, ainsi que, mille années plus tard et
à cette heure même, l’étoile d’Éphrata
sur la Judée sanglante, le soir des
Innocents.
Sans force, même pour se prosterner,
éperdu sous le regard invisiblement
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