Classic Poem

Forth from our strongholds we come with a rush and a turbulence wonderful,
Smiting the foe unto death, the foe ever boasting and blunderful,
Ay! like a storm sweeping down, impetuous, terrific and thunderful!

See! the foe fly in their fear when we charge with heroic audacity!
See them bewildered and crushed by our valor and mad pertinacity!
How can they stand against us, gaunt lions and bears of rapacity?

Well may they pray to the gods to soften our changeless severity!
Well may they weep and bemoan their preposterous and wretched temerity!
Well may they pray to the gods to defend them from Nebo's asperity!

Well may they tremble and fly, the jest and the jeer of humanity!
Well may they curse in the dark on their monarch's ignoble insanity!
Under our glittering spears he will writhe in his feminine vanity.

Then Ammarac plucked his sick courage up,
And placed the deadly javelin to his heart,
And would have died thinking of Alca's arms
Entwined around the body of his king,
Had not a hand, stretched forward from the dark,
Stayed his first strain, and lo! before him stood
A bearded savior, a mysterious man,
Grave and majestic, whom he oft had seen,
A wrinkled Jew, a man of holy looks.
Known in the town as Daniel, and a seer.
And Daniel spoke and said: " My worthy son,
Take not the gift of life God gave to thee,
But live, and suffer if thou must, but live!
For it is sin to take thy life, indeed.
I know thy grief, the outrage and the wiles
Of sinful priests, who stripped thee of thy right.
I know the woman thou didst idly woo,
Yea, knew her when a tender girl, and saw
Within her childish eyes the glance of sin,
And prophesied that she would be a toy
For half the town, and it shall come to pass;
For, weary of the king, Bel-shar-uzzur,
She will depart ere long with many gifts,
And keep a dwelling for the wealthy youth,
And live and die in perfumes and in lust.
Youth! I have spoken to thee; mark my words,
And, if thy wounds are far from being healed,
Come unto my abode of purest peace,
Come to the quarter of the hated Jews,
Whose hour of triumph cometh, and relate
Once more with many words thy grievances! "
Then through dark ways the Prophet Daniel led
The stricken warrior toward the Jewish huts,
To listen to his story till the dawn,
And at its end he cried: " Maltreated friend,
To-morrow I will go unto the king! "

Then from the gloom and horror of the spot
Arose the bitter moan of Hebrew slaves:

" Oh Jehovah!
Hear our prayers.
From the snares
That surround us
And dumfound us,
Where we hover,
Under and over,
Through the city,
Give thy pity!
Deign to guard us,
And discard us
From thee never,
But forever
Give salvation
To thy nation!

" From the awful,
Foul, unlawful
God Bel, painted,
Oh, great sainted,
Proud Jehovah!
Shield and bless us,
Nor distress us!
Isolated,
Beaten, hated,
Generated
Here in error,
We in terror
Pass our lives!
We are goaded
Like beasts loaded,
And our wives,
Sons and daughters
By the waters
Of the city
Work and labor
For their neighbor,
Without pity!
Isolated,
Beaten, hated,
In our sorrow
We can borrow
Consolation
From no human,
Man or woman,
Of this nation!
Men ill treat us,
Scorn and beat us!
Babylon's graves
Are o'ercrowded!
We are shrouded
In the waves
Of the river!
Oh! deliver
Now thy sons!
Guard thy naked
And unslaked
Wretched ones
From the rigid
Force and frigid
Clutch of Bel,
Fiend from hell!
Deign to guard us!
Oh! discard us
From thee never,
But forever
Bring salvation
To thy nation! "