FROM far-off ages hath this people sprung, To Yahweh clinging still, as they have clung The centuries through. Tenacity of mind In every generation—well defined— And purposes unshaken, are the fruit Of worship such as theirs. They pay no suit To king or prince for favors. Like a rock That's beaten by the waves they stand the shock Of prejudice, that, never ceasing, rolls And rushes all around them. And their souls Within their temples cluster, drawing near The altar that has ever been so dear To Israel; and Israel's mighty God Seems here to speak the plainer. From the rod Of gentile hatred here they turn to pray, For this to them seems the most righteous way. While we, whose minds in every season turn To seek or find some "New Religion," learn To look upon the Israelitish men With reverence for their steadfast worship. When The "candles" we have lighted waver so That we are lost in "ists" and "isms," lo! We see their great lamp burning still and bright; A long white pathway shining on the night! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE INDIAN EMPEROR: SONG by JOHN DRYDEN THE PRINCESS: SONG by ALFRED TENNYSON ICHABOD by JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER IMPROMPTU LINES ON JULY FOURTH by FRANKLIN PIERCE ADAMS THE WORLD'S DESIRE by RICHARD EUGENE BURTON |