And now, to fruitful lands, 'neath favoring skies,
Befriended by the just[22], the brave, the wise,
Till truth, too mighty for the common ken,
Hath put a sword betwixt the souls of men,
Fares garnered Ephraim, earliest offering[23]
Of Israel's hope, Idumea's harvesting.
Nations besprent with Abrahamic blood
Meet there and mingle in that widening flood.
Impelled by helping hand or hostile power, 2870
By friendly looks or frowns that darkly lower,
Gathers the flock of faith from every land
Where roving Ephraim mixt with Japheth's band;
Philistia's shoulder bearing Israel's flight,
That Japheth, too, may come to Zion's light,
And Joseph be o'er all his brethren blest,
A saviour in his Egypt of the West[24],
Where corn and wine, 'mid famine, comfort life,
Where peace and plenty shame a world at strife,
And, bending from the ice-barred North, shall come— 2880
As bent their stars in his, the dreamer's dome—
Assyria's long lost captives[25], wending home.
Westward, far westward, chase the lingering night,
Impelling Spirit! Angel of the Light!
Westward, still westward, till the morn shall burn
In high meridian glory; till shall turn
Fate's restless tide, re-rolling o'er the East,
Spoiling the spoiler, spreading freedom's feast,
Foiling dark anarchy, thy fellest foe,
Land, chosen land! stunned, staggering 'neath its blow; 2890
Rallying the loyal[26] in a common cause,
Rending the eagle from the bear's red claws;
Hurling invasion backward o'er the Isles,
Building anew upon the olden piles,
Beginnings of the crowning commonhood—
A modern Zion where the ancient stood.
Backward, roll backward, river of the blood!
Back to thy fountain, hurrying human flood—
To Adam's land, the far Edenic shore;
For last is first and old is new once more, 2900
And nations rise where nations fell before!
Joseph, uprisen from the grave-like mound,
His ancient and inglorious battle ground[27],
Retreads with modern step the painful path
Where erst he fled[28], a fugitive from wrath;
Fated to flee till ebbs that westward flow,
Bearing from Japheth bitter curse and blow,
While patient heaven holds off the woeful fate
That cometh swift and layeth desolate
The powers that prey on Jacob—all that hate 2910
The God of Joseph, and the just decree
That builds him here a boundless destiny.
Westward, burn westward, morn divinely bright!
Morn of Jehovah, morn of Jacob's might!
But stand thou still on Zion, glorious light!
For there must dawn the day that knows no night.
Beginnings that have here in beauty stood,
Prone, as from withering fire or wasting flood,
A little season wrecked and ruined lie[29],
Till they that build put pride and passion by, 2920
And, taught by pain, through suffering's fiercest fires,
Part with all lustful, covetous desires.
When faith shall wear the armor without flaw,
And union such as sainted Enoch saw[30]
Honors the fullness of celestial law,
Then—sword of God and blade of Gideon,
Dazzling, confounding, driving on and on,
Till besomed as with fire the fated land,
Where Zion, guileless, glorious, shall stand,
A terror only to her trembling foes[31], 2930
Ensign of peace and Eden of repose,
Where life's tree blossoms and light's fountain flows.
Meanwhile her valiant ones, her tried and true
Daughters and sons, shall they not dare and do?
In vain, alas! in vain of such to sing,
With trembling hand a tuneless harp I string.
For who can count the cost, the painful price,
Measure the sorrow and the sacrifice,
Rare spirits of a more than Spartan race
Compelled their souls of halting dread to face? 2940
Harp of the Hebrew seer! Be thine to break
The muse's slumber, bid the world awake,
And glow o'er deeds yet done for conscience' sake.
What tongue than Zion's own can loose the spell?
Whose voice than modern Leah's, Rachel's, tell
The story of a burden borne so well?
Bending, not breaking, 'neath thy load of care,
Sowing to joy, thou shalt not reap despair!
Planting the hope of human purity,
That righteousness may crown futurity,— 2950
Patience! endure! for pain shall bring thee power[32].
Time but a dream—eternity thy dower.
Where perfect love casts forth the jealous fear,
A diamond in thy diadem each tear;
And every sigh that rent thy suffering breast,
A wave of rapture on the shores of rest.
My lot as thine, purest of pure-in-heart!
Be mine the bitter as the better part.