My people cried unto their God, A zealous God who heard their cry; He walks the earth in majesty, And rules supreme the far-stretched sky; He called them to possess His land, The kindred of a noble breed, That they in large and liberal ways May serve their God, they must be freed! The woes of thousand pains they bear, Baked by the sun that steams the NileFor every blow a foreman dealt They wrought some huge but bloody pile. The Egypt that you rule, they reared, An empire mighty as the sea, And for the things their hands have made Their Father's God now sets them free! My people must go free this day! My God hath sent me to your face But Pharaoh of the hardened heart, His face grew hard, his heart was cold, He raised no hand nor bent his knee— How could he, bred in lust and greed, Let slaves who served his throne go free? Night shrouded him and Egypt's Nile. Till lastly Death, as hard as he, The slaving people were set free. But Pharaoh lives in every age To covet lust and power and might, Is lifted up to urge his plea, Where wrong enthroned grows hard of heart And will not let the people free! RABBI JOSEPH LEISER 25 MOSES IN THE DESERT Go where a foot hath never trod, His presence dwells in every tree. To Israel and to Egypt dead, Moses, the fugitive, appears; Unknown he lived, till o'er his head But God the wandering exile found The lonely bush a tree became, A tree of beauty and of light, Involved with unconsuming flame, That made the moon around it night. Then came th'Eternal voice that spake By Moses, old and slow of speech, Jehovah's messenger! to teach That power belongs to God alone. JAMES MONTGOMERY 26 THE SEVENTH PLAGUE OF EGYPT 'Twas morn-the rising splendor rolled The slave, the gemmed and glittering page- A dazzling ring round Pharaoh's throne. There came a man-the human tide Shrank backward from his stately stride: A shudder of instinctive fear Told the dark king what step was near; He stooped not at the footstool stone; His only words,-" Be just, O king!" Yet on the chief of Israel No arrow of his thousands fell: All mute and moveless as the grave Stood chilled the satrap and the slave. "Thou'rt come," at length the monarch spoke; The forehead peeled, the shoulder bare? Shouted in pride the turbaned peers, Up clashed to heaven the golden spears. 66 King! thou and thine are doomed! Behold!" The prophet spoke-the thunder rolled! Along the pathway of the sun Sailed vapory mountains, wild and dun. "Yet there is time," the prophet said: He raised his staff-the storm was stayed: "King, be the word of freedom given. What art thou, man, to war with Heaven?” There came no word--the thunder broke! Like a huge city's final smoke, Thick, lurid, stifling, mixed with flame, Wide flew the men of spear and shield; Flew the proud pageant, prince and slave; |