Israel in Egypt A Poem. By Edwin Atherstone |
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 | Israel in Egypt |  |
“Out of my sight, ye wizards! for your deed
This filthiness is. Behold! even on the king
Ye cast your dirt. But, hearken now my word.
This pest, I doubt not, quickly as it came,
As quickly will depart; like your blood-plague,
And those detested reptiles: but, if not,—
Or if yet other magic ye put forth
On me, and on my people,—by all gods
Here swear I, on the gallows ye shall hang,
Till every bone be whitened! Get you hence!
I will not hear you.”
This filthiness is. Behold! even on the king
Ye cast your dirt. But, hearken now my word.
This pest, I doubt not, quickly as it came,
As quickly will depart; like your blood-plague,
And those detested reptiles: but, if not,—
Or if yet other magic ye put forth
On me, and on my people,—by all gods
Here swear I, on the gallows ye shall hang,
Till every bone be whitened! Get you hence!
I will not hear you.”
“For thine own sake, king,
List thou my words,” calmly then Moses said:
“For not mine are they, but the Lord's. Great sin
Hast thou committed: and the punishment
Lighter than thy desert. For, not content,
To hold enslaved whom thou hadst vowed to loose,—
Their bonds thou didst make heavier; yea, didst send
To servile labor, women delicate,
And maidens young and tender, who, till then,
Such tasks wrought never,—their own household work,
Sole labor they had known. And thy proud dames,
Seeing their wretchedness, no pity felt;
But pointed with the finger; mocked at them;
And bade the taskmasters to scourge them hard,—
Even as the idle men. But now, behold,
Pure as fresh snow from soil, from this foul plague
Pure are those Hebrew women;—thy proud dames
Filthy, abominable, loathsome, vile;
Detesting each the other,—each herself;
All weary of their lives!”
List thou my words,” calmly then Moses said:
“For not mine are they, but the Lord's. Great sin
Hast thou committed: and the punishment
Lighter than thy desert. For, not content,
To hold enslaved whom thou hadst vowed to loose,—
Their bonds thou didst make heavier; yea, didst send
To servile labor, women delicate,
And maidens young and tender, who, till then,
Such tasks wrought never,—their own household work,
Sole labor they had known. And thy proud dames,
Seeing their wretchedness, no pity felt;
But pointed with the finger; mocked at them;
And bade the taskmasters to scourge them hard,—
Even as the idle men. But now, behold,
Pure as fresh snow from soil, from this foul plague
Pure are those Hebrew women;—thy proud dames
Filthy, abominable, loathsome, vile;
Detesting each the other,—each herself;
All weary of their lives!”
“And whose the blame?”
Fiercely cried Pharaoh; “Is not this thy work,
And his, thy fellow wizard? Nought, indeed,
Of this ye threatened; ne'ertheless, 'tis yours:
Gainsay it if ye can. Your insolence
And spite alone had dared it. Take it off,
Or death shall you take off, and speedily;
By Egypt's gods I swear!”
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And his, thy fellow wizard? Nought, indeed,
Of this ye threatened; ne'ertheless, 'tis yours:
Gainsay it if ye can. Your insolence
And spite alone had dared it. Take it off,
Or death shall you take off, and speedily;
By Egypt's gods I swear!”
“Not ours the work,”
Calmly said Moses, “but the Lord's it was:
Nor threatened, as to come, but sent at once;
A punishment direct, on sin then done:
For thou hadst lied to God. When that last plague
Strongly was on you all, didst thou not say,
‘This is indeed from God! Entreat the Lord
That He may take away this scourge from me,
And from my people,—then shall Israel go,
That they may sacrifice unto the Lord’?
Yea, Pharaoh, so thou saidst; and yet, behold,
When He my prayer had hearkened; and the plague
Had bid depart,—harshly didst thou refuse
To let our people go: nay heavier tasks
Didst put upon them; and their women, too,
As slaves didst make to labor! Then, O king,
For thy great falsehood, and the cruelty
Of thy proud dames,—with this abhorrëd plague
The hand of God did smite you. Nor think thou
That threat of thine can make us take it off.
Not ours it is; nor, at our word, will bide,
Or will depart. He only, who hath sent,
Can bid it stay, or go.”
Calmly said Moses, “but the Lord's it was:
Nor threatened, as to come, but sent at once;
A punishment direct, on sin then done:
For thou hadst lied to God. When that last plague
Strongly was on you all, didst thou not say,
‘This is indeed from God! Entreat the Lord
That He may take away this scourge from me,
And from my people,—then shall Israel go,
That they may sacrifice unto the Lord’?
Yea, Pharaoh, so thou saidst; and yet, behold,
When He my prayer had hearkened; and the plague
Had bid depart,—harshly didst thou refuse
To let our people go: nay heavier tasks
Didst put upon them; and their women, too,
As slaves didst make to labor! Then, O king,
For thy great falsehood, and the cruelty
Of thy proud dames,—with this abhorrëd plague
The hand of God did smite you. Nor think thou
That threat of thine can make us take it off.
Not ours it is; nor, at our word, will bide,
Or will depart. He only, who hath sent,
Can bid it stay, or go.”
“Come what come may,
I will not let you go,” by Satan fired,
Cried Pharaoh: “and, if soon it pass not hence,
Worse for yourselves, and for all Israel too,
Be sure ye'll find it. Hence then: and think well
Of what ye do; and what may be the end:
For, verily, of your black spells alone,
Believe I all hath been; and, for your god,
A fable still I hold him,—a pretence,—
A cloak to hide your sorcery,—a thing
With which to scare us,—that your cursed race
We may set free. Deceive yourselves no more:
For, though ye split all Egypt; pyramids
And hills fling in the ocean; dry up Nile,—
By Isis and Osiris do I swear,
Our slaves ye still shall be.”
I will not let you go,” by Satan fired,
Cried Pharaoh: “and, if soon it pass not hence,
Worse for yourselves, and for all Israel too,
Be sure ye'll find it. Hence then: and think well
Of what ye do; and what may be the end:
For, verily, of your black spells alone,
Believe I all hath been; and, for your god,
A fable still I hold him,—a pretence,—
A cloak to hide your sorcery,—a thing
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We may set free. Deceive yourselves no more:
For, though ye split all Egypt; pyramids
And hills fling in the ocean; dry up Nile,—
By Isis and Osiris do I swear,
Our slaves ye still shall be.”
By passion racked,
Words failed him there: but, with a face of fire,
He stared upon the Hebrews,—as with looks
He would have slain them: and, with arm outflung,
Signed them to go. But Moses raised his hand,
Attention asking; and, in calm, firm voice,
Thus spake.
Words failed him there: but, with a face of fire,
He stared upon the Hebrews,—as with looks
He would have slain them: and, with arm outflung,
Signed them to go. But Moses raised his hand,
Attention asking; and, in calm, firm voice,
Thus spake.
“Even so, O king, the Word Divine
Taught me that thou wouldst do; for, hard thy heart;
And, when beneath the hand of Heaven made soft,
As iron by the fire,—that hand removed,
Hard waxeth it again, as iron cooled.
So, for awhile, perchance, against Heaven still
Thy pride may battle: but, a point there is
Of heat intense, 'neath which in fume doth fly
The solid iron, as in vapour flies
Water, when cast on fire: and point there is,
At which the iron hardness of thine heart
Soft will become as air. Hear now my words;
Then judge if of thy threatening aught we heed.
Thus saith the Lord: ‘Let thou my people go,
That they may serve me: else, if thou wilt not,
Behold, I will send swarms of flies, on thee,
Thy servants, and thy people. Every house
In Egypt shall be full of swarms of flies:
Yea the ground also, whereupon they are.
And I will sever, in that day, the land
Of Goshen, in the which my people dwell,
That there no flies shall come: so of a truth
Mayst thou be taught, that I alone am God
In midst of earth. Tomorrow this sign shall be.’”
Taught me that thou wouldst do; for, hard thy heart;
And, when beneath the hand of Heaven made soft,
As iron by the fire,—that hand removed,
Hard waxeth it again, as iron cooled.
So, for awhile, perchance, against Heaven still
Thy pride may battle: but, a point there is
Of heat intense, 'neath which in fume doth fly
The solid iron, as in vapour flies
Water, when cast on fire: and point there is,
At which the iron hardness of thine heart
Soft will become as air. Hear now my words;
Then judge if of thy threatening aught we heed.
Thus saith the Lord: ‘Let thou my people go,
That they may serve me: else, if thou wilt not,
Behold, I will send swarms of flies, on thee,
Thy servants, and thy people. Every house
In Egypt shall be full of swarms of flies:
Yea the ground also, whereupon they are.
And I will sever, in that day, the land
Of Goshen, in the which my people dwell,
That there no flies shall come: so of a truth
Mayst thou be taught, that I alone am God
In midst of earth. Tomorrow this sign shall be.’”
| Israel in Egypt | |