Israel in Egypt A Poem. By Edwin Atherstone |
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 | Israel in Egypt |  |
Forgotten was his queen,—but now so loved,
So cherished, so secure. Within that hell
Whence he had fled, stayed she,—yet of her fate,
Thought had he none,—his own keen torment-flame
So maddening, that to all else was he dead.
But she his warning, with attentive ear
Had listened, and remembered. At first sound
Of that new Plague-life,—quickly as the hand
Of loving mother from her infant's face
Wafts the fierce hornet,—even so quickly she,
The silken coverings seized,—above her head
Flung in a heap; and, with a trembling hand,
'Neath neck and shoulders pressed; space leaving not
Whereat even dust might enter. The thick silks,
Like coat of mail secured her 'gainst the darts
Of the loud murmuring scourge; and she alone,
Of all the Egyptian people, felt no sting.
So cherished, so secure. Within that hell
Whence he had fled, stayed she,—yet of her fate,
Thought had he none,—his own keen torment-flame
So maddening, that to all else was he dead.
But she his warning, with attentive ear
Had listened, and remembered. At first sound
Of that new Plague-life,—quickly as the hand
Of loving mother from her infant's face
Wafts the fierce hornet,—even so quickly she,
The silken coverings seized,—above her head
Flung in a heap; and, with a trembling hand,
'Neath neck and shoulders pressed; space leaving not
Whereat even dust might enter. The thick silks,
Like coat of mail secured her 'gainst the darts
Of the loud murmuring scourge; and she alone,
Of all the Egyptian people, felt no sting.
| Israel in Egypt | |