 | Poems of Paul Hamilton Hayne |  |
VIII.
LESSON OF SUBMISSION.
Ben Youssuf, bound to Mecca, day by dayToiled bravely o'er the desert's fiery way,
Till its hot sands and flint-sown courses sore
Pressed on the broidered sandals which he wore,
Scorching and cutting! at the last they fell
Loosely abroad;—he seemed to fare through hell,
So blistering now, the flame-hued rocks and dust:—
“O mighty Allah!” cried he, “art thou just,
To let thy faithful pilgrim, serving thee,
Pass onward, thus, in nameless agony?”
With bitter thoughts and half-rebellious mind
He left, at length, the desert sands behind,
And still in that dark temper—far from grace—
Went where his brethren midst the holy place
Kneeled, by the Caäba's sanctity enthralled;—
Lo! there he marked a smitten wretch who crawled
Nearer the shrine, on bleeding hands and knees,
Yet his deep eyes were stars of prayer and peace;—
And ah, how Youssuf's heart remorseful beat,
To find he lacked not only shoes, but—feet!
| Poems of Paul Hamilton Hayne | |