Israel in Egypt A Poem. By Edwin Atherstone |
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 | Israel in Egypt |  |
“Thy bold demand we have considered well;
And thus reply. We know not of thy God,
Nor of his power: but in our own gods trust;
And thine, and thee defy. Stretch then thy rod,
And work thy wonders: make thy boasting good;
And, afterwards, may we give ear to thee:
But, fail,—and by Osiris do I swear,
Such shall thy punishment be, as dread shall bring
On nations yet unborn.”
And thus reply. We know not of thy God,
Nor of his power: but in our own gods trust;
And thine, and thee defy. Stretch then thy rod,
And work thy wonders: make thy boasting good;
And, afterwards, may we give ear to thee:
But, fail,—and by Osiris do I swear,
Such shall thy punishment be, as dread shall bring
On nations yet unborn.”
A moment, mute
Stood Moses,—on the angry-visaged king
Mournfully looking: then to Aaron turned,
And said; “Take thou the rod, and stretch thine hand,
And smite the river.”
Stood Moses,—on the angry-visaged king
Mournfully looking: then to Aaron turned,
And said; “Take thou the rod, and stretch thine hand,
And smite the river.”
Close unto the brink
Slowly walked Aaron; in his hand the staff.
Impatient to behold,—yet with the words
Of mockery on their tongues,—priests, sorcerers, lords,
Pressed forward: while the prince on Pharaoh's hand
Eagerly seized; and, laughing, drew him on.
“Sport shall we have, my father,” whispered he;
“For, by old Aaron's trembling lip, I see
He knoweth the lie, and punishment doth fear.
Prithee now, father, give them to my hands:
Their sentence shall be light; for merriment,
Rather than vengeance. I would only fling
The conjurer and his wand into the stream;
So to prove which is mightier,—he, or Nile.
But haste; he lifts the rod.”
87
Impatient to behold,—yet with the words
Of mockery on their tongues,—priests, sorcerers, lords,
Pressed forward: while the prince on Pharaoh's hand
Eagerly seized; and, laughing, drew him on.
“Sport shall we have, my father,” whispered he;
“For, by old Aaron's trembling lip, I see
He knoweth the lie, and punishment doth fear.
Prithee now, father, give them to my hands:
Their sentence shall be light; for merriment,
Rather than vengeance. I would only fling
The conjurer and his wand into the stream;
So to prove which is mightier,—he, or Nile.
But haste; he lifts the rod.”
Two eager steps,
Close to the brink brought son and father both;
From Aaron so short distance, that the staff,
Thitherward stretched, had touched them. On each hand,
With heads out-thrust, and mocking look, and smile,
Thronged all the rest; now glancing at the rod;
Now at the water; now the lifted arm;
Now the pale countenance, quivering with the sense
Of the God-power within. Slowly, at length,
As loth to strike, Aaron stretched out the rod:
With large bright eyes upturned, and quivering lips,
On heaven a moment gazed; then downward looked,
And smote the water.
Close to the brink brought son and father both;
From Aaron so short distance, that the staff,
Thitherward stretched, had touched them. On each hand,
With heads out-thrust, and mocking look, and smile,
Thronged all the rest; now glancing at the rod;
Now at the water; now the lifted arm;
Now the pale countenance, quivering with the sense
Of the God-power within. Slowly, at length,
As loth to strike, Aaron stretched out the rod:
With large bright eyes upturned, and quivering lips,
On heaven a moment gazed; then downward looked,
And smote the water.
As when fire breaks out
In a thick-peopled dwelling; cry and shriek
From all within are heard; the hurry of feet,
Pressings, and strugglings, who shall first escape,—
Even so, when on the river fell the rod,
Burst forth, from king, prince, rulers, sorcerers, lords,
A howl of frenzied terror: shuddering, sick,
Astounded nigh to madness, back they ran,
Thrusting and stumbling; covering each the eyes,
And the gorge heaving,—as from sight and stench
Of a foul grave-pit flying. For, behold!
To meet the rod, in a great wave arose
The water, as from fountain underneath,
With violence bursting,—but the wave was blood!
Had the great earth been living thing, even thus,
From her pierced heart, the torrent might have gushed.
Rolling and writhing, like a dying snake,
Water 'gainst blood made battle,—but soon sank,
O'ermastered; and one vast vermilion stream,
Like liquid fire, tossing and boiling, ran,
To affright the peaceful sea.
In a thick-peopled dwelling; cry and shriek
From all within are heard; the hurry of feet,
Pressings, and strugglings, who shall first escape,—
Even so, when on the river fell the rod,
Burst forth, from king, prince, rulers, sorcerers, lords,
A howl of frenzied terror: shuddering, sick,
Astounded nigh to madness, back they ran,
Thrusting and stumbling; covering each the eyes,
And the gorge heaving,—as from sight and stench
Of a foul grave-pit flying. For, behold!
88
The water, as from fountain underneath,
With violence bursting,—but the wave was blood!
Had the great earth been living thing, even thus,
From her pierced heart, the torrent might have gushed.
Rolling and writhing, like a dying snake,
Water 'gainst blood made battle,—but soon sank,
O'ermastered; and one vast vermilion stream,
Like liquid fire, tossing and boiling, ran,
To affright the peaceful sea.
With death-spasm struck,
High from the gory flood great fish leaped up;
And smaller fry in shoals, all quivering;
Their gleaming sides,—silver, and pearl, and gold,—
In red slime quenched. The unwieldy river-horse,
Like a huge jelly of gore, came floundering out,
Blinded, and fearful; snorting hideously.
The crocodile, beside the bank asleep,
Or, with half opened eye, awaiting prey,—
By the dread wave o'erwhelmed, upstarted quick;
And, belly to the ground, in wild affright,
Like a great fiery lizard, open-jawed,
Fled the unnatural stream. The snow-white birds
That rode the crystal river,—screaming shrill,
Rose, crimson-breasted; and, with blood-tipped wings
Rapidly clanging, terror-stricken flew.
High from the gory flood great fish leaped up;
And smaller fry in shoals, all quivering;
Their gleaming sides,—silver, and pearl, and gold,—
In red slime quenched. The unwieldy river-horse,
Like a huge jelly of gore, came floundering out,
Blinded, and fearful; snorting hideously.
The crocodile, beside the bank asleep,
Or, with half opened eye, awaiting prey,—
By the dread wave o'erwhelmed, upstarted quick;
And, belly to the ground, in wild affright,
Like a great fiery lizard, open-jawed,
Fled the unnatural stream. The snow-white birds
That rode the crystal river,—screaming shrill,
Rose, crimson-breasted; and, with blood-tipped wings
Rapidly clanging, terror-stricken flew.
| Israel in Egypt | |