| |
| SINCE Terah’s son from Chaldea went, | |
| On Manfred’s plains to spread his tent, | |
| The Jewish race in every age | |
| Illumines the historic page. | |
| |
| In ages dim, long past and gone, | 5 |
| The Hebrew warrior victories won, | |
| Ere Priam’s son in battle stood, | |
| Or Roman soldier shed his blood. | |
| |
| The ancient Seer, in dreamy trance, | |
| The past had seen in mystic glance, | 10 |
| And in the flaming bush had heard | |
| The voice of God—Almighty’s word. | |
| On Sinai’s mount, ’mid thunders loud, | |
| From cavern dark, and curtaining cloud | |
| Mysterious voices to him came | 15 |
| In which he heard Jehovah’s name; | |
| And in the clefted rock he saw | |
| The Spirit of Eternal Law. | |
| |
| The history of this people old, | |
| By poet writ and prophet told, | 20 |
| Gives pictures grand of highest thought, | |
| From realms of inspiration caught; | |
| Whether writ with pen of living fire, | |
| Or told in words of burning ire; | |
| Whether an Isaiah sternly warns, | 25 |
| Or Jeremiah weeping mourns; | |
| |
| Whether Daniel warning gives to kings | |
| Or the lone captive sadly sings | |
| Beneath the willow trees upon | |
| The streams that flow by Babylon; | 30 |
| Whether David sings a hymn of praise, | |
| Or Job laments his darkened days; | |
| They all, in lofty numbers tell | |
| Of thoughts sublime, that only dwell | |
| In minds inspired by living beams | 35 |
| That wake to life the poet’s dreams. | |
| |
| Dark was the day, and sad the hour, | |
| When Judea passed to Roman power! | |
| Her old men sighed, her maidens wept, | |
| When havoc o’er Jerusalem swept; | 40 |
| And smouldering ruins, stained with blood, | |
| Told where her sacred Temple stood. | |
| |
| And darker still, in after time, | |
| When scattered far, in every clime, | |
| Against her wandering children rose | 45 |
| The persecuting hand of foes, | |
| Inspired by blind, malignant hate, | |
| Which centuries long did not abate, | |
| Which still in this enlightened day, | |
| Has not entirely passed away; | 50 |
| And, yet for all, though scattered wide | |
| On every shore where rolls the tide, | |
| Her children e’er preserved the name | |
| That told from whence their fathers came; | |
| And worshipped still the Great Unknown, | 55 |
| As to the ancient Patriarch shown. | |
| |
| The gloomy ages testify | |
| To what they did in times gone by, | |
| In learned science, and the part | |
| They acted in the realms of art, | 60 |
| While wandering o’er the face of earth, | |
| Far from the land that gave them birth. | |
| |
| The student of historic lore, | |
| As slow he turns the pages o’er, | |
| Upon its musty leaves will see | 65 |
| Semitic names of high degree; | |
| In many a dim and blotted line, | |
| The Maccabæan warriors shine, | |
| And bright and lustrous, too, he sees | |
| The name of famed Maimonides. | 70 |
| |
| And modern times bear witness, too, | |
| To what the sons of Israel do— | |
| Disraeli fills a shining place | |
| In the history of the Saxon race; | |
| And Benjamin high honors won | 75 |
| In the Senate Halls of Washington; | |
| Montefiore long will stand | |
| An honored name in every land; | |
| The Baron Hirsch long, long will be | |
| Remembered by humanity; | 80 |
| While now, to-day, the Bernhardt’s name | |
| Is clothed in histrionic fame! | |
| |
| While, though the Jews no country claim, | |
| And, as a nation, have no name, | |
| They still retain, where’er they be, | 85 |
| Their ancient skill and energy; | |
| And whereso’er on earth they live | |
| Obedience to the laws they give, | |
| And merit well an honored place | |
| ’Mong children of a foreign race. | 90 |
| |
| The Christ, who gave the Christians name, | |
| And a redeeming Saviour came | |
| To the transgressing sons of earth, | |
| Was of an humble Jewish birth; | |
| And, furthermore, the sacred book, | 95 |
| From which their creeds the Christians took, | |
| And on whose truths their faith they base, | |
| Sprang from the ancient Jewish race. | |
| |
| Then honored be that glorious race, | |
| Whose genius still on earth finds place, | 100 |
| While classic Greece has passed away, | |
| And Rome has lost her ancient sway; | |
| And shame on him who would withhold | |
| The credit due this people old, | |
| Whoe’er have played such active part | 105 |
| In science, literature and art. | |
| |
