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Home  »  The Standard Book of Jewish Verse  »  Bezalel

Joseph Friedlander, comp. The Standard Book of Jewish Verse. 1917.

By Edwin Arnold

Bezalel

Praise Him, Al-Mutahali! Whose decree is wiser than the wit of man can see

’TIS written in the chapter of “the Cave,”

An Angel of the Lord, a minister,

Had errands upon earth, and Moses said,

“Grant me to wend with thee, that I may learn

God’s ways with men.” The Angel answering, said:

“Thou canst not bear with me; thou wilt not have

Knowledge to judge; yet if thou followest me,

Question me not, whatever I shall do,

Until I tell thee.”

Then they found a ship

On the sea-shore, wherefrom the Angel struck

Her boards and brake them. Moses said, “Wilt drown

The mariners? This is a strange thing wrought!”

“Did I not say thou couldst not bear with me?”

The Angel answered—“Be thou silent now!”

Yet farther, and they met an Arab boy;

Upon his eyes with mouth invisible

The Angel breathed; and all his warm blood froze,

And, with a moan, he sank to earth and died.

Then Moses said, “Slayest thou the innocent

Who did no wrong? this is a hard thing seen!”

“Did I not tell thee,” said the Minister,

“Thou wouldst not bear with me? Question me not!”

Then came they to a village, where there stood

A lowly hut; the garden-fence thereof

Toppled to fall; the Angel thrust it down.

A ruin of gray stones, and lime, and tiles,

Crushing the lentils, melons, saffron, beans,

The little harvest of the cottage folk.

“What hire,” asked Moses, “hadst thou for this deed.

Seeming so evil?”

Then the Angel said,

“This is the parting betwixt me and thee:

Yet will I first make manifest the things

Thou couldst not bear, not knowing, that my Lord—

‘Exalted above all reproach’—be praised.

The ship I broke serveth poor fisherfolk

Whose livelihood was lost, because there came

A king that way seizing all boats found whole:

Now they have peace. Touching the Arab boy,

In two moons he had slain his mother’s son,

Being perverse; but now his brother lives

Whose life unto his tribe was more, and he

Dieth blood-guiltless. For the garden wall,

Two goodly youths dwell there, offspring of one

That loved his Lord, and underneath the stones

The father hid the treasure, which is theirs.

This shall they find, building their ruin up,

And joy will come upon their house!

But thou,

Journey no more with me, because I do

Nought of myself, but all by Allah’s will.”