Let Us Forget THE shore once won, who counts the waves? Father forgive them! Thus prayed He, We "witnesses" to "shew His praise" The France of Picquart, Labori And Zola. That is the France we see; The God of Israel HE God of Israel sate on high, THE K. M. And methought He mocked the dead; The twisted limbs of agony, The staring eyes of dread, The lips that froze on a dying prayer And blessed Him as they bled. The God of Israel sate on high, And He mocked His people's trust; He heard the tyrant's blasphemy, He saw the valley strewn with death I raised my voice and cried aloud "With stripes and steel and bitter scorn "In bitterness, in bitterness They gaze upon the past, Nor worship they Thy Word the less, "For bonds that cleave the flesh are ill, That cleave the heart's benignant will, The eyes of reason and of right." Yea, thus I cried apace. The God of Israel smiled on high As on a babbling child; But I saw the bays of victory, And Justice undefiled, And Mind and Honour hand in hand, And Envy reconciled. The Past had doffed its robe of pain, Flung off its mourning-hood, When Joy upraised her veil again And found the Future good; She raised the folds of her lustrous cloak C. M. KOHAN. The Jews in Russia FROM M town and village to a wood, stript bare, As they of their possessions, see them throng, The looming of their life of cruel wrong A flash of light, and black the despot lies, 'Tis transport's strain Proclaiming loud: "No righteous prayer is vain. No God-imploring tears are lost; they rise Into a cloud, and in the sky remain, Till they draw lightning from Jehovah's eyes." EDWARD DOYLE. On the Russian Persecution of the Jews O SON of man, by lying tongues adored, By slaughterous hands of slaves with feet red-shod In carnage deep as Christian ever trod Profaned with prayer and sacrifice abhorred Most murderous even of all that call thee God, Most treacherous even that ever called thee Lord; Face loved of little children long ago, Head hated of the priests and rulers then, If thou see this, or hear these hounds of thine Say, was not this thy Passion, to foreknow In death's worst hour the works of Christian men? ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE. O Russia and the Jews MUSCOVITE, blind is your wrath, with Lo, the Pyramids pierce that grey gloom Yet the Hebrew abides and is strong. PUNCH. The Kishineff Massacre LORD, Thy righteous wrath and vengeance pour The sacred name, hath stained with crimson gore To teach the vile oppressor, yet once more A God of strength and might whose hand can tame Their hireling hearts and teach their hate restraint. Avenge Thy slaughtered sons, O Lord supreme! Their blood doth cry from rock and vale and height; And Thou, to whom the sparrow's piping plaint Is poignant as the eagle's piercing scream, Will not be deaf, but with Thy thunder smite. ROSE STRAUSS. YE On the Massacre E heavens, pray for mercy on my head! To Him exists, which yet I have not found, For me, my heart is dead, and no more prayers Headsman, here is an axe, arise and slay! You have an arm, an instrument of death, Then let red blood, the blood of old and young, Cursed be he who for revenge cries out! Then let our blood, poured out beneath your feet, Sink penetrating to earth's lowest depths; Let blood of those who perished without blame Sap and destroy the earth's foundations oldThe bases deep of wickedness and shame. : FOR CHAYIM NACHMAN BYALIK. God and His Martyrs OR I have hither come, O ye dead bones, Forgive your God, you that are shamed forever! |