JEPHTUATI SY
CHORUS.
Toward the mountains and the night
The fruitless flowers of Gilead yo ;
Toward the hollows weird and white,
Toward the sorrow of the snow 3
To desolation black and blind
They move, and leave us death behind.
The Lord is great: the Lord is wise
Within His temple to foresee
With calm impenetrable cyes
The after glory that shall be ;
But we, of mortal bodies born,
Laugh lies consoling unto scorn.
The God of Israel is strong;
His mighty arm hath wrought this day
A victory and a triumph-song—
And now He breathes upon His clay,
And we, who were as idols crowned,
Lie dust upon the empty ground.
She goes, our sorrow’s sacrifice,
Our lamb, our firstling, frail and white,
With large sweet love-illumined eyes
Into the night, into the night.
The throne of night shall be withdrawn ;
So moveth she toward the dawn.
All peoples and all kings that move
By love and sacrifice inspired
In light and holiness and love,
And seek some end of God desired,
Pass, though they seem to sink in night,
To dawns more perdurably bright.
So priest and people join to praise
The secret wisdom of the Lord,
Awaiting the arisen rays
That smite through heaven as a sword ;
Remembering He hath surely sworn :
Toward the night, toward the dawn !
Behold the moon that fails above,
The stars that pale before the sun !
How far, those figures Hight as love
That laughing to the mountains run !
3ehold the flames of hair that leap
Above her forehead mild and deep!
She turns to bless her people sull:
So, passes to the golden gate
Where snow burns fragrant on the hill,
Where for her step those fountains wait
Of light and brilliance that shall rise
To greet her beauty lover-wise.
The silver west fades fast, the skies
Are blue and silver overhead 3
She stands upon the snow, her eyes
Fixed fast upon the fountain-head
Whence from Eternity is drawn
The awful glory of the dawn!
ELEAZAR.
Let every man depart unto his house.
ClORUS.,
'H{fe hath made Ilis face as a fire ; [lis wrath
as a sword ;
tfe hath smitten our soul’s desire; Ife is the
Lord.
Ife hath given and taken away, hath made
us and broken 3
Lic hath made the blue and the gray, the sea
for a token ;
Ile hath made to-day and to-morrow3 the
winter, the spring ;
Ile bringeth us joy out of sorrow; Tehovah
is King.
[Axcunt, JePuTHAL zs left standing
weth whete set face. Presently tears
come into his eyes, and he advances,
and kiteels at the altar.