Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, ISRAEL'S HERITAGE, by IDA GOLDSMITH MORRIS


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

ISRAEL'S HERITAGE, by                    
First Line: How shall we spend, o lord
Last Line: May claim its precious heritage!
Subject(s): Ancestry & Ancestors; Israel; Jews; Judaism


HOW shall we spend, O Lord,
Our priceless heritage;
The wealth of Holy Writ (Thy Word),
Bequeathed from age to age.
How shall we use the garnered store
Of Israel's ancient song and lore?

Shall we, like misers, hoard
The jewels in our care;
The gems, by Seer and Prophet stored,
That all mankind might share;
The law from Sinai's summit hurled
To speak in thunder to the world.

Shall we not spread broadcast
This wealth that shall endure?
These seeds of Faith, that in the past
Burst into blossoms pure:
Whose roots were nourished through the years
By martyred Israel's blood and tears.

Heirs or thy Love are we,
The First-born, chosen race;
Holding in trust the legacy
No tyrant can efface!
Life of our life, breath of our breath,
Outliving scorn, and hate and death!

O let our Fathers preach
Thy glory and Thy fame!
O let our tender mothers teach
Their babes to lisp thy name;
That Israel in each coming age
May claim its precious heritage!





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