Classic and Contemporary Poetry
IN THE HOUR OF NEED, by LETO First Line: D'ye see that shop at the corner, with the three balls Last Line: There! That's the short of it, my lad,and every word is true! Subject(s): Jews; Kindness; Judaism | ||||||||
D'YE see that shop at the corner, with the three balls over the door? A pawnshop? Yes, it is, my ladjust that, and nothing more, Nothing remarkable in that? You see 'em every day? No doubt you do. But wait a bit, and let me say my say. Four months ago my little wife was ill as she could be; I thought I should have lost her, but you see she is still with me: I owe her life to him, my lad! To who d'ye ask?to who? To the old man at that popshop there!and mark me, he's a Jew! That staggers you, I thought it would. But bear with me a bit; It won't take long to let you have the sense and soul of it; Fanny was ill, and times were bad, and I'd no work to do; Fanny got worse, and then I took to visiting the Jew. Fanny got worse, and worse, and worse,my God; she was so ill; And the times that were so tight before, my lad, got tighter still; I pawned my thingssuch as they wereand I pawned my wife's things too, Till nothing was left to pawnand still I had no work to do! I was starvingdownright starving!and Fanny was almost dead, One night as I sat, with tight-clasped hands, beside my poor girl's bed; I closed my eyes in a dreamy waydidn't sleep you understand; When I opened 'em I saw the Jew, with a basket in his hand! He was only a hook-nosed, crook-back Jew, but he seemed an angel then, For he brought new life to my dying wife, and made her strong again! If Heaven is full when he dies, I know they'll make room for the Jew! ... There! that's the short of it, my lad,and every word is true! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE RABBI'S SON-IN-LAW by SABINE BARING-GOULD A LITTLE HISTORY by DAVID LEHMAN FOR I WILL CONSIDER YOUR DOG MOLLY by DAVID LEHMAN JEWISH GRAVEYARDS, ITALY by PHILIP LEVINE NATIONAL THOUGHTS by YEHUDA AMICHAI SOUNDS OF THE RESURRECTED DEAD MAN'S FOOTSTEPS (#3): 2. ANGEL ... by MARVIN BELL SONNETS FROM THE PORTUGUESE: 35 by ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING |
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