Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE DEATH OF MOSES, by ROBERT SOUTHEY


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE DEATH OF MOSES, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: Israel, my hour is come
Last Line: And triumphantly fight for the lord.
Subject(s): Christianity; Death; Faith; God; Moses; Dead, The; Belief; Creed


ISRAEL, my hour is come!
Borne on the wings of time,
Death marks his destined prey,
Now, in the fulness of my age,
Ere faint my shrunken limbs wax weak,
Ere dim my rayless eye,
Of years and honours full, I seek the tomb
Offspring of Abram, Moses' guardian voice,
No more shall breathe the will
Of your protecting God.
For not to me is given
On Canaan's promis'd land
At last to rest in peace:
For not to me is given
O'er Jordan's barrier flood
To reach the abundant clime:
On Moab's pathless plains
Must Moses rest in peace.

When wandering o'er the desert wilds of Zin
Faint grew your parched frames,
Then Israel sinn'd against the God of Hos
Have ye forgot the hour
When murmuring anger buzz'd
Along the busy tents?
Have ye forgot the hour
When, bold in secrecy,
Sedition's impious feet
Stole on from tent to tent?
Then Israel sinn'd against the God of Hosts:
On me his vengeance fell.
'Twas there where Miriam died,
Where o'er a sister's corse
I rear'd in grief the monumental stone.

'Twas then—the prophet's ardour lost—
I felt the brother's grief:
For memory's painful gratitude recall'd
The succour Miriam gave,
The succour Miriam gave,
When haven'd on the sedgy banks of Nile
Reposed my infant ark.
I call'd to mind her care,
I call'd to mind her love;
How sweetly soft she touch'd the lute
How graceful moved amid the dance,
Sedition's impious feet
Stole on from tent to tent,
Till, boldened by success,
Aloud the fury lifts her daring voice.

"Why, Moses, did thy treach'rous art
Lead us from Egypt's fertile clime,
Amid these pathless wilds
To sink, wan famine's prey?
Amid these pathless wilds,
Where even Nature dies!
For here no seeds enrich the earth,
No fig-tree spreads its grateful shade,
No vine depends its cluster'd boughs,
Nor frigid fountain winds
Its murmuring course along.
Our parch'd frames sink—
We die for thirst."

'Twas thus, blaspheming Heaven, ye spake:—
Heaven burst in twain by me the rock;
The spring rush'd forth.
"But never, Moses, shall thy feet
Possess the promis'd land:"
For Israel sinn'd against the God of Hosts:
On me his vengeance fell.
From Nebo's mountain top
I view'd the promis'd land;
O'er Palestine's luxuriant soil
I cast the eagle ken.
Far as the distant ocean's shore,
O'er Gilead's fertile soil I gaz'd:
The southward plains I saw,
And Jericho's rich plain,
Where, bower'd in palm-trees, rise her lofty towers.

Blest are Abram's favour'd race,
Blest above the sons of men;
For theirs are Canaan's fertile lands,
For theirs the aid of Heav'n.
From stern oppression's tyrant sway,
From ignominy, bonds, and death,
Heaven led the people forth.
Through pathless deserts wild and waste,
Through the wide wilderness of dearth,
Where desolation blasted all around,
Heaven led the people forth.
E'en as the eagle's parent care
Hangs o'er the lofty nest,
And flutters fondly o'er her young,
And spreads her guardian wings,
And leads them from the eyry forth,
And bids them face the sun.

Offspring of Israel! have your thankless hearte
Forgot the bounteous gifts of Heaven?
When frighted ocean stopt his waves,
And rushing seas stood still?
Have ye forgot the fires
That led your nightly march?
Forgot the heavenly food
That fell like evening dew,
For Israel's chosen race?
Oh! write his mercies on your hearts,
Treasure his bounties in your soul,
Obey the will of Heaven.

Sons of my care! to you, from highest heaven,
Jeshurun's God has spoke.
By me JEHOVAH gave the words of life:
Observe his sacred laws,
And fly the snares which superstition spreads.
Fly Moloch's horrid rites,
Astarte's orgies lewd,
And Thammuz' annual dirge,
And Chemos' wanton wiles.

Is Sittim's field forgot?
Forgot the fatal hour when thousands fell;
And Heaven's avenging arm
Hurl'd down the shafts of death?
For then in Chemos' wanton rites
The sons of Israel join'd,
And caught the harlot's melting eye,
And gave the soul to love.
Then, subdued by syren pleasure,
Captive reason bow'd to beauty,
Forgot the laws of God!
Forgot avenging Heaven—
For woman's mildly-melting eye
Thrill'd through the soften'd soul.
Then Zimri died.
Then Cozbi's voice,
That stole resistless o'er the Hebrew's heart,
In vain for pity pray'd.
The zealous priest arose;
E'en through her lover's breast
He pierc'd the lovely fair idolater.

Blest, Phineas, be thy name;
Blest be thy heart of adamantine faith,
That spurn'd the woman's prayer.

Israel, be thine to shun
Alluring beauty's wiles,
To fly the melting glance,
The loosely languid look.
'Tis thine to wreak the wrath of Heaven,
'Tis thine to lift aloft the sword,
Lay low the despot chiefs,
Lay low the lofty tow'rs.

Let the despots assemble their hosts,
Let them marshal their thousands in pride;
Let the offspring of Anak arise
From Jericho's palm-bower'd throne,
And Aï and Solyma's towers.
Let them rush from their mountains to war,
Let them cover the valley with arms,
For JEHOVAH will war for his sons.

Low Aï's walls shall lie;
Devouring flames shall waste
Huge Hazor's strength to dust;
Of Jericho's tall towers
No relics shall remain.
There shall the pilgrim, tempest-torn,
When on the lightning flash destruction rides,
In vain for shelter seek.
O'er ruin'd palaces the fox shall roam;
Amid the desert halls,
Where once was spread the feast,
Where once was heard the song,
Now shall the wild wolf's howl resound,
Now build the bird obscene her secret nest.

Yet, from the storm of war reserv'd,
With added strength Jerusalem shall rise,
The city of your God!
To guard her favour'd tow'rs
Shall Heaven protecting spread th' immortal shield:
Her trees with honey ooze,
Her rivers flow with milk.
There, Israel, shall the fig-tree bend
To you its laden boughs;
There shall the cluster'd vine expand
Its wildly-wanton arms.

O'er Moses' clayey corse
Drop ye the grateful tear,
And hide his relics in the narrow house.
O'er Jordan then rush for the prize,
Spread terror o'er Canaan afar,
And triumphantly fight for the Lord.





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