  Sons of my age, attend; Come round the bed of death, Ere yet his cold damp dews Extinguish life's weak flame. For Mattathias' arm no more Shall scatter terror o'er the host Of Israel's foes. Now triumphant Pride disdainful Lifts elate his royal head; Lawless Might and ruffian Rapine Stalk o'er Israel uncontroul'd. JEHOVAH hides his face, And stern Destruction shakes the spear; Wide-wasting Vengeance pours the show'r of death— JEHOVAH hides his face. Now, then, my sons be firm; Be like the mighty rock, Against whose foot the waves For ever dash in vain. Now, then, in your God confiding, Lift the sword, and break the shield: Look upon your great forefathers, Call each long-past deed to view; Let remembrance fire your souls— Lift the sword, and break the shield. On Moriah mount is laid The father's only child! Down Abraham's aged cheek Roll'd the paternal tear; The big sob spoke his grief, And nature rived his heart, but rived in vain— For faith prevail'd. He rear'd the pile, He bound the silent child; The child whose silence spoke Most moving eloquence. Nor did not Abraham feel The father's mighty grief, Nor paint the wretched mother's woe-fraught cries; Nor did he not perceive The deadly blow more deep would rive his heart: He lifts the knife of sacrifice! JEHOVAH saw and saved. O'er Joseph's robe, bedied with guileful blood, The aged patriarch wept: He rear'd the fancied tomb, And tore his hoary locks, Yet bow'd resign'd to Heaven's high will. Meantime, in foreign land, Joseph forgot not God. Vice, her tinsel charms displaying, Vainly sought to melt his mind; Vainly plann'd the wile deceitful, Seeking soft to sooth the soul, To sooth the soul to sin. He saw the languid eye, The breast that heav'd with love; White as the new-fall'n snow, Unchill'd by modesty. Her hot grasp seiz'd his arms: He fled— And when seducing pleasure to his lips Held forth the honey'd draught, He dash'd the poison down. Nor Heaven, all-just, withheld relief: He lov'd the virtuous child; And Joseph clos'd in peace the patriarch's eyes. Hark! the hurtling din of battle! Clanging shields and biting falchions Rend the air with fearful terror. Joshua leads the war: His voice controuls the orbs of heaven! The sun stood still, The moon obedient held her chariot back; Then fell the royal power. To Makkedah's dark cave the monarchs fled; Upon the fatal tree They wave with every wind. Round Jericho was borne the mystick ark, Was blown the blairing blast; Proud on the blairing blast Triumphant ruin rode. From their foundations hurl'd, The mighty bulwarks load the ground. By prodigies announc'd, ere yet Rank'd in existence roll, Manoah's offspring tow'rs in giant strength: His crisp locks wave amid the wind, His crisped hair of strength. They environ the warrior unarm'd; He grasps the jaw-bone in his hand, He levels their thousands in death. Fatigued with deeds of death, The victor's limbs relax, His parch'd mouth gapes with thirst; Heaven saw and sent relief, And from the wondrous weapon flow'd the spring. By Cherith's hidden stream recluse, The faithful prophet lay; He drank the running brook, The ravens brought the due supply. Firm in the path of faith Through life Elijah trod. Nor through the narrow portals of the grave He past to realms of bliss; For ravish'd in the car of flames, He fled the gate of death; Thus mortal rapt to immortality. High from his lofty throne The impious tyrant cries, "Fall down, ye men of earth, Revere the image of your King and God." Faith stood firm. (The angry despot cries) "Fan the red flames till the hot furnace pales, Sick'ning itself with heat." The fire flames fierce! Amid the pallid flames The faithful friends are hurl'd! But blasted fall the slaves, The slaves of tyranny: God stretch'd the robe of preservation forth, And mantled o'er his sons. Amid the lions hurl'd, In conscious faith serene the prophet lay. Nor Daniel knew to fear, Nor did his pale limbs quiver with affright; He dar'd for God to die, And Heaven, for ever good, preserv'd the seer: The gaunt beasts, famine-fall'n, Proposals for publishing by Subscription, JOAN of ARC, By ROBERT SOUTHEY,
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