Sivut kuvina
PDF
ePub

By the candle's light and flame;
And her face begins to shine,
And her brow with grace is haloed
And transfigured, calm, divine

Looks she, chanting soft and low;
"Lord of life and joy and light,
Man whose flame of life is short
Makes his light all clear and bright.

"May my children, plants of Zion,
Love Thee, doing Thy behest,
Fed on manna of the Bible,

Nourished by the Torah's breast.

"Make us, scions of the prophets,
Happy in a life lived whole;
Lived in honor, labor, love,
Lived in holiness of soul.

"I, Thy handmaid, what am I?
But to all you deign your grace;
Make my children little lights,
Lighting well their little place.

"Make us, seed of Abraham,
Love-flames burning far and free;
Lights of love and lights of virtue,
Shining, beaming, God, for Thee."

ALTER ABELSON..

Song for Friday Night

THOU beautiful Sabbath, thou sanctified day,
That chasest our cares and our sorrows away,
O come with good fortune, with joy and with peace,
To the homes of thy pious, their bliss to increase!

In honour of thee are the tables decked white;
From the clear candelabra shines many a light;
All men in the finest of garments are dress'd,
As far as his purse, each hath got him the best.

For as soon as the Sabbath-hat 's put on the head,
New feelings are born and old feelings are dead;
Yes, suddenly vanish black care and grim sorrow,
None troubles concerning the things of tomorrow.

New heavenly powers are given to each;

Of everyday matters now hush'd is all speech;
At rest are all hands that have toil'd with much pain;
Now peace and tranquillity everywhere reign.

Not the choicest of wines at a banqueting board
Can ever such exquisite pleasure afford

As the Friday-night meal when prepared with due zeal
To honour thee, Sabbath, thou day of sweet rest!

With thy angels attending thee, one at each side,
Come on Friday betimes in pure homes to abide,
In the homes of the faithful that shine in their bliss,
Like souls from a world which is better than this!

[ocr errors]

One Angel, the good one, is at thy right hand,
At thy left doth the other, the bad Angel, stand;
Compell'd 'gainst his will to say "Amen," and bless
With the blessing he hears the good Angel express:
That when Sabbath, dear Sabbath, thou comest again,
We may lustily welcome thee, free from all pain,
In the fear of the Lord, and with joy in our heart,
And again keep thee holy till thou shalt depart!

Then come with good fortune, with joy and with

peace,

[ocr errors]

To the homes of thy pious, their bliss to increase!
Already we've now been awaiting thee long,
All eager to greet thee with praise and with song,
ISIDORE MYERS.

The Hebrew's Friday Night "COME, my beloved, to meet the Bride; the Face

of the Sabbath let us welcome."

Sweet Sabbath-Bride, the Hebrew's theme of praise,
Celestial maiden with the starry eyes,
Around thine head a sacred nimbus plays,
Thy smile is soft as lucent summer skies,
Before thy purity all evil dies,

In wedding-robe of stainless sunshine drest,

Thou dawnest on Life's darkness and it dies;

Thy bridal-wreath is lilies Heaven-blest,

Thy dowry Peace and Love and Holiness and Rest."

For in thy Presence he forgets a while

The gloom and discord of man's mortal years,
To seek the Light that streameth from thy Face,
To list thy tender lullaby, which cheers
His soul and lies like music on his ears.
His very sorrows with soft splendor shine,
Transfigured by a mist of sacred tears;
He drinks thy gently offered Anodyne,

And feels himself absorbed into the Peace divine.

The Father from the Synagog returns

(A singing-bird is nestling at his heart),

And from without the festive light discerns

[ocr errors]

Which tells his faithful wife has done her part To welcome Sabbath with domestic art.

He enters and perceives the picture true,

And tears unbidden from his eyelids start,

As Paradise thus opens on his view,

And then he smiles and thanks his God he is a Jew.

For "Friday-night" is written on his home

In fair, white characters; his wife has spread The snowy Sabbath-cloth; the Hebrew tome, The flask and cup are at the table's head,

There's Sabbath magic in the very bread,
And royal fare the humble dishes seem;
A holy light the Sabbath candles shed,
Around his children's shining faces beam,
He feels the strife of every day a far-off dream.

His buxom wife he kisses, then he lays

Upon each child's young head two loving hands Of benediction, so in after-days,

When they shall be afar in other lands,

They shall be knit to God and home by bands

Of sacred memory. And then he makes

The blessing o'er the wine, and while each stands,

The quaintly convoluted bread he breaks,

Which tastes to all to-night more sweet than honeyed cakes.

And now they eat the Sabbath meal with laugh
And jest and gossip till all fun must cease,
While Father chants the Grace, all singing half,
And then the Sabbath hymns of Love and Peace
And Hope from alien lands to find release.
No evil can this night its head uprear,

Earth's joys loom larger and its ills decrease;
To-night of ghosts the youngest has no fear—
Does not his guardian Sabbath-Angel hover near?

So in a thousand squalid Ghettoes penned,
Engirt yet undismayed by perils vast,

The Jew in hymns that marked his faith would spend
This night and dream of all his glorious Past
And wait the splendors by his seers forecast.

And so while medieval creeds at strife

With nature die, the Jew's ideals last,

The simple love of home and child and wife,

The sweet humanities which make our higher life.

[merged small][ocr errors]

Sabbath Hymn

COME forth, my friend, the bride to meet, Come, O my friend, the Sabbath greet.

"Observe ye" and "remember" still
The Sabbath-thus His holy will
God in one utterance did proclaim.
The Lord is One, and One His name
To Him renown and praise and fame.
Come forth, my friend, the bride to meet,
Come, O my friend, the Sabbath greet.

Greet we the Sabbath at our door,
Well-spring of blessing evermore
With everlasting gladness fraught,
Of old ordained, divinely taught,
Last in creation, first in thought.

Come forth, my friend, the bride to meet,
Come, O my friend, the Sabbath greet.

Arouse thyself, awake and shine,
For lo! it comes, the light divine;
Give forth a song and over thee
The glory of the Lord shall be
Revealed in beauty speedily.

Come forth, my friend, the bride to meet,
Come, O my friend, the Sabbath greet.

[ocr errors]

Crown of thy husband come in peace. >
Come, bidding toil and trouble cease.
With joy and cheerfulness abide
Among thy people true and tried,
Thy faithful people-come O bride.

Come forth, my friend, the bride to meet,
Come, O my friend, the Sabbath greet.

SOLOMON ALKABIZ.

« EdellinenJatka »