Hatikvah-A Song of Hope

WHILE within a Jewish breast
Beats true a Jewish heart,

And Jewish glances turning East
To Zion fondly dart,-

CHORUS

O then our Hope-it is not dead,
Our ancient Hope and true,
Again the sacred soil to tread
Where David's banners flew!

O while the tears flow down apace,
And fall like bounteous rain,
And to the Fathers' resting-place
Sweeps on the mournful train,—

And while upon our eager eye
Flashes the City's wall,
And for the wasted Sanctuary
The tear-drops trembling fall,-

O while the Jordan's pent-up tide
Leaps downward rapidly,
And while its gleaming waters glide
Through Galilee's blue sea,-

And while upon the Highway there Lowers the stricken Gate, it And from the Ruins Zion's prayer Upriseth passionate,

O while the pure floods of her eyes
Flow for her People's plight,
And Zion's Daughter doth arise
And weep the long, long night!

O while through vein in ceaseless stream
The bright blood pulses yet,

And on our Fathers' tombs doth gleam
The dew when sun is set!—

Hear, Brothers mine, where e'er ye be,
This Truth by Prophet won;
""Tis then our Hope shall cease to be
With Israel's last son!"-

NAPHTALI HERZ IMBER.

(Translated by Henry Snowman.)

Zionist Marching Song

I

LIKE the crash of the thunder
Which splitteth asunder

The flame of the cloud,
On our ears ever falling,
A voice is heard calling
From Zion aloud:
"Let your spirits' desires
For the land of your sires
Eternally burn.

From the foe to deliver

Our own holy river,

To Jordan return."

Where the soft, flowing stream
Murmurs low as in dream,

There set we our watch.
Our watchword "The sword
Of our land and our Lord—”

By Jordan there set we our watch.

II

Rest in peace, loved land,

For we rest not, but stand,

Off shaken our sloth.
When the bolts of war rattle
To shirk not the battle,

We make thee our oath,
As we hope for a Heaven,
Thy chains shall be riven,
Thine ensign unfurled.
And in pride of our race
We will fearlessly face

The might of the world. When our trumpet is blown And our standard is flown, Then set we our watch. Our watchword, "The sword Of our land and our Lord—”

By Jordan then set we our watch.

III

Yea, as long as there be

Birds in air, fish in sea,

And blood in our veins;

And the lions in might,

Leaping down from the height,
Shake, roaring, their manes;
And the dew nightly laves
The forgotten old graves

Where Judah's sires sleep,
We swear, who are living,
To rest not in striving,

To pause not to weep;
Let the trumpet be blown,
Let the standard be flown,
Now set we our watch.
Our watchword, "The sword
Of our land and our Lord-"

In Jordan now set we our watch.

NAPHTALI HERZ IMBER.

(Translated by Israel Zangwill.)

Onward

I

WHERE are you going, soldiers,

With banners and drawn sword?

We're marching East to Palestine
To battle for the Lord!
What captain leads your bands
Along the sandy coasts?
The Mighty One of Israel,

His name is Lord of Hosts!

To Palestine, to Palestine,

The Lord will lead us through— To blow before the heathen walls The trumpets of the Jew.

II

What flag is this you carry,
In this your Holy War?
The same our grandsires raised aloft,
The same our fathers bore.
On many a battlefield, intact,

It caught the crimson rain,

For what was woven in God's loom,
No man can rend in twain.

To Palestine, to Palestine

The Lord will lead us through, To plant upon its mountain-heights The standard of the Jew.

III

What song is this you're singing?
The same that Israel sang
When Moses led the mighty choir,
And Miriam's timbrel rang.

"To Palestine, to Palestine!"

Both young and old have cried;

"To Palestine, to Palestine" The people's voice replied.

To Palestine, to Palestine,

The Lord will lead us through
To thunder in the usurper's ear
The anthem of the Jew.

IV

When Salem's foes are scattered
And all the path lies free,
What follows next in order?
Our God to that will see.
He'll break the tyrant's sceptre,

He'll build the people's throne-
When half the world is Freedom's,
Then all the world's our own..
To Palestine, to Palestine,

The Lord will lead us through.

WHEN Israel marched from Egypt land,

And broke her yoke of slavery,

And standing by the Red Sea strand,
Drank her first draught of Liberty,

And torrid Afric's horrid hordes came on with newlinked chains, once more

Her limbs to bind;

And trembling Israel cried to Heaven when she beheld the sea before,

The foe behind;

Then burst a voice from high;

Why do the children cry

Why do the children cry to me?

Why do they not go on?

And Israel found her promised home-
And lost it; and her Destiny

Has forced her, ever since, to roam
In search of it o'er land and sea.