Ye tread on my beard and ye spit in my face,
And ye clothe me in chains and the badge of disgrace.
And ye come and advise me to lose myself quite,
And assimilate with the dark shadows of night.
As well to exhort the Gulf Stream to be mixed
With the cold, icy ocean wherein it is fixed;
Or advise in the heavens the great Milky Way
To be lost in the stars that most everywhere lay.

"Oh, no! If true justice still lingers on earth
You will give me the home that was mine from my
birth.

Return me the land where I battled and fought,
The land every inch of which dearly I bought,
Very dearly I bought with the blood of my veins,
Where I struggled for freedom and shatter'd my
chains;

Where I strove with and conquer'd wild races of men,
Gog-Magog, the giants, I drove from their den;
Where I worshipped my God and expounded His law,
And where first the great light of His Wisdom I

saw.

"In that land were my fathers for ages interred,

And the prophets and sages who lived by the Word, There the graves of my martyrs abound on the plains, And the roads are yet strewn with my children's remains!

Every stone in that land is a tear from my eye,

In its mountains still lingers the breath of my sigh. In its forests my wailing can yet be discerned,Lives a soul who would say thus: 'I am not concerned?'

Then return me my country! If justice yet dwell Here on earth, O return me, return my Beth-el!"

L. SMIRNOW.

A Song of Zion

(Dedicated to the Zionist Society of Montreal)

WE

E are coming, coming, coming. Fling our banner to the breeze.

In thousands we are coming from beyond remotest

seas.

We are coming after centuries of sorrow and of toil, To make our home in Palestine and tread its holy soil.

O, let the song of gladness rise; let all the nations hear

The anthem of a mighty host of Zion drawing near, Across the mountains, through the vales, and o'er the ocean's foam,

Behold the hosts of Israel are coming, coming home!

'Twas said of old by one whose lips were touched by Heaven's fire,

That God's own house would be built up, than hills and mountains higher;

That from its portals would go forth to all the world the word,

That may we learn His ways, and walk in truth before the Lord;

That Sword and Spear would broken be, and turned to arts of peace;

That all the panoply of war and strife forever cease; That nation shall not lift up sword against nation, as

of yore,

But listen to the voice of God and learn of war no

more.

O, Children of the Covenant, perhaps the day is

near,

E'en now, if you will listen, you may hear the accents

clear

Of One who calls the scattered brood-come to Me! children, Come!

My hills are vacant. Here I am. I bid you welcome home!

Then answer-we are coming! Fling our banner to the breeze!

In thousands we are coming from beyond remotest

seas.

We are coming after centuries of sorrow and of toil To make our home in Palestine and tread its holy soil.

O, let the songs of gladness rise, let all the nations hear

The anthem of the mighty host of Israel drawing near; Across the mountains, through the vales, and o'er the ocean's foam,

Behold the hosts of Israel are coming, coming home! CARROLL RYAN.

Zionism

Star of Hope! O Blessed Star!
That riseth in the East afar,
Thou shed'st a wondrous, holy light,
A pillar of fire art thou by night.

Shine forth, thou great and lovely Star!
That riseth in the East afar,

A beacon-light of faith and cheer,

Be thou to Israel far and near.

MIRIAM BLAUSTEIN.

Zionism

'HE story that Herzl told was true

THE

Too bitter true for tears;

The blood-marked trail of the homeless Jew
Winds back two thousand years.

Walled out by hate from the Gentile's heart,
And lashed by senseless lies,

The Jew has walked in the nigh-apart,
And shunned his brother's eyes.

But now at last-he stands erect,
Nor fears to be alone;

No Czar-no king-no church-no sect,
Can keep him from his own.

His flag shall fly where his fathers fought-
In the homeland of the Jew;

One race! One flag! One nation! Why not?
For the dream of the strong comes true.

My brothers, my brothers! O wand'ring aimless horde,

A clarion from Zion is speaking for the Lord!
The thund'ring heavens command:

"Arise a mighty band;

With heart and voice

Make now the choice,

And straightly seek your land."

My heroes, my heroes, whose hearts and lives are free, Arise and be counted that all the world may see!

Those ancient fields reclaim

Whence Israel's splendor came,

And win and hold
Our land of old

To consecrate her name.

JESSIE E. SAMPTER.

In the Land of Our Fathers

BLUE are the skies in the land of our fathers—

A blue of the beauteous sheen;

Through the clear of the air on the farthest horizon
The mountains of Judah are seen.

Broad are the dales in the land of our fathers,
Sweet with the fragrance of flowers;

Fair-smelling groves where the almond-trees mur

mur

Vistas of grape-girded bowers.

High are the hills in the land of our fathers

To reach to the vaulting sky;

Israelites, sturdily tilling and reaping,

Are chanting their carols nearby.

Bright gleams the moon in the land of our fathers,
Aglint on the evening-dew,-

Through myriad stars the queen of the even
Sails on the sea of blue.

Fair are the babes in the land of our fathers,
Comely and gladsome and gay ;—

Godly the words of the songs they are singing-
Sailing the ocean of blue.

K. L. SILLMAN.

On to the East

YOUR loins let girt be,

Your staff in hand hold;

Upon your shoulders now fling ye
Your treasures and gold.