The Song of Miriam

“Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.”—Exod. xv. 21.

YE daughters and soldiers of Israel look back!

Where—where are the thousands that shadowed your track,

The chariots that took the deep earth as they rolled

The banners of silk and the helmets of gold?

Where are they—the vultures whose beaks would have fed

On the tide of your hearts ere the pulses had fled?

Give glory to God, who in mercy arose,

And strewed ’mid the waters the strength of our foes.

When we traveled the waste of the desert by day,

With his banner-cloud’s motion he marshalled the way:

When we saw the tired sun in his glory expire

Before he walked, in a pillar of fire.

But this morn, and the Israelites’ strength was a reed

That shook with the thunder of chariot and steed,

Where now are the swords and their far-flashing sweep?

Their lightnings are quenched in the depth of the deep.

O thou, that redeemest the weak one at length

And scourgest the strong in the pride of their strength,

Who holdest the earth and the sea in thine hand,

And rulest Eternity’s shadowy land—

To thee let our thoughts and our offerings tend,

Of virtue the Hope, and of sorrow the Friend.

Let the incense of prayer still ascend to thy throne,

Omnipotent—glorious—eternal—alone.