Echoed from earth a hollow roar, Burst from the clouds the charge of hail; With arrowy keenness, iron weight, Down poured the ministers of fate; Till man and cattle, crushed, congealed, Covered with death the boundless field. Still swelled the plague,-uprose the blast, The avenger, fit to be the last; Down go the hope, the pride of years; And, lo! that first fierce triumph o'er, To Heaven the sage upraised his wand; Back rolled the deluge from the land; Back to its caverns sank the gale; Fled from the noon the vapors pale; Broad burned again the joyous sun;The hour of wrath and death was done. GEORGE CROLY (1780-1860). THE PLAGUE OF HAILSTONES. "And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground."-Exodus ix:23. THE impious Monarch sat upon his throne, Defying still the God of Israel.The sixth foul plague tormented yet the land, Corroding boils and blains; age, sex, nor rank Escaped. The hungry infant from the breast Turn'd, sickening; and the mother from her child. On the new bride the bridegroom stared aghast; She upon him, and lifted up her hands, As at a serpent. Israel's sons aloneSo was the hand of God made manifest Walk'd through the tainted air, and knew no spot. But Pharaoh still was hardened in his pride And would not let the oppress'd peopie go. Then the seventh time the chosen leader came, And spake unto the king:-"O hard of heart! And blind in unbelief! not yet seest thou That Israel's God is Lord of all the earth? Six plagues have come on thee, and all the land: Yea, do ye strive with very loathsome ness Wilt thou yet strive against the living God? And wilt thou yet his chosen nation vex With stripes, and bondage, and taskmasters hard? Or wilt thou let them go from out the land, That they may sacrifice unto their God; Even to Jehovah in the wilderness?" The awful prophet ceased; and thus the king, With brow like night, and eye-balls flashing fire, Upstarting from his golden throne, replied: "Slave and magician! no, they shall not go! Who is your God, that I should be afraid And hearken to his voice?-I know him not! Neither shall Israel go. The things thou didst, Did not our sorcerers also-or in partEven in thy sight?-yet prate they of their God? What art thou but a blacker sorcerer? Or who thy God but him they also serve? When from thy rod a living serpent came, Cast they not also every man his rod That turn'd into a serpent?-When to blood Thy spells had changed the waters, played not they The cunning trick as well? And for thy frogs, Brought they not forth the loathsome reptiles too? And comest thou here to boast of Israel's God Their God alone?-and say unto the King, 'Let go thy bondsmen now from out the land That they may sacrifice unto the Lord?' Who then is Israel's God? I know him not! And Israel shall not go.-And who art thou That I should hearken to thee, and lift not up My hand to punish? Tell me whence thou art, And show a sign that I may truly know The holy hill, my father Jethro's flocks A fierce flame, yet the bush was unconsumed: And in the fire the angel of the Lord Appeared unto me! Trembling I went back, And turned aside, that I this wondrous sight Might see, and why the bush was unconsumed; But, from the fire, I heard the voice of God, That called my name; and, fearing, I replied 'Hear am I'-Then He spake again, and said, 'Draw not nigh hither; put thy shoes aside From off thy feet, for where thou standest now Is holy ground. I am thy father's God. The God of Abraham, and Isaac's God, The God of Jacob.'-Then I hid my eyes, Lest I should look upon the face of God. And the Lord said, 'I surely have beheld Th' afflictions of my people, and have heard Their cry, by reason of their task-masters; For I do know their sorrows, and am come From the Egyptians to deliver them, And bring them from that land unto a land Flowing with milk and honey. Therefore come, And I will send thee unto Pharaoh now, That thou my chosen people may'st bring forth. The children of Israel, froin Egyptian bonds.' "Then I bow'd down, and said unto the Lord, 'Who am I that to Pharaoh I should go? And to the men of Israel when I come, And say unto them "Lo! your fathers' God Hath sent me to you," if perchance they ask "What is his name?" how shall I answer them?' Then spake the Almighty. 'I AM THAT I AM! Thus to the children of Israel shalt thou say, "I AM hath sent me to you, the Lord God, Your father's God, the God of Abraham, The God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, Even he hath sent me to you;" this my name Forever, my memorial to all nations. Go, gather now the elders of Israel, And say to them, "The God of Abraham, The God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Appeared unto me saying:-Surely I Have seen that which is done to you in Egypt; And I will bring you out from your affliction Unto a land, a good land, and a large Flowing with milk and honey." Then go ye Thou and the elders-to the king, and say, "The Lord God of the Hebrews hath appeared Unto us we beseech thee let us go Egypt with all my wonders in the midst Whereof which I will do; and after that The king shall let you go.' Then to the Lord I answered, 'Surely they will not believe, Nor hearken to my voice; for they will say Thou hast not seen the Lord.' unto me Then 'Put forth thy hand and take it.' Then I stooped, And caught the serpent, and it was a rod! Then said the Lord again: 'Put now thy hand Into thy bosom.' Then I put my hand Into my bosom: when I, took it out, Behold! my hand was leperous as snow! Then said the Lord: 'Put now again thine hand Into thy bosom.' Then I put my hand Again into my bosom, and behold! When I pluck'd forth my hand, it had become Even as my other flesh! Then said the Lord, 'Surely they may believe their fathers' God, The God of Abraham, and Isaac's, God, The God of Jacob hath appeared unto thee! And if they will not hearken to the voice Of the first sign, yet in the second sign They will believe: but if they still are deaf, Then shalt thou take this rod into thy hand, Wherewith thou shalt do signs before the king.' "And have I not done signs and wonders then?— Yet art thou hardened still in unbelief, And wilt not let the oppressed people go? Have I not turned your waters into blood? Covered the land with frogs? and changed to lice The dust? and filled the air with swarms of flies? All save the land of Goshen, where abide The chosen race, the children of Israel? And didst thou not, O king! say: 'Ye shall go; Only entreat for me unto your God That he may stay his hand?' And, after that, Didst thou not harden still thy heart and say: 'The people shall not go?' Then sent I not A murrain on your cattle, that they died? Horses, and asses, camels, oxen, sheep? But in the land of Goshen died there one? Last, sent I not this plague upon you all, Boils, blains, and blotches, upon man and beast, That the land stinketh with your loathsomeness?- And art thou hardened still, and proud of heart, And wilt not let the oppressed people go?" Then with a stern, hoarse voice the king replied: "Wily imposter! hence!-out of my sight! Think not with cunning lies to blind the king! Thee and thy boasted God of Israel I do defy! haste, sorcerer! from my sight! I will not let the accursed people go; Then on the morrow unto Moses spake The Lord, and said: "Stretch forth thine hands towards heaven, That upon every man, and beast, and herb, Throughout the land of Egypt, may come hail." Then Moses stretched forth his rod towards the heaven, And o'er the sky came darkness, that the sun, As with a furnace-smoke, quench'd utterly. Blackness and death-like silence all the land Made like a tomb: astonished, every tongue Was mute, and every limb with terror shook. But soon a sound far off was heard in heaven, A sound as of a coming multitude, Horses and chariots, rushing furiously; Then, like a trumpet opening on the ear Came down a terrible and mighty wind. Wide scattering, fell anon, with heavy stroke, As of a stone from a strong slinger's arm, The solitary hail; dark fires at length Amid the black clouds wandered to and fro; Earth shook, and heaven with terror seem'd to quake And all the plague was loosed.-The voice of God Spake in ten thousand thunders; fire and hail Shot howling down, and lightning in a flood, Mixed with the hail, and ran upon the ground; And with the hail, and thunder, and the fire, A mighty wind, that the huge hail stones smote Like rocks the quivering ground-like shattering rocks, Hurl'd from the mountain to the groaning plain Smoking and whirling, rushed the awful hail, Hailstones and fires, tempests and thunders mixed, Fell to the land, that all the people cried, And trembled at the anger of the Lord, And every man and every beast that stood Within the fields, the hailstones smote and slew; And every herb and every tree brake down In all the land of Egypt.-But the sun Shone in the fields of Goshen pleas antly: Thunder, nor wind, nor fire, nor hailstones fell For there the sons of Israel abode, The favoured people, chosen of the Lord. Then Pharaoh, trembling, unto Moses sent, And a mild look of sacred pity cast Down on the sinful land where he was sent To inflict the tardy punishment. "Ah! yet," said he, "yet, stubborn king, repent, Whilst thus armed I stand, Ere the keen sword of God fill my commanded hand; Suffer but yet thyself and thine to live: "So hard to be forgiven should be, Through Egypt's wicked land his march he took, And as he marched, the sacred, firstborn strook |