Jephthah and Other Mysteries

JEPHTHAH. And blossom ; as when two-and-thirty men, The sons of Jair, on milk-white asses rode, And judged us righteously, and each abode Safe in the shadow of his vine ; as when The peace of Joshua lay upon the land, And God turned not away His piteous eyes, Nor smote us with the fury of His hand, Nor clouded over His mysterious skies, And storm and wind had no more might at all, And death and pestilence forgotten were, And angels came to holy men that call, And gracious spirits thronged the happy air; When God was very gracious to all folk, And lifted from us the Philistian yoke, And all the iron power of Edom broke, And all the Earth was fair! Now, seeing that we are sinners, wilt not thou Relent thy hateful brow, And bend on us a forehead full of peace, And bid thine anger cease, And speak sweet words most comfortable, and lose The bitter memory of the wrong long dead And be the lord and prince we gladly choose And crown the mercy of thy royal head, And be the chief, and rule upon thy kin, And be not wroth for sin? For surely in the dusty days and years There is a little river flowing still That brings forgetfulness of woes and fears And drinks up all the memory of ill. 19