Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, PEOPLE OF ZION, by MARIE HARROLD GARRISON


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

PEOPLE OF ZION, by                    
First Line: From far-off ages hath this people sprung
Last Line: A long white pathway shining on the night!
Subject(s): God; Israel; Jews; Judaism


FROM far-off ages hath this people sprung,
To Yahweh clinging still, as they have clung
The centuries through. Tenacity of mind
In every generation—well defined—
And purposes unshaken, are the fruit
Of worship such as theirs. They pay no suit
To king or prince for favors. Like a rock
That's beaten by the waves they stand the shock
Of prejudice, that, never ceasing, rolls
And rushes all around them. And their souls
Within their temples cluster, drawing near
The altar that has ever been so dear
To Israel; and Israel's mighty God
Seems here to speak the plainer. From the rod
Of gentile hatred here they turn to pray,
For this to them seems the most righteous way.
While we, whose minds in every season turn
To seek or find some "New Religion," learn
To look upon the Israelitish men
With reverence for their steadfast worship. When
The "candles" we have lighted waver so
That we are lost in "ists" and "isms," lo!
We see their great lamp burning still and bright;
A long white pathway shining on the night!





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net