Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE NINTH OF AB, by CARROLL RYAN


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE NINTH OF AB, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Oh, vain for hand of mine to strike this harp of / golden strings
Last Line: A testimony to mankind that god shall keep his word.
Alternate Author Name(s): Ryan, William Thomas Carroll
Subject(s): Christianity; Disasters; Earthquakes; God; Israel; Jews; Memory; Mourning; Pain; Pity; Tragedy; Youth; Judaism; Bereavement; Suffering; Misery


I.

Oh, vain for hand of mine to strike this harp of golden strings
Made holy by the blood and tears of prophets, priests and kings,
Swept by the wind of Babylon, washed by the bitter sea,
Dare I its sleeping spirit wake, Oh Israel, for thee!

II.

Shall I to mourning hearts recall the record of their sins,
Where age in lamentation ends, and youth in grief begins,
Since Titus thundered at thy gates with legioned ranks of Rome,
While scattered far in heathen lands thy children dream of home?

III.

There is no sorrow like to thine; enduring as thy fame
It dwells with thee forever in a memory of flame
Unquenchable, though streams of blood upon it ever pour,
Since tower and temple, hall and home went down to rise no more.

IV.

Oh, who can tell the fearful tale? Thy anguish who can know?
It fills the corridors of time with one long wail of woe,
The pity of it wrings my heart! When will thy sorrow cease?
Oh, Israel! beloved of God, when will He give thee peace?

V.

The earthquake, fire and tempest wind have sought thy hope to blast;
Be patient, and thou yet shalt hear the still, small voice at last.
Though gory footprints mark thy way, along the shores of time,
In all the ways of earth there is no pathway so sublime.

VI.

God-given is the heritage of suffering and pain.
By it the glories that were thine shall yet be thine again.
The rapture of thy sacrifice is what thou lovest best;
Nor gold, nor gems, nor vows, nor pray'rs can ever make thee blest.

VII.

Think not because the voice of God is heard no more on earth
That He forgets His covenant, or deems it little worth.
Still fix thy gaze on Zion's hill. He yet will hear thy prayer;
And on some Ninth of Ab shall end the years of thy despair.

VIII.

Oh, Christians look to Israel, the Guardian of the Law,
And bare your heads, as is your wont, when overcome with awe.
Sublime, pathetic, ancient, wise, he stands the unperturbed,
A testimony to mankind that God shall keep His word.





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