Long has been the pilgrimage, Oh son of my begetting;
Weary through the centuries and o’er the deserts wide;
Myriad the altars have been raised for our regretting,
Tumbled stones and leaching ashes where was slain the Christicide.
Hate in works made manifest has been our bitter portion,
Rape and pogrom slaughter and the firebrand in the dark;
Warped the sturdy staff of Jacob under ages’ stress and torsion?
Nay, for hate but rears confusion ‘twixt the bowman and his mark.
Old am I and heavy with the harvests of my sowing,
Corn of love and tares of scorn each sows to him alone,
I am called unto my fathers, and there’s gladness in the going,
For my heart has leaped in welcome to the ages that atone.
Bitter-brewed and oft renewed the cup we quaffed in Russia,
Now we walk in honour where our fathers kissed the rod.
Love of God made Jewish shambles of the ghetto gloom of Prussia,
Hate of Jew on German cross again has nailed the Christian God!
Epitome of struggle in the conflict of the ages,
Jacob’s seed shall conquer when all men are free at last;
And the day is on the mountains when the servant and his wages
Shall be one with serf and bondslave in the legends of the past!
We shall come rejoicing to the fullness of our birth-right,
Jew and Goyim linking in the bonds of brotherhood;
So the Nazarene may greet us, in the clear and golden dawnlight,
“Shal’ aleichem, my brothers! Peace, established in our blood!”
(Burnett A. Ward)
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Based on Topics: Love Poems, Man Poems, God Poems, War & Peace Poems, Christianity Poems, Past Poems, Fathers Poems, Work & Career Poems, Brothers Poems, Hatred Poems, Honor PoemsBased on Keywords: begetting, prussia, ghetto, tares, shal, serf, bowman, epitome, nazarene, birth-right, bondslave