| Joseph Friedlander, comp. The Standard Book of Jewish Verse. 1917. | | | | Hillel and His Guest | | By Alice Lucas |
| | A Talmudic Legend
| | Boast not thyself of to-morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.—Proverbs xxvii. 1. |
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HILLEL, the gentle, the beloved sage, | |
| Expounded day by day the sacred page | |
| To his disciple in the house of learning; | |
| And day by day, when home at eve returning, | |
| They lingered, clust’ring round him loth to part | 5 |
| From him whose gentle rule won every heart. | |
| But evermore, when they were wont to plead | |
| For longer converse, forth he went with speed, | |
| Saying each day; “I go—the hour is late— | |
| To tend the guest who doth my coming wait.” | 10 |
| Until at last they said: “The Rabbi jests | |
| When telling us thus daily of his guests | |
| That wait for him.” The Rabbi paused awhile, | |
| And then made answer; “Think you I beguile | |
| You with an idle tale? Not so, forsooth! | 15 |
| I have a guest, whom I must tend in truth. | |
| Is not the soul of man indeed a guest, | |
| Who in this body deigns a while to rest, | |
| And dwells with me all peacefully to-day; | |
| To-morrow—may it not have fled away?” | 20 | | |
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