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Home  »  The Standard Book of Jewish Verse  »  Zionist Marching Song

Joseph Friedlander, comp. The Standard Book of Jewish Verse. 1917.

By Naphtali Herz Imber (Trans. Israel Zangwill)

Zionist Marching Song

I
LIKE the crash of the thunder

Which splitteth asunder

The flame of the cloud,

On our ears ever falling,

A voice is heard calling

From Zion aloud:

“Let your spirits’ desires

For the land of your sires

Eternally burn.

From the foe to deliver

Our own holy river,

To Jordan return.”

Where the soft, flowing stream

Murmurs low as in dream,

There set we our watch.

Our watchword “The sword

Of our land and our Lord—”

By Jordan there set we our watch.

II
Rest in peace, loved land,

For we rest not, but stand,

Off shaken our sloth.

When the bolts of war rattle

To shirk not the battle,

We make thee our oath,

As we hope for a Heaven,

Thy chains shall be riven,

Thine ensign unfurled.

And in pride of our race

We will fearlessly face

The might of the world.

When our trumpet is blown

And our standard is flown,

Then set we our watch.

Our watchword, “The sword

Of our land and our Lord—”

By Jordan then set we our watch.

III
Yea, as long as there be

Birds in air, fish in sea,

And blood in our veins;

And the lions in might,

Leaping down from the height,

Shake, roaring, their manes;

And the dew nightly laves

The forgotten old graves

Where Judah’s sires sleep,

We swear, who are living,

To rest not in striving,

To pause not to weep;

Let the trumpet be blown,

Let the standard be flown,

Now set we our watch.

Our watchword, “The sword

Of our land and our Lord—”

In Jordan now set we our watch.