| Joseph Friedlander, comp. The Standard Book of Jewish Verse. 1917. | | | | The Poet’s Spirit | | By Joseph Fitzpatrick |
| | To the Memory of Naphtali Herz Imber |
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NO dirge or solemn bell | |
| We toll for thee, oh Voice, | |
| Stilled by the sudden knell | |
| That ends all mortal choice; | |
| Thy tuneful spirit free of earth | 5 |
| Must ever more rejoice. | |
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| Like gull or petrel free | |
| That soars o’er billows, brave, | |
| Thy soul shall spring in glee | |
| Above the narrow grave; | 10 |
| Thy hymns shall live while Zion lives, | |
| While Israel’s banners wave. | |
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| As perched on mountain crags | |
| The eagle finds a nest, | |
| Free from earth’s binding rags | 15 |
| Wandering Soul take rest, | |
| Till the full message of thy song | |
| Thy brothers here attest. | |
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| Singers like thee on earth | |
| Tuning the immortal lyre, | 20 |
| Old Nations give re-birth, | |
| Hopes shattered, new desire; | |
| Beacons that prove for doubting sons | |
| Jehovah’s living fire. | | | |
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