YE daughters and soldiers of Israel look back! | |
| Where—where are the thousands that shadowed your track, | |
| The chariots that took the deep earth as they rolled | |
| The banners of silk and the helmets of gold? | |
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| Where are they—the vultures whose beaks would have fed | 5 |
| On the tide of your hearts ere the pulses had fled? | |
| Give glory to God, who in mercy arose, | |
| And strewed ’mid the waters the strength of our foes. | |
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| When we traveled the waste of the desert by day, | |
| With his banner-cloud’s motion he marshalled the way: | 10 |
| When we saw the tired sun in his glory expire | |
| Before he walked, in a pillar of fire. | |
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| But this morn, and the Israelites’ strength was a reed | |
| That shook with the thunder of chariot and steed, | |
| Where now are the swords and their far-flashing sweep? | 15 |
| Their lightnings are quenched in the depth of the deep. | |
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| O thou, that redeemest the weak one at length | |
| And scourgest the strong in the pride of their strength, | |
| Who holdest the earth and the sea in thine hand, | |
| And rulest Eternity’s shadowy land— | 20 |
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| To thee let our thoughts and our offerings tend, | |
| Of virtue the Hope, and of sorrow the Friend. | |
| Let the incense of prayer still ascend to thy throne, | |
| Omnipotent—glorious—eternal—alone. | |
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