James Montgomery

The Death of Moses.

He climb'd the mountain; and behold!

The land before him lay;

Here Jordan's bounding waters roll'd,

There Carmel stretch'd away.

From northern Lebanon, outspread,

To Araby the wild,

Where strangers' lives the Patriarchs led,

Their promised Canaan smiled:

A land of fountains and of rills,

Pure milk and honey flow'd;

Whose stones were iron; from whose hills

Brass in the furnace glow'd:

A land of corn, and wine, and oil,

Whose trees with fruitage hung,

While birds, to soothe the labourers' toil,

Amid the branches sung.

Valleys stood thick with golden grain,

Goats bounded on the rocks,

And white and dark, on slope and plain,

Roam'd pasturing herds and flocks.

But all the soil with blood was stain'd,

Revenge and rapine strove;

Pagan abominations reign'd

In every haunted grove.

From cities populous and proud

The shrieks of children came,

Where drums and cymbals led the crowd,

Round Moloch's altar-flame.

The Vision changed; -- then Moses saw

The Idols overthrown,

God out of Zion giving law,

God worship'd there alone.

And still the vision grew more bright;

On humble Bethlehem shined

The star of Jacob, and a light

To lighten all mankind,

In silent trance the prophet gazed:

"It is enough," he cried;

His hands with holy rapture raised,

Saw the Lord's Christ, and died.

His spirit return'd to God who gave:

His body, nowhere found,

Shall keep the secret of its grave

Till the last trumpet sound.