One should not say, with too much pride, That from these reservoirs and tanks And many a famous comedy." Then a long pause; till some one said, At these words spake the Spanish Jew, That book of gems, that book of gold, A tale that often comes to me, And fills my heart, and haunts my brain, THE SPANISH JEW'S TALE. THE LEGEND OF RABBI BEN LEVI. RABBI BEN LEVI, on the Sabbath, read His faithful servant grace with mortal eye To look upon His face and yet not die. Then fell a sudden shadow on the page, Yet through his veins a chill of terror ran. With trembling voice he said, "What wilt thou here?" The angel answered, "Lo! the time draws near When thou must die; yet first, by God's de cree, Whate'er thou askest shall be granted thee." Replied the Rabbi, "Let these living eyes Then said the Angel, “Come with me and look.” Rabbi Ben Levi closed the sacred book, And rising, and uplifting his gray head, "Give me thy sword," he to the Angel said, Then straight into the city of the Lord The Rabbi leaped with the Death-Angel's sword, And through the streets there swept a sudden breath Of something there unknown, which men call death. Meanwhile the Angel stayed without, and cried, "Come back!" To which the Rabbi's voice re plied, "No! in the name of God, whom I adore, Then all the Angels cried, "O Holy One, Beyond the outer wall the Angel of Death Heard the great voice, and said, with panting breath, 99 "Give back the sword, and let me go my way.' Whereat the Rabbi paused, and answered, “Nay! Anguish enough already hath it caused Among the sons of men." And while he paused He heard the awful mandate of the Lord Resounding through the air, "Give back the sword!" The Rabbi bowed his head in silent prayer; Thou wilt perform the bidding of the Lord." The Angel took the sword again, and swore, And walks on earth unseen forevermore. INTERLUDE. He ended and a kind of spell His solemn manner and his words A luminous shadow, vague and vast. At last, but in a voice subdued, The thought of one, now gone from us,➡ My friend and teacher, when a child, The legend of an Angel told, THE SICILIAN'S TALE. KING ROBERT OF SICILY. ROBERT of Sicily, brother of Pope Urbane With retinue of many a knight and squire, He caught the words, "Deposuit potentes And slowly lifting up his kingly head He to a learned clerk beside him said, "What mean these words?" The clerk made an swer meet, "He has put down the mighty from their seat, When he awoke, it was already night; The church was empty, and there was no light, Save where the lamps, that glimmered few and faint, Lighted a little space before some saint. |