H. Hastings Weld :: The Woman of Samaria

THE WOMAN of SAMARIA

THOMAS G. SPEAR

Oh! woman of olden Samaria! tell
What the stranger of Galilee said at the well,
When he paused and sat down all alone by the way,
With his holy lips parched, like the summer‐dried clay

"I will tell you the words of the sage that I saw,
When I went to the well the bright waters to draw,
Where the stones are all mossy and green at the side
And the life‐cheering drops so delightfully glide.

"Alone with my jar, ere the blaze of high noon,
With a carolling voice, and my feet all unshoon,
I leisurely sought for a draught of that wave,
Which the wisdom of Jacob our forefathers gave.

"At the verge of the fountain I stood, and, behold,
In silence there sate, with his garments in fold,
A Hebrew apparelled in seamless attire,
Whose presence did reverence deeply inspire.

"He asked for a drink from the pitcher I bore,
Of that cool well of Jacob, delicious and pure;
And I gave it unready, yet gave it at last,
When the spell of his spirit had over me passed.

"He told then of waters that flowed for the soul,
From the rivers of life that unceasingly roll,
Gushing freely for all that would seek them in awe,
With faith in the might of the Lord and his Law.

"He said that salvation was born of the Jews,
With a blessed Messiah to love and to choose,
Whose feet with the brightness of Virtue were shod,
While Righteousness rose in the path that he trod.

"He said in these mountains our worship should cease,
And Jerusalem's glory forget to increase;-
That God was a spirit to love and adore,
Whom in spirit and truth we must seek and implore.

"And, with countenance looking celestially calm,
Whence holiness beamed with a soul‐given charm,
He said that himself was Messiah, foretold
By the Patriarchs, Seers, and the Prophets of old!

"Oh! beautiful sight, on those features to gaze,
As the holy announcement came forth, like the blaze
Of the horizon lights, to the zenith unfurled,
For the wonder and love of the sky‐viewing world!

"He told me of things that I deemed were unknown,
Save unto myself, and my chosen alone;
And all that I knew he perused in my soul,
As it bowed to his will, and confessed his control.

"'A Prophet! a Prophet!' I uttered amazed;-
Our God for his people a Prophet hath raised!-
An angel hath come from the light of his throne,
The Messiah at last to the world to make known.

""O'erawed by his words, from his presence I turned,
With my heart full of thought, as it fluttered and burned
With the weight of the marvels I heard and I saw,
By that fountain whose waters I wandered to draw.

"Thus-thus have I told what so lately befel
My wondering soul at the Patriarch's well;
Where the waters, though sweet, as the wayfarer sips,
Yet sweeter the words of that bright Stranger's lips!"

Thank thee, oh! thank thee, Samarian friend!
For the God‐light that did to thy vision descend-
For the words that thy spirit remembered and told,
And the sacred delight they for ever unfold!