Nazareth Town

Nazareth town in Galilee! Set where the paths lead up from the sea That like the chords of a mighty lyre Dirges over the rocks of Tyre, Mourns where the piers of Sidon shone, And the battlements cinctured Ascalon. They have waned as the sunset wanes; Little more than a name remains; But more than a name we hold it,—we,— Nazareth town in Galilee! Nazareth town in Galilee! Ah, what a golden harmony The dawn seems, flooding its bright white walls! And, when the violet twilight falls, What a vast processional of stars Pageants over its stilled bazaars! And when the full moon touches the height Of Tabor, a torch of brilliant light, Never was sight more fair to see;— Nazareth town in Galilee! Nazareth town in Galilee! Strumming a desert melody, The Bedouin minstrel trolls in the street; At the Well of the Virgin the maidens meet; The cactus-hedges crimson to flower, And the olives silver hour by hour As through their branches the south wind steals; A clear bell peals, and a vulture wheels Over the crest where the wild crags be;— Nazareth town in Galilee! Nazareth town in Galilee! At the sound of the words how memory Kindles as earth does under the spring, Till the dead days rise for our visioning; And out of them one compassionate face Beams with a more than mortal grace; Out of them one inspiring voice Cries in the ears of the world “rejoice!” And ever a beacon of hope shall be Nazareth town in Galilee!