Moreover, Rachel said, Shall Leah mock, Who stole the prime embraces of my love, My first long-destined, long-withheld caress? But not, she said, methought, but not for this, In the old days, did Jacob seek his bride;— Where art thou now, O thou that sought’st me then? Where is thy loving tenderness of old? And where that fervency of faith to which Seven weary years were even as a few days? And Rachel wept and ended, Ah, my life! Though Leah bare thee sons on sons, methought The child of love, late-born, were worth them all. And Leah groaned and answered, It is well: She that hath kept from me my husband’s heart Will set their father’s soul against my sons. Yet, also, not, she said, I thought, for this, Not for the feverish nor the doating love, Doth Israel, father of a nation, seek; Nor to light dalliance, as of boy and girl, Incline the thoughts of matron and of man, Or lapse the wisdom of maturer mind. And Leah ended, Father of my sons, Come, thou shalt dream of Rachel if thou wilt, So Leah fold thee in a wife’s embrace. These are the words of Jacob’s wives, who sat In the tent door, and listened to their speech, The spring beside him, and above the palm, While all the sheep were gathered for the night. _THE NEW SINAI._ Lo, here is God, and there is God! Believe it not, O Man; In such vain sort to this and that The ancient heathen ran: Though old Religion shake her head, And say in bitter grief, The day behold, at first foretold, Of atheist unbelief: Take better part, with manly heart, Thine adult spirit can; Receive it not, believe it not, Believe it not, O Man! As men at dead of night awaked With cries, ‘The king is here,’ Rush forth and greet whome’er they meet, Whoe’er shall first appear; And still repeat, to all the street, ‘’Tis he,—the king is here;’ The long procession moveth on, Each nobler form they see, With changeful suit they still salute And cry, ‘’Tis he, ’tis he!’ So, even so, when men were young, And earth and heaven were new, And His immediate presence He From human hearts withdrew, The soul perplexed and daily vexed With sensuous False and True, Amazed, bereaved, no less believed, And fain would see Him too: ‘He is!’ the prophet-tongues proclaimed; In joy and hasty fear, ‘He is!’ aloud replied the crowd, ‘Is here, and here, and here.’ ‘He is! They are!’ in distance seen On yon Olympus high, In those Avernian woods abide, And walk this azure sky: ‘They are! They are!’—to every show Its eyes the baby turned, And blazes sacrificial, tall, On thousand altars burned: ‘They are! They are!’—On Sinai’s top Far seen the lightnings shone, The thunder broke, a trumpet spoke, And God said, ‘I am One.’