Eleazer’s troops now on the Romans rush, Resolv’d to perish or at once to crush, With double speed their weighty jav’lins fly, They kill with fury, and with fury die; Yet all their courage now avails but nought, For Roman ranks, with glowing freedom fraught, Pursue their conquest, spite of breasted files, Through falling ruins and o’er smoking piles. The Jews retreat, the Romans follow hard, Nor can assistant troops their steps retard; Back to the guarded temple’s sloping height The Jews retire, and there renew the fight; There head to head they press both man and horse, As striving vultures o’er the mould’ring corse, Or, like two lions, eager both for blood, Wage with their fangs to grasp the trembling flood. But see!—the holy house—it smokes, it burns, By Simon fir’d (who all devotion spurns), The holy house, the temple’s outer court, ’Till now held sacred—stands a blazing fort. Now ’midst the war, poor Jezra, sunk in woe, Prays for her lofty friend—her city’s foe; Around the Roman camp she walks and wails, Tears her dark locks, and spreads them to the gales; Like a young plantain, nipp’d by raging frost, Droops for her friends—her native city lost; Now wildly gazes on her once fair home, Now views the ’spiring temple’s shining dome, Beneath whose concave she so oft hath knelt, Warm’d by that mercy angels never felt: Angels ne’er felt?—nay, reader, do not pause, What sav’d us from the curse of broken laws? For what did Jesus undertake our cause? For what did Jesus take a mortal form? For what did Jesus bear each angry storm? For what did Jesus tread our earthly road? For what did Jesus bear our heavy load? For what did Jesus sweat, did Jesus sigh? And oh! for what did Jesus groan and die? To save fall’n man from gaping hell—and prove The strength of mercy and his saving love; Redeeming love, to angels e’en unknown, Redeeming mercy, ne’er to angels shown: ’Twas this that Jezra’s pious bosom fill’d, ’Twas this that ev’ry rising passion still’d; ’Twas this, when at the altar’s foot she lay, Cheer’d her young soul, and bade her fears give way; ’Twas thoughts of this, and happy days gone by, That now made Jezra roll her languid eye.