When Sālih saw the evil deed they’d foully wrought, In three days’ time a judgment from his God he sought. 280 “Three days from hence,” said he, “affliction will befall; Of which, three signs precursors shall be. You’ll see, all. The colour of your faces shall be changed to view; Complexions various shall be seen in each of you. Upon the first day, saffron’s hue shall be their tinge; The second, scarlet red each countenance shall fringe; And on the third, as black as coal shall be each face; Upon which ensuing, God’s wrath shall then take place. If sign of me you ask for truth of what I say, Observe the path that camel’s foal shall take to-day; 285 Then strive to catch it. If you can, by chance, succeed; Good. If not, hope is gone;--from bow the arrow’s freed!” No one of them the camel’s foal could overtake. It fled among the hills,--was lost to sight. Heartache! E’en so the soul, when once its prison bars are burst, Unto the Lord of Grace its winged flight takes first. The prophet then: “The threatened judgment now must storm; All hope’s gone by;--dead as that camel’s lifeless form. Still, if, by coaxing, you her foal can win back here, In calm tranquillity, from whence it’s fled through fear, 290 With its return of confidence you may be saved; But otherwise, despair and gnash your teeth, depraved!” His threat they heard; dejected were at its import. Their looks sank downcast;--sad anxiety’s resort. The first day came; they saw each visage jaundiced o’er; And thence, in fell dismay, they laments uttered, sore. Their scarlet skins, the second day, told plainer still, Time for repentance was but short, and hope was _nil_. The blackened faces, on the third day, clearly told The prophet’s threat was strictly true. Their blood ran cold. 295 Thus being brought to quit their menaces and scowls; Upon their knees, hams, breasts, they crouched like roosting fowls. This cringing posture has that abject, trembling crew, In holy writ, inspired, dubbed “crouching;”[304] and ’tis true. (Kneel, thou, at times when by instructors thou art taught, And when thou’rt warned that “crouching” ’s with abjection fraught.) In hopeless expectation God’s blow to ensue, The countryside entire within their homes withdrew. The prophet Sālih left his cell to view the town. Enveloped in a smoke and blaze he saw it drown! 300 Low, moaning noise he heard proceed from its remain;— Sighs, as it were, and sobs;--he sighers sought in vain! Those sighs were fitful cracklings of their burning bones; Those sobs, the hissings of their blood, in clots, on stones!