Her thoughts are working with a backward view,
And would in fong the great exploit renew.
She fees an arm'd oppreffion's hundred hands
Impose its fetters on the promis'd lands.
She fees their nation struggling in the chains,
And wars arifing with unequal trains.
She fees their fate in arms, the field imbrued,
The foe diforder'd, and the foe pursued,
Till Conqueft, dreft in rays of glory, come
With peace and freedom, brought in triumph home.
Then round her heart a beamy gladnefs plays,
Which, darting forward, thus converts to praise.
For Ifrael's late avengings on the foe
When led by no compelling power below,
When each fpring forward of their own accord,
For this, for all the mercy, praise the Lord.
Hear, O ye kings; ye neighbouring princes, hear;
My fong triumphant shall instruct your fear :
My fong triumphant bids your glory bow,
To God confefs'd, the God of Jacob now.
O glorious Lord! when, with thy fovereign hand, Thou led'ft the nation off from Edom's land, Then trembled earth, and fhook the heavens on high, And clouds in drops forfook the melted sky, With tumbling waters, hills were heard to roar, And felt fuch fhocks as Sinai felt before. But fear abating, which by time decays, The kings of Canaan rofe in Shamgar's days, And ftill continued ev'n in Jael's times, Their empire fixing with fuccessful crimes.
Oppreffion ravag'd all our lost abodes,
Nor dare the people trust the common roads
But paths perplex'd and unfrequented chofe,
To fhun the danger of perplexing foes.
Thus direful was deform'd the country round,
Unpeopled towns, and difimprov'd the ground.
Till I, refolving in the gap to stand,
I Deborah rofe a mother of the land,
Where others, flaves by fettled custom grown,
Could ferve, and chufe to ferve, the Gods unknown;
Where others fuffer'd with a tame regret,
Destruction spilling blood in every gate,
And forty thousand had not for the field
One fpear offenfive, or defenfive fhield.
O towards the leaders of my nation move,
O beat my warming heart with sense of love,
Commend th' afferters on their own accord,
And bless the fovereign caufer, bless the Lord.
Speak ye, that ride with power return'd in ftate,
Speak ye the praise, that rule the judgment-feat,
Speak ye the praise to God, that walk the roads,
While fafety brings you to rester'd abodes.
The rescued villagers, no more afraid
Of archers lurking in the faithless shade,
And fudden death convey'd from founding ftrings,
Shall fafe approach the water's rising springs ;
And, while their turns of drawing there they wait,
Loitering in eafe upon a moffy feat,
Call all the bleffings of the Lord to mind,
And fing the Lord in all the bleffings kind.
The townfimen rescued from the tyrant's reign
Shall flock with joy to fill their walls again,
See juftice in the gates the balance bear,
And none but her unfheath a weapon there.
Awake, O Deborah, O awake to praise,
Awake, and utter forth triumphant lays.
Arife, O Barack, be thy pomp begun,
Lead on thy triumph thou Abinoam's fon;:
Thy captives bound in chains, when God's decree
Made humbled princes ftoop their necks to thee,
When he, the giver of fuccefs in fight,
Advanc'd a woman o'er the fons of might.
Against this Amaleck, of banded foes,
I Deborah, root of all the war, arose,
From Ephraim fprung, and leading Ephraim's line;
The next in rifing, Benjamin, was thine.
The ruling heads of half Manaffeh's land,..
To ferve in danger, left their fafe command.
The tribe of Zebulon's unactive men
For glorious arms forfook the peaceful pen.
The Lords of Iffachar with Deborah went,
The tribe with Barack to the vale was fent,
Where he on foot perform'd the general's part,
And fhar'd the foldier's toil to raife their heart.
But Reuben's strange divifions juftly wrought
Amongst his brethren deep concern of thought.
Ah! while the nation in affliction lay,
How could't thou, Reuben, by the sheepfolds stay? And let thý bleating flock divert thy days
That idly pafs'd thee with inglorious cafe.
Divided tribe, without thy dangers free,
Deep were the fearchings of our heart for thee.
Our Gilead too, by fuch example sway'd,
With unconcern beyond the river stay'd,
And Dan in ships at fea for fafety rode,
And frighten'd Asher in its rock's abode.
Now fing the field, the feats of war begun,
And praise thy Napthali with Zebulun,
To deaths expos'd, in posts advanc'd they stood
With fouls refolv'd, and gallant rage of blood.
Then came the kings and fought, the gather'd kings
By waters ftreaming from Megiddo's fprings;
In Taanach vale fuftain'd the daring toil,
Yet neither fought for pay, nor won the spoil.
The skies, indulgent in the cause of right,
On Ifrael's fide, againft their army fight,
In evil aspects, stars and planets range,
And by the weather in tempestuous change
Promote the dire diftrefs, and make it known
That God has Hofts above to fave his own.
The Kishon fwell'd, grew rapid as they fled,
And roll'd them finking down its fandy bed.
O river Kishon, river of renown!
And, O my foul, that trod their glory down!
The ftony paths, by which diforder'd flight
Convey'd their troops and chariots from the fight,
With rugged points their horses hoofs distress'd,
And broke them prancing in impetuous hafte.
Cúrfe, curfe ye Meroz, curfe the town abhorr'd,
(So fpake the glorious angel of the Lord)
For Meroz came not in the field prepar'd,
To join that fide on which the Lord declar'd.
But blefs ye Jael, be the Kenite's name
Above our women's blefs'd in endless fame.
The captain, faint with fore fatigue of flight,
Implor'd for water to fupport his might,
And milk fhe pour'd him, while he water fought,
And in her lordly difh her butter brought.
With courage well-deferving to prevail,
One hand the hammer held, and one the nail,
And him, reclin'd to fleep, fhe boldly flew,
She fmote, fhe pierc'd, fhe ftruck the temples through.
Before her feet, reluctant on the clay,
He bow'd, he fell; he bow'd, he fell, he lay;
He bow'd, he fell, he dy'd. By fuch degrees
As thrice fhe ftruck, each stroke's effect the fees.
His mother gaz'd with long-expecting eyes;
And, grown impatient, through the lattice cries
Why moves the chariot of my fon so flow?
Or what affairs retard his coming so ?
Her Ladies anfwer'd-but he would not stay,
(For pride had taught what flattery meant to say) They 've fped, fhe fays, and now the prey they fhare, For each a damfel, or a lovely pair,
For Sifera's part a robe of gallant grace,
Where diverfe colours rich embroidery trace,
Meet for the necks of thofe who in the fpoil
When triumph offers its reward for toil.
Thus perish all whom God's decrees oppofe,
Thus, like the vanquifh'd, perifh all thy foes,
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