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From Arbah’s grove,^[1] in Hebron’s lovely plain,

Where Peace and Plenty held their happy reign,

Forth from his Sire the youthful Joseph went,

On messages of kind affection sent,

Hast’ning to learn his absent brethren’s weal,

While through his spirit fond affections steal.

His young heart jocund with the gentle glow

Of health, quick as the arrow from the bow

He sped him gaily o’er the vernal green,

As fair a youth as in that land was seen.

The land of Canaan, now full widely famed

For deeds and men in Holy Scripture named—

The land of promise, oft prophetic told,

Which Israel’s sons by sacred grant should hold;

A region fair—a fruitful, genial soil,

Teeming with honey, wine, and flowing oil;

Where sweetest fruits of rich and varied hue

Spontaneous in great abundance grew.

The stage it was of nobler doings far,

Than all the deeds of choicest heroes are;

The land where first intelligence was given

Of man redeem’d from Hell—made heir of Heaven.

’Twas o’er those lands the youthful Joseph came,

Whose soul no envy knew, nor thirst of fame,

Nor cursed love of gold, nor sordid gain,

Nor proud Ambition fed with blood and pain.

Then, as he hasten’d through the woodland dale,

Anon he came to Shechem’s pleasant vale—

Report had told his brethren tarried there—

And there he sought them with a brother’s care.

Amid the rocks, and o’er the hills he sought

The shepherd band; while often busy thought,

With forms illusive, pictured to his sight

The sportive kids upon some craggy height,

The bleating lambs, and flocks of fleecy sheep,

While o’er their charge the brothers vigil keep.

Illusions all! fond Fancy’s wayward wiles,

Deluding oft with empty treach’rous smiles.

His friends he sought, but seeking, could not find—

Perplexing doubt possess’d his anxious mind.

With tearful eye, and palpitating fear,

In Shechem’s fields he wander’d far and near;

Forebodings drear and sad began to dart

Their barbed arrows through his aching heart.^[2]

But, lo! a stranger pass’d along that way;

That instant, Hope, with her inspiring ray

Illumed his soul, and chased the gloomy lour

Of darksome grief with her consoling power.

His heart, with love and holiness imbued,

With gratitude the passing stranger viewed;

His buoyant soul, responsive to its charm,

Superior rose above each vain alarm;

His mind, ingenuous, recogniz’d a friend,

And grateful prayers of piety ascend

To Heaven; for Joseph well had learn’d

His God to fear; and readily discern’d

His heav’nly Father’s tender, watchful hand

Outstretch’d to guard him in a lonely land.

And oft old Jacob’s lips his son had taught,

And lur’d to holiness each pliant thought:

His father’s God he sought the youth to show—

His father’s God he pray’d the lad might know.

Estrang’d from folly’s paths, his youthful mind

In wisdom’s ways of pleasantness was train’d:

And so it was—the lovely Joseph grew

In stature and in grace, to virtue true.

With visage mild and tender accents, now

The stranger kind inquired, “what seekest thou?”

And strange, indeed, it were, could he withstand

The gentle mien, the winning aspect bland—

The anxious look—the trembling, tearful eye—

The throbbing breast—the heaving, deep-drawn sigh—

The trem’lous words of love that softly fell

From lips that scarce the tale of grief could tell.

In plaintive strains the wand’ring youth began

T’ address the list’ning, pitying, stranger man:—

“I seek my brethren; tell me where, I pray,

They feed their flocks? O, kindly show the way!

By which pursuing I may haply ken

The flocks and herds in dell or woodland glen—

Which, tended by my brothers’ cheerful care,

With them I may behold in safety there.”

And straight the stranger felt his melting soul

Full kindly yield to pity’s soft controul;

In friendly sort he soothed the wand’rer’s grief,

Responding words of peace in accents brief:—

“They are departed hence; I pass’d this way

Before, and passing, heard them say,

To Dothan let us go—for, haply, there

Choice herbage we may find and pastures fair.”

Young Joseph, grateful, thank’d his courteous guide,

And by that path his way he quickly hied,

Thus opportunely pointed to his eye;

Which straight pursued would briefly bring him nigh

To Dothan’s plains, where he might fain behold

His father’s sons—their flocks in peaceful fold.

His tears were dried—his fears were hush’d to peace—

His sad forebodings and his sorrows cease;

Anticipations sweet his soul possess’d,

And banish’d grief and anguish from his breast.

He gaily spurn’d the mossy sun-burnt sod;

His heart unwarp’d by guile—the child of God;

Nor dream’d he, as he lightly sped along,

Of cruel ill or undeserved wrong.

His gentle spirit, as an Angel’s fair,

But little knew of grief or carking care;

Nor thought he, as the brakes he sped among,

Of dangers thick that o’er his pathway hung—

A path it was by boundless prescience giv’n—

A path determin’d by the King of Heav’n;

Nor mused he, as he trod the grassy mead,

Of great events in embryo deeply hid.

Oh! little do frail erring mortals know

How mighty ends from small beginnings flow!

Or how the present hour of grief and pain

May prove the road to true abiding gain!

Meanwhile the Patriarch’s sons pursued their toil,

And drove their flocks to Dothan’s verdant soil;

Their bleating charge they staidly guided there,

And found rich meads and fruitful pastures fair.

Then, ’mid sweet shades and streams of tuneful rill,

They careful guard their tender lambs from ill;

Anon restore each sportive wand’rer there,

And kindly tend it with a shepherd’s care.

Ah! blissful would such past’ral life have been,

Had their hearts never known the stain of sin!

Alas! no state, no station here below

Can bar access to human guilt and woe!

Now on the summit of a hill espied,

They see the lad approach, full well descried

By coat of many brilliant colours wove,

The valued pledge of Jacob’s tender love.

“Behold! this dreamer comes!” the brethren cry,

While through their hearts black Envy’s passions fly;

That baneful pest, which erst in days of yore

Enthrall’d the soul of Cain with hellish pow’r;

Which led him on to deeds of damning guilt,

Till Abel’s blood, by elder brother spilt,

Aloud demanded vengeance on the head

Of him by whom th’ empurpled stream was shed.

Alas! that in the heaven-born human mind

Such hateful passions e’er should entrance find!

But, oh! those guilty, dark affections flow

From sin, the source of “death and all our woe!”

’Twas thence the sombre tide of guilt roll’d on,

Transmitted from the parent to the son;

’Twas thence to men those cruel lusts were given

Which darken earth with crime and outrage heaven.

Now in their souls such vengeful passions brood

As seek in deeds of blood their proper food;

Grim Jealousy and all her filthy train,

Foul authors they of tears and racking pain,

Which vomit forth pestiferous streams, that flow

With turbid waves of grief and sick’ning woe.

Foremost among the base Tartarian crew

There Envy stalks with front of pallid hue,

And spiteful hurls her fierce envenom’d shafts

Of cruel hatred through the wrathful hearts

Of Jacob’s sons; who now, in conclave vile,

Their souls with dark designs of blood defile.

And thus, with counsel stern, the murd’rous clan,

To shed their brother’s blood, devise the plan:

“This silly fool, this vain and idle pest,

In colour’d garb of fond affection drest,

Shall from his dreaming fancies quickly cease,

And in the silent cavern rest in peace.

So shall the future rolling moments tell,

If these his boasted visions omen’d well—

Those empty dreams of might and lordly pow’r

Which oft in by-gone times of leisure hour

He lov’d to tell, with foolish fond parade,

By cheerful hearth or fragrant hawthorn shade;

And when our Sire his pet-boy’s loss complains,

We’ll show his coat bedew’d with purple stains

Of slaughter’d sheep, or gore of bleeding kid.

The dreamer slain—his carcase safely hid

In deep abyss of yonder darksome dell—

No tale of boding visions more shall tell.

Our Father’s mind with strong persuasion fill’d

Shall e’en believe his Son by monster kill’d—

By beasts of prey that haunt the forest den,

And fiercely oft invade the haunts of men.”

Such counsel giv’n, they hoarsely each respond

Assent; and frowning stern, conclude the bond.

The Prince of Hell triumphant, held them all

In cords of crime and chains of guilty thrall.

Save one who, Reuben nam’d, full keenly felt

His heart, subdued by tender pity, melt.

And straight he sought, with words of mercy mild,

To save the life of Jacob’s darling child;

And fain would Joseph to his Sire restore,

By praiseful craft, deliver’d from the pow’r

Of cruel brethren fired by passion, rife

With lust of bloody deed and deadly strife.

“Let us not kill him,” anxious Reuben said;

“By brother’s hands O let not blood be shed!

Behold, o’ergrown with brakes, a cavern, cleft

By earthquakes fierce, with gulf terrific left—

Concealed there, his limbs securely bound,

By him from thence shall egress ne’er be found;

So shall our hands from stain of blood be free,

And we no more this dreaming boy shall see.”

Their caution thus, but not their pity’s mov’d,

And Reuben’s counsel is by each approv’d.

But Reuben this with prudent cunning spake,

Designing thence the injur’d youth to take.

What time the night with gloom the earth o’erspreads

And draws her sable curtain o’er the heads

Of weary mortals, who in soft repose

Indulge forgetfulness of human woes—

Then purpos’d he, conceal’d from hostile sight

The youth to rescue from malignant spite.

While thus the jealous friends resolv’d upon

Such direful plots, young Joseph hasten’d on;

Affection gave fresh beauty to his charms,

As, moved by tender love, he spread his arms

And sought with eager fondness to embrace,

And pleas’d to kiss his elder brother’s face.

Ah me! the monster stern, the youth repell’d,

Another fierce, him fill’d with horror held.

The trembling lad astonish’d and appall’d,

In vain on hearts of flint for pity call’d:

In vain each winning, fond endearment tried—

Their hearts of flint the soft appeal defied.

In vain he sought with piteous look to show

The anguish which his bosom pierced through;

To tell of all their parent’s anxious care—

What messages of love had brought him there.

His frantic cries of terror loud resound—

But then, alas! no helping hand was found.

In vain his mournful plaints divide the air—

No pitying friend brought timely succour there.

Their hearts were changed to Adamantine stone,

Nor feelings knew they, save dark hate alone.

But Reuben’s soul was then most sorely rent—

Resentment through his throbbing bosom went;

But prudence bade him then his wrath restrain,

And ’monish’d him resistance would be vain.

With firm resolve did they pursue their plan,

And straight with savage violence began

From him his divers-colour’d coat to strip,

And in the blood of slaughter’d kids to dip.

With cruel thongs his lovely limbs they bind—

His streaming eyes with dark’ning bandage blind;

With uptorn turf his tender mouth they gag,

And to the yawning pit him fainting drag;

With cords let down his youthful body there,

And consummate their task with fiendish care.

END OF THE FIRST BOOK.