Page:Poems by Isaac Rosenberg (1922).djvu/90

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.

POEMS BY ISAAC ROSENBERG

[Motions Abinoah to desist, but not in time to prevent the old man fainting into the hands of the Young Hebrew.]

Abinoah

Harper, are you envious of the old fool?
Go! Hug the rat who stole your last crumbs,
And gnawed the hole in your life which made time wonder
Who it was saved labour for him the next score of years.
We allowed them life for their labour—they haggled.
Food they must have, and (god of laughter!) even ease;
But mud and lice and Jews are very busy
Breeding plagues in ease.

[The Minstrel pulls his beard and robe off.]

Abinoah

Moses!

Moses

You drunken rascal!

Abinoah

A drunken rascal! Isis, hear the Prince!
Drunken with duty, and he calls me rascal.

72

This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.