The Portland daily press., 1876-04-22
POETRY
[For the Press.l
The Safed Massacre.

lie Sdleu MaSSacre.
BY IsER.
Enter, good pilgrim, the night draws near,
Our castle shall give you goodly cheer.
But come you late from the Holy Land,
And how does the battle at Acre stand?
Lady, the Beauseant, sore beset,
Floats Ger the ramparts of Acre yet;
But deadly massacre let befel
That shall make all Europe sound a knell
The cross, with the setting SUM-, went down,
And the Moslem swarmed in Safed town;
The Templars gave up the citadel
Trusting the faith of an infdel;
For the Mameluke had sworn an oath
To spare all Christians, but broke his troth,
And the tidngs came when morn was nigh
That each must trsmple the cross or die.
Fifteen hundred Templar Knights,
Heroes, all, of hundred fights;
They had looked on Death as afied they rode,
But never so grimly now he showed.
The stoutest may quail to meet his doom
At home. in the hush Of the darkened room,
Or in battle, when sword and helmet ring,
But death at the block is fearsome thing
The stern Preceptor among them stood
Like sturdy oak in a swaying wood,
While two bold monks of st. Francis prayed
And called on the Holy Saint to aid.
These three ceased not for the cross to strive
Though the morning would see them fayed alive.
When the first cock crowed the task was done
And the Knights were resolved to die, save one.
Save one, COED pilgrim, who was he
That gave up faith and his chivalry?
Lady. know not his christened name
As Effrez Lyoub he is known to fame.
When Hermon's mountain tipped with gold
Flashed back the sun. and his coming told
And the cry ofthe Paynm filled the air
Calling the faithful to morning prayer,
On the brow of Safed's hill there stood
Those fifteen hundred Templars good.
'Shout," said Bendocdar, ''the Mosem cry.
La-i-la-Alah, or dogs, ye diev'
Silent was every Knight but one
Cimiters flashed in the morning sun,
Each knight kneels down upon the sod,
Crossing his brow, and prays to God,
While over each Moslem stands
With naked cmeter in his hands.
"La-i-la.Allah," Bendocdar cried,
Strike" and the ground with their blood was dyed
Ii leaped from their veins like rushing brook
And flowed past the feet of the Mameluke,
While the good preceptor and brethren twain
Prayed to sweet Mary's son again.
Spared? not an hour did they survive
Beaten with clubs and fayed alive.
And the wretch of whom Satan got control,
Who sold his honor and lost his soul?
Lady, remember life is sweet
And shines most brightly when moments feet;
He thought of his native woods again,
The flowing river, the smiling plain,
His gray old castle upon the hill,
The patient woman who waited still,
His widowed mother; her only joy
Tidings to hear from her darling boy
And he thought, she shall not ehildless be
He came, pilgrim-and am he!
He kneels at the feet of the gentle dame,
He kisses her hands, he speaks her name;
The lady looks at his pictured sire
Who frowns from the wall with noble ire,
And weeps, while the words fall one by one,
Alas! would thou hadst died, my son.
[Bendocdar, the fourth Mameluke Sultan Of
Egypt, proved the most formidable enemy Of
the Temp!ars since the days of Saadin. 81,
captured Jerusalem and overran the Who'll,
country to the gates of Acre. During the win
ter of 1865 he besieged the town and fortress
of Safed, which capitulated on condition tina
the Christians should be transported in safety
to Acre. Breaking faith, he prescribed the al
Tentative of the Koran or death. One only
embraced the Mohammedan faith, and fifteen
hundred heads rolled at the feet of Bendocdar,
while the Preceptor and Monks of st. Francis
were faYed alive