quote · Legacy record
We sat by Babel’s waters; and our tears Mingled in silence with the silent stream; For, oh! our hearts went back to happier years, And brighter scenes, that faded like a dream. Our harps, neglected, hung upon the trees, That threw their shadows o’er the wave’s dark rest, And sighed, responsive to each passing breeze That stirred a ripple on its slumbering breast. But they who led us captive touched the string, And waked its music with unhallowed hand, And—mocking all our sadness—bade us sing The song of Zion in a foreign land. Oh! never, never!—hushed be now its strains, Far, far away her exiled children roam; And never will they sound on other plains, The holy music of their native home.
We sat by Babel’s waters; and our tears Mingled in silence with the silent stream; For, oh! our hearts went back to happier years, And brighter scenes, that faded like a dream. Our harps, neglected, hung upon the trees, That threw their shadows o’er the wave’s dark rest, And sighed, responsive to each passing breeze That stirred a ripple on its slumbering breast. But they who led us captive touched the string, And waked its music with unhallowed hand, And—mocking all our sadness—bade us sing The song of Zion in a foreign land. Oh! never, never!—hushed be now its strains, Far, far away her exiled children roam; And never will they sound on other plains, The holy music of their native home.
In print by 1888 AD · industrial
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Meaning not yet available
An individual explanation has not yet been added. We do not substitute a generic description for an interpretation of these particular words.
Begin with source-checked readings and explanations ↗Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- T. K. Hervey (identity unresolved)
Attribution: unknown - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1888 AD · industrial
In print by 1888: recorded in A Cyclopædia of Sacred Poetical Quotations (catalogued1888). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- A Cyclopædia of Sacred Poetical Quotations (catalogued1888) (1888 AD)
Page 102 · printed citation: T. K. Hervey · subject: CAPTIVITY
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.