Fifes and Drums/The Return of the Exiles

by George Edward Woodberry

THE RETURN OF THE EXILES

The gates of the Siberian waste stand wide;
    Great joy has thrilled the mighty wilderness;
    The message of the Lord has come to bless
The souls in bondage: broken is the pride
Of the invincible tyrant who doth ride
    On human hearts, and thrones him on distress!
    Fallen he is! his victims numberless
Fill the long roads by steppe and mountain-side.

So when our Lord descended into hell
    And broke the fetters of the spirits in prison,
        A glorious company to heaven made way.
What triumph more divine doth history tell
    Than Truth from her captivity arisen,
        And Faith rejoicing in her holy ray!

George E. Woodberry