Philistia To Palestine
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Unto all generations comes a time,
a time to take and to lose.
A time for peace and a time for war -
time to heal, time to bruise
Loud is the cry of “stolen land”,
of martyrs and death divine.
That the dispossessed Arab of the plains
has always dwelt in Palestine
That yon these ancients so lived
west of the Jordan River,
but all the land to the Philistia coast
to the Jews did God deliver
So trembled the Philistines for fear
at the holy promise of God -
at the exodus coming out of Egypt
and His great and mighty rod
For both Canaanite and Philistine
no longer more a people live.
Was the conquering king of Babylon
took them dead and captive
And when Titus razed Jerusalem
a new coin to Rome made he.
Judea Capta “Judea has been captured”
not said he of Palestine a victory
Was Emperor Hadrian of Rome
in a Jewish second uprising,
who sent legions to a people destroy
for a history of his revising
Of holy shrine and Jewish temple
for all living memory erased,
and the Sepulchre of Christ in Jerusalem
with pagan deities replaced
Took a foe of antiquity its name
for a Roman propaganda -
Philistine, and Latinised to Palaestina
to rule over and command her
And decreed he “Aelia Capitolina”
Jerusalem of old its name.
So it came to pass the enemies of Israel
had wrought a great shame
Emperor Constantine lest he fall
did Christian faith aspire,
and so the name Palaestina remained
in the old Byzantine Empire
Yet the Kingdom of Jerusalem
crusaders called this land -
that holy and everlasting inheritance
in God’s purpose and plan
No Palestinian in the tents of Gaza
speak with a native tongue -
only the Arab who in Islam’s web
teach hatred to their young
Verily the uncircumcised heathen
no old roots in Judea retrace.
Gathered from all the desert nations
to a barren and desolate place
Upon the rock of God and Kings
an abomination did build.
Behold a mosque on the Temple Mount
with dome of gold and gild
So this holiest most sacred ground
did in the fires of Esau burn -
a derelict forgotten dry desert land
made fruitful on Jacob’s return
Lo, her flock in a valley of wolves
blest for a preserved remnant,
back in the land promised beforetime -
God fearing and unrepentant
The House of Israel is scattered still
far from Jerusalem’s door,
but Judah has returned into its gates,
Amen, after six days of war
Blest were twelve tribes of Israel -
their shield of faith their foil.
When a Jew fights he fights to exist
but the Arab fights for a spoil
In the time of David and Goliath
slew the lad a giant so great.
By God’s will shall hearken the cry
of One People! One State!
Written: October 2010
Copyright © Keith D Trestrail | Year Posted 2022
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