The Song of our Syrian Guest

by

William Allen Knight

Illustrations and Decorative Designs by Charles Copeland

1904

 Psalm XXIII

 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. 

To the hand that held the tea-balland the faces of two little maids

Salutation

Three months have gone by since this little child of my heart wentout into the world, a strayling in the scanty dress of a booklet. In that time many thousands have looked kindly on the littlewanderer and welcomed it into their homes. Letters from everywherehave come in, saying in effect: "It came to my door yesterday, andits voice has been sweet to me, and I am glad to have it stay withme. " For all this I am most thankful. But it is hard to realizethat the small circle of those who loved this story a few monthsago has grown now to a multitude. 

Surely none of us ought to be surprised that our story has itselfgrown under all this kindness, after the manner of children. Indeed, as we are sending it forth newly clothed, I find that it islarger by half than when I last prepared it for journeying. 

I am set to wondering whether it will not grow quite away from meand have a life of its own. Healthy children do that very thingusually, and wise parents are willing to have it so. 

But I cannot cease to remember that this story is out of my ownlife. It lay in my heart unborn for long. It came forth in a timeof shock and pain. There is One who knows why its face is unmarredand bright with the gladness of trust. I think God has let itspeak to so many hearts for this reason. 

Go then, little story; be bearer of thy message of cheer and gladrestfulness. I cannot follow thee into lives that need to hear thyvoice; but speak thou to them, and I shall be content. 

Yet I know, friends of mine, that as you look up somewhere in theworld from these pages, you will want to ask me a question. 

It has been asked and answered many times already. Because I knowsome of you are in sick-rooms, some are lonely and some companionedby grief, some are poor and some for the time are misunderstood, some are discouraged and some feel themselves little loved, someare young and cannot find their way, and some are old andwayworn, --because I know all of you have need of the Shepherd'swatch, I want to answer your question. Yes, we did indeed havesuch a guest, a man whose home was among the Syrian shepherds, aman who well knew the life which rightly interprets the ShepherdPsalm. 

I give my word that this story's message about the Psalm's meaningis straight from David's land. We had such a guest and he told usthese things out of the life of his people, as we sat together onenight over fragrant cups of tea. 

W. A. K. 

Boston, January, 1904. 

Can there be anything more poetic than this life of the Syrianshepherd? It ought to be religious, too. Far, far away, out onthe lone mountain, with the everlasting hills around, and heavenabove, pure, blue, and high, and still. There go and worship insolemn silence and soul-subduing solitude, worship the Most HighGod in his temple not made with hands. 

And now the lights are out in the village, the shepherds are asleepby the side of their flocks, the tinkling bell from the fold fallsfaintly on the still night air, and the watch-dog bays drowsilyfrom his kennel at the gate. Good night, fair world; 'tis time toseek repose. Let us first read and meditate upon that delightfulchapter, the tenth of St. John, where our blessed Saviourappropriates all these characters of a good shepherd to himself. 

"The Land and the Book. "

"Faduel Moghabghab, " said our guest, laughing as he leaned over thetea-table toward two little maids, vainly trying to beguile theirwilling and sweetly puckered lips into pronouncing his name. "Faduel Moghabghab, " he repeated in syllables, pointing to the cardhe had passed to them. "Accent the u and drop those g's which yourlittle throats cannot manage, " he went on kindly, while themerriment sparkled in his dark eyes, and his milk-white teeth, seenthrough his black moustache as he laughed, added beauty to hisdelicate and vivacious face. 

He was a man of winsome mind, this Syrian guest of ours, and thespirituality of his culture was as marked as the refinement of hismanners. We shall long remember him for the tales told thatevening of his home in Ainzehalta on the slope of the Syrianmountains, but longest of all for what he said out of the memoriesof his youth about a shepherd song. 

"It was out of the shepherd life of my country, " he remarked, "thatthere came long ago that sweetest religious song ever written--theTwenty-third Psalm. "

After the ripple of his merriment with the children had passed heturned to me with a face now serious and pensive, and said: "Ah, somany things familiar to us are strange to you of America. "

"Yes, " I answered, "and no doubt because of this we often makemistakes which are more serious than mispronunciation of yourmodern names. "

He smiled pleasantly, then with earnestness said: "So many thingsin the life of my people, the same now as in the days of old, havebeen woven into the words of the Bible and into the conceptions ofreligious ideas as expressed there; you of the Western world, notknowing these things as they are, often misunderstand what iswritten, or at least fail to get a correct impression from it. "

"Tell us about some of these, " I ventured, with a parental glanceat two listening little faces. 

After mentioning several instances, he went on: "And there is theshepherd psalm: I find that it is taken among you as having twoparts, the first under the figure of shepherd life, the secondturning to the figure of a banquet with the host and the guest. "

"Oh, we have talked about that, " said my lady of the teacups as shedangled the tea-ball with a connoisseur's fondness, "and we haveeven said that we wished the wonderful little psalm could have beenfinished in the one figure of shepherd life. "

"It seems to us, " I added, wishing to give suitable support to mylady's rather brave declaration of our sense of a literary flaw inthe matchless psalm, "it seems to us to lose the sweet, simplemelody and to close with strange, heavy chords when it changes to ascene of banquet hospitality. Do you mean that it actually keepsthe shepherd figure to the end?"

"Certainly, good friends. "

With keen personal interest I asked him to tell us how we might seeit as a shepherd psalm throughout. So we listened and he talked, over the cooling teacups. 

"It is all, all a simple shepherd psalm, " he began. "See how itruns through the round of shepherd life from first word to last. "

"With softly modulated voice that had the rhythm of music and thehush of veneration in it, he quoted: "'_The Lord is my shepherd; Ishall not want_. '"

"There is the opening strain of its music; in that chord is soundedthe keynote which is never lost till the plaintive melody dies awayat the song's end. All that follows is that thought put in varyinglight. "

I wish it were possible to reproduce here the light in his face andthe interchange of tones in his mellow voice as he went on. Hetalked of how the varied needs of the sheep and the many-sided careof the shepherd are pictured with masterly touch in the shortsentences of the psalm. 

"Each is distinct and adds something too precious to be merged andlost, " he said. 

"'_He maketh me to lie down in green pastures_, '--nourishment, rest. '_He leadeth me beside the still waters_, '--the scenechanges and so does the meaning. You think here of quietly flowingstreams; so you get one more picture of rest; but you miss one ofthe finest scenes in shepherd life and one of the rarest blessingsof the soul that is led of God. All through the day's roaming theshepherd keeps one thing in mind. He must lead his flock to adrinking-place. The refreshment of good water makes the covetedhour of all the day; the spot where it is found amid the rough, waterless hills and plains is the crowning token of the shepherd'sunfailing thoughtfulness. When at last the sheep are led 'besidethe still waters, ' how good it is, after the dust and heat of thesheep-walks!

"Would you get the shepherd meaning here? Then remember thatstreams are few in the shepherd country of Bible lands. Theshepherds do not rely on them. Even where streams are found, theirbeds and banks are usually broken and their flow rough. Sheep aretimid and fear a current of water, as they well may for they areeasily carried down stream because of their wool. "

"Poor things, how do they ever get a good drink?" exclaimed one ofthe two little maids, whose heart was always open lovingly toanimals. 

"The shepherd sees to that, doesn't he?" said the other timidly, with earnest eyes set on our guest. 

His face beamed with winsome relish of these tributes to hissuccess. "Yes, the sheep would indeed have a hard time findingwater to drink, were it not that the shepherd sees to that. "

The playfulness faded from his eyes and the shadow of manhood'syears was there as he said to me: "Brother, you and I have learnedhow much is in that question and answer. How would we get therefreshment we need in the rough world, if the Shepherd did not seeto that? But he does, he does!"

His face brightened again as he turned to the four blue eyes acrossthe table. 

"Shall I tell you how the shepherd sees to it that the sheep have agood drink every day? Listen:

"There are wells and fountains all through the vast regions wherethe flocks roam, and in some parts there are cisterns, though thesheep like the living water best. The shepherds know where thesedrinking-places are all through the treeless country where streamsare few. It is a fine sight to see the shepherds bring theirflocks '_beside the still waters_' at some well or fountain, whilethe wide, silent country over which they and many other sheep havewandered, spreads all around them, and the full expanse of the skyarches over them. 

"The shepherd makes a certain sound; all his sheep lie down and arequiet. Then he fills the drinking-troughs. The bubbling of thefountain, or the current, if it be by a stream, is no longer thereto trouble the sheep. They can drink now undisturbed. This is thedelicate meaning of that word 'still. ' As the Hebrew words put it, 'He leadeth beside the waters of quietness. '

"Then the waiting sheep hear a whistle or a call. They nevermisunderstand; they know their shepherd's voice and never respondto the wrong shepherd if several flocks have come up together. Andstrangest of all, the sheep come up by groups; the shepherd makesthem understand. So in groups he leads them until they stand'_beside the still waters_. ' And, oh, how they drink, with theshepherd standing near!"

After a pause, with a far-off look in his eyes, he said, "It is abeautiful scene, so beautiful that St. John has used it inpicturing heaven. " A smile broke over his face as he quoted: "'TheLamb that is in the midst of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them unto fountains of waters of life. '"

No one spoke as he sat turning his teacup. A tear started from hisdropped eyes. Presently he seemed to recall himself. 

"But I must tell you one more scene that comes to my memorywhenever I read the words, 'he leadeth me beside the stillwaters_. ' It would make a beautiful picture if some one wouldpaint it. 

"Up in the mountainsides of Lebanon, where my kinsmen have longbeen shepherds, often there are no regular drinking-places, such asthe wells and fountains on the plains. But as the shepherd leadshis sheep over the rough slopes he finds many a spring and sees itsrivulet noisily down a crevice. His sheep need water. They cannotdrink from the leaping little stream. What does he do? He finds asuitable turn or nook in its course; he walls it up with a littledam and so holds the water till it forms a quiet pool. Then, rightthere on the open hills, he leads his sheep 'beside the stillwaters_. ' I know of nothing more fit to picture the Shepherd'scare of souls that trust him than that scene up there on themountainside. "

While our thoughts were carried away to these scenes of thirstyflocks drinking, I chanced to notice that the tea-ball was againquietly at work. As we sat thinking on that picture up in themountain, a good hand offered our guest a fresh cup. He receivedit with a low bow, sipped it in quiet, then with a grateful smilebegan speaking again:

"'_He restoreth my soul_. ' You know, " he said, turning to me, "that soul means the life or one's self in the Hebrew writings. "

Then addressing us all he went on: "There are perilous places forthe sheep on all sides, and they seem never to learn to avoid them. The shepherd must ever be on the watch. And there are privatefields and sometimes gardens and vineyards here and there in theshepherd country; if the sheep stray into them and be caught thereit is forfeited to the owner of the land. So, 'he restoreth mysoul' means, 'The shepherd brings me back and rescues me from fataland forbidden places. '"

"'Restores me when wandering, ' is the way it is put in one of ourhymns, " I interposed. 

"Ah, sir, that is it exactly, " he answered, "'restores me whenwandering!'

"'_He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name'ssake. ' Often have I roamed through the shepherd country in myyouth and seen how hard it is to choose the right path for thesheep; one leads to a precipice, another to a place where the sheepcannot find the way back; and the shepherd was always going ahead, 'leading' them in the right paths, proud of his good name as ashepherd. 

"Some paths that are right paths still lead through places thathave deadly perils. '_Yea, though I walk through the valley of theshadow of death_, ' is the way the psalm touches this fact inshepherd life. This way of naming the valley is very true to ourcountry. I remember one near my home called 'the valley ofrobbers, ' and another, 'the ravine of the raven. ' You see 'thevalley of the shadow of death' is a name drawn from my country'sold custom. 

"'For thou art with me. ' Ah, how could more be put into few words!With the sheep, it matters not what the surroundings are, nor howgreat the perils and hardships; if only the shepherd is with them, they are content. There is no finer picture of the way of peacefor the troubled in all the world. 

"To show how much the presence of the shepherd counts for thewelfare of the sheep I can think of nothing better than the strangething I now tell you. It is quite beyond the usual, daily care onwhich the flock depends so fondly. But I have seen it more thanonce. 

"Sometimes, in spite of all the care of the shepherd and his dogs, a wolf will get into the very midst of the flock. The sheep arewild with fright. They run and leap and make it impossible to getat the foe in their midst, who at that very moment may be fasteninghis teeth in the throat of a helpless member of the flock. But theshepherd is with them. He knows what to do even at such a time. He leaps to a rock or hillock that he may be seen and heard. Thenhe lifts his voice in a long call, something like a wolf's cry:'Ooh! ooh!'

"On hearing this, the sheep remember the shepherd; they heed hisvoice; and, strange to tell, the poor, timid creatures, which werehelpless with terror before, instantly rush with all their strengthinto a solid mass. The pressure is irresistible; the wolf isovercome; frequently he is crushed to death, while the shepherdstands there on a rock crying, 'Ooh! ooh!' '_I will fear no evil:for art with me_. '"

He paused, looking questioningly at one and another. 

"Yes, " I said at last, "'in all these things we are more thanconquerors through him that loved us. '" He bowed his satisfactionin silence. 

"'_Thy rod and thy staff_'--this also is true to life; the doubleexpression covers the whole round of protecting care. For theshepherds carry a crook for guiding the sheep and a weapon suitablefor defending them, the rod and the staff; one for aiding them inplaces of need along peaceful ways, the other for defense in perilsof robbers and wild beasts. This saying describes with the ease ofmastery how much those words mean, '_Thou art with me_. '

"And what shall I say of the next words, '_Thy rod and thy staffthey comfort me_'? Ah, madam, you should see the sheep cuddle nearthe shepherd to understand that word, '_They comfort me_. ' Theshepherd's call 'Ta-a-a-a, ho-o-o, ' and the answering patter offeet as the sheep hurry to him, are fit sounds to be chosen out ofthe noisy world to show what comfort God gives to souls that heedhis voice; and those sounds have been heard in my country this dayas they were the day this shepherd psalm was written!"

He sat in silence a moment musing as if the sound were in his ear. 

With quiet animation he lifted his thin hand and continued: "Nowhere is where you drop the shepherd figure and put in a banquet andso lose the fine climax of completeness in the shepherd's care. "

It need not be said that we were eager listeners now, for our guestwas all aglow with memories of his far-off homeland and we feltthat we were about to see new rays of light flash from this rarestgem in the song-treasury of the world. 

"'_Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mineenemies_. '" In the same hushed voice in which he quoted thesewords he added: "Ah, to think that the shepherd's highest skill andheroism should be lost from view as the psalm begins to sing of it, and only an indoor banquet thought of!" Again he sat a little timein quiet. Then he said:

"The word for table here means simply 'something spread out' and soa prepared meal, however it is set forth. There is no higher taskof the shepherd in my country than to go from time to time to studyplaces and examine the grass and find a good and safe feeding-placefor his sheep. All his skill and often great heroism are calledfor. There are many poisonous plants in the grass and the shepherdmust find and avoid them. The sheep will not eat certain poisonousthings, but there are some which they will eat, one kind ofpoisonous grass in particular. A cousin of mine once lost threehundred sheep by a mistake in this hard task. 

"Then there are snake holes in some kinds of ground, and, if theybe not driven away, the snakes bite the noses of the sheep. Theshepherd sometimes burns the fat of hogs along the ground to dothis. Sometimes the shepherd finds ground where moles have workedtheir holes just under the surface. Snakes lie in these holes withtheir heads sticking up ready to bite the grazing sheep. Theshepherds know how to drive them away as they go along ahead of thesheep. 

"And around the feeding-ground which the shepherd thus prepares, inholes and caves in the hillsides there are jackals, wolves, hyenas, and panthers, too, and the bravery and skill of the shepherd are atthe highest point in closing up these dens with stones or slayingthe wild beasts with his long-bladed knife. Of nothing do you hearshepherds boasting more proudly than of their achievements in thispart of their care of flocks. 

"And now, " he exclaimed with a beaming countenance and suppressedfeeling, as if pleading for recognition of the lone shepherd'sbravest act of devotion to his sheep, "and now do you not see theshepherd figure in that quaint line, '_Thou preparest a tablebefore me in the presence of mine enemies_'?"

"Yes, " I answered; "and I see that God's care of a man out in theworld is a grander thought than that of seating him at an indoorbanquet-table. "

"But what about anointing the head with oil and the cup runningover? Go on, my friend. "

"Oh, there begins the beautiful picture at the end of the day. Thepsalm has sung of the whole round of the day's wandering, all theneeds of the sheep, all the care of the shepherd. Now the psalmcloses with the last scene of the day. At the door, of thesheepfold the shepherd stands and 'the rodding of the sheep' takesplace. The shepherd stands, turning his body to let the sheeppass; he is the door, as Christ said of himself. With his rod heholds back the sheep while he inspects them one by, one as theypass into the fold. He has the horn filled with olive-oil and hehas cedar-tar, and he anoints a knee bruised on the rocks or a sidescratched by thorns. And here comes one that is not bruised but issimply worn and exhausted; he bathes its face and head with therefreshing olive-oil and he takes the large two-handled cup anddips it brimming full from the vessel of water provided for thatpurpose, and he lets the weary sheep drink. 

"There is nothing finer in the psalm than this. God's care is notfor the wounded only, but for the worn and weary also. '_Thouanointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over_. '

"And then, when the day is done and the sheep are snug within thefold, what contentment, what rest under the starry sky! Then comesthe thought of deepest repose and comfort: '_Surely goodness andmercy shall follow me all the days of my life_, ' as they havethrough all the wanderings of the day now ended. 

"The song dies away as the heart that God has watched and tendedbreathes this grateful vow before the roaming of the day isforgotten in sleep: '_I will_--not shall, but will; for it is adecision, a settled purpose, a holy vow--'I will dwell in the houseof the Lord for ever_. ' And the song ends, and the sheep are atrest, safe in the good shepherd's fold. "

Do you wonder that ever since that night we have called this psalmThe Song of Our Syrian Guest?

Sidelights

Shepherd Life in Bible Lands

PROFESSOR GEORGE E. POST

The American College, Bayrout, Syria

"The same regions which furnished the vast flocks in ancient timesare still noted for their sheep. All the plateaus east of theJordan and the mountains of Palestine and Syria are pasture-groundsfor innumerable flocks and herds. They require water but once aday, and, where they cannot get it from perennial streams, theyfind it in the innumerable wells, fountains and cisterns. Thedescendants of the same shepherds who tended flocks in Bible daysstill occupy the great sheepwalks of Palestine. 

"The care of sheep is the subject of frequent allusion inScripture. The shepherd leads (not drives) them to pasture andwater (Ps. 23; 77:20; 78:52; 80:1); protects them at the risk ofhis life (John 10:15). To keep them from the cold and rain andbeasts, he collects them in caves (1 Sam. 24:3) or enclosures builtof rough stones (Num. 32:16; Judg. 5:16; Zeph. 2:6; John 10:1). The sheep know their shepherd, and heed his voice (John 10:4). Itis one of the most interesting spectacles to see a number of flocksof thirsty sheep brought by their several shepherds to be wateredat a fountain. Each flock, in obedience to the call of its ownshepherd, lies down, awaiting its turn. The shepherd of one flockcalls his sheep in squads, draws water for them, pours it into thetroughs, and, when the squad has done, orders it away by soundswhich the sheep perfectly understand, and calls up another squad. When the whole of one flock is watered, its shepherd signals to it, and the sheep rise and move leisurely away, while another flockcomes in a similar manner to the troughs, and so on, until all theflocks are watered. The sheep never make any mistake as to whowhistles to them or calls to them. 'They know not the voice ofstrangers' (John 10:5). Sometimes they are called by names (John10:3). Syrian sheep are usually white (Ps. 147:16; Isa. 1:18; Dan. 7:9), but some are brown (Gen. 30:32-42; Revised Version 'black'). No animal mentioned in Scripture compares in symbolical interestand importance with the sheep. It is alluded to about fivehundred times. "

The Singing Pilgrim

A CHARACTERIZATION OF THE TWENTY-THIRD PSALM

HENRY WARD BEECHER

"The Twenty-third Psalm is the nightingale of the psalms. It issmall, of a homely feather, singing shyly out of obscurity; but, oh, it has filled the air of the whole world with melodious joy, greater than the heart can conceive! Blessed be the day on whichthat psalm was born!

"What would you say of a pilgrim commissioned of God to travel upand down the earth singing a strange melody, which, when onceheard, caused him to forget whatever sorrow he had? And so thesinging angel goes on his way through all lands, singing in thelanguage of every nation, driving away trouble by the pulses of theair which his tongue moves with divine power. Behold just such anone! This pilgrim God has sent to speak in every language on theglobe. It has charmed more griefs to rest than all the philosophyof the world. It has remanded to their dungeon more felonthoughts, more black doubts, more thieving sorrows, than there aresands on the seashore. It has comforted the noble host of thepoor. It has sung courage to the army of the disappointed. It haspoured balm and consolation into the heart of the sick, of captivesin dungeons, of widows in their pinching griefs, of orphans intheir loneliness. Dying soldiers have died easier as it was readto them; ghastly hospitals have been illuminated; it has visitedthe prisoner and broken his chains, and, like Peter's angel, ledhim forth in imagination, and sung him back to his home again. Ithas made the dying Christian slave freer than his master, andconsoled those whom, dying, he left behind, mourning not so muchthat he was gone as because they were left behind and could not gotoo. 

"Nor is its work done. It will go on singing to your children andmy children, and to their children, through all the generations oftime; nor will it fold its wings till the last pilgrim is safe, andtime ended; and then it shall fly back to the bosom of God, whenceit issued, and sound on, mingled with all those sounds of celestialjoy which make heaven musical forever. "