forty days and forty nights,
The waters of the flood
Prevail'd o'er all the face of earth,
Obedient to the word.

Which God the great Jehovah spake,
To drown it for its sin;
His word is holy, just and right
Forever sure, divine.

The earth was drown'd; all living things
Had perish'd from its face,
Save Noah and his family,
Protected by God's grace.

The ark rode onward with the flood;
The hand of God did guide
The vessel with its freight of life,
O'er all the swelling tide.

The clouds do now withdraw aside;
The deepest fountains cease,
To pour their treasures forth on earth;
The waters slow decrease.

The ark moves on to Ararat,
And rests upon its height;
While Noah and his family,
Are fill'd with great delight.

They long to see the earth again,
Cleansed by Jehovah's hand;
They long to see the sun, great orb,
Shine brightly o'er the land.

They long to see the trees put forth,
And beauteous flowers spring,--
The fields with verdure clothed, and hear
The birds of morning sing.

XII.

NOAH SENDS FORTH THE RAVEN AND THE DOVE.

Then Noah sent a raven forth,
Out of a window high,
To wander here and there, until
the waters should be dry.

And then again he sent a dove
That he might something learn,
But she could find no resting-place,
And did to him return.

The waters still spread o'er the earth,
And slowly did abate;
For seven days more within the ark,
He patiently did wait.

[Illustration: The River Nile by Moonlight.]

And then he sent her forth again,
And back she came at eve,
And bearing in her mouth she brought
To him an olive-leaf.

This token told him that the flood
Was drying fast away;
But Noah still within the ark
For seven days more did stay.

He now the third time sent the dove,
Nor did he send in vain,
The waters of the flood were dry;--
She ne'er returned again.

She found a resting-place on earth,
Beneath a sunny sky,
And with a gladsome, joyous heart,
She round about did fly.

Then Noah look'd forth from the ark,
And lifted up to God,
His thankfulness for keeping him,
According to His word.

XIII.

NOAH COMES FORTH FROM THE ARK.