,the ,song of our ,syrian ,guest    by  
,william ,allen ,knight                 
,illustrations and ,decorative ,designs 
by ,charles ,copeland    #aijd          
,psalm ,,xxiii      ,the ,lord is my    
shepherd2 ,i shall not want4    ,he     
maketh me to lie down in green pastures3
      he leadeth me beside the still    
waters4    ,he restoreth my soul3       
he leadeth me in the paths of           
righteousness      for his name's sake4 
,yea1 though ,i walk through the valley 
of the shadow of death1    ,i will fear 
no evil3 for thou art with me2      thy 
rod and thy staff they comfort me4      
,thou preparest a table before me in the
 presence      of mine enemies2         
thou anointest my head with oil2 my cup 
runneth over4    ,surely goodness and   
mercy shall follow me      all the days 
of my life3 and ,i will dwell      in   
the house of the ,lord for ever4        
,to the hand that held the tea-ball  and
 the faces of two little maids          
,salutation    ,three months have gone  

by since this little child of my heart  
went  out into the world1 a strayling in
 the scanty dress of a booklet4  ,in    
that time many thousands have looked    
kindly on the little  wanderer and      
welcomed it into their homes4  ,letters 
from everywhere  have come in1 saying in
 effect3 ,it came to my door yesterday1 
and  its voice has been sweet to me1 and
 ,i am glad to have it stay with  me4   
,for all this ,i am most thankful4  ,but
 it is hard to realize  that the small  
circle of those who loved this story a  
few months  ago has grown now to a      
multitude4    ,surely none of us ought  
to be surprised that our story has      
itself  grown under all this kindness1  
after the manner of children4  ,indeed1 
as we are sending it forth newly        
clothed1 ,i find that it is  larger by  
half than when ,i last prepared it for  
journeying4    ,i am set to wondering   
whether it will not grow quite away from
 me  and have a life of its own4        
,healthy children do that very thing    

usually1 and wise parents are willing to
 have it so4    ,but ,i cannot cease to 
remember that this story is out of my   
own  life4  ,it lay in my heart unborn  
for long4  ,it came forth in a time  of 
shock and pain4  ,there is ,one who     
knows why its face is unmarred  and     
bright with the gladness of trust4  ,i  
think ,god has let it  speak to so many 
hearts for this reason4    ,go then1    
little story2 be bearer of thy message  
of cheer and glad  restfulness4  ,i     
cannot follow thee into lives that need 
to hear thy  voice2 but speak thou to   
them1 and ,i shall be content4    ,yet  
,i know1 friends of mine1 that as you   
look up somewhere in the  world from    
these pages1 you will want to ask me a  
question4    ,it has been asked and     
answered many times already4  ,because  
,i know  some of you are in sick-rooms1 
some are lonely and some companioned  by
 grief1 some are poor and some for the  
time are misunderstood1  some are       
discouraged and some feel themselves    

little loved1 some  are young and cannot
 find their way1 and some are old and   
wayworn1--because ,i know all of you    
have need of the ,shepherd's  watch1 ,i 
want to answer your question4  ,yes1 we 
did indeed have  such a guest1 a man    
whose home was among the ,syrian        
shepherds1 a  man who well knew the life
 which rightly interprets the ,shepherd 
,psalm4    ,i give my word that this    
story's message about the ,psalm's      
meaning  is straight from ,david's land4
  ,we had such a guest and he told us   
these things out of the life of his     
people1 as we sat together one  night   
over fragrant cups of tea4    ,w4 ,a4   
,k4    ,boston1 ,january1 #aijd4        
,can there be anything more poetic than 
this life of the ,syrian  shepherd8  ,it
 ought to be religious1 too4  ,far1 far 
away1 out on  the lone mountain1 with   
the everlasting hills around1 and heaven
  above1 pure1 blue1 and high1 and      
still4  ,there go and worship in  solemn
 silence and soul-subduing solitude1    

worship the ,most ,high  ,god in his    
temple not made with hands4    ,and now 
the lights are out in the village1 the  
shepherds are asleep  by the side of    
their flocks1 the tinkling bell from the
 fold falls  faintly on the still night 
air1 and the watch-dog bays drowsily    
from his kennel at the gate4  ,good     
night1 fair world2 'tis time to  seek   
repose4  ,let us first read and meditate
 upon that delightful  chapter1 the     
tenth of ,st4 ,john1 where our blessed  
,saviour  appropriates all these        
characters of a good shepherd to        
himself4    ,the ,land and the ,book4   
,faduel ,moghabghab1 said our guest1    
laughing as he leaned over the          
tea-table toward two little maids1      
vainly trying to beguile their  willing 
and sweetly puckered lips into          
pronouncing his name4  ,faduel          
,moghabghab1 he repeated in syllables1  
pointing to the card  he had passed to  
them4  ,accent the u and drop those g's 
which your  little throats cannot       

manage1 he went on kindly1 while the    
merriment sparkled in his dark eyes1 and
 his milk-white teeth1 seen  through his
 black moustache as he laughed1 added   
beauty to his  delicate and vivacious   
face4    ,he was a man of winsome mind1 
this ,syrian guest of ours1 and the     
spirituality of his culture was as      
marked as the refinement of his         
manners4  ,we shall long remember him   
for the tales told that  evening of his 
home in ,ainzehalta on the slope of the 
,syrian  mountains1 but longest of all  
for what he said out of the memories  of
 his youth about a shepherd song4    ,it
 was out of the shepherd life of my     
country1 he remarked1 that  there came  
long ago that sweetest religious song   
ever written--the  ,twenty-third ,psalm4
    ,after the ripple of his merriment  
with the children had passed he  turned 
to me with a face now serious and       
pensive1 and said3 ,ah1 so  many things 
familiar to us are strange to you of    
,america4    ,yes1 ,i answered1 and no  

doubt because of this we often make     
mistakes which are more serious than    
mispronunciation of your  modern names4 
,he smiled pleasantly1 then with        
earnestness said3 ,so many things  in   
the life of my people1 the same now as  
in the days of old1 have  been woven    
into the words of the ,bible and into   
the conceptions of  religious ideas as  
expressed there2 you of the ,western    
world1 not  knowing these things as they
 are1 often misunderstand what is       
written1 or at least fail to get a      
correct impression from it4    ,tell us 
about some of these1 ,i ventured1 with a
 parental glance  at two listening      
little faces4    ,after mentioning      
several instances1 he went on3 ,and     
there is the  shepherd psalm3 ,i find   
that it is taken among you as having two
  parts1 the first under the figure of  
shepherd life1 the second  turning to   
the figure of a banquet with the host   
and the guest4    ,oh1 we have talked   
about that1 said my lady of the teacups 

as she  dangled the tea-ball with a     
connoisseur's fondness1 and we have     
even said that we wished the wonderful  
little psalm could have been  finished  
in the one figure of shepherd life4     
,it seems to us1 ,i added1 wishing to   
give suitable support to my  lady's     
rather brave declaration of our sense of
 a literary flaw in  the matchless      
psalm1 it seems to us to lose the sweet1
 simple  melody and to close with       
strange1 heavy chords when it changes to
 a  scene of banquet hospitality4  ,do  
you mean that it actually keeps  the    
shepherd figure to the end8             
,certainly1 good friends4    ,with keen 
personal interest ,i asked him to tell  
us how we might see  it as a shepherd   
psalm throughout4  ,so we listened and  
he talked1  over the cooling teacups4   
,it is all1 all a simple shepherd psalm1
 he began4  ,see how it  runs through   
the round of shepherd life from first   
word to last4    ,with softly modulated 
voice that had the rhythm of music and  

the  hush of veneration in it1 he       
quoted3 ',the ,lord is my shepherd2 ,i  
shall not want4'    ,there is the       
opening strain of its music2 in that    
chord is sounded  the keynote which is  
never lost till the plaintive melody    
dies away  at the song's end4  ,all that
 follows is that thought put in varying 
light4    ,i wish it were possible to   
reproduce here the light in his face and
  the interchange of tones in his mellow
 voice as he went on4  ,he  talked of   
how the varied needs of the sheep and   
the many-sided care  of the shepherd are
 pictured with masterly touch in the    
short  sentences of the psalm4    ,each 
is distinct and adds something too      
precious to be merged and  lost1 he     
said4    ',he maketh me to lie down in  
green pastures1'--nourishment1  rest4   
',he leadeth me beside the still        
waters1'--the scene  changes and so does
 the meaning4  ,you think here of       
quietly flowing  streams2 so you get one
 more picture of rest2 but you miss one 

of  the finest scenes in shepherd life  
and one of the rarest blessings  of the 
soul that is led of ,god4  ,all through 
the day's roaming the  shepherd keeps   
one thing in mind4  ,he must lead his   
flock to a  drinking-place4  ,the       
refreshment of good water makes the     
coveted  hour of all the day2 the spot  
where it is found amid the rough1       
waterless hills and plains is the       
crowning token of the shepherd's        
unfailing thoughtfulness4  ,when at last
 the sheep are led 'beside  the still   
waters1' how good it is1 after the dust 
and heat of the  sheep-walks6    ,would 
you get the shepherd meaning here8      
,then remember that  streams are few in 
the shepherd country of ,bible lands4   
,the  shepherds do not rely on them4    
,even where streams are found1 their    
beds and banks are usually broken and   
their flow rough4  ,sheep are  timid and
 fear a current of water1 as they well  
may for they are  easily carried down   
stream because of their wool4    ,poor  

things1 how do they ever get a good     
drink8 exclaimed one of  the two little 
maids1 whose heart was always open      
lovingly  to  animals4    ,the shepherd 
sees to that1 doesn't he8 said the other
 timidly1  with earnest eyes set on our 
guest4    ,his face beamed with winsome 
relish of these tributes to his         
success4  ,yes1 the sheep would indeed  
have a hard time finding  water to      
drink1 were it not that the shepherd    
sees to that4    ,the playfulness faded 
from his eyes and the shadow of         
manhood's  years was there as he said to
 me3 ,brother1 you and ,i have learned  
how much is in that question and answer4
  ,how would we get the  refreshment we 
need in the rough world1 if the         
,shepherd did not see  to that8  ,but he
 does1 he does6    ,his face brightened 
again as he turned to the four blue eyes
 across  the table4    ,shall ,i tell   
you how the shepherd sees to it that the
 sheep have a  good drink every day8    
,listen3    ,there are wells and        

fountains all through the vast regions  
where  the flocks roam1 and in some     
parts there are cisterns1 though the    
sheep like the living water best4  ,the 
shepherds know where these              
drinking-places are all through the     
treeless country where streams  are few4
  ,it is a fine sight to see the        
shepherds bring their  flocks 'beside   
the still waters' at some well or       
fountain1 while  the wide1 silent       
country over which they and many other  
sheep have  wandered1 spreads all around
 them1 and the full expanse of the sky  
arches over them4    ,the shepherd makes
 a certain sound2 all his sheep lie down
 and are  quiet4  ,then he fills the    
drinking-troughs4  ,the bubbling of the 
fountain1 or the current1 if it be by a 
stream1 is no longer there  to trouble  
the sheep4  ,they can drink now         
undisturbed4  ,this is the  delicate    
meaning of that word 'still4'  ,as the  
,hebrew words put it1  ',he leadeth     
beside the waters of quietness4'        

,then the waiting sheep hear a whistle  
or a call4  ,they never  misunderstand2 
they know their shepherd's voice and    
never respond  to the wrong shepherd if 
several flocks have come up together4   
,and  strangest of all1 the sheep come  
up by groups2 the shepherd makes  them  
understand4  ,so in groups he leads them
 until they stand  'beside the still    
waters4'  ,and1 oh1 how they drink1 with
 the  shepherd standing near6    ,after 
a pause1 with a far-off look in his     
eyes1 he said1 ,it is a  beautiful      
scene1 so beautiful that ,st4 ,john has 
used it in  picturing heaven4  ,a smile 
broke over his face as he quoted3 ',the 
,lamb that is in the midst of the throne
 shall be their shepherd1  and shall    
guide them unto fountains of waters of  
life4'    ,no one spoke as he sat       
turning his teacup4  ,a tear started    
from his  dropped eyes4  ,presently he  
seemed to recall himself4    ,but ,i    
must tell you one more scene that comes 
to my memory  whenever ,i read the      

words1 'he leadeth me beside the still  
waters4'  ,it would make a beautiful    
picture if some one would  paint it4    
,up in the mountainsides of ,lebanon1   
where my kinsmen have long  been        
shepherds1 often there are no regular   
drinking-places1 such as  the wells and 
fountains on the plains4  ,but as the   
shepherd leads  his sheep over the rough
 slopes he finds many a spring and sees 
its  rivulet noisily down a crevice4    
,his sheep need water4  ,they cannot    
drink from the leaping little stream4   
,what does he do8  ,he finds a  suitable
 turn or nook in its course2 he walls it
 up with a little  dam and so holds the 
water till it forms a quiet pool4       
,then1 right  there on the open hills1  
he leads his sheep 'beside the still    
waters4'  ,i know of nothing more fit to
 picture the ,shepherd's  care of souls 
that trust him than that scene up there 
on the  mountainside4    ,while our     
thoughts were carried away to these     
scenes of thirsty  flocks drinking1 ,i  

chanced to notice that the tea-ball was 
again  quietly at work4  ,as we sat     
thinking on that picture up in the      
mountain1 a good hand offered our guest 
a fresh cup4  ,he received  it with a   
low bow1 sipped it in quiet1 then with a
 grateful smile  began speaking again3  
',he restoreth my soul4'  ,you know1 he 
said1 turning to me1  that soul means   
the life or one's self in the ,hebrew   
writings4    ,then addressing us all he 
went on3 ,there are perilous places for 
the sheep on all sides1 and they seem   
never to learn to avoid them4  ,the     
shepherd must ever be on the watch4     
,and there are private  fields and      
sometimes gardens and vineyards here and
 there in the  shepherd country2 if the 
sheep stray into them and be caught     
there  it is forfeited to the owner of  
the land4  ,so1 'he restoreth my  soul' 
means1 ',the shepherd brings me back and
 rescues me from fatal  and forbidden   
places4'    ',restores me when          
wandering1' is the way it is put in one 

of our  hymns1 ,i interposed4    ,ah1   
sir1 that is it exactly1 he answered1   
'restores me when  wandering6'    ',he  
leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
 for his name's  sake4'  ,often have ,i 
roamed through the shepherd country in  
my  youth and seen how hard it is to    
choose the right path for the  sheep2   
one leads to a precipice1 another to a  
place where the sheep  cannot find the  
way back2 and the shepherd was always   
going ahead1  'leading' them in the     
right paths1 proud of his good name as a
  shepherd4    ,some paths that are     
right paths still lead through places   
that  have deadly perils4  ',yea1 though
 ,i walk through the valley of the      
shadow of death1' is the way the psalm  
touches this fact in  shepherd life4    
,this way of naming the valley is very  
true to our  country4  ,i remember one  
near my home called 'the valley of      
robbers1' and another1 'the ravine of   
the raven4'  ,you see 'the  valley of   
the shadow of death' is a name drawn    

from my country's  old custom4    ',for 
thou art with me4'  ,ah1 how could more 
be put into few words6  ,with the sheep1
 it matters not what the surroundings   
are1 nor how  great the perils and      
hardships2 if only the shepherd is with 
them1  they are content4  ,there is no  
finer picture of the way of peace  for  
the troubled in all the world4    ,to   
show how much the presence of the       
shepherd counts for the  welfare of the 
sheep ,i can think of nothing better    
than the strange  thing ,i now tell you4
  ,it is quite beyond the usual1 daily  
care on  which the flock depends so     
fondly4  ,but ,i have seen it more than 
once4    ,sometimes1 in spite of all the
 care of the shepherd and his dogs1  a  
wolf will get into the very midst of the
 flock4  ,the sheep are  wild with      
fright4  ,they run and leap and make it 
impossible to get  at the foe in their  
midst1 who at that very moment may be   
fastening  his teeth in the throat of a 
helpless member of the flock4  ,but the 

shepherd is with them4  ,he knows what  
to do even at such a time4  ,he leaps to
 a rock or hillock that he may be seen  
and heard4   ,then  he lifts his voice  
in a long call1 something like a wolf's 
cry3  ',ooh6 ooh6'    ,on hearing this1 
the sheep remember the shepherd2 they   
heed his  voice2 and1 strange to tell1  
the poor1 timid creatures1 which were   
helpless with terror before1 instantly  
rush with all their strength  into a    
solid mass4  ,the pressure is           
irresistible2 the wolf is  overcome2    
frequently he is crushed to death1 while
 the shepherd  stands there on a rock   
crying1 ',ooh6 ooh6'  ',i will fear no  
evil3  for art with me4'    ,he paused1 
looking questioningly at one and        
another4    ,yes1 ,i said at last1 'in  
all these things we are more than       
conquerors through him that loved us4'  
,he bowed his satisfaction  in silence4 
',thy rod and thy staff'--this also is  
true to life2 the double  expression    
covers the whole round of protecting    

care4  ,for the  shepherds carry a crook
 for guiding the sheep and a weapon     
suitable  for defending them1 the rod   
and the staff2 one for aiding them in   
places of need along peaceful ways1 the 
other for defense in perils  of robbers 
and wild beasts4  ,this saying describes
 with the ease of  mastery how much     
those words mean1 ',thou art with me4'  
,and what shall ,i say of the next      
words1 ',thy rod and thy staff  they    
comfort me'8  ,ah1 madam1 you should see
 the sheep cuddle near  the shepherd to 
understand that word1 ',they comfort    
me4' ,the  shepherd's call ',ta-a-a-a1  
ho-o-o1' and the answering patter of    
feet as the sheep hurry to him1 are fit 
sounds to be chosen out of  the noisy   
world to show what comfort ,god gives to
 souls that heed  his voice2 and those  
sounds have been heard in my country    
this day  as they were the day this     
shepherd psalm was written6    ,he sat  
in silence a moment musing as if the    
sound were in his ear4    ,with quiet   

animation he lifted his thin hand and   
continued3 ,now  here is where you drop 
the shepherd figure and put in a banquet
 and  so lose the fine climax of        
completeness in the shepherd's care4    
,it need not be said that we were eager 
listeners now1 for our guest  was all   
aglow with memories of his far-off      
homeland and we felt  that we were about
 to see new rays of light flash from    
this rarest  gem in the song-treasury of
 the world4    ',thou preparest a table 
before me in the presence of mine       
enemies4'  ,in the same hushed voice in 
which he quoted these  words he added3  
,ah1 to think that the shepherd's       
highest skill and  heroism should be    
lost from view as the psalm begins to   
sing of it1  and only an indoor banquet 
thought of6  ,again he sat a little time
  in quiet4  ,then he said3    ,the word
 for table here means simply 'something 
spread out' and so  a prepared meal1    
however it is set forth4  ,there is no  
higher task  of the shepherd in my      

country than to go from time to time to 
study  places and examine the grass and 
find a good and safe feeding-place  for 
his sheep4  ,all his skill and often    
great heroism are called  for4  ,there  
are many poisonous plants in the grass  
and the shepherd  must find and avoid   
them4  ,the sheep will not eat certain  
poisonous  things1 but there are some   
which they will eat1 one kind of        
poisonous grass in particular4  ,a      
cousin of mine once lost three  hundred 
sheep by a mistake in this hard task4   
,then there are snake holes in some     
kinds of ground1 and1 if they  be not   
driven away1 the snakes bite the noses  
of the sheep4  ,the  shepherd sometimes 
burns the fat of hogs along the ground  
to do  this4  ,sometimes the shepherd   
finds ground where moles have worked    
their holes just under the surface4     
,snakes lie in these holes with  their  
heads sticking up ready to bite the     
grazing sheep4  ,the  shepherds know how
 to drive them away as they go along    

ahead of the  sheep4    ,and around the 
feeding-ground which the shepherd thus  
prepares1 in  holes and caves in the    
hillsides there are jackals1 wolves1    
hyenas1  and panthers1 too1 and the     
bravery and skill of the shepherd are at
  the highest point in closing up these 
dens with stones or slaying  the wild   
beasts with his long-bladed knife4  ,of 
nothing do you hear  shepherds boasting 
more proudly than of their achievements 
in this  part of their care of flocks4  
,and now1 he exclaimed with a beaming   
countenance and suppressed  feeling1 as 
if pleading for recognition of the lone 
shepherd's  bravest act of devotion to  
his sheep1 and now do you not see the   
shepherd figure in that quaint line1    
',thou preparest a table  before me in  
the presence of mine enemies'8    ,yes1 
,i answered2 and ,i see that ,god's care
 of a man out in the  world is a grander
 thought than that of seating him at an 
indoor  banquet-table4    ,but what     
about anointing the head with oil and   

the cup running  over8  ,go on1 my      
friend4    ,oh1 there begins the        
beautiful picture at the end of the day4
  ,the  psalm has sung of the whole     
round of the day's wandering1 all the   
needs of the sheep1 all the care of the 
shepherd4  ,now the psalm  closes with  
the last scene of the day4  ,at the     
door1 of the  sheepfold the shepherd    
stands and 'the rodding of the sheep'   
takes  place4  ,the shepherd stands1    
turning his body to let the sheep  pass2
 he is the door1 as ,christ said of     
himself4  ,with his rod he  holds back  
the sheep while he inspects them one by1
 one as they  pass into the fold4  ,he  
has the horn filled with olive-oil and  
he  has cedar-tar1 and he anoints a knee
 bruised on the rocks or a side         
scratched by thorns4  ,and here comes   
one that is not bruised but is  simply  
worn and exhausted2 he bathes its face  
and head with the  refreshing olive-oil 
and he takes the large two-handled cup  
and  dips it brimming full from the     

vessel of water provided for that       
purpose1 and he lets the weary sheep    
drink4    ,there is nothing finer in the
 psalm than this4  ,god's care is not   
for the wounded only1 but for the worn  
and weary also4  ',thou  anointest my   
head with oil2 my cup runneth over4'    
,and then1 when the day is done and the 
sheep are snug within the  fold1 what   
contentment1 what rest under the starry 
sky6  ,then comes  the thought of       
deepest repose and comfort3 ',surely    
goodness and  mercy shall follow me all 
the days of my life1' as they have      
through all the wanderings of the day   
now ended4    ,the song dies away as the
 heart that ,god has watched and tended 
breathes this grateful vow before the   
roaming of the day is  forgotten in     
sleep3 ',i will--not shall1 but will2   
for it is a  decision1 a settled        
purpose1 a holy vow--',i will dwell in  
the house  of the ,lord for ever4'  ,and
 the song ends1 and the sheep are at    
rest1 safe in the good shepherd's fold4 

,do you wonder that ever since that     
night we have called this psalm  ,the   
,song of ,our ,syrian ,guest8           
,sidelights      ,shepherd ,life in     
,bible ,lands    ,,professor ,,george   
,e4 ,,post    ,the ,american ,college1  
,bayrout1 ,syria    ,the same regions   
which furnished the vast flocks in      
ancient times  are still noted for their
 sheep4  ,all the plateaus east of the  
,jordan and the mountains of ,palestine 
and ,syria are pasture-grounds  for     
innumerable flocks and herds4  ,they    
require water but once a  day1 and1     
where they cannot get it from perennial 
streams1 they  find it in the           
innumerable wells1 fountains and        
cisterns4  ,the  descendants of the same
 shepherds who tended flocks in ,bible  
days  still occupy the great sheepwalks 
of ,palestine4    ,the care of sheep is 
the subject of frequent allusion in     
,scripture4  ,the shepherd leads 7not   
drives7 them to pasture and  water 7,ps4
 #bc2 #gg3bj2 #gh3eb2 #hj3a72 protects  

them at the risk of  his life 7,john    
#aj3ae74  ,to keep them from the cold   
and rain and  beasts1 he collects them  
in caves 7#a ,sam4 #bd3c7 or enclosures 
built  of rough stones 7,num4 #cb3af2   
,judg4 #e3af2 ,zeph4 #b3f2 ,john #aj3a74
  ,the sheep know their shepherd1 and   
heed his voice 7,john #aj3d74  ,it  is  
one of the most interesting spectacles  
to see a number of flocks  of thirsty   
sheep brought by their several shepherds
 to be watered  at a fountain4  ,each   
flock1 in obedience to the call of its  
own  shepherd1 lies down1 awaiting its  
turn4  ,the shepherd of one flock  calls
 his sheep in squads1 draws water for   
them1 pours it into the  troughs1 and1  
when the squad has done1 orders it away 
by sounds  which the sheep perfectly    
understand1 and calls up another squad4 
,when the whole of one flock is watered1
 its shepherd signals to it1  and the   
sheep rise and move leisurely away1     
while another flock  comes in a similar 
manner to the troughs1 and so on1 until 

all the  flocks are watered4  ,the sheep
 never make any mistake as to who       
whistles to them or calls to them4      
',they know not the voice of  strangers'
 7,john #aj3e74  ,sometimes they are    
called by names 7,john  #aj3c74  ,syrian
 sheep are usually white 7,ps4 #adg3af2 
,isa4 #a3ah2 ,dan4  #g3i71 but some are 
brown 7,gen4 #cj3cb-db2 ,revised        
,version 'black'74  ,no animal mentioned
 in ,scripture compares in symbolical   
interest  and importance with the sheep4
   ,it is alluded to about five  hundred
 times4          ,the ,singing ,pilgrim 
,a ,,characterization ,,of ,,the        
,,twenty-,,third ,,psalm    ,,henry     
,,ward ,,beecher    ,the ,twenty-third  
,psalm is the nightingale of the psalms4
  ,it is  small1 of a homely feather1   
singing shyly out of obscurity2 but1    
oh1 it has filled the air of the whole  
world with melodious joy1  greater than 
the heart can conceive6  ,blessed be the
 day on which  that psalm was born6     
,what would you say of a pilgrim        

commissioned of ,god to travel up  and  
down the earth singing a strange melody1
 which1 when once  heard1 caused him to 
forget whatever sorrow he had8  ,and so 
the  singing angel goes on his way      
through all lands1 singing in the       
language of every nation1 driving away  
trouble by the pulses of the  air which 
his tongue moves with divine power4     
,behold just such an  one6  ,this       
pilgrim ,god has sent to speak in every 
language on the  globe4  ,it has charmed
 more griefs to rest than all the       
philosophy  of the world4  ,it has      
remanded to their dungeon more felon    
thoughts1 more black doubts1 more       
thieving sorrows1 than there are  sands 
on the seashore4  ,it has comforted the 
noble host of the  poor4  ,it has sung  
courage to the army of the disappointed4
  ,it has  poured balm and consolation  
into the heart of the sick1 of captives 
in dungeons1 of widows in their pinching
 griefs1 of orphans in  their           
loneliness4  ,dying soldiers have died  

easier as it was read  to them2 ghastly 
hospitals have been illuminated2 it has 
visited  the prisoner and broken his    
chains1 and1 like ,peter's angel1 led   
him forth in imagination1 and sung him  
back to his home again4  ,it  has made  
the dying ,christian slave freer than   
his master1 and  consoled those whom1   
dying1 he left behind1 mourning not so  
much  that he was gone as because they  
were left behind and could not go  too4 
,nor is its work done4  ,it will go on  
singing to your children and  my        
children1 and to their children1 through
 all the generations of  time2 nor will 
it fold its wings till the last pilgrim 
is safe1 and  time ended2 and then it   
shall fly back to the bosom of ,god1    
whence  it issued1 and sound on1 mingled
 with all those sounds of celestial  joy
 which make heaven musical forever4