That same year, on the first day of the third month, word came to me from the Lord:

Son of man, here is a message for Pharao, king of Egypt, and his retinue. Say to him, This greatness of thine, whose memory does it recall?

Not less powerful once was the Assyrian✻ king, a very cedar of Lebanon. How fair its boughs, yonder tree, its leaves how overshadowing; what height, what thickness of growth about its top!

Water nourished it, water came up from the depth beneath to sustain it, washed about its roots and parted into runnels to feed the trees around.

In all the country-side none rose so tall, had covert so thick, branches so wide; none fed so deep.

Among its boughs the birds nested, the beasts in their travail sought its shade; proud nations a many under Assyria’s shelter grew.

So fair it was, so tall and spreading, there by the brimming water’s side,

in God’s own garden cedar could not overtop it, fir-tree match it for height, or plane-tree for shade. God’s garden itself could not shew such beauty:

never a tree there, tree of Eden,✻ but must envy it the leafy loveliness that was my gift.

Alas, that he should aim too high, the Lord God says; alas for youth’s luxuriant promise, that swelled his heart with pride!

I must needs hand him over to a conquering power, that should settle my reckoning with him; he, the godless, homeless should be.

Cut down, yonder tree, by alien folk, heathen that pity have none, and left to lie on the hill-side, boughs choking the valleys, branches carried off by the mountain streams; vassal nations abandoned his shelter, and he was all alone.

In the fallen trunk birds nested, under torn branches the wild beasts made their lair;

never again should tree boast of its height, there by the river bank, overtopping the covert of the woods, never again should the waters nourish its pride. Death and the deep earth should await them all, mortal things to a mortal doom appointed.

Sad dirge was his, the Lord God says, at his down-going; the great depth was the shroud of him, its flooding streams hushed and stayed; mourned Lebanon, and all the forest swooned away.

How it echoed through the world, the crash of his fall! He too, like all mortal things, was for the earth at last; comfort for those others that were brought to earth like himself, trees of Eden like himself, so noble, so fair, so well watered!

All alike must go down to the grave, the sword’s way; his arm …✻

… his shadow their protection against surrounding nations.

And thou, in thy greatness and glory among Eden’s trees so like him! Yet thou, like other Eden trees, must come down low as earth can bring thee; and the sword shall level thee with the uncircumcised in death. (Pharao is meant, and Pharao’s retinue, the Lord God says.✻ )