Miriam is the big sister of Moses and Aaron. In the Hebrew scriptures, it is Miriam who places her baby brother, Moses, in the basket of reeds and sends the basket floating down the Nile River to save her brother’s life. Miriam is regarded a prophetess, and is most famous for leading her people in a great song (canticle) celebrating God saving the Israelites allowing them to pass through the Red Sea, and the destruction of the Egyptian forces in the Red Sea.
The song is in two parts. The first melody depicts the safe passage of the Israelites through the Red Sea and the destruction of the Egyptians. The second part is the great canticle of Miriam and she leads the Israelites celebrating God’s victory over the Egyptians and freeing the Israelite people from slavery. Within the second part, the first melody is recapped before the ending of the song.
Canticle for Miriam (c) 2021 by Robert Charles Wagner. All rights reserved.
Here is the poem I wrote reflecting on this scriptural story.
CANTICLE FOR MIRIAM
Standing on the banks of the Sea,
you gaze upon the bodies of Egyptians
washing up on the shore.
Your memory sends you back
to the shores of the Nile,
standing amongst the bulrushes
you placed your infant brother
in a basket of reeds,
and sent him floating
upon the waters of the river.
You trusted the unnamed God
of your people
to save the life of your infant brother,
just as now, you and your people
trust your unnamed God
to save your lives.
Your infant brother, now a man,
with a Divine mandate,
armed with a staff of death for oppressors
and the freedom for your people,
gazes upon the might
and the justice of the God
who frees those who are enslaved.
And, now, the bodies of those
who sought to destroy you,
float lifeless, bobbing like buoys,
upon the surface of the Sea.
You turn your back on the floating death,
the fish of the Sea,
and the animals along the shore
will soon disappear the evidence
of the holy violence that took place.
You lead your people,
a song of joy, wild with victory,
stirs your heart, and your throat
in a dance of great abandon.
There are days ahead,
over which hangs a veil of mystery,
in which joys and great sorrows reside.
Your people’s trust in your unnamed God
will be tested,
you will be greatly tested.
However, this night, you know
that whatever awaits in the future,
you will die a free woman.
© 2021, Robert Charles Wagner. All rights reserved.
