Chap. XLI

And now when two years’ time was fully past,
And Joseph from confinement not releast,
It came to pass that Pharaoh dream’d, and
He seemed by a river-side to stand,
Whence he seven fat well-favour’d kine beheld,
Come up and grazed in the neighbouring field.
And after them there came up seven more,
Lean and ill-favour’d, and did soon devour
The seven fat kine which came up just before.
So Pharaoh ‘woke, and mus’d awhile, and then
Soon as his sleep his dream returned again:
Wherein he saw upon one stalk there stood
Seven ears of corn exceeding rank and good,
And seven others, with the east wind blasted,
And withered, sprang up, and quickly wasted
The seven good ears, and quite devour’d them:
And Pharaoh ‘woke, and lo, it was a dream.
And in the morning he was discontent,
And for the wise men and magicians sent,
To ease his mind; but there was none of them
That could interpret to the king his dream.
Then the chief butler, making his address
Unto King Pharaoh, said, I now confess
My former faults, for when the king was wroth
With his chief butler, and chief baker both,
It pleased him, to put us both in ward,
In the house of the captain of the guard:
And in one night we dream’d a dream, each one
According to ’s interpretation:
And there was then an Hebrew there in ward,
A youth that serv’d the captain of the guard:
To whom we told whereof we had been dreaming,
And he interpreted to us the meaning;
And what he said fell out accordingly,
Me he restored to my dignity,
But told the baker he should surely die.
Then Pharaoh sent a messenger in haste,
And Joseph from the dungeon was releas’d:
And having shav’d himself and chang’d his clothes,
Into the presence of the king he goes.
To whom King Pharaoh said, I have been told
Thou canst the meaning of a dream unfold:
Now I have dream’d a dream, and there is none
Can give me the interpretation.
And Joseph said, I cannot do this thing
Myself, but God shall answer thee, oh king.
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, In my dream,
As I stood by a river’s side, there came
Up from the river seven well-favour’d kine,
And fed upon the banks, all fat and fine,
And after them there came up seven more,
Lean and ill-favour’d, and exceeding poor:
Such as the land of Egypt never bred,
And on the seven well-favour’d kine they fed,
And eat them up, but ’twas not to be seen
That they had eat them, they look’d still so thin.
So I awoke, and mus’d awhile, and then
Soon as my sleep, my dream return’d again;
Wherein I saw upon one stalk there stood
Seven ears of corn, exceeding rank and good:
Then seven others, with the east wind blasted,
And withered, came up, and quickly wasted
The seven good ears, and quite devoured them.
And being unsatisfied about my dream,
I sought unto the wise men of the nation,
But they could give me no interpretation.
And Joseph said, Thy dream, oh king! is one,
God shews to Pharaoh what he will have done.
The seven fat kine and seven good ears agree
To shew, seven years of plenty there shall be.
The seven lean kine, and seven blasted ears,
Denote there shall be famine seven years.
This I declare to Pharaoh, God doth shew
To thee, oh king! what he’s about to do.
Behold seven years of plenty are at hand,
Which shall be very great throughout the land.
And after them seven years of famine shall
Arise, and shall consume the land, and all
The former plenty shall not be perceiv’d,
So much the land with famine shall be griev’d.
And since the dream was doubl’d to the king,
It is because God hath decreed the thing,
And on this land the same will shortly bring:
Now therefore if I may the king advise,
Let him look out a man discreet and wise,
And make him overseer of the land:
And substitute men under his command
To gather a fifth part for public use,
Of what the seven plenteous years produce;
And in the cities lay it up for store,
Against the famine in the land grows sore;
And let it be repos’d in Pharaoh’s hand,
That so the famine may not waste the land.
And when King Pharaoh and his servants heard
The propositions Joseph had preferr’d,
They were acceptable in Pharaoh’s eyes,
And in the eyes of all his court likewise:
So that he said, Can such an one be found?
A man in whom God’s Spirit doth abound.
And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Forasmuch
As God’s great kindness unto thee is such,
As to reveal this thing to thee, I know
No man so wise or so discreet as thou.
Be thou therefore the ruler of the land,
And let my people be at thy command;
Thou shalt in all things be as great as I,
Save only in the royal dignity.
Behold this day I have advanced thee
Said he, to be a man of high degree
Throughout the land. And therewithal the king
Bestow’d on Joseph his own royal ring;
And him with robes of state did richly deck,
And put a chain of gold about his neck,
And in his second chariot made him ride,
And as he past, Bow down the knee they cry’d,
With so great honour was he dignifi’d.
And Pharaoh said moreover, I am king,
No man shall dare to purpose any thing,
Or move his hand or foot in all this nation,
Unless it shall be by thy approbation.
He also gave to Joseph a new name,
And for a wife gave him a princely dame,
Who was the daughter of a priest of fame.
(Now Joseph had attained his thirtieth year,
When he before King Pharaoh did appear.)
And he went out from Pharaoh’s presence, and
Began his progress over all the land.
Now in the seven plenteous years, the field
Did its increase in great abundance yield.
And Joseph gather’d all that plenteous crop,
And in th’ adjacent cities laid it up:
Which like unto the sand upon the shore,
Did so abound that he could count no more,
Such was the plenty that the earth then bore.
And unto Joseph there was born a son,
Even by the daughter of the priest of On,
Before the years of famine were begun;
The which he call’d Manasseh, for, said he,
God makes me to forget my misery,
And all my father’s house. And after him
Was born another he called Ephraim;
For God, saith he, hath made me to possess
Abundance in the land of my distress.
And when the seven plenteous years were gone,
The seven years of famine next came on,
As Joseph said, and there was a great dearth
In every nation throughout all the earth;
But in the land of Egypt there was bread.
And when the people almost famished,
Complained to the king, he bade them go
To Joseph, and whate’er he said to do.
And now the famine daily waxing sore,
Joseph began to bring forth of his store,
Which he had laid up for the public good;
To whom th’ Egyptians came and bought their food.
And people from all countries far and near
To Egypt came to buy provision there;
For in all lands the famine was severe.