He staggered thro' the burning street

He staggered thro' the burning street,

And tho' his cross o'er-weighted him,

He raised his comely head to greet

The women of Jerusalem.

'O women of Jerusalem,

Weep not for me who go to death

With unbowed head and easy breath,

But for your children. Lo, at hand

There comes a season to the land

When ye shall curse the womb that bears,

The pap that sucks, the hand that rears,

And Jew-folk born of Jacob's stem

Shall call the hills to fall on them!'

And when he came to Calvary,

By many a strait and stifling street,

They seized him by the hands and feet

And nailed him to the gallows tree,

And housed him on the rocky stairs

Between two common murderers;

And ere the day in dark was lost

The sinless Christ gave up the ghost.

Then flew the gilly on the wind.