Uprising through the air;
He heard the camel's footfall in the dust,
And knew who travelled there.

He heard the lizard when it moved at noon
On the grey, sunlit wall;
He heard the far-off temple bells, what time
He felt the shadows fall.

Now, in the golden hour, he stooped to hear
A muffled sound and low,
The tramping of a myriad sandalled feet
That came from Jericho.

Then on the road a little lad he knew
Ran past, with eager cry,
"Ho, Bartimeus! Give thine heart good cheer,
For David's Son comes by!

"He comes! He comes! And, sad one, who can say
What He may do for thee?
He makes the lame to walk! He heals the sick!
He makes the blind to see!"

"He makes the blind to see! Oh, God of Hosts,
Beyond the sky called blue,
What if Messiah cometh to His own!
What if the words be true!"

On his swift way the little herald sped,