Thou wert surpassingly dear to me,
Thy love to me was far more than the love of woman!

How have the mighty fallen,
And the weapons of war perished!

[Sidenote: _The blessing of Jacob_]

The so-called _Blessing of Jacob_ (Gen. xlix, 2-27) is a poetical
delineation of the strength and weakness of the different tribes of
Israel with references to specific events in their history. These
historical allusions suggest that it probably comes from the reigns of
David and Solomon, when the tribes were for the first time all united
under a common rule and had passed through certain of the experiences
alluded to in the poem.

[Sidenote: _Israel's heritage of oral traditions_]

The Israelitish race was supremely rich in possessing not only many
ancient songs, but also a large body of oral traditions which had
long been handed down from father to son or else treasured by the
story-tellers and by the priests of the ancient sanctuaries. Many of
these traditions were inherited from their Semitic ancestors, and, in
the light of recently discovered Babylonian literature, can be traced
back far beyond the days of Abraham and Moses. Some were originally
the possessions of certain nomadic tribes; others recorded the early
experiences of their ancestors or told of the achievements of early
heroes. In the process of continuous retelling, all unnecessary details
had been eliminated and the really dramatic and essential elements
emphasized, until they attained their present simple, graphic form,