I left Jerusalem, my native home,
And started down the road to Jericho,
A pleasant place where mortal thought may roam
Among material things that gleam and glow.
A band of thieves destroyed my peace of mind,
Took all my holy thoughts, my wont to pray,
Robbed me of tenderness for humankind,
And left me destitute beside the way.
Then one with love imbued did not condemn,
But lifted me and gently turned my face
To see the spires of New Jerusalem
That shine against the sky with heavenly grace.
And then I turned my footsteps back again,
To walk the homeward road with honest men.
