Sparks in the windows, stars in the skies: Wine in the glasses, light in the eyes.
Lips that bless; hearts that sing:
Mother—a queen; father—a king;
Toil and strife and worry—no more;
Tables are set, open the door!
Little lips quiver, stammering why?
Listen, my darlings, and I shall reply:
A king there was in Egypt-land, Morose and harsh and grav###A foolish king, for he believed. A race could stay a slave.
A king there was in Egypt-land, A foolish king was he;
He knew not that a People’s will Would twain the mighty sea.
A king there was in Egypt-land—But why recall his name?
Full many a despot, ever since. Believed the very same.
So fill your glasses once again, And sing a merry song;
And fill your glasses once again, To prove the tyrant wrong. . . .
Sparks in the windows, stars in the skies, Wine in the glasses, light in the eyes.
Dead are the Pharaohs, Egypts are dead,
Perished the peoples in slavery bred;
This is the Seder of legend and light—Freedom is feasting its triumph tonight.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.