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.
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.