And, lastly, He sent the serpent

To follow and tempt and betray.

This is the story of Moses—

Eve got a man from the Lord,

And his name was Cain, and another

Called Abel, the evil-starred;

And the brothers quarreled at their worship,

And Abel, the meek, was slain,

And Death shook hands with the slayer,

His first and best friend, Cain.

[35]

This is the story of Moses

Of how our people began,

Of the broken law and the bloodshed—

First fruits of the God-sent man;

This is the story of Moses,

The earliest scribe who writ,

And all the scribes who are writing

Don't vary the tale a whit.

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