Poetry · Chapter
The Parting explained
Moses bids farewell to Princess Charmian, explaining his decision to leave the Egyptian court and join his enslaved Hebrew people.
What happens
Moses bids farewell to Princess Charmian, explaining his decision to leave the Egyptian court and join his enslaved Hebrew people. Charmian recounts how she saved him as an infant from the Nile and from Pharaoh's decree, but Moses remains resolute, inspired by his mother's teachings of faith and the promise of deliverance.
Themes in this chapter
Freedom and Liberation
Moses chooses to leave privilege behind to lead his people from bondage, embodying the quest for liberation.
Faith and Divine Justice
Moses' decision is rooted in faith in God's promise to break the chains of oppression and bring deliverance.
Resilience and Sacrifice
Moses sacrifices personal comfort and royal status, demonstrating resilience in the face of opposition from Charmian.
Motherhood and Family
Charmian's maternal love for Moses and his biological mother's teachings shape his identity and mission.
Characters to notice
- Moses
Resolves to leave the palace and share the fortunes of his enslaved race, guided by faith in God's promise of deliverance.
- Princess Charmian
Pleads with Moses to stay, recounting how she saved him twice as an infant; her love and grief are palpable as he departs.
- Pharaoh
Appears in Charmian's memory as the stern father who initially decreed the death of Hebrew male children but relented for his dead wife's sake.
- Aaron
Mentioned as one of the three children to whom Moses' mother told the stories of Abraham.
- Moses
Recalls his mother's teachings about Abraham's sacrifice and the promise of freedom for their people.
- The People
The Hebrew race, whose oppression and suffering Moses chooses to share, seeking their liberation.
- Asenath
Pharaoh's deceased wife, whose memory softens his heart to spare the infant Moses.
Key passages
“I go to join The fortunes of my race, and to put aside All other bright advantages, save The approval of my conscience and the meed Of rightly doing.”
I am leaving to share the fate of my people, giving up all privileges except the satisfaction of doing what is right.
Moses declares his purpose to Princess Charmian.
“I cannot live in pleasure while they faint In pain.”
I cannot enjoy comfort while my people suffer.
Moses explains why he cannot remain in the palace.
“The pathway to his life is through my own; Around that life I throw my heart, a wall Of living, loving clay.”
To kill him, you must go through me; I protect him with my own body and love.
Charmian's plea to Pharaoh to spare the infant Moses.