“In the tropic land of Burmah, Where the sun grows never old; And the regal-browed Palmyra Crowns her head with clouds of gold; On a strange, wild promontory, Close beside the rushing sea, Listening ever to the billows, Dwelt poor little Mee Shway-ee.
“But along the sandy sea-shore. Or amid the foliage green, Stringing rows of crimson berries, Was the maiden never seen; Never twined she her black tresses With the golden mazalee; For a wild and woe-marked slave-child Was poor little Mee Shway-ee.
“And when in the hush of twilight Rose a startling eldritch cry, Answered by the gray-winged osprey, Plunging seaward from the sky; Then the village wives and maidens, As they glanced from roof to sea, Whispered of a human osprey, And poor writhing Mee Shway-ee.
“But a messenger of Jesus— Him who, centuries ago, Bared His bosom to the arrow Winged by human guilt and woe, And then said, ‘Go preach my Gospel! Lo! I’m evermore with thee’— One who served this blessed Jesus, Found poor trembling Mee Shway-ee.
“Found her wan, and scarred, and bleeding, Mad with agony and sin; So love’s arms were opened widely, And the sufferer folded in; Tender fingers soothed and nursed her, And ’twas wonderful to see How the winning glance of pity Tamed the elf-child, Mee Shway-ee.
“For, beneath those drooping eyelids Shone a human spirit now, And the light of thought came playing Softly over lip and brow; But her little footstep faltered,— Beamed her eye more lovingly,— And ’twas known that death stood claiming Gentle, trusting Mee Shway-ee.
“But to her he came an angel, Throned in clouds of rosy light; Came to bear her to that Saviour Who had broke her weary night; And with smiles she sought his bosom; So, beside the rushing sea, ’Neath the weeping casuarina, Laid they little Mee Shway-ee.”
But amid the cares and toils of beginning a missionary enterprise in Maulmain, Mr. Judson did not remit his literary labors. The odd moments of time left from _zayat work_ and _school work_ were filled with the _work of translation_. Even before leaving Amherst he had embarked upon the prodigious task of translating the Old Testament into Burmese. He had begun with the Psalms. After the death of his wife and child his sorrowful heart instinctively turned for consolation to “the prayers of David the son of Jesse.” He had hardly been in Maulmain two years when he makes this record in his journal:
“_November_ 29, 1829. Since my last, we have finished revising the New Testament and the Epitome of the Old—a work in which we have been closely engaged for above a year. We have also prepared for the press several smaller works, viz.:
“1. The Catechism of Religion. This has already passed through two editions in Burmese. It has also been translated and printed into Siamese, and translated into Taling or Peguan.
“2. The View of the Christian Religion, thoroughly revised for a fourth edition in Burmese. It has also been translated into Taling and Siamese.
“3. The Liturgy of the Burman Church.
“4. The Baptismal Service.
“5. The Marriage Service.
“6. The Funeral Service; the last three consisting chiefly of extracts from Scripture.
“7. The Teacher’s Guide; or, a Digest of those parts of the New Testament which relate to the Duty of Teachers of Religion, designed particularly for Native Pastors.
“8. A Catechism of Astronomy.
“9. A Catechism of Geography.
“10. A Table of Chronological History; or a Register of principal Events from the Creation to the present Time.
“11. The Memoir of Mee Shway-ee.
“12. The Golden Balance; or, the Christian and Buddhist Systems Contrasted. This has been translated into Taling.
“The Gospel of St. Matthew was also translated into Siamese by Mrs. Judson, and is now being translated into Taling by Ko Man-poke, our assistant in that department.”
While thus absorbed in the work of preaching and teaching and translating at Maulmain, he was not forgetful of the smouldering camp-fires he had left behind him at Rangoon and Amherst. At Rangoon especially, where he had first unfurled the banner of the Christ, and whence he had been rudely driven by the intolerant spirit of the king of Ava, a native church was speedily reorganized under a Burman pastor, Ko Thah-a. It seems that this man was one of the original Rangoon converts.