John woke from slumber, when the early trumpRang from the Roman camp below, at breakOf the gray dawn; and when the sun arose,After his orisons to Heaven, he satOn the rude stone before his cave, and markedHis staff and form shadowed against the rock,Watching the fitful gleams that, here and there,Chequered the pale Ægean, far away;While he, who never left his side, appearedNow more majestic, as the beams of day10Shone on his waving tresses, when he raised11His look to heaven, and stood sublime in light.But see, with vitis[173]of command, and plumeAnd crest, in momentary sunshine bright,The præfect of the Roman guard approach,Hail, father, hail! he cried.And hail to thee,The old man answered, mildly. Art thou comeWith tidings from the Mistress of the World?
John woke from slumber, when the early trumpRang from the Roman camp below, at breakOf the gray dawn; and when the sun arose,After his orisons to Heaven, he satOn the rude stone before his cave, and markedHis staff and form shadowed against the rock,Watching the fitful gleams that, here and there,Chequered the pale Ægean, far away;While he, who never left his side, appearedNow more majestic, as the beams of day10Shone on his waving tresses, when he raised11His look to heaven, and stood sublime in light.But see, with vitis[173]of command, and plumeAnd crest, in momentary sunshine bright,The præfect of the Roman guard approach,Hail, father, hail! he cried.And hail to thee,The old man answered, mildly. Art thou comeWith tidings from the Mistress of the World?
ROMAN COMMANDER.
The world's great sun is set—Cæsar is dead!20
The world's great sun is set—Cæsar is dead!20
JOHN.
Cæsar! Ah! in my dream did I not seeHis shadow stern and sad; the purple robeDropping with blood!
Cæsar! Ah! in my dream did I not seeHis shadow stern and sad; the purple robeDropping with blood!
ROMAN COMMANDER.
Why, was he not a god?—So he proclaimed himself—a god on earth!Giving command that altars to his nameShould blaze, as to great Jupiter! Old man,Art thou not prisoner for gainsaying this?[174]But, father, if a soldier might pronounce,With all respect to thy gray hairs, I deem30The sole, imperial master of the worldMight worthier claim that title, than a manMocked, scourged—ay, scourged!—and crucified with thieves!Rose and ascended into heaven! repliedThe meek old man—a hectic on his cheek—Rose, and ascended into heaven, to sit36At the right hand of God, from thence to come,Judge of the quick and dead! Proud soldier, hear—Hear how a prisoner for Jesus ChristCan answer thee!When King Agrippa satUpon his throne, in oriental state,Surrounded by the Roman soldiery,With axe and fasces of imperial sway,Fair Berenice seated on his right,And on his left Festus the governor,Paul, a poor prisoner of Jesus Christ,Before him stood, in chains; and as he spokeOf "resurrection," and the world to come,He cried, King of the Jews, dost thou believe50The prophets! Yes! I know thou dost believe.The king, with faltering voice, tremblingly cried,Paul, Paul, thou dost persuade even me, almost—To be a Christian! Paul, with lifted handAnd steadfast look, thus answered him, Almost!Oh! would that the whole world were not "almost,"But "altogether" such as I am now,Except these bonds.Soldier, I say the same.But hie thee to thy eagle; I am here,60A poor old man, like Paul, a prisoner,And thou, an officer of mighty Rome;Yet would I pray to God, that thou may'st be,Oh! not "almost," but "altogether," suchAs I am now, except these few gray hairs,Old age, and many sorrows; yet even hereMy soul hath been sustained by Him who said,Lo! I am with you alway, and I knowHe still is with me. I have heard his voice,And seen his look of glory and of love70Turned on me, in this solitude; and he—He who did shudder with me at the voiceOf thy bold blasphemy, here lately cameWith words of comfort, and these aged eyesHave seen the things that must hereafter be;Yet know, stern soldier, if my days were passedLonely as hopeless, I would not exchangeThese few gray hairs for thy green laurel crown—This solitude, for living Cæsar's throne,Or Cæsar's subject world!80The soldier turnedDisdainful, and his crest shook in the wind;Then, lifting high his ensign of command,He bade the trumpet sound the second watch.John knelt, and prayed, Thy kingdom come, O Lord!Then he who stood beside him, spoke unmoved:Rome—Rome shall be no more! At dead of night,Hark! the barbarian trump; JerusalemShall be avenged; and those of distant days,Pondering the fate of empires, there shall come90To muse upon the fragments of her might,Her ancient glory passed as morning clouds,And tremble for the judgments of the LordIn all the world!Now to the cave retire,For other visions of the things to come,And other fearful shadows, must thou see.John sat, and held his hands upon his brow:The earth seems to retire, and all the soundsOf tumult and of woe at once to cease.100Then John was in the Spirit, and he sawSeven angels, and, beneath, a sea of glassMingled with fire; and on the sea of glassThose who had gained, on earth, the victory104Over the beast, all standing on the seaOf glass, and in their hands the harps of God,And thus they sung, Oh! great and marvellousArt thou, Almighty God, and just and trueAre all thy ways, thou King of saints! Amen.Now from the temple a loud voice was heard,110Which said to the seven angels, Go your ways,Pour out the vials of the wrath of GodUpon the earth.[175]Then on the men which boreThe mark upon their foreheads of the beast,Or fell down to his image, noisome soresAnd plague-spots fell.The second angel pouredHis vial on the sea, and it becameThe blood of a dead man; and every thingWhich had the breath of life died in the sea.120And the third angel poured his vial outUpon the rivers, and fresh fountains clear,And they became red blood. And then John heard,In trance, the angels of the waters say,Righteous art thou, O Lord! and righteously,O thou which art, and was, and which shall be,Thus hast thou judged, for they have shed the bloodOf prophets and of saints! A voice replied,From out the altar, Even so, O Lord!Almighty God, thy judgments are most true!130And the fourth angel poured his vial outUpon the sun, and power was given to himTo scorch men with the fire, and they blasphemedThe name of God, and still repented not,Looking with gnashing teeth upon the sun.And the fifth angel poured his vial outUpon the kingdom of the beast, and, lo!137The kingdom of the beast at once was dark:But men repented not—even while they gnawedTheir tongues for pain, blaspheming God in heaven.And the sixth angel poured his vial outWhere the great river of Euphrates rolls,And it was quick dried up, and so becameA highway for the armies of the east,And for the kings of earth, and the whole world,Gathering to battle, on the dreadful dayOf the incensed Lord, into a placeCalled "Armageddon," in the Hebrew tongue.And the seventh angel poured his vial outInto the air, and a loud voice was heard150Out of the temple's inmost shrine, which cried,All is fulfilled! At once an earthquake shookThe ground, and lightnings, red and terrible,Flashed, and the thunders rolled along the sky,And strange and fearful voices in the airWere heard, so dreadful was that storm. Aghast,The nations fell; and the great BabylonCame in remembrance before God, to pourOn her the fierceness of his wakened wrath.And now John saw another angel fly160In clouds, and coming down with power from heavenUnto the earth; and all the earth beneathWas lighted with his glory; and he cried,With the loud voice of judgment, BabylonThe great is fallen! And then another voiceAnswered, Come out of her! Hath she not said,I sit a queen, mighty as Ashtoreth?The kings of earth shall tremble when they seeThe smoke of her great torment; they shall standAfar off from her burning, and shall cry,170That mighty city, Babylon, alas!171In one hour is her judgment come! The voiceOf harpers and of trumpeters no moreShall in her streets be heard: the blood of saints,Of prophets, and of martyrs, is avenged!The cries are heard, the smoke is seen, no more.And after this, John lifted up his eyes,And heard the voice of mighty companies,Which sang and shouted, Alleluia! reignFor ever, Lord of lords and King of kings!180Salvation, honour, glory, power, and praise,Be unto thee, O Lord! for thou hast judgedWith righteousness! They, with acclaiming voice,Still sang and shouted, Alleluia—reignFor ever, Lord of lords and King of kings!Heard through the empyrean, the great voiceAgain went up, whilst all the courts of heavenRang, Alleluia! glory be to thee,Glory and power, Lord God Omnipotent![176]Then the heaven opened, and, behold! a horse190As white as snow, and he who sat thereonWas called "True and Faithful;" on his headWere crowns on crowns, and underneath a nameWhich no man knew, save he who bore that name.His vesture was a robe of blood, and theyWho followed him proclaimed, The Word of God!And all the heavenly armies followed himOn horses white like his; and on his robeWas written—King of kings and Lord of lords.The pomp is passed, and now John raised his eyes,And saw an angel standing in the sun.201The angel in his watch looked down to earth,And all the armies of the earth came forthTo war with the bright chivalry of heaven,204And Him who sat on the white horse! And, lo!Before the mighty cherubims advancedMichael, the great archangel, while a shoutRang, that the sun in heaven might seem to standStill at a sound so terrible. OpposedTo the great armies of the living God,210Frown the Satanic host, far as the eyeCan reach; and horses black as night,And spectre armies, led, in front, by Death,Appear, receding into farther depthsOf blackness; while, anon, a dragon, scaled,Moves weltering onward. Michael, from the ranksOf cherubim advancing, lifts on highHis mace, and full on the scaled dragon's crestSmites. At his feet the dragon lay, and, lo!The sable phantom-horsemen at the sight220Are vanished. Raise the victor-song to HimWho rides on the white horse, and to his GodIn heaven, for the great dragon is cast downInto the bottomless and burning lake!Another angel, with white waving plume,Descends; an iron chain is in his hand,And the dark key of destiny, which shutsThe bottomless abyss, from whence the smokeAscends—ascends, but not a groan is heard.The ancient dragon is cast down, and bound—230Bound for a thousand years, in chains, and thrown,Howling, into that nethermost abyss;While mercy, equity, and peace, and truth,Like angel forms, visit the earth, and move,Radiant as light, among the sons of men,And only sounds are heard of harmonies,Such as in heaven are sung about the throne,O'er which, in dewy light, the rainbow bends.238The trump of bannered war, the sighs and groansOf miserable slaves, that rise from earth,In one deep murmur, to high heaven, are ceased;For love and mercy walk among mankind,And so shall walk, till the last trump shall sound.Now a new heaven and new earth appear;And, coming down from heaven, even as a brideAdorned to meet her husband, John beheldThe City of the New Jerusalem,Glittering beyond the clouds; and then he heardA voice from a bright cloud, The Lord shall comeAnd dwell with men, and he shall be their God;250And God shall wipe from every eye the tear,And death shall be no more!John spread his hands,And cried, with eyes upraised to heaven, Oh! stay,Visions of bliss! I am bowed down with age,Forlorn on earth, and I have tarried longAlone and sad. Oh! come, Lord Jesus Christ!A voice replied, Thou shalt be where he is!Hark! 'twas the billow beating on the rocksOf melancholy Patmos, and John wept,260As, slowly fading, like a summer dream,He saw the towers, and gates, and palaces,Of New Jerusalem fade in the cloudsOf eve, which shot its gleaming pinnaclesAloft in the pale sky, and flushed the trackOf the sun's westering orb with crimson light.As the sun sunk, the sound of trump and hornShrilled, and the old man, starting from his trance,Beheld below the cave the Roman troop,Stationed to guard the island criminals,270Wind slow, in martial file, with banners spread,271Returning to their tents.Ah! where are nowThe temples of the New Jerusalem,Glittering amid the clouds of parting day?Gone, like the rack; and Patmos' dreary isleAnd melancholy caves return the soundOf marching men, and the hoarse Roman trump.The Apostle to the entrance of his cave,The last remaining light on his gray hairs,280Comes slowly forth, and rests upon his staff,When the rock-pigeon, at the trump disturbed,Flew to his withered hand. With plumed crestUpon his brazen helmet, holding highThe ensign of command, an eagle borneBefore him, on a spear, the præfect leadsHis legionary band; and as aloftThe banners wave, and shields and corslets throwBack a pale glimmer, mark a mournful trainOf fettered men move sullenly, with whom,290Thoughtful, and with his hands upon his breast,His eyes, at times, uplifted to the heavens,One, as a soldier worn with toil, but markedWith a stern sadness on his manly brow,Comes silently, a tear on his dark cheek.Near him, a youth, wan and emaciate,Leans on a female, by his side, in bloomOf youthful beauty; while, at intervals,Whene'er the trumpet ceased to ring, is heardThe breath of muttering, and the clank of chains.300John sighed, and, turning to the stranger, said(For both were at the entrance of the cave):Even to this desert spot in the lone waves,War, and the ensigns and the sounds of war,304Have reached.His guest illustrious, with a smile,Answered: Yet this is the mere mimickryOf that appalling spectacle, that fillsThe world's wide scene with havoc and with blood;The murmur of whose mighty coil goes up310Still to the ear of Heaven. So man, the worm,Preys on his fellow-worm. Turn from the earth,As gradual evening shades the sinking scene,And think upon its sins and strife no more.Come, let us, on the stone, before the cave,For all above is still and glorious,Sit down, and watch the stars as they steal out,One after one, and garnish the pale copeOf heaven. How bright the troops of Hesper shine,Above the shadow of yon farther rock,320Whose western side is lustrous; for the moon,Ascending in her car of glory, castsA meditative and a solemn lightFrom cape to cape! Look! there is Helice,[177]Watched by the Grecian traders of the deep—How clear she shines to-night above the sea!High in the zenith, here and there, apart,Some solitary stars, now scarce discerned,Seem to retire into the farthest space,As if to shun the prouder planet's gaze,330Each in his watch, with never-blenching eye,Steadfast. Nor marvel, then the stranger said,When all the silent host of the blue skyAppear so beautiful, IdolatryShould deem them gods, and to the Sun and Moon,Bel and Astarte, pay the worship due136To the invisible, Almighty Lord,Who rules in heaven and earth.Is there a God?Yes! Nature cries aloud, Thereisa God,Visible in his works, and infiniteIn power! There is a God, and he is just!There is a God, and he is merciful!Yet might we rather say, there is no God,Than think, that to a being such as manNo revelation of bright hope was given:That man, created in God's image, placedAmid this vast and unknown universe,To sojourn upon earth a few brief yearsOf feverish life, should look, for the last time,350Hopeless, upon the setting sun, and die.Oh! better be the worm that feeds on him.With lifted gaze, the last Apostle cried,Fervently cried, Oh! yes, Lord Jesus Christ,Thou art the Christian's hope! but most of me—Of me, whom thou hast visited, and cheeredThrough life's long pilgrimage; of me, of me,In age and solitude; I, too, shall liveWhen all the clouds of time are rolled away,For ever live in glory where thou art!360Retiring to the cave, pausing, he turnedTo his companion, but he was not there;The moon shone, but there was no form or shapeOf living thing; so lonely to his cave,O'erwearied, John retired, there musing layOn what he saw and heard, till sleep unawaresOppressed him, and that night—that only night—He had not fallen upon his knees, and prayed,Protect me through this night, O Lord my God!When, suddenly, a hiss was heard without,370And the dull hurtle, as of iron wings,And short and intermitted flames, at times,Lighted the cavern roof; then all againWas dark, save when the moon dilated hung,And all again was still. John's heavy eyesWere closed; and dreaming half, and half awake,He slumbered in the cavern. Who art thou?Starting, he cried, and trembled, for strange eyesGlared through the dusk, and seemed to look at him.It was the coinage of the aged brain,380When sadness and the sense of lonelinessOppress the weary heart! His eyes are closedA moment, when strange voices, in the air,Syllable words unknown, as mocking him,Then all is hushed again: from the dark roofFantastic and deriding shapes, half seen,Point down long fingers, and a laugh is heardFrom the dark fissure of the rocky cave,Till even his shadow, by a moon-glance seen,Seems joining the fantastic mockery.390Strange forms of beasts and birds, with monstrous beaksSolemnly nodding, in the dusk appear.Yonder, by moonlight, all with heads hung down,There moves a shrouded and a moping train,But not a form distinctly visible,Save of a corpse, that silently they bear,On which the moonlight falls. Now a dark cloudIs interposed, and the dim troop dissolves.Forthwith a spectre, towering to the skies,Moves onward—on, directly to the cave;400And, towering higher as he moves, he lifts—Half cloud and half anatomy—a dart,Barbed with fire, and a deep voice is heard,Through the involving clouds about his head:404I am Apollyon; dost thou sleep, old man?Tremble—and die!John raised his eyes, and prayed,Still shuddering, Save me, save me, Jesus Christ!The spectre vanished: some faint lightning shoneAt distance; and now gentler forms drew nigh,410With airy minstrelsy of harps unseen,Surrounding him, like shadows of the blessed:Here, radiant female forms came gliding by;There, in a stream of light, an angel turnedHis look upon him, while soft voices sing:Christian, dost thou yet remainIn this weary world of pain?Dost thou bend thy hoary headWhen all beloved on earth are dead?Hast thou oft, by years oppressed,420Prayed for rest, eternal rest?Lo! we come, ere morning peep,To sing thee to thy rest asleep.
Why, was he not a god?—So he proclaimed himself—a god on earth!Giving command that altars to his nameShould blaze, as to great Jupiter! Old man,Art thou not prisoner for gainsaying this?[174]But, father, if a soldier might pronounce,With all respect to thy gray hairs, I deem30The sole, imperial master of the worldMight worthier claim that title, than a manMocked, scourged—ay, scourged!—and crucified with thieves!
Rose and ascended into heaven! repliedThe meek old man—a hectic on his cheek—Rose, and ascended into heaven, to sit36At the right hand of God, from thence to come,Judge of the quick and dead! Proud soldier, hear—Hear how a prisoner for Jesus ChristCan answer thee!When King Agrippa satUpon his throne, in oriental state,Surrounded by the Roman soldiery,With axe and fasces of imperial sway,Fair Berenice seated on his right,And on his left Festus the governor,Paul, a poor prisoner of Jesus Christ,Before him stood, in chains; and as he spokeOf "resurrection," and the world to come,He cried, King of the Jews, dost thou believe50The prophets! Yes! I know thou dost believe.The king, with faltering voice, tremblingly cried,Paul, Paul, thou dost persuade even me, almost—To be a Christian! Paul, with lifted handAnd steadfast look, thus answered him, Almost!Oh! would that the whole world were not "almost,"But "altogether" such as I am now,Except these bonds.Soldier, I say the same.But hie thee to thy eagle; I am here,60A poor old man, like Paul, a prisoner,And thou, an officer of mighty Rome;Yet would I pray to God, that thou may'st be,Oh! not "almost," but "altogether," suchAs I am now, except these few gray hairs,Old age, and many sorrows; yet even hereMy soul hath been sustained by Him who said,Lo! I am with you alway, and I knowHe still is with me. I have heard his voice,And seen his look of glory and of love70Turned on me, in this solitude; and he—He who did shudder with me at the voiceOf thy bold blasphemy, here lately cameWith words of comfort, and these aged eyesHave seen the things that must hereafter be;Yet know, stern soldier, if my days were passedLonely as hopeless, I would not exchangeThese few gray hairs for thy green laurel crown—This solitude, for living Cæsar's throne,Or Cæsar's subject world!80The soldier turnedDisdainful, and his crest shook in the wind;Then, lifting high his ensign of command,He bade the trumpet sound the second watch.John knelt, and prayed, Thy kingdom come, O Lord!Then he who stood beside him, spoke unmoved:Rome—Rome shall be no more! At dead of night,Hark! the barbarian trump; JerusalemShall be avenged; and those of distant days,Pondering the fate of empires, there shall come90To muse upon the fragments of her might,Her ancient glory passed as morning clouds,And tremble for the judgments of the LordIn all the world!Now to the cave retire,For other visions of the things to come,And other fearful shadows, must thou see.John sat, and held his hands upon his brow:The earth seems to retire, and all the soundsOf tumult and of woe at once to cease.100Then John was in the Spirit, and he sawSeven angels, and, beneath, a sea of glassMingled with fire; and on the sea of glassThose who had gained, on earth, the victory104Over the beast, all standing on the seaOf glass, and in their hands the harps of God,And thus they sung, Oh! great and marvellousArt thou, Almighty God, and just and trueAre all thy ways, thou King of saints! Amen.Now from the temple a loud voice was heard,110Which said to the seven angels, Go your ways,Pour out the vials of the wrath of GodUpon the earth.[175]Then on the men which boreThe mark upon their foreheads of the beast,Or fell down to his image, noisome soresAnd plague-spots fell.The second angel pouredHis vial on the sea, and it becameThe blood of a dead man; and every thingWhich had the breath of life died in the sea.120And the third angel poured his vial outUpon the rivers, and fresh fountains clear,And they became red blood. And then John heard,In trance, the angels of the waters say,Righteous art thou, O Lord! and righteously,O thou which art, and was, and which shall be,Thus hast thou judged, for they have shed the bloodOf prophets and of saints! A voice replied,From out the altar, Even so, O Lord!Almighty God, thy judgments are most true!130And the fourth angel poured his vial outUpon the sun, and power was given to himTo scorch men with the fire, and they blasphemedThe name of God, and still repented not,Looking with gnashing teeth upon the sun.And the fifth angel poured his vial outUpon the kingdom of the beast, and, lo!137The kingdom of the beast at once was dark:But men repented not—even while they gnawedTheir tongues for pain, blaspheming God in heaven.And the sixth angel poured his vial outWhere the great river of Euphrates rolls,And it was quick dried up, and so becameA highway for the armies of the east,And for the kings of earth, and the whole world,Gathering to battle, on the dreadful dayOf the incensed Lord, into a placeCalled "Armageddon," in the Hebrew tongue.And the seventh angel poured his vial outInto the air, and a loud voice was heard150Out of the temple's inmost shrine, which cried,All is fulfilled! At once an earthquake shookThe ground, and lightnings, red and terrible,Flashed, and the thunders rolled along the sky,And strange and fearful voices in the airWere heard, so dreadful was that storm. Aghast,The nations fell; and the great BabylonCame in remembrance before God, to pourOn her the fierceness of his wakened wrath.And now John saw another angel fly160In clouds, and coming down with power from heavenUnto the earth; and all the earth beneathWas lighted with his glory; and he cried,With the loud voice of judgment, BabylonThe great is fallen! And then another voiceAnswered, Come out of her! Hath she not said,I sit a queen, mighty as Ashtoreth?The kings of earth shall tremble when they seeThe smoke of her great torment; they shall standAfar off from her burning, and shall cry,170That mighty city, Babylon, alas!171In one hour is her judgment come! The voiceOf harpers and of trumpeters no moreShall in her streets be heard: the blood of saints,Of prophets, and of martyrs, is avenged!The cries are heard, the smoke is seen, no more.And after this, John lifted up his eyes,And heard the voice of mighty companies,Which sang and shouted, Alleluia! reignFor ever, Lord of lords and King of kings!180Salvation, honour, glory, power, and praise,Be unto thee, O Lord! for thou hast judgedWith righteousness! They, with acclaiming voice,Still sang and shouted, Alleluia—reignFor ever, Lord of lords and King of kings!Heard through the empyrean, the great voiceAgain went up, whilst all the courts of heavenRang, Alleluia! glory be to thee,Glory and power, Lord God Omnipotent![176]Then the heaven opened, and, behold! a horse190As white as snow, and he who sat thereonWas called "True and Faithful;" on his headWere crowns on crowns, and underneath a nameWhich no man knew, save he who bore that name.His vesture was a robe of blood, and theyWho followed him proclaimed, The Word of God!And all the heavenly armies followed himOn horses white like his; and on his robeWas written—King of kings and Lord of lords.The pomp is passed, and now John raised his eyes,And saw an angel standing in the sun.201The angel in his watch looked down to earth,And all the armies of the earth came forthTo war with the bright chivalry of heaven,204And Him who sat on the white horse! And, lo!Before the mighty cherubims advancedMichael, the great archangel, while a shoutRang, that the sun in heaven might seem to standStill at a sound so terrible. OpposedTo the great armies of the living God,210Frown the Satanic host, far as the eyeCan reach; and horses black as night,And spectre armies, led, in front, by Death,Appear, receding into farther depthsOf blackness; while, anon, a dragon, scaled,Moves weltering onward. Michael, from the ranksOf cherubim advancing, lifts on highHis mace, and full on the scaled dragon's crestSmites. At his feet the dragon lay, and, lo!The sable phantom-horsemen at the sight220Are vanished. Raise the victor-song to HimWho rides on the white horse, and to his GodIn heaven, for the great dragon is cast downInto the bottomless and burning lake!Another angel, with white waving plume,Descends; an iron chain is in his hand,And the dark key of destiny, which shutsThe bottomless abyss, from whence the smokeAscends—ascends, but not a groan is heard.The ancient dragon is cast down, and bound—230Bound for a thousand years, in chains, and thrown,Howling, into that nethermost abyss;While mercy, equity, and peace, and truth,Like angel forms, visit the earth, and move,Radiant as light, among the sons of men,And only sounds are heard of harmonies,Such as in heaven are sung about the throne,O'er which, in dewy light, the rainbow bends.238The trump of bannered war, the sighs and groansOf miserable slaves, that rise from earth,In one deep murmur, to high heaven, are ceased;For love and mercy walk among mankind,And so shall walk, till the last trump shall sound.Now a new heaven and new earth appear;And, coming down from heaven, even as a brideAdorned to meet her husband, John beheldThe City of the New Jerusalem,Glittering beyond the clouds; and then he heardA voice from a bright cloud, The Lord shall comeAnd dwell with men, and he shall be their God;250And God shall wipe from every eye the tear,And death shall be no more!John spread his hands,And cried, with eyes upraised to heaven, Oh! stay,Visions of bliss! I am bowed down with age,Forlorn on earth, and I have tarried longAlone and sad. Oh! come, Lord Jesus Christ!A voice replied, Thou shalt be where he is!Hark! 'twas the billow beating on the rocksOf melancholy Patmos, and John wept,260As, slowly fading, like a summer dream,He saw the towers, and gates, and palaces,Of New Jerusalem fade in the cloudsOf eve, which shot its gleaming pinnaclesAloft in the pale sky, and flushed the trackOf the sun's westering orb with crimson light.As the sun sunk, the sound of trump and hornShrilled, and the old man, starting from his trance,Beheld below the cave the Roman troop,Stationed to guard the island criminals,270Wind slow, in martial file, with banners spread,271Returning to their tents.Ah! where are nowThe temples of the New Jerusalem,Glittering amid the clouds of parting day?Gone, like the rack; and Patmos' dreary isleAnd melancholy caves return the soundOf marching men, and the hoarse Roman trump.The Apostle to the entrance of his cave,The last remaining light on his gray hairs,280Comes slowly forth, and rests upon his staff,When the rock-pigeon, at the trump disturbed,Flew to his withered hand. With plumed crestUpon his brazen helmet, holding highThe ensign of command, an eagle borneBefore him, on a spear, the præfect leadsHis legionary band; and as aloftThe banners wave, and shields and corslets throwBack a pale glimmer, mark a mournful trainOf fettered men move sullenly, with whom,290Thoughtful, and with his hands upon his breast,His eyes, at times, uplifted to the heavens,One, as a soldier worn with toil, but markedWith a stern sadness on his manly brow,Comes silently, a tear on his dark cheek.Near him, a youth, wan and emaciate,Leans on a female, by his side, in bloomOf youthful beauty; while, at intervals,Whene'er the trumpet ceased to ring, is heardThe breath of muttering, and the clank of chains.300John sighed, and, turning to the stranger, said(For both were at the entrance of the cave):Even to this desert spot in the lone waves,War, and the ensigns and the sounds of war,304Have reached.His guest illustrious, with a smile,Answered: Yet this is the mere mimickryOf that appalling spectacle, that fillsThe world's wide scene with havoc and with blood;The murmur of whose mighty coil goes up310Still to the ear of Heaven. So man, the worm,Preys on his fellow-worm. Turn from the earth,As gradual evening shades the sinking scene,And think upon its sins and strife no more.Come, let us, on the stone, before the cave,For all above is still and glorious,Sit down, and watch the stars as they steal out,One after one, and garnish the pale copeOf heaven. How bright the troops of Hesper shine,Above the shadow of yon farther rock,320Whose western side is lustrous; for the moon,Ascending in her car of glory, castsA meditative and a solemn lightFrom cape to cape! Look! there is Helice,[177]Watched by the Grecian traders of the deep—How clear she shines to-night above the sea!High in the zenith, here and there, apart,Some solitary stars, now scarce discerned,Seem to retire into the farthest space,As if to shun the prouder planet's gaze,330Each in his watch, with never-blenching eye,Steadfast. Nor marvel, then the stranger said,When all the silent host of the blue skyAppear so beautiful, IdolatryShould deem them gods, and to the Sun and Moon,Bel and Astarte, pay the worship due136To the invisible, Almighty Lord,Who rules in heaven and earth.Is there a God?Yes! Nature cries aloud, Thereisa God,Visible in his works, and infiniteIn power! There is a God, and he is just!There is a God, and he is merciful!Yet might we rather say, there is no God,Than think, that to a being such as manNo revelation of bright hope was given:That man, created in God's image, placedAmid this vast and unknown universe,To sojourn upon earth a few brief yearsOf feverish life, should look, for the last time,350Hopeless, upon the setting sun, and die.Oh! better be the worm that feeds on him.With lifted gaze, the last Apostle cried,Fervently cried, Oh! yes, Lord Jesus Christ,Thou art the Christian's hope! but most of me—Of me, whom thou hast visited, and cheeredThrough life's long pilgrimage; of me, of me,In age and solitude; I, too, shall liveWhen all the clouds of time are rolled away,For ever live in glory where thou art!360Retiring to the cave, pausing, he turnedTo his companion, but he was not there;The moon shone, but there was no form or shapeOf living thing; so lonely to his cave,O'erwearied, John retired, there musing layOn what he saw and heard, till sleep unawaresOppressed him, and that night—that only night—He had not fallen upon his knees, and prayed,Protect me through this night, O Lord my God!When, suddenly, a hiss was heard without,370And the dull hurtle, as of iron wings,And short and intermitted flames, at times,Lighted the cavern roof; then all againWas dark, save when the moon dilated hung,And all again was still. John's heavy eyesWere closed; and dreaming half, and half awake,He slumbered in the cavern. Who art thou?Starting, he cried, and trembled, for strange eyesGlared through the dusk, and seemed to look at him.It was the coinage of the aged brain,380When sadness and the sense of lonelinessOppress the weary heart! His eyes are closedA moment, when strange voices, in the air,Syllable words unknown, as mocking him,Then all is hushed again: from the dark roofFantastic and deriding shapes, half seen,Point down long fingers, and a laugh is heardFrom the dark fissure of the rocky cave,Till even his shadow, by a moon-glance seen,Seems joining the fantastic mockery.390Strange forms of beasts and birds, with monstrous beaksSolemnly nodding, in the dusk appear.Yonder, by moonlight, all with heads hung down,There moves a shrouded and a moping train,But not a form distinctly visible,Save of a corpse, that silently they bear,On which the moonlight falls. Now a dark cloudIs interposed, and the dim troop dissolves.Forthwith a spectre, towering to the skies,Moves onward—on, directly to the cave;400And, towering higher as he moves, he lifts—Half cloud and half anatomy—a dart,Barbed with fire, and a deep voice is heard,Through the involving clouds about his head:404I am Apollyon; dost thou sleep, old man?Tremble—and die!John raised his eyes, and prayed,Still shuddering, Save me, save me, Jesus Christ!The spectre vanished: some faint lightning shoneAt distance; and now gentler forms drew nigh,410With airy minstrelsy of harps unseen,Surrounding him, like shadows of the blessed:Here, radiant female forms came gliding by;There, in a stream of light, an angel turnedHis look upon him, while soft voices sing:
Christian, dost thou yet remainIn this weary world of pain?Dost thou bend thy hoary headWhen all beloved on earth are dead?Hast thou oft, by years oppressed,420Prayed for rest, eternal rest?Lo! we come, ere morning peep,To sing thee to thy rest asleep.
ECHO FROM THE CAVE.
Asleep.
Asleep.
VOICES.
Asleep.Sing thee to thy rest asleep.
Asleep.Sing thee to thy rest asleep.
ECHO.
Asleep.Then came another song, like lullabiesOf ocean, mingled with the airs of night:Whilst a mother's only child430Rests in short and sweet repose,All her troubles are beguiledWhen its placid eyelids close!But angels watch beside the bedWhere aged Christians rest their head,And as their watchful vigils cease,Parting, they whisper, Peace!
Asleep.
Then came another song, like lullabiesOf ocean, mingled with the airs of night:Whilst a mother's only child430Rests in short and sweet repose,All her troubles are beguiledWhen its placid eyelids close!But angels watch beside the bedWhere aged Christians rest their head,And as their watchful vigils cease,Parting, they whisper, Peace!
ECHO FROM THE CAVE.
Peace.
Peace.
PARTING VOICES.
Peace.Tired nature sank to sleep, like infancy440Soft-breathing, and as calm. Then, in a dream,The shades of mitred and majestic James,Peter, and Paul, came up. He heard their voice,And saw their forms, as when they lived on earth.James looked upon his beard of snow, and said:We have borne witness to the truth in blood;But thy old age shall calmly pass away,Till death be lost in sleep. Then thou shalt wakeIn everlasting bliss, to weep no more,For He whom thou hast seen shall be with thee,450And we shall live together—where He is.After a placid and refreshing sleep,The last Apostle raised his eyes, and sawThe same majestic and mysterious manWho stood before him in the cave, and nowThe dim dawn broke on the Ægean deep.
Peace.
Tired nature sank to sleep, like infancy440Soft-breathing, and as calm. Then, in a dream,The shades of mitred and majestic James,Peter, and Paul, came up. He heard their voice,And saw their forms, as when they lived on earth.James looked upon his beard of snow, and said:We have borne witness to the truth in blood;But thy old age shall calmly pass away,Till death be lost in sleep. Then thou shalt wakeIn everlasting bliss, to weep no more,For He whom thou hast seen shall be with thee,450And we shall live together—where He is.After a placid and refreshing sleep,The last Apostle raised his eyes, and sawThe same majestic and mysterious manWho stood before him in the cave, and nowThe dim dawn broke on the Ægean deep.
Day-break—Ascend the highest Mountain—Comparison with the Vision on Mount Tabor—Transfiguration—View to East and West—Ship descried from the East—Descend.
Day-break—Ascend the highest Mountain—Comparison with the Vision on Mount Tabor—Transfiguration—View to East and West—Ship descried from the East—Descend.
John, gazing on the glimmering eastern surge,Sat with fixed eyes, when thus the stranger spake:Up! for the Word and Spirit of the LordAre come to me. Let us ascend, old man,The summit of Elijah's cliff, that hangsHigh o'er the ocean surge, and see the sunRise o'er the Ægean solitude to-day.John answered, Can these feeble limbs sustainThe labour up the long and slow ascent,Step by step, when I feel my strength decay10Daily, and draw my breath with pain?Thy GodWill give thee strength, the stranger said, and tookHis trembling hand, and led his feeble stepSlow up the hill; and ever as they went,And the horizon widened, in his heartJohn felt a strange reviving power, that bracedHis sinews, and gave a vigour to his steps,Conquering the pain and labour of the way:But needs not pain or labour, for a thought20Hath brought them there, the white hairs, in the wind,Of John, yet gently stirring, and his cheekJust lighted with a transient glow; and nowBoth stood upon the promontory's point,Thoughtful and silent: soon they saw the sunSlowly emerging, a vast orb of fire,Above the shadowy edge of ocean; nowFlaming direct o'er Asia, with a stream28Of long illumination, on the clouds,Marked with confusion of rich hues, and thenceTouching the nearer promontory's height,Pale cliffs, and eagles' wings above the clouds,And now careering through the heaven, supreme,Full and magnificent, in lonelinessOf glory. When the rays first touched his brow,Then more exalted, and of larger frame,The stranger seemed to grow, as not of earth,Or earth's inhabitants; so tall his form,So glorified his aspect. John had fallenUpon his knees, but a mild voice rebuked:40See that thou do it not; hast thou receivedOr strength or comfort, give the thanks to God.John, resting on the crag of the wild rock,Looked up, and then to his companion spoke:Not uninstructive hath thy converse been,Nor unrefreshing to my weary heartThy presence; more so, in a scene like this,Raised, as it were, above the shade and cloudsOf transient time. And so, long since, my soulFelt a divine refreshment, when I stood50Upon the mount of vision with our LordThat day when in transfigured form he rose.Oh! well do I remember it, who saw,With James and Peter, by the sight oppressed,The glorious apparition. Each stray cloudWandered far off, and lost in the blue sky,And not a freckle stained the firmamentHigh overhead. The mystic mount itself,Tabor, seemed rising up to heaven, and loomedIn such illumination, that the track60Below, and all the plains of Galilee,Rivers and lake to the great western sea,62Looked cold and dim, even in the morning sun;Such was the glory of the sudden blazeThat wrapped the mount. The crowd of lesser hillsOn to the city of Tiberias,Appeared below o'er which the eagle sailed,Mute, for his eyes yet blenched from the excessOf light, unlike the sun, that startled him,With bursting splendour, where he slept. He flew,70High soaring o'er the hills of Jezreel,On to the mountains of Samaria.We fell upon the ground, and with our handsCovered our faces, when we raised our eyes,We saw three glorified appearances;Two, as of aged prophets, with their beardsStreaming; each held a book, and in the midst,And, buoyant in the air, his countenanceBright as the sun, our Saviour's form appearedAbove them, while his vest, intensely white,80Floated, as thus transfigured he arose.With clasped hands, and eyes upraised to heaven,Peter, in joy and wonder, ardentlyCried: Let us build three tabernacles here,To Moses, and Elias, and to thee,Saviour and God! not knowing what he said.A cloud now interposed between the light,Softening its glory, while a voice was heardFrom the bright cloud, Lo, my beloved Son—Hear him! At once the shadowy imagery,90The visionary pomp, the radiant cloud,Were rolled away, and Jesus stood alone;For they who held high converse, and whose forms,Appeared in thinner air, above the blaze,Were gone with the departing cloud: his handHe placed upon our heads, and said, Fear not!96And that calm look of dignity and loveWas placed upon us, as before. AgainWe saw the sun—the cloudless cope of heaven—The long green valley of Esdraelon—100The pines of dewy Hermon, and the smokeOf Nain, where once a widowed mother weptHer lost and only son, whom Jesus raisedFrom death's cold sleep, restoring to her tearsOf joy; we saw the cavern and the cliffsOf Endor, where the wizard-woman calledUp from his sleep of death the prophet[178]old,To tell to trembling Saul his hour was come.Oh! hills, and streams, and plains of Palestine;Scenes where we heard, long since, our Master's voice,And saw his face! how often, with a tear,111Have I remembered you, how often sighed:Oh! for the swiftness of an eagle's wing,That I might flee away, and visit youOnce more! But this great vision of the mount,With shadowings of glory, was displayed,That we might be sustained in the dread dayOf trial, when the very rocks should burst—When, through deep darkness, the loud cry should come:My God, my God, hast thou forsaken me?120That we might be prepared, through every ill,In peril and in pain, in life, in death;Though persecution, famine, and the sword,Fronted our way, prepared to hold right on;Calm to take up our cross, and follow HimWho meekly bowed his head upon that cross;For if in this life only we had hope,We were of all most miserable. Lord,Thee have I followed, now in age, and poor,139Thy sufferings were for us—for us? for me;For me thy bleeding side was pierced, for meThy spirit groaned! Oh! come, Lord Jesus Christ!Oh! come, for I have tarried long on earth;Come, Lord and Saviour! have I prayed in vain?Thou didst appear in glory on the mount;And thou hast come, even now, and cried, Fear not,I live for evermore, and have the keysOf death and hell. And wherefore should I fear,Now waiting only to depart in peace!But I have wandered in my thoughts; this view150From this high mountain, and congenial thoughts,Have waked the memory of that vision bright,When once we saw, above the clouds of earth,Our Lord in glistening apparel shine.Then he who stood upon the mountain's vanWith John, and gazed upon the seas below,Said, Look towards the East: what dost thou see?John answered, There is nothing but the cloudsAnd seas. And both were silent.
John, gazing on the glimmering eastern surge,Sat with fixed eyes, when thus the stranger spake:Up! for the Word and Spirit of the LordAre come to me. Let us ascend, old man,The summit of Elijah's cliff, that hangsHigh o'er the ocean surge, and see the sunRise o'er the Ægean solitude to-day.John answered, Can these feeble limbs sustainThe labour up the long and slow ascent,Step by step, when I feel my strength decay10Daily, and draw my breath with pain?Thy GodWill give thee strength, the stranger said, and tookHis trembling hand, and led his feeble stepSlow up the hill; and ever as they went,And the horizon widened, in his heartJohn felt a strange reviving power, that bracedHis sinews, and gave a vigour to his steps,Conquering the pain and labour of the way:But needs not pain or labour, for a thought20Hath brought them there, the white hairs, in the wind,Of John, yet gently stirring, and his cheekJust lighted with a transient glow; and nowBoth stood upon the promontory's point,Thoughtful and silent: soon they saw the sunSlowly emerging, a vast orb of fire,Above the shadowy edge of ocean; nowFlaming direct o'er Asia, with a stream28Of long illumination, on the clouds,Marked with confusion of rich hues, and thenceTouching the nearer promontory's height,Pale cliffs, and eagles' wings above the clouds,And now careering through the heaven, supreme,Full and magnificent, in lonelinessOf glory. When the rays first touched his brow,Then more exalted, and of larger frame,The stranger seemed to grow, as not of earth,Or earth's inhabitants; so tall his form,So glorified his aspect. John had fallenUpon his knees, but a mild voice rebuked:40See that thou do it not; hast thou receivedOr strength or comfort, give the thanks to God.John, resting on the crag of the wild rock,Looked up, and then to his companion spoke:Not uninstructive hath thy converse been,Nor unrefreshing to my weary heartThy presence; more so, in a scene like this,Raised, as it were, above the shade and cloudsOf transient time. And so, long since, my soulFelt a divine refreshment, when I stood50Upon the mount of vision with our LordThat day when in transfigured form he rose.Oh! well do I remember it, who saw,With James and Peter, by the sight oppressed,The glorious apparition. Each stray cloudWandered far off, and lost in the blue sky,And not a freckle stained the firmamentHigh overhead. The mystic mount itself,Tabor, seemed rising up to heaven, and loomedIn such illumination, that the track60Below, and all the plains of Galilee,Rivers and lake to the great western sea,62Looked cold and dim, even in the morning sun;Such was the glory of the sudden blazeThat wrapped the mount. The crowd of lesser hillsOn to the city of Tiberias,Appeared below o'er which the eagle sailed,Mute, for his eyes yet blenched from the excessOf light, unlike the sun, that startled him,With bursting splendour, where he slept. He flew,70High soaring o'er the hills of Jezreel,On to the mountains of Samaria.We fell upon the ground, and with our handsCovered our faces, when we raised our eyes,We saw three glorified appearances;Two, as of aged prophets, with their beardsStreaming; each held a book, and in the midst,And, buoyant in the air, his countenanceBright as the sun, our Saviour's form appearedAbove them, while his vest, intensely white,80Floated, as thus transfigured he arose.With clasped hands, and eyes upraised to heaven,Peter, in joy and wonder, ardentlyCried: Let us build three tabernacles here,To Moses, and Elias, and to thee,Saviour and God! not knowing what he said.A cloud now interposed between the light,Softening its glory, while a voice was heardFrom the bright cloud, Lo, my beloved Son—Hear him! At once the shadowy imagery,90The visionary pomp, the radiant cloud,Were rolled away, and Jesus stood alone;For they who held high converse, and whose forms,Appeared in thinner air, above the blaze,Were gone with the departing cloud: his handHe placed upon our heads, and said, Fear not!96And that calm look of dignity and loveWas placed upon us, as before. AgainWe saw the sun—the cloudless cope of heaven—The long green valley of Esdraelon—100The pines of dewy Hermon, and the smokeOf Nain, where once a widowed mother weptHer lost and only son, whom Jesus raisedFrom death's cold sleep, restoring to her tearsOf joy; we saw the cavern and the cliffsOf Endor, where the wizard-woman calledUp from his sleep of death the prophet[178]old,To tell to trembling Saul his hour was come.Oh! hills, and streams, and plains of Palestine;Scenes where we heard, long since, our Master's voice,And saw his face! how often, with a tear,111Have I remembered you, how often sighed:Oh! for the swiftness of an eagle's wing,That I might flee away, and visit youOnce more! But this great vision of the mount,With shadowings of glory, was displayed,That we might be sustained in the dread dayOf trial, when the very rocks should burst—When, through deep darkness, the loud cry should come:My God, my God, hast thou forsaken me?120That we might be prepared, through every ill,In peril and in pain, in life, in death;Though persecution, famine, and the sword,Fronted our way, prepared to hold right on;Calm to take up our cross, and follow HimWho meekly bowed his head upon that cross;For if in this life only we had hope,We were of all most miserable. Lord,Thee have I followed, now in age, and poor,139Thy sufferings were for us—for us? for me;For me thy bleeding side was pierced, for meThy spirit groaned! Oh! come, Lord Jesus Christ!Oh! come, for I have tarried long on earth;Come, Lord and Saviour! have I prayed in vain?Thou didst appear in glory on the mount;And thou hast come, even now, and cried, Fear not,I live for evermore, and have the keysOf death and hell. And wherefore should I fear,Now waiting only to depart in peace!But I have wandered in my thoughts; this view150From this high mountain, and congenial thoughts,Have waked the memory of that vision bright,When once we saw, above the clouds of earth,Our Lord in glistening apparel shine.Then he who stood upon the mountain's vanWith John, and gazed upon the seas below,Said, Look towards the East: what dost thou see?John answered, There is nothing but the cloudsAnd seas. And both were silent.
STRANGER.
Look again.160John answered, There is nothing but the cloudsAnd seas, and the great sun above the waves,That goeth forth in beauty.
Look again.160John answered, There is nothing but the cloudsAnd seas, and the great sun above the waves,That goeth forth in beauty.
STRANGER.
Look again.John answered, Yes, upon the farthest lineOf the blue ocean-track, there is a speckOf light; no; yes; there is a distant sailIn sight; it seems as speeding hitherward.
Look again.John answered, Yes, upon the farthest lineOf the blue ocean-track, there is a speckOf light; no; yes; there is a distant sailIn sight; it seems as speeding hitherward.
STRANGER.
Enough. Look to the west: what seest thou there?
Enough. Look to the west: what seest thou there?
JOHN.