Here Is No God, Than Think, That To A Being Such As Man No Revelation Of Bright Hope Was Given: That Man, Created In God'S Image, Placed Amid This Vast And Unknown Universe, To Sojourn Upon Earth A Few Brief Years Of Feverish Life, Should Look, For The Last Time, 350 Hopeless, 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 Cheered Through Life'S Long Pilgrimage; Of Me, Of Me, In Age And Solitude; I, Too, Shall Live When All The Clouds Of Time Are Rolled Away, For Ever Live In Glory Where Thou Art! 360 Retiring To The Cave, Pausing, He Turned To His Companion, But He Was Not There; The Moon Shone, But There Was No Form Or Shape Of Living Thing; So Lonely To His Cave, O'Erwearied, John Retired, There Musing Lay On What He Saw And Heard, Till Sleep Unawares Oppressed 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, 370 And The Dull Hurtle, As Of Iron Wings, And Short And Intermitted Flames, At Times, Lighted The Cavern Roof; Then All Again Was Dark, Save When The Moon Dilated Hung, And All Again Was Still. John'S Heavy Eyes Were Closed; And Dreaming Half, And Half Awake, He Slumbered In The Cavern. Who Art Thou? Starting, He Cried, And Trembled, For Strange Eyes Glared Through The Dusk, And Seemed To Look At Him. It Was The Coinage Of The Aged Brain, 380 When Sadness And The Sense Of Loneliness Oppress The Weary Heart! His Eyes Are Closed A Moment, When Strange Voices, In The Air, Syllable Words Unknown, As Mocking Him, Then All Is Hushed Again: From The Dark Roof Fantastic And Deriding Shapes, Half Seen, Point Down Long Fingers, And A Laugh Is Heard From The Dark Fissure Of The Rocky Cave, Till Even His Shadow, By A Moon-Glance Seen, Seems Joining The Fantastic Mockery. 390 Strange Forms Of Beasts And Birds, With Monstrous Beaks Solemnly 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 Cloud Is Interposed, And The Dim Troop Dissolves. Forthwith A Spectre, Towering To The Skies, Moves Onward - On, Directly To The Cave; 400 And, 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: 404 I 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 Shone At Distance; And Now Gentler Forms Drew Nigh, 410 With 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 Turned His Look Upon Him, While Soft Voices Sing: Christian, Dost Thou Yet Remain In This Weary World Of Pain? Dost Thou Bend Thy Hoary Head When All Beloved On Earth Are Dead? Hast Thou Oft, By Years Oppressed, 420 Prayed For Rest, Eternal Rest? Lo! We Come, Ere Morning Peep, To Sing Thee To Thy Rest Asleep. Echo From The Cave. Asleep. Voices. Asleep. Sing Thee To Thy Rest Asleep. Echo. Asleep. Then Came Another Song, Like Lullabies Of Ocean, Mingled With The Airs Of Night: Whilst A Mother'S Only Child 430 Rests In Short And Sweet Repose, All Her Troubles Are Beguiled When Its Placid Eyelids Close! But Angels Watch Beside The Bed Where Aged Christians Rest Their Head, And As Their Watchful Vigils Cease, Parting, They Whisper, Peace! Echo From The Cave. Peace. Parting Voices. Peace. Tired Nature Sank To Sleep, Like Infancy 440 Soft-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 Wake In Everlasting Bliss, To Weep No More, For He Whom Thou Hast Seen Shall Be With Thee, 450 And We Shall Live Together - Where He Is. After A Placid And Refreshing Sleep, The Last Apostle Raised His Eyes, And Saw The Same Majestic And Mysterious Man Who Stood Before Him In The Cave, And Now The Dim Dawn Broke On The 'Gean Deep. Part Fifth. 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 Lord Are Come To Me. Let Us Ascend, Old Man, The Summit Of Elijah'S Cliff, That Hangs High O'Er The Ocean Surge, And See The Sun Rise O'Er The 'Gean Solitude To-Day. John Answered, Can These Feeble Limbs Sustain The Labour Up The Long And Slow Ascent, Step By Step, When I Feel My Strength Decay 10 Daily, And Draw My Breath With Pain? Thy God Will Give Thee Strength, The Stranger Said, And Took His Trembling Hand, And Led His Feeble Step Slow Up The Hill; And Ever As They Went, And The Horizon Widened, In His Heart John Felt A Strange Reviving Power, That Braced His Sinews, And Gave A Vigour To His Steps, Conquering The Pain And Labour Of The Way: But Needs Not Pain Or Labour, For A Thought 20 Hath Brought Them There, The White Hairs, In The Wind, Of John, Yet Gently Stirring, And His Cheek Just Lighted With A Transient Glow; And Now Both Stood Upon The Promontory'S Point, Thoughtful And Silent: Soon They Saw The Sun Slowly Emerging, A Vast Orb Of Fire, Above The Shadowy Edge Of Ocean; Now Flaming Direct O'Er Asia, With A Stream 28 Of Long Illumination, On The Clouds, Marked With Confusion Of Rich Hues, And Thence Touching The Nearer Promontory'S Height, Pale Cliffs, And Eagles' Wings Above The Clouds, And Now Careering Through The Heaven, Supreme, Full And Magnificent, In Loneliness Of 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 Fallen Upon His Knees, But A Mild Voice Rebuked: 40 See That Thou Do It Not; Hast Thou Received Or 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 Heart Thy Presence; More So, In A Scene Like This, Raised, As It Were, Above The Shade And Clouds Of Transient Time. And So, Long Since, My Soul Felt A Divine Refreshment, When I Stood 50 Upon The Mount Of Vision With Our Lord That 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 Cloud Wandered Far Off, And Lost In The Blue Sky, And Not A Freckle Stained The Firmament High Overhead. The Mystic Mount Itself, Tabor, Seemed Rising Up To Heaven, And Loomed In Such Illumination, That The Track 60 Below, And All The Plains Of Galilee, Rivers And Lake To The Great Western Sea, 62 Looked Cold And Dim, Even In The Morning Sun; Such Was The Glory Of The Sudden Blaze That Wrapped The Mount. The Crowd Of Lesser Hills On To The City Of Tiberias, Appeared Below O'Er Which The Eagle Sailed, Mute, For His Eyes Yet Blenched From The Excess Of Light, Unlike The Sun, That Startled Him, With Bursting Splendour, Where He Slept. He Flew, 70 High Soaring O'Er The Hills Of Jezreel, On To The Mountains Of Samaria. We Fell Upon The Ground, And With Our Hands Covered Our Faces, When We Raised Our Eyes, We Saw Three Glorified Appearances; Two, As Of Aged Prophets, With Their Beards Streaming; Each Held A Book, And In The Midst, And, Buoyant In The Air, His Countenance Bright As The Sun, Our Saviour'S Form Appeared Above Them, While His Vest, Intensely White, 80 Floated, As Thus Transfigured He Arose. With Clasped Hands, And Eyes Upraised To Heaven, Peter, In Joy And Wonder, Ardently Cried: 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 Heard From The Bright Cloud, Lo, My Beloved Son - Hear Him! At Once The Shadowy Imagery, 90 The 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 Hand He Placed Upon Our Heads, And Said, Fear Not! 96 And That Calm Look Of Dignity And Love Was Placed Upon Us, As Before. Again We Saw The Sun - The Cloudless Cope Of Heaven - The Long Green Valley Of Esdraelon - 100 The Pines Of Dewy Hermon, And The Smoke Of Nain, Where Once A Widowed Mother Wept Her Lost And Only Son, Whom Jesus Raised From Death'S Cold Sleep, Restoring To Her Tears Of Joy; We Saw The Cavern And The Cliffs Of Endor, Where The Wizard-Woman Called Up 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, 111 Have I Remembered You, How Often Sighed: Oh! For The Swiftness Of An Eagle'S Wing, That I Might Flee Away, And Visit You Once More! But This Great Vision Of The Mount, With Shadowings Of Glory, Was Displayed, That We Might Be Sustained In The Dread Day Of Trial, When The Very Rocks Should Burst - When, Through Deep Darkness, The Loud Cry Should Come: My God, My God, Hast Thou Forsaken Me? 120 That 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 Him Who 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, 139 Thy Sufferings Were For Us - For Us? For Me; For Me Thy Bleeding Side Was Pierced, For Me Thy 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 Keys Of Death And Hell. And Wherefore Should I Fear, Now Waiting Only To Depart In Peace! But I Have Wandered In My Thoughts; This View 150 From 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 Van With John, And Gazed Upon The Seas Below, Said, Look Towards The East: What Dost Thou See? John Answered, There Is Nothing But The Clouds And Seas. And Both Were Silent. Stranger. Look Again. 160 John Answered, There Is Nothing But The Clouds And Seas, And The Great Sun Above The Waves, That Goeth Forth In Beauty. Stranger. Look Again. John Answered, Yes, Upon The Farthest Line Of The Blue Ocean-Track, There Is A Speck Of Light; No; Yes; There Is A Distant Sail In Sight; It Seems As Speeding Hitherward. Stranger. Enough. Look To The West: What Seest Thou There? John. Ah! All That Hid The Vast And Various Scene 170 Slowly Withdraws, Like Morning Mist. I See Regions, In Light And Shade, Beyond The Isles, Delos And Mycone, Mountains And Capes Unfolding, Through The Mist, As If They Stood Beneath Our Feet. There, Bays, And Gulfs, And Plains, And Wandering Streams Appear; And O'Er Them, High Upon A Hill, In The Pale Atmosphere, A Temple Vast, As Of Some God Renowned In Pagan Lands. Stranger. Thou Seest The Shores Of Greece, 180 And That The Illustrious City, So Renowned, Athens; Upon That Hill, The Hill Of Mars, Paul Stood, When, Pointing To The Skies Above, He Spoke Of Fanes "Not Made With Hands;" Of God, Who Liveth In The Heaven. What Seest Thou More? John. Another Land, Stretched, Like A Giant'S Arm, Across The Deep, With Seas On Either Side. There, On Seven Hills, I See A City, Crowned With Glittering Domes; The Nether Champagne Spread With Aqueducts, And Columns, Arches, And Towers. 190 Stranger. It Is The Imperial Mistress Of The World, Rome - Rome - Now Pagan; But A Power Unknown Shall Rise, And, Throned On Those Seven Hills - 193 When C'Sars Moulder With Their Palaces, Shall Hold Dominion O'Er The Prostrate World, Not By Their Glittering Legions, But The Power Of Cowled Superstition, That Shall Keep Kingdoms And Kings In Thrall; Till, With A Shout, A Brighter Angel, From The Heaven Of Heavens, As Ampler Knowledge Shoots Her Glorious Beams, 200 Shall Open The Lamb'S Book Again, And Night, Beckoning Her Dismal Shadows, And Dark Birds, Fly Hooting From The Dayspring Of That Dawn.[179] Burns Not Thy Heart To Think Upon Those Days! But Long And Dire Shall Be The Tale Of Blood; Let It Be Hid For Ever! Look Again: John. I See The Pillars And The Rocky Bounds That Gird This Inland Sea. Stranger. What Seest Thou More? John. I See A Ship Burst Through The Narrow Frith 210 Into The Sea Of Darkness And Of Storms, There Lost In Boundless Solitudes. Oh! No, There Is An Island; With Its Chalky Cliffs, Beauteous It Rises From The Billowy Waste. Stranger. Thither That Ship Is Bound: Nor Storms, Nor Seas, Rocking In More Terrific Amplitude, Impede Its Course. Long Years Shall Roll Away, 217 And When Deep Night Shall Wrap Again The Shores, Of Asia; Where The "Golden Candlestick" Now Gleams, Illumining The Pagan World; And Where A Few Poor Christian Fishermen Shall Here And There Be Found; Even Where Thy Church Of Ephesus Stood In The Light Of Heaven, From That Far Isle, Amid The Desert Waves, Back, Like The Morning On The Darkened East, To Lands Long Hid, In Ocean-Depths Unknown, The Radiance Of The Gospel Shall Go Forth, And The Cross Float Triumphant O'Er The World. John. Even Now, In Vision Rapt Of Days To Come, I See Her Christian Temples, Pale In Air, 230 Above The Smoke Of Cities; O'Er The Deep I See Her Fleets, Innumerable, Spread, Chequering, Like Shadows, The Remotest Main; And, Lo! A River, Winding In The Light, Silent, Amid A Vast Metropolis, Beneath The Spires, And Towers, And Glittering Domes! Ah! They Are Vanished, And A Sudden Cloud Hides, From The Straining Sight, Temple, And Tower, And Battlement. Stranger. Pray That It Pass Away. 240 John. Ah! The Pale Horse And Rider! The Pale Horse Is There! Silence Is In The Streets! The Ark Of Her Majestic Polity, The Church - The Temple Of The Lord - I See No More! Stranger. Pray That Her Faith Preserve Her: The Event 245 Is In His Hands Who Bade His Angels Sound Their Trumps, Or Pour The Avenging Vials Out. Let Us Descend, The Wind Is Fresh And Fair, Direct From The North-East, Let Us Descend. And They Descended, Silently And Slow, 250 Towards The Craggy Cave, And Rested There, Looking Upon The Sunshine On The Waves Of The Pale-Blue 'Gean, Still Intent, Watching The Sail, That, By The Western Beam Illumined, Held Its Course Towards The Shore. Icarian Figs Furnished A Scant Repast, With Water From The Rock, After Their Toil; While They, Within The Cave, Conversing Sat Of Virtue And Of Vice, Of Sin And Death, Of Youth And Age, And Pleasure'S Flowery Path, 260 Leading To Sorrow And Untimely Death. Part Sixth. Reflections - Grecian Girl And Dying Libertine - Reflections On Past History Of The World - Angel'S Disappearance - Ship Brings The Elders Of Ephesus To Invite John To Return - Parting From Patmos, And Last Farewell. Then The Mysterious And Majestic Man Thus Spoke: Among The Banished Criminals, As They Passed Yesterday, Didst Thou Not Mark A Pale, Emaciate Youth, And By His Side, Oft Looking In His Altered Face, With Tears, A Beauteous Grecian Female! He Was One 6 Who Crowned His Hair With Roses; Trod The Path Of Love And Pleasure, Till The Vision Fled. And Left Him Here, An Outcast Criminal, Soon, Without Hope, To Sink Into The Grave, And Leave His Young Companion Desolate! So Ends A Life Of Pleasure! Woe For Them, The Young, The Gay, The Guilty, Who Rejoice In Life'S Brief Sunshine, Then Are Swept Away, Forgotten As The Swarms In Summer Time. As Thus He Spake, Smiling Amid Her Tears, With Eyes That Flashed Beneath Dishevelled Hair, A Female Stood Before Them. Look On Me, She Sighed, And Spake: 20 No! Father, Hear My Prayer: At Corinth I Was Born; My Mother Died When I Was Yet A Very Child; My Sire Trafficked To Tyre, And When My Mother Died, He Left The Woods, The Hills, And Shores Of Greece To Seek A Dwelling-Place In Asia, At Tyre Or Smyrna; But The Tempest Rose, And Cast His Vessel On The Rocky Coast Of Cyprus. I Was Found Upon The Shore, Escaped I Know Not How, For He Was Dead; 30 And Pitying Strangers Bore Me To The Fane Of Paphian Venus.[180] There My Infancy Grew Up In Opening Beauty, Like The Rose, Ere Summer Has Unfolded It; I Looked Upon The Dove'S Blue Eyes; How Sorrowful, That It Must Die - Upon The Altar Die; And Then It Seemed Still Dearer, And I Heard Its Murmuring On My Bosom With A Tear, 38 Kissing It; But A Young Athenian, Whom Epicurus Taught That Life'S Sweet Prime Was Like The Rose; For Whom Anacreon Sang, Let Us Seize The Moments As They Fly, And Bind Our Brows With Clusters Of The Vine; Roaming, In Summer, The 'Gean Deep, Enticed Me From The Shrines Of Her I Served, And Led Me With Him (For He Had A Boat, Charmed By The Syrens) Led From Isle To Isle. Joyous And Reckless Were His Youthful Crew, Their Hair With Myrtle And With Roses Wreathed, Who Dipped The Oar, In Cadence, To The Sound 50 Of Dulcimer, And Tambourine, And Lute, While Damsels, Like Immortal Goddesses, Their Light Hair Gently Waving To The Breath Of Summer, In The Bloom And Light Of Youth, Sang With Accord Of Dulcet Harmony, As If To Charm The Seas; And Cupid Sat Aloft, His Small Right Hand Upon The Helm, While With The Left He Loosed The Purple Sail[181] Free To The Morning Zephyrs. So We Sailed, With Music On The Waters, Sailed Along, 60 And Thought Not Of The Sounds Of A Sad World We Had Forsaken; While The Lute Thus Woke The Echoes Of The Listening Cyclades: Go, Tell That Pining Boy To Cast His Willow Wreath Away; For Though Life'S Spring Too Soon Is Past, Though Youth'S Sweet Roses Fade Too Fast, They Shall Not Fade To-Day. Nay, Father, Frown Not Thus Like Withering Care, 69 He Who Is Old May Yet Remember Hours Of Happiness Like These, And Will Forgive; And Wilt Not Thou, My Father, Wilt Not Thou? From Cyprus, Island Of The Queen Of Love, We Came To Naxos, And I Joined The Train Of Bacchanals, Still Singing, As We Danced Upon The Mountains, To The Bell And Pipe, Evoe, Bacchus! Thence We Sailed Away, Careless, In The Bright Sunshine Of The Morn, And Never Thought The Tempest Would Arise To Cloud Our Happy Days; But, Hark! The Storm 80 Of Night Is Howling Round Us; Not A Star In Heaven Appears, To Light Our Wintry Way; Alas! The Pinnace, With Its Company, Was Dashed Upon The Rocks Of Attica, Where Stern Minerva Stood, And With Her Spear Shivered It Into Fragments At Her Feet. Cast On The Shore, Again I Sought The Fane Of Her I Served In Paphos, And Once More Danced Round The Altars Of The Queen Of Love. He, Scarce Escaping, All His Substance Gone, 90 Joined The Sea-Robbers; And Of Late, I Heard, Was Banished To This Isle, A Criminal, Wasted By Slow Disease, And Soon To Die. My Father, I Have Heard That Thou Canst Call Spirits From Heaven, Of Such Strange Potency, They Can Awake The Dead, Restore To Life The Dying: Oh! Restore The Youth I Loved, And Bring The Rose To His Pale Cheek Again! John. Unhappy Child! The Path Of Pleasure Leads To Sorrow In This World, And In The Next. 100 Grecian Girl. The Next! The Next! My Father, I Have Heard 101 That Thou Dost Worship A New God - A God Who Has No Priestess. I Can Dance And Sing Light As Euphrosyne, And I Can Weep For Pity, And Can Sigh, How Tenderly! For Love; And If Thou Wilt Restore That Youth To Health And Love, Oh! I Will Kneel To Thee, And Offer Sacrifice, Morning And Eve To Thy Great God, And Weave A Coronal, When I Have Culled The Choicest Flowers Of Rhodes,[182] 110 Father, To Crown Those Few White Hairs Of Thine. John Answered, I Will Pray For Him And Thee; But Leave Me, Child, Now Leave Me To Those Prayers. The Man Of Loftier Wisdom Spoke Again: How Sing The Thoughtless In Their Songs Of Joy, Our Days Of Happiness, At Best, Are Short[183] And Profitless, And In The Death Of Man There Is No Remedy, For We Are Born, And We Shall Sleep Hereafter In The Dust, As We Had Never Been; So All Our Days 120 Are Vanity, Our Breath But As A Smoke, A Vapour, And We Turn Again To Earth, And This High Spirit Vanishes In Air - Into Thin Air; Our Very Name Shall Be Forgotten, And Oblivion On Our Works Sit Silent, While Our Days Have Sped Away As Clouds That Leave No Trace, Or As A Mist Dispersed And Scattered By The Noonday Sun! Time Is Itself The Shadow Of A Shade, Hurrying; And When Our Tale Of Days Is Told, 130 The Tomb Is Sealed, And Who Ever Rose, 131 To Stand Again Beneath The Light Of Day! Then Let Us Crown With Rosebuds, Ere They Fade, Our Brows, And Pass No Blooming Flower Of Spring! Such Heartless Sophistries Have Still Deceived Earth'S Poor Wayfarers, They Who Know Not God, For God Created Man - Oh! Not To Die Eternally, But Live, For Ever Live (So He Be Found Holy, And Just, And Pure), The Image Of Himself! What Dost Thou See? 140 Thine Eyes Are Fixed, And Turned On Vacancy. John Said, I See The Dead, Both Great And Small, Stand Before God; The Loud Archangel'S Trump Hath Ceased To Thunder O'Er The Bursting Graves; How Deep, How Dread The Silence, As That Book Is Opened! Ah! There Is Another Book. Stranger. It Is The Book Of Life; The Dead Are Judged According To Their Works. John. Above The Throne 150 Interminable Space Of Glorious Light Is Spread, And Angel-Troops And Hierarchies, With Golden Harps, Half-Seen, Into The Depths Of That Interminable Light Recede, Till The Tired Vision Shrinks. The Sea, The Sea, Gives Up Its Dead! And Death And Hell Pour Forth, All Hushed And Pale, Their Countless Multitudes, Shivering To Meet The Light; And Millions Pray, In Silence: Hide Us, Hide Us, Earth, Again! A Gulph, Beneath Them, Black As Tenfold Night, 160 Glaring At Times With Intermittent Flames, 161 Opens; And, Hark! Sad Sounds, And Shrieks Of Woe, Come Through The Darkness. At The Dreadful Voice, Depart From Me, Ye Cursed! John, Amazed, Looked 'Round: He Saw The Blue 'Gean Shine, And The Approaching Sail White In The Wind. Then He Who Stood By Him Thus Spoke: Awake; Let Us Toward The Sea, For, Look! The Ship Approaches Nearer To The Eastern Bay. As Near, And Still More Near, She Speeds Her Course, 170 On This Gray Column, Prostrate In The Dust, Its Tale Unknown, The Sole Sad Relic Here Of Perishable Glory,[184] And, Who Knows, Perhaps A Pillar Of Some Marble Fane, Raised To Dark Pagan Idols, Let Us Rest, And Muse Upon The Change Of Mortal Things. The Apostle Sat, And As He Watched The Sail, Leaned On His Staff To Hear. The Stranger Spoke: Lo! The Last Fragment Of Departed Days, 180 This Shaft Of A Fallen Column; And Even So Shall All The Monuments Of Human Pride Be Smitten To The Desert Dust, Like Those Who Raised Them, Long To Desert Dust Returned. Where Are The Hundred Gates Of Regal Thebes! Let The Clouds Answer, And The Silent Sands. Where Is The Tower Of Babel, Proudly Raised, As To Defy The Lord, Above The Clouds! He Raised His Arm, And, As A Dream, It Sank. Waters Of Babylon, By Thy Sad Shores 190 The Children Of Captivity Sat Down, Sat Down And Wept, When They Remembered Thee, O Sion! But The Trump And Cornet Bray; 193 It Is Belshazzar'S Midnight Feast! He Sits A God Among His Lords And Concubines. A Thousand Torches Flame Aloof; The Songs Of Wantonness And Blasphemy Go Up! And Are Those Golden Vessels, From The Shrine And Temple Of The Living God, Brought Forth, In Impious Derision? Does The Hymn 200 Resound To Baal, And The Gods Of Gold? And At This Hour, Do All The Princes Rise? Is The Wine Poured From Vessels Which The Lord Had Consecrated? Do They Drink, And Cry, The King Shall Live For Ever? Ah! How Changed His Countenance! He Trembles, And His Knees, Smite One Against The Other! Look, How Changed! God Of Eternal Justice, What Is That? The Fingers Of A Man, Against The Wall, Moving In Shadow, And Inscribing Words 210 Of Dreadful Import, But Which None May Read. Call The Chaldeans And Astrologers! Are They All Mute? Call The Poor Captive Slave, Daniel, The Prophet Of The Lord! The Crowd All Turn Their Looks In Silence, With Their Breath Hushed By Their Terrors. Has He Spoken? Yes! Thy Sceptre Is Departed! Hear, O King! He Hears And Trembles; And That Very Night, He Who Blasphemed Is Gone To Meet His Judge! Proclaim The Conquering Persian; It Was God 220 Who Led His Armies Forth, Who Called His Name Cyrus;[185] And Under Him Again Shall Rise The Temple At Jerusalem, Shall Rise In Beauty And In Glory, Till The Day Of Tribulation Smite It To The Earth, As We Have Seen! Weep For Jerusalem; 226 But In The Light Of Heaven, The Church Of Christ Shall Lift Its Battlements, Till He Shall Come, With All His Jubilant, Acclaiming Hosts, Amid The Clouds! The Old Man Raised His Eyes, And On His Forehead Placed His Withered Hand, A Moment Musing; Then He Turned His Look Again To His Companion At His Side. Ah! He Is Gone; But, Hark! A Rustling Sound Is Heard, And, Bright Above The Eastern Cliffs, Behold, A Glorious Angel'S Pennons Spread. Look! He Ascends Into The Azure Depth Of Light; He Still Ascends, Till The Blue Sky Is Only Interrupted By Some Clouds 240 Of Lightest Brede And Beauty, O'Er The Sea Transparent Hung. John Gazed With Hands Outspread, But Nothing In The Airy Track Was Seen, Save Those Small Clouds. Then Pensive He Sat Down, His Withered Hands Extending As In Prayer. But, Lo! The Vessel Drops Its Sail; A Boat Is Hurrying, Smooth And Rapid, Through The Spray - The Sounds Of Men Are Heard - See, They Approach! Yes, They Are Messengers Of Peace! They Come With Tidings To The Lonely Habitant. 250 Two Elders Of The Church Of Ephesus Greet Him With Salutations From The Ship Whose Banner Streams - The Banner Of The Cross - Beneath The Rocks Of Patmos: From The Beach The Elders Slow Advanced, And One Thus Spoke: Hail, Father! C'Sar Is No More! Thy Church At Ephesus Again, By Us, Implores Thy Presence And Thy Guidance; And, Behold! The Bark Now Waits To Bear Thee O'Er The Deep, For Nerva Has Reversed The Stern Decree 200 Passed For Thy Banishment: Arise, Return, Return; For Now The Light Of Heaven Again Gleams On The Temple Of Our Infant Faith; The Radiance Of The "Golden Candlestick," That Shone In The Deep Darkness Of The Earth, Shall Flame More Bright. Arise - Arise - Return! John Took Their Hands, And, Blessing Them, Gave Thanks To God Who Rules Above; Then Cried, I Go - With Many Thronging Thoughts - Back To The World, To Wait How Heaven May Yet Dispose My Lot, 270 Till The Grave Close Upon My Pilgrimage. Yet Would I Stay A While, To Bid Farewell To That, My Cave,[186] Where I Have Seen Strange Things, And Heard Strange Voices, And Have Passed Five Years In Loneliness And Watching, And In Prayer. Let Me Not Part Till I Have Said Farewell! Hereafter I Shall Tell What I Have Seen. But Now, O Lord And Saviour! Strengthen Me, A Poor Old Man, Returning To The World; Oh! Look And Let Me Feel Thy Presence Now, 280 Whom I Have Served So Long I Shall Not See Again Thy Glorious Form Upon The Earth, But I Have Lived To See Thy Church Arise, Now In Its Infancy, And Gathering Power From Day To Day; And Thou Shalt Be Adored Till The Remotest Isles, And Every Land, Shall Praise And Magnify Thy Glorious Name! My Days Are Well-Nigh Told, And Few Remain, But I Shall Live, Protected, To Record, O Lord And Saviour! All Which I Have Seen, 290 High And Mysterious; As I Declared, In The Beginning Was The Word; The Word, 292 In The Beginning, Was With God; The Word Was God! And Now Farewell! Oh! May I Pass What Yet Remains Of Life In Faith And Hope, Till Christ Shall Call Me In His Mercy Hence, And Lead Me Gently To My Last Repose. Then May His Church, Which He Has Raised On Earth, Stand, Though The Tempest Shake Its Battlements, 300 Stand, Till The Trumpet, The Last Trumpet Sound, And He Shall Come In Clouds Who Founded It! As Thus He Spoke, His Stature Seemed To Grow More Lofty, With A Step More Firm He Trod; Whilst A Mild Radiance, Lambent On His Face, Shone, As The Radiance From The Mercy-Seat. He Held His Way, Oft Looking Back To Mark The Cave Where He Had Lived, When, Lo! The Dove, So Often Fed From His Pale Hand, Has Left The Cliff, And Flies, Faint-Murmuring, Round His Hair. 310 And Now He Turns His Eyes Upon The Deep; Yet Scarce Had Reached The Margin, When He Saw The Sullen Dwellers On These Rugged Shores, Led On By Him Who Had Confessed His Sins - The Robber Of Mount Carmel, In His Chains - Kneel At His Feet. They Blessed Him, Sorrowing That They Should See His Face On Earth No More. The Stern Centurion Hid A Starting Tear; The Poor Emaciate Youth Knelt Down, And She Who Tended Him With Love And Tenderness, 320 Wept, As He Faintly Sank, And Breathed His Last, His Hands Extending Feebly, As He Sunk, To John, In Fervent Prayer! The Grecian Girl Fell, Desolate And Sobbing, On His Breast. But, Lo! The Wind Has Veered, And, Streaming Out, The Red Cross Pennant Points To Asia, 326 As Heaven-Directed. Speed, Ye Mariners! The Sails Are Swelling, And The Widening Deep Is All Before You, Surging To The Gale. So They Kept On Their Course To Ephesus, And O'Er The 'Gean Waves Beheld, Far Off, The Cave, The Lonely Sands And Lessening Capes Of Dreary Patmos Sink To Rise No More. * * * * *