MAN, thou canst draw the lightning from the clouds, And yet must die-canst soar from world to world, Counting the glowing stars, and numbering The proud array of bright and glittering orbs, And yet must turn to dust- -Dost rule alone, Sole monarch of this lovely earth, and all Its creatures do thee homage, yet the worm Shall triumph over thee-Shudder, thou wretch, Whose eyes are only on this fleeting shade Call'd life-and tremble, thou base recreant slave, Whose hope has been laid prostrate at the foot Of this vain world-Lo! dust-the grave-the worm Are ready all to seize thee-Death will come Perhaps to smite thee from some pinnacle Of earthly glory, and to dash thee down, When thou wouldst, eagle-like, exalt thyself, And fix thy nest among the stars. -Awake, Awake, thou grovelling earth-worm-Lo! the sun Is in the heavens, his vivifying smile
Would pierce thee like a sword, and slay this clod Of earth, that the enraptured spirit might Drink deep of immortality from all
The boundless stores of nature-Rapturous thoughts, Ineffable sensations, high desires,
Say, are they not engender'd day by day, And hour by hour, from all that's bright and fair And beautiful around us.-Oh! the gaze Of melancholy twilight, through her tears Of purest dew, dropping like pearls, distill'd From the soft sunset ray, and the dear glance, Love-like and tender as the look of love Of Cynthia, taking out the bosom's stains
With her soft beams of holy light; what things They speak of to the chosen soul-and thou Eternal and all gorgeous canopy,
Looking upon us in the gloomy time
Of solemn midnight, with ten thousand eyes Of clear unutterable brightness,---tongues, Eternal tongues, of never-dying fire,
Are in your glory, that will speak aloud To man of immortality, and give Him fond assurance he shall never die.
Man is immortal!-Death, thy iron crown Totters upon thy brow, and Victory's palm Falls from thy palsied grasp-Though Sin did bring Thee forth into this breathing world, and seem'd To set thee up against Heaven's King, and gave Thee power to wrench from out their orbits, all The planets one by one, to turn the light Of the innumerable suns his pride
To darkness, and the warm and glowing torch Of his enduring love into a cinder,
Black as thy shrivell'd arm: Though thou dost hurl From age to age, and century to century, The dust of empires in his face, and fain Would grieve his heart by making ceaseless havoc Upon the fairest things, His workmanship. Though thou dost chill the hearts of mortal men From the first hour they breathe, with quaking fears And icy shudderings,-wouldst pall the glory Of bright creation with a cloud, and darken Mortal existence, his great boon and gift, With thy forthcoming shadow, and dost make The universe, His temple, also thine:
And while he maketh, thou wouldst still destroy,
And by destroying wouldst become more great In desolation, than He in the glory
Of his unnumber'd worlds!-Yet man defies Thy shaft, for One from heaven hath been,
Mortality in immortality,
Enshrined to foil thee,-and thou hadst the power
To slay, yet couldst not slay,-to kill, yet see The dead alive again; to be the end,
Yet the beginning; a destroyer, yet
A saviour; and if thou shouldst even now Lay this high-favour'd and all-beauteous world In one eternal ruin, and destroy
The very germs and essences of things Material, and pluck from out his sphere The gorgeous orb of day, and smite the host Of planets and their myriad systems back Into old chaos, Spirit would survive, Perfected solely by that very act
To smile at thy vain impotence, and throw Defiance in thy teeth, and brave thee still! Man is immortal!-free, enfranchised, bought By Love Divine, for bright inheritance And never-ending bliss-Oh! great indeed The price was set, and dear, oh! very dear, The sacrifice; but thou didst pay the whole, Yea, drop by drop, in blood!-Saviour of men! We worship Thee,-God of our hope! we bow Before Thee, and would laud in endless praise, Through time and through eternity, thy Name. Man is immortal!-Let it be the key, The pitch note, burden, chorus, symphony, To every holy song that man may breathe, Like incense towards heaven-Join in the theme,
Ye happy spirits round the throne of GOD, Join in the glorious hymn, and softly touch Your golden harps to the all-joyful strain; Ye towering archangels, who are the heralds And constant harbingers of God in heaven, Proclaim it there, as a sweet new-born joy For angels!-Let the joyful hymn resound The hymn of man's high immortality Through all the elements-earth, water, air, Space vast and limitless, and the quick soul Of all pervading fire, catch up the glee, And bear it through the universe on wings Of lightning; and ye joyous morning stars, That sang together when Omnipotence Called light and beauty from dark chaos, as This glorious world roll'd forth in pristine bloom, A habitation for mean man-do ye
Keep up the sound through all eternity, Undying music for the radiant spheres, The high immortal song of triumph, and Of victory eternal-let it come down
On earth like the full beam of the bright sun, That brings the blossom from the bud, and gives The honey to the flower; touching the heart, As Memnon's statue was, to ceaseless sounds Of harmony; let stricken hearts receive It like the heavenly dew; let mortals breathe It day by day, as their own vital air; Let dying lips respire it-dying ears Embrace the melody-while all the powers Are fainting in the ecstasy of death, And the poor liberated spirit flies
Towards her God and Saviour's outspread arms.
WEEP not at what the world can do, Nor sorrow for its wrong;
But wear a smile upon thy brow, It cannot harm us long:
The cold contempt, the bitter scorn, The hatred and the guile, Will not fall lighter if we mourn— O then 'tis well to smile.
Then smile at human vanity,
And smile at human pride,
And smile when men do flatter thee, And smile when they deride;
If some would do thee wrong, then smile, And care not to condemn ;
When some with softer looks beguile, Why, have a smile for them.
Now bend in praise thy humble knee, With smiles upon thy brow, Thy bosom may be light and free,' Although thou sink'st so low; And raise in smiles of joy thine eyes, In gratitude of prayer;
To Him who lives beyond the skies, And smiles for ever there.
ERE we utter, "It is finished,”
And the last Amen repeat,
Many steep and toilsome wanderings,
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