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V.
In ancient times an iron Fate lorded it,
with dumb force, over the widespread
families of men. A gloomy oppression
swathed their anxious souls: the Earth was
boundless, the abode of the gods and their
home. From eternal ages stood its
mysterious structure. Beyond the red hills
of the morning, in the sacred bosom of the
sea, dwelt the sun, the all-enkindling,
live luminary. An aged giant upbore the
happy world. Prisoned beneath mountains
lay the first-born sons of mother Earth,
helpless in their destroying fury against
the new, glorious race of gods, and their
kindred, glad-hearted men. Ocean's dusky,
green abyss was the lap of a goddess. In
the crystal grottoes revelled a wanton
folk. Rivers, trees, flowers, and beasts
had human wits. Sweeter tasted the wine,
poured out by youth impersonated; a god
was in the grape-clusters; a loving,
motherly goddess upgrew in the full golden
sheaves; love's sacred carousal was a
sweet worship of the fairest of the
goddesses. Life revelled through the
centuries like one spring-time, an
ever-variegated festival of the children of
heaven and the dwellers on the earth. All
races childlike adored the ethereal,
thousandfold flame, as the one sublimest
thing in the world.
It was but a fancy, a horrible dream-shape –
That fearsome to the merry tables strode,
And wrapt the spirit in wild consternation.
The gods themselves here counsel knew nor showed
To fill the stifling hearts with consolation.
Mysterious was the monster's pathless road,
Whose rage would heed no prayer and no oblation;
'Twas Death who broke the banquet up with fears,
With anguish, with dire pain, and bitter tears.
Eternally from all things here disparted
That sway the heart with pleasure's joyous flow,
Divided from the loved, whom, broken-hearted,
Vain longing tosses and unceasing woe –
In a dull dream to struggle, faint and thwarted,
Seemed all was granted to the dead below!
Broke lay the merry wave of human glory
On Death's inevitable promontory.
With daring flight, aloft Thought's pinions sweep;
The horrid thing with beauty's robe men cover:
A gentle youth puts out his torch, to sleep;
Sweet comes the end, like moaning lute of lover.
Cool shadow-floods o'er melting memory creep:
So sang the song, for Misery was the mover.
Still undeciphered lay the endless Night –
The solemn symbol of a far-off Might.
The old world began to decline. The
pleasure-garden of the young race withered
away; up into opener regions and desolate,
forsaking his childhood, struggled the
growing man. The gods vanished with their
retinue. Nature stood alone and lifeless.
Dry Number and rigid Measure bound her
with iron chains. As into dust and air the
priceless blossoms of life fell away in
words obscure. Gone was wonder-working
Faith, and the all-transforming, all-uniting
angel-comrade, the Imagination. A
cold north wind blew unkindly over the
torpid plain, and the wonderland first
froze, then evaporated into æther. The far
depths of heaven filled with flashing
worlds. Into the deeper sanctuary, into
the more exalted region of the mind, the
soul of the world retired with all her
powers, there to rule until the dawn
should break of the glory universal. No
longer was the Light the abode of the
gods, and the heavenly token of their
presence: they cast over them the veil of
the Night. The Night became the mighty
womb of revelations; into it the gods went
back, and fell asleep, to go abroad in new
and more glorious shapes over the
transfigured world. Among the people
which, untimely ripe, was become of all
the most scornful and insolently hostile
to the blessed innocence of youth,
appeared the New World, in a guise never
seen before, in the song-favouring hut of
poverty, a son of the first maid and
mother, the eternal fruit of mysterious
embrace. The foreseeing, rich-blossoming
wisdom of the East at once recognized the
beginning of the new age; a star showed it
the way to the lowly cradle of the king.
In the name of the far-reaching future,
they did him homage with lustre and odour,
the highest wonders of Nature. In solitude
the heavenly heart unfolded itself to a
flower-chalice of almighty love, upturned
to the supreme face of the father, and
resting on the blissboding bosom of the
sweetly solemn mother. With deifying
fervour the prophetic eye of the blooming
child beheld the years to come, foresaw,
untroubled over the earthly lot of his own
days, the beloved offspring of his divine
stem. Ere long the most childlike souls,
by true love marvellously possessed,
gathered about him. Like flowers sprang up
a strange new life in his presence. Words
inexhaustible and tidings the most joyful
fell like sparks of a divine spirit from
his friendly lips. From a far shore came a
singer, born under the clear sky of
Hellas, to Palestine, and gave up his
whole heart to the marvellous child: –
The youth art thou who ages long hast stood
Upon our graves, lost in a maze of weening;
Sign in the darkness of God's tidings good,
Whence hints of growth humanity is gleaning;
For that we long, on that we sweetly brood
Which erst in woe had lost all life and meaning;
In everlasting life death found its goal,
For thou art Death, and thou first mak'st us whole.
Filled with joy, the singer went on to
Indostan, his heart intoxicated with
sweetest love, and poured it out in fiery
songs under that tender sky, so that a
thousand hearts bowed to him, and the good
news sprang up with a thousand branches.
Soon after the singer's departure, his
precious life was made a sacrifice for the
deep fall of man. He died in his youth,
torn away from his loved world, from his
weeping mother, and his trembling friends.
His lovely mouth emptied the dark cup of
unspeakable wrongs. In horrible anguish
the birth of the new world drew near. Hard
he wrestled with the terrors of old Death;
heavy lay the weight of the old world upon
him. Yet once more he looked kindly at his
mother; then came the releasing hand of
the Love eternal, and he fell asleep. Only
a few days hung a deep veil over the
roaring sea, over the quaking land;
countless tears wept his loved ones; the
mystery was unsealed: heavenly spirits
heaved the ancient stone from the gloomy
grave. Angels sat by the sleeper, sweetly
outbodied from his dreams; awaked in new
Godlike glory, he clomb the apex of the
new-born world, buried with his own hand
the old corpse in the forsaken cavity, and
with hand almighty laid upon it the stone
which no power shall ever again upheave.
Yet weep thy loved ones over thy grave
tears of joy, tears of emotion, tears of
endless thanksgiving; ever afresh, with
joyous start, see thee rise again, and
themselves with thee; behold thee weep
with soft fervour on the blessed bosom of
thy mother, walk in thoughtful communion
with thy friends, uttering words plucked
as from the tree of Life; see thee hasten,
full of longing, into thy father's arms,
bearing with thee youthful Humanity, and
the inexhaustible cup of the golden
Future. Soon the mother hastened after
thee in heavenly triumph; she was the
first with thee in the new home. Since
then, long ages have flowed past, and in
splendour ever increasing hath bestirred
itself thy new creation, and thousands
have, out of pangs and tortures, followed
thee, filled with faith and longing and
truth, and are walking about with thee and
the heavenly virgin in the kingdom of
Love, minister in the temple of heavenly
Death, and are for ever thine.
Uplifted is the stone,
And all mankind is risen;
We all remain thine own,
And vanished is our prison.
All troubles flee away
Before thy golden cup;
For Earth nor Life can stay
When with our Lord we sup.
To the marriage Death doth call;
No virgin holdeth back;
The lamps burn lustrous all;
Of oil there is no lack.
Would thy far feet were waking
The echoes of our street!
And that the stars were making
Signal with voices sweet!
To thee, O mother maiden,
Ten thousand hearts aspire;
In this life, sorrow-laden,
Thee only they desire;
In thee they hope for healing;
In thee expect true rest,
When thou, their safety sealing,
Shalt clasp them to thy breast.
With disappointment burning
Who made in hell their bed,
At last from this world turning
To thee have looked and fled:
Helpful thou hast appearéd
To us in many a pain:
Now to thy home we're nearéd,
Not to go out again!
Now at no grave are weeping
Such as do love and pray;
The gift of Love is keeping
From none is taken away.
To soothe and quiet our longing
Night comes, and stills the smart;
Heaven's children round us thronging
Now watch and ward our heart.
Courage! for life is striding
To endless life along;
The sense, in love abiding,
Grows clearer and more strong.
One day the stars, down dripping,
Shall flow in golden wine:
We, of that nectar sipping,
As living stars shall shine!
Free, from the tomb emerges
Love, to die never more;
Fulfilled, life heaves and surges
A sea without a shore!
All night! all blissful leisure!
One jubilating ode!
And the sun of all our pleasure
The countenance of God!
(p. 16-21)
IV.
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VI.
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