Behold, a change wrought and a wonder!
A tongue of utterance in thunder
Rang that vaulted dome along,
Deep and loud as that which told
Vengeance was reserved for wrong;
That man's sins should be repaid,
By the scales of justice weighed,
When o'er earth the deluge rolled.
With eyes raised, and breath withheld,
And heart by awe and marvel swelled,
In expectancy I leant
Against a brazen monument.
I felt the dead beneath me stirred;
I knew their dust that warning heard
From hollow caverns echoing under;
That the chains of sleep or death
Were in that Voice heard beneath,
By God , rock-like, rent asunder!