Classic Poem

How far thro' space and time the soul may go!
I had a dream as of a serpent's tongue
That darted venomously to and fro.
I had a vision of the sword of flame
That guarded Eden when the world was young,
And shed a lurid light on Adam's shame.

I saw it animate with God's great Will,
No hand was on the hilt to make it flash;
Yet evermore its shriek, more piercing shrill
Than a cicala's chirrup, clove the air;
And all day long I saw it poise and dash,
A giant meteor with golden hair.

Firstly, I watched the morning-planet fade.
The shadows on a yellow sky up-rolled;
And, as in homage, the mysterious blade
Cast crimson roses at a mountain's feet,
And turned a cloud into a cloth of gold,
Where midnight and Aurora merge and meet.

And then I saw the drowsy birds awaken;
And thro' their lilt I heard the meteor wail,
As wails a soul God's wrath has overtaken,
As winds lament around a ruined keep,
As creaks a vessel's cordage in a gale
When thunder walks upon the tortured deep.

Lastly, the Garden darkened and God came,
Making a prayer of the discord shrill,
Hiding and sheathing in His light the flame:
And lo, — decrepid with despair and loss, —
I saw swart Adam kneeling on a hill
To kiss the holy shadow of a cross.