Classic Poem

He spake, and, springing from th' embattled ground,
Soared from the wond'ring hosts that gazed around:
Transformed to spirit, through the yielding air
His wavy wings aloft their burden bear;
His shield hangs o'er his shoulder, like the moon,
When pale she glitters in her highest noon;
His spear is tipt with lightning, and his crest
Waves with majestic sweep, and round his breast
His gold-bossed corselet flashes, like the gem
That glitters in a Caesar's diadem;
His flight is as a meteor, when it sails
O'er the blue sky, and far behind it trails
A stream of liquid silver; — now more dim,
His airy form in ether seems to swim,
Lessens and lessens to the admiring sight,
Then disappears amid the solemn night:
So fled the prodigy, and, wrapped in awe,
The kneeling hosts the heavenly herald saw.