The Poetical Works of James Thomson The City of Dreadful Night: By James Thomson ("B. V."): Edited by Bertram Dobell: With a Memoir of the Author: In two volumes |
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 | The Poetical Works of James Thomson |  |
XI.
“Dear Friends, come! we wait for you;
Strong and wise and pure and true.
Why, alas, ascend so few?
Strong and wise and pure and true.
Why, alas, ascend so few?
164
“Where are the myriads that should now be here?
How have they wasted all the lavish dower
With which God fitted them to rule their sphere—
The Passion and the Vision and the Power?
For ever hoping, disappointed ever,
We know too well the constant tragic doom:
Vision hath seen, with scarce a work-endeavour,
Then closed its eyes for more voluptuous gloom;
Passion hath disenshrined the awful soul,
Its large heart tempting fatal fleshly lusts;
And Power hath shaken off divine control,
To gorge itself with universal trusts.
How have they wasted all the lavish dower
With which God fitted them to rule their sphere—
The Passion and the Vision and the Power?
For ever hoping, disappointed ever,
We know too well the constant tragic doom:
Vision hath seen, with scarce a work-endeavour,
Then closed its eyes for more voluptuous gloom;
Passion hath disenshrined the awful soul,
Its large heart tempting fatal fleshly lusts;
And Power hath shaken off divine control,
To gorge itself with universal trusts.
“For the undone Many, ruth,
Ye have conquered, true to truth;
Dare our wine of Joy and Youth.
Ye have conquered, true to truth;
Dare our wine of Joy and Youth.
“The tree whose trunk and branches dark and bare
Withstood the storms of Winter, planted strong;
Doth glorify itself in summer's air
With leaf and fruit and nested bird's blithe song:
The earth-realm labouring blind and dumb and cheerless,
Yet ever onward, through the reign of night;
Leaps forth with joy majestically fearless
Into the pure new heaven of morning light.
Again stern Winter with its storms shall come,
But find the tree grown stronger 'gainst its wrath;
Again the night-gloom, weary, blind and dumb,
But find the realm far forward on its path.
Withstood the storms of Winter, planted strong;
Doth glorify itself in summer's air
With leaf and fruit and nested bird's blithe song:
The earth-realm labouring blind and dumb and cheerless,
Yet ever onward, through the reign of night;
Leaps forth with joy majestically fearless
Into the pure new heaven of morning light.
165
But find the tree grown stronger 'gainst its wrath;
Again the night-gloom, weary, blind and dumb,
But find the realm far forward on its path.
“Then, dear Friends, come, come away!
Now is Summer, now is Day;
Joy assumes imperial sway!”
Now is Summer, now is Day;
Joy assumes imperial sway!”
| The Poetical Works of James Thomson | |