 | Dartmoor, and other poems |  |
68
That once in Cranmer glow'd, in Luther shone?
Shall petty sights alone attract our eye,
The rise and fall of mortal majesty—
Kingdoms and men, that in perpetual round
Blaze and expire? Shall these our prospects bound,
And not your cause—the glory of our age,
(Grandest of all which human thoughts engage!)
Awake our brightest interests, hopes and fears,
The heart that vibrates, and the tongue that cheers?
Those who, beyond the present, see combined,
The mighty Future, trampling time behind,
Feel, with still kindling warmth, in every vein,
Ardour to burst the Heathen's mental chain—
To waft to them our pearl of matchless price,
And wider throw the gates of Paradise.
Where is this Spirit? Lo! she lives and reigns!
Now we behold her, not 'mid ravaged plains,
Where Demons scream for blood, but on thy shore,
Oh! Albion, dear! my Country! evermore
Loftiest of nations! With proud garlands crown'd,
Sending the Truth wherever man is found.
69
Check not the Courser with the Goal in sight!
May you who wage the warfare with the foe;
May you who nobly of your wealth bestow;
May you whose hearts implore that Heaven would shield
The tender germ from storms, and increase yield,
Strive in your different ways, more earnest be,
Not fainting, you secure the victory.
| Dartmoor, and other poems | |