 | The poetical works of James Montgomery |  |
I.
The glory hath departed from thee, Dale!
Thy gorgeous pageant of monastic pride,
—A power that once the power of kings defied,
Which truth and reason might in vain assail,
In mock humility usurp'd this vale,
And lorded o'er the region far and wide;
Darkness to light, evil to good allied,
Had wrought a charm, which made all hearts to quail.
Thy gorgeous pageant of monastic pride,
—A power that once the power of kings defied,
Which truth and reason might in vain assail,
In mock humility usurp'd this vale,
And lorded o'er the region far and wide;
Darkness to light, evil to good allied,
Had wrought a charm, which made all hearts to quail.
What gave that power dominion on this ground,
Age after age?—the Word of God was bound!—
At length the mighty captive burst from thrall,
O'erturn'd the spiritual bastile in its march,
And left of ancient grandeur this sole arch,
Whose stones cry out,—“Thus Babylon herself shall fall.”
Age after age?—the Word of God was bound!—
At length the mighty captive burst from thrall,
O'erturn'd the spiritual bastile in its march,
And left of ancient grandeur this sole arch,
Whose stones cry out,—“Thus Babylon herself shall fall.”
| The poetical works of James Montgomery | |