Forest Songs and Other Poems | ||
54
A DREAM OF JUDGMENT.
1
A weird, wild dream this morning,I dreamt as in bed I lay,
That One was come to Judgment at last,
The Christ of the Titi-See!
2
The terrible Judgment-TrumpetBrayed loud as the Righi horn,
And summoned to meet by the Titi-See,
All folk that ever were born.
3
Through the chill, grey, last morningPealed on its shuddering tones,
And slowly, drowsily, out of our graves
We dragged our clattering bones.
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4
In the chill, grey, last morning,Half-waked, we shivering stood,
And strove to blanket our bones with flesh
Hastily, as we could.
5
In terror, upon his death-bedThe sun lay, loth to rise;
Grey Dawn, with her doomsday candle,
Made ghastly gleam in the skies.
6
And crowding, struggling, striving,We hurried a doleful way
To where, 'mid angels, stood in the sky
The Christ of the Titi-See.
7
On either hand an angelStood, holding the sponge and spear,
And in His face the terrible look
Froze our weak bones with fear.
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8
He spoke not a word of cursing,But with each glittering eye,
That shone like a star in his weary face,
He damned us utterly.
9
The blood ran down in great rivers,From his red wounds ne'er dried;
With bloody fire the Titi-See
It kindled from side to side;
10
And struggling, shuddering, and striving,Our bones all a-quake for fear,
The angels down to that Lake of Fire
Drove us with sponge and spear.
11
I woke: my innocent lakeletWas glittering in the sun,
In dewy pastures cows were abroad,
The beautiful day begun.
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12
Through fields a-shimmer with hairbellsI took my lonely way,
To where hung bleeding, with piteous face,
The Christ of the Titi-See.
Forest Songs and Other Poems | ||