 | Echoes of Spring |  |
A STRANGE VISION.
I had a vision in the calm of night,
When all the air was filled with stillness round;
Me thought, my soul had broke her earthly thrall,
And stood and gazed upon the dungeon,
Once in misery dwelt.
When all the air was filled with stillness round;
Me thought, my soul had broke her earthly thrall,
And stood and gazed upon the dungeon,
Once in misery dwelt.
She did not take her flight to foreign lands at once,
But lingered there about the corpse unseen,
By all the friends who stood around,
With tokens of respect for one no more;
Their tearful weeping eyes,
Paid tribute to the dead.
But lingered there about the corpse unseen,
By all the friends who stood around,
With tokens of respect for one no more;
Their tearful weeping eyes,
Paid tribute to the dead.
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Then turned my soul from the drear dungeon gates,
And journeyed pass a thousand different worlds;
Looked neither left nor right, but journeyed on
Until she reached a river, vast and wide.
And journeyed pass a thousand different worlds;
Looked neither left nor right, but journeyed on
Until she reached a river, vast and wide.
She paused upon the stormy banks and gazed beyond,
Beheld ten thousand seraphim in air,
Who sang aloud sweet anthems,
In an unknown tongue, that chorded
With a thousand harps of gold.
Beheld ten thousand seraphim in air,
Who sang aloud sweet anthems,
In an unknown tongue, that chorded
With a thousand harps of gold.
Prone was my soul to join that heavenly throng,
But feared to venture, for the billows rolled,
And seemed then to defy her journey o'er,
Until a mighty trumpet pierced the air,
And calmed the angry billows of the tide.
But feared to venture, for the billows rolled,
And seemed then to defy her journey o'er,
Until a mighty trumpet pierced the air,
And calmed the angry billows of the tide.
So loud and sweet the music pierced my ears,
With chants of welcome, anthems loud and strong;
My soul 'rose in the air as if on wings,
And took her flight to reach the other side.
With chants of welcome, anthems loud and strong;
My soul 'rose in the air as if on wings,
And took her flight to reach the other side.
But ere she reached the other side I woke;
And found about me stillness of the night;
Around my couch was darkness all I saw,
I wept—because the vision was not true.
And found about me stillness of the night;
Around my couch was darkness all I saw,
I wept—because the vision was not true.
| Echoes of Spring | |