University of Virginia Library

O thou bright Spirit! thou whose power is o'er
The poet's all-creating thought, whate'er
Thy unknown nature be, or like the air
Impalpable, the essence of a soul,
Star-winged and eagle-eyed, or human shape
Lone dwelling amid silent solitudes,
Nymph, muse or oread, Olympic-born,
Unseen and shrined in mystery;—where'er
The glory of thy beauty beams, among
The ancient woods of thy proud dwelling-place,
Parnassus, or the fair Ægean isles,
Or o'er the haunted stream of Helicon,
Gushing mid flowers that skirt its holy banks,
To great Apollo sacred and the nine;
Or mid the blue arcades of yonder sky
Where Dian walks in brightness and the stars
Stud ministering spirits' pathway thick and fair
As bright-eyed daisies gem the mead;—whate'er
Thou art and wheresoe'er thy presence dwells—
O come, fair Spirit! come in all thy charms
And bring elysium to a suffering heart!

In childhood's hours—lone, visionary, wild,
Silent and solitary, while yet the sum
Of my heart's pulses could be reckoned—thou
Wert my devotion and I loved to drink
The incense of thine altar, and imbibe
Thy spiritual breathings, and I felt my soul
Dilate with rapture when upon me came
A mighty awe and reverend majesty,
A passion purified, a godlike power,
Which brought the universe within my grasp,
And made high seraphim my ministers.
And now I would become thy worshipper,
True and devoted, though too full of sin
And mortal stains for thy immortal smiles,
Undimmed by gross materiality.
But, Holy Spirit! I have been the child
Of sorrow, and my sole delight for years
Of melancholy memories hath been
Thy lofty service; oh, thou oft hast taught
My heart forgetfulness of grief and pain
And obloquy and scorn and poverty,
And all the nameless ills and wrongs that wear
With endless iteration life away.
And I have gloried in thee when the world,
The brutal world mocked thee with taunt and sneer,
And one quick passing, visionary hour,
Past in thy high communion, when the stars
Were my companions and the moon my bride,
Hath been more precious to my soul than all
The pageantries of pride and show of art.
When cares have come upon me, and the woes
Of life grew darker on my tearful eye,
And hate and envy blackened my good name,
And the stern voice of strife assailed my ear
Blended with demon shouts, and I beheld
No friend among my unrelenting foes;—
When in the invisible night, alone—
Silence and solitude around—my heart
Hath bled and my soul sunk into despair,
I've turned to thee and found in thy sweet smile
A paradise, beyond the reach of worms,
Whose venom hath all qualities of hell
Save power to give it action; there I've dwelt
In loneliness and bliss, far from the noise
And din of the world's warring, wholly blest
In thy etherealizing look of love!
Oh, then descend, great Spirit! on me now
And light my bosom with empyreal fires!
Spring with her flowers and verdure and gay birds,
Soft-voiced and musical, and bright-blue skies,
And calm, transparent waters, smiles around,
And as I speak to thee, the silvering moon
Lights the green-foliaged hills that gently slope
Down to yon lovely bay, and on my brow
Shines like a mother's eye upon her child,
First-born, most loved; and from the lilac flowers,
Purple and fragrant, and the aspen trees
Fresh leaving, and the dark green dewy grass,
The susurrating airs, sweet-scented, come
Upon me, like the memory of youth.
Sure thou wilt come on such a night as this,
Spirit of Poesy! and from thy wings
Scatter the perfume of the skies on earth;
Thou wilt descend from thine aërial home,
And teach thy son, (unworthy all, but true,)
Knowledge of unseen worlds, and guide aright
The searchings of his too adventurous thought,
Free from the wiles and snares of disbelief,
Or sceptic question;—thou wilt mark his path
And note its errings manifold; thy smile
Will light his way, and thus he may advance
Onward to heaven in peace, unenvying all
The gaudy state and circumstance of man.
So thou wilt prove his minister of joy
And change the poisoned waters of fierce strife
And hate and envy into springs of love;
And when the portal of the skies expands
Before me, and death rends these bands of clay,
Thou, Holy Spirit! wilt await my steps,
And welcome home the wandering child of God!