The Collected Poems of Lord De Tabley [i.e. J. B. L. Warren] |
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| I. |
| II. |
| III. |
| IV. |
| V. |
| VI. |
| VII. |
| VIII. |
| IX. |
| X. |
| XI. |
| XII. |
| XIII. |
| XIV. |
| XV. |
| XVI. |
AT THE COUNCIL |
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 | The Collected Poems of Lord De Tabley |  |
AT THE COUNCIL
I stood to-day in that great square of fountains;
And heard the cannons of St. Angelo
In many echoes towards the Alban mountains
Boom over Tiber's flow.
And heard the cannons of St. Angelo
In many echoes towards the Alban mountains
Boom over Tiber's flow.
I saw the nations throng thy burnished spaces,
Cathedral of the universe and Rome;
One purpose held those earnest upturned faces
Under the golden dome.
Cathedral of the universe and Rome;
One purpose held those earnest upturned faces
Under the golden dome.
Tumult of light rolled on that human ocean
Climax of sound replied in organ storms;
And shook those altar Titans into motion,
Bernini's windy forms.
Climax of sound replied in organ storms;
And shook those altar Titans into motion,
Bernini's windy forms.
They seemed to toss their giant arms appealing
Where Angelo with mighty hand has striven
To paint his angels on an earthly ceiling
Grander than those of heaven.
Where Angelo with mighty hand has striven
To paint his angels on an earthly ceiling
Grander than those of heaven.
Mid-air among the columns seemed to hover
Incense in clouds above that living tide.
Whence are these come, who tread thy courts, Jehovah,
In raiment deep and dyed?
Incense in clouds above that living tide.
Whence are these come, who tread thy courts, Jehovah,
In raiment deep and dyed?
“We are gathered thine elect among all races;
As at God's birth with Magian kings, afar
Thy whisper found us in our desert places,
Where we beheld thy star,
As at God's birth with Magian kings, afar
Thy whisper found us in our desert places,
Where we beheld thy star,
81
“Ninth Piety of Rome; with whom the keys are,
Regent to hold God's house, to feed his flock
Where Cæsar ruled; and thou, supplanting Cæsar,
Art firm on Peter's rock.
Regent to hold God's house, to feed his flock
Where Cæsar ruled; and thou, supplanting Cæsar,
Art firm on Peter's rock.
“Nicæa's thunders yet are fresh as morning
Beams in whose light the church has gone and goes,
To-day Nicæa peals in Rome her warning;
Pontiff, to curse thy foes
Beams in whose light the church has gone and goes,
To-day Nicæa peals in Rome her warning;
Pontiff, to curse thy foes
“We come, Armenia, Gaul, Missouri, Britain;
The chosen of the chosen priests are there.
To all men hath gone out his mandate written,
Who fills St. Peter's chair.
The chosen of the chosen priests are there.
To all men hath gone out his mandate written,
Who fills St. Peter's chair.
“Grey heads have waves Atlantic wafted scathless,
Weak feet have toiled o'er Libyan hills in fear,
Old Bishops from the regions of the faithless
Have crept on crutches here.
Weak feet have toiled o'er Libyan hills in fear,
Old Bishops from the regions of the faithless
Have crept on crutches here.
“To far Canadian meres of ice-bound silence,
To cities lost in continents of sand,
To shoaling belts around Pacific islands,
The Pontiff raised his hand.
To cities lost in continents of sand,
To shoaling belts around Pacific islands,
The Pontiff raised his hand.
“Then with one mind they came, the Bishop leaders,
The outpost Captains of the Church at fight,
From uplands clothed with Lebanonian cedars,
From realms of Arctic night;—
The outpost Captains of the Church at fight,
From uplands clothed with Lebanonian cedars,
From realms of Arctic night;—
“Lo, we are ready at thy summons, father;
Loose and we loosen, bind and we will bind.
The conclave princes at thy blast shall gather
As red leaves after wind.
Loose and we loosen, bind and we will bind.
The conclave princes at thy blast shall gather
As red leaves after wind.
“Thunder the doctrine of this last evangel,
Clear as the note of doom its accents sound!
While men regard thine aspect, as an angel
In the sun's orb and crowned!
Clear as the note of doom its accents sound!
While men regard thine aspect, as an angel
In the sun's orb and crowned!
“At thy reproof let nations quail in terror,
And tremble at the pealing of thy word,
For God has made thy mouth his own, and error
In thy voice is not heard.
And tremble at the pealing of thy word,
For God has made thy mouth his own, and error
In thy voice is not heard.
82
“Let all be doomed on whom thy curses thunder,
Let none be righteous whom thou dost withstand;
The priesthood of a word we kneel in wonder,
And kiss thy sacred hand.”
Let none be righteous whom thou dost withstand;
The priesthood of a word we kneel in wonder,
And kiss thy sacred hand.”
“Hear, shade of Calvin, ghost of Luther, hearken,
Ye renegades of northern yesterday;
Infidel bones, which years of silence darken,
Turn to salute our ray!
Ye renegades of northern yesterday;
Infidel bones, which years of silence darken,
Turn to salute our ray!
“Leave vain philosophies, old dreamer Teuton,
Great drowsy fly in webs of logic weak;
We silenced Galileo, menaced Newton,
And Darwin shall not speak.
Great drowsy fly in webs of logic weak;
We silenced Galileo, menaced Newton,
And Darwin shall not speak.
“Behold a sign, ye sceptic sons of evil,
The dogma; raising which, as Michael, brave
Our pope, confront their scientific Devil
Over each unclosed grave;
The dogma; raising which, as Michael, brave
Our pope, confront their scientific Devil
Over each unclosed grave;
“Till Death and Doubt be thy tame sheep, O pastor,
Pontiff of souls and vicar of God's choice,—
Infallible; in whom the spirit-master
Hath breathed his spirit voice,—
Pontiff of souls and vicar of God's choice,—
Infallible; in whom the spirit-master
Hath breathed his spirit voice,—
“Explain our Faith! All faithful hear thy mandate,
Emperors watch in dread our world debate;
Thy fear is on all peoples!” (but the bandit,
Who plunders at thy gate.)
Emperors watch in dread our world debate;
Thy fear is on all peoples!” (but the bandit,
Who plunders at thy gate.)
Rome, November, 1869.
| The Collected Poems of Lord De Tabley | |