 | Studies from the Antique and Sketches from Nature |  |
50
THE VESTAL FIRE EXTINGUISHED.
Oh weep ye and lament, for woe is on us!
Unutterable woe and guilty shame;
The gods withdraw their faces from our altars:
Our high name
Is scorned and made a mockery of the nations!
The fire is quenched—the old immortal fire
That pointed skyward, pledge of our devotion
And high desire,
Hath left us for its Heavenly home,
And we in darkness roam
Round its cold ashes, cursed of gods and men,
Until by tears and blood we light it up again.
Unutterable woe and guilty shame;
The gods withdraw their faces from our altars:
Our high name
Is scorned and made a mockery of the nations!
The fire is quenched—the old immortal fire
That pointed skyward, pledge of our devotion
And high desire,
Hath left us for its Heavenly home,
And we in darkness roam
Round its cold ashes, cursed of gods and men,
Until by tears and blood we light it up again.
51
Oh weep ye and lament! The desolation
Covers the land.
No longer courage animates men's bosoms:
No longer strength abides in the right hand;
No longer love dwells in the eyes of woman,
Or virtue in the soul of priest or king,
Or hope in poor men's hearts, or children's fancies.
There is a blight on every living thing,
And shall be, till we re-illume
The light amid the gloom—
The holy, holy, ever holy flame,
Pure as the Heaven of Heavens from whence it came.
Covers the land.
No longer courage animates men's bosoms:
No longer strength abides in the right hand;
No longer love dwells in the eyes of woman,
Or virtue in the soul of priest or king,
Or hope in poor men's hearts, or children's fancies.
There is a blight on every living thing,
And shall be, till we re-illume
The light amid the gloom—
The holy, holy, ever holy flame,
Pure as the Heaven of Heavens from whence it came.
Weep and lament in anguish of contrition!
Let the unhappy maid
Whom the gods chose to bring this misery on us,
Come forth, arrayed
In her white garments, veiled from mortal vision,
To meet the doom that gods and men deeree;
And let the multitude from night to morrow
Bend the remorseful knee
In the dark temples, moaning all night long,
As the sea moaneth when the storms are strong;
And weep, and rave, and pray
That the sharp agony may pass away.
Let the unhappy maid
Whom the gods chose to bring this misery on us,
Come forth, arrayed
In her white garments, veiled from mortal vision,
To meet the doom that gods and men deeree;
And let the multitude from night to morrow
Bend the remorseful knee
52
As the sea moaneth when the storms are strong;
And weep, and rave, and pray
That the sharp agony may pass away.
Mourn and lament, upon your knees and faces!
There must be sacrifice for evil done.
Mourn and lament! Until this shame pass over
We scandalise the sun,
And are unworthy of his beams to ripen
The corn, the olive, or the vine;
Unworthy of the breath we breathe,
Or any other gift of love divine.
Kneel King and people! Kneel down lowly!
And pray for light, the holy ever holy!
There must be sacrifice for evil done.
Mourn and lament! Until this shame pass over
We scandalise the sun,
And are unworthy of his beams to ripen
The corn, the olive, or the vine;
Unworthy of the breath we breathe,
Or any other gift of love divine.
Kneel King and people! Kneel down lowly!
And pray for light, the holy ever holy!
Kneel down! kneel down! and strew your heads with ashes!
Gird sackcloth on your limbs;
And let your choral chants be turned to weeping
And penitential hymns,
Until the gods take pity on our sorrow,
And give us back in pain
The gift we scorned, or knew not how to cherish,
In the glad days that may not come again.
Gird sackcloth on your limbs;
And let your choral chants be turned to weeping
And penitential hymns,
53
And give us back in pain
The gift we scorned, or knew not how to cherish,
In the glad days that may not come again.
Light! Light! It burns! It glitters up to heaven!
The blood is shed;
The flame hath spread!
Rejoice ye people! shout for joy! Light! light! we are forgiven!
The blood is shed;
The flame hath spread!
Rejoice ye people! shout for joy! Light! light! we are forgiven!
| Studies from the Antique and Sketches from Nature | |