Queen Berengaria's Courtesy, and Other Poems By the Lady E. Stuart Wortley. In Three Vols |
 | I, II, III. |
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THE LIGHTNINGS. |
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 | Queen Berengaria's Courtesy, and Other Poems |  |
THE LIGHTNINGS.
The Lightnings!—Oh! the Lightnings!—
A thousand Heavens they make—
They break up with their brightenings
Th'arched Heavens that heave and quake.
A thousand Heavens they make—
They break up with their brightenings
Th'arched Heavens that heave and quake.
Th' arched Heavens that blaze around,
By their burning shares up ploughed—
Where before deep shadows frowned,
And the darkness of the cloud!
By their burning shares up ploughed—
Where before deep shadows frowned,
And the darkness of the cloud!
2
Are they come to show us now
Those Worlds in Beauty bright,
Which the Sun may ne'er allow
To shine forth beside his light!
Those Worlds in Beauty bright,
Which the Sun may ne'er allow
To shine forth beside his light!
Are they come indeed to show
Those fair Worlds in their own forms,
Which we faintly trace below—
These the winged Suns of the Storms?
Those fair Worlds in their own forms,
Which we faintly trace below—
These the winged Suns of the Storms?
Worlds, which Darkness doth invest
With too much of troubling Light,
When they sparkle on the breast
Of the purple shadowy Night.
With too much of troubling Light,
When they sparkle on the breast
Of the purple shadowy Night.
Since too strongly still relieved,
'Mid those mighty depths of gloom,
Thence keen powers have they received—
Thence strange splendours they assume.
'Mid those mighty depths of gloom,
Thence keen powers have they received—
Thence strange splendours they assume.
3
A confusion of quick rays
Then the unsteady sight doth storm,
In the beauty and the blaze—
Seems thus lost the frame and form.
Then the unsteady sight doth storm,
In the beauty and the blaze—
Seems thus lost the frame and form.
Nor thou, Sun!—nor thou, Oh! Night!
May those glorious worlds reveal!—
Or not at all—or not aright—
Ye confuse them or conceal!
May those glorious worlds reveal!—
Or not at all—or not aright—
Ye confuse them or conceal!
Oh! bright orbs—immortal shrines,
Shall ye ne'er be clearly shown?
Whether sinks the Sun or shines,
Lost in his Light—or your own!
Shall ye ne'er be clearly shown?
Whether sinks the Sun or shines,
Lost in his Light—or your own!
But the Lightnings—but the Lightnings,
With their pale and mystic glow,
With their sudden-kindling brightenings
May they serve to illume and show?
With their pale and mystic glow,
With their sudden-kindling brightenings
May they serve to illume and show?
4
With their quick uncertain gleam,
Wild and spiritual and strange,
Like the light we see in dream,
That doth ever fleet and change.
Wild and spiritual and strange,
Like the light we see in dream,
That doth ever fleet and change.
With their phantom splendours pale—
Not intense like Sunshine's blaze—
May they gloriously avail
To display these to our gaze!
Not intense like Sunshine's blaze—
May they gloriously avail
To display these to our gaze!
No!—since though they seem from far,
'Tis too near they take their birth—
When compared with severed Star—
They might well seem born of Earth!
'Tis too near they take their birth—
When compared with severed Star—
They might well seem born of Earth!
They may serve not thus to bare
Those dread mysteries—proudly wrought—
Ye flash only brightening there,
Lightnings born of deathless Thought!
Those dread mysteries—proudly wrought—
Ye flash only brightening there,
Lightnings born of deathless Thought!
5
Ye can only, strong in sway,
These reveal—still faintly shown,
Since 'midst all that ye display,
How much more remains unknown!
These reveal—still faintly shown,
Since 'midst all that ye display,
How much more remains unknown!
Lightning-Lights of sceptred Thought,
Ye can only there prevail!
Yet—though oft with triumphs fraught,
Must ye not far oftener fail?
Ye can only there prevail!
Yet—though oft with triumphs fraught,
Must ye not far oftener fail?
Oh! Creation widening grows
Round your path the more ye soar—
Every step ye take but shows
A bright Universe the more!
Round your path the more ye soar—
Every step ye take but shows
A bright Universe the more!
When the highest of the heights
Appeareth to be won,
Thickening crowd those Sovereign Lights,
Till Space blazes to a Sun!
Appeareth to be won,
Thickening crowd those Sovereign Lights,
Till Space blazes to a Sun!
6
And the Lightnings—Lo! the Lightnings
Though a thousand Heavens they form,
They can fling not their faint brightenings
O'er those Suns that 'midst them swarm!
Though a thousand Heavens they form,
They can fling not their faint brightenings
O'er those Suns that 'midst them swarm!
Worlds above!—these surely fail
To make your dread wonders known,
But they beamingly unveil
Many wonders of our own!
To make your dread wonders known,
But they beamingly unveil
Many wonders of our own!
Oh! all marvellous are they,
Those mysterious laws profound,
Which with certain influence sway
The ambient atmosphere around.
Those mysterious laws profound,
Which with certain influence sway
The ambient atmosphere around.
Lo! all the elements confess
One o'erruling guiding Hand,
Which doth still on each impress
The awful signs of its command.
One o'erruling guiding Hand,
Which doth still on each impress
The awful signs of its command.
7
And the rushing winds and rains
Know their part, their place, their path,
They are bound by viewless chains—
Each its fixed commission hath!
Know their part, their place, their path,
They are bound by viewless chains—
Each its fixed commission hath!
And the Lightnings wild and free,
Know their lesson and their law—
They too, still obedient—flee—
As with curb of conscious awe!
Know their lesson and their law—
They too, still obedient—flee—
As with curb of conscious awe!
Through their dazzling devious way—
When they leave their cloud-girt nest,
Well they know and well obey
One irresistible behest!
When they leave their cloud-girt nest,
Well they know and well obey
One irresistible behest!
Every wild uncertain gleam
Of their wild uncertain light—
Keen forked tongue and sheeted stream
Are controulled by guiding might!
Of their wild uncertain light—
Keen forked tongue and sheeted stream
Are controulled by guiding might!
8
And the Lightnings as they range,
And the Thunders as they roll,
Still confess, through every change,
The Incomprehensible Controul!
And the Thunders as they roll,
Still confess, through every change,
The Incomprehensible Controul!
Lo! the Lightnings!—Lo! the Lightnings!—
Ten thousand Heavens they form,
With Division's troublous heigthenings
In the footsteps of the storm!
Ten thousand Heavens they form,
With Division's troublous heigthenings
In the footsteps of the storm!
The great Firmament was one!—
Then all multiplied it spreads—
Lit by that wild Lightning-Sun
Which a Spirit-splendour sheds!
Then all multiplied it spreads—
Lit by that wild Lightning-Sun
Which a Spirit-splendour sheds!
The great Firmaments become
Then a myriad and yet more—
Dome seems built up beyond dome—
Floor seems stretched out after floor!
Then a myriad and yet more—
Dome seems built up beyond dome—
Floor seems stretched out after floor!
9
'Tis a glorious, glorious scene,
Yet a fearful, and a dread,
Bright Heavens—dark Heavens between,
Spreads the riven vault overhead!
Yet a fearful, and a dread,
Bright Heavens—dark Heavens between,
Spreads the riven vault overhead!
Lo! the Lightnings take the place
Of the immortal Worlds of Light—
And they fill the unbounded space,
And they fire the o'ershadowing Night!
Of the immortal Worlds of Light—
And they fill the unbounded space,
And they fire the o'ershadowing Night!
They light not the eternal Stars,
But eclipse them with their blaze,
While the storm's cloud-bannered wars
Shake the Earth with sore amaze!
But eclipse them with their blaze,
While the storm's cloud-bannered wars
Shake the Earth with sore amaze!
Brief is still their race and reign,
But while last that reign—that race—
How they blaze out chain by chain—
How they live from space to space!
But while last that reign—that race—
How they blaze out chain by chain—
How they live from space to space!
10
How they look out from what seems
The great Sun's dim empty throne!
As they ev'n eclipsed his beams
With the wild glare of their own!
The great Sun's dim empty throne!
As they ev'n eclipsed his beams
With the wild glare of their own!
Nature—Mighty Nature starts
At that strange and sudden glare,
As they pierced her heart of hearts,
Through the Earth, and through the Air!
At that strange and sudden glare,
As they pierced her heart of hearts,
Through the Earth, and through the Air!
And the Lightnings—Oh! the Lightnings!
Ten thousand Heavens they frame—
Through their hurrying restless heightenings—
With their glorious wands of flame!
Ten thousand Heavens they frame—
Through their hurrying restless heightenings—
With their glorious wands of flame!
| Queen Berengaria's Courtesy, and Other Poems | |