| SUBLIME—invention ever young, | |
| Of vast conception, tow'ring tongue | |
| To God th' eternal theme; | |
| Notes from yon exaltations caught, | |
| Unrivall'd royalty of thought | 5 |
| O'er meaner strains supreme. | |
| |
| His muse, bright angel of his verse, | |
| Gives balm for all the thorns that pierce, | |
| For all the pangs that rage; | |
| Blest light still gaining on the gloom, | 10 |
| The more than Michal of his bloom, | |
| Th' Abishag of his age. | |
| |
| He sang of God—the mighty source | |
| Of all things—the stupendous force | |
| On which all strength depends; | 15 |
| From whose right arm, beneath whose eyes, | |
| All period, power, and enterprise | |
| Commences, reigns, and ends. | |
| |
| Tell them, I AM, Jehovah said | |
| To Moses; while earth heard in dread, | 20 |
| And, smitten to the heart, | |
| At once above, beneath, around, | |
| All Nature, without voice or sound, | |
| Replied, O LORD, THOU ART. | |
| |
| The world, the clustering spheres, He made; | 25 |
| The glorious light, the soothing shade, | |
| Dale, champaign, grove, and hill; | |
| The multitudinous abyss, | |
| Where Secrecy remains in bliss, | |
| And Wisdom hides her skill. | 30 |
| |
| The pillars of the Lord are seven, | |
| Which stand from earth to topmost heaven; | |
| His Wisdom drew the plan; | |
| His Word accomplish'd the design, | |
| From brightest gem to deepest mine; | 35 |
| From Christ enthroned, to Man. | |
| |
| For Adoration all the ranks | |
| Of Angels yield eternal thanks, | |
| And David in the midst; | |
| With God's good poor, which, last and least | 40 |
| In man's esteem, Thou to Thy feast, | |
| O blessèd Bridegroom, bidd'st! | |
| |
| For Adoration, David's Psalms | |
| Lift up the heart to deeds of alms; | |
| And he, who kneels and chants, | 45 |
| Prevails his passions to control, | |
| Finds meat and medicine to the soul, | |
| Which for translation pants. | |
| |
| For Adoration, in the dome | |
| Of Christ, the sparrows find a home, | 50 |
| And on His olives perch: | |
| The swallow also dwells with thee, | |
| O man of God's humility, | |
| Within his Saviour's church. | |
| |
| Sweet is the dew that falls betimes, | 55 |
| And drops upon the leafy limes; | |
| Sweet Hermon's fragrant air: | |
| Sweet is the lily's silver bell, | |
| And sweet the wakeful tapers' smell | |
| That watch for early prayer. | 60 |
| |
| Sweet the young nurse, with love intense, | |
| Which smiles o'er sleeping innocence; | |
| Sweet, when the lost arrive: | |
| Sweet the musician's ardour beats, | |
| While his vague mind's in quest of sweets, | 65 |
| The choicest flowers to hive. | |
| |
| Strong is the horse upon his speed; | |
| Strong in pursuit the rapid glede, | |
| Which makes at once his game: | |
| Strong the tall ostrich on the ground; | 70 |
| Strong through the turbulent profound | |
| Shoots Xiphias to his aim. | |
| |
| Strong is the lion—like a coal | |
| His eyeball,—like a bastion's mole | |
| His chest against the foes: | 75 |
| Strong, the gier-eagle on his sail; | |
| Strong against tide th' enormous whale | |
| Emerges as he goes. | |
| |
| But stronger still, in earth and air, | |
| And in the sea, the man of prayer, | 80 |
| And far beneath the tide: | |
| And in the seat to faith assign'd, | |
| Where ask is have, where seek is find, | |
| Where knock is open wide. | |
| |
| Precious the penitential tear; | 85 |
| And precious is the sigh sincere, | |
| Acceptable to God: | |
| And precious are the winning flowers, | |
| In gladsome Israel's feast of bowers | |
| Bound on the hallow'd sod. | 90 |
| |
| Glorious the sun in mid career; | |
| Glorious th' assembled fires appear; | |
| Glorious the comet's train: | |
| Glorious the trumpet and alarm; | |
| Glorious the Almighty's stretched-out arm; | 95 |
| Glorious th' enraptured main: | |
| |
| Glorious the northern lights astream; | |
| Glorious the song, when God 's the theme; | |
| Glorious the thunder's roar: | |
| Glorious Hosanna from the den; | 100 |
| Glorious the catholic Amen; | |
| Glorious the martyr's gore: | |
| |
| Glorious—more glorious—is the crown | |
| Of Him that brought salvation down, | |
| By meekness call'd thy Son: | 105 |
| Thou that stupendous truth believed;— | |
| And now the matchless deed 's achieved, | |
| Determined, dared, and done! | |
