| Hunt and Lee, comps. The Book of the Sonnet. 1867. | | | | III. A Prophecy | | By Thomas Wade (1805–1875) |
| | | THERE is a mighty dawning on the earth | |
| Of human glory; dreams unknown before | |
| Fill the mind’s boundless world, and wondrous birth | |
| Is given to great thought; and deep-drawn lore, | |
| But late a hidden fount, at which a few | 5 |
| Quaffed and were glad, is now a flowing river, | |
| Which the parched nations may approach and view, | |
| Kneel down and drink, or float on it forever; | |
| The bonds of spirit are asunder broken, | |
| And matter makes a very sport of distance; | 10 |
| On every side appears a silent token | |
| Of what will be hereafter, when existence | |
| Shall even become a pure and equal thing, | |
| And earth sweep high as heaven, on solemn wing. | | | | |
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