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THOU glory of a thousand kings, | |
Proud daughter of the East! | |
That dwellest as on sea-birds wings, | |
Upon Euphrates breast; | |
As lofty as thy pride of old, | 5 |
So deep shall be thy doom; | |
Thy wealth is fled, thy days are told, | |
Awake! thine end is come! | |
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A sound of war is in the lands! | |
A sword is on thy host! | 10 |
Thy princes and their mighty bands | |
The Lord shall mock their boast! | |
His Hand has reind the rushing steed, | |
And quelld the rage of war; | |
Shall stay the flying lances speed | 15 |
And burn the whirling car. | |
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Set ye the standard in the lands; | |
The Lord of Hosts hath said, | |
Bid trumpets rouse the distant bands | |
Of Persia and the Mede; | 20 |
The bucklers bring, make bright the dart, | |
I lead thee forth to war, | |
To burst the gates of brass apart | |
And break the iron bar! | |
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The spoilers hand is come upon | 25 |
Thy valiant men of might, | |
Their lion hearts, proud Babylon, | |
Have failed thee in the fight; | |
Thy cities are all desolate, | |
Thy lofty gates shall fall, | 30 |
The hand that wrought Gomorrahs fate | |
Shall crush thy mighty wall. | |
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The shepherd shall not fold his flocks | |
Upon the desert plain, | |
But, lurking in thy cavernd rocks, | 35 |
The forest beast shall reign. | |
Fair Babylon, Lost Babylon! | |
Sit in the dust and mourn, | |
Hurled headlong from thy lofty throne | |
Forgotten and forlorn! | 40 |
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