PROEM.

What is Death-Sin's son and heir?
Time, his kinsman, must declare!
What is Life? A Trinity-
Faith, and Hope, and Charity;
Wanting these, Life nothing were
But Death-Doubt, Selfhood, and Despair!
Love to Life its lustre gives;
Hope makes Death's dark visage shine;
The fire of both in Faith's heart lives,
And makes her mission thrice divine!
________________

RING OUT, my humble harp! Exalt
Faith, Hope, and Charity,
Who o'er the gloomy Gulf of Death
Have built a bridge for me.
As deepest draughts of sorrow prove
The source of sweetest song,
So darkest shades of doubt may serve
To make our faith more strong.
In early youth, Ambition bade
Me range the Realm of Mind;
With Reason for my guide, I left
Religion far behind.
The lovely land of Liberty,
Through which, our journey lay,
Inspired a wish to war with all
That stood in Freedom's way.
We foiled full many Fallacies
And routed mighty Wrongs,
To Cant and Custom 'gave the lie
'As deep as to the lungs,'
Blew up the forts of Ignorance,
Until at length we came
To Controversy's citadel,
Our birthright there to claim.
That province of Opinion,
Which Concord ought to rule,
Was governed by old Anarchy-
A heterogeneous fool!
Its atmosphere-a murky haze,
Through which all objects seemed
Not what they were, but what men wished-
With crude Chimeras teemed.
To free the lordly Intellect
From Superstition's sway,
My soul, like some proud battle-steed,
Stood panting for the fray.
Dark clouds of Persecution broke
In thunder o'er my head,
And Hate's infernal lightnings flashed
A fierce and fiery red.
At creeds and codes, at priests and kings,
My keenest curse I hurled;
With my unerring guide, I swore
To face the frowning world.
'Then,' softly said Self-Interest,
'Take Silence for thy friend;'
But Honesty exclaimed, 'Speak out,
'And Conscience will commend!'
Foreboding Prudence cried, 'Go back!
'Brook not the fatal frown
'Of Bigotry!' But Valour led,
Till Envy hissed me down.
Then Slander came, with serpent slime,
And smeared me o'er and o'er;
And Cowardice came forth to kick
My face while on the floor;
And Insolence applauded him,
Till Honour shouted, 'Shame!'
But Shame refused to show her face,
Or answer to her name.
Then Party-Zeal, and Enmity,
Out thundered, 'Victory!'
But from the dust my soul was raised
By mild Humility.
While foul Defeat was charging Chance
With his untimely birth,
Mild Mercy's heavenly countenance
Outshone the eyes of Mirth:
While Cruelty was cursing Luck,
And Wrong upbraiding Right,
Tired Strife with Peace a bargain struck,
Made Malice roar for Spite!
I bade farewell to Vanity,
But passionately pressed
Sincerity and Duty to
My overburdened breast.
Suspicion whispered in my ear,
'Young Man, your guide is blind!'
I looked, and lo! he had one eye,
But that was placed behind!
And, like Experience, he saw,
Not Cause, but Consequence-
Less fit to lead the heavenly Soul
Than serve the earthly Sense.
Remorse held up dark Sorrow's Cup,
And bade me deeply quaff,
When Scorn, with Pride close by his side,
Set up a sneering laugh.
Despair brought me a rusty sword,
And smiling, said, 'Be brave!
'Take leave of Life-there's nought but Fear
'Between thee and the Grave!
'As years increase, Joy's fountains cease
'To flow! Whate'er fools deem,
'Yon Eden-robe which wraps the globe
'Is but Youth's golden dream!
'Why in the House of Discontent
'Wilt thou remain a guest,
'And press the burning Bed of Pain,
'When here thou might'st meet Rest?'
Down to the wormy Vault of Death
I would have gone with Gladness,
Rather than meet a fiend I saw,
And feared-his name was Madness!
A band of ruffians seized me then;
I knew not what to do,
For each one cried, 'I am thy guide!'
And looked like Reason too.
Like some tall ship, which Tempest hath
Dismasted and unhelmed,
My fainting soul by fighting Facts
Was blinded and o'erwhelmed:
As if the sea of Night should burst
The golden banks of Day,
Truth's sun went out, yet Thought's blind world
Went darkling on its way;
The Earth grew dark as Erebus,
And Heaven, without its God,
Seemed but an Eidolon of Earth-
Wild Fancy's weird abode!
While through the dusty Realm of Doubt
My spirit-robes were trailed,
The Muse held up the Lamp of Love,
But Reason's rushlight failed.
To Faery halls of Poesy
For succour soon I fled,
And crossed her burning threshold, by
Three unseen Angels led;
And there a-swoon, till Wonder's moon
Had waned, and Will seemed dead,
In the arms of Awe I lay, nor saw,
Nor heard, till o'er my head
Shone a crown as bright as the arrowy light
That wreathes the ebon brow
Of that Phantom-Queen of Shade and Sheen,
Called Night by men below!
I felt that Faith was with me, though
I might not see her face,
Nor look upon those lineaments
Of more than mortal grace.
Anon, her sister Hope exclaimed,
'Sweet Spirit, fear no ill!'
I groped-and grasped the Hand of God-
And both were with me still.
Then came their kinsmate Charity,
That Angel of the Earth,
And touched my heart, and all grew bright-
The World bloomed as at birth!
And when my soul waxed strong and whole,
My harp rang out this theme
'This Eden-robe that girds the globe
'Is not a glittering dream!'
Faith said, 'We Three have rescued thee
'From that ferocious band
'Of Phantoms bold and Thoughts death-cold
'That revel in Doubt's dark land;
'And placed thee here in Beauty's Sphere,
'Where Love and Light preside,
'To prosper long in the Land of Song,
'And make the Muse thy bride!
'Here diamond seas and golden sands,
'Star-flowers on emerald sod,
'And sapphire sky, sunned by His Eye,
'Glow redolent of God!
'Let earthly Wisdom worship at
'Religion's heavenly shrine,
'Let men see darkness in their souls,
'And God's light there shall shine!'
'Tis thus Faith, Hope, and Charity,
Through Passion's blinding haze,
From Folly's fane have led me forth
To walk in Wisdom's ways.
Then let my lays be loud in praise
Of Life's blest Trinity,
For pointing out the light-paved path
Of Paradise to me!
Let those bright Three for ever be
The burden of my rhyme,
Until the fatal Sisters sing
The funeral ode of Time!