Читать книгу The Lions' Gate and Other Verses - Lily Alice Cooke Lefevre - Страница 6

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Through dim cathedral shadows

A flood of music swells,

Now loud as thunder pealing,

Now sweet as silver bells;

Above each crimson casement,

Through fretted arch and shrine,

The mighty sound is rolling

In harmony divine.

“Credo in unum Deum!”

A single voice we hear

That rises through the chorus

Sustained and pure and clear;

Up through the purple twilight,

Above the organ’s tone,

It floats upon the music

As though it sang alone.

The world sweeps on forever

To Life’s great organ tones,

Earth’s myriad voices blending

Peal from its rolling zones;

Songs of exulting Science,

Pæans of progress won,

The low and muttering thunder

Of Labour’s march begun,—

Sighs of the heavy burdened,

Their cross by Faith unblessed,

And mad, despairing laughter

Wrung from the atheist’s breast;

Babble of giddy pleasure

That dances o’er the tomb,

And warning tones unheeded

That preach the hour of doom:

All sounds of woe and sorrow,

Rejoicings, clash of wars,

Meet in the mighty chorus

That rises to the stars.

Yet purer, sweeter, clearer,

One strain is borne above

The warrior’s shout of Freedom,

The Poet’s song of Love:

“Credo in unum Deum!”

It rises night and day

From countless holy altars,

From countless souls that pray.

Man’s spirit, earth disdaining,

In glorious vision soars

Where senses, sight, forgetting,

He knows, and he adores!

O voice of faith triumphant!

Still raise that great refrain,

Though Heaven seems far and empty

Through clouds of doubt and pain,—

O hearts that Death’s cold sceptre

Is touching one by one,

Sing on of life immortal

And joy beyond the sun!

When hushed Earth’s mighty music,

And mute her songs of pride,

When Wealth and Fame have vanished

With gods they glorified,—

“Credo in unum Deum!”

Shall sound when Darkness hurls

His bolt, eternal Silence,

Upon the wreck of worlds!