Page:The West Indies, and Other Poems.djvu/148
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All hail!—The Sire of Song appears,
The Muse's eldest born;
The sky-lark in the dawn of years,
The poet of the morn.
The Muse's eldest born;
The sky-lark in the dawn of years,
The poet of the morn.
He from the depth of cavern'd woods,
That echoed to his voice,
Bade mountains, valleys, winds, and floods,
And earth and heaven rejoice.
That echoed to his voice,
Bade mountains, valleys, winds, and floods,
And earth and heaven rejoice.
Though charm'd to meekness while he sung,
The wild beasts round him ran,
This was the triumph of his tongue,—
It tamed the heart of man.
The wild beasts round him ran,
This was the triumph of his tongue,—
It tamed the heart of man.
Dim through the mist of twilight times
The ghost of Cyrus walks;
Behind him, red with glorious crimes,
The son of Ammon stalks.
The ghost of Cyrus walks;
Behind him, red with glorious crimes,
The son of Ammon stalks.