ST. PAUL AT PHILIPPI.

... τὰ δοκηθέντ ̓ οὐκ ἐτελέσθη, τῶν δ' ἀδοκήτων πόρον εὗρε Θεός.

τοιόνδ' ἀπέβη τόδε πρᾶγμα. .

EURIP.

PART I.

THE VISION.

I.

MIDNIGHT!-the Moon hath climbed the steep,

And looks o'er Ida's hill;

Tracking in light the mazy sweep

Of Simoïs' slender rill:

And from the mountains to the deep,

All fragrant in its dewy sleep,

The Troad's plain is still!

The Troad!'-Time and Change have sped,

Her pride and power have vanished,

Like sunset splendour fleeting!

Nought now is left her but the river

That dances on as blythe as ever,

And lofty Ida's summits hoar,

And the great sea's eternal roar,

Advancing or retreating,

That seems, as on the car afar,

It falls so deep and regular,

The pulse of Nature beating.

II.

But Time and Change may wreak their worst!

And still, all freshly as at first,

The blind old harper's spells of power

A glorious and immortal dower—

To yon proud clime belong!

And first must sink dark Ida's hill,
Rush upward to its fount the rill,
Old Ocean's mighty pulse be still,

Ere pilgrim, as he wanders by,

Shall slight with cold or careless eye
The land of war and song.

III.

Not mindless 3 of the lore that erst

The visions of his boyhood nursed,—

Not mindless of the charm that lies

In old romantic histories,

The charm that, while the minstrel's strain

Woke memory of the past again,

And breathed wild Scio's rocks among

The music of Ionian song,

In tranced and mute attention held

The hero and the sage of eld,

Was he who wandered forth to try

The quiet of that midnight sky,

And mark its planets shine,

And the sweet moonlight o'er the sea,

That slept beneath so tranquilly,

It's chain of silver twine,

The man whose loved and honoured name

May save, if aught can save from shame,

-

This lowly lay of mine.

IV.

A warrior he!-but not like those

Whose bones along that shore repose;

Wild men, whose savage mood

Held foremost of their stormy joys

The battle of confused noise

And garments rolled in blood:

He fought-but silently and lone:

A viewless shield 5 was o'er him thrown;

A viewless helmet fenced his head;

No blow was struck!-no blood was shed!

And yet, in deadly fight,

The soldier of the cross prevailed

O'er mightier foe than ever quailed

To mortal skill or might!

V.

In childhood and in youth the same,
Small zest had he for glee or game;
And Pleasure's soft and syren call
Passed powerless o'er the mind of Paul.
Not that the youthful sage's mind
Abjured communion with his kind;
Howe'er he shunned the common crowd,

He friendship's sacred claim allowed :
But most at midnight's silent hour,

When spirits of the dead have power

Upon the lonely man,

And whisper strange and solemn things,

And prompt to high imaginings,

And the young fancy's wild harp-strings

With shadowy fingers span,—

He loved, in converse uncontrolled,

To commune with the great of old ;—

To dream over Isaiah's song,

And think that time must bring ere long

The promised boon of Heaven;