quote · Legacy record
Conscience, tremendous conscience, in his fits Of inspiration, whencesoe’er it came, Rose like a ghost, inflicting fear of death On those who feared not death in fiercest battle, And mocked him in their martyrdoms of torments; That secret, swift, and silent messenger, Broke on them in their lonely hours;—in sleep, In sickness; haunting them with dire suspicions Of something in themselves that would not die— Of an existence elsewhere, and hereafter; Of which tradition was not wholly silent, Yet spake not out; its dreary oracles Confounded superstition to conceive, And baffled scepticism to reject, What fear of death is like the fear beyond it?
Conscience, tremendous conscience, in his fits Of inspiration, whencesoe’er it came, Rose like a ghost, inflicting fear of death On those who feared not death in fiercest battle, And mocked him in their martyrdoms of torments; That secret, swift, and silent messenger, Broke on them in their lonely hours;—in sleep, In sickness; haunting them with dire suspicions Of something in themselves that would not die— Of an existence elsewhere, and hereafter; Of which tradition was not wholly silent, Yet spake not out; its dreary oracles Confounded superstition to conceive, And baffled scepticism to reject, What fear of death is like the fear beyond it?
In print by 1888 AD · industrial
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Meaning not yet available
An individual explanation has not yet been added. We do not substitute a generic description for an interpretation of these particular words.
Begin with source-checked readings and explanations ↗Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- J. Montgomery (identity unresolved)
Attribution: unknown - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1888 AD · industrial
In print by 1888: recorded in A Cyclopædia of Sacred Poetical Quotations (catalogued1888). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- A Cyclopædia of Sacred Poetical Quotations (catalogued1888) (1888 AD)
Page 142 · printed citation: J. Montgomery · subject: CONSCIENCE
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.