quote · Legacy record
There are wondrous things on the aged earth; ’tis speeding to its close; From the very heart of the prosperous world the prophet-thunder grows; And as this sphere whirls round and round upon its endless way, And as the laws of the universe from their boundless centres sway, From the everlasting hills of heaven look down a seraph-race, And gaze upon the mighty change that speaks aloud through space: With joy they hymn the Eternal, in whose embrace they live, And strike the harp to him who loves to pity and forgive. Stands the archangel Lucifer on a stormy planet near, And the hollow sound of his mighty voice fills many worlds with fear; “Vain earth,” he said, “thy pigmy lords may strive from thee to rise, May gasp their hopes in frequent verse, they half philosophize, Build temples to the monarch steam, be victors o’er the sea— Their pride, their power shall disappear at one dark glance from me! O for the fierce wild rapture of that fast approaching day, When man and his brief dwelling in the storm are swept away.” Far in the centre of all space burns the eternal throne, Where God, unseen, ineffable, dwells in his light alone. “My Son,” the one existence saith, “earth speeds its course to thee, And soon beneath thy rule of love its kingdoms shall be free. The demons dream of fury, of swift, consuming fire, Dream that the spirit of the Lord is stern resentful ire: But the whole universe shall know that mercy is divine— Beloved Son! Men, angels, friends, for evermore are thine.”
There are wondrous things on the aged earth; ’tis speeding to its close; From the very heart of the prosperous world the prophet-thunder grows; And as this sphere whirls round and round upon its endless way, And as the laws of the universe from their boundless centres sway, From the everlasting hills of heaven look down a seraph-race, And gaze upon the mighty change that speaks aloud through space: With joy they hymn the Eternal, in whose embrace they live, And strike the harp to him who loves to pity and forgive. Stands the archangel Lucifer on a stormy planet near, And the hollow sound of his mighty voice fills many worlds with fear; “Vain earth,” he said, “thy pigmy lords may strive from thee to rise, May gasp their hopes in frequent verse, they half philosophize, Build temples to the monarch steam, be victors o’er the sea— Their pride, their power shall disappear at one dark glance from me! O for the fierce wild rapture of that fast approaching day, When man and his brief dwelling in the storm are swept away.” Far in the centre of all space burns the eternal throne, Where God, unseen, ineffable, dwells in his light alone. “My Son,” the one existence saith, “earth speeds its course to thee, And soon beneath thy rule of love its kingdoms shall be free. The demons dream of fury, of swift, consuming fire, Dream that the spirit of the Lord is stern resentful ire: But the whole universe shall know that mercy is divine— Beloved Son! Men, angels, friends, for evermore are thine.”
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
- Carrera (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 195 · printed citation: Carrera · subject: EARTH
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.