Page:Poems - Southey (1799) volume 2.djvu/66

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.

54

The paley glow-worm's self-created light,And argue thence of kingdoms overthrown,And desolated nations; ever fill'dWith undetermin'd terror, as she heardOr distant screech-owl, or the regular beatOf evening death-watch."Maid," the Spirit cried,Here, robed in shadows, dwells Futurity.There is no eye hath seen her secret form,For round the Mother of Time, unpierced mistsAye hover. Would'st thou read the book of Fate,Enter."The Damsel for a moment paus'd,Then to the Angel spake: "All-gracious Heaven!Benignant in withholding, hath deniedTo man that knowledge. I, in faith assured,That he, my heavenly Father, for the bestOrdaineth all things, in that faith remainContented.""Well and wisely hast thou said,
This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.