And then where Nilus dipped his feet By Egypt sands, rose temples tall To Isis and Osiris—Ptah— And many a God foredoomed to fall; Where sank the shades of Pharaoh’s reign? Whence have they vanished, one and all? IV But whiles to other years advanced And now by cosmic marvels won, Men sought remote Pelagian shores Where breeze and spray their tapestry spun, To wait the coming of the day And there adore the rising sun. V This passed; the Gods of Greece and Rome In splendor thronged the earth and skies; Jove, with the thunders in his hand Apollo of the star-lit eyes, Aurora, Priestess of the Dawn And Pan of haunting melodies,— VI And countless more; their temples fair Where reverent Pagans curved the knee, Mid sweet, perpetual summer stood While murmured as the murmuring bee, The lulling sweep of listless brine Beside the green Ægean sea. VII And merged in island-wooded calms By towering groves of ancient oak, where Triton’s charging cavalry Against the cliffs of Britain broke, With horrid rite of human blood The Celtic Druids moved and spoke. VIII Still wheeled the cycles; still did men With new religions make them wise; Mahomet rose magnificent As rainbow in the eastern skies; With Seven Heavens of Koran taught And Houris with the sloe-black eyes. IX Brahm, Baal, Dagon, Moloch, Thor, And legions more had long sufficed; Heavens in turn with bliss diverse And Hells with ebon glaciers iced; And latest on celestial scrolls The prophets wrote the name of Christ. X We need them not; No! each and all Will load Tradition’s dusty shelf; As shattered Idols, put away To lie forgot like broken delf; Humanity is over all! And Man’s redemption in himself. *FOUR* I The morning stars together sang So runs the story, in that time, When groves were loud with melody And ripples danced to liquid rhyme; Far in the embryonic spheres Before the earth was in her prime. II Then first the feline-padded gales Unleashed and prowling journeyed free, To purr amid the cowering grass Or roar in stormy jubilee, Or, joining in with Ocean, growl A hoarse duet of wind and sea. III And where by meadowy rushes dank The yellow sunbeams thick were sown, And brooks flowed down through April ways O’er pebbled bar and shingly stone, There first welled up in gurgling strain The lisping current’s monotone. IV And oft was heard, in forest aisles Where rocking trees of leaves were thinned, And drear November wandered lorn With wild wide eyes and hair unpinned, A wailing harp of minor chords Struck by the strong hands of the wind. V