Shrined in his golden fane the Delphian stands, Shakes distant thrones and taxes unknown lands. Kings, consuls, khans from earth's whole regions come, Pour in their wealth, and then inquire their doom; Furious and wild the priestess rends her veil, Sucks, thro the sacred stool, the maddening gale, Starts reddens foams and screams and mutters loud, Like a fell fiend, her oracles of God. The dark enigma, by the pontiff scroll'd In broken phrase, and close in parchment roll'd, From his proud pulpit to the suppliant hurl'd, Shall rive an empire and distract the world. And where the mosque's dim arches bend on high, Mecca's dead prophet mounts the mimic sky; Pilgrims, imbanded strong for mutual aid, Thro dangerous deserts that their faith has made, Train their long caravans, and famish'd come To kiss the shrine and trembling touch the tomb, By fire and sword the same fell faith extend, And howl their homilies to earth's far end. Phenician altars reek with human gore, Gods hiss from caverns or in cages roar, Nile pours from heaven a tutelary flood, And gardens grow the vegetable god. Two rival powers the magian faith inspire, Primeval Darkness and immortal Fire; Evil and good in these contending rise, And each by turns the sovereign of the skies. Sun, stars and planets round the earth behold Their fanes of marble and their shrines of gold; The sea, the grove, the harvest and the vine Spring from their gods and claim a birth divine; While heroes, kings and sages of their times, Those gods on earth, are gods in happier climes; Minos in judgment sits, and Jove in power, And Odin's friends are feasted there with gore. Man is an infant still; and slow and late Must form and fix his adolescent state, Mature his manhood, and at last behold His reason ripen and his force unfold. From that bright eminence he then shall cast A look of wonder on his wanderings past, Congratulate himself, and o'er the earth Firm the full reign of peace predestined at his birth.