I felt myself alone--alone as one Who leapt in joy from starry rock to rock Across creations stream, and joyed to know Himself alone in starry solitudes, Communing with his soul and God; and clomb The heights of glory, there amazed to see The wilderness of worlds, and feel the want Of other hearts to share excess of bliss. Alone!--it startled me with such a fear-- A daring fear, as only spirits can have. At once I would be every where--on all The peopled globes where'er myself had been; My lonely being would I spread through all. I thought, with the velocity of thought Which disembodied souls alone may know-- I thought, I willed, myself in thousand places In quick and successive instants, quick as one; And so around again, and still around, Without an interval. Soon as a flash, A thousand selves were scattered o'er the deep Of distant space; and, urging on my soul, Around and on, with energy immortal, And swifter still, at last I seemed to grow Ubiquitous--a multipresence dread, A loneliness enlarged, more awful yet-- Until, in thought's extreme rapidity, The distant selves were blended into one, And space was gone! The universe was lost In me--in nothingness. Soon it returned And stood resplendent; space again became A mode of thought, as thought resumed its calm, And motion ceased with will. I found myself Far off in outer coasts of light.... MEMORY. .... The vision changed; for still The cherub Fancy sports beyond the grave, Led by the hand of Reason. Once again, My memory rose, a painted canvas, framed In golden mouldings of immortal joy. But now the perfect copy of a life, With all the colors glorified, began To melt in slow dissolving views of truth. From out the crowded scene of mortal deeds, A group enraged, colossal in its shapes: Self--a dead giant, hideous and deformed, Lay, slain with lightning, while, upon his head, Stood holy Love, her eyes upturned to Heaven, Her hands extended o'er the kneeling forms Of Faith and Hope.... MUSIC.