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But then broke

The voice of thunder from the sacred man-
"Welcome!-I bid thee welcome-Israel's God
Permits thee in his presence-I oppose
No more thine entrance to the Holy Place
The finger of the Eternal beckons thee
He hath resign'd his seat-Manasseh's God
Shall rule Manasseh's people-hasten-go-
Oppose thee to the Ark-So Dagon did
In Ashdod once-but not like thee he strode
Triumphant over Israel-thou above

Thy Brother Demons-none but thee have dared
This majesty of sin. Jehovah goes!

Sublimity of Hell, Manasseh bows

His soul in adoration."

VIII.

Then the King

Laugh'd as in ecstasy-" He hath declared

His God is powerless; he submits, and thee,

Oh, Baal, to thy temple we convey,

With song, and dance, and honours-'neath thy wing,
Son of the Morning, cowers th' eternal Throne
Of David for thy shelter.

CHORUS.

The songs of delight

Shall swell all around thee,

With a girdle of light

To our land we have bound thee.

The dull sleeping Earth

At our summons shall wake,

Gird her form with the chain

Which never shall break.

The dull sleeping Earth

With rapture shall bound,

And her aged form grow young at the sound,
Which spreadeth thy might, and thy glory around.

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Should stand between the Cherubim-the priests
All weeping shrunk, the Levites rent their robes,
And the High-Priest stood with a ghastly look,
Covering his breastplate with his trembling hand,
For the prophetic stones had lost their hue,
Grown pale with horror;-from his mitred brow
The mystic sentence, the dread "holiness,"
The signet of the bond of God and man,
Had almost vanish'd, for the letters shew'd
Wavering and faint, as they had written been
Upon the wat'ry moon.—

ΧΙ.

Jehovah's Priest

Turn'd his dim eye upon the gifted Man,
The sanctified, whom the high Seraphim
Had purified with fire of Heaven from
Iniquity of carth-but he did stand
In motionless majesty a sublimity
Of horror was around him—from his eye
They caught a gleam of light-it kindled up
Into their souls, and the prophetic blaze

Burst forth to King Manasseh.

CHORUS OF PRIESTS.

Hark! how the concave vaults of the blue Heaven

Are shaken by the storms which howl afar!

Earth rocks-the dreadful thunderbolt hath riven
Her canopy-ah! for the fallen star,

Wildly through upper air I see it driven-
Now, sinking to the earth amid the screams
Of shrieking spectres, and the fiery gleams
Of hellish torches lighting its dread fall
Into annihilation-Fiends have trod
O'er its celestial glories-Mercy, God!

CHORUS OF SINGERS.

Away, away!

Vanish, ye dreams of Night, before the Day
Star of the Morning rise, and distant chase
Those spectres from the couch of Ether, where
Pale Earth lies sleeping,-on her pallid face
Imprint thy kiss-and on her forehead fair,
She will reflect thy glories, and then be
Bright, pure, and beautiful-Oh, Baal, like thee!

XII.

"Bright," said the Son of Amos, smiling stern, "Sheweth the day-but it is short-the night, For cycles, heap'd on cycles, shall endureUnbroken shall its darkness be, until

The torch of War shall give ye light to mark
How wither'd Famine shall glide staring by,
And Desolation leap abroad, and dance
Above the ashes of the unpeopled world-

And Freedom shall be there, but bathed in blood,
And chain'd to Ashur's foot."

CHORUS OF PRIESTS.

He comes! he comes!-Baalim hath ascended
Jehovah's Throne; and lo! where come attended,
By troops of victims, all the Demons foul,
Who on his triumph haste their joy to scowl-

Wilt thou not ban them hence, thou Mighty One?
No-they must reign !-thy will-thy will be done!-
There is a festival proclaim'd in Hell,

The demons rush to Earth, the tidings glad to tell.

"Judah is ours"-and from the deep,
Mark how the myriad monsters creep→→
Lo! Dagon rolls his fin-clad form,
Up from his ocean throne of storm-
Belial rises from his bed,

By hell's fiery billows spread-
And ascendeth Chemos vile
Cursing with insidious smile-
Moloch, black with smoke and blood
Won from fell Gehenna's flood-
Astaroth, with diadem bright,
Mocks Jehovah's crown of light-
These, and more than I can name,
Come a home on earth to claim;
These, and more than I can tell,
Have made a holiday in hell!

CHORUS OF SINGERS.

Ye soft songs of gladness,
To Baalim arise-

Lord, banish our sadness,
Wipe all tears from our eyes.
Thou wilt not forsake us,
Abandon us never,

But thou comest to make us
Thine own, and for ever-
Light, O King, is thy yoke,
With transport we bear it,
Be thy chain still unbroke,
With triumph we wear it-
Amid thunders and night
Came Jehovah's stern voice,
Amid music and light
Thou bad'st us rejoice.
The Son of the Flood,
With a finger of fire,
In letters of blood,
Grav'd Jehovah's desire.
His law in rejecting,

We turn unto thee;

His dictates neglecting,
Thine worshipp'd shall be.

Then save and regard us,

Abandon us never,

But thus-Oh reward us,

Make us thine, and for ever!

XIII.

Then said the Prophet, and his voice grew loud,

And deep, and chill, as Sinai's earliest groans,

When God first press'd the labouring mountain's breast"Hear, ye rebellious-hear and tremble-lo!

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Thus saith the Wonderful,' whose unknown name

Is written by the stars upon the Heaven.

I speak no more in mystery, but declare

Aloud the horrors of your fate. She comes,

Purple Assyria, with her hand of steel,

And heart of fire, and eye of blood, and soul
Harden'd from tears and pity; round the steps
Of her white courser float the shrieking shades
From Hinnom's fire-lit valley. Judah's sons,
Watching the day of vengeance-Judah's sons,
Manasseh's children-O'er whose fire-scorch'd heads
David looks down, from his abodes of bliss,
And shuddering weeps."

XIV.

Then said the furious King,
"Now, from my inmost soul, I hate thy face,
Thou son of Amos. Nought of good, or bliss,
Wishest thou unto me, or David's house,
Which thy foul lip hath cursed.-Thou shalt die,
Thou shalt not see the evil which thou deem'st
Shall fall upon our land. A lying spirit
Hath enter'd in thee, and declareth ill
Where all is bliss around thee. Are we not
Blessed above all nations? If the Chaldean
Cometh as thou hast said, may he not fear
The doom, such as within my father's days
O'ertook his mighty Host?"

XV.

The Seer replied,

"Thy father's heart was at Jehovah's foot,

But thou hast turn'd from him who fought that fight, And now he aids thee not."

XVI.
"Baalim then,"

Said the proud king, "will bless our mighty arms, Or by supernal power destroy our foe,

And strike his favour'd chiefs-thy words are false; Thyself a lie-they will not-dare not come

Pay they not tribute? Judah's sacred soil

Shall never be polluted by the tread

Of hostile warriors."

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Said fierce Manasseh-" she hath met the doom

Her crime had merited-rebellion bold

'Gainst David's royal house. Hoshea dies;

But David shall remain-Sit I not here

Upon my father's throne, of which thy God,

Whose name thou say'st is truth, hath deeply sworn,

E'en by himself, for ever should endure?

What then have I to fear? Almighty Baal,

Thou, too, protect thy servant."

CHORUS OF SINGERS.

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What to us is Chaldea's wrath,

Or Samaria's bitter fate

We will pour our myriads forth,
When the foe is at our gate.
Let Samaria die !-our hate
Is her meed-Hoshea fall!
With this triumph too elate,
Deem'd Sennacherib, that all

Should bow beneath his sceptre's rule;
But his camp of death awoke

Him from that dream-crush'd his proud hope,
And the tremendous angel thunder'd, "Fool!
Thou wilt find room to die at home-thy pride
Be humbled unto dust-He went-he fled-he died!"
XIX.

"Did Nisroch save the King," Isaiah said,
"Or Baal, that thus ye bow the knee before
His filthy Godhead, in his Temple's courts
He died in worshipping-beware-beware!-
Cease your blasphemous songs, they are to me
Convulsive laughters of a dying Man-

Woe to the Crown of Pride-to Ariel woe!
Round thee, the fierce Assyrian draws his lines,
Thunders upon Judea, death and chains—
Cry out, oh land! fear, and the pit, and snares
Are fall'n upon thee-Majesty is dead!
Chains for the King Manasseh."

XX.

Then the King

Leap'd from his seat, and with his terrible sword,
Smote to the heart Isaiah-he fell down

Prostrate before the king, and cried aloud,—
"Cover, oh earth, my blood, nor let it rise
In judgment 'gainst my people-cover it
Until the day of consummation fill

The red cup to the brim-and, hark! the cry
Of the press'd billows as they groan beneath
The winged ships of Chaldea-on thy shores

Lodge they their steeled burthen-chains and death—
Chains for the King Manasseh!"-

XXI.

Then he bow'd

His head and died-and then around him bent
The weeping Priests, regardless of the wrath
Of stern Manasseh-and the inspired theme

Rose with Isaiah's spirit from the dust,
And sat upon them, as with solemn song

They graced his corse, and mock'd the tyrant's rage.

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I see it but afar

A higher, brighter Star

Setting in blood

Wild rolls the angry flood

Of sin, and wrath to quench its beauteous light.

"Tis past-'tis done! for lo!

The Sun of Righteousness hath set in deepest night!—

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