Samuel Coleridge - The Complete Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Shines from the visage of the oppressed good man,

When heedless of himself the scourgéd saint

Mourns for the oppressor. Fair the vernal mead,

Fair the high grove, the sea, the sun, the stars; 15

True impress each of their creating Sire!

Yet nor high grove, nor many-colour’d mead,

Nor the green ocean with his thousand isles,

Nor the starred azure, nor the sovran sun,

E’er with such majesty of portraiture 20

Imaged the supreme beauty uncreate,

As thou, meek Saviour! at the fearful hour

When thy insulted anguish winged the prayer

Harped by Archangels, when they sing of mercy!

Which when the Almighty heard from forth his throne 25

Diviner light filled Heaven with ecstasy!

Heaven’s hymnings paused: and Hell her yawning mouth

Closed a brief moment.

Lovely was the death

Of Him whose life was Love! Holy with power

He on the thought-benighted Sceptic beamed 30

Manifest Godhead, melting into day

What floating mists of dark idolatry

Broke and misshaped the omnipresent Sire:

And first by Fear uncharmed the drowséd Soul.

Till of its nobler nature it ‘gan feel 35

Dim recollections; and thence soared to Hope,

Strong to believe whate’er of mystic good

The Eternal dooms for His immortal sons.

From Hope and firmer Faith to perfect Love

Attracted and absorbed: and centered there 40

God only to behold, and know, and feel,

Till by exclusive consciousness of God

All self-annihilated it shall make

God its Identity: God all in all!

We and our Father one!

And blest are they, 45

Who in this fleshly World, the elect of Heaven,

Their strong eye darting through the deeds of men,

Adore with steadfast unpresuming gaze

Him Nature’s essence, mind, and energy!

And gazing, trembling, patiently ascend 50

Treading beneath their feet all visible things

As steps, that upward to their Father’s throne

Lead gradual — else nor glorified nor loved.

They nor contempt embosom nor revenge:

For they dare know of what may seem deform 55

The Supreme Fair sole operant: in whose sight

All things are pure, his strong controlling love

Alike from all educing perfect good.

Their’s too celestial courage, inly armed —

Dwarfing Earth’s giant brood, what time they muse 60

On their great Father, great beyond compare!

And marching onwards view high o’er their heads

His waving banners of Omnipotence.

Who the Creator love, created Might

Dread not: within their tents no Terrors walk. 65

For they are holy things before the Lord

Aye unprofaned, though Earth should league with Hell;

God’s altar grasping with an eager hand

Fear, the wild-visag’d, pale, eye-starting wretch,

Sure-refug’d hears his hot pursuing fiends 70

Yell at vain distance. Soon refresh’d from Heaven

He calms the throb and tempest of his heart.

His countenance settles; a soft solemn bliss

Swims in his eye — his swimming eye uprais’d:

And Faith’s whole armour glitters on his limbs! 75

And thus transfigured with a dreadless awe,

A solemn hush of soul, meek he beholds

All things of terrible seeming: yea, unmoved

Views e’en the immitigable ministers

That shower down vengeance on these latter days. 80

For kindling with intenser Deity

From the celestial Mercy-seat they come,

And at the renovating wells of Love

Have fill’d their vials with salutary wrath,

To sickly Nature more medicinal 85

Than what soft balm the weeping good man pours

Into the lone despoiléd traveller’s wounds!

Thus from the Elect, regenerate through faith,

Pass the dark Passions and what thirsty cares

Drink up the spirit, and the dim regards 90

Self-centre. Lo they vanish! or acquire

New names, new features — by supernal grace

Enrobed with Light, and naturalised in Heaven.

As when a shepherd on a vernal morn

Through some thick fog creeps timorous with slow foot, 95

Darkling he fixes on the immediate road

His downward eye: all else of fairest kind

Hid or deformed. But lo! the bursting Sun!

Touched by the enchantment of that sudden beam

Straight the black vapour melteth, and in globes 100

Of dewy glitter gems each plant and tree;

On every leaf, on every blade it hangs!

Dance glad the newborn intermingling rays,

And wide around the landscape streams with glory!

There is one Mind, one omnipresent Mind, 105

Omnific. His most holy name is Love.

Truth of subliming import! with the which

Who feeds and saturates his constant soul,

He from his small particular orbit flies

With blest outstarting! From himself he flies, 110

Stands in the sun, and with no partial gaze

Views all creation; and he loves it all,

And blesses it, and calls it very good!

This is indeed to dwell with the Most High!

Cherubs and rapture-trembling Seraphim 115

Can press no nearer to the Almighty’s throne.

But that we roam unconscious, or with hearts

Unfeeling of our universal Sire,

And that in His vast family no Cain

Injures uninjured (in her best-aimed blow 120

Victorious Murder a blind Suicide)

Haply for this some younger Angel now

Looks down on Human Nature: and, behold!

A sea of blood bestrewed with wrecks, where mad

Embattling Interests on each other rush 125

With unhelmed rage!

‘Tis the sublime of man,

Our noontide Majesty, to know ourselves

Parts and proportions of one wondrous whole!

This fraternises man, this constitutes

Our charities and bearings. But ‘tis God 130

Diffused through all, that doth make all one whole;

This the worst superstition, him except

Aught to desire, Supreme Reality!

The plenitude and permanence of bliss!

O Fiends of Superstition! not that oft 135

The erring Priest hath stained with brother’s blood

Your grisly idols, not for this may wrath

Thunder against you from the Holy One!

But o’er some plain that steameth to the sun,

Peopled with Death; or where more hideous Trade 140

Loud-laughing packs his bales of human anguish;

I will raise up a mourning, O ye Fiends!

And curse your spells, that film the eye of Faith,

Hiding the present God; whose presence lost,

The moral world’s cohesion, we become 145

An Anarchy of Spirits! Toy-bewitched,

Made blind by lusts, disherited of soul,

No common centre Man, no common sire

Knoweth! A sordid solitary thing,

Mid countless brethren with a lonely heart 150

Through courts and cities the smooth savage roams

Feeling himself, his own low self the whole;

When he by sacred sympathy might make

The whole one Self! Self, that no alien knows!

Self, far diffused as Fancy’s wing can travel! 155

Self, spreading still! Oblivious of its own,

Yet all of all possessing! This is Faith!

This the Messiah’s destined victory!

But first offences needs must come! Even now

(Black Hell laughs horrible — to hear the scoff!) 160

Thee to defend, meek Galilaean! Thee

And thy mild laws of Love unutterable,

Mistrust and Enmity have burst the bands

Of social peace: and listening Treachery lurks

With pious fraud to snare a brother’s life; 165

And childless widows o’er the groaning land

Wail numberless; and orphans weep for bread!

Thee to defend, dear Saviour of Mankind!

Thee, Lamb of God! Thee, blameless Prince of Peace!

From all sides rush the thirsty brood of War! — 170

Austria, and that foul Woman of the North,