Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE EAGLE SWIFT, by ADAM OF SAINT VICTOR


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE EAGLE SWIFT, by                    
First Line: See, far above the starry height
Last Line: High above earth in heaven.
Subject(s): Jesus Christ


See, far above the starry height,
Beholding, with unclouded sight,
The brightness of the sun,
John doth, as eagle swift, appear,
Still gazing on the vision clear
Of Christ, the Eternal Son.

To Mark belongs the lion's form,
With voice loud-roaring as the storm,
His risen Lord to own;
Called by the Father from the grave,
As victor crowned, and strong to save,
We see Him on His throne.

The face of man is Matthew's share,
Who shows the Son of man doth bear
Man's form with might divine,
And tracks the line of high descent
Through which the Word with flesh was blent,
In David's kingly line.

To Luke the ox belongs, for he,
More clearly than the rest, doth see
Christ as the victim slain;
Upon the cross as altar true,
The bleeding, spotless Lamb we view,
And see all else in vain.

So from their source in Paradise
The four mysterious rivers rise,
And life to earth is given:
On these four wheels and staves, behold,
God and His ark are onward rolled,
High above earth in heaven.






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