I STOOD upon that great Acropolis, The turret-gate of Nature's citadel, Where once again, from slavery's thick abyss Strangely delivered, Grecian warriors dwell. I watched the bosom of Parnassus swell, I traced Eleusis, Athens, Salamis, And that rude fane below, which lives to tell Where reigned the city of luxurious bliss. Within the maze of great antiquity My spirit wandered tremblingly along; As one who with rapt ears to a wild song Hearkens some while, then knows not whether he Has comprehended all its melody, So in that parting hour was it with Greece and me. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...DOMEDAY BOOK: JOHN CAMPBELL AND CARL EATON by EDGAR LEE MASTERS THE DEATH OF A PHOTOGRAPHER by KAREN SWENSON A VIEW ACROSS THE ROMAN CAMPAGNA by ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING THE LOVER'S MESSAGE; SONG by JOHN DRYDEN RELIGION AND DOCTRINE by JOHN MILTON HAY |