As through the dreary wilderness The chosen people bore, In danger, exile and distress, The ark of God; and o'er Their path an awful presence rose, Alike in labor and repose, Eternally before— So through the wilderness of time Through ages long and dark, Is borne in majesty sublime Our sacred, mystic ark; And though that awful Presence may Not meet our gaze by night and day, Our souls retain its mark. When rash and cruel foes assailed With blind and furious hate, The Sacred Order still prevailed More gloriously great; And round its mystic symbols stand The good and wise of ev'ry land Immovable as fate. And, like to them, within our hearts We keep the unrevealed; As God in earth's most secret parts Most precious things concealed. For he who seeks a lofty prize Must learn to labor and be wise, And never faint nor yield. The work your hands have done is small To what must yet be done, Ere ye shall hear the Master's call Beyond the rising sun. The star which erst afforded light Must sink at last in endless night— Its final cycle run. But o'er the tomb transgression made The evergreen shall grow; For those who rest beneath its shade Another star will glow. In Heaven's eastern portal grand The Master Architect shall stand, All worthy craftsmen know. The temple then will be complete, The labor all be o'er; And the Great Lodge on high will meet, To close not evermore, Within the city which the Seer At Patmos saw in Heaven appear, Unseen by man before. Then from the south, and east, and west, The toilers shall repair To find an everlasting rest From grief, and pain, and care, With wisdom, strength and beauty crown'd Immortal as the love profound, Which will unite them there. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...EUMARES by ASCLEPIADES OF SAMOS APRIL by OBADIAH CYRUS AURINGER THE DOOR-BELL by CHARLOTTE BECKER A TIME by ETHEL CORNELL CHAMBERS SONG OF THE RUSHLIGHT by ELIZA COOK ODE TO APOLLO; ON AN INK-GLASS ALMOST DRIED IN THE SUN by WILLIAM COWPER |