Cumean Sibyl! from thy sultry cave Thy dark eyes level with the sulphurous ground Through the gloom flashing, roll in wrath around. What see they? Coasts perpetual earthquakes pave With ruin; piles half buried in the wave; Wrecks of old times and new in lava drowned; - And festive crowds, sin-steeped ami myrtle-crowned. Like idiots dancing on a parent's grave. And they foresee. Those pallid lips with pain Suppress their thrilling whispers. Sibyl, spare! Could Wisdom's voice divide yon sea, or rear A new Vesuvius from its flaming plane, Futile the warning! Power despised! forbear To deepen guilt by counsel breathed in vain! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT by EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON COUNT THAT DAY LOST by MARY ANN EVANS THE ROAD NOT TAKEN by ROBERT FROST THE SABBATH MORNING by JOHN LEYDEN LOVE'S JUSTIFICATION by MICHELANGELO BUONARROTI A FAIRY TALE by PHILIP JAMES BAILEY |