Classic and Contemporary Poetry
ON THE ANTICIPATED RETURN OF J. B. GOUGH TO ENGLAND, by JANET HAMILTON Poet's Biography First Line: Ere ancient thebes began on high to raise Last Line: And earth, yea, heaven, shall prove thy words not vain. Alternate Author Name(s): Hamilton, Janet Thompson Subject(s): England; Temperance; English; Prohibition | ||||||||
ERE ancient Thebes began on high to raise Her crest of towers; ere rose the wondrous maze Of column'd temples, palaces, and halls, Of pillar'd porticoes, and pondrous walls, Far o'er the waste, old Amphion's magic lyre Rung forth wild music to his touch of fire Then heaved the rocks and danced the stones along, Moved by the mighty spell of glorious song. High swelled the strain, swift rolled the stony flood, Till Thebes, upreared, in gorgeous beauty stood. No fabled lyristGough, in thee we find Thy tuneful eloquence, thy wealth of mind, Thy words of power, and melody of tone, Can move the will and draw the heart of stone, Can startle, thrill, inspire, and arm the soul With power to abjure for aye the madd'ning bowl. So from the fearful pit and miry clay, Where cold, insensate inebriates lay, They shake, they move, they come, and tower and wall, Palace and temple, dome and pillared hall, In order rise beneath thy skilful hand, Wise master-builder, moral structures grand, On temperance based, amidst the desert smile, The beauty, strength, and safety of our isle. Again return. Ah! many a change has passed Since from our island shores thou parted last Ten thousand welcomes wait on thy return. Then come, "with thoughts that breathe and words that burn" Entreat, appeal, and warnthrill brain and heart; While bosoms heave and tears spontaneous start. The sense, the feeling, and the ear enchain, And earth, yea, heaven, shall prove thy words not vain. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ODE FOR A SOCIAL MEETING, WITH SLIGHT ALTERATIONS BY A TEETOTALER by OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES TEMPER by CLARA EXLINE BOCKOVEN A TRUCKER DRIVES THROUGH HIS LOST YOUTH by DAVID BOTTOMS THE FIGHTING WORD by BERTON BRALEY THE METHOD OF THE MAD MULLAH by BERTON BRALEY ON A PROHIBITIONIST POEM by GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON A MAIDEN'S DREAM by ROBERT GREENE OUR PROGRAM by ARTHUR GUITERMAN A BALLAD FOUNDED ON A REAL INCIDENT WHICH OCCURED IN HIGH LIFE by JANET HAMILTON |
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