Madison Julius Cawein

The Dream of Christ

I saw her twins of eyelids listless swoon
 Mesmeric eyes,
Like the mild lapsing of a lulling tune
 On wide surprise,
While slow the graceful presence of a moon
 Mellowed the purple skies.

And had she dreamed or had in fancy gone
 As one who sought
To hail the influx of a godly dawn
 Of heavenly thought,
Trod trembling o'er old sainted hill and lawn
 With intense angels fraught?

Sailed thro' majestic domes of the deep night
 By isles of stars,
Wand'ring like some pure blessing warm with light
 From worldly jars
To the high halls of morning, pearly white,
 And heaped with golden bars.

Past temples vast, deluged with sandy seas,
 Whose ruins stand
Like bleaching bones of dead monstrosities
 Crashed to the land,
Stupendous homes of cursed idolatries
 Fallen to dust and sand.

Ugly and bestial gods caked thick with gold -
 Their hideousness
Blaspheming Christ - 'mid shattered altars rolled
 To rottenness,
Their slaves abolished and their priests of old
 Trodden to nothingness.

Thro' Syrian plains curtained with curling mist
 The grass she trailed,
Where the shy floweret; by the dew-drop kissed,
 Sweet blushing quailed;
And drowned in purple vales of amethyst
 The moon-mad bulbuls wailed.

On glimmering wolds had seemed to hear the bleat
 Of folded flocks;
Seen broad-browed sages pass with sandaled feet
 And hoary locks,
While swimming in a bath of molten heat
 A great star glorious rocks.

In fancy o'er a beaming baby bent -
 Cradled amiss
In a rude manger - on its brow to print
 One holy kiss,
While down the slant winds faint aromas went
 And anthems deep of bliss....

And then she woke. The winter moon above
 Burst on her sight;
And with strange sweetness all her dream was wove
 In its far flight,
For jubilant bells rocked booming "peace and love"
 Down all the aisles of night.