The Dream Of Christ

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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.

© Madison Julius Cawein