THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE. Εἰ γὰρ τὸ καταργούμενον διὰ δόξης, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὸ μένον ἐν δόξη.—2 Cor. 111. 11. Of days I thought when the Crusader gave Hung up the helm, and habergeon, and glaive, The dark old tongue of beauty through the Psalter; Long-treasured memories of a soldier's soul. Of all magnificence of thoughtful stone Of Time's superbest temples many a one, Typing the Infinite, though reared by man ; To whose high brows, like many crowns, are given I look'd, albeit 'twere an English June, On Solomon's temple with amazèd eye, The great round rosy oriental moon* Tinging the paleness of the immaculate sky; When all the summer hums about the hive. "The moon which hung over our head displayed colours of fire and of the rose."Lamartine's Voyage, &c. † "Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, seven days and seven days.”—1 Kings, viii. 65. I saw the glorious moonlight raining through The lateral windows. * What a wealth was there What rich orfevyry of barbaric air!t From Gihon, peradventure, golden-bright, Unto the liquid lyre of Eden's river, That panteth forth on its four chords for ever The air was taken with a faint fine sense Of eastern gums, of cedar, and of nard; With calm deep eyes, of passionless regard; A little space, and this magnifical And profuse beauty, beyond fancy's showing, Well might it task angelic harps to swell Two "holy ones and watchers" of that throng Whilome with coming of his stormy feet, The younger seraph first his anthem sung, "Glory to God upon God's holy mountain, Keep the wild spirit of the world in tune! But graven first on yon empyreal blue_ A faultless flower, created ere it grew !†† "Windows of narrow lights."-1 Kings, vi. 4. See margin. "I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones."-1 Chron., xxix. 2. The curious reader may find, in the first book of "Raleigh's History of the World,” a chapter "of the place of Paradise," in which, among a variety of theories, there are some given which identify it with the lands reached by the navies of Hiram and Solomon. S"So was he seven years in building it."-1 Kings, vi. 38. Compare the imagery in Hosea, xiv. 5. "Westward with the gate Shallecheth."-1 Chron. xxvi. 16. Καὶ τὸ ἀριὴλ πηχῶν τεσσάρων καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀριὴλ. κ. τ. λ. lxx. ; Ezeh. xliii. 15. The altar is here called Ariel, i. e., the hearth of God; the same appellation is extended to the city of Jerusalem.-Isaiah, xxix. 1 me. tt "All this, said David, the Lord made me to understand in writing by his hand upon -1 Chron. xxviii. 19; c. f. Ex, xxv. 40; Gen. ii. 5. I mark'd the anointed singer year by year Gather the waifs wash'd up by war's wild tide; And still he stored an appanage that shamed Imperial spoils his songs of thought divine, There with adulterous beauty made to shine, And yester morning from the vaulted fire Over Heaven's crystal storiest downward borne. Jeduthun's harp and Heman's sounding horn ;t "Praise our good God!" on many a tube and chord, To crash with grander touches than before, That measure paled with awe Dan's lion brow, ¶ Look'd on a prouder pomp than ever dyed Then from the Holiest, the brightly dark, The living heart, whose pulses manifold Make this house living-on the Presence roll'd, "It is time to baptise poetry in Jordan, for she will never become clean by washing in the waters of Damascus."-Cowley, Pref. to Davideis. † Amos, ix. 6. 1 Chron. xxv. 3, 5. § "The trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound; they lifted up their voice with the instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying, for He is good."2 Chron. v. 13. "Zebulon shall dwell at the haven of the sea."-Gen. xlix. 13. "Dan is a lion's whelp."-Deut. xxiii. 22. "Rejoice, Issachar, in thy tents."-Deut. xxxiii. 18. "The children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do."— 1 Chron. xii. 32. tt "Joseph is a fruitful bough."-Gen. xlix. 22. "Blessed of the Lord be his land for the chief things of the ancient mountains."-Deut. xxxiii. 18-15. "And of Asher he said, under thy shoes shall be iron and brass.”—Deut. xxxiii. 24, 25, margin. "Brass and iron were here melted, being in great plenty in this country."— Bishop Patrick, in locum. Wiser than wrinkled men, who watch the disc Where, white as their own hair, the cataracts fall In flower and leaf he reads a history writ,* Thousand sweet silent tongues, one central thought! His Dreams that the very dreamer hath forgot; eye hath follow'd manhood's stormy main To its far fountain in the baby's brain.† But still that awful sea of wisdom breaks To the sweet tune call'd poetry by men ; A luminous robe of words, the glory then He spake glad words that trembled into woe; He rose, and blest the host with happy hand; The torrents, motionless on their rocky stand, Ceased the fair spirit; and angelic creatures Something like sorrow in their temperament- "Yea, let Magnificats proclaim the birth, Of this fair place, the joy of all the earth,' This dim-bright place, where faintest odours flow And faintest hues as from Heaven's windows fall, "The heavenliest thing of all that is not Heaven! His visible ark, man's dovelike soul to win This alludes to Goethe's beautiful speculations on the idea of the general form of a plant, which has been considered by competent judges the leading idea of modern botany.See Whewell's Philosophy of the Inductive Sciences, vol. i. pp. 30-32. In these lines the writer has spoken with some recollection of Cousin's "Critique on Locke" in his History of Modern Philosophy, lecture xvi. How oft from sheaf by shadow standing paly, Or heather'd height o'er tracts of sunny lawn, But this is not eternal, nor may bound Time's lofty argument; this is but the bright Dim, but not meaningless-I heard a strange Vague voice of sorrow breathing in that prayer; I heard again a sterner voice of warning, Borne where "God giveth his beloved sleep ;"t Spreads like a rose on fire; but tints more deep, When all its carven work, in fiery hail, Shall smite the foeman's gonfalon and mail. Mortals shall mourn a beauty pass'd away, Like journeyers grieving when the darkness mars Though soon shall gleam beyond those fading bars But from earth's changes angels only borrow Incense may die upon this fragrant air, The lamp be quench'd, and the oblation cease; God hath provided better things‡ than these, For this dark ritual, with wondrous art, Poetical truth finds its best proof in a self-manifestation, to the emotions that arise from reflection or observation. In a chorus, which, perhaps, more than any other passage in classical poetry, possesses the colouring of modern sentiment, Sophocles says, ròv oivŵπ' ȧvéxovσa kloσòv.-Edip. Col. 674; and Homer repeatedly speaks of oivona óvтov. How far this epithet truly describes a certain aspect of mountain scenery, the writer is content to leave to the judgment of any observer not quite destitute of the poetical temperament. t "And the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, This house, which is high, shall be an astonishment," &c.-2 Chron. vii. 12-21. Few readers will have forgotten Mr. Davison's beautiful answer to the infidel objection, which sets the prophetic vision of Solomon on a level with the sentiments of the Roman conqueror of Carthage, when the sight of that city in flames turned his thoughts to the destiny of his own country.Disc. on Proph., p. 219. Heb. xi. 40. |