LITMIR.BIZ

      ’Twas done: and straight with sudden swell and fall

      Sweet music breath’d her soul away, and sigh’d

      A lullaby to silence.–”Youth! now strew

      These minced leaves on me, and passing through

      Those files of dead, scatter the same around,

      And thou wilt see the issue.”–’Mid the sound

      Of flutes and viols, ravishing his heart,

      Endymion from Glaucus stood apart,

      And scatter’d in his face some fragments light.

      How lightning-swift the change! a youthful wight

      Smiling beneath a coral diadem,

      Out-sparkling sudden like an upturn’d gem,

      Appear’d, and, stepping to a beauteous corse,

      Kneel’d down beside it, and with tenderest force

      Press’d its cold hand, and wept,–and Scylla sigh’d!

      Endymion, with quick hand, the charm applied–

      The nymph arose: he left them to their joy,

      And onward went upon his high employ,

      Showering those powerful fragments on the dead.

      And, as he pass’d, each lifted up its head,

      As doth a flower at Apollo’s touch.

      Death felt it to his inwards: ’twas too much:

      Death fell a weeping in his charnel-house.

      The Latmian persever’d along, and thus

      All were re-animated. There arose

      A noise of harmony, pulses and throes

      Of gladness in the air–while many, who

      Had died in mutual arms devout and true,

      Sprang to each other madly; and the rest

      Felt a high certainty of being blest.

      They gaz’d upon Endymion. Enchantment

      Grew drunken, and would have its head and bent.

      Delicious symphonies, like airy flowers,

      Budded, and swell’d, and, full-blown, shed full showers

      Of light, soft, unseen leaves of sounds divine.

      The two deliverers tasted a pure wine

      Of happiness, from fairy-press ooz’d out.

      Speechless they eyed each other, and about

      The fair assembly wander’d to and fro,

      Distracted with the richest overflow

      Of joy that ever pour’d from heaven.

      – “Away!”

      Shouted the new born god; “Follow, and pay

      Our piety to Neptunus supreme!”–

      Then Scylla, blushing sweetly from her dream,

      They led on first, bent to her meek surprise,

      Though portal columns of a giant size,

      Into the vaulted, boundless emerald.

      Joyous all follow’d, as the leader call’d,

      Down marble steps; pouring as easily

      As hourglass sand,–and fast, as you might see

      Swallows obeying the south summer’s call,

      Or swans upon a gentle waterfall.

      Thus went that beautiful multitude, nor far,

      Ere from among some rocks of glittering spar,

      Just within ken, they saw descending thick

      Another multitude. Whereat more quick

      Moved either host. On a wide sand they met,

      And of those numbers every eye was wet;

      For each their old love found. A murmuring rose,

      Like what was never heard in all the throes

      Of wind and waters: ’tis past human wit

      To tell; ’tis dizziness to think of it.

      This mighty consummation made, the host

      Mov’d on for many a league; and gain’d, and lost

      Huge sea-marks; vanward swelling in array,

      And from the rear diminishing away,–

      Till a faint dawn surpris’d them. Glaucus cried,

      “Behold! behold, the palace of his pride!

      God Neptune’s palaces!” With noise increas’d,

      They shoulder’d on towards that brightening cast.

      At every onward step proud domes arose

      In prospect,–diamond gleams, and golden glows

      Of amber ‘gainst their faces levelling.

      Joyous, and many as the leaves in spring,

      Still onward; still the splendour gradual swell’d.

      Rich opal domes were seen, on high upheld

      By jasper pillars, letting through their shafts

      A blush of coral. Copious wonder-draughts

      Each gazer drank; and deeper drank more near:

      For what poor mortals fragment up, as mere

      As marble was there lavish, to the vast

      Of one fair palace, that far far surpass’d,

      Even for common bulk, those olden three,

      Memphis, and Babylon, and Nineveh.

      As large, as bright, as colour’d as the bow

      Of Iris, when unfading it doth shew

      Beyond a silvery shower, was the arch

      Through which this Paphian army took its march,

      Into the outer courts of Neptune’s state:

      Whence could be seen, direct, a golden gate,

      To which the leaders sped; but not half raught

      Ere it burst open swift as fairy thought,

      And made those dazzled thousands veil their eyes

      Like callow eagles at the first sunrise.

      Soon with an eagle nativeness their gaze

      Ripe from hue-golden swoons took all the blaze,

      And then, behold! large Neptune on his throne

      Of emerald deep: yet not exalt alone;

      At his right hand stood winged Love, and on

      His left sat smiling Beauty’s paragon.

      Far as the mariner on highest mast

      Can see all round upon the calmed vast,

      So wide was Neptune’s hall: and as the blue

      Doth vault the waters, so the waters drew

      Their doming curtains, high, magnificent,

      Aw’d

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