The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1840-10-28
POETR ".
Il FOR TIE JOURNAL.
THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.

Df1 We SObE.hbNl.
VISION.
Me,hought the day of Judgment came. The sun,
AS if its chariot wheels had broken down.
Stood STILL And the quick pulse of nature trobbcd
In the wild phrensy of dismay. The hand
Of iron labor piled its busted toll.
All frantic pleasure did her incense burn
To idols vain. Ambition bent the sails
OF Barks unnumbcred on, lifc's. CLASSY wave
Old timo the hardy sons Of enterprise
Arouscd And earth, as hour by hour, was traught
With sounds confused, the hum of mon and things.
But suddenly there seemed stiffness deep
you might havo heard the rolling OF the spheres
In harmony of movement swcoty drawn)
Followed by spasms Of Garth. Mephitc clouds
In dlrksomc masses rose, as if, at last,
Old Aetna. or Stromboli had their way,
Throughout the followed globc in fury mined.
And rolled the mufled drum earths last dead march
Birds fell dead. BY unhcard storm the fig tree
Shook; and all trees cast their fruit untimely.
To mans foot crawled the gasping snake and died
Tic tim;d hind, by shaft unseen transfxed,a
Dropped at tho farm house door, whilst big tears
coarscd g-'sa -
A,lown his silken veil of light, and death
Sealed up the avenues Of sense.
O'cr all things fell the pail Of night in folds,
Damp, sulphurous,F land vast. ~And it was dark!
An awful pause in human life ensassl:
Man gazcd on m2n; and gathcrcd from each scowl
Sad confirmation of despair. But look!
Kyric Elccson! Mercy save!
A light Of glory flashing through the air.
A.ound the form of heavens Archangcl floats,
Who in his pussant hard the trump Of God
Uplificd bears. Ono foot is on the sea:
And one the earth but lightly trcads. Silence.
The trumps, sounds Men held their breath. Each
nerve
or life ouiyercd. Deep answered deep. And then
T,ose word,, those awful words:-O earth give car
Thy doom is fixed: swear by Him who Is,
And Was. and Shall be, Time shall be no more!
Forthwith the sun became az blood, and from
II S shnn. sphere TO black oblivion leI!'
A-cturus, Orion and Piciadcs
With all their burning hosts like drops of hail,
Before the sroc, passed. The boiling sea
In yapor rosc; and left its cavcrns bare.
The decp fouudltions Of the lasting hills
We're thrown on level with the vcrlant plain.
Earth's pillows bowed. Pyramids and towns,
High palaces, and every domici!c
Came down; and tho round world ('or so it sccmcdl
Became r,li,fs wide spread fed. Again
The ANGEL sounded; and those words OF toar
7, solemn accents came;-yc quick anu deau
To Judgment risc Eternity is now.
And then the sea gave up her dead; and earth
It's dcuizens released: bones, nerves ana all
The pans diverse Of mans anatomy,
S,,-t,d TO lif. from coral rocks and hc''s
q, n,o,ted reeds, oceans charncl house;
AID from the dust of ruin blown BY time
a., rostlc7s winds throughout the world. The dead
Tn countless throngs got up; and souls OF quick
Tolifo immortal wore transformed, and both,
With eve uudimmcd the bar of heaven bchcld
In all the terrors Of the law arrnyed.
Around the throne there broke rain bow light
An emerald most like. translucent with
S,npbres and rubics and all precious stones
Imparcd, whcroon the sen oil glory rolled
,swaycs of bliss fast b. the sacred Book
Scaled with the mandates Of the Living God!
M,thourAt the Son of man arose to look
The sentence Of his court; and then strain
O: music most seraphic, from the harps
or Cherubm, Salvations Hymns OF praise
From ransomed Of the Lord echoed But hark!
Tho last trump! And earth's vital spark is quenchcd
The funeral pi!o is built, ruins torch
Tho mss onA1mes; and all the worlds on fire!
Bot the shrcks Of ruined souls arose
A5oyo the cracking fame ana rolling SMOKE
Louder and louder still, in agony
Or wo. O ac7cd God! what sights and sounds
A-s tboso for mortal sense to note, and live!