Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1859-11-04
QOstru.
POEm TO THE PEN.

ROEN NO THE RENs
cThe following lines were suggested by picture rsprs
,nting ST. John with the symboical eagle and the pc
hich formerly belonged to the collection Of cardins
sseh In Rome1
The universe Is but an uttered thought
Of God. For Him 1t IL enough TO breathe
The word that by HIS will, becomes a world.
But man must grave his ever neeting thought,
By mark distinctive ere It's msmory dies.
Unto this end the pen Is plucked, that once
To highest heaven scared then plunged deep down
within that black abyss, hell-caverned earth.
The penl what earthly power that genius wields
Can equal thine In future, present, pasti
trinity OF power; the mind, the word,
The written thought eternal visiblel
Pen ofthe pastl The tireless wings Of time
Shall bear thee up until the end Of earth.
All kindred spirits of the world may drink
Communion in thy cup. Thy voice alone
Can ever lead mankind in equal prayer,
And cause the nations following IN thy train
To sing the hymn Of praise In harmony.
TOjustify their ways all men at last
Appeal to thee and answer Il IL written.
The Present stands beside thee, and behold
The drama ofthe Past in every act,
Where Virtue always glows In bright relief,
And casts behind gloomy shade Vice
For thee, the laws Of nature seem TO hold
Their active breath and stop in axed suspense.
All things that were to thee still are to us.
The watercoufse though dry, still laundering rolls
The cold volcano wrapped In shrouds Of snow
Within whose throat death ratified ages back,
Still rumbllng, belching, nows hery stream,
Consuming all-een as It did for thee.
To-day thy hand bows down the lofty trees
That made obeisanee, centuries ago,
To tender floating zephyrs, unto whom
Fair daisies curtesied, and sweet violets turned
Soft velvet cheeks, deep blushing with each breath
Fen gentle Echo, caught by thee within
Some caverened height, and locked in thy embrace,
Shall ever breath her never-dying note.
The present is the past butlater born.
o present peni Thy birtbright is divine,
Thou, too canst rise to heaven and bear thy praise
To God; or wing thy dSrkened fight to hell.
Thy science fills the blank in Natures book
OF laws, In which enlightened nations read.
Thy voice can summon continents to arms;
Commanding Halt" the threatening armies stand.
An arrow from thy culver poisons hosts;
Another flies servant wings of space,
And uestles dove-like in the loved ones breast.
But when all matter, once thought in God,
Transformed, becomes again thought In man;
Thy wisdom, justice, truth, shall govern still,
The shall sing the sonnet that thou
dds hymn to it. The forest oaks that sit
In future councils shall invoke thy aid.
AsNges wind in slow procession up
The hill oftime, the changing elements,
New born at every step in different dress,
Shall, following, mount until they reach
The temple-summit ofan earthly life
In man, and there shall kneeling lisp thy praise.
The continents, invested with the life Of thought,
In sadness veiled, may mourn thy mortal friends
Butnaught of earth shall ever chant thy drgei
But, thou, st. John, has shown its utmost reach,
Inspired BY the everything God,
Thy lightning pen outstripped the present and sped
Beyond horizon-limits Of mans sight,
Illuminating future realms OF time,
And struck the farthest point of prophecy.
Thy clarion words arouse the quick and dead;
Thy thoughts at white heat, scorch the sinful soul
An eagle waits thy slave-dominion streams
From out his flashing eye-to execute
The justice Of thy wrath needs but sign
From thee. Straightway he stretches forth DER all
The souls ofhell his frightful wings that cast
A heavy shade to weigh down burdened vice,
His monster talons Christening lightniDgs' clutch
whoseserpaut fanps implNnt eternal sting
In writhing sln now docile stands, while from
His sturdy hooked bcak, suspended by
Fine silver threads fmercy, bright and pure,
That loosely end tasseled charity,
The holy cup OF revelation hangs
In which thou dipped thy ardent pen to sketch,
In vivid light, the future life in deathl LII.