The Union. [volume] (Georgetown, Del.) 1863-1866, 1863-11-20
Written for the Union.
THE FUTURE.


When DER the slumbering world, the ancient night
Rolls clouds on clouds, and wells the starry sky
With dark mpervious mists from bog and fen,
Absorbs each lunar ray, and in the wilds
And lofty arches of the woodland, broods
A nameess horror, and grim death sits on
The dusky sea, and dreamy silence holds
Her awful reign,-how blind! how terrible!
How grand my ysterious night But more sublime
And terrible, and binder far the future!
Her caverned realms what eagle eye hath scanned?
What sibyls form hath ventured through that gloom
Where sun, nor moon, nor star nor all the host
OF shiRng heaven penetrate?
Not here
Doth Chaos reign, whom, first created light,
Shooting long shafts of living gold far down
0'er hideous shades dissolving, realms of death
And all the monstrous shapes that terror holds,-
In his own den did find environed round
With all his stormy Him bowling, she
Did drive headlong into fast forming hell.
So JOve, through all his works harmonious still,
All discord scorns; wide through the solemn gloom
That wraps unknown futurity around
Each in its order, as from the 6rst spark
Of long eternity was sure ordained,-
Comes forth
Trail son of man. thou King that is,
But soon through ali time sh9ll be no more,
Vex not thyself with useless hopes and fears
OF what to-mOrrow's sun shall rise upon;
Or il in years to come, ON every sea and land
Bold Freedom cast her banners to the gales,
And bid the sun drink up all former bl0Odi
And crime shall be more; aud tyrants tombs
Shall feel the weight of rising temple; Or
If still through every vale, ON hoary hills,
And ON the IOamy deep the dreadful sound
'0f man S artillery be heard; and wrong
Still girded with Alcides' mighty strength,
Hold with her factions the half rising world,
And and tumults jar the circling poles
vex not tbyself whether to-morrow's sun ;a.
Find thee alive, shines ON thy lone grave
Still trust in God, he orders all things right.
Fool is that man, who doubling Gods interest,
From his poor brain holds forth what should be done
E'en as the lark to the high god of day
Scars on full wing,--so to the future dread,
His thought drives on; but the lark, abashed
In air. lo down falls, and graves the earth,
So he, with pinioRs dropped, down fallen is
The scorn of man.
Count that not chance, which thou,
With ali thy treasured love, see'st bindly- Know
All that now is, and all that yet shall be,
Works by fixed rulers; so did tn historic past
As all may who backward gazing long
Der all the regions of the awful dead
Rake the gray dust from slowly crumbling thrones;
Tread brambles down, and show the blackened tombs
OF heroes and false patriots; dive beneath
The suilen waters that the Dead sea holds;
Tread long lost Pompeii; or musing, stand
sOn Canaans field; or where the Spartan fell;
Ride DER the waste where Carthage lies entombed,-
And wade the sand where Memnons tabled strain
Lost ON the winds, died in the desert wild.
He that doth this, and muses. well the while,
Amazed shall see all kingdoms and all men,
Move with fierce swiftness to the righteous end.
The illimtable future thus proceeds
Through all eternity's unbroken round,
Nor can she err, or God were error too!
Milton, Del, NoUenlber 9th, 1863