Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1905-11-24

AAA0bJ AhhoPlp3 y hAJ IL lf1Cg CtAlN
died near Novgorod, Russia, July 81
1916. His best known poem is "Od,
to God," besides which he wrot'
Felicia" Taking of Ismail, 'Thc
Nobleman," Taking Of Warsaw,
etc. His collected works were pub
lished in 1905. The "Ode to God
was his masterpiece. In all literature
there is nothing more sublime or in
spring. The poem is worthy of I
place in every scrap-book, and thC
OBSERVER takes pleasure in publishing
1t In full.
ODE TO GOD.
o thou Eternal One! whose presence
bright
All space doth occupy, all motion
guide;
Unchanged through times all-devas
tatlng flight,
Thou only God There is no Goo
beside
Being above all beings, Mighty One
Whom none can comprehend, and
none explore.
Who fill st existence with thyself alone
Embracing all, supporting, ruling
DER
Being whom we call God-and know
no morel
In its sublime research, philosophy
May measure out the ocean deep
may count
The sands or the suns rays but God,
for Thee
There is no weight or measure, none
can mount
Upto thy mysteries; reason s brightest
spark,
Though kindled by the light, in
vain would try
To trace thy counsels, infinite and
dark;
And thought is lost ere it can mount
80 high
Fen like past moments in eternity.
Thou from primeval nothingness did
First chaos, then existence; Lord,
on thee
Eternity had its foundation; all
Sprang forth from thee-of light,
Joy, harmony,
Sole origin all life, all beauty thine
Thy word created all, and doth create.
Thy splendor fills all space with rays
divine,
Thou art and vert, and shall be !
glorious, great,
Life-giving, DEMONSTRATING potentate.
Thy chains the unmeasured universe
surround.
Upheld by thee, by thee inspired
with breath
Thou the beginning with the end hast
bound,
And beautifully mingled life and
death;
AS sparks mount upward from the
fiery blaze,
So suns are born, so worlds spring
forth, from thee;
And as the spangles in the sunny rays
Shine DER the silver snow, the
pageantries,
OF heavens bright armor glitter in
thy praise,
A million torches, lighted by thy hand,
Wander unwearied through the blue
abyss;
They own thy power, accomplish thy
command,
And gay with life, all eloquent with
bliss;
What shall we call them? Piles of
crystal light,
A glorious company Of golden
streams,
Lamps of celestial ether, burning
bright,
Suns lighting systems with their
joyous beams?
But thou to those art as the noon to
dreams.
Yes, as a drop of water in the sea,
All this magnihcence in thee is lost;
What are her thousand worlds COM
pared to thee?
And what am / then? Heavens un-
numbered host
Though multiplied by myriads and
arrayed'
Against thy greatness-but cipher
brought
Against inflnltyl What am I then?
--Nought!
Noughtl But the effluence of thy
light divine,
Pervading worlds, has reached my
bosom, too:
Yes, in my spirit doth thy spirit shine,
As shines the sunbeam in a drop OF
dew.
Noughtl But I live, and on hopes
pinions fly
Eager toward thy presence; for in
thee
l live and breathe and dwell, aspiring
Even to the throne of thy divinity
l am, Q God, aud surely thou must
bel
Thou art directing, guiding all, thou
art
Direct my understanding, then, to
thee
Control my spirit, guide my wander
ing heart
Though but an atom in immensity,
Still I'm something fashioned by thy
hand.
I hold a middle rank 'twixt heaven
and earth,
On the last verge of mortal being
stand;
Close to the realm where angels
dwell in worth
Close to the boundary Of the spirit
birth
WET WEATHER WSDOMN