The Angel of The Desert and Other Poems

-"THE LIGHT OF THY COUNTENANCE IS SIGNED ON US, O LORD." --Psalms.

Mysterious is that light which God hath signed Upon our being here. Where may we view Its glorious marks revealed? That light ineffable, From whose transcendant beams the seraphs bring The lustre that illumes their glowing wings-- And yet before whose brilliancy they veil Their eyes in ecstacy and awe--is sealed Upon His creature man. There is a type of its effulgence marked, Yet where are its reflections manifest? Within the earthly casket, or without Shines forth this jewel with celestial hues; We may not trace its likeness on the brow Of human loveliness--its waning bloom Suits not those characters, that wear the stamp Of an immutable perfection; We may not trace it in the sparkling eye-- Those orbs, whose shining fires will oft denote Intelligence and love, will quench in death; We may not recognise it in the form That moves with stately pride--it is but dust; The scholar's bays, the warrior's laurel crown, Last but a day--those phantom wreaths of fame That one breath gives, another takes away, Can never represent immortal rays. Within the noble mind and fervent soul Where God's true likeness is, a glory beams That, like the light of His eternal smile, Shines everlastingly.