Persian, you rise
Aflame from climes of sacrifice
Where adulators sue,
And prostrate man, with brow abased,
Adheres to rites whose tenor traced
All worship hitherto.
Arch type of sway,
Meetly your over-ruling ray
You fling from Asia’s plain,
Whence flashed the javelins abroad
Of many a wild incursive horde
Led by some shepherd Cain.
Mid terrors dinned
Gods too came conquerors from your Ind,
The book of Brahma throve;
They came like to the scythed car,
Westward they rolled their empire far,
Of night their purple wove.
Chemist, you breed
In orient climes each sorcerous weed
That energizes dream–
Transmitted, spread in myths and creeds,
Houris and hells, delirious screeds
And Calvin’s last extreme.
What though your light
In time’s first dawn compelled the flight
Of Chaos’ startled clan,
Shall never all your darted spears
Disperse worse Anarchs, frauds and fears,
Sprung from these weeds to man?
But Science yet
An effluence ampler shall beget,
And power beyond your play–
Shall quell the shades you fail to rout,
Yea, searching every secret out
Elucidate your ray.
(Herman Melville)
More Poetry from Herman Melville:
Herman Melville Poems based on Topics: Man, Night, Time, Fear, Hinduism, Cars, Books- Bridegroom Dick (Herman Melville Poems)
- The Haglets (Herman Melville Poems)
- The Victor Of Antietam (Herman Melville Poems)
- Stonewall Jackson (Ascribed To A Virginian) (Herman Melville Poems)
- A Meditation (Herman Melville Poems)
- On The Slain Collegians (Herman Melville Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Man Poems, Night Poems, Time Poems, Fear Poems, Books Poems, Cars Poems, Hinduism PoemsBased on Keywords: calvin, abased, transmitted, frauds, dinned, meetly, scythed, anarchs, adheres, elucidate, screeds