The mystic word, till then ne'er told Her lips from mine, like echo, caught wears When not a cloud of fear or doubt, A vapour from this vale of tears, That very moment her whole frame That sparkle round the eternal throne, Above me, in the moonbeam shone With a pure light, which-from its hue, Unknown upon this earth-I knew Was light from Eden, glistening through! Most holy vision! ne'er before There seemed around me some dark chain, Which still, as I essayed to soar, Baffled, alas! each wild endeavour : So wills the offended God-for ever! In wishes and in dreams before, Her home of light for evermore! Even in her flight to that fair sphere, On him who stood in darkness here; Him whom, perhaps, if vain regret Can dwell in heaven, she pities yet; And oft, when looking to this dim And distant world, remembers him. But soon that passing dream was gone; Did aught so radiant-since the day Farther and farther off she shone, When Lucifer, in falling, bore The third of the bright stars away Rise, in earth's beauty, to repair That loss of light and glory there! 2 But did I tamely view her flight? 1 Did not I, too, proclaim out thrice Oh, even for Heaven too much delight! I prayed, I wept, but all in vain ; 1 'And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth.' Rev. xii. 4.-Docent sancti (says Suarez) supremum angelum traxisse secum tertiam partem stellarum.'-Lib. 7. cap. 7. 2 The idea of the Fathers was, that the vacancies occasioned in the different orders of angels by the fall were to be filled up from the human race. There is, however, another opinion, backed by papal authority, that it was only the tenth order of the Celestial Hierarchy that fell, and that, therefore, the promotions which occasionally take place from earth are intended for Till lessened to a point as small As are those specks that yonder burnThose vivid drops of light, that fall The last from day's exhausted urn. And when at length she merged, afar, Into her own immortal star, And when at length my straining sight Had caught her wing's last fading ray, That minute from my soul the light Of heaven and love both passed away; And I forgot my home, my birth, Profaned my spirit, sunk my brow, And revelled in gross joys of earth, Till I became-what I am now ! the completion of that grade alone; or, as it is explained by Salonius (Dial in Eccl.)-' Decem sunt ordines angelorum, sed unus cecidit per superbiam, et idcirco boni angeli semper laborant, ut de hominibus numerus adimpleatur, et proveniat ad perfectum numerum, id est, denarium.' According to some theologians, virgins alone are admitted 'ad collegium angelorum;' but the authorof the Speculum Peregrinarum Quæstionum rather questions this exclusive privilege :-' Hoc non videtur verum, quia multi, non virgines, ut Petrus et Magdalena, multis etiam virginibus eminentiores sunt.'-Decad. 2, cap. 10. Or why are there not flowers to cull, As though that planet were an urn There was a virtue in that scene, A spell of holiness around, Which would have-had my brain not been Thus poisoned, maddened-held me bound, As though I stood on God's own ground. Even as it was, with soul all flame, I stood to gaze, with awe and shame-; Full o'er me when I saw those eyes; Was the wild love with which I loved, The homage of an angel's awe All the deep sadness of her power, I raust unloved, unpitied fly, Paul, 'Woman ought to have a veil on her head, on account of the angels,' have an evident reference to the fatal effects which the beauty of women once produced upon these spiritual beings. See the strange passage of this Father (de Virgin. Velandis), beginning, Si enim propter angelos,' etc., where his editor Pamelius endeavours to save his morality, at the expense of his Latinity, by substituting the word 'excussat' for 'excusat.' While thus I spoke, the fearful maid, The scorching of the south wind's But when I named--alas, too well I now recall, though wildered then,Instantly, when I named the spell, Her brow, her eyes uprose again, And, with an eagerness that spoke The sudden light that o'er her broke, "The spell, the spell!-oh, speak it now And I will bless thee!' she exclaimed. Unknowing what I did, inflamed, And lost already, on her brow Istamped one burning kiss, and named Such instances of indecorum, however, are but too common throughout the Fathers; in proof of which I need only refer to some passages in the same writer's treatise, De Anima, to the Second and Third Books of the Pedagogus of Clemens Alexandrinus, and to the instances which la Mothe le Vayer has adduced from Chrysostom in his Herameron Rustique, Journée Seconde. The mystic word, till then ne'er told Her lips from mine, like echo, caught wears When not a cloud of fear or doubt, A vapour from this vale of tears, That very moment her whole frame That sparkle round the eternal throne, Whose plumes, as buoyantly she rose Above me, in the moonbeam shone With a pure light, which-from its hue, Unknown upon this earth-I knew Was light from Eden, glistening through! Most holy vision! ne'er before Did aught so radiant-since the day When Lucifer, in falling, bore The third of the bright stars away Rise, in earth's beauty, to repair That loss of light and glory there! 2 But did I tamely view her flight? 1_ Did not I, too, proclaim out thrice Oh, even for Heaven too much delight! I prayed, I wept, but all in vain ; 1 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did ⚫ast them to the earth.' Rev. xii. 4. Docent sancti (says Suarez) supremum angelum traxisse secum tertiam partem stellarum.'-Lib. 7. cap. 7. 2 The idea of the Fathers was, that the vacancies occasioned in the different orders of angels by the fall were to be filled up from the human race. There is, however, another opinion, backed by papal authority, that it was only the tenth order of the Celestial Hierarchy that fell, and that, therefore, the promotions which occasionally take place from earth are intended for There seemed around me some dark chain, Which still, as I essayed to soar, Baffled, alas! each wild endeavour: Dead lay my wings, as they have lain Since that sad hour, and will remain— So wills the offended God-for ever! It was to yonder star I traced In wishes and in dreams before, Her home of light for evermore! Once or did I but fancy so?— Even in her flight to that fair sphere, 'Mid all her spirit's new-felt glow, A pitying look she turned below On him who stood in darkness here; Him whom, perhaps, if vain regret Can dwell in heaven, she pities yet; And oft, when looking to this dim And distant world, remembers him. But soon that passing dream was gone; As are those specks that yonder burn Those vivid drops of light, that fall The last from day's exhausted urn. And when at length she merged, afar, Into her own immortal star, And when at length my straining sight Had caught her wing's last fading ray, That minute from my soul the light Of heaven and love both passed away; And I forgot my home, my birth, Profaned my spirit, sunk my brow, And revelled in gross joys of earth, Till I became-what I am now ! the completion of that grade alone; or, as it is explained by Salonius (Dial in Eccl.)-' Decem sunt ordines angelorum, sed unus cecidit per superbiam, et idcirco boni angeli semper laborant, ut de hominibus numerus adimpleatur, et proveniat ad perfectum numerum, id est, denarium.' According to some theologians, virgins alone are admitted 'ad collegium angelorum;' but the authorof the Speculum Peregrinarum Quæstionum rather questions this exclusive privilege: non videtur verum, quia multi, non virgines, ut Petrus et Magdalena, multis etiam virginibus eminentiores sunt,'-Decad. 2, cap. 10. Hoc 1 I might have chosen, perhaps, some better name; but it is meant (like that of Zaraph in the following story) to define the particular class of spirits to which the angel belonged. The author of the Book of Enoch, who estimates at 200 the number of angels that descended upon Mount Hermon, for the purpose of making love to the women of earth, has favoured us with the names of their leader and chiefs-Samyaza, Urakabarameel, Akibecl, Tamiel, etc. etc. In that heretical worship of angels, which prevailed to a great degree during the first ages of Christianity, to name them seems to have been one of the most important ceremonies; for we Spirits of Knowledge, who o'er Time And Space and Thought an empire claimed, Second alone to Him, whose light Was, even to theirs, as day to night'Twixt whom and them was distance far And wide, as would the journey be To reach from any island star The vague shores of infinity! 'Twas Rubi, in whose mournful eye Slept the dim light of days gone by; Whose voice, though sweet, fell on the ear Like echoes in some silent place, When first awaked for many a year; And when he smiled-if o'er his face Smile ever shone-'twas like the grace The sunny life, the glory gone. Of moonlight rainbows, fair, but wan, Even o'er his pride, though still the same, A softening shade from sorrow came; And though at times his spirit knew The kindlings of disdain and ire, Short was the fitful glare they threwLike the last flashes, fierce but few, Seen through some noble pile on fire! Such was the Angel who now broke The silence that had come o'er all, When he, the Spirit that last spoke, Closed the sad history of his fall; And, while a sacred lustre, flown For many a day, relumed his cheek, Beautiful as in days of old; And not those eloquent lips alone, But every feature seemed to speakThus his eventful story told : find it expressly forbidden in one of the canons (35th) of the Council of Laodicea, ovoμageɩ TOUS ayyelous. Josephus, too, mentions, among the religious rites of the Essenes, their 'swearing to preserve the names of the angels,'τα των αγγελων ονόματα.-Βell. Jud. lib. 2. cap. 8. See upon this subject Van Dale, de Orig. et Progress. Idololat, cap. 9. 2 The word cherub signifies knowledge-To γνοστικών αυτών και θεοπτικον, says Dionysius. Hence it is that Ezekiel, to express the abundance of their knowledge, represents them as full of eyes,' SECOND ANGEL'S STORY. You both remember well the day When unto Eden's new-made bowers, He, whom all living things obey, Summoned his chief angelic powers, To witness the one wonder yet, Beyond man, angel, star, or sun, He must achieve, ere he could set His seal upon the world as doneTo see that last perfection rise, That crowning of creation's birth, When, 'mid the worship and surprise Of circling angels, Woman's eyes First opened upon heaven and earth; And from their lids a thrill was sent, That through each living spirit went, Like first light through the firmament! 1 Can you forget how gradual stole To grow transparent, as there beamed The progress of the noon-tide air, Dimpling its bright and silent face Each minute into some new grace, And varying heaven's reflections there Or, like the light of evening stealing O'er some fair temple, which all day Hath slept in shadow, slow revealing Its several beauties, ray by ray, Till it shines out, a thing to bless, All full of light and loveliness. Can you forget her blush when round Through Eden's lone enchanted ground She looked-and at the sea, the skies, And heard the rush of many a wing, By God's command then vanishing, And saw the last few angel eyes, Still lingering-mine among the rest,Reluctant leaving scene so blest? From that miraculous hour, the fate Of this new glorious Being dwelt For ever, with a spell-like weight, Upon my spirit-early, late, Whate'er I did, or dreamed, or felt, The thought of what might yet befall Nor she alone, but her whole race That splendid creature mixed with all. Through ages yet to come- -whate'er Of feminine, and fond, and fair, Should spring from that pure mind and face, All waked my soul's intensest care: Their forms, souls, feeling, still to me God's most disturbing mystery! It was my doom-even from the first, When summoned with my cherub To witness the young vernal burst peers, Of nature through those blooming spheres, Those flowers of light, that sprung beneath The first touch of the Eternal's breathIt was my doom still to be haunted By some new wonder, some sublime Held all my soul enchained, enchanted, The wish to know-that endless thirst, As is the fount whereat 'tis slakedStill urged me onward, with desire Insatiate, to explore, inquireWhate'er the wondrous things might be, That waked each new idolatry Their cause, aim, source from whence they sprung, Their inmost powers, as though for me Oh what a vision were the stars, Of light for gods to journey by! They were my heart's first passion--days And nights, unwearied, in their rays 1 St. Augustin, upon Genesis, seems rather inclined to admit that the angels had some share (aliquod ministerium) in the creation of Adam and Eve. |