Seasonless, herbless, treeless, manless, lifeless, The populous and the powerful was a lump,
saw, and shriek'd, and died, beheldĮven of their mutual hideousness they died,įamine had written Fiend. The feeble ashes, and their feeble breathĮach other's aspects. Where had been heap'd a mass of holy thingsĪnd shivering scraped with their cold skeleton hands Of an enormous city did survive, And they were enemies The crowd was famish'd by degrees but two Which answered not with a caress, he died. Lured their lank jaws himself sought out no food,Īnd a quick desolate cry, licking the hand Till hunger clung them, or the dropping dead The birds and beasts and famish'd men at bay, Gorging himself in gloom: no love was left Īll earth was but one thought and that was death,ĭied, and their bones were tombless as their flesh Įven dogs assail'd their masters, all save one,Īnd he was faithful to a corpse, and kept Hissing, but stingless, they were slain for foodĭid glut himself again a meal was bought With curses cast them down upon the dust,Īnd gnash'd their teeth and howl'd: the wild birds shriek'd,Īnd, terrified, did flutter on the ground,Īnd flap their useless wings the wildest brutesĬame tame and tremolous and vipers crawl'dĪnd twined themselves among the multitude,
Their funeral piles with fuel, and looked up Their chins upon their clenched hands, and smiled The flashes fell upon them some lay downĪnd hid their eyes and wept and some did rest They fell and faded and the crackling trunksĮxtinguish'd with a crash and all was black. Of the volcanos, and their mountain-torch:Ī fearful hope was all the world contain'd Happy were those who dwelt within the eye To look once more into each other's face Were burnt for beacons cities were consumed,Īnd men were gathered round their blazing homes The habitations of all things which dwell, Were chill'd into a selfish prayer for light:Īnd they did live by watchfires - and the thrones, Morn came, and went and came, and brought no day,Īnd men forgot their passions in the dread Swung blind and blackening in the moonless air
The bright sun was extinguish'd, and the starsĭid wander darkling in the eternal space, I had a dream, which was not all a dream.
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