THE DRUIDS’ HYMN.
“The Druids, till their religion had been interlarded with that of other nations, had neither images nor temples. They had generally those circles and altars, at which they performed their religious ceremonies, situated near the deep murmur of some stream, within the gloom of groves, or under the shade of some venerable oak.”
Smith’s Gallic Antiquities.
Not in the pomp of temples made with hands,
Nor where in pride the sculptured marble stands—
Where pillared aisles their labored lines display,
And painted casements mock the imprisoned day,
Or the broad column swells—we worship Thee,
Spirit Almighty!—but in this vast shrine,
Where nature bids her elder glories shine,
Fit emblems of thine own eternity.
These woods, which through the lapse of time have given
Their spreading branches to the light of heaven—
This stream that bears its flowery stores along,
And tells thy wisdom in its murmured song—
Yon placid lake, in whose transparent breast
Each bending shrub’s green image is at rest,
Whose face anon the rippling breezes swell—
The towering rocks which crown that shadowy dell—
All speak thy presence. Thine immensity,
That fills this breathing earth—the land—the sea—
Moves in the winds, when soft as now and warm,
Or bearing on their wings the hurrying storm—
Shines in the glorious sun—the deep blue sky—
And glows in yonder worlds that roll on high—
Dwells also here—the lightest leaf that moves,
Stirs with thy breath—Thy hand has raised these groves,
And wreathed their foliage—and sent sportive light
To sparkle in their blossoms, and make bright
The leaping fount. Each tender flower that waves
Aloft its head—each drop of spray that laves
The smiling ground, and drinks the sun’s warm rays,
An offering sends of fragrance and of praise
To Thee, the source of every creature’s good:
Then, in this calm and holy solitude,
Let ours, ascending, mix with Nature’s voice—
Let us, with sun, and wood, and stream rejoice—
Join in the chant of universal love
That swells from all below and all above,
To hymn the Uncreate, Invisible,
In whom all power, and life, and glory dwell.