IX.
"Say who that hoary form? alone he stands,
"And meekly lifts his wither'd hands—
"His white beard streams with blood—
"I see him with a smile, deride
"The wounds that pierce his shrivel'd side,
"Whence flows a purple flood—
"But sudden pangs his bosom tear—
"On one big drop, of deeper dye,
"I see him fix his haggard eye
"In dark, and wild despair!
"That sanguine drop which wakes his woe—
"Say, spirit! whence its source."—
"Ask no more its source to know—
"Ne'er shall mortal eye explore
"Whence flow'd that drop of human gore,
"Till the starting dead shall rise,
"Unchain'd from earth, and mount the skies,
"And time shall end his fated course."—
"Now th' unfathom'd depth behold—
"Look but once! a second glance
"Wraps a heart of human mold
"In death's eternal trance."