NIGHT OF MARVELS
In such a marvelous night; so fair
And full of wonder, strange and new,
Ye shepherds of the vale, declare—
Who saw the greatest wonder?
Who?
(First Shepherd)
I saw the trembling fire look wan;
(Second Shepherd)
I saw the sun shed tears of blood;
(Third Shepherd)
I saw a God become a man;
(Fourth Shepherd)
O, wondrous marvels! at the thought,
The bosom's awe and reverence move;
But who such prodigies hath wrought?
What gave such wondrous birth?
'Twas love!
What called from heaven the flame divine,
Which streams in glory far above,
And bid it o'er earth's bosom shine,
And bless us with its brightness?
Love!
Who bid the glorious sun arrest
His course, and o'er heaven's concave move
In tears,—the saddest, loneliest,
Of the celestial orbs?
'Twas love!
Who raised the human race so high,
E'en to the starry seats above,
That, for our mortal progeny,
A man became a God?
'Twas love!
Who humbled from the seats of light
Their Lord, all human woes to prove,
Led the great Source of day to night,
And made of God a man?
'Twas love!
Yes! love has wrought, and love alone,
The victories all,—beneath, above:
And heaven and earth shall shout as one,
The all-triumphant song
Of love.
The song through all heaven's arches ran,
And told the wondrous tales aloud,
The trembling fire that looked so wan,
The weeping sun behind the cloud,
A God, a God become a man!
A mortal man become a God.
—Violante Do Ceo.
