LXXIV.

’Tis a proud vision—that most regal pile

Of ancient days! The lamps are streaming bright

From its rich altar, down each pillar’d aisle,

Whose vista fades in dimness; but the sight

Is lost in splendours, as the wavering light

Develops on those walls the thousand dyes

Of the vein’d marbles, which array their height,

And from yon dome, the lode-star of all eyes,[220]

Pour such an iris-glow as emulates the skies.