EARTH'S POWER AND WEAKNESS
Earth, thou hast grandeur, mighty piles are thine
Of human skill and workmanship divine,
Nature and art their kindred aims unite
To build thy loftiest monuments of might,
And dip their jeweled pens in floods of flame
To write the deathless eulogies of fame,
Where malice cannot one bright line deface
Or envy tear the record from its place:
Thy castles and thy crags tower side by side
By them the quaking elements defied,
Give o'er their strife and cease their paltry war,
Lay down their spears and own thee, conqueror.
Of human skill and workmanship divine,
Nature and art their kindred aims unite
To build thy loftiest monuments of might,
And dip their jeweled pens in floods of flame
To write the deathless eulogies of fame,
Where malice cannot one bright line deface
Or envy tear the record from its place:
Thy castles and thy crags tower side by side
By them the quaking elements defied,
Give o'er their strife and cease their paltry war,
Lay down their spears and own thee, conqueror.
Earth, thou hast wealth, uncounted gold is thine,
Jewels lie stored within thy hidden mine;
Safe in thy vaults for centuries they have lain,
Mortals have striven to claim them, but in vain,
Over thy wealth is set a solemn seal.
Ah! let the arrant thief break through to steal,
Thy jewels still shall deck thy vast domain:
Thy gold shall glitter in thy vaults again,
Man cannot from thy breast thy treasures bear,
The miser guards his hoards with jealous care
Claiming them, while he leaves them all behind,
He proves at last the truth that they are thine.
Jewels lie stored within thy hidden mine;
Safe in thy vaults for centuries they have lain,
Mortals have striven to claim them, but in vain,
Over thy wealth is set a solemn seal.
Ah! let the arrant thief break through to steal,
Thy jewels still shall deck thy vast domain:
Thy gold shall glitter in thy vaults again,
Man cannot from thy breast thy treasures bear,
The miser guards his hoards with jealous care
Claiming them, while he leaves them all behind,
He proves at last the truth that they are thine.
Earth, thou hast beauty, varied charms are thine
Wrought in rich fabrics and in rare design
Thy galleries of art thy smiles display;
Thy pictured landscapes loveliest themes portray;
Beautiful are the songs that pierce thy air
And beautiful thy holy tones of prayer;
Wrought in rich fabrics and in rare design
Thy galleries of art thy smiles display;
Thy pictured landscapes loveliest themes portray;
Beautiful are the songs that pierce thy air
And beautiful thy holy tones of prayer;
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