Poems (Emma M. Ballard Bell)/Volura's Vision
VOLURA'S VISION.
'Twas night; and silence reigned o'er all the earth.The holy angel Sleep had waved his wandO'er many troubled, many peaceful souls,And both alike were soothed to calm repose.And there was one who on that silent night,Long after ceased the chimes of midnight bells,While bright the stars in heaven's concave shone,To meditation deep her soul had given.And while she mused upon celestial things,Such tides of glorious thoughts swept o'er her soul,Her being all with glowing rapture thrilled;And when at last in sleep she closed her eyes,This vision to her wond'ring soul was giv'n:
It seemed, beyond the confines of this world,Though still enveloped by its clouds and mists,In strange bewilderment she stood alone.Soon rays of glory seemed to light the mists,A pathway tracing through the fields of air;And o'er that way a radiant being came. And as intently then Volura gazedUpon the visage of the glorious one,Emotions deep of rapture thrilled her soul.The messenger celestial nearer drew,And said, in tones more sweet than music chimes,"O child of earth! I come to be thy guide;Come, soar with me and view the works of God."Thus saying, then the angel spread her wingsTo traverse with Volura spaces vast.
They passed across the orbit of our earth;Another orbit crossed, and then they reachedA planet which, though smaller than our own,Doth nearest that great luminary lie,The centre round which all the planets roll.The name of this bright orb is Mercury.And so intense with glory were the beamsOur sun upon its varied surface cast,Volura said, with wondering delight,"With scenes sublime, magnificent as these,Not all my dreams of heav'n were ever fraught."The angel and Volura soared away;And then to Venus' orb they swiftly came.'Twas night, and 'mid its firmament of starsOur own Earth shone like some resplendent moon.Awhile they gazed upon these midnight heav'ns,Then soon again their onward course pursued. They passed beyond the orbit of the Earth,Past Mars, and those four orbs that lie betweenIts path and Jupiter's belt-circled sphere,And winged their silent way to that vast orbCalled sov'reign of the planetary host,To mighty Saturn, with its rings and moons.
Two mighty arches spanned its midnight heav'ns,Reflecting on the planet glorious light;Between these arches lay a darkened space,Where twinkling stars displayed their native beams;Resplendent moons illumined too the skies,Of gibbous, spherical, and crescent forms;Some rising in the heav'ns as others set,Some passing through eclipses now and then;And, bright'ning still the glory of the heav'ns,Amid these orbs were blazing comets seen.And as Volura viewed the scene sublime,A solemn spell upon her soul was cast.Awhile she stood in awe and wonder lost;Then to her angel guide she trembling said,"O holy being! tell me if amongThis bright assemblage, though as some faint star,My home is seen, the Earth whereon I dwelt."The angel said, in deep and solemn tones,"Not half the spaces have we traversed nowBetween the sun and planet most remote, Yet through those spaces comes no glimm'ring rayTo tell us of the planet thou call'st Earth."Then such a sense of deep humilitySank o'er Volura's soul, it seemed as thoughA shade of sadness o'er her spirit crept;But when the angel down upon her gazed,With beaming eyes and Heav'n-illumined smile,Such sweet and holy rapture thrilled her soul,The sadness passed, she too looked up and smiled.
As on through space they winged their silent way,Uranus in the distance they descried.Still onward they with their swift motion passed,The Solar System leaving far behind;The planetary orbs to view were lost;The Sun itself now seemed a twinkling star.
Through spaces then immeasurably vastThey soared to regions called the Milky Way,—When, oh! what scenes of grandeur on them burst!The light was streaming from ten thousand suns,And suns round suns in harmony revolved,And some a white or bluish luster castOn other suns of green or crimson hue,And with contrasted light illumed the worldsWhich round those mighty suns for centers rolled.Not then Volura nor the angel spoke, But both with rapt devotion viewed the scene;And ringing clear, through purest ether borne,They heard from far the music of the spheres.
A silence passed, and then the angel said,While tears celestial filled her holy eyes,"O Mighty One! who rul'st the universe,From angels, seraphim, and starry spheresTo Thee be ever praise and glory giv'n."
Still, on Creation's verge they only stood;Through regions more profound of boundless spaceWere countless nebulæ dispersed around.They soared away 'mid regions still more bright;And o'er Volura now the angel spreadHer wing, to shield her from the dazzling beams.But now a change; for hitherto their wayHad only been through realms of glorious light;But far removed from these resplendent scenesBefore them lay a lone and darksome void,So far remote that rays of distant sunsCould only of this darkness twilight make.So wondrous to Volura was the changeFrom light to shade, she scarce could tell the way,Till once again the angel spread her wings,Reflecting from their folds now heav'nly light.
At last upon the verge of this dim voidA bright and heav'nly radiance there gleamed;More spiritual light than sun or starDispersed throughout the spaces left behind.And then the angel to Volura said,"O child of Earth! through depths of space profoundOf God's great universe I've passed with thee.And now thou near'st with me the spirit's home,Where kindred spirits wait to welcome me.They too will welcome thee. They love the good,The true, the noble, the aspiring soul,In mortal or immortal form that breathes.Still on through silent depths of boundless spaceUnnumbered suns and starry systems roll,And all the universe of God revolvesAround the center of infinity.But enter now with me this blest abode."
Soon o'er a gold-paved way they seemed to tread,While round and o'er them crystal arches hung;There holy fountains, streams perennial, flowed,And spirit forms were wand'ring to and fro.Where'er the angel and Volura turned,They met the glances of their spirit eyes;For in those realms of light, and joy, and love, Smile answers beaming smile, thought answers thought.And then the angel led Volura onWhere seraph minstrels chanted holy praiseAround some center, all in circles ranged,And, lo! that center was a glorious Throne;A Throne of dazzling whiteness, overhungWith golden clouds, whose fair ethereal foldsA holy radiance o'er all diffused.And seated high upon this dazzling Throne,And in primeval glory all arrayed,The glory by the Father to Him giv'nEre suns and stars from ancient chaos sprang,Was God's own Son. Beside the Throne there stoodTwo beings: one majestic in his mien,In whose right hand a golden balance swung,And Justice was the mighty being's name,The vindicator of God's holy law.Of sweet and holy and of milder mienThan that stern being who beside her stood,Was Mercy, pleading angel sent to standBetween stern Justice' wrath and fallen man.
Volura stood beside her spirit guide,And with adoring rev'rence viewed the scene."O child of Earth!" the holy angel cried, "Come, nearer draw, and bow before the Throne."Then seraph voices, seraph lyres, were mute,And in that silence deep the Saviour said,"O mortal one! thou comest from that orbWhere inharmonious elements are rife;Where Truth, though ever striving, hath not yetThe scepter wrested from dark Error's hands.But Truth, triumphant still, shall reign at last,And Error, with its self-benighted train,Be banished to the realms of endless night.And then shall earth be all one paradise,Where love shall fold its wing of purity,And peace again o'er all its scenes shall smile.And soon to earth thou shalt return again;But let the glorious scenes which thou hast viewedA lasting impress leave upon thy soul.If thou thy earthly mission well fulfill,Thou shalt return again to these blest scenes,And still progress in knowledge, virtue, truth,Through all the ages of eternity."Then while the Saviour on Volura gazed,New thrills of joy her inmost being filled;She prayed—and, oh! how earnest was the prayer—That she through all life's coming days might beForever shadowed by an angel's wing,Forever gladdened by a Saviour's love. And then the angel to Volura said,"Behold! yon silv'ry cloud that floats aboveShall waft thee gently on thy earthward way."As seraph fingers touched the golden lyres,Volura floated on that cloud away;While hallelujahs filled the dome of heav'n,And round and round the crystal arches rangThe anthems loud and deep, by seraphs raisedTo Him who ever was, and knows no end.