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Poem
January 14, 1871
The Herald
Smyrna, Kent County, Delaware
What is this article about?
A contemplative poem pondering the nature of the Northern Lights, questioning if they arise from icy fields, cosmic spirits, impending doom, a burning sphere, or a divine beam from Jehovah.
Clipping
OCR Quality
75%
Good
Full Text
THE NORTHERN LIGHTS.
BY W. C. WILKINSON.
When the sun is low.
And myriad skies waken in the wakeful even,
Where lights that crystalline grow.
Suffusing faint and fair the azure slopes of heaven?
Is it the icy field
That masks the ether pure, the crystal body
Wherewith the earth is veiled.
Faint, unwasting, in the slant sun's glory lay?
Is it the restless spirit,
That haunts the bosom of the universe,
In void he both inherit,
Kindling the electric flames that thought and being nurs.?
Is it a weird portent.
Written in lightning on the living wall
Of the large firmament,
Pointing some world aghast to fate's impending fall?
Is it the flushing flame
Of some worn-out ethereal sphere on fire,
With tide of radiant shame
Mantling the conscious heaven above the funeral pyre?
Is it the vivid beam
Once fixed in splendor 'twixt the cherubim
Its winged Shekinah gleam
Lighting the lonely sky with awful sign of Jehovah?
BY W. C. WILKINSON.
When the sun is low.
And myriad skies waken in the wakeful even,
Where lights that crystalline grow.
Suffusing faint and fair the azure slopes of heaven?
Is it the icy field
That masks the ether pure, the crystal body
Wherewith the earth is veiled.
Faint, unwasting, in the slant sun's glory lay?
Is it the restless spirit,
That haunts the bosom of the universe,
In void he both inherit,
Kindling the electric flames that thought and being nurs.?
Is it a weird portent.
Written in lightning on the living wall
Of the large firmament,
Pointing some world aghast to fate's impending fall?
Is it the flushing flame
Of some worn-out ethereal sphere on fire,
With tide of radiant shame
Mantling the conscious heaven above the funeral pyre?
Is it the vivid beam
Once fixed in splendor 'twixt the cherubim
Its winged Shekinah gleam
Lighting the lonely sky with awful sign of Jehovah?
What sub-type of article is it?
Ode
What themes does it cover?
Nature Seasons
Religious Faith
What keywords are associated?
Northern Lights
Aurora
Cosmic Wonder
Divine Sign
Nature Mystery
What entities or persons were involved?
W. C. Wilkinson
Poem Details
Title
The Northern Lights.
Author
W. C. Wilkinson
Subject
Contemplation Of The Northern Lights
Form / Style
Rhymed Stanzas With Irregular Meter
Key Lines
When The Sun Is Low.
And Myriad Skies Waken In The Wakeful Even,
Where Lights That Crystalline Grow.
Suffusing Faint And Fair The Azure Slopes Of Heaven?
Is It The Vivid Beam
Once Fixed In Splendor 'Twixt The Cherubim
Its Winged Shekinah Gleam
Lighting The Lonely Sky With Awful Sign Of Jehovah?