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Poem
February 24, 1844
The Radical
Bowling Green, Pike County, Missouri
What is this article about?
Time's soliloquy reflects on its eternal presence from creation, witnessing the bloom of paradise, rise and fall of ancient empires like Babylon and Assyria, controlling fates, spreading life and decay, until divine purpose ends it.
Clipping
OCR Quality
95%
Excellent
Full Text
Time's Soliloquy.
Ola! call you me? Ave! when the Almighty spoke creation into birth, I was there: Then was I born. Mid the bloom and verdure of Paradise I gazed upon the young world, radiant with smiles. I rose upon the pinions of the first moon, and caught the first dew drops from heaven. Ere the foot of man had touched the earth, I gazed upon its splendor. The cataracts sent up their anthems in solitude and none was there to listen to the new-born melody but I! The dawn bounded over the hills, and drank at the limpid streams witnessed by none but me. The morning star rose in beauty upon those unpeopled shores, and its twin sister of the eve daubed on the forehead of the sky with none to admire their rays but mine.
Ave! call me old! Babylon, Assyria, Peloponnesus and Thebes rose, flourished and fell, and I beheld them in their glory and decline. Scarce a melancholy ruin marks the place of their existence: but when their foundations were laid I was there! Mid all their splendor, glory and wickedness, I was in their busy streets and crumbling their magnificent palaces to the earth. My books will show a long and fearful account against them. I control the fate of empires—I gave them their period of glory and splendor: but at their birth, I concealed in them the seeds of decay and death. They must go down and be humbled in the dust: their proud heads bowed down before the rising glories of young nations to whose prosperity also I shall be witness and behold their decline. I poise my wings over the earth, and watch the course and doings of its inhabitants. I call upon the violets from the hills, and crumble the grey ruins to the ground. I am the agent of a high power, to give life and take it away. I spread silken tresses upon the brow of the young, and plant grey hairs on the aged. Dimples and smiles at my bidding, lurk around the lips of the innocent child, and I furrow the old man's brow with wrinkles. Old call you me? Ave! but when will my days be numbered? When will end come, and eternity begin? When His purpose, who called me into being, is accomplished, then, and not till then—and no one can proclaim the hour—I, too, shall be numbered with the dead.
Ola! call you me? Ave! when the Almighty spoke creation into birth, I was there: Then was I born. Mid the bloom and verdure of Paradise I gazed upon the young world, radiant with smiles. I rose upon the pinions of the first moon, and caught the first dew drops from heaven. Ere the foot of man had touched the earth, I gazed upon its splendor. The cataracts sent up their anthems in solitude and none was there to listen to the new-born melody but I! The dawn bounded over the hills, and drank at the limpid streams witnessed by none but me. The morning star rose in beauty upon those unpeopled shores, and its twin sister of the eve daubed on the forehead of the sky with none to admire their rays but mine.
Ave! call me old! Babylon, Assyria, Peloponnesus and Thebes rose, flourished and fell, and I beheld them in their glory and decline. Scarce a melancholy ruin marks the place of their existence: but when their foundations were laid I was there! Mid all their splendor, glory and wickedness, I was in their busy streets and crumbling their magnificent palaces to the earth. My books will show a long and fearful account against them. I control the fate of empires—I gave them their period of glory and splendor: but at their birth, I concealed in them the seeds of decay and death. They must go down and be humbled in the dust: their proud heads bowed down before the rising glories of young nations to whose prosperity also I shall be witness and behold their decline. I poise my wings over the earth, and watch the course and doings of its inhabitants. I call upon the violets from the hills, and crumble the grey ruins to the ground. I am the agent of a high power, to give life and take it away. I spread silken tresses upon the brow of the young, and plant grey hairs on the aged. Dimples and smiles at my bidding, lurk around the lips of the innocent child, and I furrow the old man's brow with wrinkles. Old call you me? Ave! but when will my days be numbered? When will end come, and eternity begin? When His purpose, who called me into being, is accomplished, then, and not till then—and no one can proclaim the hour—I, too, shall be numbered with the dead.
What sub-type of article is it?
Ode
What themes does it cover?
Religious Faith
Death Mourning
Political
What keywords are associated?
Time Soliloquy
Eternity
Ancient Empires
Creation
Mortality
Divine Purpose
Poem Details
Title
Time's Soliloquy.
Subject
Reflection On The Eternity And Role Of Time
Form / Style
Soliloquy In Elevated Prose Poetry
Key Lines
Ola! Call You Me? Ave! When The Almighty Spoke Creation Into Birth, I Was There: Then Was I Born.
Ave! Call Me Old! Babylon, Assyria, Peloponnesus And Thebes Rose, Flourished And Fell, And I Beheld Them In Their Glory And Decline.
I Am The Agent Of A High Power, To Give Life And Take It Away.
When His Purpose, Who Called Me Into Being, Is Accomplished, Then, And Not Till Then—And No One Can Proclaim The Hour—I, Too, Shall Be Numbered With The Dead.