PART THE FIRST.

It i» the time of the flruciflxhui; and the angela of heaven have departed towards the 'earth, except the two Seraphim, Ador the Strong and Zerah the Bright One.

The place is the outer nide of the abut heavenly gate.

Ad or. O Seraph, pause no more!
Beside this gate of Heaven we stand
alone.
Zerah. Of Heaven!
AdoT. Our brother hosts are gone—
Zerah. Are gone before.
Ador. And the golden harps the
angels bore
To help the songs of their desire.
Still burning from their bands of fire.
Lie without touch or tone
Upon the glass-sea shore.
Zerah, Silent upon the glass-sea shore!
, Ador. There the shadow from the
throne—
Formless with infinity,
Hovers o'er the crystal sea ;'

Awfuller than light derived,
And red with those primaeval heats

Whereby all life has lived.
Zerah. Our visible God, our heavenly
seats!

Ador. Beneath us sinks the pomp angelical.

Cherub and seraph, powers and virtnes, all,—

The roar of whose descent has died

To a still sound, as thunder into rain. Immeasurable space spreads magnified

With that thick life, along the plan*The worlds slid out on. What a fall And eddy of wings innumerous.crossed By trailing curls that have not lost The glitter of the God-smile shed On every prostrate angel's head! What gleaming up of hands that fling Their homage in retorted rays, From high instinct of worshipping.

And habitude of praise. Zerah. Rapidly they drop below in. Pointed palm and wing and hair. Indistinguishable show us Only pulses in the air Throbbing with a fiery beat, As if a new creation heard Some divine and plastic word. And trembling at its new found being.

Awakened at our feet. Ador. Zerah, do not wait for seeing. His voice, it is, that thrills us so As we our harpstrings, uttered Go, Behold the Holy in his woe— And all are gone, save thee and— Zerah. Thee!

Ador. I stood the nearest to the

throne
In hierarchical decree.
What time the Voice said Go.
And whether I was moved alone
By the storm-pathos of thn tone