Shapes of Clay | Page 2

CORRECTED NEWS AN EXPLANATION JUSTICE MR. FINK'S DEBATING DONKEY TO MY LAUNDRESS FAME OMNES VANITAS ASPIRATION DEMOCRACY THE NEW "ULALUME" CONSOLATION FATE PHILOSOPHER BIMM REMINDED SALVINI IN AMERICA ANOTHER WAY ART AN ENEMY TO LAW AND ORDER TO ONE ACROSS THE WAY THE DEBTOR ABROAD FORESIGHT A FAIR DIVISION GENESIS LIBERTY THE PASSING OF "BOSS" SHEPHERD TO MAUDE THE BIRTH OF VIRTUE STONEMAN IN HEAVEN THE SCURRIL PRESS STANLEY ONE OF THE UNFAIR SEX THE LORD'S PRAYER ON A COIN A LACKING FACTOR THE ROYAL JESTER A CAREER IN LETTERS THE FOLLOWING PAIR POLITICAL ECONOMY VANISHED AT COCK-CROW THE UNPARDONABLE SIN INDUSTRIAL DISCONTENT TEMPORA MUTANTUR CONTENTMENT THE NEW ENOCH DISAVOWAL AN AVERAGE WOMAN INCURABLE THE PUN A PARTISAN'S PROTEST TO NANINE VICE VERSA A BLACK-LIST A BEQUEST TO MUSIC AUTHORITY THE PSORIAD ONEIROMANCY PEACE THANKSGIVING L'AUDACE THE GOD'S VIEW-POINT THE AESTHETES JULY FOURTH WITH MINE OWN PETARD CONSTANCY SIRES AND SONS A CHALLENGE TWO SHOWS A POET'S HOPE THE WOMAN AND THE DEVIL TWO ROGUES BEECHER NOT GUILTY PRESENTIMENT A STUDY IN GRAY A PARADOX FOR MERIT A BIT OF SCIENCE THE TABLES TURNED TO A DEJECTED POET A FOOL THE HUMORIST MONTEFIORE A WARNING DISCRETION AN EXILE THE DIVISION SUPERINTENDENT PSYCHOGRAPHS TO A PROFESSIONAL EULOGIST FOR WOUNDS ELECTION DAY THE MILITIAMAN A LITERARY METHOD A WELCOME A SERENADE THE WISE AND GOOD THE LOST COLONEL FOR TAT A DILEMMA METEMPSYCHOSIS THE SAINT AND THE MONK THE OPPOSING SEX A WHIPPER-IN JUDGMENT THE FALL OF MISS LARKIN IN HIGH LIFE A BUBBLE A RENDEZVOUS FRANCINE AN EXAMPLE REVENGE THE GENESIS OF EMBARRASSMENT IN CONTUMACIAM RE-EDIFIED A BULLETIN FROM THE MINUTES WOMAN IN POLITICS TO AN ASPIRANT A BALLAD OF PIKEVILLE A BUILDER AN AUGURY LUSUS POLITICUS BEREAVEMENT AN INSCRIPTION A PICKBRAIN CONVALESCENT THE NAVAL CONSTRUCTOR DETECTED BIMETALISM THE RICH TESTATOR TWO METHODS FOUNDATIONS OF THE STATE IN IMPOSTER UNEXPOUNDED FRANCE THE EASTERN QUESTION A GUEST A FALSE PROPHECY TWO TYPES SOME ANTE-MORTEM EPITAPHS A HYMN OF THE MANY ONE MORNING AN ERROR AT THE "NATIONAL ENCAMPMENT" THE KING OF BORES HISTORY THE HERMIT TO A CRITIC OF TENNYSON THE YEARLY LIE CO-OPERATION AN APOLOGUE DIAGNOSIS FALLEN DIES IRAE THE DAY OF WRATH ONE MOOD'S EXPRESSION SOMETHING IN THE PAPERS IN THE BINNACLE HUMILITY ONE PRESIDENT THE BRIDE STRAINED RELATIONS THE MAN BORN BLIND A NIGHTMARE A WET SEASON THE CONFEDERATE FLAGS HAEC FARULA DOCET EXONERATION AZRAEL AGAIN HOMO PODUNKENSIS A SOCIAL CALL

SHAPES OF CLAY

THE PASSING SHOW.
I.
I know not if it was a dream. I viewed A city where the restless multitude, Between the eastern and the western deep Had roared gigantic fabrics, strong and rude.
Colossal palaces crowned every height; Towers from valleys climbed into the light; O'er dwellings at their feet, great golden domes Hung in the blue, barbarically bright.
But now, new-glimmering to-east, the day Touched the black masses with a grace of gray, Dim spires of temples to the nation's God Studding high spaces of the wide survey.
Well did the roofs their solemn secret keep Of life and death stayed by the truce of sleep, Yet whispered of an hour-when sleepers wake, The fool to hope afresh, the wise to weep.
The gardens greened upon the builded hills Above the tethered thunders of the mills With sleeping wheels unstirred to service yet By the tamed torrents and the quickened rills.
A hewn acclivity, reprieved a space, Looked on the builder's blocks about his base And bared his wounded breast in sign to say: "Strike! 't is my destiny to lodge your race.
"'T was but a breath ago the mammoth browsed Upon my slopes, and in my caves I housed Your shaggy fathers in their nakedness, While on their foeman's offal they caroused."
Ships from afar afforested the bay. Within their huge and chambered bodies lay The wealth of continents; and merrily sailed The hardy argosies to far Cathay.
Beside the city of the living spread-- Strange fellowship!--the city of the dead; And much I wondered what its humble folk, To see how bravely they were housed, had said.
Noting how firm their habitations stood, Broad-based and free of perishable wood-- How deep in granite and how high in brass The names were wrought of eminent and good,
I said: "When gold or power is their aim, The smile of beauty or the wage of shame, Men dwell in cities; to this place they fare When they would conquer an abiding fame."
From the red East the sun--a solemn rite-- Crowned with a flame the cross upon a height Above the dead; and then with all his strength Struck the great city all aroar with light!
II.
I know not if it was a dream. I came Unto a land where something seemed the same That I had known as 't were but yesterday, But what it was I could not rightly name.
It was a strange and melancholy land.