| Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). An American Anthology, 1787–1900. 1900. |
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| 1194. The Golden Age |
| | | By Ernest Francisco Fenollosa |
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| THIS world was not | |
| As it now is seen: | |
| It once was clothed | |
| With a deeper green; | |
| And rarer gems | 5 |
| Than the ice-caves hold | |
| The sea brought up | |
| On the sands of gold. | |
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| But rust of ages, | |
| The breath of Time, | 10 |
| The meadows covered | |
| With early rime; | |
| And the wild grass faded, | |
| The gems were gone, | |
| And the wave fell cold | 15 |
| As it thundered on. | |
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| In bygone ages | |
| The world was fair, | |
| And the moon-god played | |
| With her golden hair; | 20 |
| And the paling stars | |
| With love-white arms | |
| Bent down to welcome | |
| A sister’s charms. | |
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| The air lay sweet | 25 |
| With the breath of pines; | |
| The hill-tops glowed | |
| With their wealth of mines; | |
| And sweet, and low, | |
| And rich, and free, | 30 |
| The wild, dark music | |
| Stole over the sea. | |
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| And the sea-waves laughed | |
| At the saffron moon; | |
| And the musk-rose smiled | 35 |
| With her soul of June; | |
| And the golden age | |
| Of Nature’s years | |
| No warning heard | |
| Of her coming tears. | 40 |
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| But the hand of man | |
| Was the sword of death: | |
| A poison lurked | |
| In his savage breath, | |
| And the wealth of years | 45 |
| And the glow of years | |
| Were drowned in a flood | |
| Of swelling tears. | |
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| The world was fair | |
| In the days of yore; | 50 |
| But that golden age | |
| Shall come no more. | |
| The sun may shine, | |
| And wild flowers bloom; | |
| But the goal of all | 55 |
| Is the open tomb,— | |
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| The end of all | |
| Is the silent grave; | |
| And beauty lies | |
| In the cold still wave. | 60 |
| And the world shall harden | |
| The hearts of men | |
| Till it hear the voice | |
| Of its Christ again. | |
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