Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
Asia: Vols. XXI–XXIII. 1876–79. | | | | Syria: Lebanon, the Mount | | Mount Lebanon | | Nicholas Michell (1807–1880) |
| | (From Ruins of Many Lands)
BUT see! Day’s king, with robes of glory on, | |
| The sun, hath climbed sky-piercing Lebanon! | |
| Like thousand arrows dipped in ruby light, | |
| Beams dart from rock to rock,—all heaven is bright; | |
| The hanging pines shake off their sombre sleep, | 5 |
| With freshened breath the mountain breezes sweep; | |
| The cascades, dashing joyous, catch the ray, | |
| And leap from crag to crag in silvery spray. | |
| Nestling in dells, the hamlet hides from view, | |
| Smoke o’er the deep green foliage curling blue, | 10 |
| But high above, on rocks exposed and bare, | |
| Gray convents hang, as poised in upper air: | |
| The matin bell with music loads the gale, | |
| And listening echo answers from the vale. | |
| O’er all, the mountains lift their crests of snow, | 15 |
| Nature’s grand crown where stainless jewels glow; | |
| E’en the huge cedars, standing dark and lone, | |
| That years and storms have bowed, but not o’erthrown, | |
| Whose shade might hallow priest or prophet’s tomb, | |
| Hail morning’s smile, and half forget their gloom. | 20 | | | |
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