Christus Author:Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Whose fan is in his hand ; He will purge to the uttermost His floor, and garner his wheat, But will burn the chaff in the brand And fire of unquenchable heat! Re... more »pent! repent! repent! MOUNT QUARANTANIA. LUCIFER. Not in the lightning's flash, nor in the thunder, Not in the tempest, nor the cloudy storm, Will I array my form ; But part invisible these boughs asunder, And move and murmur, as the wind upheaves And whispers in the leaves. Not as a terror and a desolation, Not in my natural shape, inspiring fear And dread, will I appear ; But in soft tones of sweetness and persuasion, A sound as of the fall of mountain streams, Or voices heard in dreams. He sitteth there in silence, worn and wasted With famine, and uplifts his hollow eyes To the unpitying skies ; For forty days and nights he hath not tasted Of food or drink, his parted lips are pale, Surely his strength must fail. Wherefore dost thou in penitential fasting Waste and consume the beauty of thy youth ? Ah, if thou be in truth The Son of the Unnamed, the Everlasting, Command these stones beneath thy feet to be Changed into bread for thee ! Christus. 'T is written : Man shall not live by bread alone, But by each word that from God's mouth pro- ceedeth! LUCIFER. Too weak, alas ! too weak is the temptation For one whose soul to nobler things aspires Than sensual desires! Ah, could I, by some sudden aberration, Lead and delude to suicidal death This Christ of Nazareth ! Unto the holy Temple on Moriah, With its resplendent domes, and manifold Bright pinnacles of gold, Where they await thy coming, O Messiah I Lo, I have brought thee ! Let thy glory here Be manifest and clear. Reveal thyself by royal act and gesture, Descending with the bright triump...« less