HAIL to the glorious morning When the Cross again shall shine On the summit of Saint Sophia, O city of Constantine! And that day of sack and slaughter When the wild, despairing cries Of "Kyrie Eleison!" fainter Went wailing up to the skies, Shall be lost in the splendid triumph As the Church reclaims her own, And the Patriarch welcomes our Lord the Czar To the Caesars' ancient throne! In the sky of the south, at midnight, We have seen God's flaming sign, And we know he will drive the Moslem horde, As chaff, from his sacred shrine! Silent will be the muezzin As the sun on Asia sets; Folded the crescent banner; Crumbled the minarets. Then in the grand Cathedral Victorious chants we'll raise, While the saints look down with loving eyes, And the gems of the altar blaze. Hail to the day when the Eagles And the Cross shall gain their own, As the Patriarch welcomes our Lord the Czar To the Caesars' ancient throne! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...FALLING ASLEEP by SIEGFRIED SASSOON FIRST OF MAY by WILLIAM WORDSWORTH MY SOLITUDE by JAMES R. AGGELES HOMAGE TO QUINTUS SEPTIMIUS FLORENTIS CHRISTIANUS (2) by ANYTE PSALM 13 by OLD TESTAMENT BIBLE STANZAS ON THE BATTLE OF NAVARINO by THOMAS CAMPBELL |