Bible in Poetry: Revelation 18
1Another angel from heaven,
Came down with great authority;
His splendor illumined the earth.
2 With mighty voice he shouted then:
'Fallen is Babylon the Great!
A home for demons, she has turned;
A haunt for evil spirits all,
And unclean, detestable bird.
3 For, nations fully drank in her
Madd’ning wine of adulteries.
Kings committed adultery,
And earth’s merchants grew richer soon,
From her excessive luxuries.'
4 I heard a voice from heaven say:
'Come out of her, my people all,
So that, you will not share her sins,
And you will not receive her plagues;
5 Her sins are piled up to heaven,
And God has remembered her crimes.
6 To give her back as she deserved;
Pay her double for her misdeeds,
Double portion from her own cup.
7Give her as much torture and grief,
As glory, luxury she’d had.
For in her heart she boasted then,
'I sit as queen; I’m not widow,
And I will never mourn at all.'
8 In one day’s time, her plagues therefore
Will overtake her ruthlessly:
Death, mourning famine, all over.
She will be consumed by fire,
For mighty Lord God judges her.
9'When kings of earth who committed
Adultery with her and shared
Her luxury, then see the smoke
Of her burning and destruction,
They’ll weep and mourn over her loss.
10 And terrified by her torment,
They will stand far off and cry aloud:
“O 'Woe! O Woe, to city great!
O Babylon, city of pow’r!
In one hour’s time, your doom has come! '
11'The earth’s merchants will weep and mourn
O’er her because now buys no one
Their cargoes from them any more—
12 Cargoes of gold, silver and pearls;
Precious stones, fine linen and silk,
Scarlet cloth; things of citron wood,
And articles of every kind,
Of ivory and costly wood,
Bronze, iron and costly marble;
13 And cargoes of cinnamon, spice,
Of incense, myrrh and frankincense,
Of wine and olive oil, flour, wheat;
Cattle, sheep; horses, carriages;
And bodies, souls of men, women.
14' They’ll say, 'The fruit you longed for long
Is gone from you in moment’s time;
Your riches, splendor have vanished,
And never will be recovered.'
15 The merchants too who sold these things,
And gained their wealth from her will stand
Far, terrified at her torment.
They’ll weep and mourn 16and cry aloud:
“O Woe! O Woe, O great city,
Dressed in linen, purple, scarlet,
Glittering gold, precious stones and pearls!
17In one hour, great wealth has vanished! '
'Every sea captain, and traveler
By ship and sailors, and all men
Who earn their living from the sea,
Will stand far off, in poverty.
18 And when they see her burning smoke,
They will exclaim, 'Was there ever
A city like this great city? '
19 And they will throw dust on their heads,
And weeping, mourning cry aloud:
“O Woe! O Woe, O great city,
Where all who had ships on the sea,
Became so rich through her great wealth!
In one hour, she is in ruin!
20 Rejoice over her, O heaven!
Rejoice, saints, apostles, prophets!
God judged her for the kind of way,
She treated you, when upon earth.' '
21 A mighty angel picked up then,
A boulder, size of large mill-stone
And threw it into sea, and said:
'With similar a violence,
The great city of Babylon
Will be thrown down, ne’er to be found.
22 Music of harpists, musicians,
And flute players and trumpeters,
Will ne’er be heard in you again.
No workman or any trader
Will e’er be found in you again.
The sound of a grinding mill-stone
Will ne’er be heard in you again.
23 Lamp’s-light will never shine in you.
The voice of bridegroom and of bride
Will ne’er be heard in you again.
Your merchants were world's greatest men.
Your magic spell misled nations.
24 In her was found the blood of saints,
Prophets and all killed upon earth.'
Copyright by Dr John Celes 7-28-2007
poem by John Celes
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Bible in Poetry: Revelation 17
The Woman and the Beast:
1One angel who had the bowl, then
Came to me and said, 'Come on please,
I will show you the punishment
Of the great prostitute, who sits
On many waters of the earth.
2With her the kings of the earth had
Committed adultery and
The inhabitants of the earth
Became intoxicated with
The wine of her adulteries.'
3The angel carried me away
In the Spirit to a desert.
I saw a woman sitting on
A scarlet beast that was covered
With blasphemous names all over,
And had heads seven, and ten horns.
4The woman dressed in purple, scarlet,
Glittered with jewels that she wore,
Of gold and precious stones and pearls.
She held a golden cup in hand,
Filled with things abominable
And filth of her adulteries.
5 Her forehead had this title writ:
‘MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF ALL PROSTITUTES,
AND OF EARTH’S ABOMINATIONS.’
6 The woman was drunk with the blood
Of saints, the blood of those who bore
Testimony to Jesus Christ.
When I saw, I was astonished
7The angel asked me: 'Why are you?
I’ll explain the woman’s mystery
And of the beast she rides upon,
Which has seven heads and ten horns.
8The beast, you saw, once was, now isn’t,
Will come up out of the Abyss,
And go to his destruction then.
The earth’s inhabitants whose names
Have not been writ in Book of Life,
From time of creation of world
Will astonished be, seeing beast,
Because he once was and will come.
9'This calls for mind for great wisdom.
The seven heads are seven hills,
On which is seated the woman.
10They also are earth’s seven kings.
Five have fallen, one is, and last,
Hasn’t yet come, but when he does come,
He must remain for just awhile.
11The beast who once was, and now isn’t,
Is eighth, belonging to seven
Kings, going to destruction.
12 'The ten horns you saw are ten kings
Who haven’t received a kingdom yet,
But will for one hour receive pow’r,
As kings along with the great beast.
13They have one purpose and so will
Give their authority to beast.
14They’ll war against the Lamb of God,
But the Lamb of God will o’ercome
Them, because he is the Lord of lords
And King of kings of universe—
With Him will be his called, chosen
And faithful followers of Christ.'
15The angel told me, 'The waters
You saw, where the prostitute sits,
Are peoples, nations, languages.
16The beast with ten horns that you saw
Will hate the prostitute strongly.
They will bring her to ruin and leave
Her naked; and consume her flesh
And burn her with fire later.
17For God has put it into their hearts
To accomplish his purpose by
Giving the beast their pow’r to rule,
Till God’s words fully are fulfilled.
18 The woman is the great city
That rules over the kings of earth.'
Copyright by Dr John Celes 7-20-2007
poem by John Celes
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where are your powers Babylon?
Illustrious Babylon
where are your powers now?
city of fame
city of gold and silver
city of a famous name
where are your powers now?
city of wonders
empire of sin
Babylon
city of ruins
mighty Babylon
city of prowess
empire of old
empire of supremacy
rich with stolen gold
where are you now?
city of the hanging gardens
city holding the righteous captive
where are your powers Babylon?
city of desolate wastes
ferocious Babylon
look out over the valley
Cyrus the great of Persia
with his army of men
and Darius the Mede
with his army of men
diverting the great river Euphrates
and sneaking under your walls
your 'impenetrible walls
Babylon
city of ruins
Where are your powers
King Nebuchadnezzar?
your colossal gate is open
your subjects are drunk
drunk with wine and blood
unaware of approaching destruction
living their normal course of life
where are you now Babylon?
heaped in ruin and desolation
...forever
now just a dry desert plain
and the wind goes...hush...
poem by Allen Steble
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Bible in Poetry: Revelation 11
The Two Witnesses:
1Given a reed-like measuring rod,
I’as told to “ Measure God’s temple,
Altar, and count the worshipers,
2 And to exclude the outer court,
That was given to the Gentiles.
They’ll trample the holy city
For forty-two months at a stretch;
3With my power, my two witnesses,
Will prophesy for a thousand,
Two-sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.'
4Two olive trees and the two lamp-stands
Stand before the Lord of the earth.
5If anyone tries to harm them,
Fire will come out of their mouths
And devours their enemies.
This is how those who harm must die.
6These men have pow’r to block the sky,
So that, it won’t rain at that time,
They’re prophesying; and have pow’r
To turn the waters into blood,
And to strike the earth with every plague
As often as they wish to do.
7Now when their testimony is o’er,
The beast from the Abyss will attack,
And overpower and kill them.
8Their bodies will lie in the street
Of cities of Sodom, Egypt,
Where their Lord was crucified.
9For days, three and a half, all men
From every tribe, language and nation,
Will gaze at their bodies, without burying.
10The earth’s inhabitants of the earth will gloat
O’er them and will celebrate the day
By sending one another gifts,
For these two prophets tormented
Those who lived upon the earth.
11But after three and a half days,
A breath of life from God entered
Them, and they stood upon their feet,
And terror struck those who saw them.
12Then they heard a voice from heaven
Saying aloud, 'You come up here.'
They went to heaven in a cloud,
While their enemies just looked on.
13 That very hour, there was a quake,
Collapsing tenth of the city.
Killing seven thousand people
And terrifying survivors
Who glorified God of heaven.
14The second woe had passed away;
The third woe was coming too soon.
The Seventh Trumpet:
15The seventh angel blew trumpet:
Loud voices in heaven, then said:
'The kingdom of the world of men
Is now the kingdom of Christ Lord,
And He will reign forever, ever.'
16 The twenty-four elders seated
On thrones before the God, Most High,
Fell on their faces, worshiped God,
17 Saying:
'We give you thanks God Almighty,
The One who is and always was,
Because you’ve taken your great pow’r
And have begun to reign on earth.
18 Your wrath has come over nations;
The time has come for judging dead,
Rewarding your servants- prophets,
And saints, those revering your name,
Both small and great— all deserving,
And destroying those who destroy earth.'
19 God's temple in heaven opened,
And within his temple was seen
The Ark of His great covenant.
And came there flashes of lightning,
Rumblings, peals of thunder, earthquake,
And a mighty hailstorm as well.
Copyright by Dr John Celes 7-20-2007
poem by John Celes
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Forgotten Sheaves
The earth will weep and the people will know it,
But the lake which burns with fire is always around us.
The seven-year-cycle of love and the fallen grapes for the poor,
The forgotten sheaves in the field should be let to them always.
Clean animals must be slaghtered and shared,
Armageddon, armageddon! !
Her bowls are thrown into the air like the shearing of the sheep;
But her wars on earth were divided into three parts.
Of frogs and dragons,
That which is evil should not be your friend;
For Enoch was the seventh from Adam.
Hail falling from heaven! ! !
Of things cut without hands;
And like a stone from a great millstone.
The city had no need of the sun and,
The offspring of David is here to teach us;
But the sayings of the prophecy will not be heard by many.
The lamp is the Lamb and the city need no light,
Like the unclean spirits in the sea of blood.
Leave the forgotten sheaves for the poor and,
Help one another in times of need;
Like rain water and ice-blocks in the smoke of her burning.
I am sitting very calm in my room but i have to think,
For the key of the bottomless pit is with her;
And these events are part of the prophecies to come.
poem by Edward Kofi Louis
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Souls Of Men And Women
Gold, silver, and precious stones!
Pearls, fine linen and purple;
Silk, scarlet and scented woods!
Ivory, brass and iron;
Precious wood, marble and cinnamon!
Incense, fragrant ointment and frankincense;
Wheat, cattle and sheep! !
Horses, chariots and slaves;
The souls of men and women are here to stay,
But, who the cap fits, must always wear it.
poem by Edward Kofi Louis
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Ladies and Gentlemen
Ladies and gentlemen,
Welcome to the queen city of Babylon
And the seven hills of ancient Rome.
Welcome to that great city, that mighty city!
For in one hour is thy judgment come.
Welcome to the geographical center of evil
Of the Earth, nay the universe.
Welcome to everyone's home town
No matter where he's from.
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Cincinnati!
poem by Bob Evenson
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Bible in Poetry: Revelation 19
Hallelujah!
1I heard what sounded like the roar
Of multitude in heav’n shouting:
'Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
All glory, pow’r and salvation
Belong to our one, living God.
2 For true and just are his judgments.
He condemned the great prostitute,
Whose misdeeds corrupted the earth.
He has avenged upon her then
The blood of his beloved servants.'
3And they shouted: 'Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up forev’r.'
4The elders twenty-four and four
Living creatures fell down often
And worshiped God, who sat on throne
They cried: 'Amen, Hallelujah! '
5 A voice from throne then came and said:
'All praise our God, his servants all,
You who fear him, both great and small! '
6 I heard a sounded like multitude,
Like roar of rushing waters fast,
Like peals of thunder loud that said:
'Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
For God, our Lord Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and glad become
And give him glory and welcome!
For wedding-day of Lamb has come!
His bride has made herself ready.
8Fine linen, bright and clean like Fay,
Was given her to wear this day.'
9The angel said to me then, 'Write:
'Bless’d are those whom God did invite
To Lamb’s great wedding supper feast! ' '
'These are the true words of our God.'
10 I fell down to worship him then.
But he told me, 'Do not do it!
I’m a fellow servant just like you,
And with your brothers who hold on
To testimony of Jesus.
So worship God! And Jesus Christ
For Savior Christ’s testimony
Is spirit of the prophecy.'
The Rider on the White Horse:
11And when, I saw heaven open;
A white horse stood before me then,
Whose rider’s called ‘Faithful and True.’
With justice, he judges, makes war.
12His eyes are like blazing fire,
And on his head are many crowns.
He has a name written on him,
That no one knows except himself.
13He’s dressed in robe that’s dipped in blood,
His name is but the Word of God.
14 And Heaven’s armies followed him,
On white horses, mounted and dressed
In fine linen, pure white and clean.
15Out of his mouth, a sharp sword comes,
With which to strike the nations down.
'He’ll rule them with iron scepter.
He treads the winepress of fury
Of wrath of God, the Almighty.
16 Upon his robe and on his thigh,
He has this name written clearly:
‘THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.’
17 An angel standing in the sun,
Then cried out in a voice aloud
To all the birds in midair flight,
'Come, gather for God’s supper great,
18so that you eat the flesh of men-
Kings, mighty generals, horse, riders
And of people, free, slave, small, great.'
19 I saw the beast and kings of earth,
Their armies gathered to make war
Against the rider, his army.
20 The beast was captured, and with him
The false prophet who had performed
The miracles on his behalf.
With these signs he had deluded
Those who had got the mark of beast
And worshiped his image as well.
The two of them were thrown alive
In lake of burning sulfur fire.
21The rest of them were killed by sword
That came out of horse-rider’s mouth,
And all the birds gorged on their flesh.
Copyright by Dr John Celes 7-20-2007
poem by John Celes
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The Merchandise
To the merchandise of gold,
To the merchandise of silver,
To the merchandise of bronze,
To the merchandise of ivory,
To the merchandise of precious stone,
To the merchandise of brass,
To the merchandise of pearls,
To the merchandise of cars,
To the merchanidse of bauxite,
To the merchandise of fine linen,
To the merchandise of houses,
To the merchandise of wine,
To the merchandise of oil,
To the merchandise of luxuries,
To the merchandise of weapons,
To the merchandise of coffee,
To the merchandise of purple,
To the merchandise of wheat,
To the merchandise of sheep,
To the merchandise of timber,
To the merchandise of cattle,
To the merchandise of iron,
To the merchandise of horses,
To the merchandise of fruits,
To the merchandise of frankincense,
To the merchandise of cocoa,
To the merchandise of scarlet,
To the merchandise of precious wood,
To the merchandise of silk,
To the merchandise of chariots,
To the merchandise of commercial planes,
To the merchandise of slaves,
To the merchandise of private jets,
To the merchandise of marbles,
To the merchandise of war planes,
To the merchandise of scented wood,
To the merchandise of fine flour,
To the merchandise of incense,
To the merchandise of cinnamon,
And to the merchandise of fragrant ointment;
But the day comes when we will all cry.
poem by Edward Kofi Louis
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Bible in Poetry: Revelation 8
1He opened then the seventh seal,
And heav’n turned silent for half hour.
2The seven angels before God,
Were given seven trumpets then.
3An angel, with a gold censer,
Came and stood before the altar.
He had incense to offer much,
With prayers of all the saints,
On the golden altar of God.
4The incense-smoke and saints’ prayers
Went up to God from angel's hand.
5The angel took the censer then,
And filled it with altar’s fire,
And hurled it onto the earth’s face;
There came thunder, rumblings, flashes
Of lightning and an earthquake great.
The Trumpets:
6The seven angels then prepared
To blow their trumpets, one by one.
7 When first angel blew his trumpet,
Hail came with fire, mixed with blood,
And it was hurled down on the earth.
A third of earth was burned up soon,
A third of trees were burned up too,
And all the green grass was burned up.
8The second angel blew trumpet,
And something like a huge mountain
Ablaze, was thrown into the sea.
A third of sea then turned to blood,
9A third of creatures of sea died,
A third of ships were all destroyed.
10The third angel blew his trumpet,
A great star, blazing like a torch,
Fell from sky on third of rivers
And on the earth’s springs of water—
11The name of the star was Wormwood.
A third of waters turned bitter,
And many people died from it.
12The fourth angel sounded trumpet,
A third of sun was darkened then,
A third of moon, and third of stars,
Was turned dark soon afterwards.
A third of day was without light,
A third of night also alike.
13And as I watched, an eagle flew
In midair, calling out aloud:
'Woe! Woe! To earth’s inhabitants,
Because of trumpet blasts about
To come from three other angels! '
Copyright by Dr John Celes 7-16-2007
poem by John Celes
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Bible in Poetry: Revelation 22
The River of Life:
1 And then the angel showed to me
The river of water of life,
As clear as crystal, and which flowed,
From the throne of God and the Lamb,
2 And down the city’s middle street.
On either side of river stood,
Tree of life, with twelve crops of fruit,
And yielding fruit on every month.
The leaves of tree healed all nations.
3 No longer will there be a curse.
The throne of God and of the Lamb
In city, and servants serve Him.
4 They’ll see His face then directly;
His name will be on their foreheads.
5 There will be no more night at all.
They will not need a lamp-light’s help,
Nor light of sun, for God gives light.
And they will reign forever, ev’r.
6 The angel turned and said to me,
'These words are trustworthy and true.
The God of spirits of prophets,
Sent angel to show his servants,
The things that must take place sooner.'
Jesus Is Coming:
7 'Behold, I am then coming soon!
Blessed is he who keeps the words
Of the prophecy in this book.'
8 I, John, heard and saw all these things.
And when I’d heard and seen them all,
I fell down to worship at feet
Of angel who showed them to me.
9He said to me, 'Do not do it!
I’m a fellow servant with you
And with your brothers, the prophets,
And all who keep words of this book.
Therefore, you worship the Lord, God! '
10 He told me then, 'Don’t seal the words
Of prophecy of this book for,
The time is near as prophesied.
11 Let him who wrongs, so continue;
Let him who’s vile, then, continue;
Let him who does the right, do so;
Let him who’s holy, holy be.'
12 'Behold, I am then coming soon!
With Me is my reward for all;
And I will give to everyone,
According to what he has done.
13 I’m Alpha and the Omega,
First and Last, Beginning and End.
14 'Blessed are those who wash their robes,
That they have right to tree of life,
And go through gates of the City.
15 Outside are dogs, with magic arts,
The sexually immoral ones,
The murderers, idolaters,
And all who love, practice falsehoods.
16 'I, Jesus, have sent my angel,
To testify to all churches:
I am the Root, David’s Offspring,
The Morning Star that’s ever bright.'
17 The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come! '
Let him who hears say, 'Come! Also.”
“Whoev’r is thirsty, let him come;
Whoever wishes let him take
The free gift of Water of Life.
18 I warn all those who hear the words
Of prophecy of this great Book:
If one adds anything to them,
Then God will add to him the plagues
That are described in this God’s Book.
19 If anyone takes words away
Then, from this Book of prophecy,
God too will take away from him,
His share in tree of life as well
As, in the holy city too,
Which are described in this great Book.
20 Whoever testifies to these
Things says, 'Yes, I am coming soon.'
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen
21The grace of Lord Jesus Christ be
With God's people always. Amen.
(7-16-2007)
poem by John Celes
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Mingled With Fire
The law is burning and bombs are falling!
The earth mourns and fades aways but,
My ture love will be with you always.
You are the accuser of our brothers,
You are accuser of our sisters,
You are the accuser of our fathers,
You are the accuser of our mothers,
And like the vine of the earth.
Of the sea of glass mingled with fire! !
War in heaven and earth;
With many dead bodies already counted like,
The stones of a quarry.
Tribes, peoples, languages and nations;
Two wings of a great eagle flying over the planes of war,
But the blood of the dead are not needed as at now.
The length of half an hour,
The earth mourns and fades aways;
Destruction, destruction, destruction!
The torment of the scorpions are like the horses prepared for war.
The locusts came flying through the midst of heaven,
But the chariots of many failled to run;
For the battle is great and it is mingled with fire.
Of bombs dropping like water and,
People dying like falling sones;
But my true love will be with you aways.
poem by Edward Kofi Louis
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Bible in Poetry: Revelation 5
The Scroll and the Lamb:
1To His right hand, I saw a scroll,
With writing on both sides of it,
And sealed with seven seals as well.
2A mighty angel said aloud,
'Who is the worthy one to break
The seals and open scroll, Tell me? '
3But none in heaven or on earth
Or under earth could open scroll
Or look inside it anyway.
4I wept because no one was found
Who was worthy to open it.
5Then one of the elders said to me,
'Don’t weep! The Lion of the Judah tribe,
The Root of David has triumphed.
He will open the scroll and seals.'
6 I saw a Lamb that appeared slain,
And standing in the throne’s center,
Encircled by creatures, elders.
He had horns seven horns and like eyes,
Which are God’s seven big spirits
That are sent out into the earth.
7He took the scroll from his right hand.
8And when he had taken it thus,
The living creatures four fell down
Before the Lamb with the elders.
Each one possessed a harp with it,
And held gold bowls filled with incense,
Which are the prayers of the saints.
9And they sang a new song:
'Worthy are you to take the scroll
And open its seals,
Because you’re slain,
And with your blood,
You purchased men for God,
From every tribe and language,
And people and nation.”
10You’ve made them to be a kingdom,
And priests to serve our Lord and God,
And they will reign upon the earth.'
11And then, I looked and heard the voice
Of many angels, in thousands
Upon thousands in their numbers,
And ten thousand times, ten thousand,
They encircled the splendid throne,
And living creatures and the elders.
12In a loud voice they sang:
'O worthy is the Lamb, who’s slain,
To receive pow’r, wealth, wisdom, strength
And honor, glory and all praise! '
13 And then I heard every creature,
In heaven, earth and in the sea,
And all that is in them, singing:
'To Him who sits upon the throne
And to the Lamb, be praise, honor
Glory and power, forever! '
14The living creatures said, 'Amen, '
While elders fell down, worshiped Him.
poem by John Celes
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Fallen
Babylon has fallen,
Fallen and fallen!
Yes, the great City has fallen;
And like another sad note without the harp to play my song.
To every nation, tribe, language and people;
However, thrust in your sickle and reap for joy!
For the harvest of my love is now ripe.
Touch me with your love and enjoy my taste,
And like the muse of love in the night and day;
But, this great voice of a thunder is now heard from afar! !
She should have waited but now it is gone,
Yes, gone too soon with the like,
A candle in the wind without any hope around.
Babylon has fallen!
And now, the mission is over.
poem by Edward Kofi Louis
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Easter Day, II
So in the sinful streets, abstracted and alone,
I with my secret self held communing of mine own.
So in the southern city spake the tongue
Of one that somewhat overwildly sung,
But in a later hour I sat and heard
Another voice that spake another graver word.
Weep not, it bade, whatever hath been said,
Though He be dead, He is not dead.
In the true creed
He is yet risen indeed;
Christ is yet risen.
Weep not beside His tomb,
Ye women unto whom
He was great comfort and yet greater grief;
Nor ye, ye faithful few that wont with Him to roam,
Seek sadly what for Him ye left, go hopeless to your home;
Nor ye despair, ye sharers yet to be of their belief;
Though He be dead, He is not dead,
Nor gone, though fled,
Not lost, though vanished;
Though He return not, though
He lies and moulders low;
In the true creed
He is yet risen indeed;
Christ is yet risen.
Sit if ye will, sit down upon the ground,
Yet not to weep and wail, but calmly look around.
Whate’er befel,
Earth is not hell;
Now, too, as when it first began,
Life is yet life, and man is man.
For all that breathe beneath the heaven’s high cope,
Joy with grief mixes, with despondence hope.
Hope conquers cowardice, joy grief;
Or at least, faith unbelief.
Though dead, not dead;
Not gone, though fled;
Not lost, though vanished.
In the great gospel and true creed,
He is yet risen indeed;
Christ is yet risen.
poem by Arthur Hugh Clough
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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Psalm 48
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
Mount Zion is the city of the King
When mortal kings gather, they fall down on their face
They lift up their voice to HIm and sing
For God is the God, the King of all the earth
All earthly kings are puny in His sight
And as far as the east stretched from the west
He is God over every day and night
There is a coming city, the city of God
The new Jerusalem that waits on high
It waits upon the martyrs and the coming King
And every eye shall see it in the sky
The promise fulfilled, the city come down
The day of God's judgment is at hand
We'll wait upon the Lord and His promises
On Christ the solid Rock we all shall stand
poem by Frank McEleny
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The Death Of Richard Wagner
Mourning on earth, as when dark hours descend,
Wide-winged with plagues, from heaven; when hope and mirth
Wane, and no lips rebuke or reprehend
Mourning on earth.
The soul wherein her songs of death and birth,
Darkness and light, were wont to sound and blend,
Now silent, leaves the whole world less in worth.
Winds that make moan and triumph, skies that bend,
Thunders, and sound of tides in gulf and firth,
Spake through his spirit of speech, whose death should send
Mourning on earth.
The world's great heart, whence all things strange and rare
Take form and sound, that each inseparate part
May bear its burden in all tuned thoughts that share
The world's great heart -
The fountain forces, whence like steeds that start
Leap forth the powers of earth and fire and air,
Seas that revolve and rivers that depart -
Spake, and were turned to song: yea, all they were,
With all their works, found in his mastering art
Speech as of powers whose uttered word laid bare
The world's great heart.
From the depths of the sea, from the wellsprings of earth, from the wastes of the midmost night,
From the fountains of darkness and tempest and thunder, from heights where the soul would be,
The spell of the mage of music evoked their sense, as an unknown light
From the depths of the sea.
As a vision of heaven from the hollows of ocean, that none but a god might see,
Rose out of the silence of things unknown of a presence, a form, a might,
And we heard as a prophet that hears God's message against him, and may not flee.
Eye might not endure it, but ear and heart with a rapture of dark delight,
With a terror and wonder whose core was joy, and a passion of thought set free,
Felt inly the rising of doom divine as a sundawn risen to sight
From the depths of the sea.
poem by Algernon Charles Swinburne
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Great Are The Myths
GREAT are the myths--I too delight in them;
Great are Adam and Eve--I too look back and accept them;
Great the risen and fallen nations, and their poets, women, sages,
inventors, rulers, warriors, and priests.
Great is Liberty! great is Equality! I am their follower;
Helmsmen of nations, choose your craft! where you sail, I sail,
I weather it out with you, or sink with you.
Great is Youth--equally great is Old Age--great are the Day and
Night;
Great is Wealth--great is Poverty--great is Expression--great is
Silence.
Youth, large, lusty, loving--Youth, full of grace, force,
fascination!
Do you know that Old Age may come after you, with equal grace, force,
fascination? 10
Day, full-blown and splendid--Day of the immense sun, action,
ambition, laughter,
The Night follows close, with millions of suns, and sleep, and
restoring darkness.
Wealth, with the flush hand, fine clothes, hospitality;
But then the Soul's wealth, which is candor, knowledge, pride,
enfolding love;
(Who goes for men and women showing Poverty richer than wealth?)
Expression of speech! in what is written or said, forget not that
Silence is also expressive,
That anguish as hot as the hottest, and contempt as cold as the
coldest, may be without words.
Great is the Earth, and the way it became what it is;
Do you imagine it has stopt at this? the increase abandon'd?
Understand then that it goes as far onward from this, as this is from
the times when it lay in covering waters and gases, before man
had appear'd. 20
Great is the quality of Truth in man;
The quality of truth in man supports itself through all changes,
It is inevitably in the man--he and it are in love, and never leave
each other.
The truth in man is no dictum, it is vital as eyesight;
If there be any Soul, there is truth--if there be man or woman there
is truth--if there be physical or moral, there is truth;
If there be equilibrium or volition, there is truth--if there be
things at all upon the earth, there is truth.
O truth of the earth! I am determin'd to press my way toward you;
Sound your voice! I scale mountains, or dive in the sea after you.
Great is Language--it is the mightiest of the sciences,
It is the fulness, color, form, diversity of the earth, and of men
and women, and of all qualities and processes; 30
It is greater than wealth--it is greater than buildings, ships,
religions, paintings, music.
Great is the English speech--what speech is so great as the English?
Great is the English brood--what brood has so vast a destiny as the
English?
It is the mother of the brood that must rule the earth with the new
rule;
The new rule shall rule as the Soul rules, and as the love, justice,
equality in the Soul rule.
Great is Law--great are the few old land-marks of the law,
They are the same in all times, and shall not be disturb'd.
Great is Justice!
Justice is not settled by legislators and laws--it is in the Soul;
It cannot be varied by statutes, any more than love, pride, the
attraction of gravity, can; 40
It is immutable--it does not depend on majorities--majorities or what
not, come at last before the same passionless and exact
tribunal.
For justice are the grand natural lawyers, and perfect judges--is it
in their Souls;
It is well assorted--they have not studied for nothing--the great
includes the less;
They rule on the highest grounds--they oversee all eras, states,
administrations.
The perfect judge fears nothing--he could go front to front before
God;
Before the perfect judge all shall stand back--life and death shall
stand back--heaven and hell shall stand back.
Great is Life, real and mystical, wherever and whoever;
Great is Death--sure as life holds all parts together, Death holds
all parts together.
Has Life much purport?--Ah, Death has the greatest purport.
poem by Walt Whitman
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Jesus Christ, the King of Kings
Jesus Christ, the King of Kings!
His wise Word, in ears most rings;
And His praise, each church choir sings;
His one birth for earth, joy brings!
Jesus Christ, true God, true man,
Was but born with short life-span;
His great feat, repeat none can;
Seeing Him, all devils ran!
He started Christianity!
He came from eternity,
For sinners, and show pity;
He lives in heaven’s city.
His realm is not of this earth;
Prophets did forecast his birth;
Repentance can bring men mirth;
Pray to Him and get the worth!
Jesus Christ is creator;
He is Lord and protector;
His angels, men monitor;
For God’s grace, say, ’Confiteor’!
Jesus comes a second time;
He is God in every clime!
His wisdom stands for all time;
His great works are sung in rhyme!
Crucified, in pain, He lay;
He died but rose on third day!
He loved souls, scriptures say;
He’s the Truth, the Light and Way!
Copyright by Dr John Celes 25-11-11
poem by John Celes
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Life and Nature
I passed through the gates of the city,
The streets were strange and still,
Through the doors of the open churches
The organs were moaning shrill.
Through the doors and the great high windows
I heard the murmur of prayer,
And the sound of their solemn singing
Streamed out on the sunlit air;
A sound of some great burden
That lay on the world's dark breast,
Of the old, and the sick, and the lonely,
And the weary that cried for rest.
I strayed through the midst of the city
Like one distracted or mad.
'Oh, Life! Oh, Life!' I kept saying,
And the very word seemed sad.
I passed through the gates of the city,
And I heard the small birds sing,
I laid me down in the meadows
Afar from the bell-ringing.
In the depth and the bloom of the meadows
I lay on the earth's quiet breast,
The poplar fanned me with shadows,
And the veery sang me to rest.
Blue, blue was the heaven above me,
And the earth green at my feet;
'Oh, Life! Oh, Life!' I kept saying,
And the very word seemed sweet.
poem by Archibald Lampman
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Bible in Poetry: Revelation 6
The Seals:
1As I was watching Lamb open
The first of seven seals, by then,
I heard one of the creatures four
Utter in voice like thunder, 'Come! '
2 I looked, and there before me stood
A horse, all white! rider with bow;
He was given a crown, and then,
He rode out like a conqueror,
With mind and heart, on conquest bent.
3When Lamb opened the second seal,
The second creature said then, 'Come! '
4 A fiery horse, all red came out!
And to its rider was given,
The pow’r to take off peace from earth,
And make men slay one another.
To him was given a large sword.
5When Lamb opened the third seal then,
I heard the third creature say, 'Come! '
I looked, and there before me stood
A horse, all black! Its rider held
A pair of scales in his one hand.
6And then, I heard a voice amongst
The four living creatures, saying,
'A quart of wheat for a day's wage;
Three quarts of barley, for a day's wage;
Do not damage the oil and wine! '
7When Lamb opened the fourth seal then,
I heard the fourth creature say, 'Come! '
8 I looked, and lo, before me stood,
A horse, all pale! rider named Death;
Hades followed him, closely behind.
They’ere given the power to kill,
Over a fourth of the earth’s men,
By sword, plague, famine, and wild beasts.
9 And when He opened the fifth seal,
I saw under the altar, souls
Of those, who had been slain because
Of testimony to God’s Word,
That they ‘ad maintained until their end.
10They all called out in loud a voice,
'How long, Lord, Sovereign, holy, true,
Until You judge the earth’s peoples,
Avenging blood of ours, they shed? '
11 Each one received a robe of white,
And told to wait a bit longer,
Until the number of fellow
Servants and brothers to be killed,
Was completed as expected.
12 And when He opened the sixth seal,
There was a great earthquake on earth.
The sun had turned so black, as if
It was a sack-cloth of goat-hair,
And moon in full had turned blood-red,
13 And stars from sky fell onto earth,
Like late figs dropping from fig-tree,
When shaken by a strong, fierce wind.
14 The sky then rolled up like a scroll,
And every mountain and island,
Was taken off its place on globe.
15The earth’s kings, princes and generals,
The rich, the mighty, and all slaves,
And every free man hid in caves,
And ’mongst the rocks of the mountains.
16They called the mountains and the rocks,
'Oh, fall on us and hide us please,
From face of Him, who sits on throne,
And from the wrath of Lamb of God!
17For, Day of wrath great has now come,
And who can ever, ever stand? '
Copyright by Dr John Celes 7-14-2007
poem by John Celes
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