To the Goddess of Temperance
Goddess of the crystal fountains,
Gentle spirit, mild and fair,
Beautiful upon the mountains
How thy welcome footsteps are!
Flowers are in thy presence springing—
Flowers of joy that ever bloom—
All their fragrance sweetly flinging
Round our pathway to the tomb.
Songs of joy and grateful praises,
At thy conquering advances,
Every virgin spirit raises,
Glorious, heaven-born Temperance!
From the regions dark and lowly,
Thousand into brightness called,
At thy baptism, pure and holy
Stand redeemed and disenthralled.
On their hundred altars ceasing
Burn the fires of hell no more;
While the torch’s flame increasing
Gleams aloft, from shore to shore.
Wassail shout, and demon laughter,
From the foul one’s den have gone;
And thy short voice following after
Greets the car of rosy morn.
On the burdened ether flying,
Fades the rolling smoke of hell,
From the free that, dim and dying,
Light the foul distillery’s cell.
Earth’s despised and beggar’d wretches
Hail thy name with ecstacy [sic],
And the rescued drunkard stretches
Joyously his hand to thee.
In thy path of bliss and glory,
Conquering Goddess, move thou on,
Till Intemperance, stern and hoary,
Bows in chains before thy throne.
Speed thy work of renovation,
Till before thy hallowed shrine
Every tongue, and tribe, and nation,
Owns thy ministry divine.
Fling abroad thy snow-white Banner,
And thy hosts shall round it crowd,
Joining all in one hosanna,
Long and rapturous, and loud.
And as swells the anthem o’er us,
I n our full triumphant song,
Angel hosts shall join the chorus,
And the rolling notes prolong.
- Title
- To the Goddess of Temperance
- Alternative Title
- Goddess of the crystal fountains
- Date
- 1844
- Bibliographic Citation
- E.D.H. [George Shepard Burleigh]. Temperance Poems I. Philadelphia: Merrihew and Thompson, 1844, 24-27.
- George S. Burleigh Papers, 1825-1902. John Hay Library, Brown University. Small Scrapbook 26
- Subject
- Temperance
Part of To the Goddess of Temperance
