Page:Poems Merrill.djvu/86

Then stood aghast the people,
 Astounded, stricken, dazed.—
While in that glowing furnace
 The timbers cracked and blazed.

And, as the smoke ascended
 In black, dense, billowy waves;
Each heart cried out in anguish:—
 "Oh Father, God who saves

Look down in thy compassion!—
 The mad flames dart and sway
Like ruddy, fork-tongued dragons
 That swift devour their prey.—

The winds sang a requiem,
 And many a silent prayer
Arose. As smoke and flame illumined
 The sky with lurid glare.—

Oh! friends and loving kindred—
 Your hearts in grief must bow;
The proprietor of the factory
 Needs not your pity now!