ZERAH’S HALLS.
I.
“Through Zerah’s halls the marbles shine
In all the glories nature gave;
And pearl and fretted gold combine
To tint the light’s reflected wave.
The clustered pillar’s slender stem
Lightly sustains the airy dome,
Chased with a patterned diadem
To crown with rosy light the true believer’s home.
II.
“Through Zerah’s halls the fountains play
In tireless tranquilizing stream,
Mingling their living silver’s spray
With the light’s soft and tinted beam;
And perfumed breath of leaf and bloom
Diffuse their fragrance o’er the sense,
Bidding the faithful soul assume
A rapture of belief in Allah’s providence.
III.
“In Zerah’s halls the pages wait;
The cushioned couch invites repose;
And Spahis marshaled at the gate
Regal security disclose;
And all the perfumes of the East
From soft exotic petals rise,
And join to yield a monarch’s feast
Of soul, to guide his hopes to views of Paradise.
IV.
“And Zerah’s halls protect the rare
And costly tomes of wisdom’s lore,
Gathered from all lands, treasured there,—
Wrought by the sages who explore
The pathways of the stars and suns,
And laws that guide the planets’ course;
Or seek of plants the rarer ones
Whose hidden virtues break diseases’ poison force,
