Poems by Victor Hugo Part 8

One heard the dread simoom in distance roar, Whilst the crushed sh.e.l.l upon the pebbly sh.o.r.e Crackled beneath the crocodile's huge coil.

Westwards, like tiger's skin, each separate isle Spotted the surface of the yellow Nile; Gray obelisks shot upwards from the soil.

The star-king set. The sea, it seemed to hold In the calm mirror this live globe of gold, This world, the soul and torchbearer of our own.

In the red sky, and in the purple streak, Like friendly kings who would each other seek, Two meeting suns were shown.

"Shall I not stop?" exclaimed the impatient cloud.

"Seek!" trembling Tabor heard the voice of G.o.d.

V.

Sand, sand, and still more sand!

The desert! Fearful land!

Teeming with monsters dread And plagues on every hand!

Here in an endless flow, Sandhills of golden glow, Where'er the tempests blow, Like a great flood are spread.

Sometimes the sacred spot Hears human sounds profane, when As from Ophir or from Memphre Stretches the caravan.

From far the eyes, its trail Along the burning shale Bending its wavering tail, Like a mottled serpent scan.

These deserts are of G.o.d!

His are the bounds alone, Here, where no feet have trod, To Him its centre known!

And from this smoking sea Veiled in obscurity, The foam one seems to see In fiery ashes thrown.

"Shall desert change to lake?" cried out the cloud.

"Still further!" from heaven's depths sounded that Voice aloud.

VI.

Like tumbled waves, which a huge rock surround; Like heaps of ruined towers which strew the ground, See Babel now deserted and dismayed!

Huge witness to the folly of mankind; Four distant mountains when the moonlight s.h.i.+ned Seem covered with its shade.

O'er miles and miles the shattered ruins spread Beneath its base, from captive tempests bred, The air seemed filled with harmony strange and dire; While swarmed around the entire human race A future Babel, on the world's whole s.p.a.ce Fixed its eternal spire.

Up to the zenith rose its lengthening stair, While each great granite mountain lent a share To form a stepping base; Height upon height repeated seemed to rise, For pyramid on pyramid the strained eyes Saw take their ceaseless place.

Through yawning walls huge elephants stalked by; Under dark pillars rose a forestry, Pillars by madness multiplied; As round some giant hive, all day and night, Huge vultures, and red eagles' wheeling flight Was through each porch descried.

"Must I complete it?" said the angered cloud.

"On still!" "Lord, whither?" groaned it, deep not loud.

VII.

Two cities, strange, unknown in history's page, Up to the clouds seemed scaling, stage by stage, Noiseless their streets; their sleeping inmates lie, Their G.o.ds, their chariots, in obscurity!

Like sisters sleeping 'neath the same moonlight, O'er their twin towers crept the shades of night, Whilst scarce distinguished in the black profound, Stairs, aqueducts, great pillars, gleamed around, And ruined capitals: then was seen a group Of granite elephants 'neath a dome to stoop, Shapeless, giant forms to view arise, Monsters around, the sp.a.w.n of hideous ties!

Then hanging gardens, with flowers and galleries: O'er vast fountains bending grew ebon-trees; Temples, where seated on their rich tiled thrones, Bull-headed idols shone in jasper stones; Vast halls, spanned by one block, where watch and stare Each upon each, with straight and moveless glare, Colossal heads in circles; the eye sees Great G.o.ds of bronze, their hands upon their knees.

Sight seemed confounded, and to have lost its powers, 'Midst bridges, aqueducts, arches, and round towers, Whilst unknown shapes fill up the devious views Formed by these palaces and avenues.

Like capes, the lengthening shadows seem to rise Of these dark buildings, pointed to the skies, Immense entanglement in shroud of gloom!

The stars which gleamed in the empyrean dome, Under the thousand arches in heaven's s.p.a.ce Shone as through meshes of the blackest lace.

Cities of h.e.l.l, with foul desires demented, And monstrous pleasures, hour by hour invented!

Each roof and home some monstrous mystery bore!

Which through the world spread like a twofold sore!

Yet all things slept, and scarce some pale late light Flitted along the streets through the still night, Lamps of debauch, forgotten and alone, The feast's lost fires left there to flicker on; The walls' large angles clove the light-lengthening shades 'Neath the white moon, or on some pool's face played.

Perchance one heard, faint in the plain beneath, The kiss suppressed, the mingling of the breath; And the two sister cities, tired of heat, In love's embrace lay down in murmurs sweet!

Whilst sighing winds the scent of sycamore From Sodom to Gomorrah softly bore!

Then over all spread out the blackened cloud, "'Tis here!" the Voice on high exclaimed aloud.

VIII.

From a cavern wide In the rent cloud's side, In sulphurous showers The red flame pours.

The palaces fall In the lurid light, Which casts a red pall O'er their facades white!

Oh, Sodom! Gomorrah!

What a dome of horror Rests now on your walls!

On you the cloud falls, Nation perverse!

On your fated heads, From its fell jaws, a curse Its lightning fierce spreads!

The people awaken Which G.o.dlessly slept; Their palaces shaken, Their offences unwept!

Their rolling cars all Meet and crash in the street; And the crowds, for a pall, Find flames round their feet!

Numberless dead, Round these high towers spread, Still sleep in the shade By their rugged heights made; Colossi of rocks In ill-steadied blocks!

So hang on a wall Black ants, like a pall!

To escape is in vain From this horrible rain!

Alas! all things die; In the lightning's red flash The bridges all crash; 'Neath the tiles the flame creeps; From the fire-struck steeps Falls on the pavements below, All lurid in glow, Rolling down from on high!

Beneath every spark, The red, tyrannous fire Mounts up in the dark Ever redder and higher; More swiftly than steed Uncontrolled, see it pa.s.s!

Horrid idols all twist, By the crumbling flame kissed In their infamous dread, Shrivelled members of bra.s.s!

It grows angry, flows on, Silver towers fall down Unforeseen, like a dream In its green and red stream, Which lights up the walls Ere one crashes and falls, Like the changeable scale Of a lizard's bright mail.

Agate, porphyry, cracks And is melted to wax!

Bend low to their doom These stones of the tomb!

E'en the great marble giant Called Nabo, sways pliant Like a tree; whilst the flare Seemed each column to scorch As it blazed like a torch Round and round in the air.

The magi, in vain, From the heights to the plain Their G.o.ds' images carry In white tunic: they quake-- No idol can make The blue sulphur tarry; The temple e'en where they meet, Swept under their feet In the folds of its sheet!

Turns a palace to coal!

Whence the straitened cries roll From its terrified flock; With incendiary grips It loosens a block, Which smokes and then slips From its place by the shock; To the surface first sheers, Then melts, disappears, Like the glacier, the rock!

The high priest, full of years, On the burnt site appears, Whence the others have fled.

Lo! his tiara's caught fire As the furnace burns higher, And pale, full of dread, See, the hand he would raise To tear his crown from the blaze Is flaming instead!

Men, women, in crowds Hurry on--the fire shrouds And blinds all their eyes As, besieging each gate Of these cities of fate To the conscience-struck crowd, In each fiery cloud, h.e.l.l appears in the skies!

IX.

Men say that _then_, to see his foe's sad fall As some old prisoner clings to his prison wall, Babel, accomplice of their guilt, was seen O'er the far hills to gaze with vision keen!

And as was worked this dispensation strange, A wondrous noise filled the world's startled range; Reached the dull hearing that deep, direful sound Of their sad tribe who live below the ground.

X.

'Gainst this pitiless flame who condemned could prevail?

Who these walls, burnt and calcined, could venture to scale?

Yet their vile hands they sought to uplift, Yet they cared still to ask from what G.o.d, by what law?

In their last sad embrace, 'midst their honor and awe, Of this mighty volcano the drift.