Page:The Bengali Book of English Verse.djvu/83

Rh And, putting on the panoply of light, Brought bright-eyed Truth from her secluded home Amidst Himalaya's eternal snows Back to his native plain, from whence she had In terror fled, all scared by hateful rites Revolting of a hellish superstition. Filled with the learning of the East and West, An intellectual Samson in the midst Of Philistines grovelling in ignorance, And fallen from their simple ancient faith, He consecrated, with unflinching zeal, His mighty mind with all its gifts and powers, Its wealth of knowledge spoiled from hoary Time, Its deepest thoughts, and fondest, brightest hopes, To the sole service of his God and kind. O! noble life with noble deeds replete! 'Twas thine the glory and the grace and joy To save thy country's new-born buds from slaughter On the altars of a fell idolatry, And widowed female hearts all warm and throbbing With full-blooded life from off the blazing pyre! Thine the still higher glory to erect God's church pure from abominations foul On the strong rock of Nature's revelation, Which ne'er deceiveth, understood aright.

Next see he comes, with smiling looks benign, The grand old man, who left his sea-girt home In the far West, to spouse Philanthropy In fair Bengala's grove of champac bright; Who fondly, passionately clave to her, And only her, thro' weal and woe, in health And sickness, and thro' good report and evil, Unchanged and changeless with the ceaseless whirl