Chapter XII: Epilogue: The Angel Ascendant1

But what are life, death, earth, and time to thee, Eternal Truth? Thou goest on for aye. 5090 Lives, deaths, earths, times, their plurals multifold, These but the bubbles on thy boundless wave, The sands of thy great glass, the flickering gleams Of life that knows nor origin nor end. These but the sparks flung from thy flaming forge, The falling star-dust of thy firmament, Where stars go down that straightway suns may rise.

Each ray of light, each principle of power, Each epoch-measuring hap of history, Had it a tongue would it not testify: 6000 "There cometh after me a mightier; I but prepare the way his face before; I but baptize with water, he with fire?" Till now tells not the past this oft-told tale, Which yet the future shall proclaim and prove?

Thou Angel, there ascending from the East, Who criest unto four, Hurt not, but spare, Till we the servants of our God have sealed! Who art thou and why risest now to view?

"I am that Voice which crieth in the waste; 6010 That wandereth through all worlds, invisible; That sayeth unto all, Prepare, prepare, Behold He cometh! Go ye out to meet.

"As His, my goings forth are from of old: A minister to Earth from Eden's hour, Reopening the guarded heavenward way, Whereby the fallen Michael rose again[2]; Lifting to rest the city sanctified[3], Awaiting there my mandate to descend.

"Wrought I through him whom Gods name Gabriel, 6020 The Noah of a world once water-doomed, By whom was earth besprent with life anew, Nor less with light from truth's rekindled flame, Still burning, though with error's incense dimmed, And fouled with alien fire[4] in many lands.

"Wrought I through him whom men call Abraham, The root of Shiloh[5], righteous branch of Shem; Quarry of Israel, rock whence he was hewn; Blesser of races with believing blood[6], Sprinkler of spirits faithful o'er the world, 6030 Oceans of nations, fountainward that flow, As the soiled floods unto the filtering sea.

"Led I when Israel cast Egypt's chain[7], And cleft the wave 'twixt bonds and liberty; As lead I shall when one the Shepherd loved Bringeth the sheep from long captivity[8]. Smote I by him who carved to Canaan's land, Whose sword[9] gave Israel his inheritance, Whose high behest e'en day and night obeyed, On Gibeon, in the vale of Ajalon. 6040 Blazed I through him who flamed as fire from heaven At Kishon's brook[10], where sunk the pride of Baal; Sealer, unsealer, of the sending skies, Renewer of the worship primal, pure. My hand in his, the anointed, named ere born[11], To sunder brazen-gated Babylon, Foreshadowing the great deliverance Wrought out by Him who died all worlds to win.

"Then burst the long sealed canopy[12] o'er him Revealed to whom were holy Sire and Son, 6050 And angel guardian of the book of gold; That truth might vanquish error, and once more Be known to men the true and living God.

"When spake the angels of authority, Mine was the hand that gave the Kingdom's keys[13], Lifting an ensign for the gathering; Beginning of an ending yet to be, When I a second time shall set my hand, Judah, with Joseph, joining to the fold, And long lost tribes and remnants ransoming. 6060

"The martyred Seer who gave up life to give The warning unto Ephraim, God's first born, Came I to him the Abrahamic keys[14], The Abrahamic covenant, to restore; That Jacob, to the end increasing still, Might be as sands and stars for multitude.

"How tell the sum[15] of all my ministries? Wrought I through him who gave to East the West, Through him whose pen of fire proclaimed it free, Through him whose blade the blood-bought soil redeemed. 6070 Came I to thee, lone muser on the mount, My minstrel--I thy muse. Dost know me now?

"All, all that make for freedom and for peace, That loose the captive, and the lost restore, That teach, in part or whole, eternal truth, By science, art, or might of melody;-- All these my ministers, who aid my aims. Elias I, their tasks Elias-given.

"Spirit of Progress, speeding on for aye; Gleam of the glory of Omnipotence; 6080 Hand of the Arm Omnific--cause of all; A mighty making way for Mightier, Coming, as Jacob upon Esau's heel[16], Eternity upon the trail of time.

"Jehovah's ancient covenant Messenger, Come I again, again, His courier, Till plenal powers of great Melchizedek The fullness of the glory here unfold, Whelming, O Earth! as once with watery wave, Thy form with fire, from founts of heavenly flame; 6090 Sealing, unsealing, binding o'er and o'er, Till all is order, as of old ordained.

"Then shall the Watchman on the Wall proclaim: 'Be glad, O Zion and Jerusalem! Rejoice, O Earth! No longer grieve and mourn. Ended the empire of iniquity, Broken oppression's rod forevermore. Gone are the gold, the silver, and the bronze, The conquering iron, and the crumbling clay; World-wide, heaven-high, the Stone of Israel stands; 7000 The Chaldean image as the Chaldean dream[17]!'

"And who is She that looketh forth sublime, Clothed with the sun, shod with the moon's pale beam, Her matchless brow bediademed with stars? Fairer than eve, mightier than bursting morn, As noon-day majesty magnificent?

"Perfection, heaven-retained unto this hour, Immanuel's Spouse, the glorious Bride of Christ, Arrayed in all her garments beautiful, Adorned and ready[18], waiting for her Lord! 7010

"Now, Heaven's loud trumpets, all Earth's secrets tell! Death and hell's dungeons, liberate your dead! For 'mid the shouts of saints, the risen, the changed, Day dawns, hour strikes, skies burst--the King descends!

"Await that time destroyers four[19], who give The Gospel, God's last warning unto man; Await likewise the thousands, twelve times twelve[20], Who for the coming King the way prepare. Hold I the signet of the Living God-- Lift unto light, or hurl to darkness down. 7020 The hour is imminent. Heed well the sign: Mark when the Bow's bright promise[21] is withdrawn!"

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Enough, I know thee, Strong and mighty One, That standest in the presence of the Lord! That leadest Israel from bondage old, That liftest up the Ensign unto all! Know thee, thou Muse and Minstrel of the Mount, Thou Harper on the Hills of Melody? I know thee, and am here to work thy will, To hymn thy praise, perchance behold thy power, 7030 When, iris-crowned and clothed as with a cloud, Thy face the sun, thy feet as pillared fire, Thou comest down from Heaven, and swearest by Eternity, that Time shall be no more!

Ancient of Ages! Angel of the East! Spirit of Promise! Prophet of the Dawn[22]!

NOTES

Explanation: The first figure at the beginning of the Note indicates the word or phrase marked in the text; the second figure gives the number of the line in which it is found.

NOTE TO DEDICATION. The Dedication is to President Joseph F. Smith, sixth in succession to the leadership of the Latter-day Saints, nephew to Joseph the Prophet, and son of Hyrum the Patriarch, who were martyred at Carthage, Illinois, June 27, 1844. The poem made its appearance during President Smith's administration, and the author owes much to his kind encouragement and appreciation.

NOTE TO THEME. The words of the Theme are a passage from the "Key to John's Revelation" (Doctrine and Covenants 77:9).

NOTE TO PRELUDE. The Author, while ill, prayed that he might live to produce a work that would continue his ministry as a teacher after his mortal tongue was stilled. The beginning of the answer to his prayer was an immediate inspiration to write this poem.

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