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Marguerite; or, The Isle of Demons and Other Poems cover

Marguerite; or, The Isle of Demons and Other Poems

Chapter 9: THE VOICE OF THE AGES.
By George Martin
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Poetry

About This Book

A varied collection of lyric and narrative verse centered on a long romantic legend about a woman’s ordeal on a haunted island and its personal and moral aftermath, accompanied by shorter sonnets, ballads, and occasional pieces. Many poems draw on Canadian history and local scenes, offering meditative nature writing, urban sketches of Montreal and Ottawa life, winter and carnival scenes, elegies and civic tributes, and moral or humorous vignettes about everyday people. Themes of love, exile, faith, memory, and social concern recur across diverse forms and voices, blending personal reflection with regional colour and historic atmosphere.

THE VOICE OF THE AGES.

The years roll on, and with them roll The burden of the human soul, The ache and pain Of heart and brain, That hear far off a solemn night-bell toll.
List! ringing clear, another sound Reverberates the world around. The rapt Soul listens; A tear-drop glistens Down her pale cheek and trickles to the ground:—
A tear of joy, for she hath heard The promise of the ancient Word Over the dark Prevailing: hark! “All thy hopes, wan Soul, now sere and blurred,
Shall surely yet rebud and bloom; Discard thy self-spun robe of gloom, Awake! arise! More just and wise, Thy failing lamp with higher life relume.
The prophecy of ages past Shall be fulfilled at last;— Lo! man shall rise With fadeless glory in his eyes, His knowledge clarified, illumed and vast.
Thou wert of old, thou art, shalt be, A thing unbound and ever free To work, and will,— A throb, a thrill,— A joyous breath of immortality.”