Full many an embassy hath mortal man
Sent to the skies. The glory and the grace
Of classic temples, and the Gothic spires,
Offerings of beauty, mystic, multiform,
Earth's varied aspirations turned to stone
That spoke, though silent. All save these have told
The story of the senders. Hellas tells
A message that reveals her people's heart,
And hands down to the wondering centuries
The story of her joyance and her faith
In Beauty's deathless mission. The Christ creed
Hath bid us see, in carvèd symbols rare
The graces of the saintly multitude,
And Him who held all sainthood perfected
In One God Manhood. Egypt in these piles
Said all she had to say, and closed the page.
Her Offering is our lesson: "Hold thy peace,
Nor let the world participate and mar
The secrets thou shouldst keep for Heaven alone."
Cairo.