"this flawless sight i will not hide;
up toward the brook's head thou must go,
while i will follow on this side,
till yonder hill the city show."
and then i would no longer bide,
but stole through branches, bending low,
till from the summit i espied,
through green boughs swaying to and fro,
afar, the city, all aglow,
that brighter than bright sunbeams shone.
in writing it is pictured so,
in the revelation of st. john.
as john the apostle saw the sight,
i saw that city, standing near
jerusalem, so royal dight,
as if from heaven alighted here.
the city all of gold burned bright,
like gleaming glass that glistens clear.
with precious stones beneath set right:
foundations twelve of gems most dear,
wrought wondrous richly, tier on tier.
each base was of a separate stone
as, perfectly, it doth appear
in the revelation of st. john.
john named the stones that he had seen,
i knew the order that he made;
the first a jasper must have been,
that on the lowest base was laid,
beneath the rest it glinted green;
a sapphire in the second grade;
chalcedony, from blemish clean,
in the third course was fair arrayed;
fourth, emerald, of greenest shade,
fifth, sardonyx, was raised thereon;
the sixth a ruby, as is said
in the revelation of st. john.
john joined to these the chrysolite,
the seventh gem in that basement;
the eighth, a beryl, clear and white;
the topaz, ninth, its luster lent;
tenth, chrysophrase, both soft and bright;
eleventh, the jacinth, translucent;
and twelfth, and noblest to recite,
amethyst, blue with purple blent.
the wall above those basements went
jasper, like glass that glistening shone;
i saw, as the story doth present,—
the revelation of st. john.
i saw, as john doth clear devise:
the great stones rose like a broad stair;
above, the city, to my eyes,
in height, length, breadth appeared four-square;
the jasper wall shone amber-wise,
the golden streets as glass gleamed fair;
the dwellings glowed in glorious guise
with every stone most rich and rare.
each length of bright wall builded there
for full twelve furlongs' space stretched on,
and height, length, breadth all equal were:
"i saw one mete it," writeth john.
