Classic Poem

See the dire fate of the proud cities blamable,
Blind with foul lust and all passions untamable,
Made by sad sin to high heaven importunate!
Once were they powerful, and dreaded, and numberless;
Now are their souls for eternity slumberless,
Doomed to the flames, oh, rebellion unfortunate!

Fed with the fevers of fearful idolatry,
Steeped to the soul in supreme demonolatry,
Tainted with crime toward the Angels censorious,
Crushed by the thunder-bolts' pitiless density,
Perished, departed, in awful immensity,
Dread ye the fate of their ending inglorious!

They in their beauty and arrogant fearlessness
Soiled with debauch Nature's law in its peerlessness,
Spurning Jehovah in haughty impiety,
Heedless of chastisement, scorning futurity,
Mocking His word and His promise of purity,
Glad of their vices adored to satiety!

Guided by priests full of cunning and lechery,
Slaves to the monarchs whose promise was treachery,
How could they love the Creator and, dutiful,
Seek in His bosom of tempered austerity
Pardon and love, and adorable verity,
Charity hallowed, and faith ever beautiful?

No! They did spurn and reject Him distrustfully,
Pleased with the Mages who conquered them lustfully,
Pleased by their worship of flesh and immanity,
Till the high heavens, defied by salacity,
Punished with thunder their nameless audacity,
Crushed them and doomed their rebellious insanity!

So they shall suffer for odious carnality,
Now and forever, to all immortality,
And the great God they have outraged diurnally,
Hath to the world that rolls wondering under us
Sworn from the height of His Majesty thunderous
Pardon to none through the ages eternally!
No mercy dwelt in God's avenging hand,
No pity turned His anger from the land,
And, when the day, made laggard by affright,
Dawned on the earth in miracles of light,
The guilty towns, that dared to disobey,
Their temples and their gods had passed away!