Classic Poem

Hark! hark to the knell
Of that wild-voiced bell,
That rings o'er the surging waves,
Each tone doth sweep
O'er the troubled deep,
Like a voice from the seamen's graves!

While borne to the shore,
Is the breakers' roar,
And the elements' wild halloo,
The dismal sound
Of its voice hath drowned
The shouts of the struggling crew.

Swiftly the wreck,
Like a stricken speck
On the wild upheaving main,
Sinks through the deep,
With a sudden sweep,
Like a pang through a tyrant's brain.

But the last wild sound
On that deep profound,
Heard high o'er the winds and waves,
Is the startling knell
Of that loud-voiced bell,
Passing down to the seamen's graves.

And each struggling form
In that fearful storm,
As he gasps for a parting breath,
Feels a sudden thrill,
As that warning shrill
Tolls him down to the Ship of Death.

And so when the world
From its place is hurled,
Like a speck will it pass away,
And all ears shall hear,
O'er the crash severe,
The knell of the Judgment Day.