Armageddon

1Hosannah! hark, the melody,
Strikes sweetly on my ravish'd ear!
The constellations make reply
In echoes from each distant sphere,
Till all the wide expansion rings
With "live for ever, King of kings."

2He comes! He comes! The heavens rend!
Floods clap your hands! Ye mountains joy!
Forests in glad obeisance bend!
Earth, raise your hallelujahs high,
Let Zion wake the lofty strain
"Live, King of kings, for ever reign!"

3Ripe is the vintage of the earth;
Its clustering grapes are round and full
And vengeance, vengeance bursts to birth,
Sudden and irresistible!
Messiah comes to tread amain,
The wine—press of the battle—plain.

4The cry is up, the strife begun,
The struggle of the mighty ones;
And Armageddon's day cones on,
The carnival of Slaughter's sons;
War lifts his helmet to his brow
0 God, protect thy people now!

5Assemble quickly fowls of air!
Come to the supper of the Lord
The great ones of the earth prepare
To reap the harvest of the sword;
And captains' flesh shall be your food,
And ye shall drink of heroes' blood.

6Yea, come, 0 king, and take the spoil;
With thy confederates share the prey
Ha! ha! Death grins a ghastly smile;"
The morning dawns—and where are they?
The flames, the flames, great Autocrat,
Spread o'er thee in Jehosophat.

7The graves are cleav'd! the saints arise!
The resurrection of the just!
And now, unto their kindred skies,
Up leap the tenants of the dust!
They rise to meet their Lord in air,
And tune their hallelujahs there.