A Thought Suggested by Genesis xviii. 1–3

A fair and stately scene of roof and walls,
Touched by the ruddy sunsets of the West ;
Where, meek and molten, eve's soft radiance falls
Like golden feathers in the ringdove's nest.

Yonder the bounding sea, that couch of God !
A wavy wilderness of sand between ;
Such pavement, in the Syrian deserts, trod
Bright forms, in girded albs, of heavenly mien.

Such saw the patriarch in his noonday tent :
Three severed shapes that glided in the sun,
Till lo ! they cling, and, interfused and blent,
A lovely semblance gleams — the Three in One !

Be such the scenery of this peaceful ground —
This leafy tent amid the wilderness :
Fair skies above, the breath of Angels round,
And God the Trinity to beam and bless !