The Southern Cross

Three ancient men in Bethlehem's cave,
With awful wonder stand :
A voice had called them from their grave,
In some far Eastern land.

They lived : they trod the former earth,
When the old waters swelled,
The Ark, that womb of second birth,
Their house and lineage held.

Pale Japhet bows the knee with gold,
Bright Sem sweet incense brings,
And Cham the myrrh his fingers hold :
Lo ! the three Orient Kings.

Types of the total earth, they hailed
The signal's starry frame ;
Shuddering with second life, they quailed
At the Child Jesu's Name.

Then slow the Patriarchs turned and trod,
And this their parting sigh :
" Our eyes have seen the living God,
And now — once more to die."