(Engraved circa 1792)

1. The Eternal Female groan'd! It was heard over all the Earth.
 
2. Albion's coast is sick, silent. The American meadows faint!
 
3. Shadows of Prophecy shiver along by the lakes and the rivers, and
mutter across the ocean. France, rend down thy dungeon!
 
4. Golden Spain, burst the barriers of old Rome!
 
5. Cast thy keys, O Rome! into the deep, down falling, even to
eternity down falling,
 
6. And weep.
 
7. In her trembling hands she took the new-born terror, howling.
 
8. On those infinite mountains of light, now barr'd out by the
Atlantic sea, the new-born fire stood before the starry king!
 
9. Flagg'd with grey-brow'd snows and thunderous visages, the
jealous wings wav'd over the deep. 
 
10. The speary hand burnèd aloft, unbuckled was the shield;
forth went the hand of Jealousy among the flaming hair, 
and hurl'd the new-born wonder thro' the starry night.
 
11. The fire, the fire, is falling!
 
12. Look up! look up! O citizen of London, enlarge thy countenance!
O Jew, leave counting gold! return to thy oil and wine. O African!
black African! Go, wingèd thought, widen his forehead!
 
13. The fiery limbs, the flaming hair, shot like the sinking sun
into the western sea.
 
14. Wak'd from his eternal sleep, the hoary element, roaring, fled
away. 
 
15. Down rush'd, beating his wings in vain, the jealous King; 
his grey-brow'd counsellors, thunderous warriors, 
curl'd veterans, among helms, and shields, and chariots, 
horses, elephants, banners, castles, slings, and rocks,
 
16. Falling, rushing, ruining! buried in the ruins, on Urthona's
dens;
 
17. All night beneath the ruins; then, their sullen flames faded,
emerge round the gloomy King.
 
18. With thunder and fire, leading his starry hosts thro' the waste
wilderness, he promulgates his ten commands, glancing his beamy
eyelids over the deep in dark dismay,
 
19. Where the son of fire in his eastern cloud, while the morning
plumes her golden breast,
 
20. Spurning the clouds written with curses, stamps the stony law to
dust, loosing the eternal horses from the dens of night, crying:
Empire is no more! and now the lion and wolf shall cease.
 
CHORUS 
 Let the Priests of the Raven of dawn no longer, in
 deadly black, with hoarse note curse the sons of joy! Nor his
 accepted brethren -- whom, tyrant, he calls free -- lay the bound or build
 the roof! Nor pale Religion's lechery call that Virginity that
 wishes but acts not!
 
 For everything that lives is Holy!