Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
Asia: Vols. XXI–XXIII. 1876–79.

India: Dwarka

The Sacred Shrines of Dwarka

By Letitia Elizabeth Landon (1802–1838)

SUCH was the faith of old,—obscure and vast,

And offering human triumphs unto heaven.

Then rose the stately temple, rich with spoils

Won from the vanquished nations. There the god

Stood visible in golden pageantry;

And pride, pomp, power, were holy attributes.

A humbler creed has wandered o’er the earth,

Known, as a quiet, scarce-seen stream is known,

But by the greener growth upon its banks.

It is our Christian worship which doth lead

The heart of man to Heaven by love alone.

Plant ye the cross then by these ancient shrines;

Far let it spread its genial influence,—

Peace for its shadow, hope for its sunshine!