31.

All these things heard and seen and sung of old,
  He heard and saw and sang them.  Once again
Might foot of man tread, eye of man behold
  Things unbeholden save of ancient men,
Ways save by gods untrodden.  In his hold
  The staff that stayed through some AEtnean glen
The steps of the most highest, most awful-souled
  And mightiest-mouthed of singers, even as then
      Became a prophet’s rod,
      A lyre on fire of God,
  Being still the staff of exile:  yea, as when
      The voice poured forth on us
      Was even of AEschylus,
  And his one word great as the crying of ten,
    Crying in men’s ears of wrath toward wrong,
Of love toward right immortal, sanctified with song.

32.

Him too whom none save one before him ever
  Beheld, nor since hath man again beholden,
Whom Dante seeing him saw not, nor the giver
  Of all gifts back to man by time withholden,
Shakespeare—­him too, whom sea-like ages sever,
  As waves divide men’s eyes from lights upholden
To landward, from our songs that find him never,
  Seeking, though memory fire and hope embolden—­
      Him too this one song found,
      And raised at its sole sound
  Up from the dust of darkling dreams and olden
      Legends forlorn of breath,
      Up from the deeps of death,
  Ulysses:  him whose name turns all songs golden,
    The wise divine strong soul, whom fate
Could make no less than change and chance beheld him great.

33.

Nor stands the seer who raised him less august
  Before us, nor in judgment frail and rathe,
Less constant or less loving or less just,
  But fruitful-ripe and full of tender faith,
Holding all high and gentle names in trust
  Of time for honour; so his quickening breath
Called from the darkness of their martyred dust
  Our sweet Saints Alice and Elizabeth,
      Revived and reinspired
      With speech from heavenward fired
  By love to say what Love the Archangel saith
      Only, nor may such word
      Save by such ears be heard
  As hear the tongues of angels after death
    Descending on them like a dove
Has taken all earthly sense of thought away but love.

34.

All sweet, all sacred, all heroic things,
  All generous names and loyal, and all wise,
With all his heart in all its wayfarings
  He sought, and worshipped, seeing them with his eyes
In very present glory, clothed with wings
  Of words and deeds and dreams immortal, rise
Visible more than living slaves and kings,
  Audible more than actual vows and lies: 
      These, with scorn’s fieriest rod,
      These and the Lord their God,
  The Lord their likeness, tyrant of the skies
      As they Lord Gods of earth,
      These with a rage of mirth
  He mocked and scourged and spat on, in such wise
    That none might stand before his rod,
And these being slain the Spirit alone be lord or God.