healing spring.
Through the fights of old, your battle-cry was healing,
And the Saviour that ye called on was the Sun:
Dawn by dawn behold in heaven your God, revealing
Light from darkness as when Marathon was won.
Gods were yours yet strange to Turk or Galilean,
Light and Wisdom only then as gods adored:
Pallas was your shield, your comforter was Paean,
From your bright world's navel spake the Sun your Lord.

Though the names be lost, and changed the signs of Light and Wisdom
be, [_Ep. 1._
By these only shall men conquer, by these only be set free:
When the whole world's eye was Athens, these were yours, and theirs
were ye.
Light was given you of your wisdom, light ye gave the world again:
As the sun whose godhead lightened on her soul was Hellas then:
Yea, the least of all her children as the chosen of other men.
Change your hearts not with your garments, nor your faith with
creeds that change:
Truth was yours, the truth which time and chance transform not nor
estrange:
Purer truth nor higher abides not in the reach of time's whole
range.
Gods are they in all men's memories and for all time's periods,
They that hurled the host back seaward which had scourged the sea
with rods:
Gods for us are all your fathers, even the least of these as gods.
In the dark of days the thought of them is with us, strong to save,
They that had no lord, and made the Great King lesser than a slave;
They that rolled all Asia back on Asia, broken like a wave.
No man's men were they, no master's and no God's but these their
own:
Gods not loved in vain nor served amiss, nor all yet overthrown:
Love of country, Freedom, Wisdom, Light, and none save these alone.
King by king came up against them, sire and son, and turned to
flee:
Host on host roared westward, mightier each than each, if more
might be:
Field to field made answer, clamorous like as wave to wave at sea.
Strife to strife responded, loud as rocks to clangorous rocks
respond
Where the deep rings wreck to seamen held in tempest's thrall and
bond,
Till when war's bright work was perfect peace as radiant rose
beyond:
Peace made brigh