Easter Day in Rome
By Oscar Wilde
The silver trumpets rang across the dome,
The people knelt upon the ground with awe,
And borne upon the necks of men I saw,
Like some great God, the Holy Lord of Rome.
Priest-like he wore a robe more white than foam,
And king-like swathed himself in royal red ;
Three crowns of gold rose high above his head,
In splendor and in light the Pope passed home.
My heart stole back across wide wastes of years,
To One who wandered by a lonely sea.
And sought in vain for any place of rest.
Foxes have holes, and every bird its nest,
I, only I, must wander wearily,
And bruise my feet, and drink wine salt with tears.
Did you know that the proper time for the observance of Easter has been a subject of bitter controversy among various Christians groups? In the year 197 Pope Victor excommunicated Polycrates, bishop of Ephesus, and his entire Asiatic following for not conforming to the Roman custom. The Greek church did not adopt the Roman date until 1923, so only since then have so many Christians around the world observed Easter simultaneously!
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