midnight
Hope , glory , love , and blameless ambition are my guides , and my soul knows no dread . What has been , though sweet , is gone ; the present is good only because it is about to change , and the to come is all my own . Do I fear , that my heart palpitates ? high aspirations cause the flow of my blood ; my eyes seem to penetrate the cloudy midnight of time , and to discern within the depths of its darkness , the fruition of all my soul desires . Now pause ! -- During my journey I might dream , and with buoyant wings reach the summit of life 's high edifice . Now that I am arrived at its base , my pinions are furled , the mighty stairs are before me , and step by step I must ascend the wondrous fane -- Speak !