A procession of priests and laymen— <br />each walk of life represented— <br />moves through streets, squares, and gates <br />of the famous city, Antioch. <br />At the head of this imposing procession <br />a handsome white-clad boy <br />carries the Cross, his arms raised— <br />our strength and hope, the holy Cross. <br />The pagans, lately so full of arrogance, <br />now reticent and cowardly, <br />quickly slink away from the procession. <br />Let them keep their distance, always keep their distance from us <br />(as long as they do not renounce their errors). <br />The holy Cross goes forward; it brings joy and consolation <br />to every quarter where Christians live; <br />and these God-fearing people, elated, <br />stand in their doorways and greet it reverently, <br />the strength, the salvation of the universe, the Cross. <br /> <br /> <br />This is an annual Christian festival. <br />But today, you see, it is more conspicuous. <br />The empire is delivered at last. <br />The vile, the appalling Julian <br />reigns no longer. <br /> <br />For most pious Jovian let us give our prayers.<br /><br />Constantine P. Cavafy<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-great-procession-of-priests-and-laymen/
