II.

"There, Buonarotti, stands thy statue. Take

Possession of the form; inherit it;

Go forth upon the earth in likeness fit;

As with a trumpet-cry at morning, wake

The sleeping nations; with light's terror, shake

The slumber from their hearts; and, where they sit,

Let them leap up aghast, as at a pit

Agape beneath." I hear him answer make:

"Alas! I dare not; I could not inform

That image; I revered as I did trace;

I will not dim the glory of its grace,

Nor with a feeble spirit mock the enorm

Strength on its brow." Thou cam'st, God's thought thy form,

Living the large significance of thy face.

A Hidden Life and Other Poems · 第 80 / 144 题