 | The Poetical Works of (Richard Monckton Milnes) Lord Houghton |  |
219
TO A CERTAIN POET.
At Beauty's altar fervent acolyte,And favored candidate for priestly name,
In object as in force adore aright
Nor waste one breath of thy rare gift of flame;
Nature, Artistic Form, Music,—all these
Are shapes where partial Beauty deigns to lie,
And mediate, as with types and images,
Between frail hearts and perfect Deity.
From Thee a purer faith is due,—to find
The Beauty of Life,— the Melody of Mind,—
Which the true Poet's quest never eludes:
Speed Thou Philosophy's straight-onward flight,
Aiming thy wings at that serenest height,
Where Wordsworth stands, feeding the multitudes.
| The Poetical Works of (Richard Monckton Milnes) Lord Houghton | |