![]() | The Poetical Works of James Gates Percival | ![]() |
[Silent she stood before me, in the light]
Silent she stood before me, in the lightAnd majesty of beauty; and her eye
Was teeming with the visions of her soul;—
She stood before me in a veil of white,
The image of her bosom's purity,
And loveliness enveloped her, as bright
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Pavilioning the dusky throne of night.
There is a spirit in the kindling glance
Of pure and lofty beauty, which doth quell
Each darker passion; and as heroes fell
Before the terror of Minerva's lance,
So beauty, armed with virtue, bows the soul
With a commanding, but a sweet control,
Making the heart all holiness and love,
And lifting it to worlds that shine above,
Until, subdued, we humbly bend before
The idol of our worship to adore.
![]() | The Poetical Works of James Gates Percival | ![]() |