 | Old Year Leaves |  |
142
THE CERTOSA OF PAVIA;
A GREAT ITALIAN CONVENT, AND GRAND WORK OF ART.
Great monument of human skill!How vast must be the power and scope
Of minds which can conceive,—of hands
That shape such edifices rare;—
And doth the splendid sight not show
Convincingly how wondrous is
The grandeur, mightiness of Man,
Despite his body frail, and train
Of weary woes, which almost ever
Attends him, ere King Death with sway
Imperious demands his spoil?
And do such sights not educate,
If we may phrase it thus, the soul,
Leading us far more to believe
In the proud majesty of Art?
The marble cuttings exquisite
147
Gorgeous; yet though so finely wrought,
Designed in truly simple taste,
The stately stalls of workmanship
Replete with loveliness and rich
In cunning inlaid work. The aspect
Of the exterior, the carvings
So realistic near the door—
The outer door—of Roman coins
(Though strange to see these Pagan heads)
At entrance to a Christian church.
All, all make up a noble whole,
And fill the heart with feelings which
'Twere better that it ne'er forgot.
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