 | Stones from The Quarry |  |
“BEAUTIFUL FOR EVER!”
Would'st thou thy face in comeliness should grow?
Then let thine Inwards through thine Outwards shine;
And let that Inwards write thereon no line
Of crooked Cunning, Passion base and low,
Envy or malice, stereotypèd so.
Thy better feelings write themselves in fine
And luminous lines, as 'twere with light divine,
And, from within illuminated, glow.
Let not thine eye flash fire, nor thy tongue
In thunder follow suit, but make the one
Soft, as if sweet Persuasion on it hung,
The other knew no evil, thought or done;
So shall that Earthly, which to Nature clung,
Through Grace grow little, less, at last, p'rhaps, none!
Then let thine Inwards through thine Outwards shine;
And let that Inwards write thereon no line
Of crooked Cunning, Passion base and low,
Envy or malice, stereotypèd so.
Thy better feelings write themselves in fine
And luminous lines, as 'twere with light divine,
And, from within illuminated, glow.
Let not thine eye flash fire, nor thy tongue
In thunder follow suit, but make the one
Soft, as if sweet Persuasion on it hung,
The other knew no evil, thought or done;
So shall that Earthly, which to Nature clung,
Through Grace grow little, less, at last, p'rhaps, none!
Would'st thou consult thy mirror, let it be
The glass of Truth, and in her fashion dress;
Each charm she will enhance, defect make less;
As less in gems with foil of setting we
The flaws, the beauties more conspicuous see.
She will rebuke thy inward ugliness
In outward making it itself express;
As echo to the sound, lock to the key.
Let kindly thoughts dwell only in thy mind;
If other enter unawares, let those,
Like angels, change, or lead them as the blind;
And, if stiff-neck'd, the gates against them close.
So peace without and within shalt thou find,
And thy sweet looks that harmony disclose.
The glass of Truth, and in her fashion dress;
Each charm she will enhance, defect make less;
As less in gems with foil of setting we
The flaws, the beauties more conspicuous see.
She will rebuke thy inward ugliness
In outward making it itself express;
As echo to the sound, lock to the key.
Let kindly thoughts dwell only in thy mind;
If other enter unawares, let those,
Like angels, change, or lead them as the blind;
And, if stiff-neck'd, the gates against them close.
So peace without and within shalt thou find,
And thy sweet looks that harmony disclose.
302
There is no beauty without goodness; fair
In outward flourish may the form appear,
And Beauty's softest curves and lines drawn clear,
Exact, with geometric compass, there;
Some mocking devil in the eye shall glare;
And on the curv'd lip's “Cupid's bow” a sneer
Unsteady scar'd Love's aim; no gentle tear
Moisten the eye, nor smile there debonnair
Make April-sunshine. Time, as he runs on,
Shall scratch and scrabble that fair page, and write
Between the lines the ill done, good undone.
And beauty, turning to its opposite,
Shall, more offensive far than face with none,
Like evil Spirit's beauty, shock the sight.
In outward flourish may the form appear,
And Beauty's softest curves and lines drawn clear,
Exact, with geometric compass, there;
Some mocking devil in the eye shall glare;
And on the curv'd lip's “Cupid's bow” a sneer
Unsteady scar'd Love's aim; no gentle tear
Moisten the eye, nor smile there debonnair
Make April-sunshine. Time, as he runs on,
Shall scratch and scrabble that fair page, and write
Between the lines the ill done, good undone.
And beauty, turning to its opposite,
Shall, more offensive far than face with none,
Like evil Spirit's beauty, shock the sight.
| Stones from The Quarry | |