 | Stones from The Quarry |  |
65
THE TRUE CRITIC.
Lie there, thou lion's skin, thou travesty!Now for the lion. Come, thou critic true,
Who lov'st to recognise, give worth its due,
Severe but upright judge. As Error by
Ithuriel's spear once touched, falsehood and lie
Show in true shape by thee pierced thro' and thro'.
But Truth and Nature thou dost homage to,
Speak'st in their name, and mak'st thine office high.
All excellence thou mak'st thine own, and more,
Set forth, reduplicate in thy clear glass,
Shone on with rich appreciative lore.
The greatest pens seem themselves to surpass
When thou dost show their heights, their depths explore,
And for us measure them from top to base.
| Stones from The Quarry | |