 | Poems by a Painter |  |
156
A CONFESSION.
No, Buonarroti, thou shalt not subdueMy mind with thy Thor-hammer! All that play
Of ponderous science with Titanic thew
And spastic tendon—marvellous, 'tis true!—
Says nothing to my soul. Thy “terrible way”
Has led enow of worshippers astray;
I will not walk therein! Nor yet shalt thou,
Majestic Raphael,—though before thee bow
The nations, with their tribute of renown,—
Lead my heart captive. Great thou art, I own,—
Great—but a Pagan still. But Here—breathe low,
The place is hallowed—here, Angelico!
Heart, mind, and soul, with reverent love, confess
The Christian Painter; sent to purify and bless!
Chapel of Nicholas V., Vatican, 1861.
| Poems by a Painter | |