Nature is a temple whose living spires Send mingled words at times upon the air; Man journeys through a wood of symbols there That kindle, as he goes, with friendly fires. As long-drawn echoes in a far-off bond Blend in a deep and shadowed unity, Vast as the night and as vast clarity, Color and sound and fragrance correspond. Some perfumes are as fresh as the cheek of a child, Sweet as the hautboy, as the meadow green, Others are triumphant, rich, defiled, With all the expansion of infinite things, Of amber, incense, musk, and benzoin, Where the transport of the soul and the senses sings. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...LINES BY CLAUDIA by EMILY JANE BRONTE IN MAY by PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR UNDER HOUSE ARREST IN WINDSOR by HENRY HOWARD SNOWFLAKES by HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW IN MEMORIAM A.H.H.: EPILOGUE by ALFRED TENNYSON |