ROSES in breathing forth their scent, Or stars their borrowed ornament; Nymphs in the wat'ry sphere that move, Or Angels in their orbs above; The winged chariot of the light, Or the slow silent wheels of night; The shade, which from the swifter sun Doth in a circular motion run; Or souls that their eternal rest do keep, Make far more noise than Celia's breath in sleep. But if the Angel, which inspires This subtile flame with active fires, Should mould this breath to words, and those Into a harmony dispose, The music of this heavenly sphere Would steal each soul out at the ear, And into plants and stones infuse A life that Cherubins would choose; And with new powers invert the laws of Fate, Kill those that live, and dead things animate. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...A FIESOLAN IDYL by WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR MY FORE-ELDERS by WILLIAM BARNES THE VIADUCT by GORDON BOTTOMLEY THE NAME by ANNA HEMPSTEAD BRANCH THE CURSE by ELIZABETH JANE COATSWORTH |