The stars shall pain thee, and the pallid moon
Shall haunt thee like a ghost; the skies, the sea,
And mighty forests shall oppress thy soul
With deep self-scorn; no common plant or flower
Shall move sweet tears in thee, and thou shalt wish
All happy birds and innocent finny tribes
Might from the face of Nature quickly perish:
Yea! evermore, instead of radiant shapes
That can withdraw thee hourly into Heaven,
From out the gloomy places of the mind
Skeleton Horror shall surprise and scare thee.
(Spirit of Beauty retiring.)
Erdolph.Oh! one word more! Say that thou hat'st me not!
Spirit of Beauty.How should I hate whom Heaven hath borne so long?
Yet now, farewell I
Erdolph.Oh! linger yet a moment!
Is it a sin that I have loved thee so,
And worshipped thy bright image? If it be,
Let grief and suffering atone for that,
Long as this heart can know the power of pain.
But let me gaze on thee and hear thee still.
Spirit of Beauty.How can I linger? for my errand is
To beautify the universe of God,
Where'er fresh worlds encroach upon the vo
Of outer darkness. Yet my presence still
Shall be around thee, and with upright soul
Thou may'st behold and hear me in the face
And voice of Nature—in the whisperings
And sweet affections of the human breast.
And in the aspirings of the human mind
Be they but pure.
I hear the journeying stars,
The circling suns, and angel's song proclaim
The birth of a new world, and I must haste
To bathe it in the gladdening smile of God!
