Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE PARTHENON, by HERMAN MELVILLE Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: Estranged in site, / aerial gleaming, warmly white Last Line: "hist! -- art's meridian, pericles!" Subject(s): Parthenon | ||||||||
I SEEN ALOFT FROM AFAR Estranged in site, Aerial gleaming, warmly white, You look a suncloud motionless In noon of day divine; Your beauty charmed enhancement takes In Art's long after-shine. II NEARER VIEWED Like Lais, fairest of her kind, In subtlety your form's defined -- The cornice curved, each shaft inclined, While yet, to eyes that do but revel And take the sweeping view, Erect this seems, and that a level, To line and plummet true. Spinoza gazes; and in mind Dreams that one architect designed Lais -- and you! III THE FRIEZE What happy musings genial went With airiest touch the chisel lent To frisk and curvet light Of horses gay -- their riders grave -- Contrasting so in action brave With virgins meekly bright, Clear filing on in even tone With pitcher each, one after one Like water-fowl in flight. IV THE LAST TILE When the last marble tile was laid The winds died down on all the seas; Hushed were the birds, and swooned the glade; Ictinus sat; Aspasia said "Hist! -- Art's meridian, Pericles!" | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ON SEEING THE ELGIN MARBLES by JOHN KEATS A DAISY FROM THE PARTHENON by CHARLOTTE FISKE BATES THE APPARITION (THE PARTHENON UPLIFTED ON ITS ROCK ... ) by HERMAN MELVILLE THE PARTHENON by JAMES GATES PERCIVAL PARTHENON by JOHN HEATH-STUBBS SONNET TO MAN-MADE GRANDEUR by JOHN UPDIKE FORMERLY A SLAVE' (AN IDEALIZED PORTRAIT, BY E. VEDDER) by HERMAN MELVILLE THE COMING STORM' (A PICTURE BY R. S. GIFFORD) by HERMAN MELVILLE A DIRGE FOR MCPHERSON; KILLED IN FRONT OF ATLANTA by HERMAN MELVILLE A REQUIEM FOR SOLDIERS LOST IN OCEAN TRANSPORTS by HERMAN MELVILLE A UTILITARIAN VIEW OF THE MONITOR'S FIGHT by HERMAN MELVILLE |
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