Mistress Science, strong and fair, Now can seize the nimble air, Press it, crush it, torture it, With her wild, titanic wit, To a liquid blue and cold, Tamely by the gallon sold. All the graces of the sky In that deadly fluid die. Bathe in it a swallow's wing: He no more will fly or sing. Dip a rose therein: alas! It becomes a rose of glass. Such a transformation dread Into coldness dull and dead They create who force and press Dear religion's kindliness To a cold and formal thing, Shorn of fragrance, bare of wing. Let religion range on high Through the reaches of the sky; Let the fruitful dews expand Till they brighten every land; Flowers and birds and sunny cheer Grace religion's atmosphere! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...SQUIRE BOWLING GREEN by EDGAR LEE MASTERS ON DEATH, WITHOUT EXAGGERATION by WISLAWA SZYMBORSKA THE IMMORTAL MIND by GEORGE GORDON BYRON THE FALLEN STAR by GEORGE DARLEY A FIESOLAN IDYL by WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR THE INDIAN SERENADE by PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY ROOTS AND LEAVES THEMSELVES ALONE by WALT WHITMAN |