Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, SHRINE AND SPIRIT, by HARRIET OLDS HENDERSON


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

SHRINE AND SPIRIT, by                
First Line: A bridge of centuries in walls
Last Line: That mortal men betray.
Subject(s): Mankind; Shrines; Soul; Human Race


A bridge of centuries in walls
And sculpture new and old;
A timeless shrine in stately halls,
With ancient lore retold;
A structure of simplicity
Enshrines the Bard's philosophy,
Without a trace of travesty
In architectural mold.

We contemplate the noble shrine
In marble hewn of dream,
Our inspiration to refine
And make drab living seem
Enriched with mental majesty
Of beauty, music, poetry,
Compelling our opacity
To glimpse his mind's regime.

He fathomed heart, he measured mind,
He weighed the realm between;
Divined the soul of all mankind.
He pictured many a scene
Of vaulted, vast immensity
With swift, sincere intensity;
In equal true propensity
Portrayed the poor and mean.

And always with the human touch
He showed the common way
Of living, thinking, doing, much
As others days by day;
The gropings of humanity
In dire, dark catastrophe,
The sorrows of inconstancy
That mortal men betray.





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