Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, A STUDY IN CLAY, by NELLIE MACK


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

A STUDY IN CLAY, by                    
First Line: The human face is a study to me
Last Line: Which the soul of the miser daily feed.
Subject(s): Art & Artists; Marble; Sculpture & Sculptors; Statues


The human face is a study to me
And always will continue to be;
Some faces are moulded with such a perfect grace
As a sculptor would chisel a marble face;
Some are moulded with such a perfect line
By the great sculptor all sacred and divine;
Some faces look old, haggard, and worn
While others a pitiful sight all forlorn,
The freshness and bloom of youth is not there
Life had been filled with toil and care.

The brows are furrowed with lines of care
And showing there has been sorrow there;
Some from dissipation have grown old
Their faces look hard, slim, and cold.
Some look old but a freshness is there
Showing happiness, love and care;
A sculptor can take the plastic clay
And mould a face in his own way.

One thing he is helpless and powerless to do
Though he may rise to fame as some sculptors do,
Though he may reach the highest goal
He never can mould the living soul.
The sculptor who moulds the living face
With lines of sympathy, poise, and grace,
Is the human sculptor all divine
Who understands each defect and line.
Our faces are moulded to fit the soul
That dwells in the body young or old.
Let's keep that body from stain and sin
And let God's beauty and love shine in.

The eyes are windows of the soul
Whether they be young or old.
Let them reflect beauty and love
As would our Father in heaven above,
Instead of anger, hate, and greed
Which the soul of the miser daily feed.





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