Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
Italy: Vols. XI–XIII. 1876–79. | | | | Milan | | Milan Cathedral | | John Bruce Norton (1815–1883) |
| | | NOT with such sweet emotion would it thrill | |
| My heart, this delicate stone tracery, | |
| From base to finial, climbing toward the sky, | |
| While saint and angel countless niches fill, | |
| If naught more holy than mere craftsman’s skill | 5 |
| Had wrought this fine lace-like embroidery | |
| Of marble; and with lavish industry | |
| Tossed fruit and flower, at its fantastic will, | |
| About, around, in fairy showers y-sprent;— | |
| No; this profusion of ethereal beauty | 10 |
| Sprang from a softer influence than duty: | |
| By reverent love the plan was fashioned; | |
| By earnest love, the obedient chisel led, | |
| Prankt it in tenderest embodiment. | | | | |
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