Of the new Crystal Palace. Every nation,
To every other nation, strange of yore,
Shall face to face give civic salutation,
And hold up in a proud right hand before
That congress, the best work which she could fashion
By her best means—"These corals, will you please
To match against your oaks? They grow as fast
Within my wilderness of purple seas."—
"This diamond stared upon me as I passed
(As a live god's eye from a marble frieze)
Along a dark of diamonds. Is it classed?"—
"I wove these stuffs so subtly, that the gold
Swims to the surface of the silk, like cream,
And curdles to fair patterns. Ye behold!"—
"These delicated muslins rather seem
Than be, you think? Nay, touch them and be bold,
Though such veiled Chakhi's face in Hafiz' dream."—
"These carpets—you walk slow on them like kings,
Inaudible like spirits, while your foot
Dips deep in velvet roses and such things."—
"Even Apollonius might commend this flute.[1]
The music, winding through the stops, upsprings
To make the player very rich. Compute."—
"Here's goblet-glass, to take in with your wine
The very sun its grapes were ripened under.
Drink light and juice together, and each fine."—
"This model of a steam-ship moves your wonder?
You should behold it crushing down the brine,
- ↑ Philostratus relates of Apollonius that he objected to the musical instrument of Linus the Rhodian, its incompetence to enrich and beautify. The history of music in our day, would, upon the former point, sufficiently confute the philosopher.
