Sonnet XII (Boothby)
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Well has thy classick chisel, Banks,[1] express'd
The graceful lineaments of that fine form,
Which late with conscious, living beauty warm,
Now here beneath does in dread silence rest.
And, oh, while life shall agitate my breast,
Recorded there exists her every charm,
In vivid colours, safe from change or harm,
Till my last sigh unalter'd love attest.
That form, as fair as ever fancy drew,
The marble cold, inanimate, retains;
But of the radiant smile that round her threw
Joys, that beguiled my soul of mortal pains,
And each divine expression's varying hue,
A little senseless dust alone remains.
- ↑ The reference is to Neoclassical sculptor Thomas Banks, who carved Penelope Boothby's sarcophagus in St. Oswald's Church, Ashbourne, Derbyshire.
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
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