Before a Madonna — by Botticelli.

Thine is the face our driven souls shall wear, O sweet serenity!—No earthly wind Can rend thine azure mantle now, nor tear Those veils that shield the radiant locks they bind.

Thy brow is calm with storm appeased; thy lids Are heavy with the wisdom of all tears: Thy mouth is strong with silence that forbids Weary lament and craven wail of fears.

Within thy guarded bosom now no fire Is ardent; thou hast hidden all thy scars: We too may tread the ashes of desire, And wing our spirits thus to touch the stars.