95
But still reduction of the master-work
An emanation of the infinite,
And glassing still his great perfection.
Cherish and worship Beauty, till the shrine
Shall grow too frail for the in-dwelling God;
No longer shall infrequent ecstacy
More fleet than fancy, swifter than a star
In rapture of its falling self-consum'd
Like sudden lightning break athwart your night
With baffling brightness, but a Sun Serene
Shall flood your life with radiance. Having stood
With Beauty face to face a moment's span,
Now rapt to heaven and your sister souls,
Granted no more to this less lovely earth,
Bless'd by the brightness of His face serene
Stand you within the light ineffable
Of very Beauty, one and absolute.
(The listeners melt away one by one, leaving only Theonöe, Callixena, and Libanius.)
