Arthur Hugh Clough - Seven Sonnets III lyrics

To see the rich autumnal tints depart, And view the fading of the roseate glow That veils some Alpine altitude of snow, To hear some mighty masterpiece of art Lost or destroyed, may to the adult heart, Impatient of the transitory show Of lovelinesses that but come and go, A positive strange thankfulness impart. When human pure perfections disappear, Not at the first, but at some later day, The buoyancy of such reaction may With strong a**urance conquer blank dismay. * * * * * *