Will suffice, without a hidden spirit,

That we may, or may not, understand.

And those quaint old fragments that are left us

Have their power in this,—the Carver brought

Earnest care, and reverent patience, only

Worthily to clothe some noble thought.

Shut, then, in the petals of the flowers,

Round the stems of all the lilies twine,

Hide beneath each bird’s or angel’s pinion,

Some wise meaning or some thought divine.