Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
Asia: Vols. XXI–XXIII. 1876–79. | | | | Chinese Empire: Nankin | | The Porcelain Tower | | Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882) |
| | (From Kéramos)
AND yonder by Nankin, behold! | |
| The Tower of Porcelain, strange and old, | |
| Uplifting to the astonished skies | |
| Its ninefold painted balconies, | |
| With balustrades of twining leaves, | 5 |
| And roofs of tile, beneath whose eaves | |
| Hang porcelain bells that all the time | |
| Ring with a soft, melodious chime; | |
| While the whole fabric is ablaze | |
| With varied tints, all fused in one | 10 |
| Great mass of color, like a maze | |
| Of flowers illumined by the sun. | | | | |
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