| Hunt and Lee, comps. The Book of the Sonnet. 1867. | | | | III. Church Music | | By Benjamin Penhallow Shillaber (1814–1890) |
| | | O, DEARLY do I love the organ’s pealing, | |
| With psalm-tune holy or with anthem grand, | |
| The while I drum the measure with my hand, | |
| And gaze devoutly at the frescoed ceiling | |
| Where modern Angelos have spent their skill, | 5 |
| And mimic niche and pillar make display, | |
| And shadows fling themselves in every way, | |
| In independence of the sun’s high will. | |
| I love to hear the voice and organ blending, | |
| And pouring on the air a cloud of sound, | 10 |
| Until, as with a spell, my soul is bound, | |
| And every faculty is heavenward tending. | |
| Bang goes a cricket! Squalls a child, sonorous; | |
| And earth’s harsh discord drowns the heavenly chorus! | | | | |
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