Sarah Margaret (Fuller) Ossoli (1810–1850)

MOST intellectual master of the art,

Which, best of all, teaches the mind of man

The universe in all its varied plan—

What strangely mingled thoughts thy strains impart!

Here the faint tenor thrills the inmost heart,

There the rich bass the Reason’s balance shows;

Here breathes the softest sigh that Love e’er knows;

There sudden fancies, seeming without chart,

Float into wildest breezy interludes;

The past is all forgot—hopes sweetly breathe,

And our whole being glows—when lo! beneath

The flowery brink, Despair’s deep sob concludes!

Startled, we strive to free us from the chain,

Notes of high triumph swell, and we are thine again!