Raphael by John Greenleaf Whittier

I shall not soon forget that sight

The glow of Autumn's westering day,

A hazy warmth, a dreamy light,

On Raphael's picture lay.

It was a simple print I saw,

The fair face of a musing boy;

Yet, while I gazed, a sense of awe

Seemed blending with my joy.

A simple print,--the graceful flow

Of boyhood's soft and wavy hair,

And fresh young lip and cheek, and brow

Unmarked and clear, were there.

Yet through its sweet and calm repose

I saw the inward spirit shine;

It was as if before me rose

The white veil of a shrine

Read the entire poem HERE.