Explore "Lines on the Celebrated Picture by Leonardo da Vinci, Called the Virgin of the Rocks" by Charles Lamb on Textopian.
While young John runs to greet / The greater Infant's feet, / The mother standing by, with trembling passion / Of devout admiration / Beholds the engaging mystic play, and pretty adoration; / Nor knows as yet the full event / Of those so low beginnings, / From whence we date our winnings, / But wonders at the intent / Of those new rites, and what that strange child-worship meant.
But at her side / An angel doth abide, / With such a perfect joy / As no dim doubts alloy, / An intuition, / A glory, an amenity, / Passing the dark condition / Of blind humanity, / As if he surely knew / All the blest wonders should ensue, / Or he had lately left the upper sphere, / And had read all the sovran schemes and divine riddles there.