John Quincy Adams- Selections from the Archives of American Art

From the Hiram Powers and Powers family papers, 1827-1953, a handwritten poem by John Quincy Adams, March 25, 1837, extolling the work of the sculptor Hiram Powers (1805-1873), after Powers had modelled a bust of Adams. 1 page, 21 x 13.5 cm.

handwritten poem by John Quincy Adams, March 25, 1837 (53155 bytes)

To Hiram Powers.

Sculptor, thy hand has moulded into form
The haggard features of a toil-worn face;
And whosoever views thy work shall trace
An age of Sorrow, and a Life of Storm.

And, canst thou mould the Heart? for that...... is warm;
Glowing with tenderness for all its race:
Instinct with all the Sympathies that grace
The pure and artless bosoms where they swarm.

Artist! may Fortune smile upon thy hand!
Go forth, and rival Greece's art sublime:
Return....and bid the statesmen of thy Land
Live in thy marble through all after-time.
Oh! snatch the fire from Heaven Prometheus stole;
And give the lifeless block, a breathing Soul.

John Quincy Adams.

Washington 25: March 1837.

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