Penny Dreadfuls, 1812 · page 213 of 258
Psyche, and other poems — page 213: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page 195: "The Picture" This is a poetry page from running prose within a Victorian serial. The poem, titled "The Picture" and subtitled "Written for Angela," is a lyrical lament in which the speaker describes gazing at a portrait of a beloved woman. The speaker admires the accurately rendered features—the lip, smile, and eyes—yet complains that the painted image, however skillfully executed, lacks the warmth, tenderness, and magical living presence of the actual person. The poem emphasizes the gap between artistic representation and lived emotion, with the speaker mourning the portrait's cold, "unimpassioned" gaze compared to the beloved's enchanting actual presence.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE PICTURE, ; . . WRITTEN FOR ANGELA: Ves, these are the features already imprest. So deep by the pencil of Love on my heart! Within their reflection they find in this breast : Yet something is wanting: ah! where is the art That to painting so true can that something impart ? Oh! where is the sweetness that dwells on that lip? And where is the smile that enchanted my soul? No sweet dew of love from these roses I sip, Nor meet the soft glance which with magic control O’er the cords of my heart so bewitchingly stole. Cold, cold is that eye! unimpassioned its beams ; _* They speak not of tenderness, love, or delight : Oh ! where is the heart-thrilling rapture that streams From the heavenly blue of that circle so bright, That sunshine of pleasure which gladdened my sight ? S comnicloooks.conn