Less worthy of applause, though more admired, <br />Because a novelty, the work of man, <br />Imperial mistress of the fur-clad Russ, <br />Thy most magnificent and mighty freak, <br />The wonder of the North. No forest fell <br />When thou wouldst build; no quarry sent its stores <br />To enrich thy walls; but thou didst hew the floods, <br />And make thy marble of the glassy wave. <br />Silently as a dream the fabric rose; <br />No sound of hammer or of saw was there: <br />Ice upon ice, the well-adjusted parts <br />Were soon conjoined, nor other cement asked <br />Than water interfused to make them one. <br />Lamps gracefully disposed, and of all hues, <br />Illumined very side: a watery light <br />Gleamed through the clear transparency, that seemed <br />Another moon new risen, or meteor fallen <br />From Heaven to Earth, of lambent flame serene. <br />So stood the brittle prodigy: though smooth <br />And slippery the materials, yet frostbound <br />Firm as a rock. Nor wanted aught within, <br />That royal residence might well befit, <br />For grandeur or for use. Long wavy wreaths <br />Of flowers, that feared no enemy but warmth, <br />Blushed on the panels. Mirror needed none <br />Where all was vitreous; but in order due <br />Convivial table and commodious seat, <br />(What seemed at least commodious seat,) were there; <br />Sofa and couch and high-built throne august. <br />The same lubricity was found in all, <br />And all was moist to the warm touch; a scene <br />Of evanescent glory, once a stream, <br />And soon to slide into a stream again.<br /><br />William Cowper<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-ice-palace/