The marble not yet carved can hold the form of every thought the greatest artist has.

I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.

The best artist has that thought alone Which is contained within the marble shell; The sculptor's hand can only break the spell To free the figures slumbering in the stone.

The marble not yet carved can hold the form of every thought the greatest artist has

The greatest artist has no conception which a single block of white marble does not potentially contain within its mass, but only a hand obedient to the mind can penetrate to this image.

Your work is carved out of agony as a statue is carved out of marble.