He Wishes To Immortalise His Mistress

(after Michelangelo Buonarotti) How is it, ma mignonne, (as we all know) that figures carved in mountain marble stay exquisite, pristine, everlasting, though the hand that shaped them dies, and rots away? The Cause must cede. Effect alone survives. That Life is short, and Art is long, I yield. I speak as one who, as an artist, strives to vanquish Time and Death, and claim the field. And with your help, I’ll do it. With my skill and your unblemished beauty, we can make a semblance of your dignity and grace. When we are dead and gone, mankind will still, astonished, contemplate your lovely face, and say, “See how he suffered for her sake.”