The Apollo of Veii

Ceremony in terracotta :
This is the urgent moment before action,
The terrible approach of the god,
Held taut in suspense, all sharp lines
And harsh surfaces, etched out with a knife:
Will he speak ? His mouth seems charged
With explosion, as he advances in authority
To stop the trespasser Herakles
Bearing away the Ceryneian hind;
Striding forward, as if about to catch you
By the arm, to draw you into his orbit,
His face, sinister-handsome, bulging
With fierce energy, straining insanely
At the brink, eyes fixed on the target
In basilisk glare, head thrust right forward,
His uncanny smile so eager, playing
With your confusion, his cruelty superb.