Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, ODE TO A REDBREAST, by MARCUS S. C. RICKARDS


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

ODE TO A REDBREAST, by                    
First Line: The darling thou of many a heart
Last Line: "thy glancing heaven may show!"
Subject(s): Death; Faith; Hope; Nature; Dead, The; Belief; Creed; Optimism


THE darling thou of many a heart,
Who warblest ere the year depart
One last clear note of praise,
Sweet echo of the silenced song
Of summer minstrels, lingering long
To wean dark Nature from the wrong
Of these sad autumn days!

O joy, that blithe notes from above
Break Death's monotony with Love,
Calm Faith and cloudless Hope!
Beneath, dank fallen leaves decay,
Around, is settled sunless grey,
When lo! thy music from yon spray,
"Look up, nor weakly mope!"

Responsive notes from some night bough
Repeat the strain, and disallow
Gloom's menace of return;
Divine duet -- appeal, reply!
Adieu despondency and sigh!
With ravished ear, and wistful eye,
I listen, look, and learn.

Thou angel link 'tween heaven and earth!
Did Seraphs supervise thy birth,
And lend thee guise and tune?
Stamp on thy gorget a true sign
That pent within is fire divine,
As flaming at the year's decline
As mid sweet golden June?

Mere Nature would inspire no strain,
But cloud thy peace with yearnings vain,
Dark fears, and wild regrets.
Spring's vanished joy is scarce forgot,
The gentle mate, the trysting grot,
The ivied bank, the mossy spot
Begemmed with violets.

And instinct draws no kindly veil
O'er nearing frost, and snow, and hail,
Spare shelter, scanty food.
Nay that bright eye, that flashing gleam,
Hint that a Genius sits supreme,
To gild near darkness with the dream
Of sunny, distant good.

The carol with thy cheery friend
Is Hope's forecast of winter's end,
Faith's interim repose:
'Tis that I doubt not -- and this more
Perchance -- the interflow of lore
About some strange unearthly shore
Your after lot -- who knows?

At least your music wafts this truth,
"Forget past joyaunce, present ruth,
Near griefs, impending ill woe,
In commune with true hearts of light
And bliss, yet stored for mortal sight,
And what fair vision of Delight
Thy glancing Heaven may show!"





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