Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE GREAT MUSICIAN, by CHARLES LOUIS HENRY WAGNER


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE GREAT MUSICIAN, by                    
First Line: As the mottled shadows of the maple leaves
Last Line: But thine will ever be heard.
Subject(s): Music & Musicians


As the mottled shadows of the maple leaves
Flick in the light of the clear, limpid moon
And dance to the songs which the wind doth croon,
So flick the shadows of fame;
But like the shadow which close interweaves,
That of the trunk which never doth move,
So standest thou in our memory's groove,
And ages will thee acclaim.

As the rhythmic music of thy wondrous mind
Awoke in men's hearts new, responsive chords,
Thrilling like wine spilled from heavenly gourds,
So wakes to thy worth at last
The dull, sluggish hearts of the mortal kind,
Which, drowsy with tunes from the unskilled hand
Were nescient to strains of the infinite brand
That came from thy treasures vast.

As the carping critics of a carnal age
Derided thy worth and caviled at thy best,
Doubted thy might and damned thee with a zest,
So all great minds have been slurred;
But now thy defamers are gone from Life's stage,
Their words are forgotten and scattered like chaff,
No music they wrote on Eternity's staff,
But thine will ever be heard.





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