The mirror of the times! In golden frame Or homely wood, its honor is the same. A mirror, not a lamp of pulsing light; A mirror, useless in a moral night. But if its back is scratched by carelessness, And if its face is cracked by crude excess, Foul with the breath of greed, or muddied o'er With bigot's passion and with party gore, Though fair its frame and jewelled its renown, It is the most repulsive thing in town! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...DAYS TOO SHORT by WILLIAM HENRY DAVIES TO HIS CONSCIENCE by ROBERT HERRICK MISGIVINGS (1860) by HERMAN MELVILLE THE CALL OF THE WILD by ROBERT WILLIAM SERVICE VENUS AND ADONIS by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE ODE TO THE SWALLOW by ANACREON |