'TIS said the music of the Thracian bard Had power to make the savage creatures tame; Streams ceased to flow -- birds heard him -- and they came -- And even rocks were moved, though dull and hard. Ay, and the trees by that sweet symphony Were brought to crown him with their pleasant shade. 'Tis a kind fable by the poets made, For nothing senseless thus inspired could be: Yet did this Orpheus by his gentle phrase, Soften and soothe the world's primeval race; Won them from savage life to milder ways, And taught them justice, dignity, and grace; Made each unite him with his fellow men, And changed the savage to the citizen. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...A CITY PIPER by MORRIS ABEL BEER PARABLE by EDMUND CHARLES BLUNDEN SPRING SONG by ANNA HEMPSTEAD BRANCH EPITAPH ON JOHN BUSHBY, A WRITER by ROBERT BURNS AWA' FRAE GOWRIE by PATRICK REGINALD CHALMERS IMITATIONS AD LYRAM by SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE A QUEEN'S LAMENT by ISABEL FISKE CONANT THE TRIUMPH OF SUPERSTITION, RAPHAEL AND IANTHE by ANNE BATTEN CRISTALL |