Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE LOST CHORD, by ADELAIDE ANNE PROCTER



Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE LOST CHORD, by             Poem Explanation         Poet's Biography
First Line: Seated one day at the organ
Last Line: I shall hear that grand amen.
Alternate Author Name(s): Berwick, Mary
Subject(s): Heaven; Memory; Music & Musicians; Organs (musical Instruments); Paradise


Seated one day at the organ,
I was weary and ill at ease,
And my fingers wandered idly
Over the noisy keys.
I do not know what I was playing,
Or what I was dreaming then,
But I struck one chord of music,
Like the sound of a great Amen.
It flooded the crimson twilight,
Like the close of an angel's psalm,
And it lay on my fevered spirit,
With a touch of infinite calm.
It quieted pain and sorrow,
Like love overcoming strife;
It seemed the harmonious echo
From our discordant life.
It linked all perplexed meanings
Into one perfect peace,
And trembled away into silence,
As if it were loath to cease.
I have sought, but I seek it vainly,
That one lost chord divine,
That came from the soul of the organ,
And entered into mine.
It may be that Death's bright angel
Will speak in that chord again;
It may be that only in heaven
I shall hear that grand Amen.




Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...



Home: PoetryExplorer.net