Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL QUOTATIONS, by FRANCIS LEO GALLAGHER


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL QUOTATIONS, by                    
First Line: The lasting essence of the brightest lives
Last Line: And hear this book which lectures while it sings.


The lasting essence of the brightest lives
In all the life of vital civilization
Is here in light and fire, for allocation.
Here thought cloud-clear, far above the clouds, survives.
Teachers of teachers greet you -- with their wives,
Wisdom and Beauty, Humor -- in citation.
Their value leaps the bounds of time and nation;
Though flesh soon yields, their mission ever strives.
Though Homer and all the others sometimes nod
You'll find them here with keen eye and with chin
Erect -- except where a nod has scooped the sod,
To plant absorbing history therein.
So, let your mind be clear like heaven's springs,
And hear this book which lectures while it sings.





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