Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, SONNETS ON SAGES, by JAMES SHAW


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

SONNETS ON SAGES, by                    
First Line: The stars of heaven look glorious in the night
Last Line: Than ages wove for persian slaves so blind.
Subject(s): Pericles (490-429 B.c.)


PERICLES.

THE stars of heaven look glorious in the night --
Wonders of space -- but in the night of time
What star shines like the sage's brow sublime?
Few orbs so bright as Pericles. The sight
Of Athens glorious, active, great, and free,
Sailing down time as through an unknown sea,
And this brave pilot at the helm, whose voice
And eye bring triumph, gives me stern delight.
Men are not in his hands like gambler's dice;
He knows the subtle laws that govern mind,
And battling for the greatness of his kind,
In few short years weaves Greece a statelier crown
Of living lustre and of far renown
Than ages wove for Persian slaves so blind.





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