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Classic and Contemporary Poetry


THE GREEK QUARTER by JOHN MYERS O'HARA

First Line: THE CRYPTIC LETTERS OF THE GOLDEN TONGUE
Last Line: THE BLUE ÆGEAN SPARKLING IN THE DAY.
Subject(s): COFFEE HOUSES; GREEK LANGUAGE; IMMIGRANTS; NEW YORK CITY; EMIGRANT; EMIGRATION; IMMIGRATION; MANHATTAN; NEW YORK, NEW YORK; THE BIG APPLE;

The cryptic letters of the golden tongue
The philhellene upon the window sees,
And hears the music of Maeonides
Above the roar by trains and traffic flung;
Heroic odes to Argive valour sung.
And softer strains of old idyllic ease;
A solace lure for servile destinies
Unknown to Hellas when the world was young.
I sip the coffee of Demetrios
And listen while my thought is far away;
The swarthy faces of the dim café
Are olive vendors on the shores of Cos;
The wall lamps flicker but I peer across
The blue Ægean sparkling in the day.



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