You were a shell upon a distant shore So short a passing yesterday ago— A lovely, polished shell whose surface bore No quaint design or rich intaglio: Then came that dreamer—he with seeing eye Who knew your value at a moment's glance; Who passed a hundred of your comrades by Choosing but you, on whose grey-brown expanse To labor many weeks with tireless care, Until, at last, in splendid, bold relief, "The Charioteer" drove prancing horses there, Carved with perfection rare, beyond belief. Great genius guided the engraver's art— Great genius and an understanding heart! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...YOU KNOW WHAT PEOPLE SAY by JAMES GALVIN PROMISE by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY: TENNESSEE CLAFLIN SHOPE by EDGAR LEE MASTERS THE GAME OF CHESS by EZRA POUND TWO SONGS OF A FOOL: 1 by WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS |