Many ingenious lovely things are gone That
seemed sheer miracle to the multitude, Protected
from the circle of the moon That
pitches common things about. There stood Amid
the ornamental bronze and stone An
ancient image made of olive wood - And
gone are Phidias' famous ivories And
all the golden grasshoppers and bees. We
too had many pretty toys when young: A
law indifferent to blame or praise, To
bribe or threat; habits that made old wrong Melt
down, as it were wax in the sun's rays; Public
opinion ripening for so long We
thought it would outlive all future days. O
what fine thought we had because we thought That
the worst rogues and rascals had died out. All
teeth were drawn, all ancient tricks unlearned, And
a great army but a showy thing; What
matter that no cannon had been turned Into
a ploughshare? Parliament and king Thought
that unless a little powder burned The
trumpeters might burst with trumpeting And
yet it lack all glory; and perchance The
guardsmen’s drowsy chargers would not prance. Now
days are dragon-ridden, the nightmare Rides
upon sleep: a drunken soldiery Can
leave the mother, murdered at her door, To
crawl in her own blood, and go scot-free; The
night can sweat with terror as before We
pieced our thoughts into philosophy, And
planned to bring the world under a rule, Who
are but weasels fighting in a hole. He
who can read the signs nor sink unmanned Into
the half-deceit of some intoxicant From
shallow wits; who knows no work can stand, Whether
health, wealth or peace of mind were spent On
master-work of intellect or hand, No
honour leave its mighty monument, Has
but one comfort left: all triumph would But
break upon his ghostly solitude. But
is there any comfort to be found? Man
is in love and loves what vanishes, What
more is there to say? That country round None
dared admit, if such a thought were his, Incendiary
or bigot could be found To
burn that stump on the Acropolis, Or
break in bits the famous ivories Or traffic in the grasshoppers or bees. |
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