Poetry Explorer


Classic and Contemporary Poetry


ANTIQUE JEWELER by FREDERICK HENRY HERBERT ADLER

First Line: WITHIN HIS SHOP HE GATHERED SILVER, GOLD
Last Line: I LOVED AMONG THEM, AS OF OLD, HELD HIGH.
Subject(s): ANTIQUES; JEWELRY & JEWELERS; RETAIL TRADE; RINGS; BRACELETS; NECKLACES; STORES; SHOPS; SHOPKEEPERS;

Within his shop he gathered silver, gold,
And gems of other fashions, other days.
Here nothing ever came that was not old:
Rings, bracelets, forks, spoons, brooches, cups, and trays;
A cornucopia on an elk-horn stand;
A dinner-plate from the Duke of Wellington;
Tea service that once knew a queen's frail hand;
A crucifix and chain, gift for a nun;
A locket like the one my mother wore;
Bejeweled snuff-box with a royal crest;
A prince's toy in a solid silver boar;
A turquoise amulet a pope had blessed.
And when I held a filigree gold case,
A host of airy forms came floating by,
Once owners of these precious things, a face
I loved among them, as of old, held high.



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