O eloquent and caustic sage! Thy long and rugged pilgrimage To glory's shrine has ended; And thou hast passed the inner door, And proved thy fitness o'er and o'er, And to the dome ascended. In speaking of thy noble life One needs must think upon the strife That long and sternly faced it; But since those times have flitted by, Just let the useless relic die With passions that embraced it. There is no evil known to man But what, if wise enough, he can Grow stronger in the bearing; And so the ills we often scorn May be of heavenly wisdom born To aid our onward faring. Howe'er this be, just fame has set Her jewels in thy coronet So firmly that the ages To come will ever honor thee And place thy name in company With patriots and sages. Now thou art gone, the little men Of fluent tongue and trashy pen Will strive to imitate thee; And when they find they haven't sense Enough to make a fair pretense, They'll turn and underrate thee. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ON THE DEPARTURE PLATFORM by THOMAS HARDY THE CITY AT THE END OF THINGS by ARCHIBALD LAMPMAN LUCIFER IN STARLIGHT by GEORGE MEREDITH THE PLACE OF THE DAMNED by JONATHAN SWIFT MANHATTAN ARMING by WALT WHITMAN |