LOVE held a harp between his hands, and, lo! The master hand, upon the harp-strings laid By way of prelude, such a sweet tune play'd As made the heart with happy tears o'erflow; Then sad and wild did that strange music grow, And, -- like the wail of woods by storm gusts sway'd, While yet the awful thunder's wrath is stay'd, And earth lies faint beneath the coming blow, -- Still wilder wax'd the tune; until at length The strong strings, strain'd by sudden stress and sharp Of that musician's hand intolerable, And jarr'd by sweep of unrelenting strength, Sunder'd, and all the broken music fell. Such was Love's music, -- lo, the shatter'd harp! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...TO IMAGINATION (2) by EMILY JANE BRONTE HIPPOLYTUS TEMPORIZES by HILDA DOOLITTLE HARVEST SONG by LUDWIG HENRICH CHRISTOPH HOLTY HINC LACHRIMAE; OR THE AUTHOR TO AURORA: 47 by WILLIAM BOSWORTH THE DIRGE OF WALLACE by THOMAS CAMPBELL SONGS OF THE SEA CHILDREN: 16 by BLISS CARMAN TO MISS JANE AUSTEN by GEORGE HERBERT CLARKE |