IN a far-away country, some centuries since (If the story is false, it is certainly pleasant), Two fairies attended the birth of a Prince, And, after their custom, each brought him a present. "I bring him," one whispered, "the eagle's bright vision, So keen and wide-reaching that even a fly The monarch may mark with the sharpest precision, However remote, at a glance of his eye." "An excellent gift for a sovereign, no doubt," The other responds, "is a good pair of eyes: But an eagle would scorn to be peering about, With intent to remark the behavior of flies! "And so to your present I beg to unite A gift of my choosing, -- well suited to kings, And others no less; to the eagle's keen sight I add his contempt for all trivial things!" "In sooth," said the first, "I confess that I think Your cautious restriction exceedingly wise; How often it happens that merely to wink Is the properest use we can make of our eyes!" | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...DRIFTERS: BELLA COOLA TO WILLIAMS LAKE by KAREN SWENSON GRAMERCY PARK by SARA TEASDALE ROMANCE OF BRUNETTES AND BLONDES by JACQUES BARON MARCH DAYS by RICHARD EUGENE BURTON THE TEAR by GEORGE GORDON BYRON |