Dryden is often called "the first of the moderns." This is because he
was one of the earliest to write clear, strong English prose, and
because as a poet he was thoughtful and brilliant rather than highly
imaginative. Lowell says of him: "He had, beyond most, the gift of the
right word. . . . In ripeness of mind and bluff heartiness of
expression he takes rank with the best." Beside prose works and dramas
he wrote poems of many kinds, including translations and paraphrases.
His satires are unrivaled. The finest is, perhaps, the first part of
_Absalom and Achitophel_. He is now best known by two lyric poems,
_Alexander's Feast_ and the _Song for St. Cecilia's Day_; while his
_Palamon and Arcite_, a paraphrase of Chaucer's _Knightes Tale_, still
delights the reader who cares for a good story in verse.



A SONG FOR ST. CECILIA'S DAY

1

From harmony,[1] from heavenly harmony
This universal frame[2] began.
When Nature underneath a heap
Of jarring atoms lay,
And could not heave her head, 5
The tuneful voice was heard from high:
"Arise, ye more than dead!"
Then cold and hot and moist and dry
In order to their stations leap,
And Music's power obey. 10