Poetical Works of Oliver Wendell Holmes, the — Volume 10: Before the Curfew by Oliver Wendell Holmes
page 28 of 74 (37%)
page 28 of 74 (37%)
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Less bronze, more silver, mingles in the mould
Of him whom next my roving eyes behold; His, more the scholar's than the statesman's face, Proclaims him born of academic race. Weary his look, as if an aching brain Left on his brow the frozen prints of pain; His voice far-reaching, grave, sonorous, owns A shade of sadness in its plaintive tones, Yet when its breath some loftier thought inspires Glows with a heat that every bosom fires. Such Everett seems; no chance-sown wild flower knows The full-blown charms of culture's double rose,-- Alas, how soon, by death's unsparing frost, Its bloom is faded and its fragrance lost! Two voices, only two, to earth belong, Of all whose accents met the listening throng: Winthrop, alike for speech and guidance framed, On that proud day a twofold duty claimed; One other yet,--remembered or forgot,-- Forgive my silence if I name him not. Can I believe it? I, whose youthful voice Claimed a brief gamut,--notes not over choice, Stood undismayed before the solemn throng, And _propria voce_ sung that saucy song Which even in memory turns my soul aghast,-- _Felix audacia_ was the verdict cast. What were the glory of these festal days Shorn of their grand illumination's blaze? |
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