 | Verse in bloom |  |
152
WARNING
Still I believe in Song
That's clear, and not too long,
Though others tell me length
Of versemanship is strength.
That's clear, and not too long,
Though others tell me length
Of versemanship is strength.
Were it the blackbird's fate
To sing from eight till eight,
He might not have a nook
In Palgrave's Golden Book.
To sing from eight till eight,
He might not have a nook
In Palgrave's Golden Book.
Herrick, whose shorter breath
Than Milton's conquered death,
Is far more often pressed
In joy against a breast
Than Milton's conquered death,
Is far more often pressed
In joy against a breast
Than he who lost his way
In Paradise, men say,
And left no comrade song
To help the world along.
In Paradise, men say,
And left no comrade song
To help the world along.
Remember, you that try
To reach the singing sky
And gleam as stars above
The generation's love,
To reach the singing sky
153
The generation's love,
How deathless is the strength
Of Beauty's little length,
That Time has picked to be
The heart's anthology.
Of Beauty's little length,
That Time has picked to be
The heart's anthology.
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