 | The Burdens of Belief and Other Poems |  |
41
TO THE LAUREATE
ON HEARING HIM READ THE PROOF-SHEETS OF THE ‘IDYLLS OF THE KING,’ 1857
I hear the voice whose organ tonesWill sound through Time for ever,
While mourning hearts still live in love
That Death has failed to sever;—
Strong human voice, deep, tender, true
To every mood of sorrow,
To broken accents round the grave,
And to the calmer morrow;
To blessèd memories of the dead:
To converse pure and high
In fruitful gardens of the soul
'Mid blooms that cannot die;
To clouds that gather in the dark,
Then break with flash and thunder
In rending strokes that leave us mute;
The mystery and the wonder
That wait on death. All chords are thine:
They tremble under thee.
Oh! sound again to soothe and bless
Sad souls that are to be.
| The Burdens of Belief and Other Poems | |