Many ingenious lovely things are gone

That seemed sheer miracle to the multitude;

Above the murderous treachery of the moon

Or all that wayward ebb and flow. There stood

Amid the ornamental bronze and stone

An ancient image made of olive wood;

And gone are Phidias’ carven ivories

And all his golden grasshoppers and bees.

We too had many pretty toys when young;

A law indifferent to blame or praise

To bribe or threat; habits that made old wrong

Melt down, as it were wax in the sun’s rays;

Public opinion ripening for so long

We thought it would outlive all future days.

O what fine thought we had because we thought

That the worst rogues and rascals had died out.

All teeth were drawn, all ancient tricks unlearned,

And a great army but a showy thing;

What matter that no cannon had been turned

Into a ploughshare; parliament and king

Thought that unless a little powder burned

The trumpeters might burst with trumpeting

And yet it lack all glory; and perchance

The guardsmen’s drowsy chargers would not prance.

Now days are dragon-ridden, the nightmare

Rides upon sleep: a drunken soldiery

Can leave the mother, murdered at her door,

To crawl in her own blood, and go scot-free;

The night can sweat with terror as before

We pieced our thoughts into philosophy,

And planned to bring the world under a rule

Who are but weasels fighting in a hole.

He who can read the signs nor sink unmanned

Into the half-deceit of some intoxicant

From shallow wits, who knows no work can stand,

Whether health, wealth or peace of mind were spent

On master work of intellect or hand,

No honour leave its mighty monument,

Has but one comfort left: all triumph would

But break upon his ghostly solitude.

And other comfort were a bitter wound:

To be in love and love what vanishes.

Greeks were but lovers; all that country round

None dared admit, if such a thought were his,

Incendiary or bigot could be found

To burn that stump on the Acropolis,

Or break in bits the famous ivories

Or traffic in the grasshoppers or bees?