Classic Poem

You err: I am resigned. I yield due praise
Unto your bellowing orator. And yet—
How grand is Silence! In her tranquil deeps
What mighty things are born!—Thought, Beauty, Faith.
All Good;—bright Thought, which springeth forth, at once,
Like sudden sunrise; Faith, the angel-eyed,
Who takes her rest beside the heart of man,
Serene and still; eternal Beauty, crowned
With flowers, that with the changing seasons change;
And Good of all kinds. Whilst the babbling verse
Of the vain poet frets its restless way,
In stately strength the Sage's mind flows on,
Making no noise:—and so, when clamorous crowds
Rush forth,—or tedious wits 'waken the senate house,—
Or some fierce actor stamps upon his stage,—
With what a gentle foot doth silent Time
Steal on his everlasting journey!