Classic Poem

Six poets gazed upon the moon,
And each one saw a different thing;
One saw a monarch's wrinkled face,
And one a perfect silver ring.

And one beheld a castled land,
Where everything was Arctic white,
And one a tattered beggar man,
Who wandered by a lantern's light.

Another limned a laughing girl,
Who danced on whirling clouds of snow;
Another traced a jeweled ship,
Drifting where tropic waters flow.

Six poets gazed upon the moon,
And each one saw a different thing;
Six poets made six different songs,
And each one soared on magic wing.

Now what I want to know is this,
When six good poets disagree,
How can we common mortals tell
If things are what they seem to be?

Or is it best that each one sees
As poets, things are not the same,
For if the moon were just the moon,
Then life would be a songless flame!