Classic Poem

There was a man who understood music,
And right at the very next door
There was a man who understood science —
And neither knew anything more.
And next to him was a metaphysician
Of deep psychological lore,
And next to him was a great theologian —
And neither knew anything more.
And all around these was a business crew,
Who attended to business — and that's all they knew.

And it happened the man who understood music
Was the dreariest kind of bore —
A bore to the man who understood science,
Who lived at the very next door.
And they both were bores to the metaphysician,
And both were incurably dreary;
And all of the three made the great theologian
Most unintermittently weary.
And the men all around them, the business crew,
With none of the four had the first thing to do.

For the musical man told the scientist man
All the musical lore that he knew;
And the scientist man did the musical man
With his scientist volleys pursue.
And every day did the great theologian
The metaphysician assail,
That he might disembogue in his palpitant ear
His long metaphysical tale.
For every one reached for the other one's ear —
All wanted to talk and none wanted to hear.

And often it happened the metaphysician
To the business people would rant
Of Spencer, Spinoza, Heraclitus, Plato,
Protagoras, Schelling, and Kant.
And the business men, while the metaphysician
Through his logical labyrinth glides,
Are thinking of dry goods and leather and lumber
And hardware and horses and hides.
Each overstretched intellect uttered his word —
And every one lectured and nobody heard.

But there was a man who understood man, sir,
And he never knew anything more.
They all poured their wisdom in showers upon him —
He begged they'd continue to pour.
" Oh, tell me of music, and tell me of science,
And deep metaphysical lore. "
And he'd sit and he'd listen in wondering silence,
And hungrily ask them for more.
And they made him the leader of all their clan —
This wise ignoramus who understood man.

This wise ignoramus who understood man, sir,
Seemed raptured, astounded, and dazed;
At the width and the wealth of their wise erudition
He'd sit in deep wonder amazed!
And he gulped all the flood of their deep-flowing knowledge
In hungry voracity down;
So he came to the town where these other men lived,
And became the first man of the town.
And they thought him the deepest of all their clan —
This wise ignoramus who understood man.