Classic Poem

What of the night, old sleeper?
What of thy watch so lone?
Of the darkness and dust, and deeper,
The silence that shrouds thine own?
What song for the tuneless Reaper
Who binds all songs in one?
Crown thou his sheaf, oh sleeper,
With a requiem monotone!

One chord in thy heart unbroken!
One key to that chord alone!
A touch — and thy thought hath spoken;
A sound — and thy song hath flown!
A sigh for the single token
Of all who have sung and flown!
Of symphonies ceased forever,
Of harmonies heard no more;
Of chords that have ceased to quiver
Or ever thy task was o'er:
Songs and their symphonies never
Dying in requiems more.

Silence and darkness blended,
Dust on a desolate shore,
Footprints of angels ascended
Around us forevermore.
When the lips of the beautiful singers
With the silvery chords lie cold,
And only an echo lingers
Of the melodies sweet and old,
To blend 'neath their seraph fingers
With a hymn from their harps of gold.