Classic Poem

Bright-eyed and chirping like a curious bird
From twig to twig, from thought to thought, he hops.
Music, the stage, the arts — he never stops
But off he flits, hunting the precious word.
All he has read, all he has ever heard
Is but a cue for agile epigrams;
A sipper and a connoisseur of shams
He echoes echoes, garrulous and unstirred.

His nonchalance is proof against all hurt;
Under this shield his dapper soul is free
Of passion's terrible and sudden spears.
The world may howl; important and alert
He goes through life as through a library,
Looking for first editions of the years.