Say, where is now that glorious race, where now are the singers
Who, with the accents of life, listening nations enthralled,
Sung down from heaven the gods, and sung mankind up to heaven,
And who the spirit bore up high on the pinions of song?
Ah! the singers still live; the actions only are wanting,
And to awake the glad harp, only a welcoming ear.
Happy bards of a happy world! Your life-teeming accents
Flew round from mouth unto mouth, gladdening every race.
With the devotion with which the gods were received, each one welcomed
That which the genius for him, plastic and breathing, then formed.
With the glow of the song were inflamed the listener’s senses,
And with the listener’s sense, nourished the singer the glow—
Nourished and cleansed it,—fortunate one! for whom in the voices
Of the people still clear echoed the soul of the song,
And to whom from without appeared, in life, the great godhead,
Whom the bard of these days scarcely can feel in his breast.
(Friedrich von Schiller)
More Poetry from Friedrich von Schiller:
Friedrich von Schiller Poems based on Topics: God, Life, World, Heaven, Happiness, Soul, Sense & Perception, People, Actions, Genius, Musicians- The Artists (Friedrich von Schiller Poems)
- The Lay Of The Bell (Friedrich von Schiller Poems)
- The Fight With The Dragon (Friedrich von Schiller Poems)
- The Walk (Friedrich von Schiller Poems)
- The Count Of Hapsburg (Friedrich von Schiller Poems)
- The Driver (Friedrich von Schiller Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: God Poems, Life Poems, World Poems, Soul Poems, Heaven Poems, Sense & Perception Poems, Happiness Poems, People Poems, Listening Poems, Actions Poems, Breathing PoemsBased on Keywords: glow-, it-, gladdening, enthralled, life-teeming
- Of The Nature Of Things: Book V - Part 02 - Against Teleological (Lucretius Poems)
- Book V - Part 02 - Against Teleological Concept (Lucretius Poems)
- The Song Of Hiawatha V: Hiawatha's Fasting (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Poems)
- The Triumph Of Melancholy (James Beattie Poems)
- Devon's Poly-Obion (Joanna Baillie Poems)