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Maeve

(42,282 posts)
Sat Nov 19, 2016, 11:38 AM Nov 2016

In light of the Hamilton cast's message, an old poem

Written by Arthur O'Shaughnessy in the 19th century. You may know the first line thanks to Willy Wonka, but it speaks of the role of the artists---It's entitled "Ode" and here are three of the stanzas.

We are the music-makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams.
World-losers and world-forsakers,
Upon whom the pale moon gleams;
Yet we are the movers and shakers,
Of the world forever, it seems.

With wonderful deathless ditties
We build up the world's great cities,
And out of a fabulous story
We fashion an empire's glory:
One man with a dream, at pleasure,
Shall go forth and conquer a crown;
And three with a new song's measure
Can trample an empire down.

We, in the ages lying
In the buried past of the earth,
Built Nineveh with our sighing,
And Babel itself with our mirth;
And o'erthrew them with prophesying
To the old of the new world's worth;
For each age is a dream that is dying,
Or one that is coming to birth.

-- Arthur O'Shaughnessy

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In light of the Hamilton cast's message, an old poem (Original Post) Maeve Nov 2016 OP
Great poem. n/t Hugin Nov 2016 #1
kick Maeve Nov 2016 #2
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