Poems (Angier)/Song of the Disenchanted

by Annie Lanman Angier

SONG OF THE DISENCHANTED.

The dust hath been brushed
 From the butterfly's wing,
The kite of my fancy
 Hath broken its string;
For the soft siren voices
 That greeted my ear,
The raven's hoarse croak
 And the owl's hoot I hear.

The halo hath faded,
 The rose-tint is fled;
And the leaden-hued sky
 Appeareth instead;
Where summer birds nestled,
 And tuned their sweet song,
The canker-worm feeds
 Hope's green leaves among.

A shadow is resting
 On life's pleasant things,
The harp of romance
 Hath parted its strings;
In camp and in court,
 In cottage and hall,
The glory and gilding
 Have faded from all.

Ensconced in the green-room,
 I've witnessed the play;
Seen the drop rise and fall
 In the broad light of day;
Kings, they are sceptreless,
 Queens without crowns;
Grand lords and ladies
 Are peasants and clowns.

The spell is dissolved,
 The charm hath been broke;
The captive is free,
 And spurneth the yoke;
When idols are clay,
 And prove themselves dust,
How fruitless our worship,
 How vain is our trust!

This makes me not sad,
 No; I'm happier far;
For always 'tis best
 To see things as they are.
The dictate of wisdom
 Is ever the same;
Each object to call
 By its own proper name.

In truth's faithful mirror
 Let error appear
In her hideous form,
 And her own colors wear;
Then Virtue shall triumph,
 Vice vanish away,
And earth will rejoice
 In millennial day.