The Greek Boy Poem by William Cullen Bryant
The Greek Boy
Gone are the glorious Greeks of old,
Glorious in mien and mind;
Their bones are mingled with the mould,
Their dust is on the wind;
The forms they hewed from living stone
Survive the waste of years, alone,
And, scattered with their ashes, show
What greatness perished long ago.
Yet fresh the myrtles there--the springs
Gush brightly as of yore;
Flowers blossom from the dust of kings,
As many an age before.
There nature moulds as nobly now,
As e'er of old, the human brow;
And copies still the martial form
That braved Plataea's battle storm.
Boy! thy first looks were taught to seek
Their heaven in Hellas' skies:
Her airs have tinged thy dusky cheek,
Her sunshine lit thine eyes;
Thine ears have drunk the woodland strains
Heard by old poets, and thy veins
Swell with the blood of demigods,
That slumber in thy country's sods.
Now is thy nation free--though late--
Thy elder brethren broke--
Broke, ere thy spirit felt its weight,
The intolerable yoke.
And Greece, decayed, dethroned, doth see
Her youth renewed in such as thee:
A shoot of that old vine that made
The nations silent in its shade.
The forms they hewed from living stone Survive the waste of years, alone, And, scattered with their ashes, show What greatness perished long ago. Nice lines... Thanks for sharing...
Who can forget the contribution of ancient Greece and its great thinkers towards understanding of this world and towards motivating future generations to achieve scientific and intellectual excellence. But it is also true that over the past two millennia, it lost most of its sheen and glory. Nicely portrayed. Thank you, Sir. The forms they hewed from living stone Survive the waste of years, alone, And Greece, decayed, dethroned, doth see Her youth renewed in such as thee:
Beautiful! This is what makes poetry evergreen for all ages.
Timeless piece of literature.........thanks for sharing
Such an interesting poem by William Cullen Bryant....
What a stunning powerful piece of literature... the poet's passion is so obvious! Wonderful read!
Would you be able to elaborate a little more on the poems message?
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/18/2024 6:14:04 PM # 1.0.0.1119
In its shade! Thanks for sharing this poem with us.