secret like 'Rinaldo'?"--so men said:
Once all was perfume--now, the flower is dead--
They spied tints, sparks have left the spar! Love, hate,
Joy, fear, survive,--alike importunate
As ever to go walk the world again,
Nor ghost-like pant for outlet all in vain
Till Music loose them, fit each filmily
With form enough to know and name it by
For any recognizer sure of ken
And sharp of ear, no grosser denizen
Of earth than needs be. Nor to such appeal
Is Music long obdurate: off they steal--
How gently, dawn-doomed phantoms! back come they
Full-blooded with new crimson of broad day--
Passion made palpable once more. Ye look
Your last on Handel? Gaze your first on Gluck!
Why wistful search, O waning ones, the chart
Of stars for you while Haydn, while Mozart
Occupies heaven? These also, fanned to fire,
Flamboyant wholly,--so perfections tire,--
Whiten to wanness, till ... let others note
The ever-new invasion!

The poet makes no attempt to give any reason why music should be so
ephemeral in its appeal. He merely refers to the development of harmony
and modulation, nor does it seem to enter his head that there can be any
question about the appeal being ephemeral. He imagines the possibility
of resuscitating dead and gone music with modern harmonies and novel
modulations, but gives that up as an irreverent innovation. His next
mood is a historical one; dead and gone music may have something for us
in a historical sense, that is, if we bring our life to kindle theirs,
we may sympathetically enter into the life of the time.

IX

I devote
Rather my modicum of parts to use
What power may yet avail to re-infuse
(In fancy, please you!) sleep that looks like death
With momentary liveliness, lend breath
To make the torpor half inhale. O Relfe,
An all-unworthy pupil, from the shelf
Of thy laboratory, dares unstop
Bottle, ope box, extract thence pinch and drop
Of dusts and dews a many thou didst shrine
Each in its right receptacle, assign
To each its proper office, letter large
Label and label, then with solemn charge,
Reviewing learnedly the list complete
Of chemical reactives, from thy feet
Push down the same to me, attent below,
Power in abundance: armed wherewith I go
To play the enlivener. Bring good antique stuff!
Was it