To Melody

I think that man hath made no beauteous thing
More lovely than a glorious melody
That soars aloft in splendor, full and free,
And graceful as a swallow on the wing!
A melody that seems to move, and sing,
And quiver, in its radiant ecstasy,
That bends and rises like a slender tree
Which sways before the gentle winds of Spring!

Ah, men will ever love thee, holy art!
For thou, of all the blessings God hath given,
Canst best revive and cheer the wounded heart
And nearest bring the weary soul to Heaven!
Of all God’s precious gifts, it seems to me,
The choicest is the gift of melody.

Credit

From Caroling Dusk (Harper & Brothers, 1927), edited by Countee Cullen. This poem is in the public domain.

Author

George Leonard Allen

George Leonard Allen was born in Lumberton, North Carolina, on September 10, 1905. He was one of nine children. His father, David P. Allen, taught at Lumberton Normal School (later, Whitin Normal School), a secondary school for African American students. One of his pupils included U.S. Representative George Henry White. The elder Allen also managed the school, which remained open until his death. George Allen attended Redstone Academy in Lumberton, where he developed a love of literature, particularly poetry. Allen attended college at Johnson C.

Date Published

01/01/1927