THE TOUCHSTONE
A Manthere came, whence none could tell,Bearing a Touchstone in his hand,And testing all things in the landBy its unerring spell.A thousand transformations roseFrom fair to foul, from foul to fair;The golden crown he did not spare,Nor scorn the beggar’s clothes.Of heirloom jewels, prized so much,Were many changed to chips and clods;And even statues of the godsCrumbled beneath its touch.Then angrily the people cried,“The loss outweighs the profit far;Our goods suffice us as they are:We will not have them tried.”And, since they could not so availTo check his unrelenting quest,They seized him, saying, “Let him testHow real is our jail!”But though they slew him with the sword,And in a fire his Touchstone burned,Its doings could not be o’erturned,Its undoings restored.And when to stop all future harm,They strewed its ashes on the breeze,They little guessed each grain of these,Conveyed the perfect charm.
A Manthere came, whence none could tell,Bearing a Touchstone in his hand,And testing all things in the landBy its unerring spell.A thousand transformations roseFrom fair to foul, from foul to fair;The golden crown he did not spare,Nor scorn the beggar’s clothes.Of heirloom jewels, prized so much,Were many changed to chips and clods;And even statues of the godsCrumbled beneath its touch.Then angrily the people cried,“The loss outweighs the profit far;Our goods suffice us as they are:We will not have them tried.”And, since they could not so availTo check his unrelenting quest,They seized him, saying, “Let him testHow real is our jail!”But though they slew him with the sword,And in a fire his Touchstone burned,Its doings could not be o’erturned,Its undoings restored.And when to stop all future harm,They strewed its ashes on the breeze,They little guessed each grain of these,Conveyed the perfect charm.
A Manthere came, whence none could tell,Bearing a Touchstone in his hand,And testing all things in the landBy its unerring spell.
A Manthere came, whence none could tell,
Bearing a Touchstone in his hand,
And testing all things in the land
By its unerring spell.
A thousand transformations roseFrom fair to foul, from foul to fair;The golden crown he did not spare,Nor scorn the beggar’s clothes.
A thousand transformations rose
From fair to foul, from foul to fair;
The golden crown he did not spare,
Nor scorn the beggar’s clothes.
Of heirloom jewels, prized so much,Were many changed to chips and clods;And even statues of the godsCrumbled beneath its touch.
Of heirloom jewels, prized so much,
Were many changed to chips and clods;
And even statues of the gods
Crumbled beneath its touch.
Then angrily the people cried,“The loss outweighs the profit far;Our goods suffice us as they are:We will not have them tried.”
Then angrily the people cried,
“The loss outweighs the profit far;
Our goods suffice us as they are:
We will not have them tried.”
And, since they could not so availTo check his unrelenting quest,They seized him, saying, “Let him testHow real is our jail!”
And, since they could not so avail
To check his unrelenting quest,
They seized him, saying, “Let him test
How real is our jail!”
But though they slew him with the sword,And in a fire his Touchstone burned,Its doings could not be o’erturned,Its undoings restored.
But though they slew him with the sword,
And in a fire his Touchstone burned,
Its doings could not be o’erturned,
Its undoings restored.
And when to stop all future harm,They strewed its ashes on the breeze,They little guessed each grain of these,Conveyed the perfect charm.
And when to stop all future harm,
They strewed its ashes on the breeze,
They little guessed each grain of these,
Conveyed the perfect charm.
William Allingham