The Lost Elixir.
"One drop of ruddy human blood puts more life into the veins of a poem than all the delusive 'aurum potabile' that can be distilled out of the choicest library."--Lowell. Ah, yes, that "drop of human blood!"-- We had it once, may be, When our young song's impetuous flood First poured its ecstasy; But now the shrunk poetic vein Yields not that priceless drop again. We toil,--as toiled we not of old; Our patient hands distil The shining spheres of chemic gold With hard-won, fruitless skill; But that red drop still seems to be Beyond our utmost alchemy. Perchance, but most in later age, Time's after-gift, a tear, Will strike a pathos on the page Beyond all art sincere; But that "one drop of human blood" Has gone with life's first leaf and bud.
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""One drop of ruddy human blood puts more life into the veins of a poem than all the delusive 'aurum potabile' that can be distilled out of the choicest library."--Lowell...."
Exploring the themes of classic, Henry Austin Dobson delivers a powerful performance in "The Lost Elixir."... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...