The Orchestral Leader
The Unconquered Air, and Other Poems (1912)
All eyes upon him centred, motionless,Yet tensely watchful, vividly aware,He stands an instant waiting. In the airHis mystic wand, uplifted, seems to blessThe Silence, while it calls to readinessForces that overwhelming Silence there,Shall in its stead give Sound so sweet and rareAs must its every parting pang redress.
Magician and enchanter, he doth holdIn his fine hand tones, accents, manifold,Interpreting the gods to mortal men:His are the nerves that vitalize the rest;The central heart of all beats in his breast;Through him the very dead revive and speak again.