This poem is remarkable for preserving the reader's
equilibrium between laughter and tears. Some lines from _The Voiceless_ are
not likely to be soon forgotten:--
"A few can touch the magic string,
And noisy Fame is proud to win them:--
Alas for those that never sing,
But die with all their music in them!"
He wrote no more serious poem than _Homesick in Heaven_, certain stanzas of
which appeal strongly to bereaved hearts. It is not easy to forget the song
of the spirits who have recently come from earth, of the mother who was
torn from her clinging babe, of the bride called away with the kiss of love
still burning on her cheek, of the daughter taken from her blind and
helpless father:--
"Children of earth, our half-weaned nature clings
To earth's fond memories, and her whispered name
Untunes our quivering lips, our saddened strings;
For there we loved, and where we love is home."
When Holmes went to Oxford in 1886, to receive an honorary degree, it is
probable that, as in the case of Irving, the Oxford boys in the gallery
voiced the popular verdict. As Holmes stepped on the platform, they called,
"Did he come in the One-Hoss Shay?" This humorous poem, first known as _The
Deacon's Masterpiece_, has been a universal favorite.
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