Ode to
the Vega String Quartet
(for their concert of April 23, 2001)
Incline thine ear, Euterpe,
To the offspring you adore.
O Muse of Music, witness
The talents of these four:
How like a mermaid on a dolphin's back
Chen rides the melodic crest
And to her prowess in first position,
The angels must attest.
And how beguiling the charms of Wu,
Violinist of reverèd name,
Who lifts our spirits heavenward
In silken string of fame.
Let minstrels sing of lovely Kong
To tune of lascivious lute.
Holding the larger instrument,
Her praises none shall mute.
Enthroned among these lilies,
Great Wang in straddle plays
To underscore in musical chairs
The maidens' lyric lays.
You lucky fellow I envy you
By beauty so beset,
But with such talent at your fingertips,
You deserve this blessing yet.
Although mine eyes beheld you all,
Mine ears were blessed the more,
And your plucking pizzicato
Enthralled me to the core
Exemplified by your guest that day,
Enrobed in humility.
As David, who quelled Saul's demon,
A man after God is he.
Precocious progeny of prodigious talent,
Ye players of prowess I praise:
Your voices as the tunèd spheres,
Your virtuoso displays,
The showing of your heavenly effect
In mortality disguised,
By touch of rare divinity
In artistry apprized.
For two enchanting hours I listened
With Herren Schubert and Mozart
And we with all the saints on high
Heard the artists set apart.
In intimate acquaintance
With what each instrument brings,
The strains of Isang also amazed
Who sang the heart of strings.
That miracles by music have been wrought,
My mind now understands:
How Orpheus wooed trees and stones
And Leviathan danced on sands,
How each orb like an angel sings,
How Homer with harp played along,
How Odysseus must be lashed to the mast
To resist the sirens' song.
So give me your music, moody food
Of us that trade in love,
For though in muddy vesture clad,
I yearn for the things above.
You played on Shakespeare's birthday
To affirm what he decreed:
That Art made some musicians good
But others to exceed.
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