Author: Ella Wheeler Wilcox

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    Of all the waltzes the great Strauss wrote,
        Mad with melody, rhythm - rife
    From the very first to the final note,
        Give me his "Artist's Life!"

    It stirs my blood to my finger ends,
        Thrills me and fills me with vague unrest,
    And all that is sweetest and saddest blends
        Together within my breast.

    It brings back that night in the dim arcade,
        In love's sweet morning and life's best prime.
    When the great brass orchestra played and played.
        And set our thoughts to rhyme.

    It brings back that Winter of mad delights,
        Of leaping pulses and tripping feet,
    And those languid moon-washed Summer nights
        When we heard the band in the street.

    It brings back rapture and glee and glow,
        It brings back passion and pain and strife,
    And so of all the waltzes I know,
        Give me the "Artist's Life."

    For it is so full of the dear old time - 
        So full of the dear old friends I knew.
    And under its rhythm, and lilt, and rhyme,
        I am always finding - you.

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Type of Poem: Lyric Poem

Date Written:

Date Published:

Language: English

Keywords: Public Domain

Source: Public Domain Collection

Publisher:

Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Comments/Notes: This poem is a poignant exploration of memory, nostalgia, and the enduring power of music. The speaker uses Strauss's waltz "Artist's Life" as a symbol for the past, evoking a diverse range of emotions and experiences. The poem's tone is a mix of wistfulness and euphoria, reflecting the speaker's bittersweet reflections on past joys and pains.

The poem's structure is straightforward, consisting of eight quatrains with an ABAB rhyme scheme. This simplicity and predictability of form mirror the rhythmic consistency of a waltz, reinforcing the poem's musical theme. The repetition of the phrase "It brings back" at the start of several stanzas creates an incantatory effect, emphasizing the haunting power of music to invoke the past.

In terms of literary devices, the poet uses vivid, sensory language to recreate individual moments from the past, such as "that Winter of mad delights" and "languid moon-washed Summer nights." This imagery, combined with the use of personal pronouns, gives the poem an intimate, confessional quality. The final line, "I am always finding - you," introduces a romantic dimension, revealing that the memories stirred by the waltz are ultimately connected to a lost love. This emotional climax adds a layer of complexity to the poem, transforming it from a nostalgic tribute to music into a meditation on the enduring power of love and loss.