The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1916-09-14
The Spell of the Past
~ Or. FRANK CRANE
Copyright. 1915. by Frank Crane)

The monarch swung down the avenue.
riding his housekeeping horse, between
the crowded rows of cheering people with
drums flags, and loud fanfare; and sud-
denly 1t came to him how many times
aforetime kings had ridden thus. and
now they were still, soft dust; and he
grew sick at the thought and went home
to his bed and turned his face to the wall
and died.
The poet wove verses to his maiden.
turning his desires into all manner of
curious, Jeweled metaphor: and he OPEN
ed book at his elbow and read the
Greek anthology of a thousand years.
and saw that all his delicate fancies had
been done before by Meleager and Sap
pho. Melanippides, Simonides, Alcaeus
and Pamphilius; and he remembered also
that the same nothings had been written
by the bards of old Italy, Germany,
France, and England, and by singers and
lovers in Arabia, Persia, China and where
not? So he ceased from writing. and
ate and drank until he was sleepy.
The beauty smiled at her freshness in
the mirror, and was proud of her round
breasts and long hair and all her goodly
charms; but the thought of Cleopatra
came TO her, and of Blanchefleur and Hell
en-. and Of the many, many enchantresses
of men who once enkindled ardor and now
were gone back to earth and air, silent
and impotent forever; and her heart
sank, and she covered her body with
coarse clothes and betook herself to q
nunnery. there 10 end her days.
The epicure ate rare viands and drank
the choicest of wines at the feast, and
knew how to draw out the lingering taste
Of things, and TO appreciate the incest
shades of flavor and aroma. until there
came TO mis- mind the vision of the mil
lions Of men and animals, feeding biting.
chewing, gulping, since the world began;
and repletion irked him above hunger.
The lover sighed and held her palm
and looked wordless rapture into her eyes
and spoke wild things to her heart, until
he recalled the innumerable lovers who
had, since life appeared on the planet,
done likewise, not TO mention mating
birds and beasts; and all the unending
epithaamium of passion seemed to rise
from the past and the thought of ii was
like the sickly sweet of chloroform TO
him, and he turned away in disgust and
left the maid wondering
The drunkard stopped in his cups when
he remembered how infinitely often this
experiment in forgetfulness had been
tried the artists hand fell limp, for the
cloud of ghosts of them that had lived
and strived in art rose before him like
an exhaation the saint paused in his
prayers, remembering the petitions, thick
as the rain or the sea sands, that in the
long years had asSailed heaven.
All we're choked by the past, asphyxi-
ated by the gases of corrupting yester-
days, strangled by ghost hands of gone
years and they cried:
We stagger under the enormous weight
OF all the heavy ages piled on US.
And they rebelled at history. and COM
planned against the weight Of experience,
and longed for the youth Of the world.
when all was fresh, untried and full OF
wonder: and they cried again:
q antique fables beautiful and bright.
And JOYOUS with the ioyo youth ~ yore;
o antique fables FOR little light
or that which shneth In YOU evermore
To cleanse the dmness from our weary eyes,
And battle our old world IN a new surprise
ia wn enhancing and shore