Song for St. Cecilia’s Day, 1687, A, is a poem by the English poet, critic, and dramatist John Dryden. It dates from the later part of his career, when he had already established a reputation as a prominent writer on the political, religious, and social issues of the day. Dryden was a great wit and satirist who became involved in many of the public controversies of his time. He also wrote poems of a less controversial nature.
“A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day” is an ode, a serious poem that expresses praise. Dryden wrote it, along with another late ode entitled “Alexander’s Feast: Or, the Power of Music” (1697), in honor of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music. Many critics consider it among Dryden’s greatest poems because of the verbal mastery of its composition. The subject, not surprisingly, is “Musick,” which the poet grandly claims underlies the essence of earth’s creation. Dryden writes that “Heav’nly Harmony” inspired the creation of the Universe, and a final trumpet shall mark the Day of Judgment, when “Musick shall untune the Sky.”
1 From Harmony, from Heav’nly Harmony This Universal Frame began. When Nature underneath a heap Of jarring Atoms lay, And cou’d not heave her Head, The tuneful Voice was heard from high, “Arise ye more than dead!” Then cold, and hot, and moist, and dry, In order to their stations leap, And Musick’s Pow’r obey. From Harmony, from Heav’nly Harmony This Universal Frame began: From Harmony to Harmony Through all the compass of the Notes it ran, The Diapason closing full in Man. 2 What Passion cannot Musick raise and quell! When Jubal struck the corded Shell, His list’ning Brethren stood around And wond’ring, on their Faces fell To worship that Celestial Sound: Less than a God they thought there cou’d not dwell Within the hollow of that Shell That spoke so sweetly and so well. What passion cannot Musick raise and quell! 3 The Trumpets loud Clangor Excites us to Arms With shrill Notes of Anger And mortal Alarms. The double double double beat Of the thundring Drum Cries, Hark! the Foes come; Charge, Charge, ’tis too late to retreat. 4 The soft complaining Flute In dying Notes discovers The Woes of hopeless Lovers, Whose Dirge is whisper’d by the Warbling Lute 5 Sharp Violins proclaim Their jealous Pangs, and Desperation, Fury, frantick Indignation, Depth of Pains and height of Passion, For the fair, disdainful Dame. 6 But oh! what Art can teach What human Voice can reach The sacred Organ’s praise? Notes inspiring holy Love, Notes that wing their Heav’nly ways To mend the Choirs above. 7 Orpheus cou’d lead the savage race; And Trees unrooted left their place; Sequacious of the Lyre: But bright Cecilia rais’d the wonder high’r; When to her Organ, vocal Breath was giv’n, An Angel heard, and straight appear’d Mistaking Earth for Heav’n. Grand Chorus As from the pow’r of Sacred Lays The Spheres began to move, And sung the great Creator’s praise To all the bless’d above; So, when the last and dreadful hour This crumbling Pageant shall devour, The Trumpet shall be heard on high, The Dead shall live, the Living die, And Musick shall untune the Sky.
Dryden’s accomplishment here is to re-create a form of music in the verbal and rhythmic patterns of his verse. Dryden writes of Diapason—the harmonious arrangement of pleasing sounds. His poem develops this concept of harmony, or diapason, both as a philosophy underlying God’s creation and as an organizing principle for the structure of verse.
Dryden’s odes had a strong influence on future generations of poets, who imitated their irregular stanzas and varying line lengths, also popularized by Dryden’s contemporary Abraham Cowley. The German-born composer George Frideric Handel admired Dryden’s odes and set “Alexander’s Feast” to music in 1736 (see Handel, George Frideric).
For more information on Dryden, see Dryden, John. See also English literature (Restoration literature (1660-1700)).
