Sarah Lane, American Ballet Theater photograph‘To Beauty’ and Other Poetry by H. Wendell Howard The Society August 17, 2016 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 2 Comments To Beauty (Tribute to Sarah Lane, American Ballet Theater Ballerina) Who see you move across the stage Themselves are moved by easeful gifts That vivify as they assuage The day’s reflux. Your grace uplifts The torpid languisher, inspires The anti-Philistine, assures The patron this fine art requires Him for a pas de trois and lures The self-hailed athlete with its strength. Kinetic beauty pairs with soul And dewy countenance at length Entrances, capping off the whole. Black Swan, Snow Queen, or Les Sylphides Display balletic beauty, creed and deed. To Haute Culture (In Memoriam for the late Shirley Verrett, Metropolitan Opera Soprano) Ms. Verrett’s Norma at the Met Was unimagined on my part when we Shared diction class at Juilliard, and yet E’en then her clear superiority Like opera itself was both remote And reachable, a queen of divine right So vocally impeccable that note On finessed note had power to ignite And keep an elegant suspension of That outside world controlled by digital Dictatorship. Cathartic swank above, Mahogany warmth below, all integral Components of the haute culture: her song From arte galant to fervent sturm und drang. sturm und drang: a literary and artistic movement in Germany in the late 18th century, influenced by Jean-Jacques Rousseau and characterized by the expression of emotional unrest and a rejection of neoclassical literary norms. H. Wendell Howard is professor emeritus at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York. He is also retired as a choral conductor, a forty-year career that began after receiving a diploma in voice from the Juilliard School of Music. He earned his Phd in English and music from the University of Minnesota. He has published over 150 articles, essays, chapters in books in journals, periodicals, and volumes throughout the United States and Canada. His poetry has appeared in Roanoke Review, Hellas, Orphic Lute, Indiana English, and Delta Epsilon Sigma Journal, and a number of other publications. He is the author of In Praise of Women, Poems, a volume published by the Mellen Poetry Press, NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Trending now: 2 Responses Zachary Dilks August 17, 2016 Outstanding. Reply Dan Rattelle August 18, 2016 Bravo, Professor. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.