Prime
[I suggest you read this poem in tandem with the sonnet called “7/8” in the general Encyclopedia Sonnetica.]
The first real piece by Parry, or the one
He called his first, reveals through notes his clear
And sweet imagination. He has won
His way to poetry. He finds the sphere
Of youth’s sincerity. Variations
Reveal his talent, but the “first peice” proves
His power. Hubert calls them “variegations.”
He’s joking, boyish, but the music moves
Us. Purity of vision, if not spelled
Quite right, is dream-like nonetheless. The lines
Flow on. The future promise is both swelled
And focused presently in singing signs.
..Fourteen, with childish penmanship, he still
….Breaks through. His music will break through. It will.