Song's Eternity

What is song's eternity?     Come and see.     Can it noise and bustle be?     Come and see.     Praises sung or praises said     Can it be?     Wait awhile and these are dead--     Sigh, sigh;     Be they high or lowly bred    They die.     What is song's eternity?     Come and see.     Melodies of earth and sky,     Here they be.     Song once sung to Adam's ears     Can it be?     Ballads of six thousand years     Thrive, thrive;     Songs awaken with the spheres     Alive.     Mighty songs that miss decay,     What are they?     Crowds and cities pass away     Like a day.     Books are out and books are read;     What are they?     Years will lay them with the dead--     Sigh, sigh;     Trifles unto nothing wed,     They die.     Dreamers, mark the honey bee;     Mark the tree     Where the blue cap "tootle tee"     Sings a glee     Sung to Adam and to Eve     Here they be.     When floods covered every bough,     Noah's ark     Heard that ballad singing now;     Hark, hark,     "Tootle tootle tootle tee"--     Can it be     Pride and fame must shadows be?     Come and see--     Every season own her own;     Bird and bee     Sing creation's music on;     Nature's glee     Is in every mood and tone     Eternity.