The Tuscan - A Short Account of a Violin by Stradivari, Made for Cosimo De Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Dated 1690 #231904

What voices hast thou heard, what hands obeyed,<br>What love sustained, what lonely vigils blest,<br>Of those who now arc silent and at rest,<br>Since thy great maker's hand was on thee laid<br>In far Cremona, and thy fabric made,<br>Strong, resonant, of beauty manifest,<br>In delicate amber like a garment drest,<br>A type of perfect art no time can fade.<br>What memories haunt thee of the glorious hour<br>When wakened by a master's hand, thy voice,<br>First thrilled with passionate, heart compelling power,<br>Making thy listeners tremble and rejoice;<br>As the rich tide of music swept along<br>In highest ecstasy of wordless song!