Classic Poem

The power that lies in perfect speech
Dwells with the few who only reach
That art through toil and care;
A faulty tongue perverts the ear,
Destroys the sense, augments the fear,
And feeds on empty air.

A nation's destinies have hung
Upon the influence of a tongue
Whose magic eloquence
Has swayed the thoughts of men, whose word
Was mightier than the glittering sword
Of armies most immense.