The Two Glasses
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
1850 to 1919
Track 1
Reconstruct the poem by dragging each line into its correct position. Your goal is to reassemble the original poem as accurately as possible. As you move the lines, you'll see whether your arrangement is correct, helping you explore the poem's flow and meaning. You can also print out the jumbled poem to cut up and reassemble in the classroom. Either way, take your time, enjoy the process, and discover how the poet's words come together to create something truly beautiful.
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There sat two glasses filled to the brim
Said the Water Glass: "I cannot boast
And one was clear as the crystal flood.
And everywhere gladdened the prospect and eye;
The Glass of Wine, and its paler brother,
I can tell of banquet and revel and mirth,
I cheer, I help, I strengthen and aid,
Far greater than any king am I,
Of hands I have cooled, and souls I have saved.
And the shrieks of the lost were sweet to me.
From the heights of fame I have hurled men down.
These are the tales they told each other,
That I have uplifted and crowned anew;
For the proudest and grandest souls of earth
I can tell of the powerful wheel of the mill,
I have tempted youth with a sip, a taste,
By my crystal drops made bright and glad;
Ho, ho, pale brother," said the Wine,
Fame, strength, wealth, genius before me fall;
I set the wine-chained captive free,
I can tell of manhood debased by you
I have eased the hot forehead of fever and pain,
I have taken virtue and given shame;
I have blasted many an honored name;
I have made good ships go down at sea,
Of a king dethroned, or a murdered host;
On a rich man's table, rim to rim,
"Let us tell tales of the past to each other;
That ground out the flour, and turned at my will.
On a rich man's table, rim to rim.
And my might and power are over all!
One was ruddy and red as blood,
I have made the arm of the driver fail,
Or than any army beneath the sky.
I have made the parched meadows grow fertile with grain.
But I can tell of hearts that were sad,
I have leaped through the valley, dashed down the mountain,
I gladden the heart of man and maid;
"Can you boast of deeds as great as mine?"
Where I was king, for I ruled in might;
Fell under my touch, as though struck with blight.
As they sat together, filled to the brim,
Of thirsts I have quenched and brows I have laved,
From the heads of kings I have torn the crown;
Slipped from the sunshine, and dripped from the fountain,
Said the Glass of Wine to his paler brother:
That has made his future a barren waste.
And sent the train from the iron rail.
I have burst my cloud-fetters, and dropped from the sky,
And all are better for knowing me."