MUTABILITY

=MUTABILITY = **//by: William Wordsworth (1770-1850) //**               ROM low to high doth dissolution climb, And sink from high to low, along a scale Of awful notes, whose concord shall not fail; A musical but melancholy chime, Which they can hear who meddle not with crime, Nor avarice, nor over-anxious care. Truth fails not; but her outward forms that bear The longest date do melt like frosty rime, That in the morning whiten'd hill and plain And is no more; drop like the tower sublime Of yesterday, which royally did wear <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">His crown of weeds, but could not even sustain <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">Some casual shout that broke the silent air, <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13.5pt;">Or the unimaginable touch of Time.

**Summary:**
Everything in nature is doomed to fall prey to "dissolution," or extinction. Everything changes. Because dissolution affects the full range of nature – high to low, big to small – Wordsworth compares its action to notes on a musical scale. These notes make a kind of song, though a very sad one perhaps.

You can only hear this "song of change" if you have a peaceful heart. If you’re a criminal, a greedy person, or an egomaniac don’t even try. You’re not invited to the Mutability Party.

Truth never changes, but the outward forms of truth change. Appearances change, like the melting of a white frost or the falling of a sturdy tower that has grown weak with age. The tower is a symbol for the quiet and mysterious workings of change. It was once so powerful, but in the end it was brought down by the sound of a shout and the touch of Time’s hand.