narrative constraint

you tell a story made of what's well-known

not just to you but to the whole surround

the human crew the birds the very ground

has  understood each laugh and every groan

is analysed from village unto throne

for qualities of both meaning and sound

each fact is weighed to fractions of a pound

since nothing here is yours and yours alone

the common tongue we learn is one more fact

that binds into a whole the world entire

and turns dull life into a blazing art

smashes it up and remakes intact

what first was formed in the refining fire

but glows still secret in each living heart