· from a goblet of rarest and richest red gold, encrusted with jewels ofv alue untold, all...
TRANSCRIPT
BY
CARRI E WIL L IAM S CL IFFORD
WALTER REID COMPANY
BOSTON
CONTENTS
A TOA ST To AFRICAMOTHERS OF AMERICATo PHYLLI S WHEATLEYFREDERIC ! DOUGLAS SWI LLIAM STANLEY BRAITHWAITETo HOWARD ! NIVERS ITYPAUL LAURENCE DUNBARWITHIN THE VEI LA DREAM OF DEMOCRACYPERI LSOUL-GROWTHNEGRO PLAYER S ON BROADWAYTHE GOA LRACE-HATESI LENT PROTE ST PARADELITTLE MOTHERDECEIVEDTHE B LAC ! DRAFTEE FROM D I ! I ETERCENTENARY O F THE LANDI NG O F SLAVEsTOMORROWFUTI LITY l
O! RWOMEN O F THE CANTEENTHE FREEDMANAN EA STER ME S SAGESHRI NE SLI ! E YO !THREE SoNNETs
II. Demand
III. Warning
OLD IRON S IDE STHE FLIGHTWEEDSTH E G I FTRES ! ITE
[ v ii ]
! AMESTOWN 1 6 19— 19 19
THE BIRTH OF A NATIONPRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE
FRI ENDSHI !ABANDONMENTTEARS
! UE STLoss
ENTREATYTOGETHE RSUNDAY ON GRASMERE LA ! ELI FE AND DEATHGOD
S ! RI NGPOETRYECSTA SYCOM ! EN SATIONEGY ! TIAN SpHINxBEAUTI FU L HANDSLINCOLNOLD OCEAN AND THE SHORETHE NEW YEAR
[ v iii ]
But above all comes the New Spirit. CRI S I S .)
A sound of muttering,faint andfar and low
.4 sound of stirring restlessly about
A harsher note andfre! uently a shout
Of red defiance! not of peace I trow!
Oh, self deceived and blind who do not know
The meaning of this unaccustomed rout!
Do you notfeel thefren! y ! Can you doubt
The triumph of Race Hatred’
s overthrow!
The moving millions of the darker clan
Have wakened to 7ehovah’
s ancient cry
Not stunted, greedy, boastful, pale-faced man
Omnipotent is verily none save
Andpiercing the dark clouds of dreadful night
Behold! they greet the light, the light, The Light!
! ix !
From a goblet of rarest and richest red gold,
Encrusted wi th j ewels of v alue un told,All flowing and glowing wi th nectar ofwine,Distilled from the spir i ts of souls swee t and fine
AS these sons and daugh ters whose deeds I rehearse,
With ! eal all-consuming,th'ough hal t ing my verse
I dri nk to my Race on this epochal morn,
Remembering the Chris t-Chi ld who came lowly
born,
Was despised,crucified and rej ected of men
,
But now to whom honor and glory— Amen !
l l l
MOTHERS OF AMERICA
A sonnet celebrating the heroism and valor of the womenofAmerica, black and white, in the GreatWar
for world democracy, 1 91 7— 1 918
Ye, ! ueen , who bear the b ir th-pangs of a world,
To whom the na t ions in th is hour Of s tress,
For succor look,and for the ru th to bless
,
Ye,grea t
,whose fondled darl ings
,combed and curled
,
Are i n the shel l-torn , foreign trenches hurled,To s tay the hel l i sh Hun
,who else would press
,
The cup of degradat ion and di s tress,
TO l i ps Of men wi th freedom ’ s fl ag unfurled
Ye val i an t mo ther-band who gl adly gave,
The first-frui ts of your r iven wombs to save ,The world from horrors darker than the grave
,
Ye are the Brave,who in your coun try ’ s need
D id sow the trenches wi th your Prec ious Seed
The grea tes t gi ft of war,and valor ’ s nobles t deed .
[ 2 ]
TO PHYLLIS WHEATLEY
!First African ! oetess)
NO ! Not l ike the lark, dids t thou circle and sing,High in the heavens on morn ’ s merry wing
,
But h id in the depths Of the fores t ’ s dense Shade ,There where the homes Of the lowly were made ,Thou nes ted ! Though fe ttered
,thou fra i l ch i ld ofn igh t ,
Thy melody tri l led for th wi th na ive del i gh t !And al l through the throes of the n igh t dark and long,Earth ’s favored ones harkened thy ravi sh i ng song
,
So pl ain t ive and wi ld, touched wi th Africa’s l i l t !
Of wrong smal l compl a i n t, swee t forgiveness of gui l t
Oh,a lyri c of love and a paean ofprai se,
Dids t thou a t thy vespers , Dark Nigh ti ngale , ra i se !SO swee t was the hymn r ippl i ng ou t of the dark ,I t r ival led the clear morn ing song of the lark .
FREDER IC ! DOUGLASS
!In honor of the centenary of his birth —February 1 817—1 91 7)
A cen tury Of migh ty though ts has passed,
Of m igh ty deeds and Merl i n-magic years,
S ince firs t h i s i n fan t wai l assai led the ears
That knew not how prophetic was the blast !
Then swiftly sped the years i n to the vas t
S tore-house of t ime ! The b i t ter vale-Of- tears
Was vanquished,and the dark ab v ss-Of-fears !
The th ing,transformed
,became a Soul a t l as t !
Search noble h is tory ’s mos t s t i rri ng page,
And tel l what l i fe excel led h is i n the race !Trace deeds of daring men in every age
And say i f one ou t-rival led th i s dark face .
Great Douglass— slave andfugitive and'
Man,
With the immorta l hos t, thou art in the van !
[ 4 ]
WILLIAM STANLEY BRAITHWAITE
!ToWilliam Stanley Braithwaite upon h is visit toWashington, D. 0 , April, 1 91 6)
An Appreciation
He came l ike ! ohn O f Old to al l procl aim ing
The Bread of Li fe ! to our s tarved senses bringing
The brea th ofApri l i n his Offerings !
The resurrection of our better selves
Commanded he : the spir i t-hal f ofour
Dual exis tence,cal led he back to l i fe !
Revived in us the ancien t th irs t for Truth ,The search for Beauty ’ long the dus ty ways
And sordid places ofour j ourneyings .
Like ! ohn he came to ou r world-wi lderness
The real from the false to separate !The Ligh t to set before our s tumbl ing fee t !
And some whose ears had long been deaf to Truth ,Whose hearts thro ’ greed had hardened in to stones,Were purified
,revived and l i fted up
By the persuas ive magi c of h i s song.
L’
Envoi
O poe t,wi th thy soul-wrough t vi sion i ngs ,
O prophet,wi th thy wise philosophies,
O poe t-prophe t,prophe t-poet, Come
Again to our low dwel l i ng-places ! Come
[ 5 ]
Oh, wash us clean wi th
Re-l igh t the al tar candles
TO HOWARD UNIVERSITY
!Semi-Centennial Celebration, March, 1 917)
The pall of ba ttle scarce had pas sed away,
Hearts yet were ho t wi th hate and hard wi th greed,
When some love-kindled spiri t hid the seed
Whose spreading bl' anches shel ter us today
Beloved Mother,you for whom we pray ,
Be fortified to mee t our every need,At, your ful l breas ts the hungry chi ldren feed ,Nor turn a single th irs ting soul away !
Wh a t hath God wrough t in fi fty years ! we ’ve crossed
The Valley-of-Humil i a t ion : then
Advanci ng up the Hil l-of-Progress, tossed
A Chal lenge to the world Of other men .
And reach i ng ou t for al l tha t ’ s manhood ’s due
thanks go winging up to God— and You !
[ 7 ]
PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR
! ! pan reading the I ntroduction to“Lyrics of Low!y Life
by William Dean Howells)
The beetl i ng n igh t was fading toward the dawn,
When s trange, weird sounds smote subtly on the ear
Of one far up the heigh ts, who paused to hear
The song of h im,who doggedly pressed on
From that low vale whence Hope seemed almos t gone .
Pers is ten tly the sound rose loud and clear
Surcharged Of times wi th radi a ting cheer
Of t imes wi th sadness of a soul in!
pawn .
The hear thside lyri cs tri ckled from his hear t,Wi th simple melody and baflling art !
A travel ler above cal led down the slope
And Dunbar answered,
“Comrade! now I hope !
One whi te,one black, bu t one in spirit, they
Symbol i c are Of God ’s E ternal Way !
[ 8 ]
A DREAM OF DEMOCRACY
Depressed in spir i t and harassed by though t
Of war,and al l i ts fes tering
,foul brood
,
Grim death,gaun t sufl
‘
ering and loa thsome food
I fel l i n to a trance,being much o ’er-wrough t :
A vision marvelous my fancy caugh t !
Afar upon the Moun t OfAges,S tood
Ol d Father Time ! and from his hands a flood
! I ncreased by coun tless putrid s treams tha t brough t
Debris Of al l earth ’s cruel ty and crime,
I n tolerance,i nj us t i ce
,rape and wrong
,
Unti l the putrefaction , s tench and S l ime
Befouled the universe) -swept swift along,
And los t i tsel f i n a deep crys tal sea,
The cleansi ng Ocean of Democracy .
[ IO ]
Pollu ting al l the curren ts of pure ai r,
Dispersi ng its vi le atoms ev erv where
While with death-poisoned ten tacles they Cl i ng,To our hearts ’ treasuries
,devouring
,
And l aying was te the temples of our care,
The surgeon wi th blade kind bu t firm l ays bare
And cuts away the flesh,foul
,fes teri ng
SO must the learned doctors of the S ta te
Relen tlessly cu t the leprous sore
Of prej udice ! else wi l l they find too l a te,
I ts rank corruption eati ng thro ’ the core
Of human brotherhood ! Grim germs Of Hate ,Ra ! i ng our ki ngdom wi th ti tani c roar !
[ I l l
SOUL-GROWTH
! ! pon the lack of opportunity afi orded the Negro)
Atom Of God ! spark Of the I nfini te !
I l l im i table thy,maj es ti c sway,
Where i nfluences salu tary play,Thy powers to unfold to u tmos t heigh t !
Poten ti al gods,al l
,al l who s trive arigh t,
Defended from the pom pous world ’s array
Of hos t i le forces, dragging to decay
I deals Of h ighes t honor,truth and ri gh t
Nurtured by ra i n and sh ine the queenly rose
I n shel tered garden to perfec tion grows !But on the deser t, wi thout lovi ng care,I s left to peri sh m iserab ly there .
So Wltl'l the Soul ! i f fai th and cul ture fai l ,!
Twil l grow deformed and choked wi thi n the
[ 1 2 ]
NEGRO PLAYERS ON BROADWAY
! The Ridgley Torrenceplays presented on Broadwayby Mrs . Emilie G. Hapgood, April, 1 917)
Behold ! a Star i s trembl ing i n the Eas t,
Whose pale l i gh t heralds a tri umphan t day,
The grea tness of whose prom ise none can say,Nor who the gues t ofhonor a t the feas t ,When from the thrall Of prej udice released
,
Men see the Soul behind the Vei l Of Cl ay.
Then brother recogni ! i ng brother, mav
Divi ne tha t leas t i s grea t and grea t is leas t .
A beacon i n the wilderness, O S tar,Wi th ox-l ike eyes we note v our lureful gleam .
And Star,so fai n tly shi n i ng from afar,
Wi th God-l ike fai th we watch the widening s tream .
Of l igh t ! Ho,Chri s t has come ! the perfec t day
I n glory breaks never to pass away !
[ 13 1
To make the world safefor democracy
Exal ted goal ! Oh,cove ted ideal
,
Which bu t to contemplate,causes to s teal
W i thin the hear t,the s ti ng of ecs tasy !
Oh,fa teful words ! Oh
,poten t prophecy
,
Which ye t shal l m ake en trenched wrong to reel
And s tagger from the place of power— to feel
The odium ofmen,ou traged
,set free !
Tho ’ now the words are empty,void of l i fe
,
And soothly u ttered to al l ay the s tri fe
And discon ten t wi th which the world i s ri fe,
These words shal l yet become a ferven t creed,
And v iv ified to mee t The Peoples ’ need,
Shall fruct i fy i n to heroi c deed.
[ I4 ]
RACE-HATE
!On the East St. Louis riot, 7uly 28, 1 917)
What in fami es have been condoned,O Hate
,
What sin,what gui l t
,what horrors i n thy name !
Such best i a l revelries which el se would shame
The darkes t heathen in his vi rgi n s tate !
Yet know tha t j udgmen t on thine acts doth wai t,
And Time wil l wri te wi th pen of leaping flame
The ghas tly story— how thou dids t defame
God ’s l iving temples— craven , crafty Hate !
For thou has t none deceived,not e ’en thysel f
,
Thy bloody hands are raisedfor power andpelf!
Hath no t the lesson of the Ages taugh t,
Thy seem ing triumphs are too dearly bough t !
Cold seas Of blood convulse thy Coward heart !Already crushed
,defea ted , doomed thou art !
[ 1 5 ]
S ILENT PROTEST PARADE
!On Fifth Avenue, New York, Saturday , 7uly 28, 1 917,protesting against the St. Lou is riots)
Were you there ! Did you see ! Gods ! wasn’ t i t fine !
Did you no tice how s tra igh t we kept the l i ne,As we marched down the famous avenue
,
Si len t,dogged and dusky of hue
,
Keeping s tep to the sound of the muflied drum ,
W i th its cons tan tly recurri ng tum— tum,tum
Tum— Tum— Tum— Tum— Tum !
Ten thousand of us,i f there was one !
AS goodly a sigh t as th is ancien t sun
Has ever looked upon !
Youth and m a id
Father,mother— not one afraid
Or ashamed to le t the whole worl d know
What he though t of the hel l i sh Eas t S t . Loui s Si'low,
Orgy— rio t— mob— what you wi l l,
Where men and e ’en women s truggled to ki l l
Poor black workers,who ’d fled i n dis tress from the South
To find themse lves murdered and mobbed i n the North .
We marched as a protes t —we carri ed our banner,On which had been boldly i nscri bed every manner
Of sen timen t— al l,to be sure
,wi thin reason
But noflag— not tha t we mean t any treason
Only who ’d have the hear t to carry Old Glory,
[ 1 6 1
As I watched the long l i nes s triding
!Ten thousand souls i f there was one
And I knew tha t to turn,the wor
As we marched down Fi fth Avenue
And calm ,in our firs t Si len t Protes t
LITTLE MOTHER
! ! pon the lynching ofMary Turner)
Oh,tremble, Li ttl e Mother,
For your dark-eyed, unborn babe,Whom in your secret heart you ’ve named
The well-loved name of“Gabe . !
For Gabriel i s the fa ther ’s name,
And the son i s sure to be“
! ust l ike his father !! as she wants
The whole,wide world to see !
Bu t tremble , Li ttl e Mother ,For your unborn baby ’s fate !The father tarr ies long away
Why does he stay so late!
For dark the n igh t and weird the wind,
And chi l led the heart wi th fear !
What are those h ideous sounds and cries
Each ins tan t dr'awing near !
Oh,tremble
,dark-faced mother
,
At the dreadful word tha t fal l s
From l ips of pale-faced demons,
As the black man pleads and cal ls .
For they ’ re draggi ng Gabe,at a stout rope
’
s
And they say,She is bound to tel l !
[ I 9 ]
Somethi ng she knows not a thing
Or they ’ l l “Give her the same as
Oh,tremble
,helpless mother !
They ’re bea tin g down the door,And you ’ l l n ever feel the fa ther ’s k i ss ,Or the s ti r of the baby more.
Oh,the human beasts were ruthless,
And there upon the ground,
Two bodies a nd an unborn babe
The morningfound.
DECEIVED
To war I gave my first-born , debonair
And over-flowing wi th the j oy Of l i fe !
His heart was empty of al l though t of stri fe
He dreamed Of radian t l i fe devo id of care .
When next Columbi a cal led I gave— I gave
My l i t tle lad,my babe
,my younges t-born
,
Full of the l igh t and promise Of the morn,
And ready his beloved l and to save .
These two I gave , my firs t-born and m y l as t,The Alpha and Omega ofmy love ’s dream
,
So rudel y shat tered by war ’ s lurid gleam
My al l i n to her see thing cauldron cas t !
Whose— whose the condemnation then,i f I
Shame the false l ips th at lured them wi th a l ie !
[ 2 1 ]
THE BLAC ! DRAFTEE FROM D I ! IE
!Twelve Negro soldiers who had served overseas werelynched upon their return to their homes in the South )
Upon his dul l ear fel l the s tern command !And tho ’ scarce knowing why or whi ther, he
Wen tdbrth prepared to battle loyal ly,And ques tioned no t your fai th , 0 Dixi e-l and !
And tho’
the task assigned were small or grand,
I f toi l ing a t mean tasks ingloriously,Or i n fierce combat figh ting val i an tly
,
Wi th poise magn ificen t he took his s tand !
What tho ’ the hero-warrior was b l ack !
His heart was wh i te and loyal to the core !And when to h is loved Dixie he came back,Maimed
,i n the duty done on foreign shore
,
Where from the hel l of war he never flinched,Because he cried ,
“Democracy,
! was lynched .
[ 22 ]
TERCENTENARY
THE LAND ING OF SLAVES AT ! AMESTOWN
1 61 9— 1 9 1 9
Upon the sl aver ’s deck, a motley band
Of bl acks looked ou t upon the boundless main,
Knowing wi th anguished hearts that ne ’er agai n
Thei r fee t,wi th pride
,would press their native l and !
Theirs thenoeforth to Obey the rude command
Of mas ters,wielding cruel l ash and chain
,
Wringi ng three cen turies of toi l and pain
From helpless sl aves —Then waved war ’s magic wand,
And,a t the S i gn
,up rose twelve mil l ion men
A brave,patrioti c host
,of grea t power
,
To serve America i n her cruc i al hour
Ti tanic power,to b less or curse ! for when
Pen t wrong,i nj us ti ce and Oppress ion break ,
Vesuvius-l ike,the hear t of earth they shake !
[ 23 ]
TOMORROW
Ethiopia shall stretchforth her hand
Tomorrow ! magic word Of promise rare,
What wi tchery inheres in thy swee t n ame,
I nspi ri ng wild ambi tion,naugh t can tame
,
TO conquer fai lure —here or otherwhere !The rosy rapture thou dos t ever bear
Upon thy brow,is bu t the beacon-flam e
The lum inous lodes tone,l uring on to fame
And high endeavor ! Simple frien d, beware
The fool who says,Tomorrow— never comes
For opportuni ti es l ike burs ting bombs
Shal l bl as t the walls tha t l im i t us Today .
And all,who wish wi th i n its scope to s tay.
Time has no end save i n e tern i ty
Of wh i ch Tomorrow i s the prophecy.
[ 24 ]
OUR WOMEN OF THE CANTEEN
Who sh al l tel l the s tory Of our women Of the can teen !
Our women,golden
,dusk and brown
Mini s tering in France to our brave boys,Our brave
,b l ack boys
FightIng In Fl anders !
Our stevedores in France unloading the sh ips,
Bui lding the roads i n Picardy,That world-democracy m igh t be a dream come true !
Was a soldier broken, da! ed and exhaus ted by the
ofwar !
Was his hear t break ing wi th though ts of home !
Did he yearn hungri ly for mother,wi fe or s i s ter !
Then would come these women
Dusk and gold and brown,
And wi th the tender,min is ter ing hand of mother
,
Or wi th the camaraderie of s i s ter
Or the soul-sympathy of an unders tanding wi fe,
These dark women Of the can teen
Would m irror to our boys
A b i t of home,i n France
,
Hearten i ng them for a re turn to the trenches,
And to the bui lding of the roads,
And the unloading of the sh ips .
Oh,who shal l s i ng the glory
Of our women of the can teen !
[ 26 ]
THE FREEDMAN
Aged and broken and helpless,
Sapped wi th the toi l of years,
Dumbly he ques tions the future,
Haunted and shaken wi th fears .
Slowly he searches the sad pas t !Naugh t does he find there to shame
Fai th of his hear t— he was loyal,But whose was the treason— the bl ame !
Bl indly he faces Li fe ’s problems !Where are his chi ldren ! fu l l five
Fi l i al sons s trove and l abored !He knows not i f one be al ive !
Meekly he ponders,he wonders
,
Why, i n God’s name
,he should be
Adri ft wi thou t rudder or compass,
Sore-sm i t ten wi th age,on Li fe ’s sea.
Vai nly he ques tions the Power
Almigh ty,that sweeps us along
,
The lonely ones sigh ing and crying,The m igh ty rej oicing wi th song.
Agéd and broken and helpless,Sapped wi th the toi l of the years
,
Dumb ly he ques tions the fu ture
Haunted and shaken wi th fears .
[ 27 1
AN EASTER MESSAGE
Now quivering to l i fe, al l na ture thri l l s
At the approach of tha t tr iumphan t queen,Pink-fingered Eas ter, trai l i ng robes of green
Swish ingly o ’er the flower-embroidered h i l l s ,Her hai r perfumed ofmyriad dafl
’
odils :
Upon her trembl ing bosom now i s seen
The fra i l swee t l i l ies wi th thei r snowy sheen
As sprigh tly she o ’
ers teps the springtime ri l l s .
To bl ack folk choked wi th in the deadly grasp
Of raci a l h ate,what message does she bri ng
Of resurrec tion and the hope of spring !
Assurance thei r death-s tupor is a mask
A S leep,wi th elements poten t i al ri fe
,
Ready to burs t ful l-flowered i n to l i fe !
[ 28 ]
SHRINES
Each hear t bows low before some cherished shrine !
Westmins ter Abbey wi th i ts sain ted dead
I s hal lowed ground where mi ll ions ye t shal l tread !Love rears the Taj
i
Mahal Of rare design,
And wondrous beau ty wrough t i n every l i ne !To Rome and A thens other hos ts have led
,
And where the grea t Napoleon makes h i s bed !The fai th ful dream of ancien t Pales ti ne .
Some seek the home of poet, martyr, seer,Of ruler
,beggar
,sai n t or caval ier,
According as these l ives have left impress
Upon the soul Ofman,hi s l i fe to bless .
Each hear t bows low before some cheri shed shri ne
The bi t ter cross where ! ohn Brown hung i s mine.
[ 29 1
LI ! E YOU
Like you ,He came unknown and poor
,
And closed to Him was every door.
His race,l ike yours
,was held i n scorn ,
Like yours,was humble and forlorn .
Like you , He was of men despi sed !
!So deeply was the King disguised.)
The Roman rulers heeded not
The manger-cradle,— His rude cot.
But Wise Men watching i n the Eas t
Knew,the greatest is Often least.
They fol lowed His S tar,brough t priceless th i ngs
,
Bowed low and worsh ipped the King Of Kings !
[ 30 ]
THREE SONNETS
I
A ! ! EAL
Three cen turies benea th your haughty heel,
Humble and ignoran t,debased and poor
,
Like mendican ts before your Temple-door,The po ten ta tes of earth have seen us kneel .
With gui leless art we made our mute appeal,
And tho ’ you scorned and spurned us, tried the more
To love and serve you bet ter than before .
Your ch i ldren we have nursed, y our even ing meal
Set for th : your crops have reaped, your acres ti l led ,Your burdens borne
,your enemies have ki l led !
We ’ve given Of our brawn uns t i n t i ngly,
And of our brain,when so you ’d le t i t be .
Remembering al l,how can you lynch and hate
,
And wi th our quiveri ng clay,your passion sa te !
I I
DEMAND
Torn from our heri tage agains t our will ,And here detai ned by blood-hound and by lash
,
From dawn to darkness driven by “
po’ whi te trash
,
The onerous tasks to do,— the soi l to t i l l
,
Helping your dream of empire to fulfill
Thro ’ blood-baptism and the cl anging clash
[ 3 1 ]
Of war,and i ts swi ft Cl ar i fying flash
The presen t finds us c i t i ! ens ! tho’
nil
Our righ ts and powers i n the common s ta te)Who wi th the volume Of Niagara ’ s roar
And strength wi th which her gi an t waters pour,
Demand,wi th vigor wh ich shal l not aba te
Al l the prerogat ives which are our due
Wi thout regard to race or creed or hue .
I I I
WARNING
The Law that spins these toy-top worlds in space,
Divides the Opa! ue darkness from the day,Direc ts the sh in ing of each solar ray
,
Guides and con trols the s tel l ar chario t-race,
And holds the wh i rl ing un iverse i n place
Al tho ’ no particle may s top or s tay
This Law immutable,you may not sway
,
Or modi fy,or al ter by your grace !
Unfai l ingly the t ides Of ocean flow,
The gian t oaks and modes t pansies grow,
I nexorably fol lowing the deed
Comes wi thou t has te and wi thout pause,the meed .
A tiny tendri l crevi ced i n the rock,
I n t ime wi l l burs t apar t a gran i te block .
[ 3 2 ]
And here the walk has crumb led to decay !Upon th at knol l
,rank grows the shrubbery
,
And i f one glances yonder, there one sees
The avenue of Old wi ld-cherry trees
D im ves t iges Of former glory‘
Now gone are those who labored,hoped and loved !
Yet their indom i table spir i t l ives,
And to these dark-faced Chi ldren gives
The moving inspira tion !
Today I note your busy crowded hal ls,
Fi l led wi th those youths whom learn ing cal l s
TO higher des ti n ies !
The noi sy workshop sounds again
TO tune Of hammer,saw and plane
,
As earnes t cflort moulds to shape
The useful th ings that go to make
Man ’ s lo t more comfortable .
I f to be S tr iving— con ten ted i n the work ,Which none would th i nk to Shirk,I f to love na ture and her beaut ies rare
,
Here boun t i ful ly spread wi th careless care,
I f to be dri nking a t the foun t
Wh ich makes men wise,
And al l-encircl i ng the cerulean skies
I f these th ings make the heaven for which man sighs,
Then here, Old I rons ides , i s paradise !
[ 34 ]
THE FLIGHT
Away down south in Dixie-l and
The place where they were born,
Where grows the cotton,s i lver-whi te
Tobacco,cane and corn
see your beauty,feel your charm !
I knew your ancien t lure
For those dark earth-spri tes,who for you
Did pain un told endure !
But now the cabin lonely s tands
Beneath the spreading tree !The old plan tation echoes not
The weird sl ave-melody !
Gone ! al l are gone ! how strange i t seems !
I m iss thei r gleaming eyes
Thei r loud guflaws, whose hearty ri ng
Floa ts l igh tly to the skies .
What do they seek ! Where have they fled !
Why do they roam afar !
They go to find the Promised Land,With gates ofHope aj ar.
Where school s s tand ready to impart
The precious Rule ofThree !
[ 3 5 ]
And h i gh ambi tion may be served
To even the l as t degree .
Where aspira t ion soars aloft,
And sel f-respec t may grow !Where none would l im i t nor confine
The man who wan ts to know.
0 Southland,tha t they loved so well
,
The t ime wi l l come when you
W i sh ing them back,wi l l learn the truth
That fai thful friends are few !
[ 36 ]
WEEDS
The l i t tle house in which I l ive looks ou t
Upon a garden,where I love to walk
,
Or s i t and dream and l isten to the talk
Of o thers,moving res tless ly about.
Sometimes the echo of a merry shout,
Again the raucous tones Of those who mock,
Of those who yield and e ’en of those who knock,
Inflame my heart, or Chi l l my soul wi th doub t .
These human plan ts wi th in the garden growing
Are they the frui t,the sample of the sowing !
And the s tink-weeds that flourish wi ldly there,
Are they as wel l the Obj ec ts OfHis care !
Of mal ice,envy
,hate and s tri fe
,God knows
Inj ustice i s the rankes t weed that grows .
[ 37 ]
THE G IFT
A pri celess gi ft wi th in your hand is l a i d,
A j ewel fash ioned by the Mas ter ’ s art !NO fleck or flaw bedims i ts perfect heart
,
More prec ious than are emeralds— opals— j ade .
This gi ft,for which gold never can be paid ,
I s freely given by a Friend,whose part
I t i s to teach i ts magic —to impart
A knowledge of the why the gi ft was made .
Possess ion of th i s tal i smani c gi ft,
Like Old Aladdin ’s wonder-l amp,wil l l i ft
Earth mortal s h igh as heaven, righ tly used !But doom to S tygi an darkness, i f abused .
’Tis yours to wil l what pic ture shal l ’ appear
The gi ft,a pure
,unsul l ied, glad New Year !
[ 38 ]
RESPITE
At close Ofday, I couch me at my ease
I n sol i tude,far from dul l mammon ’s roar
,
And le t the rain Of though t upon me pour
I n showers,hard or soft as they may please
Sometimes l ike gen tle pat ter, th ro’ the trees
,
Of j oyous rai ns of spring, they touch the core
Of my parched sel f, revi ving flowers of yore
Pansies and swee t forge t-me-nots , to tease
Old memories ! somet imes a torren t breaks
Raging wi th fiendish fury ’ ti l i t shakes
My world Of dreams wrecking my cas tles there,
Leaving my gardens desola te and bare,
When,from l i fe ’s gi lded pleasures shu t away
,
I seek my lonely couch at close of day.
[ 39 ]
THE B IRTH OF A NATION
S tay ! vain,deluded man !
Know not you never can
At tain un to your h igh es ta te and ri ch,
While holding your dark brother in the di tch !
Hold ! rash , misguided fool !
Why wil l you be the tool
Of pass ions,devi l i sh
,i gnoble
,base
,
Wherei n no God-l ike action one can trace !
Traducer of a race,
You,who are fair of face
,
S top ! l es t the Chi ldren of a darker hue
I n love,shal l prove superior to you !
O,bro ther
,pause ! reflect !
Each cause has i ts efl’
ec t,
This is the law: your ac ts or soon or l a te,W i l l reap a boun teous harvest
,— ha te for hate.
[ 40 ]
VANITAS
He brea thless ly pursued the dream Of Fame
Spurred on by a des ire insa ti a te,To win a place secure and make a name
Renowned ! Thus dai ly s tr iving, soon and la te
He wrough t ! bu t ever as he closer came
The goal receded : then wi th quickened gai t,
Disdai n ing augh t of censure or of blame,
He gained the heigh t he sough t wi th hear t ela te !
Oh,b lessed heigh t which he had seen afar
,
Thro ’ gloom and sunsh ine, thro’ dis tress and pain
,
But ever luri ng,guid ing as the s tar
Of hope,or as the rainbow after rain
When 10 ! the sacred Temple-door was barred
Agains t h is tarn ished,craven soul
,S i n-scarred !
[ 42 ]
MOODS
Daybreak in the meadow
and the song Of the lark i n the sky !All my hopes are winging and soaring
-so high, so high!
Nigh tfal l i n the fores t
and the n igh tingale ’s sobbing song !Al l my hopes are dead and the darknes s
[43 ]
TO
Dear friend of m ine whose magnet-hear t
Hath j oined m ine own to thee,Where ’er wi th changing years thou art
Or near or far from me .
O friend ofmine,I ’d have thee know
How dear I hold thy wor th !
Thy sweet compan ionsh ip,I v ow
O’
ertops the gauds Of ear th .
Dear friend ofmine,th i s fai thful though t
May joy and sol ace be,Not separa tion
,death
,no ! Naught
Can change my love for thee !
[ 44 ]
SON
We wandered through the meadow, green and coo l ,My romping, j oyous l i t tle son and I .
Brigh t was the rippl i ng s tream and we, wi thal,So gay
,we noted not the flying hours
’Ti l sudden ly the sun had set, and gray,Dim shadows o ’er the ear th began to creep.
NO longer now he sang in chi ldi sh glee,Or sough t the modes t flower i n cranny h id !But close beside me walked in sober mood ,His hand close-clasped in mine ! then coaxingly,“ ’Tis dark
,dear father ! please , s i r, take me home !
My l i t tle son to manhood now has grown !NO longer fears he shadows dim and gray !I n fearlessness of youth
,he braves the dark,
Bu t I,who know the dangers of the dark
And al l the i l l s which do in darkness lurk,
Am fearful , les t he s tumble and so fal l
I n to the pi t : but when Li fe ’s Day i s done,
When burs t al l the bubbles he has chased,
And creeping come the shadows of the n igh t,DO Thou , dear Father, hold h is trembl ing hand
And through the darkness lead h im gen tly Home .
[ 45 ]
Not,by the dus ty s tre tch of days
Slow-gathering to lengthen i ng years
We measure friendsh ip ’s chain,
But by the unders tanding touch,
The sm ile, the soul-kiss, yea, the tears
That ease the load Of pain .
[46 ]
ABANDONMENT
I wan t to sai l ou t on the flood- t ide of l i fe,
TO the ut termos t reaches Of sel f!Forge tti ng the pet ty conven tions of men
,
And the scramble for power and pel f.
I wan t to sai l ou t to the I sl and-Of-Love ,And couch mysel f there on your breas t
,
TO be soo thed by your pass iona te V iol-swee t voice ,And lul led by i ts musi c to res t.
I wan t to be warmed by the sun of your smi le,
Refreshed by the rain Ofyour tears,
Con ten t in the c l asp of your compassing arms,As we dri ft down the tide of the years .
I wan t to float ou t on the ebb- tide Of l i fe ,As mutely the dea th watch you keep,And feel the quick pulse ofyour quivering l ips
As I fal l i n the l ast dreamless sl eep.
[ 47 ]
TEARS
The World today is sad,NO l igh t is i n her eye
,
How co ld and pale she seems !
The dul l,gray ashes on her l ips
Choke back the rippl ing thril l s of glee
Tha t yes terday,a j oyous ri ver flowed .
Why does She weep incessan tly
Wi th now and then a momen tary lul l
Succeeded by an . ou tburs t
More terrifi c !
I wonder i f her heart l ike m ine,
Pen t and res tra ined,I s sometimes ful l beyond con trol !
Then comes the torren t,merci ful ,
Rel ieving,cleans i ng
,purging
,
And wash ing free of care and dross,The Soul left clean and purified .
[ 48 ]
But yes terday
The weal th of al l the world
Did not exceed in value the grea t
Tha t heaven to me did send
Today
The humbles t beggar in the land
I s i nfin i tely r i cher than am I,
For I have los t— a friend .
[ 50]
O,thou
,who ar t more fai r than -words can tel l
Or a fond lover ’s n imble fancy pain t,
May I no t come to thee, where thou dos t dwel l
Wi th hope that thou wil t heed my mourn ful pla in t !
O,Love
,thou cans t not choose but tender be
,
Knowing my every hear t-bea t i s for thee !
[ 5 1 ]
TOGETHER
O,come
,Love
,l e t us take a walk
,
Down the Way-Of-Li fe toge ther !S torms may come
,bu t wha t care we,
Ifbe fai r or foul the wea ther .
When the sky overhead is blue,
Balmy,scen ted winds wil l a fter
Us,adown the val ley blow
Haun ting echoes of our l augh ter .
When Li fe ’s s torms upon us bea t
Crush ing us wi th fury, after
All i s done,there ’ l l r i nging come
Mocking echoes Of our l augh ter.
So we ’ l l walk the Way-Of-Life,You and I
,Love
,bo th together,
S torm or sunshine,happy we
I f be fou l or fai r the weather .
[ 52 ]
SUNDAY ON GRASMERE LA ! E
I t was tha t swee t t ime we cal l the twi l ight hour,
On peaceful Grasmere Lake we idly rowed :
Before us,matchless beau ty lay revealed
I n Sky and hi l l and gen tly slopi ng wood .
The myri ad thoughts tha t to our l ips came thronging
We could not speak,but al l en tranced sa t
Whi le at our boa t in tender rhy thm i c cadence
The laughing,dancing wavele ts softly tapped .
NO scene in al l creat ion could be sweeter !
The t i ny cloud that o’ er the h i l l- top hung,The quie t vale
, the brown dove-co te hal f hidden
Would fire to song even the most hal ting tongue .
Smal l wonder tha t the poet was inspired
To s ing of th i s fa i r spo t he loved so wel l !
Not Bobbie Burns nor ye t the Bard of Avon
Could Of h is haun ts a lovel i er s tory tel l .
Then suddenly i n voice deep and subdued
One began the “Ode ! ofWordsworth ’ s to repeat,“On Immortal i ty
,
! thus ending fi tlyA holv day wi th holy j oy complete .
Wordsworth’
s home is called Dove Cottage.
[ 53 ]
LIFE AND DEATH
I saw the candle brigh tly burn ing i n the room !
The fringed curtains gracefully draped back,
The windows,crys tal clear !
Upon the generous hearth
! ui ck Wi t and bubbl ing Laugh ter
Fl ashed and danced,
Sparkle’
d and pranced,
And musi c to the glowing scene len t cheer.
I t was a gracious sigh t,SO ful l of l i fe
,of love
,Of l i gh t !
Death
Then sudden ly I saw a cloud of gloom
Take form wi thin the room :
A blue-grey mis t obscured the wi ndow-panes
And si len t fel l the rout!
Then from the shadows c ame the Dreaded Shape,The candle fl i ckered ou t !
[ 54 ]
GOD
I know a lo t of folk who th ink
That God
Is j us t a great, big tub
Of Grub .
Descan ti ng on His boun ty
They wil l measure
Hi s prodigal treasure
By so many“Head 0’ hogs
,
! “bushel 0’ grai n or barr’
l o’ po ta toes .
But to me
God is the l i ly ’s dream,
The low,swee t note
I n the thrush ’s throat
The sun-beam ’s glory by a dew-drop caugh t !
He i s the migh ty tide
Gripping old ocean ’s s ide
The moun tai n ’s though t !
[ 55 ]
Spring,thou wil ful
, Changeful maid
Ven turesome,yet hal f afraid
King W i n ter to defy,Come
,wi th all thy ai rs and graces
,
Perfumes swee t and flower-l aces !When he thy rare beau ty faces
,
He,of love
,wil l die .
[ 56 ]
Your eyes s tar-worlds of beau ty are,
My long road bla! ing from afar,
Sweet Emily !
The essence Of the rose ’s musk
Bathes your wine-l i ps as through the dusk
They summon me !
The downy pi l lows of your breas t,
Swee t Eden where my soul would res t
E tern ally !
[ s8 l
nce, the word of love,i n vain !
m Of memory,
i n , the pai n !
EGYPTIAN SPHIN!
I n scru table and awe- i n spi r ing Sph inx,
I n im i table and immortal,whose
Maj es ti c head ofmassed and matted k i nks
Cons trains al ike the savan t and the muse
To marv el a t thy muted mys tery !
What age-long memories thy face be trays !
Wha t moving vis ions thou has t seen— dost see !
Thou ar t the symbol that, to presen t days ,The ancien t years indubi tably l inks !
Wherever men thei r r igh teous voi ces raise
Such deeds of grandeur to ex tol and prai se,The Sons ofAfrica
,who bui lded thee
,
Through us shal l swel l the song of j ub i lee
And matchless thou shal t s tand,imperi al Sph inx .
[ 60 ]
BEAUTIFUL HANDS
To a Skilful Surgeon
Not perfec tl y moulded, no t smoo th and cold
Sugges ting th e touch of senseless gold,But warm and puls ing hands
,tenderly
Thri l l i ng the weal th of a heart to me .
Hands tha t are wil l i ng and busy and warm !Hands tha t are eager to shel ter from harm !Hands tha t are capable— po ten t indeed
,
! uickly outs tre tched to another’s need.
Ready and res tful hands,loving and s trong,
Bu t soo th i ng and soft as a lull aby song !Hands wi th the magic given sufl
'
ering to ease !Oh
,who would not worsh ip such dear hands as these !
[ 6 1 ]
LINCOLN
! pon the dedication of the L incoln Memorial atWashington, May 3 0, 1 922
Son of the people, softly, swee tly res t !
Thy un iversal hear t fel t al l the woes
Of m anki nd ! They on ly were thy foes
Who hated righ t— who loved the evi l bes t
How hard man ’s cruel ty upon thee pressed,Thy deeply-l i ned and tragi c visage shows !
Thy grea t soul-agony,only God knows
,
When th i s grea t Un ion ’s fa te was pu t to tes t !
Bu t trus ting i n ! ehovah’s power to guide
,
Nor caring i f the whole world should deride,Wi th gran i te wi l l
,thou stoodst the R igh t beside .
Thus from the lowly cab in thou dids t cl im b
To hal low thi s memori al subl ime,
And men shal l love thee to the end of t ime .
[ 62 ]
OLD OCEAN AND THE SHORE
Lovers in Three Moods
I
Smi l i ng,big and ful l i oy,
I saw Old Ocean rush upon the Shore
Wi th wide-spread arms
He caugh t her to his heart .
I heard him chuckle softly to himsel f !I saw h i s fingers s troke her sea-weed hai r !He kissed and kissed and kissed agai n
Her lush,respons ive l ips !
And she who had been pale and cold
Grew warm and dimpled at his touch .
I I
I saw Old Ocean sullen,moody
,mad !
The Shore s tre tched out her shel l-l ike hands i n vain !NO bubbl ing l aughter greeted her sad ear !He Offered no caress .
He glowered a t her,grumbl ing through his teeth !
Oh,he was dark and s in i s ter !
He would not look upon her,wai ting
,wan !
God! I could better bear his blows
Than this indiflerence.
’
[ 63 ]
I heard Old Ocean warring i n h i s wrath !
He shook and sl ashed and swore wi th fury !
With heavy fi s ts he bea t upon the Shore !He tore her hair !He screamed and raged !He bruised her tender
,sh in ing flesh !
He gripped her wi th the s trength ofmany gian ts,
Shrieki ng— l ash i ng— kicking
Un ti l a t length,hi s j ealous fury spen t
,
He sank exhaus ted in her wai t i ng arms !’
Tis well,
!
the Shore said softly,
For he loveth much .
!
[ 64 ]
