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Copyright, 187 8,By JOSEPH INE WALCOTT.
GI FT OE
! i .
CALIFORN IA THE GOLDEN EMPIRE,
SO GRACIOUSLY RESPONS IVE TO TOI L ,
SO SOFTLY WOOING TO RE POSE
(I b is Hulmnz
IS REVERENTLY AND TRUSTINGLY DEDICATED .
CALIFORN IA FA I R SOVEREIGN
THAT SWAYS THE REGAL SCEPTRE OF SUNSH INE AND CALM SEAS ;
WHOSE BURNISHED W I NDS RI PPLE LIGHTLY
AMONG THE PAGES AS I WR ITE ;
BELIEVING I N THE HONOR AND NOBI LITY OF HER SONS AND HER DAUGHTERS ,
AND IN THE ULT IMATE GREATNESS OF HER DEST INY,
I DEDICATE MY FUTURE ,
W ITH ITS WEALTH OF HOPES AND A IMS .
THE AUTHOR .
M95662
PREFACE.
IT is only at the earnest solic itation of many
friends,that the author has been induced to gather
in volum e these fu gitive fragments that her poetic
genius has flung u-non the world of literature, never
recking what fate awaited them .
These heart-echoes,too often in sadly sweet re
frain,but sometimes in j oyous pu lsings, responsive
to nature’s glad vol ition,were th e inevitable and
spontaneous utterances of her inner l ife and those
who know and love her best fear not that these
sou l’b re a th ings wil l be less potent to soothe and
sustain the weary,to inspire to tender
,sacred
thought,or noble
,constant endeavor, than when
in fugitive wandering they attracted many a touch
ing tribute a nd heartfelt response from those who
PREFACE.
knew her not,only as kindred souls recognize and
answer each other .
And wel l we know that those whose inmost
thoughts delight to linger among the subl ime,the
beautiful and true,in this tender volume will find
safe pi lot into the World of Song.
H . M . B.
CONTENTS .
PAGECAL I FORN IATH E SYCAMORE TREETHE LOST FRI ENDROSESTHE PALM TREEA DAY OF PROMISED EFEATEDSUNDEREDOVER THE SEASUMMERSOUTHERN DREAMINGONLY SEEDSTH E CHOSEN FR I ENDBY THE SEASANTA BARBARAL ILI ESFORECASTFULFILLEDSUNDOWNBEYOND THE N IGHTLITTLE NELL THAT DIEDENCHANTMENTELFIE GRAYBY THE SEA .
THE H AUNTED H EARTLI FES ING TO ME
,DARL I NG
ONWARDI REMEMBERTHE CHIEFTA IN’s REVENGE
v i CONTENTS.
THE BATTLE WON
DRI FT ING AWAYON N EW YEAR’S EVEREQ U I EMLENTEASTEREASTERCHRI STMASN EED OF ME
MY ANGEL V I S ITANTREVERIESREPROACHANNA SNOW.
ALMOST .
AFTERWARDTH E WEDDED LI FECHRI STMAS HYMNTRUSTMY H EAVENLY FRI ENDRECOMPEN SEWHERE CAN THE SOULoUNDER THE SNOWCOMPENSATIONA DAY OF GLADNESSDEAD
T HE LOST LOVERESPITETH E U SES OF LIFEAN SWEREDPERADVENTURETHERE I S NO LossUNUTTERED THOUGHTSPROPHECYON THE SUMMITSTRANDEDD EST INYBEAUTIFUL LIN ! SI MMORTAL L IFE“ I S I l
‘
UP H ILL ALL THE
WORLD !OE; SONG.
Follow the dreams of thy youth .”SCH I LLER.
IT haunted me amid the sunrise Splendor
A golden dream of sunset and of thee ;’Mid dusky woodlands or by shining rivers,On granite hil l tops
,or by Orient sea .
I dreamed of palms,beneath the dark-leaved
maple 5Of orange groves
,among the Northern pine
In lands aflam e with gorgeous Autumn glories,
I roamed in dreams ’mid Southern fig and
Vine .
I heard th e‘
m igh ty storm sob through the forest,
Or so lemn anthems peal through arch and
aisle 5
8 CALIFORNI A .
And dreams of thee,sweet world of song and
sonn e g
With strange deep longings thril led my sou lthe while
f ‘
I dre amfe dmof (caim‘
s;‘Wh‘er‘e wind-harps hush for
CC
And sea winds waft a sweet,unspoken story
,
And tender skies eternal shine above .
Fair land of sunset,my young dream fulfi l l ing
,
For I have followed thy sweet thought,O youth
And from thy purple hi l ls and golden heather
Shal l sing new b ards, with grand prophetic
truth .
Thy seas Shal l bear white Ships to safest harbor ;Thy valleys yield sweet wealth of fruit and
grain
Thy regal hillsides glow with purple vintage ;Thy tender skies fal l summer sun and rain .
Thy sons Shal l be as gods of class ic story ;Thy regal daughters noble
,fair
,and strong.
From thy new world Shal l rise immortal heroes,
O golden land of labor,art and song !
THE SYCAMORE TREE .
I SEE i t waving in the rosy su nrise,
I ts l arge leaves glittering with the fragrant dew,
While purple shadows l inger ’mid the branches
Where shy birds nestle al l the dim night
through .
And from the languid calms of trOpic isl ands ,And spicy zones that flush the sunset shore
,
To burning skies its royal crest upl ifting,In kingly grandeur stands the Sycamore .
I se e i t toss ing in the noontide splendor,A cool
,wide emerald in the sunlit air
,
A dim,rich twil ight through the golden gl immer
Of odorous heats and tropic noonday glare .
While balm winds sleep among the sanded cav~
erns,
While b illOw s swoon upon a slumbering sea,
An d golden heats along the brown swards quiver,
I seek thy cool retreat,O royal tree .
I O THE SYCAMORE TREE.
At twilight,when the gorgeous day is waning
,
And gradual shadows tinge the distant hil l ,Its dreamful si lence lul l s the soul to vis ions
,
And wild,sweet f ancies through the starlight
thri l l .
And eagerly I lean and wait and l isten ,To ancient myth and strange
,wild Indian lore,
And waiting oft , I read unwritten pages ,The mystic volumes of the Sycamore .
I se e the phantom of unstoried ages,
I l ist the chorus of unuttered things
In dumb battal ions march forgotten heroes,
From fated realms of unrecorded kings .
In solemn Sp lendor moves the vast procession,
In deathless glory sweep the vanished years,
With mighty hosts of loyal souls uprisen
In deathless triumph through the swinging
spheres .
O wild,weird Sycamore
,wave On forever
,
Thou swordless monarch of unbounded zones
Reveal thy legends of forgotten ages,
Thy fated sovereigns of long buried thrones.
THE LO ST FR IEND .
THE night i s gone . Day fol loweth after n ight.Thou be my d ay— I folded in thy light.
‘Lov e to love answers where thy smile may be 5Wilt thou not smile on me ?
Lo,far in heaven the orb of day i s hung
,
And,with sweet sound
,the leaves by zephyrs
swung 5Leaf to leaf repl ies ; bee h u m s . u n to bee ;
Wil t thou not talk with me ?
The pine trees,crooning low
,fl ing odors sweet ;
The brook leaps by, some brighter brook to
meet ;Bloom to bloom answers , fairer grows the lea ;
Wilt thou not come . with me ?
What of the night ? Night cal leth for the stars !
The lil ies Sleep beneath the moonbeam’3 barsS tar to star answers
,I call thee to be
Moonbeam and star to me .
I 2 TIJE LOS T FRIEND .
And what of song ? The wind-harp,swept at night
,
One soul enchanted by som e strange del ight,
So sweet,so pure
,so glad
,as song may be 5
Be thou a song to me .
Prince of the storm,
fl ing out your banners gray 5Lock out the stars that mock my lonely way .
Yet not one fear,if I may wait by thee ;
Couldst thou not wait w ith .m e ?
Ah me ! My day, my star, my song is fled ;I“h leaf
,the bud
,the tender bloom is dead
,
And only memory drifting back to me ;Thou coulds t not l ive for me.
ROSES .
OVER the summer sweetness,Swooning to deep repose
,
C rowning the golden Splendor,
Bloom e th the rose .
Over the purple Si lence,
Lofty,wide
,and afar
,
Fill ing the infinite spaces,
Shineth a star.
Over the rosy goblet,
Thril l ing with l ife’s new wine,
We quaf fed a !oy together,Almost divine .
Over the summer splendor,
Golden and amethyst,
Q uenching the l ight and glory,Lies autumn mist.
Roses withered and dying,
Out in the scentless m orn,
ROSES.
I cl asp with white hands bleeding,
Only a thorn .
Over the gulfs of Silence
Folded with pal l and shroud,
I see through starless midnight,
Only a cl oud .
Out of my l ife has vanished
Something too deadly sweet 5Something broken and wasted
Lies at my fee t.
Something i s lost forever
Out of the great,blank earth
,
Sou ls that were not begotten
Into new birth .
Words forever unspoken,
Deeds forever undone
Who h a s peace everlasting,Under the su n ?
Who has gift of perfection,
Peerless forever with youth ?
Who in ultimate ages,
Absolute truth ?
THE PALM TREE .
IN n ew,glad lands
,— b y fair, re lenting seas ,
Of golden poppies and of golden corn
The stately Palm Tree— queen of sunset trees
A regal crown lifts to the rosy morn 5So grandly fair
,beneath the crescent Skies
,
It holds a pledge of some new Paradise .
Amid strange perfumes of the languid noons,
The Sleepy birds are faint with tropic heat 5The royal Palm Tree
,by the sti l l l agoons
,
With low,cool Shadows
,w ooe s my l ingering feet .
’Mid daf fodi ls of gleaming,dusky gold
,
In new,swe e t dreams
,I half forget the o ld .
I dream of one so lordly fair and sweet,
And al l the world is one vast,dim ecl ipse ,
A summer heaven l ies at my waiting feet,
A thril l of kisses l ingers on my l ips .
The passion flower is swooning with the rose,
And bird and bee are lost in deep repose .
THE PALM TREE. I 7
I haunt the shadows of this loyal tree ,The light wind ripples th rou gh. th e golden calm ,
A great,sweet passion holds the sky and se a
,
I wait beneath the royal crown and palm 5And al l the land grows dark with Spear and
leaf,
And golden poppies blend with golden shea f
O pride of the World,and love of the Sun !
Thy emerald groves,O beautiful Palm
,
Shal l be my rest forever,when won
,
And my soul i s fi l led with a deep,sweet calm .
I know this tree shal l wave immortal fair
In deathless beauty through heaven’s sacred
an .
O land of the Palm,and land of the Sun !
All sandaled with gold and tasseled with Wheat,
With fig tree and vine when labor i s done,
And Shadow of Palms through gl immering heat,
I have n o love from thee,sweet l and
,apart
,
My love of loves is i n thy great,warm heart.
A DAY OF PROM I SE .
O DAY so l anguidly sweet,so sweet
,
O rose of a dawn-tinted sky,
O dainty blooms that swoon at my feet,
With bending of clover and rye,
O bright-throated bi rds that are singing,
Would you know,O glad breezes swinging
,
If some one should utter a Sigh ?
O sapphire sky and sapphire sea,O land of pearl and se a—blown shell,
O noble pledge of Vine and tree,
And tender pledge to me as wel l ;Do you know
,O wild bil lows S ighing
,
O su nlight in rosy clouds dying,
The promise that ’s promised to me ?
O bloom on meadow,upland
,and tree
,
O Vintag e of rosy, sweet wine ,O lowing of flocks and murmur of bee,In the golden summer’s day shine 5
A DA Y OF PROM I SE. 19
Would you know,Should we break
“
the sweet
pledges ?
A serpent sl ides through the brown hedges,
With crue l eyes fast upon m é .
And I said : O day,so sweet
,so sweet !
I turned to the kind,rosy sky 5
I knel t on the blooms that were down at
feet ;The cruel
,bright serpent sl id by.
Were you glad,O blue Skies above me
,
Were you glad,O true souls that love me
,
That bright,cruel serpent went by P
The day flung a quiver of sunbeams
Adown the sweet edges of n ight 5The eloquent moon and the star-gleams
Commingled in flushes of l ight
O day of sunny blown blushes,
O night of dim,starry hushes
,
I’m standing alone on the height.
DEFEATED .
THE summer is royal with roses,
The li l ies are shining and tall,
I hear a sweet ripple of laughter
I ’m coming,my love
,at your call .
A glimmer of gold on the river,
A glory of l ight on the se a,
A bird singing high in the arches
I wait your swift coming to me .
The earth i s a passionate Splendor,The Sky is a shadowless blue
,
The orange buds gleam through the hedges,
The blossoms lie sweet in the d e w .
The eagle skims over the mountain,
The wind passes over the hil l,
My glad heart aw a it e th your summons,Where l ilies are shining and sti l l .
DEFEA TED .
Oh,fle e t e r than sweet
,my beloved
,
This perfect,glad Vision to me !
A shadow sweeps,
over th e mountain,
And darkens the river a n d sea .
You call but my feet may not foll ow ;The wind is a Shiver of sighs ;
A quiver of pain in the holl ows,
A shudder of death in the Skies .
But labor i s wise,and to-morrow
The weary shal l rest and be free ;And love— it is sweet
,but its glory
Has vanished forever from me .
2 1
SUNDERED .
THEY stood in the hush of the morning
She,with her calm
,l ifted eyes
Turned where a quiver of day l ight
Troubled the eastern Skie s 5
He,turned where the high
,crested mountains
Flung their white pennons afar
Flushed with an eager impatience,
Led by a phantom star .
‘You wil l go,
sh e said,unfaltering
,
“ In the ways untried and sweet ;You wil l cl imb the di fficult mountain,With swift
,unerring feet .”
You will wait,my darling
,he answered
A light in his brave,brown eyes ;
A chi l l Shuddered through the morning,Trembl ing over the skies 5
24 SUNDERED .
Mocked of his fruitless endeavor
Tortured of hopes and fears .
But a tremulous,dawn-l ike picture
,
Touched with a tender sunrise ,Pure with an Orient Splendor
,
Tinted his sunset Skies .
And over those desolate mountains,
Q uiet and patien t and sweet,Watching and waiting forever
Sound of his l ingering feet
While the morning burned to the noontide ,And noonday paled to the night
,
! eeping her desolate vigi ls,
Sacred,cold
,and white ;
Til l the years crept under and over,
When lifted her troubled eyes,Afar to the westward mountains
,
White in the pure sunrise .
I wil l wait,as I told you
,beloved
,
In a sunrise glad and calm,
Over the desolate mountains
Wafted a prayer and a psalm .
S UNDERED .
I am coming,darl ing
,he answered ;
The turbulent seas grew calm ;She s leeps b y the sunrise cedar,He by the sunset palm.
OVER THE SEA .
THE m is t has flung a gossamer net
Over the rosy se a
The spray a crown with diamonds se t,
Over the bil lows free .
Our snowy sai l a glimmering crest,
Rosy and light the sky 5
The drowsy se a bird cal l s from her nest,
Dreamily drift we by .
O ‘love , we glide by glittering is les,Plashed by the golden sea 5
My heart a mirror under thy smiles,
I laugh or weep with thee .
The darkness comes : O vanishing l ight,Linger over the se a !
O restless night,O desolate night !
Linger my love with me .
OVER THE SEA .
day is gone,but what of th e night ?
What of the dreary se a ?
Our bark shal l glide by hope’s sweet light 5Love the true helmsman
”
be .
SUMMER.
O HAZY summer morn !Soft through the m isty vai l of floating cloud
,
The arrowy beams of dawn
Light the calm vale,and wrap the hil l s
shroud
Of silver,gleaming lace ;
Thy calm,sweet
,smil ing face
,
O placid summer morn !
Through shin ing mist is born .
O golden summer noon !
High on the golden hil l s,and glowing vale
,
The long,ripe grasses swoon ;
O regal sky ! O royal crown éd dale !
Prince of the realms that be
Thy foot is on the se a ;
The sceptre of thy hand
Swings through the grac ious land .
O king of land and sea !
Life fol lows thee,and love is in thy smile 5
SUMMER . 29
Ah,thou hast smiled on me .
dream of thee,and sweet winds
whi le 5O gracious summer king !
The birds forget to Sing,
Swung to a soft repose
On some white -breasted rose .
O calm,fair
,festal night !
Bride of the sun,O thou pure-thoughted moon !
O queen in garments white !
I worship at thy Shrine and crave On e boon .
My love is gone afar,
White moon and golden star 5He rides the wild
,wide sea
Oh guide him safe to me .
’T i s h Igh midsummer now
,
Night thri l ls with sweets and odorous summer
bloom 5I kiss thy shining brow
,
O summer night,thou hast no ray of gloom !
O high,far
,tropic sky !
O lake s »wh e re l i l ies l ie
Asleep with gem and star
Caught from the skies afar !
3o S UMMER .
I s leep— O night ! I dream 5Was i t a sigh
,was it a song I heard
,
Borne on a swift star beam,
Whir of white wing of some lost,dreamy bird ?
I dream,O summer nigh t !
Or foot-fal l s fleet and l ight
Roam the brown sward with me
O love,O l ight
,O wide wild sea !
32 SOUTHERN DREAM ING.
I watch the space your swift wing fl ies,
As night may watch the morning—star ;Oh bear some palm from lands of dream
,
The wealth of song ti l l then unheard ;Bear on your Wings some radiant gleam
From this fair land,O fairest bird !
My bird sweeps through the amber Space,
The tide swings in and out of se a,
The balm winds waft with dreamy grace
The mystic song of dreams to me .
O wind,O wave
,O shining sea !
O grace of cloud ! O gleam of star
O tender past ! O sweet To-Be !
O hope so near ! O rest so far !
I dream a dream so fair and calm
Of l ife,of love unfed by sighs
,
Of laurel—tree and crested palm
Agleam with birds of paradise .
Where rays of Southern summer shine,
Where life i s love,and dreams are real
,
With glow of song, and flash of wine ,O poet realm ! O real ideal !
ONLY SEEDS .
I ROAMED a garden marvelously fair,
With stately palms,and graceful swaying
ers,
And si lver fountains,
flashing sunlit air,
’Mid emerald calm of dreamy,perfumed
ers .
The passion flower upheld its azure cup,
Conceal ing crimson drops in depths below 5The violet lifted blue eyes fearless up
,
An d rose-trees swung afoam l ike flakes of
snow.
And gentle winds crept through the sleepy flowers
Then wafted far with subtle,strange perfumes ;
On golden pinions l ightly flew the hours
As lightly tossed the silvery pampas plumes .
And when I thought of one in desert lone,
Or ’mid faint languors of some weary room,
34 ONL Y SEEDS.
For sadness sways l ife’s deepest undertone,
I sought to clasp for her the light and bloom .
Wi th l ightsome touch I l ingered ’mid the flowers
To cul l the sweetest and the brightest bloom,
Nor thought to heed the swift r e tre a t ing hou rs,Til l twil ight hung a star amid the gloom .
With fleeting steps I passed the garden wal l,
With trembl ing fingers swung the fairy gate,
Through scents,and shadows of the fi r—trees tal l
,
And dew-drops flashing where the moonbeams
wait .
Nor feared the phantoms of mysterious n ight,
Nor fl itting birds with wide white wings u n
furled,
Intent to bear the incense and the light,
And tender glory of the summer world .
But when I reached m y lonely, friendless one ,My clasping hands held tangled
,bloomless reeds
,
Thou gh from l ife’s waste the midnight shut thesu n
Of summ er bloom,I prof fered only seeds .
ONL Y SEEDS. 35
But passing oft,one . weary
,sunset time ,
I saw the desert blossom as the rose ,With fragrant blooms , the palm-tree and the l ime
,
And fair young children ’mid'
the sweet repose .
Thus,when we se e divinely from the hil ls,
Or l ist the strain of s i lvery-throated birds,
Or note the sunbeams quiver on the ri l ls,
Our faultless vis ion o f f ers ' -only words .
Oh could we know some sou l in si lence deep
Would feel the glory that we may not sing,
Or that our hymning stirred the weary sleep
Of some faint hOpe where shadows dimly clung 5
Or could we thril l some soul to heavenly meed,
To catch the real from phantoms that but seem
Then could we sow I n Joy the desert seed
And weave i n j oy the glory of our dream .
THE CHOSEN FRIEND .
W ILT thou nOt wake with me ?The night i s rol ling with the tidal sphere
,
Ab ov e the hill s di lates the morning-star
The trembling gl immer of a dayl ight near
A pledge of glory surging wide and far.
W'
i l t thou not watch with me ?
A quiver thri l ls along the mountain range,
The shadows lift in shivers al l al ight,
The old,glad mystery of tide and change
,
The earth is breaking from the tran ce o f
Wil t thou not wait with me ?
A sudden flush the wide,long seas disclose
A fleet i s drifting to the harbor bar,
To golden calms the snowy sails uprose,
A pledge of peace from glad,sweet lands
Wilt thou not work with me ?
The night i s done,the dumb
,l ong darkness past.
Arise,0 soul
,with purpose high and strong !
THE CH OSEN FRIEND . 37
Arise,O soul
,to labors sweet and vast !
And thrill,O earth
,with l ight and bloom and
song !
Yes,thou wilt work with me 5
It matters not the vigi l of th e years,The fal l of stars
,or shine of wearied su n
,
The dumb,cold nights of waiting and of tears
,
The great unuttered and the vast undone,
Nor swing of tides upon the wide,high se a
,
For thou,O Friend
,wilt labor now with me !
BY THE SEA.
THE night has come,and the starl ight
Fall s on the restless sea
Like a gleam of hope through the darkness
Of a weary doubt to me .
I se e the foam of the bil low
Flash l ike a shining rain,
Then fal l into s ilence and shadow,
Like the rest that follows pain .
O wonderful,beautiful billow
,
With your changing shadow and shine
Clasping the stars in your bosom,
I think your l ife i s l ike m ine !
Like mine,reaching through the darkness
,
From the restless,moaning se a
,
Pleading,with a ceaseless endeavor
,
For a l ife that may not be .
SANTA BARBARA .
FA I R 15 Sh e : not as a priestess supernal— fair,
With calm,White Splendor of a soul at peace
Not as a chiseled goddess in the moveless air
Of classic halls,or old
,famed haunts of Greece
But young,glad beauty
,so l i thesome and free
,
Her garments gemmed with pearls of the sea
Her hair unbound to the indolent breeze,
My beautiful queen of the sunset seas .
True is she : not as some problem di ffi cult of o ld,
That sages wrought through SlOW elapse of
years 5Not with the dull precision of a tale oft to ld
,
Of tender hopes wrecked in a gulf of fears 5But true as sunbeams that sandal her feet
,
My beautiful queen,so loyal and sweet,
True as the l ight on her heal th-blowing h i l l s,
So tender her pledge,so fleet sh e fulfil ls .
Pure is she : not as a saint,so isolate and white
,
In sacred atmosphere of vestal shrine,
SANTA BARBARA . 4 1
Where incensed tapers,waning
,fl ing an astral
l ight,
And fretted walls of alabaster shine ;But pure with the gl itter of se a -blown things
,
With Silvery ripple of fount and Springs,
With balms that waft oV'
e r tropical seas,
With calms that await by evergreen trees .
Wise i s sh e : with myth of Druid and sylvan
fawn,
And fabled wealth of mystic Indian lore 5Her lavish ol ive slopes , her grain-land , and her
corn,
O golden fruitage on a golden floor !
Her opulent breath,the fragrance of wine
,
Her sceptre the sunbeams,her helmet the
Vine,
She l ingers and dreams of princes to be,
My beautiful queen of the sunset se a .
LILIES .
O COOL, white l i ly ! by dim rivers resting,Or languid blue lagoon
,
Lifting thy sweet face,i n sol itary place s
,
To fervid skies of noon .
O pure,fair l i ly ! through thy snowy fingers
The foam of the rivers'
gl ide ;Sunlight on thy shining forehead trembl ing
gers,
Thy cool l ips kiss the tide .
0 cool,dim rive r ! thy light bil lows crestingLi ly pure and pale 5
Moonbeams on thy Silent Splendors faintly quiver,
In beauty strangely frail .
Once,when my soul was sad with steps so
weary,
I walked the river shore,
Weaving strange dreams of weird and shadowyfancies
,
The n ight sang Neverm ore .
LI LIES . 43
The voices Of the n ight,the wind
,the river
,
Told tales of wild unrest.
O river cold ! to l i e, with pale hands cross’d,
ever
Within thy quie t breast .
But li l ies pure,with alabaster faces
,
Came drifting at my feet,
With dim,unearthly lights within the wa ! en
gers,
And odors strangely sweet .
O peaceful l i ly ! thou dost bear remembrance
Of Childhood’s starl i t land ;Saintly brows immortal l i l ies wreathe forever
,
Across l ife’s troubled strand .
Thus,l i ly
,thou dost guide my wayward dreaming
By heavenly graces given ;With friends long passed I roam by shining rivers
,
And dream sweet dreams of heaven .
FORECAST.
SWEET i s the promise of the risen morn 5A tinge of gold i l lumes the eastern skies 5
A faint,far star foretold the day unborn
,
With trembling rays from some far paradise.
A rose-l ight flushes o’er the sleepy hil ls 5The tidal seas break on a tinted shore ;
A new glad day the prophecy fulfil l s ,The certain outflow of the pledge before .
Now sweet the carol of the free,wild birds ;
The tender blossoms droop with shining dew ;I s ilent wait with thought too sweet for words
,
Perhaps to ~ day my dream of dreams comes true .
The perfect day swings through the gloried space 5The trees wave wide with bright
,unfolded
blooms 5A golden languor fil ls this summer place
,
And rose leaves waft with tender, sweet perfume .
FORECAST 45
There is one day so longed for and so sweetThe strong
,wide Future folds with eager care ;
Relent thy clasp,O Future ! I entreat
,
An d yield to-day my dream of dreams most fair.
A gentle fragrance fi l ls the high , wide noon ;The balmy air blows sweet across the seas 5
The frail white blossoms by the long walks swoon,
And cool,deep shadows fringe the broad palm
trees .
This is a forecast of the sweet To Be,
The golden days of beauty and of su n ;The true
,glad promise of the sky and se a
A pledge of j oy f or'
som e th ing nobly done .
A long the’lumined Spaces of the West
A pale , gold star i s waiting for the night 5Fair as the hope that wins my soul a rest
,
With tender rays of c lear,oncoming l ight.
The dim,wide sky is waiting for the moon 5
A stranded boat is waiting for the tide 5A sea bird cal l s from yonder low lagoon ;A weary shadow wanders by my side .
46 FORECAST.
Perhaps to-morrow,kinder than to-day
,
Will crown my dream so sweet and wholly fair ;The high ideal that gi lds my dim
,l ong w ay
Will find a heaven and sweet fruition there.
48 FULFILLED .
And dream the dreams of new,gl ad
,tropic
lands,
And kiss the night that balms each day-born
care .
A mystical charm hath thy song,O se a !
You woo with a grace so tenderly swee t.You come a conquering king unto me
,
And fling your pearls at my venturesome feet.
I wait in the tremulous hush of the night ;The tropical winds blow sweet from afar
,
Athri l l with beauty of val ley and height,
Agleam with light of each scinti l lan t star.
A hush i s over the mountain and hi l l
A calm i s over the beautiful sea,A dream the glad hope of daylight fulfi l ls,In tender silences coming to me .
A dream of beauty so regal ly sweet,Of love that is tenderly true and strong,
A straight,white way for my venturesome feet
,
A poet’s harp for my timorous song.
SUNDOWN .
OVER the shining waters
At sunset’s flush I came ;The skies a regal quiver
,
With darts of golden flame .
Far o f f the turreted city,High-roofed With gleaming spires
,
Like bayonets of armies,
Revealed by sunset fires .
Westward,and kept asund er
By strong guard of the bay,
Green isles,l ike emerald crescents
,
Enzoned by fair seas l ay.
I think,O luminous city !
Saint of the crown and palm
Unto the soulful burden,
You waft of rest and calm .
I think , O fair Cathedral !Turret and steepled height
,
SO SUNDOWZV.
You bear the weary laden
A gleam of heavenward light .
I think,O beautiful island !
Far and onward alway,
Your golden crowns high arching,
Between the se a and the bay,
You’re l ike some far,fai r future
,
Flashes of s e a between,
The present bridging ever
The past and sweet unseen .
Musing,the golden arrows
Vanished in dusky gloom
To ranks of dusky warriors,
Helmet and sable plume .
Over the deep,dark waters ,
Sailless,restful
,and calm
,
Breath of the se a—s ide angel,
Floated its heal ing balm .
I thought of another ocean,
Solemn,sai l less
,unknown
,
Wafting its Viewless legions
On to a heavenly home .
S UND OWM
I thought of another city,S tainless
,pure
,and unseen
,
A boundless,trackless ocean
,
Darkly rol l ing between :
The swee t,white hOpe that vanished ,
And the lofty,fair Ideal
,
The thought we could not utter
O City of the Real !
BEYOND THE N IGHT.
THE white fog on the bay
Like scroll s of si lver lay,
And the fair stars through heaven’s high azure
swung 5And dim isles far away
,
Beyond th e opal bay,
S trange incense through the cool sea-breezes
flung .
The ocean,white and vast
Like some pale,ghostly past
,
Dim through the vei l of long,uncertain years
,
In might of stern repose ,Where pale the mist uprose
,
Calm as a soul enfranch ised from its fears .
The wind-harp swung and s ighed,
Where love unuttered died,
And great soul s wept o’e r m ighty deeds undone,
And through the years’ecl ipse,
Like dim,white
,distant Ships
,
There came a voice from Victory unwon
BEYOND THE N I GH T. 53
O ~doubting soul be strong !Be patient
,su f f er long.
Over life’s se a a n e w,glad morn shal l rise .
And Right shall conquer Wrong,
And si lence break wi th song,
Joy follow grief, and peace beam from the skie s .
O Faith in Death’s dark prison !
Come forth,the Lord is ri sen .
O weary hands ! O restless,Waning night !
O watcher by the se a !
The heavens shal l answer thee,
The day has come with glad,effulgent l igh t .
L ITTLE NELL THAT DIED .
THE Shadows fal l soft in the gloaming,
The winds are al l hushed on the lea,
I hear,through the dull
,fading twil ight
,
My little Nel l cal l ing to m’
e .
Over mountains and through the val ley,
And over the dreamy,dim se a ,
Like voice of an angel is cal l ing
My sweet l ittle Nell ie to me .
The twi l ight of l ife is descending ;My tresses are si lver with years 5
I seek out her grave in the gloaming,
And moisten the turf with my tears .
In the glory of youth how I loved her,
My darling,my angel
,my pride ;
She sleeps ’neath the old Wi l low’s shadow,
My dear l ittle Nel li e that died .
56 ENCHAN TMEN I :
The river-god holds a reed for a qu iver ,He catches th e darts that fal l from the s tar
,
A gossamer vei l from mists of the river,
And weaves of the moonbeams a bridal car.
O lily and rose ! the eyes of the morning,
Are tender and true as glance of the night,
And wonderful robes for bridal adorning
Are wov en by roseate fingers of l ight .
Sweet odor and bloom,sta rb e am s and river
,
Oh gleaming of j ewels,princes and crowns
,
A diamond dart from a golden quiver,
The smile of a god,a fairy’s sweet frown .
Awake in thy bower,O royal roses !
All hail to the king ascending the sea !
On crystall ine throne the l ily reposes,
The wand of enchantment i s wafted to thee .
ELFIE GRAY .
IN the sunshine , i n the Shadow,
Fairy feet astray,
Gayer than the birds in summer,
Littl e Elfi e Gray.
Happy al l the long,glad daytime
,
Happy dreams at night 5Fairer than the buds in spring-time
I s our household light.
In the morning, in the evening,! neel ing down to pray
,
With her l i ly hands upl ifted,
Little Elfi e Gray.
Happy,winning
,l ittl e blessing
,
Cheering l ife’s sad way 5Blossom of the early spring-t ime
,
Little Elfi e Gray.
BY THE SEA .
TH E sunset glory had vanished,
And twilight tender and d im
S tole over the shining water,
With lul l of a vesper hymn .
And sobs of a nameless sorrow
Were lost in the great,white se a ,
And stars in passionless Splendor
Shone over the night and me .
And I said,O great
,sad ocean !
With bi l low and foam and shine,
You never have sti l led the beating
Of wearier heart than mine .
The city is strange and crue l,
The skies are di stant and dumb
You have heard my great,white sorrow
,
And tenderly bid me come .
And I thought of the sweet,white faces,
And long,bright, swaying hair,
B Y THE SEA .
Where the pitiful,eloquent bi l lows
,
Would utter a psalm and a prayer 5And I thought of the whi te souls Shriven
From sorrow,pain
,and despair,
Like a sweet,victorious anthem
,
Swept down throu gh the'
aisles of air.
The desolate,l ong to-morrows
,
With shudder of night and se a,
Were lost in the wondrous chorus
That floated from far to me .
And I said,O kind
,sweet ocean !
Like one who utters a prayer
Oh touch the dead face gently,The dead
,white sorrow there .
And I turned from the pitiful ocean,
As one from a promise of restThe skies were distant and d arkened
,
The city lamps burned in the west 5And a murmur of something too sacred
For mortal to utter or hear,
Swept over the vast, deep ocean ,Like j oy that fol lows a fear.
And I said,O life ! with your burden
Of parting and passion and pain,
60 B Y THE S EA.
The sun rises out of your darkness,
The summer bloom s fol low the rain ;And something to do and to suf fer
,
And something to be and to share
Is peace after great tribulation 5And labor is worship and prayer.
THE HAUNTED HEART.
I’M s itting by the window
,Genie
,
I ’m musing al l alone ;And with dim images are blent
The Wind’s deserted tone .
The ram is fal l ing fast,Genie
The gray,cold , driving rain 5
And mystic forms seem wandering by
In Viewless spirit train .
There ’s one so meekly fai r,Genie
With m i ld,rel igious eyes ;
She drooped and faded long ago,
As Spring’s pale blossom dies .
I seem to hear her voice,Genie
,
I meet her spirit-gaze 5’T is sadder now than when we met
In childh’ood’s happier days .
62 THE HA UN TED HEART.
A change,a deep
,dark change
,Genie
,
Swept o’er her early years 5The path of love
,though fair
,Genie
,
Is marked by woman’s tears .
Another seems to come, Genie ,
That p layed beneath our trees ;He lef t th e pure
,first l oves of youth
To roam the shin ing seas .
He ’ll j oin no more our band,Genie
At twil ight soft and dim ;
His voice is never heard,Genie
,
To chant our evening hymn .
We cannot strew h is grave,Genie
,
With flowers we love so well 5He sleeps not near his boyhood’s home
,
In Church-yard nor in del l .
’T is a wild and mournful tomb
,Genie ,
Far down the starless deep ;A fearful thing to die a f sea :
Sweet Genie,do not weep .
S ING TO ME,DARLING.
S ING to me,darl ing ; le t l ight murmurs creep
Over my Spirit where shadows l ie deep ;S ing
,and my languishing heart may grow strong
,
Borne on the bil lows of impassioned song ;Fold me so close in your t ender embrace
,
Wipe the cold drops from my forehead and face ;Tear the earth laurels away from my brow
,
Wreathe it with myrtle and cypress leaves now 5Bitter the chal ice from earth’s troubled spring
,
Fold me so tenderly,kiss me and sing.
S ing to me,darl ing ; s ince last we have met
Blossoms have perished and hope stars have se t 5Doubt through the faith of my childhood has
crept 5Change through the realm of these Sweet years
has swept.
Wealth cannot people the heart’s sol itude ;Fame on its sancti ty may not intrude ;Years s ince we parted
,care—laden and long
,
Seem but a dre am ,while I l ist your sweet song.
SING TO ME,D ARLING. 65
S ing to me,darl ing 5 your voice thri l l s the whi le ,
Soft as a hymn floating through the d im ais le 5S ing of the martyr
,the cross
,and the palm 5
Chant solemn dirges,then S ing a glad psalm 5
S ing of the Lowly,who suf fered and died 5
S ing of the Holy One,long crUcifi e d ;
S ing,and this burden of sorrow may be
Gems in the crown that is waiting for me .
ONWARD .
[I n an e ! cellent l iterary paper pub l ished i n Chicago, I ll . , we find a gemfrom the pen of CORDELIA HAVENS, concerning which the editor says :Fiv e years ago this charm ing l ittle poem was pub l ished for the first timein the Home Circl e .’A desire b y some dear fri ends that i t should reenter the columns o f the press i nduces us to repub l ish it . I ts own meri tswere su fl'lcie n t for this ob !ect . I t was first pub lished under the lady’s ownsignature, who has remov ed to the Pacific Coast and assumed the n om de
plu m e of CORDELIA HAVENS . We see some of her productions in theOv erland M onthly,’and congratulate that magazine upon the accessionof such a contrib utor to its columns .” To the foregoing we wish to addour most cordial assent . ED . SANTA BARBARA PRESS ]
ONWARD,rol l onward
,O R iver of Time !
Bear my frail bark to a happier cl ime !
Faster,rol l faster
,ye b i l lowy years !
Bear me away from my grief and my tears .
Cold is the breath of the piti less blast 5Dark are the phantoms that frown from
past 5Bear me away from my fears and my pain 5Bear me away from the wind and the rain .
Onward,rol l onward
,O River of Life !
Take me away from my toi l and my strife ;
ON WARD . 67
Never,oh
,never
,turn backward again 5
Smiles have been wasted and tears wept in vain .
S trong are the rocks that heave back the sea,
Heave back the years that return unto m e .
Swift i s the comet that sweeps through its
track
Years,sweep ye onward
,but never turn back .
Onward,rol l onward
,O shuddering Tide !
I watch for thy shore on the shadowless s ide 5I wait for a gleam of the shimmering sand 5I long for the j oys of that far dis tant land .
Hide those sad year s in thy sheltering breast ;Bring me a dream of the weary at rest.Mother
,remember thy child on Life’s sea ;
Wait by the river,but come not to me .
Onward,rol l onward, O piti less years !
Bring me a rest from my toi l and my fears ;The smiles and the tears I’ve given to theeAre lost mid the wrecks of l ife’s fathomless se a .
I ’m weary of labor,I’m -weary of pain
,
They wait by the r iver,yet wait al l in vain .
Hide them forever,the ir smiles and their tears
,
0 River of Life , these pitiless years .
I REMEMBER.
I REMEMBER,I remember
How I wandered al l alone,
When the young moon’s pale,sweet gl immer
On the flashing waters shone,
Where the night~ bird told his story’Neath the starl ight dim and pale
,
Where the dew-drops fel l caressing
On the blossoms weak and frai l .
I remember,I remember
,
How my cheeks were bathed in tears,
As fond memory chased each vision
Through the Vista of th e years 5And my eyes grew sad and dreamy
,
When the grief-drops ceased to flow,
And a ~ d arksom e spel l was resting
O’er my Spil’lt long ago .
I remember,I remember
,
From the far-o f f spirit land
I REMEMBER .
Came a form of sain t-l ike beauty,
Be ck’n ing with her angel hand .
How she Spoke of j oys unfading,
In the realm of purer th ings ;How sh e soothed my unvei le d sorrow
,
H ov'r ing on h e r Viewless wings .
I remember I remember,
How my dreamy vis ions fled ;Yet I felt my angel mother
Was not numbered w ith the'
dead .
And upon my spiri t resting
Came a sweet,untroub led calm
,
Heal ing o’er each wound of sorrow,
With its pure and holy balm .
THE CH IEFTA IN’S REVENGE.
IN native pride a Chieftain stood,
The bow he held unstrung,
And sadly from his burning brow
His broken plume he flung.
He stood and mused there long and wild
Of the pale-face’s bitter thral l,
For oft his eagle eye had turned
To se e his brother fal l .
Ere last year’s moon had waned,said he
,
“ The pale-face sought our land,
An d they have slain my father’s race,
The best of all my band .
I grieved to see my kindred fall,
As oft the foe gained ground 5And wept that e’er the stranger’s foot
Should press my father’s mound .
Once,long ago
,these val leys fai r
,
These forests deep and wild,
7 THE CH IEFTAIN’S REVENGE.
The Indian on a cl i f f near by,
S tood gazing sad and long,
And turned in li stl ess l anguor then
To chant his own d eath-song.
And when another moon had shone
Upon the ocean wave,
The night bird sung her lonely lays
Ab ov e the chieftain’s grave .
THE BATTLE WON .
IT was the hushed midnight : darkness was on
the sky 5The stars forgot their l ight
,and the damp
winds hurried by.
There was si lence in the glen 5 the river lashedthe Shore
,
When rose those fearless me n to welter in theirgore .
All by the river s ide,al l down the grassy plain
,
Moans of the roll ing tide would mingle with
the slain .
Yet fearless , calm,and brave
,their banners w av
ing high,
The federal warriors gave a shout that rent the
The clouds spread l ike a pall,and the river
ceased its moan,
A c lash through the columns tal l,and a heavy
dying groan .
74 THE FA TTLE WON
There came a thunder sound,and the fiery shells
burst high 5There was blood upon th e ground 5 there was
light upon the sky.
The guns flashed on the hil l 5 the guns flashed
by the bay ;But the troops rushed onward sti ll
,l ike wild deer
in their pl ay.
The earth was a bloody seal 5 the air was al l
aflam e,
Where the warrior’s bloody steel on th e war
rior’s armor came .
And stil l they fought and fell , where the fiery
torrent rol led.
Til l o’er that bloody del l shone the rising sun
of gold ;Then hearts grew sick and weak
,and the brav
est of the brave
Grew pale,and ceased to speak : each step was
on a grave .
Then courage on them fel l 5 the ir foemen saw
their doom 5
With shout and trumpet—knel l,that fi ll ed their
ranks with gloomDown swept
,with rage and power
,with cannon
and with Shel l,
THE FA TTLE WON 7 5
Down poured that flaming Shower,and fast the
foeman fel l ;And ere that day was done the loyal banners
waved,
And the lurid setting sun flashed o’er a countrysaved .
DRIFTING AWAY.
DRIFTING away to the mystical seas,
Laden with fruit of the bright summer years ;Leaving the lone
,leafless autumn to me
,
Freighted with hope,and with song
,and with
fears .
Drifting away to th’eternal Shore
Laden with hopes from the years that have
fled ;Leaving the wai l of a sad “ Nevermore ;Leaving the graves of the beautiful dead .
Drifting away through the tide of the years,
Breasting the waves of the treacherous stream 5Leaving a lone
,doubting watcher with tears
Bearing the wealth of l ife’s midsummer dream.
Drifting away to th’eternal Shore ,Bearing the song thaf the early years sung 5
Echoes the wai l of the lone nevermore,
Back by the winds of the autumn-night flung .
DRIFTING AWA Y. 7 7
Drifting away through the daylight and dark 5Drifting away to the solemn unknown
,
Afloat on the river,my venturesome bark
,
Laden with hopes from the summer years
flown .
Drifting away on the mystical t ide 5Drifting alone to the eternal se a ;
Angels wil l wait on that echoless s ide
Guarding m y bark and its treasures for me .
ON NEW YEAR’S EVE.
I WAIT in the dusk of the vanishing years ,I l ist to the tread of their l ingering feet .
Their white faces gl ide through a glimmer
tears,
With waft of a melody subtle and sweet.
The beautiful years in the level,sweet l ight
Of a far young moon in her langu ishing sway,
With gl immer of stars on the ir evergreen height,
And glittering dreams of a sweet summer
day.
That opulent day mid the fragran t,white year,
That year of sweet promise that came never
more,
But in dim,broken dreams of a summertide
near,
With perfect white blooms on a luminous
shore .
80“
ON NEW YEAR’S E VE .
And I think this burden of crosses and cares
IS blessed and kind when the j ourney is trod,
The shadow of Angels that walk unawares,
And lead to the Calms by the River of God .
REQUIEM .
PALE rose the moon beyond the mountain side 5Pale gleams a star where Day in sorrow died 5Cold comes the wind from o’er the western se a ;
Cold,l one
,and dark the world is left to me .
S i lent the. voices that thril le d through the past 5S i lent the hearts and hands oft I h ave clasped 5Cold are the brows that
'
Death’s pale fingers
pressed,
Cold as the snow - wreath,on high mountain
crest.
S trong grows the oak beneath the wind and
rain 5S trong grows the heart beneath a bitter pain 5Soft beams a star where erst the su n had se t 5Calm now the face that bitter tears have wet .
Deep lie the pe arl s beneath the chanting waves 5Deep in the heart l ie many shrouded graves 5Clasp thy pale gems
,O waves of moaning se a !
Clasp,O sad heart ! the loves that died to thee.
6
82 RE Q HIEM .
Fair are the gems in the dark ocean’s cave 5Fair are the blossoms that bloom on the grave ;Pure i s the dawn from n ight of fal l ing rain 5Pure is the heart that through Life’s deep
pain .
LENT.
I ! NELT alone with my soul,my sorrowful soul,
With s ins of omiss ion and commission in longscrol l
,
While angels of fast and Lenten confess ionAwaited my audible
,trembling e ! pression .
I drank the bitter lees of the soul that dares
look
With f a ta l . scru t iny on the unwritten book,That c lasped and hidden l ies
,c lose sealed to all
but God,
That book of human life,wide-Open un to God .
I l ifted up my prayer of passion and of loss 5To heights of God’s great pity I took my weary
cross ;I said : Of sinners and s inn ing I am the chief 5Not unbel ief
,dear Father
,but perfect bel ief ;
Yet dumb I sat and heard thy prec ious truthdenied
,
And walked in pleasant p laces,while Christs
we re cruCifi e d .
84 LENT:
S ince from the deeps of chaos came organized
decree
The primal law is manifest in ' al l,save me .
For when I knew thy truth,dear God
, I Spoke
it not,
Or ’mid the taunting of earth vo ices half forgot.The constel lations sweep forever in their place 5The earth is young forever
,with sweet infant
grace 5The glory of this morn the primal morning saw 5The glow-worms praise Thee and know the l ife
of thy law .
I have loved for hu m an'
lov e : Thou a f t divine 5Oh
,l et thy smiling countenance above me shine.
When to this weary soul Shal l Easter morn
arise ?
Thou know’st my Lenten sorrow
,my life sacri
fice ;
How often and often the bitter outweighs the
sweet,
And the glowing,brimful goblet is dashed to
my feet
I keep my fast by day,I keep my watch by
n 1gh t 5
LENT. 85
I look through the crystal of tears,be it ev er
so l ight 5I pour my soul in oblation
,I yield my youth
Oh,grant me
,dear Father
,forever
,thy Spirit of
Truth .
EASTER .
WH ILE in the East the stars with primal SplendorMove white and Shining through the ancient
Skies,
A holy Presence cometh,Sti l l and tender
,
The dawning glory, thril led with swift surprise,When Christ arose .
How did He come,and w ith what tender mes
sage
Will He return,this resurrection morn ?
With what new joy,or with what angel presage
,
Or swell ing anthem,shal l the day new born
Greet H im anew ?
With what glad psalm
Shal l we forget the weary Lenten crosses,
The heavy watches through the awful night ?With what new gift shal l Heaven replete earth’s
losses,
What touch restore our bl indness into sight,
With heavenly calm ?
EASTER.
OH could we wait with them ,in vigi l s keep ing
The sad nights through,Those worn disciples
,or from troubled s leep ing
Awake anew,
And know the Lord had . risen from the grave,
What Should we crave
I think that I should ask some tender token
From the old l ife,
If through the awful Silence He had broken
The mortal strife
S til l l ingered in the holy atmosphere
He brought so near.
And if upon the resurrection morning
I once might s e e
wondrous Splendor o’er his features dawn
ing,
Although i t be
A tender presence passing swift and white
With peace and light .
EAS TER . 89
Beyond the need of heavy, Lenten grieving,The fast and cross
To the sad sou l a heavenly, presc ience leaving
For pain and loss 5To wait at sunrise by that conquered grave
,
No m ore I ’d crave .
Yet through this calm,sweet; hal lowed Easter,
Although unseen,
I think He comes,the blessed Guide and Master
,
In peace serene,
His presence shining through th e weary way,
To thi s glad day.
And from ' that home of many mansions,turning
,
Her sorrow done,
Perhaps the Mary,with that earthward yearn ing
For Christ the Son,Will l isten to the pean and the psalm
,
From Heaven’s own calm .
CHRI STMAS .
I WONDER,if among those heavenly p l aces
,
The restful,holy hil l s that Shine afar
,
The children,with the ir Christ-l ike
,heavenly
faces,
Will earthward turn to watch the Bethlehem
star.
I wonder,if amid those mansions holy
,
The saints keep record of this gracious
Or,if they s ing
,as sang those Shepherds
The wondrous hymn when Christ,the
was born .
Or,if the Master’s best beloved , turning
With face and mien all tenderly b enign,
To where the holy star is eastward burning,
Will utter,
“ Master,lo
,the olden Sign
I wonder,if the wise
,sweet
,virgin mother
,
Al l Shining white with love for her great Son ,
CDHYEZSQQMfi4éR £91
Will tender turn to some lone,sorrowing other,
With peace-balms til l the agony be done .
I think with her the ch iefest, gladdest wonder,Her
OCalm,pure eyes upon the skies afar
,
Is,though the ages rol l the age s under,With steady light sti l l b eams the Bethlehem
star.
And where wil l Christ be on that day,I wonder ?
Within our po f ta ls, in our open homes,With broken bars the death—gates rol l asunder
,
And softly,al l unseen
,the Master comes .
Will He make record of our high endeavor
The futi le outgrowth of our gorgeous dream ?
Or h ave they drifted to the vast forever,
The lofty aims that but a mirage seem
Into this l ife with al l its sad surpri ses,
Unto the soul that walks the world alone
Beyond the depths the glad,sweet star uprises
,
The b lessed Master cometh to His own .
He comes with light,into the sad
,hard places
,
He folds h is loved in raiment white as snow.
92 CHRI S TMAS.
He tints with life the lost white,s i lent faces
,
He leadeth where the restful rivers flow.
We know beyond the glooms are Shining places,
The wondrous chorus of the heavenly sphere,
The sacred Splendor of those saintly faces ,Though al l unseen
, we sometimes feel i t near.
Beyond the vei l,. hi s features unrevealing
,
H is tender footfall s soundless by the way,
He comes unto His own in grac ious deal ing,The joyfu l herald of this Christmas Day.
NEED OF ME .
ONE thought subl imely sweet,Where’er my wanderings be
,
One star to guide,my feet 5
The Lord hath need of me .
When friends are cold,or far
Whate’er of l ife betide,
Thou art my guiding star 5In Thee I sti l l abide .
When tears on some sad face
In lonely vale I see,
The Lord is in that place,
Some soul has need of me .
Across the solemn tide
The Father’s mansions be ;Ye t here—P I wil l not chide ,Th e
‘ Lord hath need of me .
94 NEED OF ME .
When my sad soul is thri l led
By some sweet sounding chord,
Or with deep sorrow fil led,
To dwel l with Christ my Lord,
A voice serenely sweet
In s ilence comes to me,
Here,at my bleeding feet
,
I sti l l have need of Thee .
Dear Lord I work and wait,
Content that ’t i s for Thee ;When at thy pearly gate
,
S til l,Lord
,have need of me .
M Y ANGEL VI SI TANT.
With her saintly brow uplifted
To the glory of the skies .
Then I hushed my gentlest breathing,
Every wayward thought and w i ld,
While inaudible her blessings
Fluttered o’er her weary chi ld .
All the strange,sweet hours of night—time
Lingering touches swept my brow,
With a thri l l of l ife diviner,
And I se em to feel i t now,
But the dawn began to quiver,
Dome of sapphire tipped with gold,
And the shepherds o’er the mountain
Cal led the lambkins from their fold.
“Gently,then
,as snowy rose-leaves
By celesti al fountains fall,
Softly as the angel voices
In their earthly missions call,
All invisible and soundless,
Something vanished through the air,
And I nightly wait the coming,
Down the twil ight’s Viewless stair.
REVERIES .
SAD moans the wind this dreary December,On barren hil l s l ies the desolate snow 5
On my lonely hearth the fl ickering ember,
“Through sh adow f u l gleams,strange fantasie s
glow,
Phantoms So strange,with mystical faces
,
With mild,pleading eyes
,from years that
have gone,
While fi re ligh t gleams through desolate places ,And wintry winds moan
,with low
,mocking
tone .
Sad wail s the wind i ts wild legends tel l ing,
Dying the light on the desolate hearth ;Borne through the night
,i n loud chorus swell ing
,
Are dirges of death and anthems of birth 5Pale rise the guests from the wh it’n ing ashes ,Speak with the breath of the soul-haunting
wind 5
98 RE VERIES .
I know their forms,by d im em b e r o fla sh e s
,
S tar-gle ams and moon-gleams through half open
blind .
Sweet are the tales of years that have vanished,
Beautiful years that can never return 5Beautiful hopes that cannot be banished
,
In the heavens of the soul their fires will
burn 5Soul speaks to soul through years long departed
,
Di stance is swept by sweet m em’ry aside
A word resurrects the long silent-hearted,
We walk once again by dear ones who died .
O wind of the night, O fl ickering ember
,
What are thy sounds or thy faces to me ?
What are the psalms of this dreary December ?
What of the things that are not, or that be ?Tenderest poems unwritten nor Spoken
,
Beautiful Vi sions forever unsaid,
Links Of a love forever unbroken ,Wafts from the souls of my beaut ifu l de ad.
IOO REPROACIT.
In strange atmosphere ?
Would I were thus dear.
If the rose thou hast cherished,
Uplifts to the sun
Her sweet,blushing face
,
By his soft beams won,
Rose with tender grace ,By those bright arrows perished
,
Would’st Speak of pride supremely,
Or glances unseemly ?
Ah no,O noble rose
,
In glorious repose .
Would I were a rose .
If a star,through the ether
Shou ld fal l from the sky,
Adown through the night,
From its mansion high,With swift
,trai l ing l ight
Lost on the wild,dreary heather
Would’st thou turn in deep scorning
And laugh with the morning ?
Ah no,O lovely star,
Wandering afar.
Would I were a star.
V
V
V
V
V
v
b
u
v
O
y
v
u
y
U
v
ANNA SNOW. (SONG !
I STOOD where the cheek of love grew pale,
Where the hopes of years lay low,
Where Death had kissed the marble brow
Of l ittle Anna Snow.
Little Anna,darling Anna
,
Thou art Sleeping now,
And the silent stars are weep ing
O’er thy snowy brow.
I stood where the moonlight dim and
Lay on her golden hair ;She c l asped her l i ly hands and said
Her quiet,evening prayer.
Little Anna,darl ing Anna
,
Thou art Sleeping now,
And the s i l ent stars are weep ing
O’er thy snowy brow.
She died,and now I
’m sad and lone
,
And often I long to go,
102 ANNA SZVOW'.
For fnefart i s in the grave(
Wi th’l it tle ‘An‘na Snow.
t d éby,; goiod-b y, (
darl ing Anna,“
Tfm ii ar t : Slé epirig Iiow
,
And the si lent stars are weeping
O’er thy snowy brow.
104 ALM OS T.
! now what now but darkly through the glass
appears 5Find the perfect answer to thy woe and tears .
Courage,then
,faint-hearted p i lgrim ! With the
blest
At l ife’s weary ending,cometh peaceful rest !
After l ife’s long supplication,heaven is sweet !
After l ife’s great tribula tion,j oy complete !
AFTERWARD .
ORION hid in'
a ph an tbm sky,
Where clouds rol led up from the southern seas ;The moon like a pal l id ghost sl id by
The shrouded path of the Pleiades ;One s ingle star on the mountain height
,
Serene and fair from its heavenly goal,
A steady gleam flung over the night,
Like thought of God to a troubled soul .
The swift Simoon swung over the plain
In sullen wrath his withering breath ;The blank Sky rifted a leaden rain ;My rose blooms swooned in pal lor of d eath 5
Like waft from the realm of immortal bloom,
A fragrance stole transcendingly sweet .
A strange white flower entangled the gloom,
The hushed wind flung at my waiting feet.
My bird that thril led the luminous dawn
With song tho glad for the nether years,
106 AFTERWARD .
Evanished to thril l the glorified morn ,In sunl i t Space of the swinging spheres 5
My tiny,brown bird tri l led al l day long
,
A melody low and tenderly sweet
A free,glad l ife breathed into the song
,
A sweet,white path enchanted my feet .
A lofty soul a solitude sought,A tangled
,bloomless venturesome maze 5
A fearless bark on a sea of thought,
A trackless waste of wildering ways 5Bu t step by step and in thought by thought
,
The intricate chaos safely trod,
For,through those splendid purposes wrought
A love of truth and a thought of God .
The darkest cloud embosoms a star ;The wildest grief imprisons a balm 5
The storms that sweep and battle af ar,May waft a breath from heaven’s own
An d while aweary we turn th e page
That slow reveals God’s infinite plan,
We catch a gle am~
o f the Golden Age,
The grand ideal of th e Perfect Man .
108 THE WEDDED LI I f’E .
I am thy trusting wife,
Loving but thee
Time brings no change in
Death cannot part ;God wil l be kind to thee
Heart of my heart.
CHRI STMAS HYMN .
PEACE,peace o’er the ransomed world,
Living,
flowing,and free 5
Peace,peace on the shining hil l s
,
Peace o’er land and se a :
Calm through the dawn holy
Blessings flutter and fal l 5Peace
,peace as a river
,
For Heaven is over al l .
Love,l ove o’er the ransomed world
,
Blending earth and sky ;
Love,love from the angel songs
That cannot change or die
Soft through the light dawning
Angel ministrie s fal l ;Love
,l ove as a fountain
,
For God is over all .
Joy, j oy o’er the ransomed world
,
Sung"
from harp and choir 5
I IO CHRIS‘
TM'AS
Joy, through chant and pa an rung,From dome to flashing spire
Glorious,glad tidings
,
Good-wil l a nd pe ace,the cal l
Joy, j oy as the morning,For Christ i s over all .
I I Z TRUST.
Are we seeking,bowed with sorrows
,
All alone
That undiscovered zone
By the sacred cross
We may bear our loss .
Why fear what Christ,the hol iest
,
Has borne before ?
He leaveth us,the lone
,the lowliest
,
No more .
MY HEAVENLY FRIEND .
HAVE you forgotten me,my b est beloved,
My own,I wonder ?
Scarce three lone years agone were our
path sRiven asunder.
Have you known how I sought you,preci ous
one ;My true
,my dearest ?
And deemed,when midnight glooming fi l led my
room,
Your presence nearest ?
Did my wild anguish thri l l you,ransomed one
,
In heaven’s repose 5Or, when my Woe with Peace w as reconc i led ,
Glad pae ans rose ?
When you were dying,peerless one
,you called
me
Like one o f f afar 58
‘I I 4 M Y HEA VENLY ERIEND .
I could not pass the gate,although you told me
’T was half aj ar.
The inmost temple of our being is
The soul’s sacred shrine 5Death rent in twain one Shadowy veil betw een
Your true l ife and mine .
Only one lance to be shivered,saintly one 5
One vei l rent in twain ;On that last
,mighty day I shal l clasp you
,
My soul’s own soul again .
1 16 RECOMPENSE.
Though we Weep o’er vacant caskets,
And wai t in pat ient need 5Though we wait in d ark, sad places
And plead one drop of rain,
God i s God of seed and harvest,
And labor i s not vain .
Should w e reach the golden hil l-tops,
And gl impse the ri sing su n,
Should we hear from sacred voices,
“ Loved one,wel l done
,wel l done ! ”
May we turn to lone,l ow valleys
,
To those in shadow stil l,
May we bring sweet breath of mountain,
And pure,sweet d raughts from ri ll .
May we share with bitter sorrow
Our unforgotten pain ;May we wait by Silent watchers
That watch and w ait in vain .
If we sow,we shal l be reapers
,
And pain is not al l pain ;There’s recompense in sacrifice ,And loss is greatest gain .
WHERE CAN THE SOUL FIND REST ?
WHERE ca n the soul find rest,Oh sainted one ?
Where are the peaceful shores of the b lest,Life’s labor done ?
Where is the laurel crown,
Where yield the cross ?
Where the ful l recompense,
Counting our loss ?
Where art z‘
l’zou resting now,
Beautiful saint ?
Whence the peace on thy radiant brow ?
Hear my complaint .Where fel l My burden down ,Where ceased thy pain ?
When hushed thy griefs and tears
Fal l ing l ike rain ?
-Where thy pure dwel l ing-place,
True, deathless friend ?
1 18 WHERE CAN THE SOUL FIND REST ?
Come,le t me gaze on thy heavenly
One token send.
Where can my soul repose,
S triving no more,
Where find its home with thee,
Heaven’s blessed shore ?
Over the river cold
Can they forget ?
Friend of our Childhood’s time,
Come to us yet.
Oh,come to my weary soul
,
Longing for res t,
Tel l of the summer land
Home of th e blest.
Tel l us to work and wait
Watch,and be strong 5
Life,with its labor and fleeting
Cannot be long.
All of its i l ls and pains
Patien t endure 5Faithful our God shal l be ;Heaven is secure .
120 UNDER THE SNOW.
One link is left to us ,God’s tender soul
,
Folding thy soul in peace ,Death’s bil lows rol l .
Earth-worn and weary,now
,
! nelt by thy grave 5Death has no fears to us
,
God’s love wil l save .
COMPENSAT ION .
AMBITIOUS,eager soUl
,
Impatient of control ,hidden chains wherewith we ’re darkly bound
,
Seeking faultless treasures,
Grasping unknown pleasures,
faulting much for recompense unfound ;
Our toi l witho u t fruition,
In realms of our transition,
Are Life’s instalments for the palm and crown 5Record no burden loss
,
Our Saviour bore the cross
Along the heavenward w ay earth’s bleak hil ls
frown .
Our wearying and our loss,
Our Calvary and our cross,
Are shadows of that love too great to know 5Redeemed through sacrifice
The fettered soul may rise ?Why languish we while thi therward we go ?
A DAY OF GLADNESS .
THE l ight wind lifts the tasseled corn,
And ripples in the golden sheaves
And o’er the wide sward,warm and brown
,
The lustrous orange swings i ts leaves .
The constant rose s bud and bloom ,
The lil ies gleam along the way,
And all the fair l and glows beneath
The glory of this perfect day.
The lowing herds browse on the hil l,
Or eager seek the cool sti l l stream 5
The bleating of some distant flocks
Fal ls on the sense,l ike some dim dream .
And high athwart the ether space
The wild bird carols to the sun 5And drowsy
,golden-crested bees
Hum softly through the pastures dun .
DEAD .
THE white mist fal l s from stony skies,
And shivers al l the world’s blank space ;And through the mists of yearning eyes
I look upon a sti ll,white face .
The sad,white roses scent the gloom 5
The sobbing li ly droops its head ;One awful sti llness fil ls the room 5
I gaze upon my perfect dead .
Th e'frightened herds have left the hill 5The birds have left the shuddering sky 5
The distant,bleating flocks are sti ll 5
The heavens are dumb to every cry.
And oh,those perfect lips are dumb
,
And stony dumb is everything,And nevermore sweet words shal l come
From those shut lips,my love
,my king.
DEAD
There i s no light upon th e sky,
And awful sorrows toss the sea 5The earth i s thril led with one ful l cry
,
Oh,bring my love
,my k ing,
'
to me !
ONE.
YOU may gather al l the sweet roses,
Wild roses of sunny blown snow,
Bf igh t pans ies of gold and of purple ,And al l the white l i l ies that grow 5
Sweet blossoms of garden and wayside,
Flowers t inted of suns and of snows,
But leave me,O beautiful gleaner
,
My dainty,pink bud of a rose .
You may take the world and i ts splendor
Of kingdoms and purples and crowns 5The cruel
,wide world
,and surrender
Your soul to its smiles and its frowns 5And
,dazzled with fame and with fortune
,
May ring your proud name to the dome,
But leave me the stil l,sunny places
,
‘
The sunny,sweet faces of home .
You may win the proud and. the noble
With vows that are tender and sweet ;
THE LOST LOVE.
WAS i t the gold of the dead leaves fall ing ?Was i t the sheen of the sunset se a ?
Was it the voice of the night-bird cal l ingLow
,through the dim
,sweet meadows to
Was i t the Spray from the bright waves blowing ?
Was it a sai l on the flashing tide ?
Was it a star through the zenith going ?
Was i t the soul of my fair,dead bride ?
Linger with me,O calm of the gloaming
,
Lull me with voices so sweet and far 5Waft her white robes
,O light breezes roaming 5
T in t her long tresses,O moonbeam and star.
Was it a dream of the sunset glory ?Was it the flutter of dead leaves near ?
Only a fancy,the old
,sweet story ?
Fancy,the voices so tender and clear ?
THE LOS T LOVE. [ 29
Only the mist of the blank sky fal l ing ;Only the flash of the wild, white sea ;
Only the sob of the night-wind cal ling
Never my lost love coming to me .
RESPITE.
WHEN wearied of futile endeavor,
When,baffled
,I s ink in the strife
,
In vain search the pledges of labor
Or solve the deep problems of l ife,
I turn w ith the awfu l unanswered
From confl ict of Right and of Wrong,
I wonder if God has forgotten,
And victory dwells with the strong
I question the Infinite forces,
The systems and cycles untrod,
And trace through the absolute vastness
The Infinite purpose of God .
I watch the emblazoned battal ionsOf stars wheel ing si lently on
,
The Heavens in the ir marvelous glory,
The Earth and the splendor thereon ;I marvel the vast incompleteness
,
When cycles of ages are trod,
And long for the fi nal revealing
Of Thought,the creation of God ;
THE USES OF LIFE .
SHOULD we grasp one truth profound,
Should we hold some region vas t
Of the venerated Past,
Shou ld we mount to height sub l ime,by mortals
yet unfound,
Should we enter some temple untrod
Sacred to secrets of God :
If w e yield no answer to Humanity’s‘
great c laim,
We have thought our thoughts in vain .
Should our souls be stem and strong,
Dauntless in the battle’s heatUndismaye
'
d by swift defeat
If we strengthen not the weary,if we right no
wrong,
If we crush not false with iron hand,
B ind not truth with go lden band,
G ive no courage to the doubting,to no loss our
gain
Our strength,our power
,i s vain .
THE USES OF LIFE. I33
If by ceaseless,strong desi re,Underneath some bitter cross ,Counting selfhood utter loss
If through agony untold,one soul has come up
higher,
Yet cal ls not th i ou gh that Shadowy place ,Pleading from its calm
,white place
,
Reaching down through depths of conquered pain,
We have cl imbed the heights in vain .
Should we hear,or almost hear
,
Hym ns by mortal thought unknown,
Saints have sung by shining throne
Hear the infinite,sweet chorus of the swinging
spheres
If we knew or if we ALMOST knew
Yet led no sh rink ing'
trav e le r throu gh
Portal s d im of doubt,to pathways pure
,and
high,and plain
We have heard and known in vain .
ANSWERED .
O SOUL of the mountain ! O soul of the se a !
Soul of the valley,an d all things that be
,
Come thou and whisper thy secret to me .
O solitude pregnant with woe and with weal,
All that a morta l may know or may feel
Language to utter what God may reveal !
O vastness of space ! O freedom of thought !
Ages on ages thy being hath wrought ;Prophets and sages thv ond e rs have sought.
O Si lent cathedral ! O temple untrod !
Pure as the breath from the Spiri t of God 5Soul of th e sunl ight that fal ls on the sod .
O Spirit of goodness ! O soul of the true !
Soul of al l matter that i s or that grew ;Tell me the secret to grow and to do .
PERADVENTURE .
WHEN some sweet hOpe i s defeatedAnd lofty endeavor seems vain,
And l ife a subtle mystery
Of wrong,inj ustice
,and pain
When strifes and futile contentions
Their forces around us draw,
I long for a new dispensation,
A n ew reve l ation of law.
I think of the new evolutions
Of l ife that is sadder than death
The heavens seem darkened forever,
And my prayer i s a b afi‘le d breath .
Echoes of strife surge around us,
And I look in vain for a Sign
Of Chri st’s sweet kingdom begotten ,Of teachings and tokens benign 5
I think of the gentle high precepts,Of Jesus— so Slow to condemn
And a tender thought sweeps o’er me ,With the thri l l of a sweet amen ;
FERAD VENTURE. 137
And I know should He walk the ways ideOr stand in the holiest place
,
There would only a look of pity
Shine over his e loquent face ;His presence bring peace to pass ion
,
His touch would be balm to the smart
Of the crue l and piti less bruises
That fal l to the aching heart.
Perhaps in his gentle s i lence
He would st00p and write on the ground,While the hosts that Spurn and revi le u s
Would pass with never a sound 5Perhaps the one that seems Vilest
Would stand with the Christ alone
With never a voice to scorn her,
Nor hand to cast her a stone .
Though outrage,strife , and confusion
The forces of Truth Shal l withdraw ;I know that God moves with a purpose
,
There is Life and Love in his law.
THERE IS NO LOS S .
THERE i s no loss !For
,when my rose her snowy blossom swung
In royal beauty from her emerald throne
The sun’s sweet love-l ight on ‘ her pure heart
shone,
While,l eaf by leaf he stole her l ife away 5
The air grew more d e liciou s d ay by day,Through subtile incense that She
,dying
,flung 5
And one— deep dreamer — when her l ife had
flown,
The true rose—l ife he ld sacred in his own .
There is no loss !For
,when my birdie plumed her golden wings
To cleave the Splendor of the sunset Skies
When radiant Summer,woe d by Autumn’s sighs
,
Her wealth of sweetness regal ly she flung,
My birdie’s pinions flash,through spice trees
,
swung
I40 THERE I S N O LOSS .
That shut the Viewless angel-realm from ours 5I know
,that over where the death—t ides roll
,
From saintly calm.
of everlasting hil l
A pure,white soul i s waiting for me stil l .
UNUTTERED THOUGHTS .
HOW sad,yet kingly i t must be for souls
,
In lone,deep si lence of unuttered thought
,
To enter realms so vast and une ! plored,
Where age on age the l ight of truth hath
brought ;And stand with dumb l ips on the verge
Of seen and unseen things,
Like crownless,e ! i led kings .
How sadly fated for those sealed l ips
To bind the se crets of the great To Be ;With mute soul grasp the mighty unrevealed
,
Like some deep river shut from hungry sea ;Tp dash against those silent walls ,
That wordless height to reach
Of great,unuttered speech .
How grandly desolate that prophet soul
That sends no voice across the vast abyss
Of sol i tude that girds each human so ul,
Like far of f world th at sends no l ight to this 5
142 UNUTTERED TH OUGH TS .
l o dwell am id the great unsaid
Like bird on Alpine height
Or star in polar night .
On that gl ad day,when from those mute
,shu t
l ips
The sea ! of si lence shal l be rolled away,And peals of j oy break o’er the soul’s ecl ipse
,
As sang the stars at dawn of one glad day 5When soul s shal l sing the great unsung
,
And touch with living fireThe poet’s sacred lyre 5
How wondrous sweet wi l l that glad anthem be,
For age on age in raptured si lence bound,
And vale and hill,the mountain and the sea
,
And earth and heaven shal l l ist to that sweet
sound ;O soul of great unuttered things ,
O silent voice of fate,
The dumb sou l s longing wait !
144 PROPHECY.
O waiting world,forever in thy place
The Right shal l triumph over shame and
wrong ;New joy shal l sweep athwa rt thy troubled face
,
Thy vigi ls break with victory and song.
ON THE SUMMIT.
WEARY has been the way, and oh, so longThe sunburnt path beneath our stumb l ing feet 5
The small,brown l innet tri l led a faint
,sweet
song,
The white bay glimmered through the bl ind
ing heat .
Sometimes,above the dusty
,dead-ripe grass
,
The palm trees l ifted shadows cool and deep,
And s low, sweet breezes touching, as they pass,Our fevered foreheads with the balm of Sleep .
Sometimes a mirage,fair and Shining far
,
Al lured our footfal l s unto bitter ways,
And crue l skies shot down a wayward star,
And all the world grew dark unto our gaze .
Sometimes a vineyard,cool and long and wide
,
The droop ing fruitage sweet with rosy wine,
I O
I46 ON THE S UMM I T:
And harvest fields,afoam on either side
,
With eager sweetness fi l led the summer shine .
And meadow waters l aved our restless feet,
And dark,high rivers balmed our burning
eyes,
And far,green hil ltops
,l ifted dim and sweet
With haunting dreams of some new paradise .
Some distant notes were al l our thought could
know
Of perfect cadence of the song d ivine,
A starl it gl immer on a crest of snow,
Whose thri l ling Splendors from the summ it
shine .
With weary steps forever faltering on,
With weary eyes forever on the hil l,
Through weary hours,when moon and stars were
gone,
One mighty impu lse moved us onward sti l l .
Triumphant on the summ i t h i l l s aglow
The radiant day e f fulgent,high and wide
,
The great,new future ris ing to the flow
Of nobler hopes and truth’s incom ing tide .
STRANDED .
ONLY the gray,cold sky,
On ly the gray,cold sea 5
One white sai l drifting by,
Freighted with naught for me .
Only the sad Wind’s sigh,
The se a -gul l’s startled fl ight,
One frai l boat stranded nigh ;Alone I stand on the height .
What have you lost for me,
Boat of the wild,l one shore ?
Lost in the sorrowful sea,
Never to find them more ?
What do you h e a r from me ?
Treasures I ’v e sought in vain ?Phantom bird of the se a
,
Out on the pathless main ?
S TRANDED . 149
What do you say to me ?
What mystic,secret lore ,
Voice of the solemn sea,By this wild
,haunted shore
No gleam O gray,
’
cold sky,No gem
,O gray
,cold se a ;
One white sai l gl iding by,
Leaving no friend for me .
DESTINY.
THE summer wil l bloom into roses,
An d l aughter wi l l follow your tears 5I
'
l inger alone in the shadowsThat fel l from the beautifu l years .
The autumn wi l l shine into harvests,
The grapes will hang purple with wine,
The lark wil l s ing high in the meadow ;The shadow forever i s mine .
The mountain shal l lean to the val ley,
And billows flash foam from the sea,
And white ships ride safe into harbor,
This phantom stil l l ingers with me .
They wil l stand in their old,bright places
,
The valley,the hil lside and sea ;
I turn to the desolate faces
Of doubts,that are sti l l haunting m e .
BEAUTI FUL LIN ! S .
I CAUGHT a s igh from the golden west,
Where the royal Day was dying,
A crimson dart through the purple vest
Of c louds,on her great heart lying.
An eagle flew from the mountain crest,
And swung in the golden ether,
A crimson stain on his s i lver breast,
A crimson plume on the heather.
A white sai l flashed where the golden sea
Swept the robes of Daylight trai ling ;A homesick song floated far to me
From hearts with the hope light fai ling.
A mist crept over our longing eyes,
When we knew our saint was going ;The Reaper waited in glad surprise
The Sower’s sorrowf ul sowing.
BEAUTIFUL LIN! S. 153
The subtl e changes of Life and Death,
Love and j oy,or pain and grieving
,
A summer dream,an autumn breath
,
The clasp of friends we are leaving,
Are mystic l inks in the endless chain
Of the infinite spheres of Being,And hopes grow on that are early Slain ,In realms beyond our dim seeing .
The Day that died in the golden west
S ti l l fl ings i ts marvelous glory 5The eagle that swung from the mountain crestHas tinted a poet’s story.
The sai l that gleamed in the golden west
When the royal Day was dying,
Has anchored afar with j eweled crest,
Amid gems and sea-pearl s lying.
The friend that vanished through mist and tears,
With a love that faltered never,
Will crown the l ife of the weary years,
The beautiful,vast forever.
IMMORTAL LIFE.
I STOOD on the mountain pure and high 5Gray vapors were blending se a and sky.
The Sh adowy mist crep t o’er the sun,
The land,and the sea
,and Sky were one .
The mystical mountains,pure and cold
,
To my waiting soul their secrets told .
And l istening long and waiting well,
Inaudib le voices r ose and fel l,
And over the se a where white mists hung,
A wonderfu l ship in vision swung.
The masts and the spars were burnished gold,
Upheld in the vapor’s phantom fold .
O beautiful Ship on yon dim sea,Oh
,bringest thou treasures vast to me ?
IS IT UPH ILL ALL THE WAY ? ”
I S i t uphil l al l the wildering way ?
No ; there are rests along the weary steep ,And leve l highlands where cool breezes stray
,
And strains of music lul l to dreamful s leep .
With wounded feet the fl in ty paths I trace 5To sunless crags I lift my yearning eyes 5
The damp winds sweep my lifted,eager face
,
And rainfal ls flash from dumb,relentless skies .
Yes,baffled and blinded
,I c l imb the hil l
,
And battle with winds under sul len Skies,
But somewhere the waters are cool and sti l l,
And shining pastures flushed with summer
dyes .
If I should stumble ’neath my heavy load,
Or falter in some barren,sunburnt place
,
An angel hand Shal l smooth the uphil l road,
And ange l calms shal l l ight thy troubled face .
“ I S I T UP H I LL ALL WA Y ? ”157
Shal l I gain the summ i t and stand at lastWith tattered garments and torn
,empty hands ?
No 5 on the hil ls are mansions fair and vast
And heritage of shining harvest l ands .