■.V ■ 
 
 ■'■'■'■''■'^l' 
 
 VISI0>I5 
 
 tDlTH m,RGO /INDREWS 
 
 
 c^... 
 
 
Class 
 
 Book 
 
 CXffYRIGRT DEPOSm 
 
BY 
 EDITH FARGO ANDREWS 
 
 BOSTON 
 
 SHERMAN, FRENCH & COMPANY 
 
 1917 
 

 Copyright, 1917 
 Sherman, French 6» Company 
 
 SEP 24 1917 
 
 PC!,A473645 
 
 'Wo I * 
 
TO 
 
 THE MEMORY OF 
 
 MY MOTHER 
 
 Our tokens of love are, for the most part, 
 barbarous ; cold and lifeless, because they do 
 not represent our life. The only gift is a 
 portion of thyself. Therefore, let the 
 farmer give his corn; the miner, a gem; 
 the sailor, coral and shells; the painter, his 
 picture; the poet, his poem. 
 
 Emersok's " Essays." 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Which? i 
 
 Spring — Out There, 1917 .... 2 
 
 Indian Summer 3 
 
 Compassion 4 
 
 To A Friendship 5 
 
 My Guardian Angel 6 
 
 The Transformation 10 
 
 The Tribute .11 
 
 Faith 12 
 
 Harmony . 13 
 
 St. John's Eve, by the Sea 14 
 
 The Voice of Twilight 15 
 
 Longing 16 
 
 Our Former Lives 18 
 
 The Lull 19 
 
 Phantasy 20 
 
 The Sea of Silence 22 
 
 Separation 24 
 
 A Dream Shape 25 
 
 Halcyon Days 27 
 
 The Road That Leads to Thee ... 28 
 
 The Pistol of Gavrio Prinzep . . . . 30 
 
 Adagio 32 
 
 At Break of Day 33 
 
 To the Future 34 
 
 The Blind Poet 35 
 
 Re-creation 38 
 
 An Afternoon 39 
 
 Reminiscences 40 
 
 The Song of the Paddle 41 
 
 Music 42 
 
 The Song of Life and Love .... 44 
 
 The Crossroads of Time 45 
 
 The Answer 47 
 
 After 49 
 
PAGE 
 
 June Song ......... 51 
 
 Exiles 52 
 
 On a Summer Night 54 
 
 The Sunset of Life 55 
 
 Silence 56 
 
 The Moon 57 
 
 A Desert Rhapsody 58 
 
 Speed Mania 59 
 
 Phantoms . . . . 60 
 
 The Flowers of Fate 62 
 
 The Eternal Melody 63 
 
 To Thee 64 
 
 November . . . . . . . . . .65 
 
 The Call 66 
 
 The Music of the World 67 
 
 Suppose 68 
 
 Somewhere . 69 
 
 Soliloquy 70 
 
 At Evensong 71 
 
 Your Question 72 
 
 Requiem 73 
 
 Allah 74 
 
 Just You 75 
 
 A Tribute 76 
 
 My Wishes 77 
 
 The Flowers of Time 78 
 
 Rest 79 
 
 The Hill o' Dreams 80 
 
VAGRANT VISIONS 
 
WHICH? 
 
 If thou couldst take 
 
 Some moment of thy past, 
 
 One moment — 
 
 Perfect, fleeting — 
 
 That is all; 
 
 When thy zenith vast 
 
 Of earthly joys 
 
 Seemed to have been reached; 
 
 When thy power for 
 
 And wisdom of 
 
 Life's exquisite 
 
 Seemed to be attained, 
 
 Laid at thy feet; 
 
 And by a wish 
 
 Thou then couldst bid 
 
 That glimpse of heaven, 
 
 That molecule of Time, 
 
 Be fixed and made eternal; 
 
 Out of all Life's sorrows, 
 
 Joys, pains and pleasures — 
 
 Which 
 
 Wouldst thou choose 
 
 To have made permanent? 
 
 [1] 
 
SPRING — OUT THERE 
 1917 
 
 Spring has travelled round the world and 
 come again to stir the heart 
 
 Where dying is a gallant art — where shrap- 
 nel banners are unfurled. 
 
 Behind the bitter battle lines, behind the un- 
 
 thawed barricades 
 And through ear-splitting cannonades — 
 
 through all the bullets^ seething whines 
 
 They hear the mellow step of May; through 
 strident streams of hurtling lead 
 
 They hear her lissom, eager tread; they feel 
 refreshed beneath her sway. 
 
 She bends above a lonely grave — forgot in 
 
 victVy's sudden joy, 
 A lonely mother's only boy; — spring leaves 
 
 a kiss, and wave on wave 
 
 Of murmuring grass and fragrant blooms 
 make this into a wayside shrine — 
 
 The lad's red blood, the holy wine — the In- 
 cense from their rich perfumes. 
 
 [2] 
 
INDIAN SUMMER 
 
 AN IDYLL 
 
 Atmosphere hazy, 
 Languorous breeze, 
 Warm, calm weather, 
 Coloring trees; 
 Clouds, soft, ivory, 
 Skies of strange blue, 
 A smouldering sun — 
 A day; — with you! 
 
 [3] 
 
COMPASSION 
 
 There is ever a joy 
 
 That is born 
 
 Of human grief; 
 
 Each thought's tomb 
 
 Bears a flower that adds 
 
 Its beauty to the desolation; 
 
 Else why cross the cold 
 
 And dear dead hands — 
 
 Symbolic? 
 
 Why strew relentless waves 
 
 With blooms 
 
 Unless all woe 
 
 Is lightened by compassion? 
 
 [*] 
 
TO A FRIENDSHIP 
 
 // / were /, and you were you. 
 
 As others say is so, 
 This bit of verse would he in vain — 
 
 But they are wrong, we know. 
 
 For I am you, and you are I — 
 And that's the splendid thing! 
 
 For in your eyes my daydreams shine 
 And from my heart you sing. 
 
 My wishes and my hopes are yours, 
 
 In friendship we are one; 
 There is no question of farewell — 
 
 Our journey's just begun. 
 
 And though you are not always near, 
 
 I am not left afar; 
 Your spirit seems to be with me — 
 
 And mine is where you are. 
 
 // / were /, and you were you, 
 
 As others say is so, 
 This bit of verse would be in vain — 
 
 But they are wrong, we know. 
 
 [5] 
 
MY GUARDIAN ANGEL 
 
 Once 
 
 I sat dreaming, long ago, 
 
 Beneath an arbor 
 
 Where the glow 
 
 Of God's great sunset 
 
 Lit the vines, 
 
 Tinting grapes and columbines, 
 
 Enveloping the vales and hills, 
 
 Blushing on a streamlet's rills — 
 
 When slowly sank the day 
 
 In sleep : 
 
 And I — alone — 
 
 Mid silence deep. 
 
 Was filled with wonder and with awe 
 
 As, coming up the path, I saw 
 
 Your form, familiar. 
 
 As of old 
 
 And heard your voice 
 
 Of molten gold. 
 
 Spellbound I sat 
 
 While on you came — 
 
 You softly, slowly breathed — 
 
 My name ! 
 
 I thought that my last earthly day 
 
 Had come — I quickly knelt to pray; 
 
 When on my lowered head 
 
 You placed 
 
 Your cooling hand. 
 
I rose and faced 
 
 You, took you in my arms to hear : 
 
 *' You see, I've come back 
 
 To you, dear, 
 
 'Tween lights of day 
 
 And twilight's haze. 
 
 To help and guide you through the maze 
 
 Of life. 
 
 It is not what it seems, 
 
 'Tis but a labyrinth 
 
 Of dreams! 
 
 Although I've passed 
 
 From earthly eyes, 
 
 I still am yours in paradise; 
 
 * Until death us do part,' they say, 
 
 In such a weakly, human way. 
 
 From this day forth 
 
 You're not alone — 
 
 From life, through death, 
 
 Our love has grown. 
 
 Your guardian angel I shall be 
 
 Forever — through eternity. 
 
 Whenever you are lonely, dear. 
 
 Remember — I am always near; 
 
 My hands will soothe you 
 
 When you rest. 
 
 Your head soft-pillowed on my breast. 
 
 Then, 
 
 When your grave is filled 
 
And passed 
 
 And you are safe with me — 
 
 At last — 
 
 All heartaches, longings, 
 
 Scars and tears 
 
 Shall fade into the mist of years. 
 
 Close by you on your daily way. 
 
 Where'er you are, 
 
 There will I stay 
 
 To help you o'er Life's mountains steep 
 
 And guide you through the valleys deep. 
 
 And now ■■ — I go — 
 
 But you must wait 
 
 The call of God — - 
 
 Dear Heart, 'tis Fate ! " 
 
 So saying, 
 
 From my arms you crept 
 
 Before my very eyes. 
 
 I wept 
 
 And realized 'twas but a dream; 
 
 But in the west 
 
 You left a gleam 
 
 Of life to come and strange delight; 
 
 I wandered on 
 
 Until the night 
 
 Spread out her wond'rous sable cloak. 
 
 With outstretched arms, 
 
 I softly spoke 
 
 Your name unto the passing breeze — 
 
 When lo, 
 
 [8] 
 
There whispered through the trees 
 
 Your voice I 
 
 It sounded rich and deep 
 
 And soothed me 
 
 Into blessed sleep. — 
 
 A wistful prayer 
 
 Surged in my heart 
 
 That I might learn 
 
 To do my part, 
 
 That I might grow 
 
 More worthy of 
 
 Thy lavish and immortal love ! 
 
 Sweet memories of you 
 
 Came to me 
 
 And lulled me — 
 
 Like a wind at sea ; 
 
 I felt your presence 
 
 Everywhere, 
 
 A peace that was beyond compare ! 
 
 E'en though death's chasm's 
 
 Gaunt and great, 
 
 Not even that can separate 
 
 Us ; through the years 
 
 Our love endures, 
 
 For you are mine 
 
 And I — am yours I, 
 
 [»] 
 
THE TRANSFORMATION 
 
 I NEVER knew how love came ; 
 
 I only know that naught's the same; 
 
 The springtime's glowing fields are fairer 
 
 And the joy of living rarer — 
 
 I know not how it came. 
 
 I never knew when love came ; 
 I only know the sun's warm flame 
 Is brighter now — the stars more soft, 
 The trees and winds now sing more oft; 
 I know not when it came. 
 
 I never knew why love came ; 
 
 I only know life holds an aim 
 
 More lofty for me now; above, 
 
 Below — -the whole earth dreams of love — 
 
 I know now why it came ! 
 
 [10] 
 
THE TRIBUTE 
 
 If you have had 
 
 One happiness In life, 
 
 You are forever past 
 
 The pale of grief, 
 
 Deep and caustic. 
 
 For he 
 
 Who has been glad, 
 
 E'en though It be 
 
 But once, can bravely face 
 
 The Reaper; 
 
 For Time, 
 
 Like the woman he loves. 
 
 Has paid him sweet tribute 
 
 And given him joy. 
 
 [11] 
 
FAITH 
 
 By all the signs of heaven and earth 
 I know you'll come tonight ; 
 The smiling moon has risen fair 
 To guide you with her light. 
 
 A star streams through the bending sky; 
 A trail of light, the mark 
 Of Love's bright fingertips, is left — 
 A splendid, silver arc. 
 
 Such cool and eager sounds I hear 
 About me everywhere, 
 The step of tiny roses climbing 
 Up the trellis stair. 
 
 Amidst this wondrous depth of night 
 I hearken — once — again ! 
 I count your footsteps as you come — 
 My faith was not in vain ! 
 
 [12] 
 
' HARMONY 
 
 For all the world's in tune, my dear, 
 A melody comes from the trees, 
 I hear the song of a trickling brook, 
 A rhapsody floats on the breeze. 
 
 But the sweetest music of all, my dear. 
 Is the symphony of love 
 As it comes down to us through the air 
 From the choir of stars above I 
 
 [13] 
 
ST. JOHN^S EVE, BY THE SEA 
 
 Life is going on before mine eyes 
 While I am here alone. From former years 
 A bygone melody of smiles and tears 
 Comes drifting through the midnight of the 
 
 skies. 
 Truant memories of the past arise, 
 Of vain regret, of mighty pain, of fears, 
 But now. Fate soothes my heart and there ap- 
 pears 
 Naught but a blessed peace that glorifies 
 Each thing it touches; e'en the summer sea 
 Is stilling all the little waves that dance. 
 It seems as though some splendid mystery 
 Might be revealed to me where'er I glance. 
 For o'er the earth and sky — Infinity 
 Sweeps with its vast, illegible Romance ! 
 
 [14] 
 
THE VOICE OF TWILIGHT 
 
 From the throats of hurtling birds 
 And the hearts of popples gay, 
 From the reddened roses' folds 
 Comes a song from far away. 
 From the ragged turf on the cliff 
 And the curling stream in the glen, 
 From the sandy, moistened sea-edge 
 Comes a voice to me now and again. 
 
 'Tis the voice of the dizzy highlands. 
 Singing to shepherds and sheep, 
 'Tis the lullaby of the meadows 
 As they soothe the grass to sleep. 
 This threnody of twilight 
 Enweaves a mystic spell. 
 The lake sings to the pine trees — 
 The sea — ? to an echoing shell ! 
 
 [15] 
 
LONGING 
 
 (Written anonymously by a Russian serf to a lady of the 
 
 nobility.) 
 
 As a flower made drunken 
 By the sun, 
 
 Swaying in the tawny light's embrace, 
 I look far, far above me 
 Where lives your heart, 
 Your soul that I do long for 
 Most of all. 
 Like a meager weed 
 That's hidden low 
 By all the splendors 
 Of a gaudy rose, 
 I watch you as you pass 
 Along the way that leads 
 Beyond my modest biding place. 
 Your cheeks are tinged 
 As are the clouds at blush of day; 
 The color of your hair is claimed 
 By earth; while the sea. 
 Emerald at midday, lends 
 Its deep enchantment 
 To your quiet eyes. 
 As the blossom towards the sun 
 Does turn. 
 From the lucent east 
 Unto the livid west. 
 So do mine eyes follow 
 [16] 
 
Where'er you go, 
 Mine arms outstretched 
 Like wistful, pleading leaves 
 Mine heart laid bare 
 Awaiting your caress I 
 
 [17] 
 
OUR FORMER LIVES 
 
 I DO not know whatever I was, 
 Or where I lived or when, 
 I feel that you and I, though. 
 Were one when living then. 
 
 How oft I've watched your subtle face 
 And known I've loved and lost. 
 Because there's something I recall 
 From ages passed and crossed. 
 
 In this long life I've been debarred 
 From any hope of you. 
 Your smile is always bleak to me, 
 Your heart as chill as dew. 
 
 But everyone forgets the lives 
 That have been lived before. 
 Our God is kind and heals our hearts — 
 He closes Memory's door! 
 
 [18] 
 
THE LULL 
 
 O'er sand-strewn stretches, 
 
 Warm and smooth, 
 
 The tired wind^s adream; 
 
 The daylights fade 
 
 And die away 
 
 In one last fleeting gleam. 
 
 The seaweed sways 
 
 In currents young. 
 
 White silence fills the seas; 
 
 The sea-snakes coll 
 
 Their shining mail — 
 
 The sun floats past the trees. 
 
 ti»] 
 
PHANTASY 
 
 The filmy night is laced with gleams, 
 With truant echoes of the streams 
 Wandering in the deepening glades 
 And chanting woodland serenades — 
 The sun sinks with a sigh. 
 
 Far o'er the lake's soft rhythmic crest 
 I glide alone ; there in the west 
 The fragments of a splendid day 
 Are mirrored in the brilliant bay — 
 
 One star sweeps through the sky. 
 
 Beyond the world-edge floats a cloud, 
 And there entwined as in a shroud 
 Lie all my hopes and my desires, 
 Their dross consumed by heavenly fires 
 That flare up clear and bright. 
 
 Wee ripples tinkle on the shore, 
 Sink back again to rise once more ; 
 So do my daydreams soar or fall. 
 Some shattered far beyond recall 
 In memory's hurried flight. 
 
 A plashing sound, a glimpse of white. 
 And through the darkness of the night 
 I feel that you are drawing near. 
 And then, your voice I seem to hear 
 Upon the starlit wind. 
 [20] 
 
I dimly see you standing there, 
 The moonlight glinting on your hair, 
 Your arms outstretched — I hasten on, 
 The spell is broken — you are gone 
 And I — am left behind I 
 
 [21] 
 
THE SEA OF SILENCE 
 
 My voyage through life 
 Is a voiceless one 
 Over a silent sea, 
 No whirl of wind 
 Past the flapping sails 
 Nor of storm-bound waves set free; 
 But here, 
 And there. 
 
 And everywhere. 
 Are sparkling motions, 
 Lithe and fleet ■ — • 
 I see the sound 
 Where breakers meet ! 
 
 The soft companionship 
 Of peace. 
 
 Two kindred souls between. 
 Is nearest heaven 
 Here on earth 
 And brings a joy serene; 
 But oh! 
 The loss 
 
 When far across 
 Love's vista glides 
 A perfect word 
 That only can be guessed — 
 Not heard I 
 
 [22] 
 
Shared laughter warms 
 A lonely heart 
 In need of sympathy — 
 White silence reigns 
 O^er all supreme 
 Upon my soundless sea ; 
 Nor Time, 
 Nor Art, 
 
 Can e'er Impart 
 Life's music to 
 My longing ear; 
 I feel its cadence — ; 
 Yearn to hear! 
 
 Though much is thus 
 Denied me on 
 My voyage, stilled. 
 Through life, 
 I ne'er have heard 
 Men's dull complaints. 
 Nor angry words nor strife; 
 So I 
 Rejoice 
 
 The only voice 
 That In my heart 
 Rings true and clear 
 Is God's great love. 
 And that — I hear I 
 
 [23] 
 
SEPARATION 
 
 Relentless, unyielding 
 
 As oceans, opaque, 
 
 There are vast, trackless mountains 
 
 That screen us; 
 
 And, instead of subduing. 
 
 Increase the soulache 
 
 By their o'erwhelming presence 
 
 Between us. 
 
 [24] 
 
A DREAM SHAPE 
 
 By a star-white birch that held a gleam 
 I gathered wildflowers in a dream, 
 And shaped a woman, whose sweet blood 
 Was the odor of the wildwood bud. 
 
 I took the chanting of the breeze 
 And water whispering through the trees. 
 And shaped the soul that breathed below 
 A woman's blossom breasts of snow. 
 
 From dew, the starlight arrowed through, 
 I wrought a woman's eyes of blue, 
 The lids, like jasmine 'neath the moon. 
 Were rose-pale petals born of June. 
 
 Out of the woodland and the air 
 I wrought the glory of her hair 
 That o'er her eyes' blue heaven lay 
 Like some deep cloud o'er dawn of day. 
 
 Out of a rosebud's veins I drew 
 The mellow crimson beating through 
 Her fragrant lips, whose soft caress 
 Filled all my soul with tenderness. 
 
 A shadow's shadow in the glass 
 Of sleep, my spirit saw her pass; 
 And, thinking of it now, meseems 
 We only live within our dreams. 
 
 [26] 
 
For in that time she was to me 
 
 More real than our reality, 
 
 More real than earth — more real than I 
 
 The unreal things that pass — and die ! 
 
 [26] 
 
HALCYON DAYS 
 
 With water-emeralds softly glinting, 
 The streaming river whirls and bends 
 
 Past feathered ferns and waving grasses 
 Then, with the skyline faintly blends. 
 
 Glistening paths of cool green mosses 
 Trace the riVer's gleaming brink; 
 
 All the water blossoms shimmer, 
 Pure and scented, white and pink. 
 
 Freshening winds sweep o'er the lowlands 
 Near the swaying, shadowed sedge; 
 
 Trees bend forward with caresses. 
 Leaning from the water's edge. 
 
 Halcyon days remain forever. 
 
 Time and Tide are stilled, meseems. 
 
 Here there's neither gloom nor tumult — 
 All the world's aflood with dreams ! 
 
 [27] 
 
THE ROAD THAT LEADS TO THEE 
 
 MORNING 
 
 When dawn-lights glint 
 Through willow-woods 
 Far in the quivering east, 
 
 The bold road, 
 
 The strolled road. 
 Lures on when night has ceased; 
 The one I oft have trod alone 
 Across the meadows three, 
 
 The old road, 
 
 The gold road, 
 The road that leads to thee. 
 
 NOON 
 
 The high-noon haze 
 Enfolds the earth, 
 White-stretched beneath the heat. 
 
 The sun road. 
 
 The shun road. 
 Winds on through swirling wheat; 
 The one I oft have trod alone 
 Across the meadows three. 
 
 The run road. 
 
 The one road. 
 The road that leads to thee. 
 
 [S8] 
 
NIGHT 
 
 Adown a glen, 
 Through crooked paths, 
 On to the burning west, 
 
 The team road. 
 
 The stream road. 
 The one that finds me rest; 
 The one each eve I tread alone 
 Across the meadows three. 
 
 The gleam road, 
 
 The dream road, 
 The road that leads — to thee ! 
 
 [29] 
 
THE PISTOL OF GAVRIO PRINZEP 
 
 (Suggested by a brief article in " Life.") 
 
 The pistol of Gavrio Prinze p — 
 Where was that weapon made? 
 Whose were the intriguing fingers 
 That fashioned it, undismayed? 
 
 Where lurked a spark of war's cruel flame, 
 One day a royal couple came ; 
 And in that selfsame tiny town 
 There came a youth who said a crown 
 Was but the symbol of a greed 
 For wealth and power past all need. 
 Within dark schools of hate heM dwelt 
 And, all engulfed in hate, he felt 
 Resentment, strong revolt. And taught 
 That e'en his country's soul was bought. 
 Oppressed; his reason failed — he drew 
 A weapon lithe, and then — he slew. 
 
 I wonder — If In aeons past 
 
 When all was new and strange and vast, 
 
 Before their birth primordial 
 
 The unwrought leaden fragments, small. 
 
 Had dreams fantastic as they lay 
 
 Enmeshed within a clot of clay? 
 
 Before they paused within the hands 
 
 Of youth, and while the brimming sands 
 
 [30] 
 
Of Time were pouring In Its glass 
 All of those burning years — alas, 
 I wonder — • If those atoms knew 
 The ghastly work they were to do ? 
 
 Meseems It would not be amiss 
 
 If now a weapon such as this 
 
 (Like Shelley^s heart, or e'en the dust 
 
 Of some anarchic saint) may rust 
 
 Beneath a limpid crystal shade ; 
 
 That through the ages, unafraid, 
 
 All men may come and see It there — 
 
 Impotent token of despair 
 
 And all the horrors, red, of war 
 
 Of which It was ambassador : 
 
 No force divine, let It be said. 
 
 E'er moulded that death dealing lead I 
 
 The pistol of Gavrio Prinzep — 
 Where was that weapon made? 
 Whose were the intriguing fingers 
 That fashioned it, undismayed? 
 
 [31] 
 
ADAGIO 
 
 Rainbow brilliant, 
 
 Sunset bright, 
 
 All the world does now forgive ; 
 
 Lambent shadows, 
 
 Darkening light, 
 
 Stars the storm allowed to live. 
 
 Virgin evening. 
 
 Cooling streams, 
 
 Night of velvet-tinted skies; 
 
 Dusky hazes. 
 
 Moonlit gleams. 
 
 Glinting with a thousand eyes. 
 
 Silent, thoughtful, 
 
 Calm, serene. 
 
 All the tired world's at peace ; 
 
 Then Aurora 
 
 Sinks unseen — 
 
 Day's long motions cease. 
 
 [32] 
 
AT BREAK OF DAY 
 
 Through dawn's soft mist I hear a bell 
 Tolling the hour to all mankind; 
 The scented fragrance of the morn 
 Is brought to me upon the wind. 
 
 The sparkling air Is like the mead 
 That graced Olympus* banquet halls; 
 Wild roses sway far up the brinks 
 Of darting, foaming waterfalls. 
 
 Crisp shadows sweep across the streams, 
 
 By sunlit pools I meditate ; 
 
 The past is dim, the future calm, 
 
 I am at peace with Life and Fate. 
 
 Above the murmurs of the day 
 Comes drifting through the pines to me 
 The laughter of a happy child — 
 The keynote of unfettered glee. 
 
 An elfin face amongst the green, 
 A hurried cry of pure delight, 
 I plunge Into the woodland maze — 
 My lass has found her errant knight ! 
 
 [33] 
 
TO THE FUTURE 
 
 The quiet night, all clear and cool, 
 
 Invades the world; a star 
 Smiles soft on me; within a pool 
 
 I see it from afar. 
 
 This lily-pond, with rich incense 
 
 Rising in the mists. 
 Veils its placid depths with scents 
 
 Like ancient alchemists. 
 
 Shafts of moonlight pierce the rim 
 
 Of this calm well of blue; 
 They leave soft rays like flowers, dim. 
 
 White-jeweled with drops of dew. 
 
 A wind-song through the swaying pines 
 
 Soothes my heart to rest; 
 The fragrance from the lily-shrines 
 
 Soars to the hillock crest. 
 
 Alone, apart from toil and care, 
 I sleep — to dream of thee. 
 
 Our days to come, all golden fair — 
 One through eternity ! 
 
 [34] 
 
THE BLIND POET 
 
 With all my heart and soul 
 
 Have I tarried, 
 
 With all my strength and mind, 
 
 That I might glean, mayhap. 
 
 From earth the full measure 
 
 Of its joy that is due 
 
 Each mortal placed thereon; 
 
 Else, far along 
 
 Would I have journeyed 
 
 The pathway ending 
 
 By the throne of God: 
 
 Often I watch 
 
 The river of my life 
 
 As it curves and ripples 
 
 Over stones, bending first 
 
 To this side, then to that. 
 
 But, alas, in midstream 
 
 Stands a rock, 
 
 Halting undercurrent. 
 
 Parting waves — 
 
 Impassive and immutable ! 
 
 The force of water 
 
 'Gainst this barrier rude 
 
 Stirs and churns the limped flood 
 
 To feathery foam. 
 
 Lashes placed strips 
 
 Of weeds and roots 
 
 Into thongs more stinging 
 
 [35] 
 
Than a curse ! 
 
 The trees bend o'er this whirlpool 
 
 Mocking me, with leaves outstretched 
 
 Opening like a hand; 
 
 Derision chokes the throats 
 
 Of birds and beasts — 
 
 Their raucous cries 
 
 Swell the swirl of waters ; 
 
 Jeering, madly shouting, 
 
 Darting swiftly from the shore 
 
 And circling near the rock, 
 
 Telling all the world 
 
 My darkened life ! 
 
 When but a child, 
 'Twas told to me the tale 
 Of how my ancestors were brave, 
 Were strong and to this country came 
 For Freedom's sake. 
 I heard of how all wants 
 Were met, the trials 
 That men and women bore 
 That they might love their God 
 The way they chose ; 
 I listened long 
 To all the deeds of prowess, 
 Valor, strength — of splendid manhood 
 And of tender womankind. 
 But, as I see the rock 
 That ever bars my way 
 
 [36] 
 
To any hope of reaching forward -. — on, 
 
 I seem to lose my courage 
 
 And my strength sinks 
 
 As in a stupor; 
 
 All my life 
 
 IVe never seen the sun, 
 
 Nor any light 
 
 To aid me on my way. 
 
 I live in dusk, 
 
 In Night's cool clasp; 
 
 My only helping hand has been 
 
 My dreams, both day and eve — 
 
 In them I live the life 
 
 Of other men who see. 
 
 I strive to pierce the gloom 
 
 And move the rock 
 
 That halts my stream of life; 
 
 Of no avail are my poor efforts. 
 
 That stone, it must have been 
 
 Placed there by the hand of God 
 
 Himself, that I might know and heed 
 
 His lesson of omnipotence. 
 
 Of omniscience. 
 
 But, He has also put into my care 
 
 That gift, more precious 
 
 Than the sight of men to me — 
 
 The gift of dreams. 
 
 And telling them to others I 
 
 [3T] 
 
RE-CREATION 
 
 The crimson moon swings low In a cloudless 
 
 sky, 
 Quivering In restless after-waves of heat. 
 In a rhythmic night song, far away and sweet, 
 The parched trees and faded grasses sigh; 
 When lol Within the twinkling of an eye 
 There pours a blinding mass of lightening 
 
 fleet — 
 Pure, heaven-sent rain descends to earth to 
 
 meet 
 Her dusty lips with dew from out the sky; 
 When all my soul for want of love was 
 
 seared. 
 Then didst thou come with all thy tenderness 
 And bade me live anew. Then disappeared 
 All sorrow and that sense of loneliness 
 Within my tuneless heart; for thou hast 
 
 cheered 
 And made me know the whole of happiness! 
 
 [38] 
 
AN AFTERNOON 
 
 PASTORALE 
 
 The air all stilled, with purplish haze 
 Envelops vales and hills, 
 The throbbing song of the breeze is faint, 
 The sea-damp round me chills. 
 
 Fair Daytime glides more softly now, 
 Singing to the sun. 
 While into lavender twilight fresh 
 She fades - — the day is done* 
 
 The Earth, bent o'er with tired thoughts, 
 
 Shades her eyes from the light; ^ 
 
 She soothes her weary heart and sleeps. 
 
 Adrift on the stream of Night. 
 
 [39] 
 
REMINISCENCES 
 
 The breath of a sandalwood fan 
 
 Takes me many years back to Cathay; 
 
 I think of a girl in Japan 
 
 When wisteria blossoms in May. 
 
 The sight of a Spanish mantilla 
 Recalls one dark night in Madrid, 
 
 When I sang and played softly until a 
 Large, swarthy Spaniard forbid! 
 
 I remember a pretty, wee madchen 
 Who lived by the harbor of Kiel, 
 
 I swore I'd ne'er forget Gretchen — 
 For oh ! how that girl made me feel I 
 
 At Calais we docked in the morning 
 And this time 'twas one named Lenore I 
 
 But she certainly served as a warning — 
 She'd been married, well — three times 
 before! 
 
 From there, we then set sail for Dover, 
 My word ! 'twas a wonderful sight ! 
 
 Here, I lost my heart over and over — 
 And I foolishly promised to write ! 
 
 Now, thinking about those quaint places 
 We stayed but a moment; the whirl 
 
 My poor heart had over those faces — 
 I forgot my American girl ! 
 [40] 
 
THE SONG OF THE PADDLE 
 
 O'er silver streams, like a ribbon 
 
 Winding beneath the moon, 
 Our lissom skiffs are gliding — 
 
 Our paddles sing a tune 
 Of the forest's calm enchantment 
 
 As it lies adream, sublime, 
 In the radiant midnight's glory 
 
 At the end of summertime. 
 The grim, staunch pine trees whisper 
 
 On the luring banks of moss; 
 The lighted waves of silver 
 
 Bear us in their arms across 
 The white-tipped lake ; and fairy isles 
 
 Of woodland bowers lift 
 Their dew-dripped leaves to heaven 
 
 As to them we softly drift. 
 Our paddles, with their tinkling touch. 
 
 Plunge into gloom and light. 
 They sing a song of the Northlands, 
 
 Of Love and Love's delight. 
 Thus on, and ever on, we go. 
 
 Forgetting care and sorrow. 
 For in this joy of pulsing life 
 
 There's e'er a bright tomorrow I 
 
 [41] 
 
MUSIC 
 
 {Sempre, legato, pesante molto sostenuto.) 
 
 Crescendo, 
 
 Pensieroso. 
 
 Ben legato. 
 
 Let loose the mellow flood- 
 gates 
 Of the soul, 
 
 And music, soft or eager, 
 Will float forth, 
 Depending on the inner moods 
 For time, for rhythm and for 
 
 tone. 
 Oft when joy befalls us. 
 Then the tune in roulade gay 
 Bursts from the heart 
 And colors every hour 
 With laughter, song and mel- 
 ody. 
 When calm and hallowed 
 
 thoughts 
 Enfold us — lullabies. 
 Deep echoes from the heart. 
 Clear Lydian strains. 
 Slow and pure. 
 
 Surge round us, bringing peace 
 And comfort that is past 
 All human ken — 
 Like that which cometh 
 From the souls of those we 
 loved 
 
 [42] 
 
Through all the lives 
 We've lived before; 
 Con passione. On silver streams of music 
 
 As the fragrant mist of in- 
 cense 
 Rises — filled with prayers — 
 So let my heart's desires 
 Mount to God I 
 
 [43] 
 
THE SONG OF LIFE AND LOVE 
 
 From far beyond the sunset* s gorgeous glow 
 There comes, upon the twilight-softened 
 
 wind, 
 A song from out the radiant west, entwined 
 With memories — a faint adagio 
 Of smiles and tears, forgotten in the slow 
 And measured canticle of Time. Behind 
 The molten clouds, the melody, enshrined. 
 Pours o'er my vibrant soul, sways to and fro. 
 Until its mellow, truant echoes seem 
 To roam the golden pathways of the past. 
 Like the impassioned prelude of a stream. 
 When sparkling springtime wakens Earth at 
 
 last. 
 The beauty of this song is like a dream 
 Of bygone days that ne'er can be surpassed! 
 
 [44.] 
 
THE CROSSROADS OF TIME 
 
 Softly caressing the cedars, 
 
 Blessing the mosses and ferns, 
 The night mists rise in the eager air 
 
 Where the starlight glistens and burns. 
 
 Up on the purple highlands, 
 
 Beneath the curving skies, 
 A luring roadway through the west 
 
 Enthralls my wistful eyes. 
 
 In seared and gloomy dullness 
 
 There leads another way, 
 A narrow path that calls to me — 
 
 I falter, but obey. 
 
 Over this dim, bleak byway. 
 
 Whether I wish it or no. 
 Through the drab muteness of the world 
 
 I force myself to go. 
 
 But that which has once been given 
 
 Can never be taken away. 
 And such was the love that you gave to me 
 
 At the close of one wonderful day. 
 
 My dreams are fair, but rarer 
 Are the memories, soft and true. 
 
 Of a glance that thrilled my inmost soul 
 As it came from the eyes of you. 
 [46] 
 
It lights my dreary pathway, 
 
 Its cheering echoes span 
 The silence — aye, like that which was 
 
 Ere ever the world began ! 
 
 [*6] 
 
THE ANSWER 
 
 It does not matter 
 What I e'er have asked, 
 You've answered me too well, 
 Dear Heart, and yet 
 I fain would have you put in words 
 Those things the which 
 No human language can express! 
 The supple speech of the eternal gods 
 Can ne'er encompass the glad sound 
 Of your sweet voice. 
 That thrills me 
 
 With its rich and vibrant tone. 
 E'en by a glance 
 
 You've lifted me unto the heights. 
 Where I have tasted heaven's bliss: 
 Ah, Love — I know what next 
 You would reply. 
 
 As surely as the morning knows the sun I 
 For I have read it 
 In your shadowed eyes — 
 Where lies the lavish beauty 
 Of an angel's soul — 
 And I have felt it 
 In your close caress, 
 Your clinging arms. 
 And on your warm, soft lips. 
 The dew-kissed roses 
 Feel the same as I — 
 [47] 
 
They share the world-old secret 
 
 Now with me. 
 
 I know your fervent answer well, 
 
 But still — mine eyes are dimmed 
 
 And I can think naught else 
 
 Until I hear you say : 
 
 " I love you, Dear.'* 
 
 [48] 
 
AFTER 
 
 Come! 
 
 Beat upon the battle drums 
 
 Of Time 
 
 And lead us forward 
 
 Through the years of war 
 
 With quickening step ; 
 
 That we may pass along 
 
 The writhing road of Hate 
 
 And out into the vale of Peace, 
 
 Where vanquished lie the gods 
 
 Of lust and greed, 
 
 Whose vampire breaths have sucked 
 
 The vital blood from out 
 
 The trembling, weakened hearts 
 
 Of all the world. 
 
 Prepare the camp 
 
 For myriad womenfolk 
 
 Whose childrens' souls are blasted 
 
 By the sight of murder — 
 
 And the other unnamed crimes 
 
 Too vile to print 
 
 On history's blotted page. 
 
 Prepare a refuge for the men 
 
 Who lost the light of morning sun. 
 
 And make a place for those young lives 
 
 Who lost their faith 
 
 In man, in God — in everything. 
 
 In this mad war. 
 
 [49] 
 
Then, when this vale 
 
 At last is reached, 
 
 And all the tired armies 
 
 Of the world have come 
 
 Unto their final camping ground 
 
 For rest — a lasting peace 
 
 Will live amongst the hosts — 
 
 And Christ 
 
 Will walk upon the earth again ! 
 
 [60] 
 
JUNE SONG 
 
 The million-tinted fields are gay 
 With flowers, buds and grasses 
 That cover all the hillsides and 
 Embower dank morasses. 
 
 O^erpetalled are the woods and vales 
 By daisies, violets, mosses; 
 A shaft of sunlight glinting, bright, 
 The landscape fair embosses. 
 
 The joy of living thrills the soul 
 When June her charm discloses — 
 Our hearts unfold and blossom in 
 This month of love and roses 1 
 
 [51] 
 
EXILES 
 
 When Twilight fair disrobes and flings 
 
 Her flaming garments to the west 
 
 And lies, all-radiant, alluring, 
 
 Within the close caress of Night — 
 
 Then dost thou and I — alone. 
 
 Wander o'er the moon-swept crest 
 
 Of yonder fragrant knoll. In all 
 
 This vibrant world of shade and light 
 
 Naught seems to be save just us two; 
 
 While through the dream-filled forest aisles 
 
 We pass — into a wondrous land. 
 
 So great, so vast, that we, exiles 
 
 From all we ever lived or knew, 
 
 Can scarce conceive or understand 
 
 The deep enchantment waiting us. 
 
 Without the portals of our realm. 
 
 The sullen mockery of men 
 
 Surges up to sadden us; 
 
 Within the well locked gates — we laugh, 
 
 We're free of man's soul-crushing yoke, 
 
 We live and love — and laugh again I 
 
 Through all our days the sun flares bright, 
 
 The nights — more mellow as I quaff 
 
 The wine of earthly paradise 
 
 From out thy golden goblet rare, 
 
 Replete with ravishments unborn. 
 
 [52] 
 
Enmeshed within thy glowing hair, 
 Held captive by thine eager eyes, 
 I take thee for mine own — and scorn 
 The sodden world beyond the stars! 
 
 [53] 
 
ON A SUMMER NIGHT 
 
 A MULTICOLORED garden sleeps, 
 The branches gay are still, 
 The only sound, a stream's soft song 
 And the cry of the whippoorwill. 
 
 The blossoms fold their splendor close, 
 The world is all adream; 
 Come thou, and share thy beauty with 
 The moonlight's wondrous gleam. 
 
 [54] 
 
THE SUNSET OF LIFE 
 
 The heavens are stilled from the lull in the 
 
 storm, 
 So are we calm when the hush comes in life. 
 Clouds of affection from memories old 
 Conceal any emptiness, heartaches or strife. 
 Stronger through weaknesses, wise we 
 
 become 
 As the sunset of life draws us nearer our 
 
 home. * 
 
 [65] 
 
SILENiCE 
 
 (Suggested by a picture by F. S. Church.) 
 
 The mummy's head 
 
 Is seared and old 
 
 And bound with wrappings 
 
 Torn and thin; 
 
 The eyes are closed 
 
 And in a fold 
 
 The cloth is worn 
 
 Beneath the chin. 
 
 A fresh young rose 
 Is gently laid 
 Upon the lips, 
 Long still and cold, 
 Its fragrance wasted 
 And the shade 
 Unnoticed by 
 The mummy old. 
 
 And all is silence 
 As the rose 
 Lies there upon 
 The lips — the spell, 
 The secret of 
 The head, its pose 
 Aye, who can e'er 
 Divine or tell! 
 
 [56] 
 
THE MOON 
 
 Enchantress of the earth, 
 
 Pale, silver goddess. 
 Witch of the sighing waves — 
 
 You reign supreme, 
 With your phosphorescent scepter 
 
 That dispels the limpid darkness 
 Of an eerie night. 
 
 Your supple, lissom sheen 
 Invades the woods, the hills — 
 
 And over all the seas 
 A flood of quivering. 
 
 Radiant moonbeams dance 
 Like Grecian maidens 
 
 On an ancient vase. 
 Your power wanes 
 
 As fast appears the day. 
 But gracefully you drop the mantle 
 
 That Dawn appropriates — 
 And wears so well. 
 
 Then, as the sunlight 
 Fades away and dies. 
 
 You resume your lambent throne 
 And guide the waiting earth 
 
 Until another day is come 
 To speed us on the well-worn road 
 
 Of time. 
 
 [57] 
 
A DESERT RHAPSODY 
 
 Far away from the glowing sands 
 Comes a sigh of the siren breeze; 
 
 I cannot hope to resist it 
 
 As it calls me through the trees. 
 
 This " wanderlust '' for the Arab lands 
 
 Assails me sleeping, awake, 
 And every thought is of that, from dawn 
 
 Until the twilight opaque. 
 
 Its golden glimmer lures me on. 
 
 The long horizon enchants. 
 The breadth and freedom inspires — 
 
 I'm in love with its romance I 
 
 Give me that desert at dim midnight, 
 With the stars and moon above, 
 
 With my campfire faintly burning. 
 And ril tell you of my love. 
 
 She is a wistful, sloe-eyed maid, 
 
 With lips of a sunset hue, 
 A skin as fair as a precious pearl's 
 
 And the touch of her hand — like dew. 
 
 Alas! She will not heed my pleas 
 And I have wooed her in vain! 
 
 (But just as an explanation — 
 She inhabits my "castles in Spain"!) 
 [68] 
 
SPEED MANIA 
 
 Whirring^ lunging, 
 Hurtling, plunging. 
 Icy wind in my face ! 
 Choking, gasping. 
 Thin air rasping. 
 Crushing me into place I 
 Careening, dashing. 
 Sweeping, crashing 
 Over the ribbon-like track! 
 Rushing, darting. 
 Eyelids smarting, 
 Speeding, maniac! 
 Bounding, bowling, 
 Spurting, rolling. 
 Demon Speed at the wheel! 
 Skimming, flying. 
 Laws defying — 
 Winning thrills to feel! 
 
 [59] 
 
PHANTOMS 
 
 THE DREAM 
 
 My brain Is clouded by a fog, 
 It blurs and dims the lights 
 That otherwise are free and clear 
 From such weird fancy-flights. 
 
 I see the frail ghost of a sea 
 That trembles on the strand, 
 At the cold sea-edge It falters 
 And sinks back from the land. 
 
 The mingling tide and rustling beach 
 Clash and surge In rage — 
 The phantom of a ship I see 
 Upon a pilgrimage. 
 
 Her ghastly rigging's flapping loose. 
 Hanging In the breeze. 
 Deserted by the master hands 
 That sailed her o'er the seas. 
 
 The sky Is full of chilly clouds, 
 The air Is choked with spray, 
 I hear the gray wind moaning 
 As It lashes o'er the bay. 
 
 [60] 
 
An eerie moon o'ershlnes it all, 
 The rocks, in bold relief 
 Against a sodden, murky sea. 
 Surround a jagged reef. 
 
 How pale and mystic all the world 
 Seems as the silver light 
 Is trodden down by Phoebus' feet, 
 Who conquers over Night. 
 
 THE AWAKENING 
 
 When golden gleam the sunny shafts 
 Upon this phantom sea, 
 I find these things were ghosts indeed 
 That seemed so real to me ! 
 
 [61] 
 
THE FLOWERS OF FATE 
 
 The world, serene, majestic, holds 
 
 Two brilliant blossoms of life in her lap; 
 
 Within their flowery petal-folds 
 
 Are pleasures, pain or grief, mayhap. 
 
 With fragrant chalice, a jasmine pure, 
 
 Cool and fresh in the evening dew, 
 
 Lies waiting in the dusk obscure 
 
 For me to choose or take, in lieu, 
 
 A rose, full-fashioned by the sun, 
 
 Warm-scented and of crimson touch — 
 
 Life lets me choose to take the one 
 
 Or other, each may please me much. 
 
 If I but take the jasmine's heart. 
 
 My life will glide like a mystic spell; 
 
 If I take the rose — deep pain, the dart 
 
 Of Love and bliss no tongue can tell! 
 
 'Tis a vivid question, sacred and deep, 
 
 A peace or a passion that blooms and grows; 
 
 The flower of bliss and pain I'll keep — 
 
 I take from the lap of Life — the rose ! 
 
 [62] 
 
THE ETERNAL MELODY 
 
 The woodland brook sings to the ferns 
 
 Of forest lands and lights, 
 The birds call softly to their mates 
 
 In soaring, circling flights. 
 
 The rose breathes to the listening earth 
 
 Of happiness and love — ■ 
 The moon enchants the white sea waves 
 
 From her silver throne above. 
 
 When In your love-begetting eyes 
 
 I gaze, as o'er the stream 
 A fern bends low, I see your soul 
 
 As if 'twere in a dream. 
 
 Our hearts blend Into one sweet chord. 
 
 Held through eternity — 
 Two notes that, wedded, sound as one 
 In God's great rhapsody! 
 
 [63] 
 
TO THEE 
 
 When first I saw thee 
 
 And beheld thy face, 
 
 Meseems I ne'er had seen 
 
 Another fairer; 
 
 Then, when soft lights I found 
 
 Within the meshes of thine eyes 
 
 Mine heart was all transformed; 
 
 For thou hast come 
 
 Forever afterward to me, In dreams, 
 
 A glowing, perfect, sunset-tinted rose, 
 
 Whose luscious fragrance wafts 
 
 Like incense, rare. 
 
 Across the flaming altar 
 
 Of my life! 
 
 [64] 
 
NOVEMBER 
 
 The year is old and withered, 
 The trees all gaunt and bare, 
 Summer is sadly vanishing — 
 Keen winds cut the air. 
 
 The thick waves lash their fury 
 Upon the weary shore, 
 The piercing shrieks of sea-birds join 
 The maddened ocean's roar. 
 
 Wide fields are seared and frosty, 
 The heavens, pale and wan. 
 Bend o'er me filled with moanings, while 
 Black thunder rages on. 
 
 Bright summer is but now a myth, 
 Both fair and winsome, too — 
 For Nature has her golden dreams 
 The same as I and you. 
 
 [65] 
 
THE CALL 
 
 From out the winding valley of the past 
 
 Come faintly songs of lilies on the breeze ; 
 Then, like an echo surging through the trees, 
 
 I hear the luring river in this vast 
 And mighty chasm. For I have, at last. 
 
 Forgotten all of Life's demands and pleas 
 That I might e^en return from o'er the seas 
 
 To where a love that ne'er can be sur- 
 passed 
 Lies buried, covered o'er with blossoms pink. 
 
 Near Lethe's stream the lilies softly sway. 
 While guarding my dead hopes beside its 
 brink; 
 
 And so, I heed their call — I must obey ! 
 
 [66] 
 
THE MUSIC OF THE WORLD 
 
 What low song is sung to the hills 
 By the hovering, sibilant breeze? 
 
 And what is the message read by the sky 
 In the sun's rays, warm through the trees? 
 
 Who knows the swift waves' love for the 
 land. 
 
 Or the day's cool delight in the morn? 
 Who hears the song in a streamlet's rills, 
 
 Or the secrets of ages unborn? 
 
 Who hears the smooth, sweet call of May 
 As she sings to the budding trees? 
 
 Or the voices of stars in the heavens above 
 To the onward-winging seas? 
 
 If all your heart is filled with love 
 
 And all your days are glad. 
 You'll hear this music of the world 
 
 Where'er you go, my lad. 
 
 [67] 
 
SUPPOSE 
 
 Suppose the world were dying 
 
 And the woods had lost their music; 
 
 Suppose the sky too dark, too overcast 
 
 To light the eyes of man or beast; 
 
 What then? 
 
 Aye then — though all the hills and vales 
 
 But shadows be, and all the seas 
 
 But fearful, yawning wastes, 
 
 My heart would falter not. 
 
 Nor my hands grope blindly for support; 
 
 My soul could pierce 
 
 This somber depth of gloom, 
 
 For one small beckoning beacon-spark 
 
 Of the fire of spring 
 
 Would wind its way before me — 
 
 Because my heart and soul believeth 
 
 That Love is all I 
 
 [68] 
 
SOMEWHERE 
 
 Somewhere in this sunlit world, 
 
 In the smile of a gentle rain, 
 In the soothing call of a soft wind's trill, 
 
 Is God's promise of life again. 
 
 [69] 
 
SOLILOQUY 
 
 The old moon shines 
 On fresh-formed dreams, 
 The old moon glows 
 On newborn flowers, 
 Yet man believes 
 That Time, when dying. 
 Takes with him all 
 The sweet, past hours. 
 
 But still the old years, 
 Their keen pleasures, 
 Fill our lives; 
 Old joys, the past. 
 Outlive our span 
 Of life, and memory 
 Keeps us young 
 Until the last. 
 
 UO] 
 
AT EVENSONG 
 
 On the wondrous wings of even 
 
 Comes a rich and solemn strain 
 From the mellow organ, playing 
 
 In the chapel down the lane. 
 How oft I've stood outside and heard 
 
 Those reverent, splendid, holy airs; 
 My weary heart found peace and rest 
 
 And joined the upward-winging prayers! 
 Those few and tender words of comfort 
 
 Uttered there at evensong 
 And the gorgeous notes of music. 
 
 Helped my weak faith to grow strong. 
 
 [Ti] 
 
YOUR QUESTION 
 
 You ask the measure of my love? 
 
 I answer — prithee tell 
 
 How many beats of a faithful heart 
 
 Will all your doubts dispel? 
 
 How many times do I love thee, then? 
 
 This, my answer will show — 
 
 Count the gleams in a summer rain 
 
 And then you will surely know! 
 
 [72] 
 
REQUIEM 
 
 As thou liest there in sleep 
 (Ah, do not call it death!, — 
 The name instills a horror drear) 
 Meseems I feel thy breath. 
 
 'Tis but the fancy of my heart, 
 For thou art chill, serene; 
 Thy dear face bears a smile for me 
 Such as I've often seen. 
 
 Would that I might keep thee, dear. 
 As near as now thou art; 
 Instead, the breast of Nature claims 
 The haven of my heart. 
 
 Where'er thou art, I feel assured 
 Thou wilt remember me. 
 And I shall find sweet comfort, dear. 
 In going soon to thee. 
 
 [73] 
 
ALLAH 
 
 (Written after reading "Al Koran.") 
 
 I AM All that mortals know — 
 
 Belief and the Believer; 
 
 When mourners pray, I am the Prayer, 
 
 The Grief and yet the Griever. 
 
 To me all things are known and plain, 
 
 Morn and eve are one; 
 
 I am distant and yet near — 
 
 I'm Shadows and the Sun! 
 
 I am the Doer and the Deed, 
 
 The Giver and the Gift; 
 
 Who dares refute my solemn Word 
 
 Or any censure lift? 
 
 My Power sways from sea to sea, 
 
 My might is like the sand; 
 
 My Glory like the rainbow stretched 
 
 From flying waves to land. 
 
 Let none incur my mighty Wrath, 
 
 Let none stand unafraid — 
 
 For I am Sovereign — I am All 
 
 That's ever wrecked or made! 
 
 [74] 
 
JUST YOU 
 
 Entwined with gentle Twilight's 
 
 Quiet shades, 
 
 That in yon placid depths 
 
 Are mirrored far, 
 
 Thy voice floats out 
 
 Upon the sparkling wind; 
 
 The radiance from thine eyes 
 
 Is like a star 
 
 Emblazoned on the altar cloth 
 
 Of Night; 
 
 E*en to thy warm-sweet lips 
 
 Can be compared the softness 
 
 Of the quivering east at dawn. 
 
 The glittering memories, 
 
 Fresh and lambent, 
 
 Of deep longings 
 
 And the dream-song of thine heart - 
 
 Aye, thou hast all encompassed 
 
 Fully in the mad mosaic 
 
 Of thy wondrous love! 
 
 [75] 
 
A TRIBUTE 
 
 TO MRS. E. H. SOTHERN 
 
 Far greater bards than I 
 
 Have often vied, 
 Each with the other, 
 
 To extol the charm. 
 The mellow magic 
 
 Of thy vibrant voice. 
 I prithee bear with me 
 
 Whilst I do add 
 Mine humble scroll 
 
 Unto the volumes, vast, 
 That e'er bepraise thy name. 
 
 For when thou didst live 
 As " Bonny Kate " or '' Juliet," 
 
 As '' Rosalind " or " Portia "— 
 Aye, meseems thy voice 
 
 Was like unto a coronet 
 Of melody adorning Thespis' brow: 
 
 Pouring o'er my eager, waiting heart, 
 'Twas like the fragrant, 
 
 Mystic, southern wind. 
 Sun-drenched and perfumed; 
 
 Like all my rarest dreams 
 Of moon-swept, pulsing nights 
 
 In Arcadyl 
 
 [76] 
 
MY WISHES 
 
 FOR MOTHER 
 
 May all the winds sing to you 
 
 And ever bring to you 
 
 Love from my heart, now that you are gone ; 
 
 May their sighs through the grasses 
 
 Tell you who passes 
 
 Whene'er I am near, be it twilight or dawn. 
 
 May raindrops be soft for you, 
 
 Come for me oft to you 
 
 Wet with my tears, now you are no more; 
 
 May the sun always follow 
 
 With lark and with swallow 
 
 To comfort us both and to gild our grief o'er. 
 
 May flowers e'er bloom for you, 
 
 Dispelling the gloom for you. 
 
 Telling you, dear, when the day's on the 
 
 wane. 
 Of my dreams of our gladness 
 When all this vast sadness 
 Is ended and we are together again! 
 
 [77] 
 
THE FLOWERS OF TIME 
 
 A LULLABY 
 
 Sleep, my Little One, 'neath the stars, 
 
 While lotus-blossoms sway 
 And dance their way across the moon 
 
 Until the dawn of day. 
 Of softest, mellow silver sands 
 
 My baby's bed is made, 
 And for a shimmering coverlet 
 
 The wings of Night are laid. 
 
 The flowers of Time are opening fast, 
 
 Each fragrant hour holds 
 A dream for thee close-hidden in 
 
 Their brimming petal-folds. 
 So sleep, my Little One, *neath the stars 
 
 While lotus-blossoms sway 
 And dance their way across the moon 
 
 Until the dawn of day. 
 
 [78] 
 
REST 
 
 The somber night Is filled with sounds 
 All sweetly faint beneath the moon; 
 
 The scented call of a pine-swept breeze 
 Lulls me to dream with a haunting tune. 
 
 The rhythm of the branches* swing 
 
 Beckons me to stay and rest, 
 And leads me from the sunset-lure 
 
 To a fragrant, moss-bound mountain crest. 
 
 A tired heart seeks solace there, 
 A weary soul finds comfort deep, 
 
 Forgotten are the world's demands 
 When I am close enwrapped in sleep. 
 
 [79] 
 
THE HILL O' DREAMS 
 
 Yon far, majestic mountain heights, 
 
 As seen through mystic Northern Lights, 
 
 Thrill all my soul with wonder deep. 
 
 For in their pathless forests leap 
 
 The icy springs that grow to streams 
 
 And course adown the hill o* dreams. 
 
 The romance-woven lights and shades 
 Enmesh the woodland. Serenades 
 Of winging lark and swallow fleet 
 Mingle with the brooks' heart-beat; 
 I linger when the mountains call. 
 For oh, the vastness of it all! 
 
 O'er crag and boulder daylight glints, 
 And in the valley finger prints 
 Of God's fair hand show where the sun 
 Has kissed the earth e'er day was done; 
 The vales and hills now dimly blend 
 As soft mists rise from end to end. 
 
 When twilight comes from out the west 
 The moon close presses to her breast 
 The tired earth. And like a child 
 That in a peaceful sleep has smiled. 
 The weary world is bright with dreams — 
 The only sound — the mountain streams! 
 
 [80] 
 

 
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