PS 3503 .P563 S4 1914 IfrjYf-i Copy 1 Ptal ^^^^ ^K^fe^, H Hj eabes! * 9n))rea!i jiarir , ^i;!? Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from The Library of Congress http://www.archive.org/details/scatteredleavescOObard IttlllllilllilMIHM A COLLECTION of POEMS By ANDREAS BARD Published for the Author 1914 THE GERMAN LITERARY BOARD BURLINGTON, IOWA iiiiiiiiiS k Copyright 1914 By ANDREAS BARD Kansas City, Mo. S-CLASTCSTO '^^f CONTENTS Dedication, The Stoic, A Prayer, Hugo's Esmeralda, Defiance, Like a Flower, . Symbols, Like the Rosebud, Everywhere, The Advent of Spring, Oriental Serenade, Boundless, Life, ... Visions, The Acorn, . Tolstoy, Excelsior, The Fadeless Flower, Sonnenschein, Crossing the Bar, Resignation, . The Song of Love, Too Late, William McKinley, Shepherd's Sabbath Song, Tennyson, . Intermezzo, . Pagre 5 6 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Glory Spring Song, The Day-Fly, Solitude, . His Image, . The Sunbeam, . Wanderer's Night Song, Night and Death, The Truth-Seeker, Goethe's "Haidenroeslein," The Smile, . Per Lacrimas, . Autumn Leaves, . Evolution, The Greater Loss, Harps of the Woods, . "Garpe Diem," In His Steps, . The Death of Petronius, Page 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 48 49 50 51 53 54 55 56 57 59 DEDICATION The lovely rose lias a spirit, A perfume, rich and rare; The deep blue sea has a secret, A pearl surpassing fair; The night itself has its glory, The golden stars are there — In the soul of my songs, Beloved, I find Thee everywhere! THE STOIC Fall like a hero then, thou can^st not soften With idle tear the marble brow of Fate; Thy bark sails on a given path, too late Comes pale regret; doubt to the sailor often Means certain ruin. Drift not, tem- pest-tost, A straying spar upon indiiferent seas To loveless death; ah, ev'ry bliss that flees Unclaimed on Time's swift wing fore'er is lost. I smile defiance at Jove's thunderbolt Which takes but life from him who tasted all, That justifies man's breath; this star shall fall As nobly as it shone ! The heart grows cold E'en of its love — then to a calming tomb I glad resign and bow to painless doom. A PRAYER Thou Great Unknown, of whose un- bounded power The stars, the earth and the majestic sea Are lowly symbols, while the humblest flower Reveals Thy presence and is dear to Thee: Hear Thou my prayer, behold with pitying eye This fettered spirit seeking the Most High ! 'Mid life's surrounding discords O sustain The harmony within ; extinguish not The spark divine, and let me not in vain Dream for my storm-swept soul a worthier lot Than that of pebbles on oblivion's shore — Or hush hope's yearning voice for- evermore ! stir in my heart such thoughts as Plato felt In luminous hours; wake in my in- most soul The spirit of the Saint who humbly knelt At Cedron's brook-side; to a death- less goal Lead Thou my steps, until this jarring strife Will touch the glories of a higher life ! HUGO^S "ESMEKALDA'' Hast longed and loved and lost, Sad Heart, what would^st thou more? The spar, by the tempest tossed, Is drifting at last ashore. Art weary of tear and smile. Of the wreath of rose and thorn, Of the dream that pleases awhile And passes as soon as born? Like a child in an unknown land Dost wonder and worry and weep, Till Death with a mother's hand Rocks all thy sorrow to sleep. DEFIANCE Be brave, discordant heart ! Aye, tliougli the cup of bitterness over- flow, And though the frail bark sink in waves of woe, Be brave, till death us part ! I scorn the world^s acclaim ; E'en though its envy all-victorious seems. Yet o'er the ashes of our shattered dreams Shall rise love's deathless flame ! Forgive us, God above! Though Heaven itself decree our pas- sion's doom. Astray on shoreless seas, from womb to tomb Man has no light but love ! Be brave, discordant will! Dost at thy daring choice so soon repine? Nay, though no star above our future shine. Dear Heart, I love Thee still ! 10 LIKE A FLOWER Just like a flower, Beloved, So pure and fair tliou art; Thy tender beauty wakens Sad fear within my heart. I lay in benediction My hand upon thy brow, And pray that God may keep thee As pure as thou art now. — From the German of Heine. 11 SYMBOLS Billows are rolling Across tlie sea, But the ocean survives them Eternally. Cloud-forms may darken Heaven's deep blue; But storms cannot alter The sky's golden hue. Autumn leaves falling Are doomed to decay, But the tree rises stronger O'er death-seasoned clay. The years claim our offering Of tear and smile; What shall we rescue? A soul worth while ! 12 LIKE THE KOSEBUD Would, Love, I were tlie rosebud Whicli on thy bosom lies ; Short is its day, but blissful — It buds, and blooms, and — dies. Thus could I dream, forgetting That we for aye must part, And live and love and perish So closely to thy heart ! 13 EVERYWHEEE A pilgrim, worn and weary, bedded low 'Mid flowers of spring ; Anotlier carried over drifts of snow — No bird would sing. Where shall I find, and when, my little tomb. In sea or land? 'Mid falling leaves or while in vernal bloom The meadows stand? Though spring it be or winter, land or sea, I little care — The golden stars of heaven over me Shine everywhere. 14 THE ADVENT OF SPRmG Now balmy breezes gently wake, Tbrougb winter's frozen nigM tbey break, And larks sing o'er tlie meadows; How grand the change, bow sweet the air! Despondent Heart, do not despair, Dispel the ling'ring shadows ! The world groY^s fairer ev'ry day. With trilling birds and blossoms gay Will rise a golden morrow ; The valley round in verdure clad, Despondent Heart, must not be sad. Spring comes to heal thy sorrow ! — From the German of Uhland. 15 ORIENTAL SEREKADE The night with thousand golden eyes Keeps silent watch o'er Thee; A gentle night-wind softly sighs Its languid melody. Hear'st Thou the music of the stream? 'T is but love's lullaby. Did aught disturb Thy peaceful dream? 'T was but Thy lover's sigh! The flowers exhale their amorous balm ; The birds sleep in their nest; No palm-leaf stirs and moonlight calm Enfolds the earth in rest. My heart alone does wildly move Mid silence, wide and deep, It seeks its rest where Thou, sweet Love, Where Thou, sweet Love, dost sleep. 16 BOUNDLESS 'Mid suns and stars my life A tiny spark; A tale of storm and strife, Told in the dark. "Why then dost dream, my heart, Of spheres so high? A moth, bound heavenward, Alas, must die!" "Because the stars must move Their orbs around; While Time and Space above Thought soars unbound !" 17 LIFE The cradle its entrance, Its exit the tomb, Tlie brief span between them Surrounded by gloom. Like ill-prompted actors We move o'er the stage. Repeating the story Of youth and old age. The story of struggles, Of love and of loss. Of laurel-wreaths wilted. Of gold turned to dross. Of the dawn of the day-dream. Of faith losing hold. Of hope's star rekindled. Of hearts that grew cold. We leave to the postlude An unfinished play — Will Death tell its meaning? Alas, who can say ! 18 YISIOI^S A sweet, young flower To grace the garden of my dreams Thou cam'st to me. Fair as the sun That lights the path that aimless seems — The thought of Thee ! A lonely star Which through the tear-dimmed vision gleams Thy memory! 19 THE ACOKN "Some day," said tlie oak to the acorn, "Thou shalt rise as a mighty tree. And the birds shall lodge in thy branches With mirth and melody!" But cast to the ground, and buried, The acorn timid grew; It faintly sighed in the darkness: "Will the promise ever come true?" Thou, too, my soul ascending From a seed to an infinite height, While rising from primal darkness. Art fearful of the night. But the Power which from tiniest acorn The mighty oak has wrought. Can raise the struggling spirit To worlds beyond thy thought ! 20 TOLSTOY The sailors of Ulysses Passed treacherous waters o'er; Through Scylla and Charybdis, Bound for the native shore. They closed their ears to the sirens, Dreading the magic smile; Choosing unbroken silence, While nearing the dreaded isle. Stern sailor, thou did'st safely For Ithaca embark — But the ear that heard not the siren, Neither did hear the lark. 21 EXCELSIOR ! My thought has dwelt in dreamland Where Shakespere's fancies soar; With Plato, 'mid ancient temples, It lingered on Hellas' shore; With Goethe in rock and flowers It searched for ISTature's soul, But its wings, untired, are seeking A still sublimer goal. My heart has loved Desdemona, And wept for Magdalene, It dreamed with Esmeralda, With Gretchen and Fantine; But I rise from the twilight-beauty To the undimmed sun above, Those scattered beams but mirror The light of an infinite Love. With Moses I died on Mount Nebo ; I prayed in Gethsemane ; I have felt the wounds uncounted Of struggling humanity. And the stories of noble failures Like stars through the midnight gleam, And point past worlds of discord To one grand goal supreme ! 22 THE FADELESS FLOWER. The winds are howling, the trees stand bare, The blasts of autumn touch every- where The beauties of blossom and leaf; And lovely spring with its verdant glee Is now but a saddening memory Of a season, so beauteous, so brief. O give me the land where the spring never dies. Where voices of joy will not mingle with sighs. When wildly the autumn wind blows; Though heavens be gray or heavens be blue. Dear Heart, thou art the sunshine true, And my love is a fadeless rose! 23 SONNENSCHEIN Lachst durcli meine Fenstersclieiben, Morgensonnenglanz ; Willst den Missmut mir vertreiben, Fuell das Herze ganz. Sei gegruesst zu alien Stunden, Holdes StraMenglueck, Denn es lieilet Schmerz und Wunden Gottes Liebesblick. 24 "CEOSSmG THE BAR'' Daemm'rung und Abendglut — Das Scheidestuendchen schlaegt; Und sei mein Schifflein auf der frem- den Flut Mcht ahnuiigsbang bewegt ! Gleichwie der Wogendrang in maecht'ger Ruh' Zieht seewaerts ohne Schaum, So eilt mein BaecMein jenem Meere zu Sanft wie ein Traum. Daemm'rung und Abendschein— Und dann wird Alles still ; Und moeg der Abschied schmerzlos sein, Wenn's Schifflein beimwaerts will. Obschon die Flut mich traegt von Zeit und Raum In's unbekannte Land; Darf meinem Lotsen frei in's Auge schaun, Wenn fern wir sind vom Strand ! 25 KESIGNATIOK Wlien otlier arms will lovingly em- brace Thee, I'll stand afar ; And gaze upon Thy happiness as were it Some distant star. Ah, for that flower of love which in Thy bosom Burst into bloom! Reserve there also for an idle dreamer A humble tomb. And when to sadder musing Thou re- turnest From fleeting joy, Remembrance will recall a waning image Of days gone by. Then from the roses which with bridal beauty Thy brow entwine, A withered one select and place it gently On memory's shrine. 26 THE SONG OF LOVE The lark sings to tlie blusMng rose A cheery roundelay; The morning star with rapture glows, When heralding the day. The waves sing as they shoreward roll Of pearls in deepest sea — Thus all the voices of my soul Are singing, Love, to Thee. Aye, when the day-star's light will pale. And joy -thrilled larks grow mute. When e'en the sea's old songs will fail, I'll touch love's deathless lute ! For fairer than the new-born day, Or treasures of the sea. Or perfumed flowers that fade away, Dear Heart, Thou art to me ! 27 TOO LATE In vain, alas, is all thy smiling, Thy soulful sighing, all in vain; Long dead in me are those emotions Which erewhile filled thee with dis- dain. Too late for me thy love is kindled. Within my hearths overshadowing gloom. Thy burning looks of passion tremble Like sunbeams on a weathered tomb. Fain I would know where, after dying, The soul with all its dreams will go? Where is the fire, when once extin- guished? And where the wind that ceased to blow? — From the German of Heine. 28 WILLIAM Mckinley Shorn of Ms glory; on Ms brow en- tMoned Death^s majesty, the patient martyr sleeps ; Beloved, admired and envied, now be- moaned. And 'round his pall a grateful nation weeps. Thus passed, a meteor, brilliant, ah, and brief. To lowly dust the people's honored chief. He rose in grandeur to the noblest height. Illumining the world, fair as the sun. And, toward evening, in a flood of light Passed murmuring : "God's will, not ours, be done!" Night shadows hover o'er the Western hill. But, ah, his spirit lives and leads us still ! 29 SHEPHEED'S SABBATH SOKG This is the Lord's own day — I am alone on verdant fields, To sacred mood my spirit yields, And silently I pray. All Nature lost in prayer ! From bush and bough, from flowers and trees Ascends to heaven a psalm of peace Upon the stilly air. The world is far away; How restful, ah, to worship here. For God Himself seems wondrous near — This is the Lord's own day! — From the German of Uhland. 30 TENNYSON Upon tliy lyre, thou lone and longing bard, In melodies, like one who cries for light, I heard an echo of mine own sad heart ; Soul touching soul, less dreary seemed the night. The shadows ceased ; and when Hope's morning star Arose 'mid silv'ry clouds; then was, forsooth. Thy song the herald that God's never far From those who seek in spirit and in truth. 31 INTERMEZZO Fruehling nalit auf sanften Sckwingen, Seine Lieder toenen wieder, Bis vor Lust die Knospen springen, Und sich braeutlich-zart verjiiengen Flur und Waldessaum. Und im Herzen welch Verlangen ! Oft empfunden, oft geschwunden, Haelt es wied'rum micli gefangen? 1st es Hoffen oder Bangen, Wag's zu fragen kaum. Wie die Blumen sich erschliessen Froh der Sonne ; und mit Wonne Voeglein rings den Lenz begruessen, Sollst auch mir die Stund versuessen, Gold'ner Fruehlingstraum ! 32 II Vom Himmel ein Sternlein DurcMeuclitet die Naclit; Ein Veilchen am Baclie 1st drueber erwaclit. Dem goldenen Grusse ErscMiesst es sicli kaum — Da umhuellt eine Wolke Den seligen Traum. 33 Ill MorgenscMeier saiift sich heben Vor der Sonne lichtem Scliein, Und der suesse Traum wird Leben, Bist Du, lioldes Wesen, mein! Tausend Voeglein jubelnd singen Unterm klaren Himmelszelt, Also soil sick mir verjuengen Alles Glueck in Deiner Welt! Und, wenn naecM'ge Scbatten truebe Sinken ueber Berg und Tbal, Wird zum Stern mir Deine Liebe, Abendstern mit gold'nem Strahl ! 34 IV Wenn Du mich lieb'st, so wirst Du niclit mehr fragen, Ist's boes, ist's gut? Dann wird in meinem Arm Dir nicht versagen Zum Trotz der Mut. Die oede Welt kann nlmmermelir ersetzen Was sie missgoennt ; Am Liebesf euer will ich mich. ergoetzen, So lang es brennt. Was sind fuer mich die lichten Him- melsauen, Getrennt von Dir? Doch schrecken koennt mich nicht der Hoelle Grauen, Waer'st Du bei mir! 35 Als icli berauscM am Liebesabgrund irrte, Mit wildeii Rosen Dir die Stirne zierte, Da schaute ich. nicht vorwaerts noch zurueek, Die Ewigkeit versank irn Augenblick. Docb als icb jaehlings stuerzt' von steilen Hoehen, Um in der Rene Tiefen zu vergehen, Da scMen der Wahn aus jener seFgen Zeit Nur ein Moment in oeder Ewigkeit. 36 VI Leise sinkt der Abendfriede Ueber Wald und Flur, Und es labt die Welt, die muede, Freundlicb die Natur; Endet jeden Tages Leben, Freude oder Leid, Alles Laermen, Hasten, Streben Mit Vergessenbeit. Liebe, die icb einst besungen, Der icb ganz geboert, Traurig ist das Lied verklungen, Und das Herz geleert; Ringsum scbweigen Tbal und Felder^ Icb allein bin wacb ; Moecbte ruben wie die Waelder, Traeumen mit dem Bacb. 37 GLORY On tlie battlefield lonely, though side by side, Two soldiers lay wounded; they suf- fered and died; Two spirits akin, both intrepid and true, But one coat was gray and the other was blue. They both had their dream — but the vision has fled, The vision for which they had battled and bled; Now each claims a crown for the brother he slew, For one coat was gray and the other was blue! 38 SPRmG SONG Softly whispers in my soul Music sweet of spring; Far and near through wood and wold Thrush and linnet sing. Little song, take wings and fly To yon garden fair; If a Eose thou should' st espy, Give my love to Her! — From the German of Heine. 39 THE DAY-FLY "Here today and gone tomorrow !" Sad refrain of deepest sorrow, Little day-fly, why so gay? Playfully it seems to say: "Gone tomorrow? Here today!" Ah, sweet Love, while time is flying And the flame of passion dying. Clasping Thee on rapture's height, I leave naught of fancy's flight, Naught but ashes to the night. 40 SOLITUDE Softly awakes in heaven's blue dream- land now The evening-star, And stillness hovers over bush and bough, Near and far. The golden moon ascends o'er yonder knoll Love-longingly — O for the presence of some kindred soul To dream with me! 41 HIS IMAGE A graceful water-lily Looks dreamingiy up to the sky, The moon to her sends greetings, Love-greetings from on high. And as she blushing downward And tow'rd the stream would look, She sees her lonely lover's Pale image in the brook. — From the German of Heine. 42 THE SUNBEAM Like two little waves on tlie ocean Rise, meet and part again, Our lives emerge and mingle And vanish, witli pleasure and pain. Like two litttle waves on tlie ocean Catch a sunbeam, ere they pass; Let us love, ere our lonely tomb-stones Lie hidden beneath the grass ! 43 WANDERER'S NIGHT-SONG Gently steals a dream of peace O'er the Mil; Not a breath stirs in the trees, All is still; And the linnet's even-song Softer grows — Troubled Heart, thou too, ere long, Shalt repose ! — From the German of Goethe, 44 NIGHT AND DEATH Soft-winged night with soothing slum- ber Lulls the weary heart to rest, And the worry-laden spirit Is with sweet oblivion blest. Thus life's eve would gently lead us To the cradle of the grave ; Why then dread the sleep unbroken — O my heart, what dost thou crave? Is this yearning idle dreaming. Or a God-voice, true and clear. Like the bird's mysterious yearning, Telling of a brighter sphere? 45 THE TRUTH-SEEKER Here 'niid contending thoughts and warring words, Here where the masters cross un- conqu'ring swords, While battling for the light; Who will condemn the blind-born, err- ing child Which vainly struggles to be recon- ciled To its alloted night? Some in thought's barren desert idly cry For an oasis, doomed at last to die 'Mid visions of despair; Lured by a phantom others fancy truth, Where a mirage deludes them which, forsooth, Must soon dissolve in air. 46 I murmur not, nor quarrel witli my fate; Though much seems dark, doubt- stricken heart, O wait, Truth may be wondrous near; Only one question never cease to weigh. In whatsoever depth thy fancy stray: Hast always been sincere? My thought is drifting on a lightless sea, Death underneath, storm 'round, clouds over me. No compass and no charts! Yet, though the thund'ring waves my ship will wreck, I'll hail my Pilot from the sinking deck : He knows my heart of hearts ! 47 GOETHE'S "HAIDENROESLEIN'' Found a boy a dainty rose Blooming 'mong the heather; " 'Tis the fairest flower that blows," Quoth he, "how so sweet it grows, Spite of wind and weather!" Dainty, little, wayward rose Blooming 'mong the heather! "I must own thee," soon he sighed, "Rosebud 'mong the heather!" "But I'll prick thee," she replied, "And thou'lt bleed," but vainly cried, She thus doomed to wither. Dainty, little, wayward rose Blooming 'mong the heather! Passing boys have little care, Rosebud 'mong the heather; Once so pure and sweet and fair, Now to crumble is thy share. And wert guilty neither ; Dainty, little, wayward rose Blooming 'mong the heather! 48 THE SMILE Years afterwards we met again, Just two of a festive crowd; You searched your memory in vain, The guests were chattering loud. I also smiled and talked like the rest. Why dwell on by-gone years? I smiled, but ah, within my breast The frozen lake of tears ! 49 PER LACRIMAS! Blessed are thej that mourn! Througli the loved ones beneath the sod Our souls are upward borne Into the presence of God, The Power that kindled the spark E'en in the lightless womb, Will quench it not in the dark, Dread silence of the tomb ! 50 AUTUMN LEAVES Now autumn leaves are falling and the winds Sing wailing tunes through hills and forests bare; The lark is still and of the vernal bloom No perfumed memory enchants the air. How lonely stands, deprived of summer pride, Yon lordly oak; the day-dream of its bloom Casts mournful shadows o'er the naked boughs That sigh and fall and hasten to the tomb. Within my heart lies buried many a flower, And of those early dreams the joyous tale Is heard no more ; I see but falling leaves And creeping death diffused o'er hill and dale. 51 But as the dying foliage must impart New strengtli and vigor to tlie chang- ing trees, The voices of the past, or high or low, Attune my heart to nobler melodies. 52 evolutio:n LeucMende Nebelgebilde, Sterne mid Sonne mid Mond; Pflanzen, Quallen und Saurier; HoeMen von Wilden bewolint; Ordnmig und KecM und Sitte, Ein Antlitz gen Himmel gewandt — Ihr nennt's Naturentwicklung, Ich aber bab^s Gott genannt. Wie die Wellen am Strande wacbsen Bei des Neumond's ersten Scbein, So dringen miendlicbe Fluten Der SebiisucM in's Herz hinein; Kommen vom ewigen Meere, Dess' Ufer kein Mensch je fand — Ihr nennt's ^Naturentwicklung, Ich aber hab's Gott genannt. Ein Soldat, auf dem Posten erfroren, Mutterlieb stark wie der Tod, Joan D'Arc auf dem Scheiterhaufen, Und Jesus in Kreuzesnot ; Tausende, blutend am Wege, Pflichttreu und unbekannt — Ihr nennt's Naturentwicklung, Ich aber hab's Gott genannt. — Aus dem Englischen. 53 THE GEEATER LOSS Would Thou had'st died, wMle with the glow of passion The mystic flame still burned within my breast; Would I had wept, unsolaced, o^er thy ashes, And laid, with Thee, love's troubled dream to rest. Not thus. Thy presence which to high- est heaven Once raised my thought; the words that used to thrill. The dream, the love, the rapture — now in ruins! Within this death-chilled bosom all is still. Would Thou had'st died, ere dull de- spair had written With a remorseful pen love's thren- ody. Or that together with life's fairest vision This soul of mine had lost its mem- ory! 54 HARPS OF THE WOODS A soft, mysterious melody Stirs gently in tlie trees, And wings its soulful harmony Upon the fleeting breeze. Those are the forest harps that stand Along the mountain side, And o'er their quivering strings the wind's Ethereal fingers glide. Hark in crescendo movement soon The woods with music ring. The mighty forest seems inspired Majestic psalms to sing! But with the wind the wild songs die, The harps sound soft and low ; At eventide their voices sigh A mystic tremulo. Ah, when I hear those forest-harps, I fain would silent be ; Our human music vanishes. When God wakes harmony. — From the German. 55 "CARPE DIEM^^ Seize tlie day, beyond returning It will vanish, into night, While unstilled remains the yearning In thy bosom for the light. Art thou but an aimless wavelet Drifting on life's sullen sea? Or a steward wise of moments, Borrowed from eternity? Opportunities are hastening. Whence and whither? Who can say? But an inborn voice e'er prompts thee : "Passing pilgrim, seize the day ! Called to life, a matchless spirit, Finding duties all thine own — To the temple of the Ages Aim to add thy little stone !" 56 IN HIS STEPS Not by the wealth, acquired in petty- strife, Nor by the laurels of a fame-fed life. The world's caress ; But by the tears I wiped, the hearts I cheered. And by the height of soul within me reared I judge success. Would rather wear a wreath of sting- ing thorn, And mount with Christ, amid the rabble's scorn, A martyr's throne ; Than claim great Nero's blood-be- spattered crown, Or, like King Kichard, face a spectre's frown. Cursed and alone. 57 Not witli a traitor's bribe in trembling hand I would approach the undiscovered land, When all is night; But with a will attuned to God's de- cree, I wish to step from dark Gethsemane Forth into light! 58 THE DEATH OF PETR0:N^IUS {Quo Vadis, Chapt. LXXIII) I "Sweet Eunice wakes no more; ye men of Rome, Gaze on this still, white face that smiles in death As if on wings of love she journeyed home, When from my lips she drew her parting breath. Why do I linger still? In vain I check Life's troubled stream, so eager to return Into the tides of universal wreck. Where love's scant ashes find a com- mon urn. No morrow dawns beyond that sound- less night. Its gloom unbroken, though the fairest star Has gone before to fill the void with light And, trailing rays of love, shines from afar. My soul — the dream, the struggle and the jest — Drops wingless from its height and longs to rest.'' 59 II "In ruins lies the noble world of Greece ! Where is Olympus with its joyous lore? No longer Jason seeks the golden fleece ; In wood and stream the l^aiads dwell no more. Instead of ambling nymphs, we must behold Slaves on whose tortured limbs with languid groan Eepose the sated beasts; the gods of old From Nero's vapid eulogies have flown. Life's shams and shows lie sick'ning on my heart, My pity to the babes yet to be born ! I brave the brink where soul and body part And leave to Rome my shadow and my scorn ! What curious news will Hades learn from me? When Nero sang, the Muses ceased to be.' " 60 Ill "Thine was my heart, thou queen of verse and song, O Polyhymnia! In thy melodious spheres All discords vanish and sweet memories throng The soul with thoughts more tender than our tears. Let music fill the air ! Its lovely strain Shall wing my spirit for its lonely flight; It eases sorrow, cools the fevered brain And makes old Death seem less a dawnless night. The eye is dimmed; the fair-formed Venus fades. Bare is the grove where shapely JSTaiads danced, E'en Homer's heroes move among the shades — But music to the last keeps life en- tranced. It now leads thought to Lethe's silent stream, And makes Life's exit gentle as a dream." 61 IV "Slaves, take this bandage from the severed vein ; MetMnks, I heard fair Eunice call me hence — Strange, how this blood may carry joy and pain Out of its spirit-mould — Ah, tell me, whence Have flowed the magic currents of the soul And whither will they hasten, when set free? I heard a Christian say, a noble goal Awaits us yonder — Sleep seems best to me. Weep not, ye men of Eome! I glad resign My little place upon this wearied earth ; Let Nero dance for you ! In song and wine And in the cult of Venus find your mirth — I fain would stay, Death's mytery to tell— 'Tis growing dark — and darker — fare ye well !" 62 I LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 018 604 697 3