i..L;:r\:\/i 
 
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 M A 
 
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LIBRARY Q£ CO^'GRESS. 
 
 ^n{u..-..-^ Qmm¥ fij---- 
 
 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 
 
eaves of tbe Xotos 
 
EAVES OF THE LOTOS. 
 
Xeavcs of the Xotos 
 
 BY 
 
 / 
 
 DAVID BANKS SICKELS 
 
 ^ 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 J. SELWIN TAIT & SONS 
 65 Fifth Avenue 
 
 K. 
 
 OjO^ 
 
f5^ 
 
 22^ 
 
 s.u 
 
 O 
 
 Copyright, 1895 
 By DAVID BANKS SICKELS 
 
 yill Rights Reserved 
 
Contents, 
 
 PAGE 
 
 WHERE THE LOTOS GROWS ... 7 
 
 THE JOY OF INDIA Q 
 
 BEAUTIFUL SIAM I3 
 
 ANGHIN 15 
 
 CHULALONGKORN IJ 
 
 EVERY DAY I9 
 
 WHO KNOWS ? 22 
 
 LORLE 25 
 
 OLD FRIENDS 29 
 
 WINNISOOK 31 
 
 AFTER AWHILE . ^ . . . . 33 
 IN MEMORIAM . '. . . , -35 
 
 BABY RUTH 37 
 
 SPRING ,39 
 
 THE PEACE OF WINNISOOK . . . 41 
 
 THEY ARE NOT LOST 46 
 
 RUNNYMEDE 48 
 
 THE AGE 50 
 
 LINES WRITTEN IN AN ALBUM . . 57 
 
 IN MEMORIAM — H, M. L 58 
 
 MY ANGEL GUIDE 60 
 
 SHE WORE THE FLOWER I GAVE HER . 62 
 
 THE WINTRY DAYS ARE COMING , . 64 
 
 THE HIDDEN HEART 66 
 
 AT WINNISOOK 68 
 
 TO MY WIFE 70 
 
 THE RETURN 72 
 
 LINES ACCOMPANYING A BIRTHDAY PRES- 
 ENT 74 
 
 THE UNDYING 76 
 
 woman's LOVE 78 
 
 THE PHANTOM 79 
 
 THE BLAZER 81 
 
TO 
 
 COLONEL THOMAS W. KNOX, 
 
 whose genial nature and kindly acts have made 
 his long-enduring friendship a priceless pleasure (as 
 the dew and sunlight of the Orient enhance and 
 enrich the beauty and fragrance of the Lotos), this 
 little volume is dedicated by 
 
 The Author. 
 
Mbete tbe Xotos (Brows. 
 
 KIES are bluest, 
 Hearts are truest, 
 
 Life has fewest woes; 
 Hopes are brightest. 
 Toil is lightest. 
 
 Where the lotos grows. 
 
 Flowers are rarest, 
 Maids are fairest. 
 
 Friends outnumber foes; 
 Years are fleetest. 
 Love is sweetest, 
 
 Where the lotos grows. 
 
 Thoughts are purest, 
 Faith is surest. 
 Doubting never knows; 
 
 7 
 
Wbexe tbe Xotus ©rows. 
 
 Dreams are newest, 
 Cares are fewest, 
 Where the lotos grows. 
 
 Life is longest, 
 Ties are strongest, 
 
 Passion finds repose; 
 Friends are dearest, 
 God is nearest, 
 
 Where the lotos grows. 
 
Ube 50^ of UnMa. 
 
 N mystic script the Devas 
 told 
 What time the life-creating 
 light— 
 
 The primal germ of immortality — 
 Would burst upon a darkened world; 
 How from the slumbering void con- 
 cealed 
 Beyoad great Meru's mighty mount, 
 The Prince of Peace would come again, 
 To sow anew the seeds of hope 
 In hearts o'ergrown with weeds of woe. 
 
 As storm-controlling Indra came 
 To rule awhile the wayward winds, 
 And drive Asura from his throne. 
 That peace might reign again on earth: 
 9 
 
^be 3os of flnMa. 
 
 Siddartha, unrevealed to men, 
 Descended from Tushita's heights 
 To quench the fires of misery, 
 And gladden all the peopled world. 
 
 In fair Lumbrini's fragrant grove, 
 Where Gunga's gracious waters flowed 
 And mirrored nature's pageantry, 
 The infant Lord immaculate was born. 
 And every creature blest his birth. 
 The Minah on the tufted tamarind 
 
 perched, 
 Proclaimed his joy with mimic speech, 
 As willing winds a welcome sang; 
 While Kalibinkas caught the strain 
 And made their music everywhere. 
 
 The lotos leaning on its wiry stem, 
 Or pillowed on the placid stream, 
 
 lO 
 
Q^bc 3^013 of llnOia. 
 
 Awoke and ope'd its drowsy leaves. 
 Mandaras, with their odors sweet 
 Winged by soft monsoons, a greeting 
 
 gave. 
 The Poh tree with its burdened limbs 
 Low-bending, grateful homage paid 
 To him who once its ample boughs 
 Had sheltered from the fiery blast 
 Of typhoons born in tropic seas. 
 
 The clouds that drifted down the sky 
 Arrayed themselves in ruby robes. 
 The moon outstretched its pearly arms 
 To soothe awhile the restless sea; 
 The stars burned brighter on Night's 
 
 brow 
 Than ever since Creation's dawn, 
 And Nature's treasuries unlocked 
 An undiscovered wealth outpoured. 
 The sun, reburnished for the day, 
 II 
 
G^be 5oB of IFnNa. 
 
 Gilded anew the Prachadees, 
 
 And marked his forehead with the sign 
 
 Of kinship with Divinity. 
 
 Then as his pilgrim footsteps pressed 
 The alien soil of hostile climes, 
 With fear the trembling Brahman saw 
 The dreaded doom of creed and caste — 
 The dawn of God's immortal love: 
 While waiting nations knew their Lord, 
 And Rajahs famed for pomp and power 
 Cast all their sceptres at his feet. 
 
 12 
 
^Beautiful Stam. 
 
 EAUTIFUL Siam! Land of 
 the free ! 
 He who is greatest is smil- 
 ing on thee — 
 Smiling to-day on the king on his 
 
 throne, 
 Smiling and claiming the land as His 
 own. 
 
 Land of the lotos, and lily, and vine ! 
 All that is fairest in Nature is thine: 
 Riches unmeasured repose in thy soil, 
 Waiting the touch of the finger of toil. 
 
 Beautiful Siam! Slumber no more! 
 Hear the deep beat of the sea on thy 
 
 shore! 
 Hear the loud winds that are calling to 
 
 thee ; 
 
 13 
 
Ji3eautiful Slam. 
 
 Wake from thy slumber at last and be 
 free. 
 
 Peace through thy borders eternally 
 reigns — 
 
 Down in thy valleys and up on thy 
 plains; 
 
 In the broad fields where the paddy- 
 plant grows — 
 
 In thy rich gardens of lily and rose. 
 
 Beautiful Siam ! Land of the free ! 
 He who is greatest is smiling on thee — 
 Smiling to-day on the king on his 
 
 throne, 
 Smiling and claiming the land as His 
 
 own. 
 
 14 
 
HE sea is calm and on this 
 happy shore 
 Sleeps pillowed as a babe 
 on mother's breast 
 In its unconscious purity. 
 The winds that o'er it swept, 
 And wrinkled its fair face — 
 Prophetic of the stormy years of life 
 That plow deep furrows in the heart — 
 Have fled into their darksome caves, 
 As in the direful days of old, 
 When white-armed Juno's vengeful 
 
 wrath 
 Wreaked its wild fury on the Trojan 
 
 ships. 
 Here 'neath the shade of tropic trees 
 That bend their budding branches low, 
 
 15 
 
Bug bin. 
 
 Submissive to the sway that Nature 
 
 holds, 
 And wooed by many a kissing breeze, 
 We sit and watch the tiny craft 
 Incoming with the flowing tide: 
 As one who on the border-land 
 Of youth's enchanted realm surveys 
 Futurity's unmeasured depths; 
 Or looking out on Life's uncertain sea, 
 Expectant of the coming argosy, 
 Rich-laden with its golden joys, 
 Dreams of a promised bliss. 
 Alas! the tide soon ebbs and darkness 
 
 comes 
 Apace with quick-receding sun; 
 The Ruahs, dancing on the waves 
 With bending oars and gleaming sails, 
 Drift seaward from our sight. 
 So from Life's fairest visions fade 
 Our glory-gilded hopes. 
 i6 
 
Cbulalonoftorn. 
 
 OY to the king, Chulalong- 
 korn ! 
 Greet him from palace to 
 port ! 
 Welcome with loud-praising cannon 
 Booming from vessel and fort. 
 
 Welcome the king at his coming; 
 Fling every flag to the wind ! 
 
 Happy the ruled and the ruler- 
 Kingly, but noble and kind. 
 
 Birds in the bamboo branches 
 Join in the welcoming strains; 
 
 Welcome with warble and whistle 
 Over the mountains and plains ! 
 
 17 
 
Cbulalongftorn. 
 
 Winds with your myriad voices, 
 Welcome with zephyr and breeze; 
 
 Welcome with roar of the tempest, 
 Over the land and the seas. 
 
 Stars in the luminous heavens. 
 Circling the dark brow of night, 
 
 Shine on the Menam's waters, 
 Beaming with purest light. 
 
 Flowers in the gardens and meadows, 
 Brightest of colors display; 
 
 Render your tribute of odors 
 Unto the young king to-day. 
 
 Joy to the king, Chulalongkorn ! 
 
 Greet him from palace to port ! 
 Welcome with loud-praising cannon 
 
 Booming from vessel and fort. 
 
 i8 
 
MID the tumult of the street 
 And ceaseless tread of rest- 
 less feet, 
 What varied human forms 
 we meet, 
 Every day. 
 
 Some burdened with unwhispered woe ; 
 Sad secrets God alone can know ; 
 We see them wandering to and fro, 
 Every day. 
 
 Some seared by time's decay or blight ; 
 With furrowed brow and fading sight, 
 Who haunt our feet from morn till night, 
 Every day. 
 
 Some swayed by passion deep and 
 strong, 
 
 19 
 
Enkindled by some burning wrong, 
 Unheeded by the listless throng, 
 Every day. 
 
 The lust of power, the greed for gain, — 
 Twin tyrants of the heart and brain — - 
 We see the ruin of their reign. 
 Every day. 
 
 The crafty knaves that throng the street. 
 Wearing the garments of deceit ; 
 Who breathe to lie and live to cheat. 
 Every day. 
 
 And some aspiring to be great. 
 With beaming eye and heart elate. 
 Scorning the thorny thrusts of fate, 
 Every day. 
 
 The youth enthralled by some fond 
 dream, 
 
 20 
 
Bverg Bag. 
 
 Or borne along on fancy's stream, 
 Believing all things what they seem, 
 Every day. 
 
 The aged tottering toward the tomb, 
 No light to lift their rayless gloom, 
 Nor hope their weary way illume, 
 Every day. 
 
 The rich and poor, the old and young, 
 With silent lip or fluent tongue. 
 And griefs untold or joys unsung, 
 Every day. 
 
 Thus in the drama of the town. 
 Some bear a cross or wear a crown 
 Until death rings the curtain down, 
 Every day. 
 
Mbo Iknows? 
 
 (HO knows we have not lived 
 before 
 In forms that felt delight 
 and pain ? 
 If death is not the open door 
 Through which we pass to life again ? 
 
 The fruitful seed beneath the sod 
 In infant bud and bloom may rise ; 
 
 But by the eternal laws of God 
 It is not quickened till it dies. 
 
 The leaves that tremble on the tree, 
 Fall 'neath the stroke of Autumn's 
 storms ; 
 
 But by some mighty mystery, 
 With spring return in other forms. 
 
 As currents of the surging sea 
 From undiscovered sources flow, 
 
mbo Iknowe? 
 
 So what we were and yet may be, 
 In this brief life we may not know. 
 
 But oft some unexpected gleams 
 Of past and unremembered years, 
 
 Break through the doorway of our 
 dreams 
 And some familiar face appears: — 
 
 A kindred spirit lost awhile 
 
 Amid the change from death to birth. 
 Whose beaming eye and loving smile 
 
 Recall some former scenes of earth. 
 
 And thus unconscious of the tie — 
 The mystic link that love creates — 
 
 Perhaps we see our own who die, 
 In newer forms and other states. 
 
 Perhaps with every cycle passed 
 Throughout the ages yet to be, 
 23 
 
•CQlbo fjnows? 
 
 Our own will come to us at last, 
 As parted waters find the sea — 
 
 Not wholly clad as they were seen 
 When death unbound their robes of 
 clay, 
 
 But with seraphic face and mien, 
 And souls that may not pass away. 
 
 24 
 
HE bells in San Marino's 
 tower 
 Had sweetly chimed the 
 vesper hour— 
 As Benedictine monks and friars, 
 With children led by pensive sires, 
 And white-robed throngs of devotees, 
 With bowed heads and bended knees — 
 In blest accord intoned a prayer 
 That rose like incense through the air. 
 
 Within the grand cathedral's hall 
 A solemn gloom hung over all ; 
 As if some spectre, strange and dread, 
 Had risen from the dusty dead, 
 And by the mystic mien it bore 
 Inspired a deep, religious awe. 
 
 25 
 
Xorlc. 
 
 Upon the altar there upraised 
 The sacred tapers burned and blazed ; 
 And high above the crown and pyx, 
 Resplendent gleamed the crucifix ; 
 While through the chancel-pane the 
 
 light 
 Of myriad stars shone clear and bright, 
 As twilight's purple shadows fell 
 On Alpine peak, in vale and dell. 
 
 Long ere the prelate's moaning prayer 
 Was wafted through the frosty air, 
 Sweet Lorle came as oft before. 
 And knelt beyond the opened door; 
 But never since the vesper bells 
 Rung out their strains in music swells. 
 Was such a saintly smile and grace 
 E'er seen in such a saddened face ; 
 Yet those who know the unwhispered 
 grief 
 
 36 
 
Xocie. 
 
 Of years that seem not few nor brief, 
 Were fitted best to reason why 
 Her faded cheek and cheerless eye. 
 
 The wounds that love makes in the heart 
 When pierced by its relentless dart ; 
 The hopes long nurtured in her breast 
 With thoughts the purest and the best ; 
 The web of bliss that fancy wove 
 On Alpine hill, in shaded grove, 
 Or while beside the flowing Aar, 
 With all the charms of Nature there — 
 The memory of blissful hours, 
 Of singing birds and fragrant flowers, 
 Of softest sighs and truant tears. 
 And whispers in her eager ears, 
 The yearning eye, the warm embrace. 
 The love-light shining on his face, 
 And all the sweet romantic themes 
 Inspired by love's seraphic dreams. 
 27 
 
Xorle. 
 
 Ah, yes ! 'tis well to brave the blast, 
 When hope is flying at the mast, — 
 To meet the foe on bloody field 
 Undaunted, with the lance and shield; — 
 To wait with slow-departing breath 
 Unchanged the dreaded hour of death ; 
 But what is youth when hope hath fled ? 
 Or what is life when love is dead — 
 When every glance of tender eye 
 Recalls a blighted destiny? 
 
 28 
 
®15 jfrten&s. 
 
 IHERE are no friends like old 
 friends, 
 And none so good and 
 true; 
 We greet them when we meet them, 
 
 As roses greet the dew; 
 No other friends are dearer. 
 
 Though born of kindred mold; 
 And while we prize the new ones, 
 We treasure more the old. 
 
 There are no friends like old friends, 
 
 Where'er we dwell or roam, 
 In lands beyond the ocean, 
 
 Or near the bounds of home ; 
 And when they smile to gladden. 
 
 Or sometimes frown to guide. 
 We fondly wish those old friends 
 
 Were always by our side. 
 29 
 
©ID 3FrfenC)6. 
 
 There are no friends like old friends, 
 
 To help us with the load 
 That all must bear who journey 
 
 O'er life's uneven road ; 
 And when unconquered sorrows 
 
 The weary hours invest, 
 The kindly words of old friends 
 
 Are always found the best. 
 
 There are no friends like old friends, 
 
 To calm our frequent fears, 
 When shadows fall and deepen 
 
 Through life's declining years ; 
 And when our faltering footsteps 
 
 Approach the Great Divide, 
 We'll long to meet the old friends 
 
 Who wait the other side. 
 
1KIlinni500ft, 
 
 BRANDLY these rock-bound 
 mountains rise 
 Above the vale and ar- 
 rowy brook ; 
 And canopied by radiant skies 
 
 Look down on peerless Winnisook. 
 
 Old Panther with his fir-crowned brow — 
 The frowning walls of Overlook — 
 
 With grandeur Nature's scenes endow, 
 But charm us less than Winnisook. 
 
 The wild cascade, the moss-grown ways, 
 With arching vines that hang be- 
 tween, 
 
 Appear to our enchanted gaze 
 Like pictures in a fairy scene. 
 
 31 
 
imfnnleooft. 
 
 Here cedar-leaf and hazel-bloom 
 Imbue with balm the willing air ; 
 
 And regnant peace forbids the gloom 
 That haunts our visions everywhere. 
 
 And here is greeting warm and true, 
 With cheery word and merry shout; 
 
 A sense of welcome comes to you 
 From hand and heart you dare not 
 doubt. 
 
 Bright home, by bending boughs em- 
 bowered, 
 Half hidden in this highland nook, 
 With Nature's richest treasures dow- 
 ered; 
 Who would not dwell at Winnisook? 
 
 32 
 
FTER awhile, we often say, 
 When shadows fall and 
 clouds arise, 
 There's sure to come a 
 brighter day, 
 With balmy air and sunny skies. 
 
 After awhile, a day of rest 
 
 Will come to worn and weary feet ; 
 What seems the worst will prove the 
 best. 
 
 And bitter things be turned to sweet. 
 
 After awhile, the aching heart 
 Will find a cordial for its pain, 
 
 And, as the flying da)^s depart, 
 The joy of love will come again. 
 33 
 
Bftcr Bwbllc. 
 
 After awhile, the Right will reign, 
 And conquered Wrong will lose its 
 sway, 
 
 While ancient Error's icy chain 
 Will break and slowly melt away. 
 
 After awhile, the clashing creeds 
 That lead to strife and hate with men, 
 
 Will yield to our superior needs. 
 And love will prompt the lip and pen. 
 
 After awhile, the golden hours 
 
 Will come with life's supernal days. 
 
 And higher thoughts and nobler powers 
 Will lead us into grander ways. 
 
 34 
 
Un /Iliemoriam. 
 
 EW tread unscathed the fiery 
 ways of life, 
 And fewer win the laureled 
 crown 
 That decks the victor's brow. 
 The blight, the mildew, and the blast 
 Untimely came ; then ruthless winds 
 Destroyed the budding leaves of hope. 
 Like some stanch bark that braved the 
 
 storm 
 And ocean's rudest waves unharmed. 
 Then changed its course to calmer seas 
 And sank beneath their silent depths ; 
 So, 'mid the toil and battle of the day, 
 Unwearied and undaunted by the fray, 
 He struggled on, and who divined 
 His peerless worth of heart and mind, 
 35 
 
IFn ^emorfam. 
 
 Knew of his lofty scorn of wrong — 
 His deep contempt for foul deceit 
 And vain pretence of excellence 
 Whereby the unworthy crawl to power, 
 While gifted greatness stands abashed — 
 For what he seemed to be, he was. 
 
 36 
 
Bab^ IRutb. 
 
 OY crowned the happy day 
 When Baby Ruth was born ; 
 The lark arose with sweeter 
 lay 
 To greet the welcome morn. 
 
 The sun with purer light 
 Burst on a gladdened world ; 
 
 And daylight dawned as dark-brow'd 
 night 
 Her sable curtains furled. 
 
 The birds in budding bowers 
 Their newest anthems sang, 
 
 And all throughout the joyous hours 
 The woods with music rang. 
 
 The lily and the rose, 
 
 With every flower that blooms, 
 37 
 
JBabg IRutb. 
 
 Awakening from their soft repose 
 Dispensed their sweet perfumes. 
 
 As comes the hour of love 
 
 With dreams of boundless bliss, 
 
 She wandered from the world above 
 And came to gladden this. 
 
 38 
 
Sprino. 
 
 HE maiden Spring has come 
 again 
 To deck the vernal bowers; 
 Her airy footsteps through 
 the vale 
 Awake the drowsy flowers. 
 
 Along the banks of babbling streams, 
 And o'er the upland plain, 
 
 Where'er her joyous presence moves 
 She leads her gladdening train. 
 
 The lisping zephyr's morning hymn 
 
 The bees' incessant hum, 
 Are Nature's chosen oracles 
 
 That tell us she has come. 
 
 The myriad minstrels in the grove 
 Their greeting strains prolong ; 
 
 39 
 
Spring. 
 
 And all the earth seems resonant 
 With universal song. 
 
 The heart of Nature beats again, 
 
 Impetuous with life, 
 While from her peaceful breast are gone 
 
 The elements of strife. 
 
 And in my heart I feel once more 
 
 The thrill of early dreams, 
 When joyous Youth, the Spring of Life, 
 
 Pursued its favorite themes. 
 
 40 
 
TTbe peace ot Mlunlsooft. 
 
 N the verdant valleys rich 
 with ripening maize, 
 Red men built their camp- 
 fires in the olden days ; 
 But the white invader's unrelenting 
 
 horde 
 Drove them from their wigwams with 
 
 the torch and sword, 
 Backward to the forests over field and 
 
 fen, 
 Far beyond the footprints and the 
 haunts of men. 
 
 Thus the peaceful tribesmen, hunted 
 
 like the deer, 
 Wandering through the highlands found 
 
 a refuge here ; 
 Found their homes ancestral in their 
 
 native hills, 
 
 41 
 
XLbc ipeace ot llilldmlsooft. 
 
 Heard familiar voices in the running 
 
 rills, 
 Learned from Nature's lessons writ on 
 
 vine and tree 
 That the Mighty Spirit made them 
 
 brave and free. 
 
 Then the lordly chieftain, Winnisook 
 
 the Great, 
 Gathered all his people to this vast es- 
 tate, 
 And with words of wisdom, said with 
 
 heat and force. 
 Like the waters rushing from their 
 
 mountain source : 
 " Come and live contented in this safe 
 
 retreat, 
 And, your woes forgetting, rest your 
 
 weary feet ; 
 Breathe the balmy incense of the fir 
 
 and pine, 
 
 42 
 
XLbc ipcacc ot IWUdinlaooft. 
 
 Drink from ceaseless fountains Nature's 
 
 purest wine ; 
 Hear the happy songsters in the boughs 
 
 above 
 Chant their morning anthems and their 
 
 lays of love." 
 
 Then Kasyoota, rising from her mossy 
 
 seat, 
 When she heard these love-words falling 
 
 soft and sweet, 
 Rushed to kiss her father on his bronzed 
 
 cheek, 
 With her arms around him ere he ceased 
 
 to speak. 
 " Father, they have called you good and 
 
 great," she said, 
 " And thy people followed where your 
 
 footsteps led 
 Over marsh and moorland, over track- 
 less woods, 
 
 43 
 
trbe peace ot Mtnnfsooft. 
 
 Through the somber forest's dreary- 
 solitudes. 
 
 Where the shadows deepen as the twi- 
 light's glow, 
 
 Creeping down the mountain, slowly 
 dies below. 
 
 Through the storm of winter, and the 
 summer's heat 
 
 Everywhere they've followed with un- 
 faltering feet ; 
 
 Swift with loyal fingers there to bend 
 the bow. 
 
 When thy voice commanded all to meet 
 the foe. 
 
 Now thy peace-words falling like the 
 gentle rain. 
 
 Make our hearts submissive to thy will 
 
 again. 
 And, forever ceasing from unfruitful 
 
 strife, 
 Call us to the pastimes of a nobler life — 
 
 44 
 
XLbc ipcace of mtnnisooh. 
 
 When the sacred peace-pipe yields the 
 
 pearly smoke, 
 And the idle arrow lingers in the oak, 
 When the blood-stained hatchet, laid 
 
 aside to rust, 
 With the awful war-club buried in the 
 
 dust ; 
 When the piercing war-cry nevermore 
 
 alarms. 
 And the tolling tocsin calls no more to 
 
 arms. 
 When the yell for vengeance evermore 
 
 shall cease, 
 And our warriors conquer by the arts of 
 
 peace." 
 
 45 
 
XTbe^ are not Xost 
 
 HEY are not lost, though 
 shoreless seas 
 Between us and our loved 
 ones lie; 
 For, in the land of mysteries, 
 All life is immortality. 
 
 They are not lost; the starry spheres 
 May vanish from the vault of night; 
 
 But after an eclipse of years 
 
 Reveal their unextinguished light. 
 
 They are not lost; the drops of rain 
 That fall and swell the mountain 
 streams 
 Are gathered by the sun again, 
 And sparkle in its golden beams. 
 46 
 
Zbc^ are not Xost. 
 
 They are not lost; the flowers decay, 
 And lose their beauty and perfume, 
 
 But come with each returning May 
 With brighter tints and ampler bloom. 
 
 They are not lost; though yearning 
 eyes 
 Invite in vain their swift return 
 From other worlds beyond the skies. 
 With luring thoughts and hearts that 
 burn. 
 
 They are not lost; though for awhile 
 By faith alone the void is crossed; 
 
 But oft their angel faces smile. 
 
 And then we know they are not lost. 
 
 47 
 
1Rttnn^me&e, 
 
 (the golden wedding.) 
 
 HE measure full of peace 
 untold, 
 That half a century be- 
 stows, 
 Is richer than a mine of gold, 
 
 And sweeter than the summer rose. 
 
 But if in noble lives complete, 
 With deeds that loving ones recall, 
 
 The aims of kindred spirits meet, 
 There is the crowning bliss of all. 
 
 And so to-day the smiling hills 
 
 And sunny skies of Runnymede, 
 Reflect the radiant joy that fills 
 The hearts enchained by thought 
 and deed. 
 
 48 
 
IRunn^meDc. 
 
 Twin agents of a holier trust 
 Than wealth can yield or honor 
 give; 
 
 When they have crumbled into dust 
 With beauty unimpaired will live:- 
 
 Will live, transmitted as the flood 
 Its parent source of virtue finds; 
 
 The moral strength of noble blood, 
 And purity of chastened minds. 
 
 What union more divine than this 
 Can homage claim of loyal heirs? 
 
 What coronet of earthly bliss 
 
 Is so undimmed by time as theirs 
 
 49 
 
XTbe Bgc 
 
 HIS is the age by sages oft 
 foretold, 
 When common sense is 
 weightier than gold, 
 When men and women doff the flim- 
 sy gauze 
 That pride too often weaves to hide 
 
 their flaws; 
 An age that scorns presumptuous 
 
 prigs and flirts, 
 And modest virtue gains its just de- 
 serts. 
 When vulgar quacks, unlicensed by 
 
 the State, 
 Unpitied fall and meet a fitting fate. 
 When vain pretense of worth that 
 some display 
 
 SO 
 
Before the sun of truth soon melts 
 away. 
 
 When gilded fools and jeweled moun- 
 tebanks, 
 
 Who ape the gentleman by fantastic 
 pranks, 
 
 Are passed by all with unmistaken 
 sneer, 
 
 Or left to meet the quiet laugh or jeer. 
 
 This is the age when virtue's higher 
 
 law 
 Inspires the public confidence and 
 
 awe, 
 When all who dare their vicious tastes 
 
 display 
 Are "sent to Coventry" without delay. 
 'Tis well that thus is ruled our social 
 
 state 
 By laws which none but idiots violate, 
 SI 
 
Sbe Bgc. 
 
 As only fools, the poet aptly said, 
 Step in the place where " angels fear to 
 tread." 
 
 We greet with reverence now that's 
 
 justly due 
 The men and women who are pure and 
 
 true, 
 And honor all, despite their lowly lot, 
 Who ne'er pretend to be what they are 
 
 not. 
 Tis fashion's slave, devoid of charms 
 
 or ^race, 
 Spreads poisoned powder o'er her hide- 
 ous face. 
 Paints her coarse cheeks the color of 
 
 the rose, 
 And seems a showman's sign where'er 
 
 she goes. 
 
 52 
 
XLbc Bge. 
 
 Upon her feet she crowds a pinching 
 
 boot 
 With pointed toe and hammer-heel to 
 
 suit, 
 Steps as if treading soft on sharpened 
 
 pegs, 
 Or else as if the street were paved with 
 
 eggs; 
 Upon her hollow head a bonnet flings 
 Bedecked with gaudy feathers, beaks 
 
 and wings; 
 Dresses the hair she purchased in the 
 
 shop, 
 " A la Bernhardt " or a la female 
 
 fop. 
 And all she wears to make herself com- 
 plete 
 Proves her to be a hollow-hearted 
 
 cheat, 
 
 S3 
 
XLbc age. 
 
 God bless the sex! — our wives and 
 
 mothers too! 
 'Tis well monstrosities like her are few. 
 
 This age of common sense as quickly 
 
 scans 
 The men of wisdom and the charlatans; 
 Sees with unerring eye the good and 
 
 bad, 
 What makes the gentleman and what 
 
 the cad. 
 It holds that " rank is but the guinea's 
 
 stamp," 
 " A man's a man " until he's proved a 
 
 scamp; 
 That titled snobs and graceless par- 
 venues, 
 Who snap their whips and point their 
 
 billiard cues, 
 
 54 
 
^bc age. 
 
 Or twirl their canes and twist their Hght 
 
 moustache, 
 Have less of brains to recommend than 
 
 cash; 
 That, all despite nobility of birth, 
 A man is measured only by his worth; 
 That circumstance may make a sudden 
 
 name, 
 And place it foremost on the scroll of 
 
 Fame. 
 
 'Tis good and grand to live in such an 
 
 age— 
 The brightest era on our history's 
 
 page; 
 An age of peace with liberty combined. 
 The growth of thought — the progress 
 
 of the mind. 
 For what is life if what we prize the 
 
 most 
 
 55 
 
XLbc Bflc. 
 
 Proves but a vision or an empty boast? 
 
 And what is earth if Error's shrouding 
 pall 
 
 Hangs like a darkening shadow over 
 all— 
 
 If tyrant Wrong usurped the place of 
 Right 
 
 And ruled supreme by his despotic 
 might; 
 
 If Vice, the monster, all the triumphs 
 scored. 
 
 And Virtue failed to gain a just re- 
 ward? 
 
 56 
 
Xines Mrftten in an album. 
 
 H E simplest words that 
 sometimes fall 
 Unnoticed from the lip or 
 pen, 
 In after years we oft recall, 
 And treasure in our hearts again. 
 
 So here some trifling thought or word, 
 Recorded by a passing friend, 
 
 May, like the notes of some sweet bird, 
 With all thy fondest memories blend 
 
 57 
 
Hn /iDemoriam.— lb. /ID. X. 
 
 jANY the paths that lead to 
 glory's gate, 
 But few there be who heed 
 the humble way 
 Our brother trod. Not fortune's proud 
 estate 
 Was his, nor honor's gilded crown; 
 Nor vain pretence of worth that men 
 display 
 Who wear the flimsy garb of false re- 
 nown. 
 
 He loved with unseen hand to scatter 
 wide 
 The blessed boons that charity be- 
 stows ; 
 And oft when cold and prouder hearts 
 denied 
 
 58 
 
■ffn ^cmorfam— f). ^. X. 
 
 The paltry pittance craved, he yielded 
 more, 
 With equal willingness to friends and 
 foes; 
 And none returned with curses to his 
 door. 
 
 He lived to see his country disen- 
 thralled — 
 The long-returning answer to his 
 prayers — 
 To see the olive-bearing dove recalled, 
 With new-born harbingers of hope 
 for all; 
 Then on his God he cast his earthly 
 cares 
 And calmly waited for the welcome 
 call. 
 
 59 
 
CANNOT feel that thou art 
 dead 
 Dear angel of my life and 
 love, 
 But only for a season fled, 
 
 To roam the fairer fields above. 
 
 I wait, and watch, and hope, and pray, 
 And quell the fears that give me pain, 
 
 Nor think, despite thy long delay, 
 That thou wilt never come again. 
 
 From boyhood ever at my side, 
 To guard me 'mid its scenes of strife; 
 
 Thou hast become my angel guide, 
 To lead me through the maze of life. 
 
 When yielding to the tempter's sway, 
 That oft my wayward heart beguiles, 
 60 
 
Ns's Sngel (BuiDe. 
 
 •' Resist," I hear thee softly say, 
 And see thy sweet reproving smiles. 
 
 Beyond that dark futurity 
 That must enshroud my manhood's 
 years, 
 I strive to look, but cannot see, 
 
 Because my eyes are dimmed with 
 tears. 
 
 Yet softly o'er my fevered brow, 
 Thy loving kisses gently thrill, 
 
 And though I cannot see thee now, 
 I feel thy presence with me still. 
 
 6i 
 
SbeMore tbe flower IT Gave Iber. 
 
 HE wore the flower I gave 
 her 
 
 Upon her sinless breast, 
 An emblem of that peace 
 divine, 
 Her youthful soul has blest ; 
 No other form of beauty 
 
 From Nature's perfect mould 
 Could in such fitting language 
 Her purity unfold. 
 
 She wore the flower I gave her 
 That peaceful evening hour. 
 
 And all her inward beauty seemed 
 Transfigured in that flower, 
 
 While every early dream of love 
 That youthful fancy weaves, 
 62 
 
Sbe Wiotc tbc jflower 11 ©ave 1ber. 
 
 And all the thoughts her bosom move 
 Seemed folded in its leaves. 
 
 She wore the flower I gave her ; 
 
 Oh ! may she ever wear 
 That flower of fadeless beauty 
 
 That time can ne'er impair : 
 When death at last shall sever 
 
 Life's frail and silvered cord, 
 May she thus bloom forever 
 
 In the garden of the Lord. 
 
 63 
 
Ube Wintry Ba^s Hre Coining. 
 
 IHE wintry days are coming, 
 And the wintry winds are 
 humming 
 
 Sad refrains ; 
 
 For another year has perished, 
 And of Nature's charms we cherished 
 Naught remains. 
 
 Many forms we loved have vanished. 
 Many hopes and aims are banished 
 
 From our hearts ; 
 But some blessings still are left us — 
 Of which time has not bereft us — 
 
 God imparts. 
 
 Hopes of joy in coming ages 
 Which the present pain assuages 
 Give us cheer ; 
 64 
 
Zbc TKflintrs 2)a^0 Bre Coming. 
 
 As the world looks bright before us, 
 And the clouds that linger o'er us 
 Disappear. 
 
 65 
 
ilOULD we unveil to mortal 
 gaze 
 Each recess of the heart, 
 And deeply probe the 
 bleeding wounds 
 Of grief's relentless dart ; 
 
 Could we but see behind the cloud, 
 That glooms each cherished dream, 
 
 Perchance the inward glance would 
 prove 
 We're seldom wnat we seem. 
 
 Could we but feel another's woe, 
 And note the heart-drawn sighs, 
 
 Or count the unseen tears that flow 
 From joyful-seeming eyes; 
 66 
 
Cbc iJlDDcn Ibeart. 
 
 Could we disclose each buried hope, 
 
 Entombed within the soul, 
 Or tell of brightest visions passed 
 
 Beyond this life's control; 
 
 Could we unfold each inner life, 
 
 And read its mystic scroll, 
 Whereon is written all that time 
 
 Has stamped upon the soul; 
 
 Then we might learn to cheer and 
 bless 
 
 Each heavy-laden one, 
 And know that we, in doing this, 
 
 An angel's work have done. 
 
 67 
 
N Time's untiring pinions 
 The Summer hours are 
 borne ; 
 And Nature's vast dominions 
 Await the Autumn's dawn. 
 
 When o'er the regal mountains 
 The Oreads lead their throngs, 
 
 And all the forest fountains 
 Will sing their parting songs. 
 
 But here, while Summer lingers 
 Untouched by Winter's cold, 
 
 What though its frosty fingers 
 Tinge all the leaves with gold, 
 
 A genial glow of mildness 
 Will thrall the highland air, 
 68 
 
Bt minnfsooft. 
 
 And through the mountain wildness 
 A balmy fragrance bear. 
 
 So here we love to linger, 
 
 And hear the babbling brook 
 
 Call to each feathered singer, 
 " Come back to Winnisook !" 
 
 69 
 
HE queen of night is on her 
 throne, 
 
 Surrounded by her starry 
 band ; 
 Unrivalled beauty fills the land, 
 And over all a charm is thrown 
 
 My heart can scarce withstand. 
 
 And yet amid these soothing scenes. 
 That to my spirits yield a balm, 
 And every inward tumult calm, 
 
 A nameless longing intervenes 
 To mar the mystic charm. 
 
 I hear the ocean's deep-toned voice, 
 And sweeter notes of music near, 
 That fall upon the listening ear ; 
 70 
 
tTo As mite. 
 
 But still my heart can scarce rejoice, 
 Because thou art not here. 
 
 Few are the pleasures unalloyed, 
 
 With some unwelcome present ill, 
 That comes the glowing heart to 
 chill ; 
 
 So in my breast there is a void, 
 Thy smile alone can fill. 
 
 71 
 
Ube IReturn, 
 
 ULL-ARM'D with garnered 
 treasures 
 Of poetry and art, 
 We come with added pleas- 
 ures 
 To charm the mind and heart. 
 
 The last word that was spoken 
 
 Of farewell or regret, 
 Like love's enduring token, 
 
 'T were fatal to forget. 
 
 As o'er the swelling ocean 
 The links of thought unite, 
 
 A love-inspired emotion 
 
 Cements our hearts to-night. 
 
 But here is home entrancing, 
 With spells thatbeautv lends, 
 
 72 
 
Zbc IReturn. 
 
 The joyous hours enhancing, 
 By smiles of olden friends. 
 
 The gladdening sounds of 
 greeting 
 
 Make bright this sweet return, 
 And eyes familiar meeting 
 
 With glowing welcome burn. 
 
 73 
 
Xines Bccompan^ino a BirtbDa^ 
 present. 
 
 TRIFLING gift to thee I 
 send, 
 This happy day, my little 
 friend ; 
 
 And trust that in thy childhood's days 
 Thy course may be in " Wisdom's 
 
 ways" — 
 That path the true and holy trod 
 Who sought the Paradise of God. 
 May God, the children's friend and 
 
 guide. 
 Lead thee through life on Virtue's side, 
 And keep thy heart from guile and sin — 
 From foes without and foes within. 
 Strive e'er to win the love of each 
 By kindly act and thoughtful speech, 
 74 
 
Xfnce accompanising a JBirtbDa^ present. 
 
 And prove to all that Woman's might 
 Is greatest when she honors Right. 
 Then will thy life be pure and good 
 And crowned with noble womanhood. 
 
 75 
 
Ik 
 
HEY are not always dead 
 who die 
 
 Nor living all who live ; 
 For life's best years may 
 oft deny 
 What death alone can give. 
 
 If living for ourselves alone 
 We spend our fleeing years, 
 
 'Twere better that our hearts were stone, 
 Our eyes undimmed by tears. 
 
 The gracious Author of our race. 
 To make His image known, 
 
 The peerless beauty of His face 
 Impressed upon our own. 
 
 Thus by His clearly seen design, 
 The feeblest mind discerns , 
 76 
 
% 
 
Zbc "QlnOsing. 
 
 It was the quenchless spark divine 
 That lit the lamp that burns. 
 
 The richest ore, by Nature's plan, 
 Lies deepest 'neath the sod , 
 
 And worth unrecognized by man. 
 Is treasured most by God. 
 
 So, if in living we would live. 
 
 And not in dying die, 
 To others we must freely give 
 
 Our love and sympathy. 
 
 Must yield to mercy's sweet control, 
 Then follow where she leads , 
 
 And have a Jesus in the soul 
 As well as in our creeds. 
 
 77 
 
TKIloman's %ovc. 
 
 JHEN Sappho touched her 
 tuneful lyre, 
 And sang inspired of wo- 
 man's love, 
 She filled the Grecian heart with fire 
 Promethean — from above. 
 
 And ever since that happy day 
 The poet's pen and painter's art, 
 
 Have each in its divinest way 
 
 Portrayed the worship of her heart. 
 
 78 
 
Zbc pbantom» 
 
 HE hoar-frost fringed the 
 chancel pane, 
 Dark shadows hung upon 
 the wall ; 
 
 No sounds were heard but creaking 
 vane 
 And distant murmuring waterfall. 
 
 A phantom stalked the narrow aisle, 
 Moved up and down the winding stair; 
 
 And, as it passed me, seemed to smile 
 In welcome of my presence there. 
 
 By some mysterious power impelled 
 I sought with haste the outer door ; 
 
 Where viewless hands a scroll upheld. 
 Whereon was written " Nevermore." 
 
 79 
 
XLbc ipbantoni. 
 
 From grave to grave the moonbeams 
 glanced, 
 
 And in their course the vision bore ; 
 While every step that I advanced 
 
 I saw the scroll and "nevermore." 
 
 At length the deepening shadows fell 
 Where sleep the long-forgotten dead , 
 
 But o'er my heart with mystic spell 
 There hangs a strange and nameless 
 dread. 
 
 80 
 
Zbc JBlaser. 
 
 ING PLUTO came forth from 
 
 his fiery domains, 
 With a flame in his mouth, 
 and a flash from his eye; 
 And I heard the dull clank of his ada- 
 mant chains. 
 As the blast of the scorching sirocco 
 passed by. 
 
 The leaves on the trees and the flowers 
 in the field, 
 And even the bowers where so oft I've 
 reclined, 
 No longer their shade and sweet fra- 
 grance could yield, 
 For death came apace with the wither- 
 ing wind, 
 
 8i 
 
The brook in the vale that once rippled 
 and danced, 
 To the music of Nature's enchanting 
 refrains, 
 Fled on to the sea as King Pluto ad- 
 vanced. 
 But whispered a vow to return — with 
 the rains. 
 
 The birds in the branches, the bees in 
 the hive, 
 And even the ant in her newly-made 
 cell. 
 Were fanning their neighbors to keep 
 them alive, 
 As the gasping grasshoppers plunged 
 into the well. 
 
 82 
 
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