Class PS ?3b5 Book__£j' GopyrightN^ COPyRIGHT DEPOSIT. FLOWERS OF SONG FROM MANY LANDS BEING SHORT POEMS AND DETACHED VERSES GATHERED FROM VARIOUS LANGUAGES AND RENDERED INTO ENGLISH BY FREDERIC ROWLAND MARVIN PAFRAETS BOOK COMPANY TROY NEW YORK This Editioti of Flowers of Song from Many Lands consists of one thousand copies, printed at The Merrymount Press, Boston, ofzchich sixty-three contain a portrait of the Author on paichment and are numbered. Copyright, 1902, by Frederic Rowland Marvin December, 1902 (.^ CONGRESS, j DfC, 2 f9f?? OLASS OL. XXc No. Ut^ 1_ i4- f COPY B. Z). 5. Updike, The Merrymount Press, Boston PREFACE Thf. florist who gathered these ''Flowers of Song" from so many gardens and conservatories in lands widely removed from each other, takes this opportunity of disclaiming originality. Some of these leaves, buds, and blossoms (for they are not all full-blown flowers, rich in beauty and fragrance) have been taken directly from the soil in which they grew; but a much larger number of them have come from reliable prose renderings. Some are as familiar as were the marigolds and hollyhocks of the oldfash- ioned gardens to our grandparents; and some are not often seen in English collections. But each specimen is in some way charac- teristic, and has its peculiar interest, when one considers soil and climate. If English readers find in these unequal lines pleasure and profit for the passing hour, the florist will count himself well rewarded for all his labor. The turning of these verses into English rhyme has been the delightful entertainment of many an evening in the library. F. R. M. CONTENTS TRANSLATIONS FROM GOETHE page THE SONG OF THE SPIRIT OVER THE WATERS 15 THE mason's lodge iQ THE spirit's salute 18 CALM AT SEA 18 THE EAGLE AND THE DOVE 19 THE UNEQUAL MARRIAGE 21 MIRACLE 21 THE ERROR WE CLASP TO OUR HEART 21 TWO THREATS 22 APPARENT DEATH 22 THE soldier's SOLACE 23 TO A METAPHYSICIAN 23 THE BOUNDARIES OF HUMANITY 23 COMPANIONSHIP • 25 EACH LIKES BEST THE PLACE WHEREIN HE LIVES 25 THE GOLDEN AGE 26 WHEN TWO MEN QUARREL 26 THE FAVORED BEASTS 27 THE ILIAD Schiller 28 THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH Schiller 28 LILY AND ROSE Herder 29 SINGS THE BEE UNTO HER SON Heine 30 THE BLIND PASSENGER Heine 31 THE PALM Heine 31 CONTENTS SOME TO HOLY MARY KNEEL Heine WHEN THOU HAST WEDDED Heim ON DR. MEAD Lessing HUMANITY Kinkel HYMN Martin Luther THE EVENING HOUR From the German HUMAN LIFE From the German GERMAN COURAGE Eichendorff HYMN OF CONTRITION From the German TO MY PHYSICIAN Elizabeth Kulmann REMEMBRANCE Matthisson SPIRITUAL EPIGRAMS Angelus Silesius THE COST OF PROSECUTION From the French ADIEU From the French woman's SWORD From the French FRENCH PROVERB THE HOPELESSNESS OF FOLLY From the French THE LAST WORDS OF RABELAIS From the French FAITH Victor Hugo THE HAPPY MAN From King Alfred'' s THE WHISTLING DAUGHTER EPITAPH ON AGNES SOREL THE ASS AND THE FLUTE Boethitts From the Dutch Francis I Tomas de Yriarte A REVELLER IN THE INN OF LIFE From the Spanish 6 PAGE 32 32 SS 33 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 44 44 45 45 46 46 47 47 48 49 49 51 CONTENTS SPANISH PROVERBS SONG OF THE WANDERING KNIGHT From the Spanish GOD SEES ME THOUGH I SEE HIM NOT 'tis THE almighty's GRACIOUS PLAN ON MICHAEL ANGELO's STATUE OF NIGHT TO A FALSE LADY THE ONLY PLACE OF REST CHRISTMAS CAROL THE CARDINALS IMMORTAL YOUTH THE LIFE OF MAN IS AS THE DUST MISGUIDED CHARITY TURKISH PROVERB ON Holbein's half-length por- From the Scandinavian From the Scandinavian PAGE 52 53 53 54 From the Italian 54 From the Italian 55 From the Italian 56 From the Italian 57 Francesco DaW Ongaro 58 Khushhal Khan 58 lOiushhal lOian 59 Turkish Saying 59 60 trait of ERASMUS Theodore Beza 60 ON A FLY ENGRA^^D IN A GOLDEN DRINKING-CUP Cunradinus 60 THE PRIEST AND THE THIEF Georgius Salinus 61 TRANSUBSTANTIATION From the Latin of XV Century 61 Balaam's ass From the Latin of XV Century 62 AD MINISTRUM Horace 62 SOCRATES Latin Anthology 6s FOOLISH WORDS Catullus 7 Q3 CONTENTS EPIGRAMS FROM MARTIAL IMPROMPTU VERSES TO AVITUS TO AFRICANUS TO PELLA ON SOME SCULPTURED FISH THE COOK AN INSECT IN AMBER TO PONTICUS ON QUINTUS TO ERNITIANUS ON FABULLUS AN ORACLE OF THE PYTHIAN PRIESTESS From the Greek THE WHITE COWS TO MARCUS C^SAR From the Greek Menander MORTALITY THE BEST COUNTRY THE NOBLEST GIFT CURES FOR LO\^ A GREEK EPITAPH EPITAPH FOR TIMON THE MISANTHROPE EARTH TO EARTH THE FLIGHT OF TIME APHRODITE THE USELESSNESS OF LABOR THE GIFT OF THE MUSES Aristophanes ^schylus Crates of Thebes Hegesippus Diodorus Zoncis From the Greek Greek Anthology Palladas From the Greek 64 64 65 65 65 66 66 66 67 67 67 68 68 69 69 70 70 71 71 72 72 73 73 74 8 CONTENTS ON THOSE WHO FELL AT THERMOPYL^ Greek Epitaph ' 74 Plato's epitaph Speuaippus 75 LOVE IN old age Paulus Silentiarius 75 EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF Greek Anthology 76 EPITAPH FOR THE SIBYL HEROPHILE From the Greek 76 AFTER THE FEAST Automedon 77 HOMERIC COUPLET 77 GREEK EPIGRAM 78 TRUE RICHES Hesiod 78 GREEK EPITAPHS 79 CONSCIENCE Antiphanes 80 THE DEADLY PRESENCE Hedylus 80 THE COMMON DOOM Plato the Philosopher 81 UNDER A WINGED CUPID From the Greek 81 INSCRIPTION OVER A TEMPLE Greek Anthology 82 TO A MURDERER Greek Anthology 82 DIOGENES Leonidas 88 ARISTOPHANES Greek Anthology 83 ENVY Greek Anthology 84 COUNSEL Lucian 84 THE miser's grief Nicarchus 84 EQUALITY IN THE GRAVE Anyte of Tegea 85 LAIS DEDICATES HER MIRROR TO VENUS Plato the Philosopher 85 CONTENTS THE TYRIAX LANDSCAPE RICHES ACQUIRED IN OLD AGE THE STUPID liRAHMIN SANSCRIT COUPLETS HOW TO BECOME A SAINT RENUNCIATION THE TRUE GIFT DISTASTE FOR LIFE THE PRESENT HEAVEN WHAT NEED OF SACRED HOUSE? SUNRISE THE APPOINTED HOUR THE CREATION OF SEX THE brahmin's DELIGHT the helpful drug the house of god persian couplets envy pursues the fruitful the prayer of a persian the choice of friends the summary of the law the unity of faith much in little the divine demand majnun's love 10 PAGE Nonnm 86 From the Greek 87 From the Hitopadesa 88 90 From the Sanscrit 91 From the Sanscrit 91 From the Mahabharata 92 From the Mahabharata 92 Hafiz 9S Hafiz 9S Omar Khar/ydm 94 From the Mahabharata 94 Oriental (from Riickert) 95 From the Sanscrit 95 From the Hitopadesa 96 From the Persian 96 97 From the Persian 99 99 Saadi 100 From the Persian 101 Vemana 102 From the Persian 102 From the Persian 103 Nisami 103 CONTENTS PAGE THE SUPREME EMANCIPATION Saadi 104 THE saint's reply Saadi 104 INTOXICATION Saadi 105 FAME Saadi 105 HYMN TO A STAR From the Persian » 106 GAIN STRENGTH BY HELPING OTHERS Saadi 107 THE END OF TYRANNY From the Persian 107 AL CAWTHAR From the Persian 108 TRANSLATIONS FROM THE ARABIC DIVINE CONTEMPLATION 109 THE TRUE COUNSELLOR 109 "let NOT THE MAN WHO SOWS THORNS WALK barefoot" 109 THE fool's flight 110 THE PENITENT THIEF 110 TRUE GENEROSITY 110 SCANT HOSPITALITY 111 THE UNHALLOWED DEAD 111 PILGRIMAGE 111 DECEIVED BY APPEARANCES 112 WHO HATH MUCH CAN RESIGN THE LITTLE 112 ALL THE SAME AT LAST 112 THE ENVIOUS CAMEL 113 STOLEN GLANCES 113 THE COQUETTE 114 MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS 114 FERTILE OF RESOURCES 114 THE RIGHT ROAD 115 WHAT COMES OF QUARRELLING 115 11 CONTENTS TRANSLATIONS FROM THE HEBREW the wisdom of a childlike spirit "glittering crowns deceive" SECRECY THE BIBLE THE THREE FRIENDS MODEST WORTH REWARDED A ROYAL EPITAPH THE BOOK OF PYMANDER A HAPPY LOT CONFESSION THE MISSION OF SORROW INSCRIPTION ON THE BATHING- TUB OF k'aNG WHO WOULD PLUCK THE FRA- GRANT ROSE THE WORDS OF THE WISE ARE FEW CHINESE COUPLET A PRAYER FOR THE KING THE HUMAN SACRIFICE CREATION AND TRIAL OF MAN THE PRAYER OF A RAIDER A mother's lament for her DROWNED SON NOTES 116 116 116 117 117 118 From the Phomician 119 120 From the Japanese 120 From the Japanese 121 From the Japanese 122 From the Chinese 122 Chinese Couplet 122 Sashja Pandita 123 123 Assyrian Sacred Poetry 124 South Sea Islands 125 From the Ashanti 126 From the Osages 127 From the Greenlandic 128 133 12 FLOWERS OF SONG FROM MANY LANDS FLOWERS OF SONG FROM MANY LANDS I TRANSLATIONS FROM GOETHE THE SONG OF THE SPIRIT OVER THE WATERS The soul of man Is like the water ; From heaven it cometh, To heaven returneth — Ever and forever changing. From lofty rocky walls, Swift leaps the glowing flood ; Then in the valley spreads it gently O'er the rocks in cloudy billows, — Billows ever kindly welcomed, — Veils its murmur as it wanders Downward to the waiting deep. Cliffs projecting Oft oppose it ; Angry, foaming. Downward moves it. Step by step. ■ 15 FLOWERS OF SONG Now in smoother channels Through a flowery meadow winds it, Till, within the lake reflected, Gaze entranced the constellations. Wind is the loving Wooer of the waters ; Wind together blendeth The all-foaming billows. Soul of man, How like the water! Fate of man. How like the wind ! II THE MASON'S LODGE The mason's ways Are a symbol of Ufe, And his toil Resembles the strife Of man on earth. The future hides Gladness and sorrow; Stepwise to the sight, Yet undaunted, Ever on we press. 16 FROM MANY LANDS Heavy and heavier. With reverence, Hangs the veil. Silent above rest the stars — Silent below the graves ! Consider and behold ; For, lo! there rise, In the breasts of heroes, Ever-changing awe And earnest feeling. From yonder call Voices of sages — Voices of masters : "Delay not to use The heritage of the good! "Here are a weaving, In silence eternal, Crowns that with fulness Shall the active reward ! We command thee to hope!' n FLOWERS OF SONG III THE SPIRIT'S SALUTE On yonder castle tall and gray, The mighty hero's spirit stands ; A ship goes by — her wings are spread, He speeds her on to other lands. " Behold what strength these sinews held ! This changeless heart, how brave and freel What knightly marrow filled these bones 1 How smiled the glowing cup for me ! "To battle half of life I gave, And half in quiet peace was passed. O ship with living men, sail on. The tranquil haven reach at last." IV CALM AT SEA 'Tis still on the waters, No wind's on the sea; The sailor is troubled. He longs to be free. 18 FROM MANY LANDS No zephyr is breathing, The silence is deep ; The waves of the ocean Are buried in sleep. THE EAGLE AND THE DOVE Intent on prey, an eagle spread His pinions wide in air; When swift the huntsman's arrow flew, And headlong downward to a myrtle grove The daring voyager of the sky Fell panting, filled with anguish and despair; And when three days and nights were gone, Kind Nature's balm, that heals all hurts, His fainting strength restored. The bird outstretched his wing; — Alas ! there was no longer power for flight — He scarce himself could raise From off" the hard, unyielding ground. To seize some mean, unworthy prey. With bursting heart, extended on a rock, Hard by the rushing of a mountain stream, Clear, sweet, and pure As are the blue o'er-bending heavens, With tearful eye he gazed through myrtle boughs. To where two doves with soft and gentle flutter of contented wings 19 FLOWERS OF SONG Were resting from their humble flight; With strut and nodding head They wandered by the golden sand and pebbly shore, Or bathed their feet within the silver tide. How full their red-tinged eyes with love ! How low and musical their cooing voice! They paused — their vision fell Upon the stricken sovereign of the air, And, moved with pity, leaped the male, Complacent, on a nearer twig, and thus discoursed : "What sorrow fills thy breast? What grief bedews thine eye? Take comfort and good cheer, my friend. For in this forest deep all rare delights are found. Hast thou not here such boundless joy As may all memories of the sky eiface ? Hast thou not gladness in the bending bough That fends thee from the sun's meridian heat? And canst thou not thy breast uplift Upon the fragrant moss. And mark the sun's declining ray? Here mayst thou wander through a world of flowers, And gather food from shrub and bush and tree, Or quench thy thirst at yonder bubbling spring. O friend, believe me this : 'T is sweet contentment fills the world with bliss — Be satisfied with that thou hast, And everyw^here thou hast enough." Then spake the eagle as he sank in thought, "O wise one!" — and he pondered what his ear had heard, — "O wisdom! like a dove thou speakest!" 20 FROM MANY LANDS VI THE UNEQUAL MARRIAGE Ah, poorly matched were e'en the heavenly pair; Celestial Psyche, spirit clear and free. New wisdom gained with every flying year, But laughing Amor, still a child was he. VII MIRACLE When in this world a miracle is wrought, 'T is by the loving heart and not by thought. VIII THE ERROR WE CLASP TO OUR HEART Other men's children we love with tender affection and true, but not as our own : The Error we clasp to our heart that is blood of our blood and bone of our bone. 21 FLOWERS OF SONG IX TWO THREATS Within a forest dark I sought A lovely maiden, fair and proud, And fondly clasped her neck, when, lo! She threatened: "I will cry aloud!" With haughty speech I shouted then: "Who dares approach thee I will crush!" She softly whispered, "Love, I fear They may o'erhear thee! — darling, hush!' X APPARENT DEATH Weep, maiden, o'er the lonely tomb of Love; He died of nothing who by chance was slain. But is he truly dead? — Ah, that I dare not say: A merest chance might give him life again. 22 FROM MANY LANDS XI THE SOLDIER'S SOLACE In truth no lack is here I do beheve : The bread is white, the maidens dark as eve ! Next night unto another town I go : Black is the bread, the maidens white as snow ! XII TO A METAPHYSICIAN Over the azure sky Your cobwebs weave ; I profit by my life, Nor stop to grieve. XIII THE BOUNDARIES OF HUMANITY When the primeval Father, Changeless and holy. Sows in His bounty, With free hand and tranquil. From the rolling clouds, 23 FLOWERS OF SONG Joy-difFusing lightnings O'er the Adde earth, Then the last hem of His garment I kiss TN-ith childlike awe and devotion - My heart is filled ^s-ith His homage. For never against the immortals May a mortal Measure himself. If heavenward he soar And touch "^ith his forehead The stars in their courses, His feet, insecui-e. Shall find no abiding; Clouds and tempest Shall sport ^^^th his weakness. With hmbs firm and sinewy-. Let him stand "v^dthout tremor Upon the green earth enduring: Content to resemble the oak or the ivy. How shall we distinguish The gods from men ? Before them the billows, An infinite stream, Roll onward forever; L^'s a wave raises. Us a wave swallows, And we vanish. 24 FROM MANY LANDS A little rounded link Encircles our life ; Yet generations of mortals Weld themselves firmly To the unending chain Of human existence. XIV COMPANIONSHIP Were I in heaven, and none in heaven but me, Not hell so sad a dwelling-place could be. XV EACH LIKES BEST THE PLACE WHEREIN HE LIVES So wisely hath the Lord God framed these human souls of ours, That each likes best the place where he doth dwell : Ask the lost spirits where Perdition is, they'll say in Heaven; Ask saints, they'll tell you 'tis in Hell. 25 FLOWERS OF SONG XVI THE GOLDEN AGE Gone is your Golden Age, my friend, Yet good men can that age restore ; Or if the truth I now must speak, That age of which the poets sing In rapturous phrase was never here, Save as it is with us to-day; Or if it was, good men can still To-morrow bring that age again. XVII WHEN TWO MEN QUARREL When two men quarrel, each with tongue aflame, Who hath the cooler head is most to blame. 26 FROM MANY LANDS XVIII THE FAVORED BEASTS Four beasts by God's permission came To enter heaven's delight, And there, with happy saints, to dwell In never-ending light. Before them all the sacred ass Doth tread with joyous stride, For once into Jerusalem On him did Jesus ride. And next behold the timid wolf To whom Mahomet spake : "The poor man's sheep thou shalt not steal. Thou mayst the rich man's take." And there the dog, so brave and leal ; Two hundred years he stood, While seven Ephesian sleepers slept In holy brotherhood. There purrs Abuherrira's cat Beside the master blest, For holy must the creature be The Prophet hath caressed. 27 FLOWERS OF SONG THE ILIAD From the sacred brow of Homer Tear the laurel wreath of song, Number all the ancient fathers Unto whom its leaves belong. Still one mother owns them wholly; Mother Nature, they are thine! Thine they were ere Homer knew them — By the right that is divine. Schiller. THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH O TRUST me, it is no mere fiction, the holy fountain of youth ; In the sweet song of the poet it floweth in beauty and truth. SCHILLEH. FROM MANY LANDS LILY AND ROSE Lily of white innocence, and sweet red rose, Two sisters side by side — alike And yet how different! O flower of purity and honor's crown, Thou need'st not leaves to shield thy form; A silent virtue wreath'd in fragrant beauty Guards thee well. But thou, O flower of passion, red, red rose, Young Cupid's blood thy veins distending, Thy heart so oft is pierced by love Thou needest thorns around thee. Herder. FLOWERS OF SONG SINGS THE BEE UNTO HER SON Sings the bee unto her son. Yonder waxen taper flee ; But her precept and her prayer Trouble not the Httle bee. Round and round the glow-ing flame Hums and sings he all the night — Sings and hums and hums and sings, Caring not for mother's fright. All at once, with boundless rapture, In the flame he darts and cries: Upward leap the gleaming sparks ; He in ashes sinks and dies. Sons of men. the lesson learn, Shun the fire of maidens' eves ; When they sparkle with delight, He who tinasts them surely dies. Heike SO FROM MANY LANDS THE BLIND PASSENGERS All night in a gloomy post-chaise We travelled far away ; Each leaned on the other's bosom, And happy hearts were gay. But soon the golden morning found us — What wonder filled our eyes ! — Amor, blind passenger, between us. Looked up in sweet surprise. Heine. THE PALM Dreams on the lonely height A pine tree clad in snow; Around it icy winds In wild confusion blow: — Dreams of a gi'aceful palm In the far southern land, In silent solitude. Mid wastes of burning sand. Heine. 31 FLOWERS OF SONG SOME TO HOLY MARY KNEEL Some to Holy Mary kneel, Some to Paul and Peter; I my prayer alone to thee Send in rhyme and metre. Let my lips with kisses sweet, Praise and serve thee ever; Fairest maiden 'neath the sun. Spurn my worship ne^ er. WHEN THOU HAST WEDDED When thou hast wedded me, my love. Thy joy shall flow forever; Thou shalt be happy all thy days, And cease from pleasure never. I '11 patient be with ev'ry fault. And even bear thy curses ; But, truly, we must part if thou Shouldst e'er deride my verses. 32 Heine. Heine. FROM MANY LANDS ON DR. MEAD When Mead unto the lonely Styx was come, With trembling voice affrighted Pluto said: "Confound him! once the sightless and the dumb He saved, and now he would restore the dead!"^ Lessikg. HUMANITY Unnumbered years the hoary earth Her countless nations hath enrolled. And holocausts to gods hath raised From blood-red altars manifold. And years to come the raptured saint To God shall other altars rear. And sorrow still shall come and go, And joy the human heart shall cheer. It blinds me not ! With love content, The ceaseless strife of Time I see ; While changing empires rise and fall, Still onward moves Humanity. 33 FLOWERS OF SONG No day hath ever dawned, I know, That gladdened not one lonely breast; Nor Spring hath followed Winter drear But with a song the world it blessed. From out the ruddy wine, I know, The vast, creative thoughts arise ; And in a woman's loving kiss A noble fount of vigor lies. Where'er we go, the heavens, I know, They frown with rage, or smile with joy; In every zone the stars serene Some loving eye with faith employ. So day by day, and night by night. One thought doth every heart possess; Where'er on earth mine eyes are turned, A brother's loyal hand I press. A link of that great chain which binds The future to the past am I ; From out the struggling surge I snatch The jewel of Humanity. KlNKEL. 34 FROM MANY LANDS HYMN 3 In life still death is here, There is one common doom. Oh, how shall we prepare For a believer's tomb ? Peace is of Thee alone, — Thou only canst atone The sins we grieve, and from Thy wrath Make us a path To heaven. O holy Lord and God ! Eternal Christ of God ! Hear Thou our faltering breath ! Spare us from endless death! Kvpce ekerqa-ov. In death the jaws of hell Against our spirits gape. Lord God, wilt Thou not save? And grant us swift escape? 'T is Thou, dear Lord, didst win The conquest of our sin. And pity for our souls obtain ; Else hope were vain Of heaven. O holy Lord and God! Eternal Christ of God! 35 FLOWERS OF SONG Hear Thou our bitter cry ! And save us e'er we die ! Kvpue iKiiqcrov. In hell's dark midst, our sin Would drive us to despair. Oh, whither shall we fly? Where is our refuge, where? Thy blood, O Christ, alone Can for our sin atone ! 'T is in the holy rood to give The grace to live For heaven. O holy Lord and God! Eternal Christ of God! Grant from Thy faith we all May never, never fall ! Kv/9i€ Ikeiqcrov. Martin Luther. THE EVENING HOUR All day the restless feet of eager men. The ceaseless strife for gain, and place and power, And then the gentle darkness cool and still. The calm refreshment of the evening hour. Froji the German. 36 FROM MANY LANDS HUMAN LIFE Perpetual strife Is the life Of mortal man. In the hot fire Of pain and desire, Is unceasingly wrought, On the forge of thought. His being's end. Only at last Shall the furnace-blast. When he is old. Grow cold. Sweet th' toiler's sleep, When shadows creep Through evening air, And everywhere Is rest. Then shall he scan The Master's plan, Designed In the all-forming mind From the first. From the German. 37 FLOWERS OF SONG GERMAN COURAGE The bards enchanting many songs have sung Through all the fan- sweet German land, But dies their music faint upon the air, — The bards themselves are 'neath the sand. But while the silver stars on high surround With wreaths of Ught the rolling earth, Stout German hearts will sing the German songs. And fill the German land with mirth. Though crumbling in the dust of time doth lie The ancient heroes' house so grand, Spring comes through every gate and hall to bring New charms to grace the German land. And where in death the heroes sink to rest, Fearless mid battle's deaf 'ning rout, Youths spring undaunted to the German race, And fight the German battle out. ElCHENDORFF. 38 FROM MANY LANDS HYMN OF CONTRITION Dear Lord, the burden of my guilt is great, But greater is Thy mercy far; Lead Thou me on to where the streams Of Thy divine forgiveness are. Accusing conscience bids me doubt, But Thou the Lord of conscience art ; Break the dark bondage of the past, And heal my wounded trembling heart. now to Thee, and Thee alone. Thou bleeding Lamb for sinners slain, 1 bring the guilt that weighs me down, Remorseful thoughts and inward pain. Speak Thou the gracious word of peace, And bid my rising fears decline ; To Thee be all the glory given. The endless gladness shall be mine. From the Gerjian. FLOWERS OF SONG TO MY PHYSICIAN Physician, cease thine effort! I speak and have no fear — Thou canst no longer save me, I know that Death is near. The flowers that blossom sweetly. In autumn fade and die; They bud and bloom and perish, And like the flowers am I. While life and strength sustain me, I 'm like the nightingale. Whose glad notes wake the echo Through forest, hill, and dale. Shall I, at Death affrighted. Complain that he is nigh ; Or flee his dart in terror. Who says that I must die ? Full well I know the marksman, — All robed in steel is he, — And naught can change his arrow, Since he hath chosen me. Physician, cease thy striving ! I tremble not with fear — Thou canst not save me longer, Since Death the TjTant 's here. EUZABETH KULJIANN. 40 FROM MANY LANDS REMEMBRANCE I THINK of thee In dreamy bowers, Where singing birds Make sweet the hours : When think'st of me ? I think of thee By fountains deep, When twihght fills The earth with sleep ; Where think'st of me ? I think of thee With sweetest pain; And anxious tears I shed like rain; How think'st of me ? Oh, think of me Till we are one On some sweet star! Beyond the sun I '11 think of thee. MATTraSSON, 41 FLOWERS OF SONG SPIRITUAL EPIGRAMS Ah, yes ! I would a phoenix be, And burn my heart in Deity! There should I dwell by His dear side, And in the self of God abide. II I DO beheve there is no death ; Though every hour I die, Yet every hour, with new delight, A better Ufe draws nigh. Ill I HOLD that since by death alone God bids my soul go free. In death a richer blessing is Than aU the world to me. IV The cross of Golgotha can never save Thy soul from deepest hell, Unless with loving faith thou sett'st it up Within thy heart as well. 42 FROM MANY LANDS V Out from thyself, thyself depart ; God then shall fill thine empty heart: Cast from thy soul life's selfish dream - In flows the Godhead's living stream. VI Who loves, no law can ever bind ; He 'd cleave to God as well, Were there no golden heaven's reward, And no dark cave of hell. VII O WONDERFUL is God : He wills whate'er He is, And is whate'er He wills — The whirling bliss goes round, and round, and ever round, And all His fulness fills. VIII How far away is Heaven ? Not far, my friend ; One earnest step will all thy journey end. IX On me God's Spirit falls like dew upon a rose, When I to Him my heart, like that sweet flower, unclose. Angelus Silesius: "The Cherubic Wanderer."* 43 FLOWERS OF SONG THE COST OF PROSECUTION The judge wants money, and the lawyer too, And when the long-protracted case is through, There '11 not a franc be left, my friend, for you — A franc? — they'll leave you not a sou. From the French. ADIEU Adieu! adieu, thou fair and cruel one! 'T is done, thy scorn I httle reck ! I haste me now love's burning grief to quench — To hang? — Yes, round another's neck. From the French. 44 FROM MANY LANDS WOMANS SWORD The tongue is woman's sword, and to it she doth trust; By constant use she keeps it always free from rust ; Deep in the heart of man she sheathes its ghttering blade And, lo ! the mighty hero falls before a timid maid. From the French. FRENCH PROVERB Would you surprise the timid? Then be dumb; Hares are not caught with the sound of a drum. ^ •»»• >^ 45 FLOWERS OF SONG THE HOPELESSNESS OF FOLLY The most egregious dunce send thou to any school, And after all he '11 still remain a stupid fool. From the French. THE LAST WORDS OF RABELAIS With scornful laugh at length the master cried, "I haste me to the Great Perhaps," and died.^ From the Frekch. 46 PROM MANY LANDS FAITH Be like the little bird That for an instant stays Upon the topmost bough : The branch beneath him sways, But undisturbed he sings, All conscious of his wings. Victor Hugo. THE HAPPY MAN Behold ! on all the earth A happy man is he, To whom, with vision clear, From the deep wells of truth Th' eternal good proceeds. From off his mind the shades Like mountain mists dissolve; From fables hoar with age, To him rich treasures come; The path to heaven he treads. And leads with gentle hand Our willing souls to God. From King Alfred's Metres of Boethius. 47 FLOWERS OF SONG THE WHISTLING DAUGHTER Whistle, my dearest daughter, and I will give thee a cow. Ah no! my beloved mother, I cannot whistle now — O I cannot whistle, Ah no ! my mouth it puckers so. Whistle, my charming daughter, and I will give thee a horse. Mother, I never whistled, and I could not now of course — O I cannot whistle. Ah no ! my mouth it puckers so. Whistle, my gentle daughter, and I will give thee a sheep. Mother, I cannot whistle, so the creature you may keep — O I cannot whistle, Ah no ! my mouth it puckers so. Whistle, my lovely daughter, and I will give thee a man. Mother, I never whistled, but I know right well I can — Whistle! whistle! whistle! And so the whistling soon began.^ From the Dutch. 48 FROM MANY LANDS EPITAPH ON AGNES SOREL^ Entombed here the fairest Agnes silent lies: More praise to her rare beauty be Than holy maids receive that dwell apart for heaven, Or hermits that to deserts flee! Her radiant loveliness uplifted noble France; Our chains fell off*, and Freedom triumphed in her glance. Francis I. THE ASS AND THE FLUTE This is a fable You 11 read at a glance ; It shows what may come From nothing but chance. There roamed in a field, Quite near to the manse, An ass that had come That way by a chance. He followed his nose With pompous advance, And came on a flute Left there by a chance. FLOWERS OF SONG The brute started back, And gave it a glance ; Then softly drew near, And snorted by chance. The breath entered in, His soul to entrance; For — great his surprise — He blew it by chance. He cried as he viewed The flute in the grass : "Now who shall deride The skill of an ass?" Asses are many In hfe and romance. Who once in a while Succeed by a chance. TOMAS DE YrIARTE. 50 FROM MANY LANDS A REVELLER IN THE INN OF LIFE Through all the inn a voice cried, "Haste!" And every scamp was up at once ; There was one wretched fool so drunk, And such a witless, hopeless dunce, . He could not stir a limb to bear him hence ; The rest all fled and perished by the foe, 'Twas he alone survived who made no flight. Nor sought to hide from what he could not know. I may be drunk, I may be fool or worse In this poor inn that men call Human Life, But know I will not stir from where I sip my wine To die for naught in an unequal strife. Cry through the inn, thou Voice discordant, cry! I laugh and drink and slumber still; A dreamy dulness binds me life and limb. And seals the eyeUds of my drowsy will. From the Spanish. 51 FLOWERS OF SONG SPANISH PROVERBS Through the street of By-and-by, journeying forever, Slowly one comes at last to the house of Never. II Man is fire and woman tow, — The devil knows just when to blow. 52 FROM MANY LANDS SONG OF THE WANDERING KNIGHT My ornaments are sword and spear, War is my pleasure near and far, My bed the cold green turf alone. My quenchless lamp yon trembling star. Long are my journeys through the day, Brief are my slumbers in the night ; Thy spirit haunts me as I go ; I kiss thy token with delight. From land to land I swiftly ride, And ever sail from sea to sea ; And trust, fair lady, fate some day May bid these knightly lips kiss thee. From the Spanish. God sees me though I see Him not ; I know I shall not be forgot. For though I be the smallest dot, It is His mercy shapes my lot. From the Scandinavian. 53 FLOWERS OF SONG 'T IS the Almighty's gracious plan, That man should be the joy of man. From the Scandinavian. ON MICHAEL ANGELO'S STATUE OF NIGHT^ LINES BY GIOVANNI STROZZI Thou seest the sleeping Night in grace reclining, An angel called her from the silent stone; She sleeps and therefore lives ; if doubt there be. Awake her now — She speaks! and doubt is flown. ANSWER BY MICHAEL ANGELO 'T is sweet to sleep, but better far in stone, For since, unaltered, loss and shame remain. Unconscious darkness crowns supreme dehght; Speak low% I pray thee, wake me not to pain. From the Italian. 54 FROM MANY LANDS TO A FALSE LADY When softly gathered twilight o'er the silent air, And out from darkness rose the first bright star, A gentle lady came my solitude to share. I seemed to know her ; and she was so heav'nly fair That, gazing, I was hers ; and near or far. To honor her, I followed where she went: and then — Ah well ! I only pray : " God give thee, when Thou art as I remain, the same sad plight With which thou didst unchanging love requite." From the Italian. 55 FLOWERS OF SONG THE ONLY PLACE OF REST There is no place where I may dwell And be at rest, But on Thy breast. O'er all the world sin's fatal spell Breathes shame and woe. Where'er I go, 'T is always so, That if I tarry not with Thee I nothing have, I nothing see But tears and fears. And pain and bane, And war's rude clamor wild and fierce. To Thee, dear Lord, I swiftly fly, Thine open arms me welcome give ; Without Thy dear embrace I die. But in Thy keeping love I live. W^hen night and darkness terror bring, As flies the bird, so swift of wing. To the green shelter of some tree. Doth haste my trembling soul to Thee, For only on my Saviour's breast Is rest. From the Italian. 56 FROM MANY LANDS CHRISTMAS CAROL When Christ in Bethlehem was bom, The winter night seemed rosy morn; So bright the stars men thought 't was day — The world in golden beauty lay ; And yet one star in splendor there, Than all the rest more heavenly fair, The Magi to the manger drew. Then holy peace o'er all the earth. Proclaimed the blessed Saviour's birtli ; Together lamb and lion fed ; Calf, wolf, and bear were gently led By little children ; leopards lay Beside the timid kids all day ; There, fangless, basked the serpents too. As shepherds watched their flocks by night, Bright angels from the world of light. With music filled the trembling air, And God himself seemed everywhere. "Be not afraid," they cried, "for see! It is God's holy Jubilee, With peace on earth, good will to you!" From the Italian. 57 FLOWERS OF SONG THE CARDINALS O YE Cardinals ! if ye have honest souls, Speak to His Holiness in the Vatican, And say: "There be many Princes of the Church, And lo, among them all is found not one man." They be like to lobsters, robes and faces red, — That 's to say, when lobsters are well boil'd ; and yet While living, backward through dingy night they crawl. To tangle the meshes of Saint Peter's net. Fban'cesco Dall" Okgaro. IMMORTAL YOUTH My two-and-sixty years are flown. Swift years of sorrow and delight, And now my hair, no longer black, Is turned at last a silvery white ; But ah, my heart still young remains, L^nchanged by fortune foul or fair ; And spite of frost and snow, I see The golden summer everywhere. Khushhai. Khak of the Afghan Tribe of Khatiak. 58 FROM MANY LANDS THE LIFE OF MAN IS AS THE DUST What are human hopes and fears? Why is thy heart elated or depressed? The dust beneath thy feet was once ahve, And shall live many times again. The wind has flown, The dust is scattered, But the stream flows on. Man is as the wind. And life is like the dust, While on forever flows the stream of time. Khushhal Khan of the Afghan Tribe of Khaitak. MISGUIDED CHARITY Along the dusty road for food a lazy beggar sought ; A cucumber to him a tender-hearted stranger gave; " 'T is crooked," cried the graceless rogue, and cast it in the ditch ; "I would not eat the shapeless thing my worthy life to save." Turkish Saying. 59 FLOWERS OF SONG TURKISH PROVERB Men catch fine fish, but, if we judge from what they say, That always is the largest fish that swims away. ON HOLBEIN'S HALF-LENGTH PORTRAIT OF ERASMUS But half the mighty sage this canvas shows, Whom all the world with loving reverence knows ; Why shows it not the whole ? Surprise refrain, Him the wide earth could never quite contain. From the Latin of Theodore Beza. ON A FLY ENGRAVED IN A GOLDEN DRINKING-CUP In golden cup of sparkling wine I drew my latest breath : How could I ask a nobler tomb, Or crave a sweeter death ? CCXRADINUS.9 60 FROM MANY LANDS THE PRIEST AND THE THIEF Beside a thief condemned there walked a pious priest, Who near the gallows spake in solemn tone : "Thy grief repress; have faith that with the angels thou shalt feast." Oppressed with fear, the wretched thief did groan : "If it be true, most holy father, be the honor thine — Take thou my place beside the festal board, I pray!" " Nay, nay," the priest replied; "my selfish nature would incline. But sacred vows forbid — this is my fasting day!" Geohgius Saunus. TRANSUBSTANTIATION ^ If it be possible with "hoc est corpus meum," The Lord of glory into bread to change. That sinful men with cruel teeth should dare to pierce Him, Of all things seems the strangest of the strange. From Latin or the Fifteenth Century. 61 FLOWERS OF SONG BALAAMS ASS Balaam's ass beheld the shinmg angel stand With flammg sword his path before ; The prophet, bUnded by his sinful heart. Saw but the ass and nothing more. From Latix of the Fifteexth Century. AD MINISTRUM 11 The Persian garlands please me not, Nor chaplets tied with Unden-rind; Then ask no more where dwells the rose. In wreaths around the head to bind. Add naught to simple myrtle leaves ; No roses in the hair entwine ; The myrtle crown becomes me well. And suits me quaffing neath the vine. Horace. Liber 1, Ode 38. FROM MANY LANDS SOCRATES Great Socrates, the wisest and the best of men, Was not ashamed that Alcibiades of old Should find him with the children, and astride a stick, Or wild with noisy sport as in the dust he rolled. Latin Anthology. FOOLISH WORDS What women to their lovers say I count an idle dream. Well written on the passing wind and on the flowing stream. Catitllus. 63 FLOWERS OF SONG EPIGRAMS FROM MARTIAL I IMPROMPTU VERSES Oh why, my Stella, so severe a task? Impromptu verses at the feast you ask : But since you thus insist I must comply, And if they're poor you know the reason why. TO AVITUS Of all these epigrams a few are good. And some are fair, and others bad ; No other way, my dear Avitus, could So large a book as this be had. FROM MANY LANDS III TO AFRICANUS In gold and silver Africanus rolls, And seeks for more from rise to set of sun : To some great Fortune gives too much ; alas ! That wayward goddess gives enough to none. IV TO PELLA Send not fresh roses by the morning breezes fanned, But roses that have known the pressure of your hand. ON SOME SCULPTURED FISH Behold those fish by Phidias made, in yonder marble rim ; So perfect are they should you give them water they would swim. 65 FLOWERS OF SONG VI THE COOK 'T IS not enough to have the art Savory dishes to prepare ; The cook must know his master's heart, His ev'ry wish and taste must share. VII AN INSECT IN AMBER 12 Upon an unsuspecting ant a drop of amber fell, When, lo! the insect we so oft despise, Is changed, as by a sudden stroke of light, into a gem We more than gold of Ophir seek and prize. VIII TO PONTICUS You maim your slave, and, fired with rage, his honest tongue cut out; But what he can no longer whisper, all the neighbors shout. FROM MANY LANDS IX ON QUINTUS "QuiNTUS loves Thais" — what! — that squint-eyed, one-eyed girl ? By mighty Jove, the fellow's far more blind than she! For Thais wants one eye, but Quintus — he wants two: His foolish love for Thais proves he cannot see. X TO ^RNITIANUS Art poor? Alas! I fear thou 'It ever thus remain, For riches to the rich are giv'n, and gifts for gain. XI ON FABULLUS13 Sweet the fragrance — much it pleased me. But I nothing had to eat ; He is like a corpse, anointed, Who hath perfume for his meat. 67 FLOWERS OF SONG AN ORACLE OF THE PYTHIAN PRIESTESS Enter with holy heart the pure God's temple now ; But touch the virgin water, clean art thou ; A single drop the pure will cleanse — not all the sea From sin can wash the guilty conscience free. From the Greek. THE WHITE COWS TO MARCUS CiESARi* The white cows Marcus Caesar hail with heavy sigh, And say, "Alas! when thou hast conquered we must die." Frosi the Greek. FROM MANY LANDS MORTALITY Thou art a mortal man by human frailty girt, 'T is this the sum of wise philosophy to learn ; To-day thou rul'st a mighty empire with thy frown, — To-morrow, crownless, shalt thou fill the frmeral urn. Menander. THE BEST COUNTRY That is the best of all countries, where One lives with the least trouble and care. Aristophanes. 69 FLOWERS OF SONG THE NOBLEST GIFT A MIND from every evil thought set free, I count the noblest gift of Deity. iEsCHYLUi CURES FOR LOVE 15 Sharp pangs of hunger may love's raging fever cure, Or years of absence passion's fury alter ; But if the flame burn on thou canst no more endure. Why, friend, I do advise thee buy a halter. Crates of Thebes. 70 FROM MANY LANDS A GREEK EPITAPH Delicious wines with fragrant baths and love, More sweet than honey are to mortal taste ; But o'er the road to Hades, deep and dark, Onward by day and night man's soul they haste. EPITAPH FOR TIMON THE MISANTHROPE I WARN thee, passing stranger, come not near this fatal tomb I Sharp stakes and thorns conceal them where deceitful roses bloom ! I, Timon, hater of mankind, dissolved in dust, still cry: "I curse thee, whosoe'er thou art: Curse me, and then go by." Hegesippus. 71 FLOWERS OF SONG EARTH TO EARTH From clay I sprang, and Death shall yet command : "Go, silent dust, and under clay recline!" So all I ask of mortal man is this, — A simple cup of clay and bright red wine. DiODORUS ZONAS. THE FLIGHT OF TIME Unto the happy one Ufe's golden hours are swift and brief, But longer than eternity 's a night to one in grief.^^ From the Greek. n FROM MANY LANDS APHRODITE Paris has seen me naked, Anchises and Adonis too, But when did the great Praxiteles my undraped beauty view ? Greek Anthology. THE USELESSNESS OF LABOR From out the earth I naked sprang, Thus to the earth I go ; And since at last I nothing have, Why should I labor so? Palladas. 73 FLOWERS OF SONG THE GIFT OF THE MUSES With old Herodotus one day the ]Muses came to dine; And when they left th' historian's board all gay with sparkUng wine, They gave him — 'twas a priceless gift from the immortal Nine — The peerless books that evermore his name with theirs enshrine. From the Greek. ON THOSE WHO FELL AT THERMOPYLAE Great glory thus it is to bravely die Upon thy holy field, Thermopylae: Above our dust an altar rear divine. Since sacred Greece and Liberty are thine. Greek Epitaph. 74 FROM MANY LANDS PLATO'S EPITAPH Here rests the sacred Plato's silent dust ; With godlike heroes dwells his soul, we trust. SpEUSIPPIT: LOVE IN OLD AGEi- Let others boast of charms divine. The agile step and gi'aceful air; More lovely is thy wrinkled face, And threads of silver in thy hair. I 'd rather fold thee in my arms Than press the sweetest maid that lives ; Thy winter brings more warmth of love Than all her youthful summer gives. Paulus Silentiarius. 75 FLOWERS OF SONG E\^RY MAX FOR HIMSELF Let all the world. To ruin hurled, Be wTapped in fire When I expire. Greek Anthology. EPITAPH FOR THE SIBYL HEROPHILE Draw near and view the tomb where moulders now A Sibyl once inspired with voice divine; Relentless Fate hath choked that voice with dust. Yet near the sculptured N^Tiiphs she doth recline. And where the marble Hermes aU the day Holds sacred ward above the \'irgin clay.^^ From the Greek. 76 FROM MANY LANDS AFTER THE FEAST When we the flowing bowl at evening drain, A kindly human feeling cheers the feast ; But when comes round the morning hour again, Each genial friend becomes a raging beast. AUTOMEDON. HOMERIC COUPLET Asked and unasked, thy heavenly gifts unfold ! And evil, though we ask it. Lord, withhold. 77 FLOWERS OF SONG GREEK EPIGRAM If it were true, as some have boldly said, That in the grave the wise and mighty dead Have sense and knowledge sacred things to seize, I 'd hang myself to see Euripides. TRUE RICHES Far richer he who dines on simple herbs, And knows the sweet delight of perfect health. Than knaves and fools who sip their crystal wines. And trust the glitter of deceitful wealth. Hesiod. 78 FROM MANY LANDS GREEK EPITAPHS I I, Dion YSius of Tarsus, lie here after a long and weary lot ; I never married, and I swear 't were better had my father not. II After eating, drinking, and living all my wicked life. Here I, Timocreon of Rhodes, now rest from further strife. 79 FLOWERS OF SONG CONSCIENCE Honest men to law will never go ; Conscience is the only court they know. AXTIPHANES. THE DEADLY PRESENCE No fatal herb to Aristagoras did Agis give, He merely entered and his host was dead. Ye coffin-makers, pelt this living aconite with flowers; With rosy chaplets crown his mighty head. Hedylus. 80 FROM MANY LANDS THE COMMON DOOM Here lies a sailor — there a ploughman rests; One common doom the sea and land invests. Plato the Philosopher. UNDER A WINGED CUPID 'T IS vain to haste when Love pursues, He is so nimble and so fleet; He darts like lightning through the air, For he has wings, — thou, only feet. Fro.m the Greek. 81 FLOWERS OF SONG INSCRIPTION OVER A TEMPLE Of chastity let him who enters here be sure ; And he alone is chaste whose secret thoughts are pure. Greek Anthology. TO A MURDERER In vain you hide my bleeding corse from human sight, Since God beholds you through the darkness of the night. Greek Anthology, FROM MANY LANDS DIOGENES A STAFF, and a scrip, and garment folded twice, Were the light load of Diogenes the wise. LEONinAS. ARISTOPHANES The Graces sought a sacred shrine. For songs of love and peace ; And, lo ! they found it in the soul Of Aristophanes. Greek Anthology. 83 FLOWERS OF SONG ENVY Envy with deadly sting her own base self destroys; The sight of others happy, is the poison she employs. Greek Anthology. COUNSEL Slow-footed counsel with true wisdom rings ; Advice that 's swiftly giv'n repentance brings. LUCIAN. THE MISER'S GRIEF The miser wept, but not because he feared the grave; 'T was that he would the money for his coffin save. NiCARCKUS. 84 FROM MANY LANDS EQUALITY IN THE GRAVE Manes when living was a humble slave, But Death hath crown 'd his brow ; And in the grave, great king Darius, know That slave 's as great as thou. Anyte of Tegea. LAIS DEDICATES HER MIRROR TO VENUS Once at Greece proud Lais mocked, — With gay lovers laughed all day ; Now these lovers come no more, Mirth and song are passed away. Venus, take this glass from me. Since I old and wrinkled grow; What I am I would not see. What I shall be would not know. Plato the Philosopher. 85 FLOWERS OF SONG THE TYRIAN LANDSCAPE Furrows the calm main The Tyrian sailor with his oar, And the ploughman, the green soil By the sylvan shore. The lowing of the oxen, And the bird-song sweet and free, Answer the deep roar Of the tideless sea. Under green boughs The wood-nymph, reclining, Hears the voice of the sea-nymph, In love-songs repining. The breezes from Lebanon, Laden with perfume. The tree-tops caress, And their journey resume ; Fanning the cheek of the rustic, Weary with labor at midday. And speeding white sails As they glide far away. NONKUS. FROM MANY LANDS RICHES ACQUIRED IN OLD AGE Want and hunger curs'd my youth, Sixty brings me wealth and fame; Miserable lots are both, — Either way it is the same : Now that I have golden treasure, I 've nor heart nor taste for pleasure, — When I could have known delight, I was in a sorry plight. From the Greek. 87 FLOWERS OF SONG THE STUPID BRAHMIN The heavenly gods on Devasarman smiled, And gave him rice the holy feast to keep ; Unto a potter's shop he fled and there, His rice beside, the Brahmin fell asleep. The plate to shield from hungry dog and thief, A stick he held within his lazy hand ; And, slumber folding all his soul in dreams, His future life from year to year he planned : "This plate of rice ten cowries it shall bring. And I will buy me pots and kettles rare. And these 1 11 change for betel-nuts and dress Till I shall roll in wealth beyond compare. Four wives I '11 marry — lovely women all. And on the youngest shall my gold descend ; The three, with hatred moved, will quarrel make. And with this stick I'll cause their wrath to end." The growing thought his drowsy soul possessed — He seized the staff, and round and round it flew ; The plate of rice in fragments fell apart, And pots and kettles old and new. The master heard the din — in breathless rage he ran. The stupid Brahmin seized and thrashed him well. The dream w^as gone, the plate of rice and all. And in a swoon the stupid Brahmin fell. 88 FROM MANY LANDS Ye sons of men, the useful lesson learn: Who wisely lives the present moment serves, And he who spends his strength in idle dreams The stupid Brahmin's hapless fate deserves. From the Hitopadesa. 89 FLOWERS OF SONO SANSCRIT COUPLETS Speak no word thy secret heart denies ; With his tongue he slays his soul who lies. II ISIoRE fragrant is the ancient sandal-tree, And wiser seems the aged man to me. Ill As running water cleanseth bodies dropped therein, So heavenly truth doth cleanse the secret heart from sin. IV Never rejoice, O friend, at the death of a foe ; Swiftly thy hfe to the same deep sea doth flow. 90 FROM MANY LANDS HOW TO BECOME A SAINT In every human heart a herd of swine, With hoof unclean and vile and greedy snout, Trample upon God's fragrant flowers divine : W^ouldst be a saint? Then drive the creatures out. From the Sanscrit. RENUNCIATION What man doth once with all his heart renounce. By that no more he suffers pain ; Anger and care, desire and discontent, His quiet soul assault in vain. He who hath slain the pride that saith, "'Tis mine," Nor whispers, "I am thus and so," Doth taste the deep repose Nirvana brings. And one to him are joy and woe. From the Sanscrit. 91 FLOWERS OF SONG THE TRUE GIFT Not costly gifts with Heaven so much prevail, When they for future recompense are made, As some mere trifle set apart in faith. And won with loving heart in honest trade. From the Mahabharata. DISTASTE FOR LIFE Living in such a world, I seem to dwell A frog abiding in a dried-up well. From the Mahabharata. 92 FROM MANY LANDS THE PRESENT HEAVEN Look not beyond the stars for Heaven, Nor 'neath the sea for Hell ; Know thou who leads a useful life In Paradise doth dwell. Hafiz. WHAT NEED OF SACRED HOUSE? All forms of faith one holy object have; All men the Loved One seek with constant care ; And since the world is Love's fair dwelling-place, Why talk of mosque or sacred house of prayer ? Haftz. FLOWERS OF SONG SUNRISE Behold the morning! Rise, O youth, And fill thyself with rosy wine : From the crystal cup of dawn, Drink the glowing draught divine ! Omah Khayvam. THE APPOINTED HOUR No child of man may perish e'er his time arrives, A thousand ari'ows pierce him, and he still survives ; But when the moment fixed in Heaven's eternal will Comes round, a single blade of yielding grass may kill. Froji the Mahabharata. 94 FROM MANY LANDS THE CREATION OF SEX From dead and senseless earth Almighty God created man: But woman made He from man's body by diviner plan. And thus on earth began the wondrous miracle of sex, The human heart to fill with joy, the empty head to vex. Man was the first in dim creation's dark and ancient line ; But woman is the softer, sweeter, clearer, more divine. The Lord from inorganic earth made man for toil and strife. And moulded then from living clay young Adam's lovely wife. Oriental (from Ruckert). THE BRAHMIN'S DELIGHT Two things the noble Brahmin's heart delight: A friend whose love is always warm and true, And holy songs from sacred volumes learned ; He lives contented who may claim the two. From the Sanscrit. 95 FLOWERS OF SONG THE HELPFUL DRUG The helpful drug the patient's pain doth ease, And not the quack's wise name for his disease. From the Hitopadesa. THE HOUSE OF GOD Prone upon the earth, in prayer, the weary Nanac fell, Filled with all blessed thoughts of God ; Turned toward the sacred Mecca were his dusty feet. And rested on the soft green sod. When, lo I there passed a saintly Moslem priest that way. And cried, "Base unbeliever, dost thou dare to pray. Thy graceless feet extended toward God's city fair?" But Nanac thus made answer, "Is not everywhere God's city ? Find, if thou canst, the accursed spot Where, crowned with deathless praise, His holy house is not ! " Froji the Persian. 96 FROM MANY LANDS PERSIAN COUPLETS They always win the golden day Who listen much, and little say. II Chain cruel Anger, lest, when free, With iron fetter he bind thee. Ill When desire ceases, instability disappears. And buried under one deep sea are human hopes and fears. IV Sun, moon, and stars are a heavenly token From One whose holy name must not be spoken. The holy prophet Zoroaster said. The Lord who made thy teeth shall give thee bread. VI With wild and angry foam, and loud deep roar. Old Ocean casts her pearls upon the shore. 97 FLOWERS OF SONG vn No earthly task is ever wisely wrought By hand reluctant or unwilling thought. 98 FROM MANY LANDS ENVY PURSUES THE FRUITFUL Rejoice, O my soul, and be glad, When Envy speaks evil of thee ! Sticks, and stones, and clods of the field Are cast at the fruit-bearing tree. From the Persian. THE PRAYER OF A PERSIAN Unto the sinful evermore Thy boundless mercy show. For Thou didst bless the good, O Lord, when Thou didst make them so. Lcrc. FLOWERS OF SOXG THE CHOICE OF FRIENDS One biilniv day in gentle Jime, ^^'hile sporting in my bath so free. In came a friend -vs-ith perfumed clay. And gave the fragrant mass to me. Art thou of musk or ambergris ■. Thou art hke both : I camiot tell Whence comes the charm, but this I know, I am dehghted with thy smell. -I was a piece of worthless clay Until the bloommg rose I knew : For by its side I dit\nk dehght. And drank its heavenly fragrance too. ••But for that rose I should be still Mere worthless clay for idle ends : Learn well the lesson I impart — Be careful in your choice of friends." 100 FROM MANY LANDS THE SUMMARY OF THE LAW Think purely, O thou heart of mine, Turn from Ahriman away ! They only Ormazd shall behold Who walk in perfect day. Speak purely, O ye mortal lips, From wrath and falsehood tiun away I They only Ormazd shall behold Who nothing evil say. Act purely, O thou form of flesh, From lust and anger turn away ! They only Ormazd shall behold Who holy lives display. From the Persian. 101 FLOWERS OF SONG THE UNITY OF FAITH KiNE are of divers colors, but they all milk the same; Altar flowers are not alike, but worship is one flame ; Systems of faith may differ with every changing zone ; But God, unchanging ever, remaineth God alone. Vejiaxa. MUCH IN LITTLE In the eye of a gnat an elephant sleeps, Thousands of harvests the corn-kernel keeps, A dewdrop the banished Euphrates doth hold. And a mustard-seed doth the Almighty enfold. From the Persian. 102 FROM MANY LANDS THE DIVINE DEMAND God will not seek thy race, Nor will He ask thy birth ; Alone He will demand of thee, "What hast thou done on earth' Frosi the Persian. MAJNUN'S LOVE Majnun's love was not of earth alone, — Changeless with sacred truth it shone ; A mortal raised the glowing flame, — From Heaven the inspiration came. From the Persian of Nisami. 103 FLOWERS OF SONG THE SUPREME EMANCIPATION Unto one sick, his fond disciple cried : "To what, O Master, doth thy heart aspire?" And thus the sage replied : " Only to be emancipated from desire ; For when the belly hath no ease from pain. But suffers, first from pangs of hunger, then again From food — what comfort hath the spirit or the brain?" Saadi. THE SAINT'S REPLY Unto a saint a mighty monarch said : "How often dost thou think of me?" The holy man made answer thus: "O king, When I forget the Lord I think of thee." Saadi. 104 FROM MANY LANDS INTOXICATION Whom the ruby wine doth intoxicate Shall sober when the funies are blown aw^ay ; But whom the cupbearer doth intoxicate Shall sober not until the judgment-day. Saadi. FAME In Caesar's palace, lo ! the spider weaves her web ; The lonely owl doth guard the tower of Afrasiab. Saadi. 105 FLOWERS OF SONG HYMN TO A STAR TisTRA, star of heaven, we praise thee — Ever glowing bright and clear ; All the world is filled with beauty When the darkness brings thee near. Like the burning eye of Mithra, Pure as crystal waters are, — From the soul of Zarathushtra, Shine upon us from afar. With thy silent torch illumine All the darkness of the way ; Guard our hearts and lips from evil, And restore us when we stray. Holy star, we praise, adore thee, Fadeless glory of the sky ! Never shall thy radiant beauty, Nor thy sacred worship die. From the Persiai. 106 FROM MANY LANDS GAIN STRENGTH BY HELPING OTHERS Distress not with thy troubles other souls, Since life hath thorns enough for all; With kind and tender heart and helpful hand, Gain strength by lifting those who fall. Saaoi. THE END OF TYRANNY Swift as resistless desert winds Hfe's changing seasons fly ; The saddest sorrows and the sweetest joys of earth must die ; Vainly the cruel tyrant seeks to bind us with his chain, — His angry rage shall pass us by, and on himself remain. From the Persian. 107 FLOWERS OF SONG AL CAWTHAR Al Cawthar makes the desert where it flows To blossom forth in fragrance Hke the rose; Down rocky steeps it falls in living showers, To fill the Persian land with fruit and flowers. From the Persian. 108 FROM MANY LANDS TRANSLATIONS FROM THE ARABIC DIVINE CONTEMPLATION One hour of silent contemplation far outweighs External worship, lengthy prayers, and empty praise. Attributed to Mahomet. II THE TRUE COUNSELLOR He alone can counsel give Of all his tribe, Whom death cannot affright, Nor treasure bribe. Ill 'LET NOT THE MAN WHO SOWS THORNS WALK BAREFOOT" Would you become a liar? — Then remember well. Lest in some thoughtless hour the honest truth you tell. 109 FLOWERS OF SONG IV THE FOOL'S FLIGHT He fled from the beating rain without, And sat down under the waterspout. V THE PENITENT THIEF The thief when guards are round about the door. Doth bless the Lord and say, '*I steal no more." VI TRUE GENEROSITY He only is generous, Whose gift. By a willing hand proffered, Is swift. 110 FROM MANY LANDS VII SCANT HOSPITALITY God bless the man and spare him grief, Who kindly makes his visit brief. VIII THE UNHALLOWED DEAD If the winding-sheet be ragged and old, The corpse-washer be one-eyed and mean, The bier be broken, and the burial-ground salt, The dead then belongeth in hell I ween. IX PILGRIMAGE To lighten my sins to ^lecca I went. And thought at the mosque my guilt to repent; From Caaba the holy and Zem-Zem I came. And my burden of guilt was exactly the same. Ill FLOWERS OF SONG DECEIVED BY APPEARANCES Into his one remaining eye a splinter sank, And quenched its sight ; He merely smiled, and bowed, and said with gentle tone, "My friend, good night!" XI WHO HATH MUCH CAN RESIGN THE LITTLE He upon whom the full moon doth shine. Can the twinkling stars of heaven resign. XII ALL THE SAME AT LAST Both swift and tardy feet, At the same ferry meet.^^ 112 FROM MANY LANDS XIII THE ENVIOUS CAMEL Of Heaven the vain and foolish camel sought A wide and branching horn, But Allah clipped its loose and dangling ears, And laughed the beast to scorn. Learn thou the lesson, envious one, — Unvalued gifts depart ; Wisely cherish what thou hast to-day, With calm and quiet heart. XIV STOLEN GLANCES Thou mean and sour-faced eunuch, hsten well. And every word I breathe, unto thy master tell! But thou canst not the secret meaning spy, That lingers in the sweeter language of the eye. Beha-ed-dix Zohein. 113 FLOWERS OF SONG XV THE COQUETTE She who kindles the flame of fierce desire Cries at the fii-st advance, "Fire! fire!" XVI MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS Avoid the thing that doth concern thee not. And let all idle gossip be forgot. XVII FERTILE OF RESOURCES A FOOT of water in the tank. Yet in he plunged and down he sanK The water came not to his knees, And vet he swam about with ease. 114 FROM MANY LANDS XVIII THE RIGHT ROAD Follow Moses and Amram, and press on in this road Until you hear the solemn words, "I am Deity!" So long as the mount of being remains before you, The answer to "Show me," is "Thou shalt not behold Me." Mahomet in the Gulshan-i-Raz. XIX WHAT COMES OF QUARRELLING About the cow, with fierce and angry voice, they quarrelled all the day. And then the greedy kadhy took the well-fed creature for his pay. 115 FLOWERS OF SONG TRANSLATIONS FROM THE HEBREW I THE WISDOM OF A CHILDLIKE SPIRIT The world is saved from friend and foe By what the little children know. II "GLITTERING CROAVNS DECEIVE' The soldiers fight and bravely die, Their blood the crimson fields receive : **The kings are heroes!" lo, the people cry; Thus ghttering crowns deceive. Ill SECRECY Thy friend hath still another friend, And he a friend as well : Be silent, lest to all the world Their lips the secret tell. lis FROM MANY LANDS IV THE BIBLE Turn the Bible o'er and o'er, Read its pages more and more ; All that mind can e'er receive, Or the loving heart believe, In that volume can be found. Turn the Bible round and round - O my soul, thou hungry bird. Taste the honey of the Word. THE THREE FRIENDS Man in his life hath three good friends, — Wealth, family, and noble deeds; These serve him in his days of joy, And minister unto his needs. But when the lonely hour of death. With sad and silent foot, draws nigh, Wealth and family take them wings, And from the dying pillow fly. But noble deeds, in love, respond: "Ere came to thee the fatal day, We went before, O gentle friend. And smoothed the steep and thorny way.' 117 FLOWERS OF SONG VI MODEST WORTH REWARDED Who runneth after greatness, from him greatness flies; But whoso shunneth greatness, to him greatness hies. 118 FROM MANY LANDS A ROYAL EPITAPH 20 I HAVE departed hence. And am no more forever. Like the day I vanished, Hath my spirit faded from the world, And my voice Ceased from sounding in the ears of men. Hush ! Here sleeps a king, EncofRned in the tomb He builded with his wealth ; Bequeathing unto whomsoe'er Shall move his bones. Or dig for treasure in his mould'ring dust, A curse that shall continue, And consume his race : To him and his be there no rest for evermore, Nor fruit of any toil ; I^et him, when dead, lie rotting on the field. His bones the prey of jackals. I have departed hence, To dwell no more with men ; And, like the day I vanished, Hath my spirit faded into nothingness : Farewell. Fro.'m the Piicenician of Esmunazah, King of the Two Sidoks 119 FLOWERS OF SONG THE BOOK OF PYMANDER A BOOK have I written — Not mine, but the book of the world For her sake And the sake of her God, Have I written these things. The Soul once lifted from sin, Knowing goodness, Shall fall nevermore ; She shall triumph in truth, Having walked through the world. And, dying, shall live. A HAPPY LOT How pleasant is my earthly lot, — To watch the fishers in the bay, And see them haul their nets ashore. Or speed their white sails far away. Here by the sounding sea I'd dwell, The friend of nature and of man; Enjoy the world from morn till eve. And do the little good I can. From the Javanese. 120 FROM MANY LANDS CONFESSION Before I knew you I was glad, But since I 've seen you I am sad ; And this confession, fond and true. Is made alone, dear girl, for you. To other eyes I still am gay, I laugh though you are far away, I bear the burden of the day. Nor sighs nor tears my grief betray ; Oh pity my distress, and give One word of hope to bid me live. From the Japanese. 121 FLOWERS OF SONG THE MISSION OF SORROW Th' unpolished pearl can never shine— 'T is sorrow makes the soul divine. From the Japanese. Wash, if thou canst, each day, The guilt of sin away. Inscription on the Bathing-tub of K'ang. Who would pluck the fragrant rose, I warn : He shall feel the sharp and piercing thorn. Chinese Couplet. 122 FROM MANY LANDS THE WORDS OF THE WISE ARE FEW Of all the lands where mighty forests grow, But few that bear the sandalwood I know ; In every clime the wise and good I view, And yet, alas ! their golden words are few. Saskya Pandita. CHINESE COUPLET "I HAVE seen Cashmere," cried the ambitious frog, Perched in slime and mud upon a slipp'ry log. 123 FLOWERS OF SONG A PRAYER FOR THE KING Long years and fadeless days, A keen, swift sword. And glory among kings Unto my Lord. Grant, O ye mighty gods, To him who gave Such gifts to you, this prayer Of his true slave. His empire, let it spread O'er all the earth ; His sorrow be dissolved In wine and mirth. Let kings before him kneel. And own his sway; Their sceptres and their crowns Bestrew his way. And when his life shall end In death's dark night, Grant him the happy fields Of fadeless light. Assyrian gods attend The hero's flight. Up to the Silver Mount's Celestial height. Assyrian Sacred Poetry. 12^4 FROM MANY LANDS THE HUMAN SACRIFICE Bind the victim hand and foot, Sacred to the mighty god ; Let his flesh be torn apart. And his blood besoak the sod. Cries the sacrifice with tears, '*I have wife and children sweet!" Beat the drum and swing the spear ; flighty Rongo's name repeat. Now the priest the victim takes — See the bleeding limbs divide ! Warriors, bathe your gleaming spears In the foaming crimson tide. Split the heart and bear it hence; Rongo hungers, haste! away! When the mighty god commands. Shall a mortal disobey? Sacrificial Hymn of the South Sea Islands. 125 FLOWERS OF SONG CREATION AND TRIAL OF MAN In beginning of time when earth was young, Rapt seers have said and sacred poets sung. The God of heaven created black and white : He laid a calabash and a seal'd leaf (Long is the fate, the trial all too brief) Upon the glistening sod at noon of night ; And in the dawning and the glistening dew Men made their choice beneath an arch of blue. The dusky race the calabash upraised, And, unsuspecting, in the hollow gazed — Alas, how soon their pride was levelled low ! Metals the use of which they did not know, — Silver, and gold, and diamonds, all were there, — Not to enrich, but to increase their care. Unto the white the leaf was left, — a prize That made them sun-faced children of the skies. Knowledge was theirs that chain'd the world their slave, And every question solved in earth and wave. God loved and gave the white men strength of mind, But left the darker races dull and blind. The tan -faced children to the desert fled, And evermore a roving life they led. From the Ashanti. 126 FROM MANY LANDS THE PRAYER OF A RAIDER O Master of all living men, Pity my sore distress ! May I the armed foe destroy, And many scalps possess ; Wing thou the flying arrow so That death may follow swift; Horses and plunder may I have, — The great Wohkonda's gift. Before thee now, great Lord of lords, A lonely raider stands — All lives, and scalps, and horses too, Are in thy mighty hands. From the Osages. 127 FLOWERS OF SONG A MOTHER'S LAMENT FOR HER DROWNED SON Alas, alas thine empty seat, my son! Vainly thy garments I did toil to dry. Thy mother's joy is clouded o'er with grief. And darkness veils the lonely sky. How oft I watched with straining eye for thee, And saw thee rowing swiftly o'er the wave ; Wiser than all thy race, my noble boy. And than the bravest still more brave. Never with empty hand didst thou return, • But now I mourn thine empty hand and place ; Alas, how useless seems the world to me. Since I no more behold thy face ! Friends, could I weep as ye are weeping now. It were some comfort to my breaking heart ; The fever burns my brow, my sight is dim, The anguish is too deep for tears to start. Death, death alone can now be good to me ; Life is a loathsome thing, and I would go, Far, far away from Greenland's rocky coast. Its icy waves and fields of sparkhng snow. 128 FROM MANY LANDS Take me, sweet Death, to thy divine embrace, Seal with deep slumber every aching sense; The world is empty and the stars are dust, They hold no love for me. I would go hence. From the Greenlandic. 129 NOTES NOTES ^ Blind passenger — one who travels without paying fare. 2 When Magnus sought the realms of night. Grim Pluto trembled for his right. "That fellow comes," he said, "'tis plain. To call my ghosts to life again." Translated from Lucihus by Rev. Robert Bland. ^ This hymn by Luther is a rendering of the "Media in Vita" of Notker, a de- vout and learned Benedictine of St. Gall, who died about 912. There is a tradi- tion that he composed his "Media in Vita" while watching workmen who were engaged in constructing the bridge of Martinsbruck at the peril of their lives. It was set to music and became very popular. Later a suspicion grew up in the minds of men that some of the lines had the power of exercising magical influ- ences, and so the hynm was suppressed. * Johannes Scheffler, generally known by the name he assumed on entering the Roman Catholic Church, Angelus Silesius, was born in the year l624>, at Breslau, Prussia. He was educated in the Lutheran faith, but seems never to have been fully satisfied with the doctrines of the Reformation. He was for a time court- physician, and special medical attendant upon the Emperor Ferdinand HI, but being a man of ample fortune, he soon retired from the practice of a profession for which he had only an indifferent relish. In 1661 he received ordination in the order of the Franciscans, and ten years later retired to a convent, where he spent the remainder of his life. His first collection of poems, published in l657, appeared under the title: "Holy Joy of the Soul; or Spiritual Shepherd-songs of the Jesus-enamoured Psyche." His best work is known as "The Cherubic Wanderer," and is a collection of l6l5 rhymed epigrams, many of which are exceedingly beautiful. The philosophical and religious views of the later poems of Scheffler are clearly traceable to the influence of Frankenberg, and to the works of Tauler and Jacob Boehme. Hegel in his "iEsthetic" alludes to Scheffler in these terms: "The pantheistic unity, when the stress is laid upon the subject, which feels itself in this unity with God, and which feels God as this presence in subjective consciousness, results in mysticism. Mysticism in this form has developed itself also in Chris- tianity. As an illustration, let me cite Angelus Silesius, who has expressed with the greatest profundity and boldness of contemplation and feeling, and with a 133 NOTES wonderful mystic power of presentation, the substantial existence of God in things, and the union of our selfhood with God, and of God with human subjectivity." ^ Some say his last words were: "Let down the curtain, the farce is over." 6 Spen, miju liever dochter, don gave ik u eeu koe. Ach! mijn liever moeder, het maakt mij zoo nioe — Ik kan niet spenner, Ach zea! mijn vinger doet mij zoo seer. Spen, mijn liever dochter, don gave ik u een paard. Ach! mijn liever moeder, ik ben het niet vvaard — Ik kan niet spenner, Ach zea ! mijn vinger doet mij zoo seer. Spen, mijn liever dochter, don gave ik een schaap. Ach! mijn liever moeder, het geve mij de gaap — Ik kan niet spenner, Ach zea! mijn vinger doet mij zoo seer. Spen, mijn liever dochter, don gave ik u een moji. Ach! mijn liever moeder, dongaan ik daaraan — Ik kan wall spenner, Ach zea! mijn vinger doet mijn ghe7ie seer. ' Agnes Sorel, Dame de Fromenteau, was one of the greatest beauties in the time of Charles VII. She lived five years in the service of the Queen, during which time she enjoyed all the pleasures of life, in wearing rich clothes, furred robes, golden chains, and precious stones. Charles was greatly infatuated with her loveliness, as well as by her pleasing manners and agreeable conversation. He gave her the Castle of Beaute-sur-Maine, as well as several other estates. The King even neglected the care of his kingdom and all public business for the sake of the fair Agnes. She was very high spirited; constantly reproached him for his indolence, urged upon him the duties of his state, and roused him to take effective means to secure his crown. It was singular that Charles VII should find his chief support in the female sex — in Joan of Arc, all purity and saintly courage, who at the age of eighteen drove the English from Orleans, and won the battle of Patay; and in Agnes Sorel, the lady of beauty, who in a measure atoned for her sins by her disin- terestedness and patriotism. Agnes died on Monday, tlie ninth day of February, in the year 1450. Her 134 NOTES body was interred in the Church of the Abbey of Loches, to which she had been a most hberal benefactress. Her heart was buried in the chapel of the Virgin at Jumieges, beneath a lofty and magnificent mausoleum of black marble. Agnes herself was repre- sented kneeling on both knees, and offering a heart to the Mother of Mercy. At the foot of the tomb was another heart in white marble. All this has per- ished, but the tabular piece which covered the mausoleum may still be seen at Rouen, inserted in the wall of a house in the Rue Saint Maur Faubourg Cauchoise. Hartsiiorne: "Enshrined Hearts." * When the statue of Night was exhibited for the first time, the following lines were found among the verses affixed to it, according to the custom of the time: "La Notte che tu vedi in si dolci atti Dormire, fu da an Angelo scolpita In questo sasso, e perche dorme ha vita; Destala, se no '1 credi, e parlaratti." Angel and Angelo, as a part of Michael Angelo's name, allow a double mean- ing, which in this manner has been often used in his praise. The author was Giovanni Battista Strozzi, one of the most decided adherents of the Medici, who had left the city in 1529, and had occupied himself in Padua, during the war, in scientific works. Michael Angelo made the statue itself reply to these verses. The poem runs thus : "Grato m' e'l sonno, e piu I' esser di sasso, Mentre che'l danno e la vergogna dura; Non veder, non sentir, m' e gran ventura ; Per 6 non mi destar, deh ! paria basso!" Grimm: "Life of Michael Angelo." ® Perhaps Henry Conrad, a German physician of the seventeenth century. 10 If this we see be bread, how can it last. So constantly consuni'd, yet always here.'' If this be God, then how can it appear Bread to the eye, and seem bread to the taste.'' If bread, why is it worshipp'd by the baker.'' If God, can such a space a God comprise? If bread, how is it, it confounds the wise.'' If God, how is it that we eat our Maker.'' 135 NOTES If bread, what good can such a morsel do? If God, how is it we divide it so? If bread, such saving virtue could it give? If God, how can I see and touch it thus? If bread, how could it come from heav'n to us? If God, how can I look at it and live? Louis Ponce de Leon. ^^ Horace had probably invited some of his friends to supper, and his slave was making an extraordinary preparation for their entertainment. The ancients used to crown their heads with myrtle at their feasts, not only because they thought that it dispelled the vapors of their wine, but because it was sacred to Venus. ^2 Martial has two other epigrams upon creatures enclosed in amber: As 'mong the poplar boughs a viper crawls. The liquid gum upon him struggling falls : With drops alone while wond'ring to be held. He straight within the amber was congeal'd. Then of thy tomb, proud queen, think not too high : A worm far nobler here entomb' d doth lie. The bee enclosed, and through the amber shown. Seems buried in the juice which was his own. So honor' d was a life in labor spent : Such might he wish to have his monument. Anon. 1695. Hay. ^^ Fabullus had given an entertainment at which all the guests were provided with perfumes, and no food. With lace bedizeu'd comes the man. And I must dine with Lady Anne. A silver service loads the board. Of eatables a slender hoard. "Your pride, and not your victuals spare, I came to dine, and not to stare." Dr. John Hoadly. 136 NOTES " The meaning of this epigram is obscure^ but it doubtless expresses a fear on the part of certain white cows that should Marcus be victorious they must be slain for sacrifice. ^^Interesting in this connection is Tennyson's amusing epigram, entitled "The Skipping-Rope " : Sure never yet was Antelope Could skip so lightly by. Stand off, or else my skipping-rope Will hit you in the eye. How lightly whirls the skipping-rope ! How fairy-like you fly! Go, get you hence, you muse and mope; I hate that silly sigh. Nay, dearest, teach me how to hope. Or tell me how to die. There, take it, take my skipping-rope, And hang yourself thereby. ^^ Afflictis lentae, celeres gaudentibus horae. Motto on a Sun-dial at Courmayeur, in the Valley of Aosta. Felicibus brevis, misei'is hora longa. Mono ON A Sun-dial at Martigny. Maestis lentse, celeres gaudentibus horae. Motto on a Sun-dial near Padua. "Ovid (Ex Ponto, 1. 4, 49) thus addresses his wife: O ego, Di faciant, talem te cernere possim, Caraque mutatis oscula ferre genis; Amplectique meis corpus uon piugue lacertis. ^^ She was entombed near a marble fountain whereon were carved Nymphs and a Hermes. ^^ Boats on the Nile wait a long time for passengers. 20 Shakspeare was not the only one who left a curse to the despoiler of his tomb, as we see from Esmunazar's hopeless and ungracious lines. Curses of the kind 137 NOTES were not uncommon among the Romans. By the Aurelian Gate was the follow- ing inscription, dating from a pagan period: C. TVLIVS. c. L. BARNAEVS OLLA. EJVS. SI. QVI OV VIOLARIT. AD INFEROS. NON RECIPIATVR. (C. Tullius Barnaeus. If any one violate this urn, let him not be received into the Infernal Regions.) Maitland records an epitaph of the same spirit among Christian remains in the Lapidarian Gallery, which he renders into English thus: "If any one violates this Sepulchre, let him perish miserably, lie unburied, and not arise, but have his lot with Judas." iSD2