LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 
 
 ©I^HjtX-S^.lx^ig^ ;|0, 
 
 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 
 
THE TALE OF THE 
 
 Children of Lamech 
 
 Jl JPOEM. 
 
 JAMES A. WHITNEY, LL.D. 
 
 lHfl4> -^ 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 N. TIBBALS & SONS, 
 
 124 Nassau Street. 
 1885. 
 
feT3 
 
 Copyright, 1885, 
 
 BY 
 
 JAMES A. WHITNEY. 
 
 All Rights Reserved. 
 
TO THE MEMORY OF MY FATHER, 
 
 AMAZIAH WHITNEY, 
 
 WHO DIED THIRTY YEARS AGO. 
 
 A MAN OF KINDLY HEART AND GENTLE WAYS, 
 
 WHO, FROM YOUTH TO AGE, 
 
 FEARED GOD AND KEPT HIS COMMANDMENTS. 
 
 THIS VOLUME 
 
 ' IS REVERENTLY INSCRIBED. 
 
THE TALE OF THE 
 
 CHILDREN OF LAMECH 
 
 Not yet the memory of Eden lost 
 
 Had faded from the tribes whose scatter'd paths 
 
 Threaded the plain of Shinar. In their veins 
 
 Still ran the juices of the bitter fruit 
 
 Borne by the tree of life : so centuries 
 
 Must come to men ere yet their wasting strength 
 
 Bade them remember that the Lord had said 
 
 That dust from Earth must unto Earth return. 
 
 And generations seven from the loins 
 
 Of Adam sprang and peopled the new land 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 Beyond the Gihon. And still Adam walked, 
 Though broken with deep delving of the ground 
 And wearied with old sorrows unforgot, 
 Among the sons of men. And in his age 
 Watched with the sheep of Enoch and his sons, 
 Yet ever looked he eastward to the walls 
 Of the dark city in the land of Nod 
 That evil Cain had builded. 
 
 In that day 
 All they were shepherds who from Seth had sprung, 
 Seth, who had come because of Abel slain, 
 For theirs the heritage of Abel's flocks 
 And Abel's peaceful ways, and Abel's lore 
 Of what the skies foretold, and whence the wind 
 Came driving fleecy clouds that to the herbs 
 Gave nourishing of rain. And to and fro 
 And round about the pastures grazed the flocks, 
 Yet ever turning, so that far away 
 Against the sky the city rose to view: 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 And all around its walls the fields were green 
 With thrift of tillage. .When the plains were brown 
 In the parched summer the far slopes gave forth 
 A growing glimmer of soft gold, and soon 
 The yellow harvests shone. 
 
 And so the sons 
 Of Seth were shepherds on the pasture plain. 
 And those of Cain were toilers in the hills. 
 
 Ever upon the plain when fell the night 
 And flocks were gather'd close, the wand'rers saw 
 The calm clear stars shine thro' the azure sky : 
 And saw that some were steadfast in their place, 
 Unchanging and unchanged ; and chief of these 
 The one that glowed unfailing o'er the hills 
 From which the rivers flowed. And others marked 
 That slowly swept the heavens night by night, 
 Changing from what they were, yet sought again 
 The place from whence they came : and most of all 
 
CHILDREN OF LAM ECU. 
 
 Of these the star that broader shone anear 
 The even and the dawn. 
 
 The solitude 
 Was filled with wondrous silence, and they dreamed 
 To mark the pathways of the skies and know 
 The marvel of the stars. And year by year 
 Their wisdom grew : and so foretold the days, 
 The coming of the seasons, of the rain 
 To quench the desert drouth, the aridness 
 When heaven's windows should be shut and so 
 The wrath of the high sun should smite the earth : 
 And forecast all the comings of the winds. 
 Upon broad stones they marked the thrones of all 
 The stars that steadfast were ; and marked the 
 
 course 
 Of those that went upon appointed ways ; 
 So that Seth's sons and daughters knew the paths 
 Trod bv the hosts of heaven. 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 In the hills 
 The toilers delved the earth and searched the mold, 
 Seeking the secret of each seed that swelled 
 And sprang to leaf and stem. Observantly 
 They saw the slow unwearied spiders spin, 
 The fox his dwelling dig, the bird its nest 
 Build deftly in the branches. Of each herb 
 They marked the hidden virtue, and each tree 
 To them gave knowledge. And they wrought their 
 
 tasks, 
 Each diligent to learn the secret craft 
 Whereby or bird or beast or insect kept 
 Its place within the world, for like to these 
 They dwelt within the land. From out the earth 
 To them came lore of safety, and its fruits 
 Were plenteous to them. And so the sons 
 Of Cain had knowledge of the woods and fields. 
 And ever from the hills the toilers marked 
 The idling shepherds on the lands below. 
 And ever by their sheep the shepherds told 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 Loud scornful tales of those upon the hills. 
 
 Yet back and forth the traders came and went, 
 
 For these the fruitage of the hills required, 
 
 While those had need of yield from out the flocks. . 
 
 And often, envious, to the golden land 
 
 Where the blithe harvests waved, the lowland swains 
 
 Gazed eastward from the plain. And from the slopes 
 
 Of the high fields the tillers paused to see 
 
 The lowland maidens wait the sheep beside, 
 
 That grazed upon the wastes. 
 
 And in that day, 
 Saving of Abel slain, no death had come 
 Unto the seed of Adam. 
 
 Cain had gone. 
 His city builded, from among his sons, 
 Nor knew they whence or whither : oftentimes 
 Alike on plain and hillside came the tale 
 Of who had seen him in far alien ways 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 And known him by the terror in his eye, 
 
 The lofty forehead and the blanched cheek 
 
 And snowy beard disheveled, and the wail 
 
 Of his shrill voice upon the wind that cried 
 
 The while he fled from them. And oftentimes 
 
 They told of his strange knowledge of the earth 
 
 And all that dwelt therein. How he had seen 
 
 A wasp beside a rock a wall uprear 
 
 Of thin damp clay in tiny fragments borne, 
 
 And molded cunningly, until his home 
 
 The insect finished and was lord thereof. 
 
 And how he saw an ant in lusty soil 
 
 Bury a kernel that in time did bring 
 
 An hundred fold of kernels. And from these 
 
 Learned how to build the city and to plant 
 
 The loamy wastes around. 
 
 In lapse of time 
 The generations came that called him sire. 
 And spoke hi pride that strong within their veins 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 There coursed the blood of Cain. And Lamech came, 
 
 The latest born of them, and sturdily 
 
 Grew to man's stature ; and his voice was Cain's 
 
 But had no tremor of a terror borne 
 
 Unceasing through the years, and in his eye 
 
 Shone the clear light the legends said of old 
 
 Was in the eye of Cain ere he afar 
 
 Fled from the wrath on High. And in his look, 
 
 Haughty and stern, the front of Cain was seen 
 
 Devoid of all its woe. And Lamech grew 
 
 The greatest of the young men of the hills 
 
 In knowledge of the fields and of the woods, 
 
 And of the signs of fruitage and the chase ; 
 
 Strongest in arm and fleetest of the foot. 
 
 And richest in the spoil the harvest days 
 
 Gave to the toil of tillage. 
 
 Love, since the ray 
 Of the first sunshine fell upon the earth, 
 Hath urged to passion all things animate. 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 And all of sentient nature thrills and sways ■ 
 Beneath its touch of fire. And Lamech loved 
 As loved the tigers that his arrows slew 
 Amid the reeds of Gihon. Fierce and strong, 
 Yet restless and uncertain in his heart : 
 For of his tribe was Zillah, in whose face 
 And in whose form a royal beauty shone. 
 A virgin fearless in the woods and wilds 
 And skilled in learning of the fruitful fields : 
 Clear eyed and bronzed with the far blown winds 
 And am'rous touch of sunshine. Her he loved ; 
 Yet often thought how once in the dark night 
 He crept anear a watchfire on the plain 
 So still no watcher heard him, and he saw 
 Adah, the shepherdess, beside the flame. 
 Her fair face kindled in its transient light ; 
 And heard her voice low crooning on the air 
 A sad and simple song. And saw her turn 
 T'ward where the star of even blazed and sank, 
 With wistful eyes and tender, ere her head, 
 
lo CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 She drooped in peaceful sleep. All this he bore, 
 A picture constant in his wayward thought : 
 Vea, even while to Zillah his rude voice 
 Softened to tender accents, and he won 
 The pride of all the hills. The marriage morn 
 Sank into crimson evening, and the night 
 And morning followed fast, and in his thoughts 
 As in his dreams the face of Adah shone. 
 
 Beside the flocks of Enoch, Adam staid 
 
 As was his wont. And lifting his dulled eyes 
 
 Saw near a stalwart form, and ere he knew 
 
 Cried, wherefore comest Cain ? for he forgot 
 
 The centuries agone, and by him stood 
 
 One with the look of Cain and with his strength, 
 
 And with Cain's scornful beauty ere the Lord 
 
 Smote him in holy anger. 
 
 • With a cry, 
 
 Such as the wild wolves make, the flocks were scared 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 So that they scattered. When, the turmoil o'er, 
 The sons of Enoch sought their place again 
 And called their sister, Adah, came no voice 
 To answer unto them. But far away 
 They saw the men of Lamech hasting fast 
 Toward the distant hills, and Adah's arms 
 Flung high to ask for pity ; and they saw 
 The strong-limbed Lamech turn and from his bow 
 Deririve throw an idle arrow back. 
 
 So Lamech outraged all the law, and sin 
 
 Lay heavy on his heart, and he grew stern 
 
 And bitter in his ways ; and to his eyes 
 
 There came Cain's haunted look. And day by day 
 
 He sought the mystery of the herbs that grew 
 
 Beneath his feet, and of the trees that rose 
 
 To give him shelter in the sultry noons ; 
 
 Of all the ways of beasts that trod the wilds, 
 
 And birds that winged in air, of creeping things, 
 
 Yea, and the changes that the flame could bring 
 
CHILDREX OF LAMECH. 
 
 Unto the very earth, as how the heat 
 Of the low hearth-fire turned the clay to stone : 
 And all were clear to him. Yet grew his gloom, 
 For sin was in his heart. And Zillah sought 
 To cheer him with her praises of his strength, 
 His riches in the fields, his valor shown 
 In dangers of the chase. And Adah sang 
 Her shepherd songs to please him, and the tales 
 Of her own people told ; but bitterness 
 Was in the heart of Lamech. All he knew 
 Gave him of pride and scorn, and oft his voice 
 Was raised against the shepherds. So, they said, 
 Let us assail him, for a score can strike 
 Where one would fall before him. Let us go 
 And smite him in the field. They crept anear, 
 But Lamech heard the crackling of a branch 
 Beneath a careless hand, and drew his bow 
 And the straight arrow sent, and, lo ! a cry 
 Of mortal anguish to the skies went up, 
 While fast the foemen fled, save one who lay 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 13 
 
 With blanching face and red blood flowing fast 
 And breath that slowly ceased. 
 
 And Lamech paled, 
 For never yet since Abel died a voice 
 Like this had risen to the Lord on high. 
 
 A little while he waited dazed and faint, 
 And saw the dry ground drink the crimson stream. 
 Then deeply digged the place and buried there 
 The foeman slain, and o'er him spread the waste 
 And old haulm of the vines. And Zillah cried, 
 They will return and slay thee ! and the words 
 Of Adah rose lamenting, they will come. 
 Thine enemies, and slay thee ! And they wept 
 Fearing the vengeance of the after days. 
 
 Then Lamech said : Oh ! women, hearken me, 
 I slew him who would slay me in my fields, 
 And mine own home I guarded. Even so 
 
14 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 The eagles kill the hawks that seek their nests. 
 
 A vengeance seven-fold shall smite the head 
 
 Of him whose hand against our father, Cain, 
 
 Is raised in anger : and more great than this, 
 
 Yea, seventy-and-seven fold, the wrath 
 
 Shall smite the wretch that seeketh Lamech's harm. 
 
 And so consoled them, and the even came 
 
 With falling dew and coolness, and the dusk. 
 
 Then they their watchfire kindled ; and the dark 
 
 Gathered around its flame. The smoky light 
 
 Now rose, now fell, and swayed as swept the wind 
 
 With mournful soughing from the wilderness. 
 
 And as they sat beside it, high and far 
 
 A hound's shrill baying rose upon the air 
 
 And near and nearer came. They knew the cry. 
 
 For whoso heard it in the lonesome wilds 
 
 Or in the fens or in the stony wastes 
 
 Knew Cain was wand'ring there. For when he went, 
 
 A vagabond and outcast, pityingly 
 
 The dog that watched with Abel by the flocks 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECII, 
 
 Followed his steps : for so the Lord had will'd 
 Lest Cain, forsaken and alone, should die 
 Ere he repentance knew. 
 
 The low fire sank 
 Its embers dulled beneath an ashen crust. 
 And still beside it Lamech sat and heard 
 The hound's deep voice draw nearer, while the dark 
 Grew deeper all around till from it came 
 The stately form of Cain, with hoary locks 
 And knotted staff in knotted fingers borne. 
 With furrowed brow, but in his sunken eyes 
 A light recognizant, as if a sign 
 Had drawn him hither for the welcoming 
 Of one with kindred thought. And J>amech knelt, 
 For in those days men honored thus their sires, 
 And bade him welcome, and his vesture laid 
 Upon the breast of Cain, for now the chill 
 Of midnight lay upon the darkling air : 
 
i6 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 And Adah knelt, and Zillah, and their words 
 Were those that Lamech spoke. 
 
 The hearthfire leapt 
 To meet dry branches thrown thereon, and soon, 
 The first words ended, in the flick'ring light 
 They sat in silence. For the face of Cain 
 Bore look inscrutable, and fitfully 
 A dark gleam came into his eyes, and oft 
 Upon his lips wrath seemed to rise and die. 
 And oft he turned as if to speak, and then 
 Hushed the half uttered words. 
 
 Until at last 
 Lamech, whose thoughts kept rhythm with his own, 
 Said, Tell the tale of all thy journeys past. 
 For I am Lamech, and my father, Cain, 
 Hath welcome in my home : and like to him 
 May be the sons of Lamech evermore. 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 17 
 
 Then Cain his hoary forehead bowed and wept 
 Ere he could answer him. 
 
 Long centuries 
 Are gone since first my footsteps sought the wilds, 
 And seven generations from my loins 
 Have peopled these fair hills, and plenteously 
 They harvest of my wisdom in the fields, 
 And profit from the secrets 1 have drawn 
 From out the breasts of earth, yet not to them 
 The power to keep me from the wilderness 
 Or lure me to the ways of peaceful men : 
 'Vo yield me shelter from the sun and storm, 
 Or share with them the thoughts that Cain hath borne 
 Throughout the weary years. So unto all 
 The lips of Cain are silent, and his thoughts 
 And memories he speaketh unto none 
 Save thee and thine. 
 
 Then rose the voice of Cain 
 At first as if he knew a list'ner conned 
 
i8 CHILDREN OF LAM ECU. 
 
 The purport of his words, and then more free 
 As if in reverie. 
 
 I, the first born, 
 Beheld the earth mine heritage, nor dreamed 
 Of any sharing it. Upon my head 
 My father's hand lay kindly and his lips 
 Knew naught of chiding, and my mother's eyes. 
 Aye the soft eyes of Eve, gazed on me oft 
 In pride and benison, until he came, 
 Abel, my brother, whose low cooing words 
 Made my rough voice seem harsh ; whose winsome 
 
 ways 
 To Adam's furrowed face brought eager smile. 
 And to Eve's eyes a look of deeper joy : 
 While I, neglected, sought the paths that led 
 Into the outland wastes, and brooded there, 
 Yet found dominion o'er the sheep that strayed, 
 And drove them here and yon. But as he grew 
 He called them from me with deceitful voice 
 
CHILDREM OF LAMECH. 19 
 
 So that they followed him. And I who drave 
 Was powerless to lure. So, in the wastes 
 He drew them from me and their spoil was his, 
 The fat flesh of the firstlings and the fleece. 
 And I, who in the wilderness had watched. 
 Had seen the flocks from out the herbage seek 
 The tasseled tops of that which highest grew 
 And eat the milky kernels, said, ]]ehold, 
 When the hot sun upon the spires doth lie 
 And all its warmth is theirs ; when on the earth 
 Its fervor mingles with the dews below 
 There comes the greater yield. And so I digged 
 And mellowed the deep earth, and all around 
 Drew forth the herbs of poison. Soon I saw 
 The tremulous green leaves broaden and the spires 
 Grow higher in their strength ; and saw the ear 
 In deeper tinge of gold bend lower still 
 Beneath its wealth of kernels. So I wrought. 
 And harvests that the earth had never known 
 Sprang from the toil of Cain. 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 Yet oft I gazed 
 Into the distance, and the idle sheep 
 The idle Abel followed in content, 
 While I in sun and tempest delved the earth. 
 And he knew naught save that the world was fair- 
 That suns were warm and pleasant, thai the rain 
 Made sweeter herbage for his wand'ring flocks ; 
 That the high stars were kindly with their light 
 Sprinkled from blue skies when the day was gone ; 
 That long, sweet whistle drifted on the wind 
 Would make the sheep return, that murmured low. 
 His voice could call the wild bird from the wing 
 To nestle on his hand. 
 
 And I who toiled, 
 Who knew the secret that each wilding herb 
 Bore in its drooping leaves, and its root. 
 And in its bloom and fruitage ; I who knew 
 How bird and beast and insect built its home 
 And warred against the world, and lived its life 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 21 
 
 By dint of its own courage ; I who brought, 
 With mine own wisdom, from the sodden soil, 
 Of harvests fairer than had Eden known. 
 Was mocked of all his laughter idly cast 
 On idle winds afloat, from idle lips 
 Of him who loitered on the idle plains ; 
 While I was delving in the wearied earth 
 With weary heart and heavy, from the dawn 
 Unto the setting of the fervid sun. 
 Yet often when afar in dark were hid 
 His gathered flocks around him in the night, 
 I saw the twinkle of the fire he lit 
 Beside his resting place. And well I knew 
 He looked toward the hills and saw the flame 
 Flicker and tremble on the distant slope 
 Where Cain, his brother, slept. And in the day 
 I saw the wand'ring column of the smoke 
 Rise from the smold'ring brands he careful kept 
 Lest on the air the cherished fire should die 
 And all its light be gone. And oft my thoughts 
 
22 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 Of bitterness would vanish as I saw 
 The far flame ghtter or the smoke arise : 
 For oft my heart was heavy in the fields 
 And lonely in the solitary ways. 
 
 The swift years came and went with scarce the sign 
 That wings of birds make in the river reeds, 
 Nor conscious lapse of time, until one eve 
 The storms arose and all the floods were high, 
 And the great rain came down and all the land 
 Was covered with the rain. And all the flame 
 That he and I had kindled, and the brands 
 Low smoldering to keep the fires, went out 
 And died in darkness. 
 
 And the morning came 
 With calm, clear sunshine ; but no hearth fire blazed 
 Beside the hut of Cain or on the plains 
 Whereon the white flocks fed. 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 23 
 
 'Twas then we said 
 Forth from the darkhng skies the fire doth come, 
 Launched from the Lord's right hand ; so let us build 
 Each one his altar of dry, crisping herbs. 
 And branches of the trees that storms have wrenched 
 From their deep hold in earth ; and on it lay- 
 Meet offering to Him who fire withholds 
 Or gives it at His will. 
 
 And so we wrought 
 Each one to build his altar, and at last 
 There came a clouded eve when in the sky 
 The clouds were black with darkness, save when 
 
 cleaved 
 At its far edge the shiver'd shafts of flame : 
 And then our task was ended, and we laid. 
 Each on the altar builded by his hands, 
 Our offerings to the Lord. A firstling, grown 
 Without of care or labor, Abel gave 
 And invocation made with pleading words 
 
24 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 That had the sound of cooing of the doves, 
 
 And waiUng of the kestrels in the nest, 
 
 The soughing of the night winds on the plain. 
 
 And all things sweet and tender that may move 
 
 The heart to yielding and to kindliness. 
 
 And I of sheaves dragged from the stubborn earth, 
 
 Made fruitful by my labor, laid upon 
 
 My altar pile and waited ; and my voice 
 
 Was harsh upon the wind, for I who knew 
 
 To conquer by my strength had not of words 
 
 Wherewith to plead. 
 
 Then in the roar ' 
 Of the great tempest, when the firmament 
 Seemed rent in twain, and cloven the far sky 
 With broken bolts of flame, there fell the fire 
 And kindled Abel's altar. And a calm 
 Came from the storm and the fair morning brake 
 And him the Lord had answered, but my sheaves 
 Lay drooping where the wind had strown them far, 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 25 
 
 And rain had beaten them ; and all forlorn 
 My altar rose dishonored in the light, 
 And I was wroth. 
 
 I saw the lambent sun 
 Glow at the heaven's border in the east, 
 I saw it overhead and midway gone 
 Upon its daily journey ; but between 
 Within my memory no hour is lain 
 Or conscious is to me. 
 
 But at my feet 
 He lay with his fair forehead bruised and gray : 
 And his dark eyes were closed, and in his hand 
 He bore the slender brand that he had touched 
 To the new kindled altar ; on his face 
 The kindly look he bore long years agone. 
 When in his childish play he brought to me 
 The gift of fledglings from a nest he found 
 Low sheltered in the herbs. 
 
26 , CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 I gazed afar ; 
 And all the flocks were mine that fled from me. 
 The fair broad plains were mine inheritance, 
 For they were his no more. Yet not again 
 Should Cain look forth from shelter of the hills 
 And see the fair flame flicker in the night 
 To tell where Abel slept, or in the morn 
 The welcome smoke arise to mark the way 
 Cain's brother wandered in the pastures wide : 
 And sorrow crept upon me at the thought 
 That Abel's eyes should look on Cain no more. 
 And anguish came upon me and with fear 
 My heart grew heavy. And I bore him far, 
 Nor dared to lay the deathly burden by ; 
 Or knew how I should hide it from the sight 
 Of the all-seeing Lord. And agony 
 Grew strong and stronger as the days went on ; 
 And I dared not to leave him by the way. 
 For often as I went, I turned and came 
 And bore him thence again, till merciful 
 
CHILDREN OF LAM ECU. 27 
 
 In their wild anger fell two ravens down 
 
 With beak and talon tearing, and one died, 
 
 And one did dig the loam and in it laid 
 
 The one he vanquished, and the brown earth 
 
 smoothed 
 And went his way. So, seeing, thus I digged ; 
 Then over all my burden spread the earth 
 To hide it so away. 
 
 Then on the wind 
 I heard the fearful whisper of the Lord. 
 And answered it deceitful. And I heard 
 The words of doom come forth from out the air. 
 A vagabond I went. My wand 'ring feet 
 Found never rest among the sons of men : 
 Nor in the gorges of the wilderness, 
 Or on the burning plain, or in the vales 
 Where peaceful waters flow, was peace to me. 
 The flocks were scattered, but I sought them not ; 
 
28 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 And the broad plains were fair but not to me 
 Was their sweet verdure pleasant. 
 
 Slow the breeze 
 Rustled the dead leaves of the yester year, 
 Crimson the embers sank, while here and there 
 A dry twig caught in momentary blaze, 
 Then fell and vanished. And the light grew dull 
 That shone on Cain's dark face : and when his voice 
 Quavered and trembled at the last, he saw 
 That Lamech's eyes were hidden by his hand, 
 And Zillah's head upon her knee was bowed 
 In passionate sobbing : and soft Adah threw 
 Her arms upon his neck, and weeping cried. 
 Oh ! Cain, our father, would that we could bear, 
 Yea, we the young and strong, the bitter woe. 
 The guerdon of thy sin. 
 
 Then gloomily, 
 As if her pity stung him, with a smile 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 29 
 
 Sharpened with anguish on his Hps, he laid 
 Her arms aside and rose. His lofty form 
 Majestic stood against the darkened sky, 
 And the dull firelight gleamed upon his brow, 
 Upon his strong arms, and upon his hands 
 With knotted fingers clasped upon his staff, 
 And on his hair that wavered in the wind 
 That rustled the dead leaves. Anon, his voice 
 Gaining new calm, he said : — 
 
 A vagabond 
 I went and wandered in the wilderness, 
 And by far rivers, and in mountain glens : 
 Upon the utmost summits of the hills. 
 Within dark caverns of the tow'ring cliffs. 
 In pleasant meadows, that with blossoms strown 
 Were like the vales of Eden in the tales 
 That Eve, my mother, told, yea, everywhere 
 I heard a murmur that was not of words. 
 Yet seemed to call to me — No more, no more 
 
30 CHILDREN OF LAM ECU. 
 
 Peace cometh unto Cain. And oft I said, 
 He cannot meet me in the darkling paths. 
 Or in the golden sun ; above him grows 
 The verdure of the plain. Yet, oft his voice 
 Seemed mingled with the soughing of the wind : 
 And in the wakeful night I heard a step 
 That seemed the step of Abel, till its sound 
 Low died within the dark. And then, again, 
 I said, he can not cry, nor can he tread 
 The fair earth any more. 
 
 There came a day 
 When, broken with sore travail, by the shore, 
 Far to the east, of ever surging floods, 
 I stood and marked the strength of rolling waves 
 Returning and receding, and the sand 
 Lay naked to the sun, and all the light 
 Of the high noon was there. 
 
 And on the sands. 
 Yea, on the bare shore, in the light of noon, 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 31 
 
 He Stood, my brother, and his face was wan 
 
 With infinite sorrow, and no wrath was his. 
 
 Awhile he waited, then into the air 
 
 He vanished, and was gone. The dusk night came, 
 
 And cool the far winds from the waters crept 
 
 Upon me in my sleep. Again I saw 
 
 The troubled face of Abel, and his voice 
 
 Came to me in my dreams. The earth shall writhe 
 
 As green leaves writhe in all consuming fire, 
 
 And in that day, he said, before the Lord 
 
 Shall Cain come forth for judgment. And I woke, 
 
 And over me the face of Abel bowed, 
 
 Then faded in the dawn. 
 
 I rose and saw 
 On the high beach a tiny rounded clod 
 Tremble and break, and from its heart came forth 
 A creature winged and buoyant, and I knew 
 The Lord had sent a sign. So, from the earth, 
 I said, hath Abel risen, and he lives 
 
32 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 New-born within the air. And Cain shall live, 
 Nor ever from his soul the burden fall 
 Of his undying sin. 
 
 Low Zillah cried 
 To hear the words of Cain, and Adah wept 
 Anear his feet, and Lamech's troubled eyes 
 Were cast upon the ground. 
 
 The voice of Cain 
 Again the silence broke, with prouder tone, 
 As if he scorned the sorrow that they bore 
 In sympathy with him. 
 
 Beside my feet 
 Lay myriad shells from the far deep upborne. 
 Of these I gathered of the small and great. 
 And with the gray sand filled them one by one, 
 Pouring from one to one until I found 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 33 
 
 That counting seven of the one it filled 
 
 The greater shell among them. And my sons 
 
 Measure the harvest kernels as the sand 
 
 I measured on that day. I saw a reed 
 
 Lie stranded by the waves. I broke it twice 
 
 And twice and twice again : and with it laid 
 
 A long length of the shore in certain space, 
 
 And with its parts I marked the lesser width 
 
 Of wet gray sand. Across my hand I laid 
 
 A fragment of the reed, and of the shells. 
 
 The seven little shells made balance fair 
 
 To that which greatest was, and so this day 
 
 Ye weigh the fatlings that your traders bring 
 
 From the white flocks of Seth : and whoso bounds, 
 
 The while the earth endures, his fruitful fields. 
 
 Or whoso tells the tale of harvests done 
 
 And gathered from the ear, or of the yield 
 
 Of fleece or flesh from patient flocks, shall share 
 
 The careful craft of Cain, for Cain hath drawn 
 
 This knowledge from the sea-shells and the reed. 
 
34 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 Yea, more than this the thought of Cain that day, 
 Did grasp beside the sea. 
 
 A lowly nest 
 Close woven by the wild fowl, on the shore 
 Of the far heaving waters, loosed and went 
 Drifting upon the surge, and in it slept 
 The fledglings all unharmed the while the spray 
 Tossed white above them. And I said, behold ! 
 Had Cain but ax more keen than flinty edge, 
 Slow sharpened on the rock, the lordly trees 
 Would fall beneath his strokes and he would shape 
 And bind their mighty stems, till on the wave 
 They floated like the nest ; and if there came 
 Days like to those ere Adam was. when all 
 The earth was waves and heavv darkness lay 
 Upon the waters, all the tribes of Cain, 
 Yea, and the sons of Seth, and all the fields 
 And woods have holden of the beasts that roam. 
 Would safety find upon them till again 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 35 
 
 The breath of the great Lord should Hft the dark, 
 And cast the waves away. Then, pondering, 
 I sought a river's banks and wove the reeds, 
 And clad them with the pitchy earth the sun 
 Softens beneath its touch, and lo, they rode 
 Upon the waters like the wild fowl's nest. 
 
 So, Cain, upborne, was master of the floods, 
 And in his wanderings no longer paused 
 Because of the wide waters. 
 
 From the shores. 
 Where the still river slept, the broad plain reached 
 Far inland to the hills, and high thereon 
 Grew slender shining reeds that in the sun 
 Glistened and shone, and when the tempests came 
 Bended and rose and writhing each on each 
 Made crackling in the wind. There came a night 
 When Cain lay wakeful in the restless reeds, 
 And saw each clash on each until a flame 
 
36 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 Sprang from their wrestling as the flinty stems 
 Ground one upon another. Then he brake 
 A shining reed and strong, and as the wind 
 Clashed the high waving stems, he clashed again 
 The fragments in his hand until there sprung 
 A living fire forth from them. And he bore 
 The flaming splinters thence unto the hills. 
 Clad with the arid grass, and touched the fire 
 To the dry herbage. 
 
 And the flame rose high 
 And the dark smoke was lifted on the winds, 
 Yea, even to the skies, and all the night 
 Was changed to light of day, and near and far 
 The mighty volume rolled ; the hoary trees 
 Were stricken so they fell, the pleasant meads 
 Lay withered where it passed, the lion's roar 
 Grew faint and further as he fled in fear ; 
 And all that could not flee, or bird or beast 
 Or winged or creeping thing, was seared and so 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 2>1 
 
 Was perished in the flame ; save Cain alone 
 Whose craft had brought the fire from out the reed 
 And launched it on the world. 
 
 And forth I went 
 And climbed the blasted hiUtop in the morn 
 To gaze upon the plain, and desolate 
 Its blackened reaches lay, and at its edge 
 The flame crept cunning and the smoke rose slow. 
 And I, the outcast, Cain, exultantly 
 Looked forth upon it, for my hand had thrown 
 My anger on the earth, as from the skies 
 The mighty Lord had brandished forth the flame : 
 And Cain, the vagabond, had power like Him 
 Who kindled Abel's altar, and whose wrath 
 Doomed Cain a wanderer whose alien feet 
 Knew peaceful ways no more. 
 
 The wind more chill 
 Blew from the highland valleys, and the clouds 
 
3S CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 Grew darker overhead ; the embers' glow, 
 
 Half hidden by the ashes, grew more faint ; 
 
 Yet on the face of Cain their slender light 
 
 Was calm and steadfast, and his proud eye shone 
 
 Exultant as he spake. He paused, and then 
 
 As if recalling all the sorrow past, 
 
 Spake with a voice more soft. So Cain hath wrought, 
 
 Yet all in vain, because that Abel lured 
 
 The foolish flocks away, and unto him 
 
 Fell fire to light his altar long ago. 
 
 Then Adah spake. From her wet eyes no more 
 Came the fast dropping tears, and slow her voice 
 Thus answered unto Cain : 
 
 Thy daughter's heart 
 Is full of anguish for thee, yet her lips 
 Must bear thee witness of the truth they tell 
 Who guard the flocks of Seth, where Adam dwells : 
 For he, thy father, knoweth all the tale 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 39 
 
 Of what befell ere Abel's altar fire 
 Rose lambent at the dawn to fall away 
 And perish ere the noon. 
 
 The flocks were wild, 
 Scared by thy fierce cry : in the wilderness 
 They sought the mountain gorges, v/here the herb 
 Grew scant and thin upon the thorny slopes, 
 Where, when the wind swept from the wint'ry north. 
 They shivered in the storms. And Abel came 
 And drew them to the meadows of the plain, 
 Where water springs were gleaming, and the grass 
 Hid the white lambs beneath its lusty growth : 
 And when the winds were chill, within the vales 
 That opened westward, led them to the shield 
 And shelter of the rocks. And in the nights 
 When thou. Oh ! Cain, wast dreaming in thy rest, 
 He drove the wolves away : and so the sheep 
 Owned him their lord and followed where he went. 
 Yet never of their yield did Cain have need. 
 
40 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 The flesh of firsthngs and the woolly fleece 
 Were his for asking. In the midnight dark 
 The fleece of Abel wrapped his brother's breast : 
 And the low roof-tree of Cain's dwelling bore 
 The fleeces of the flocks laid broad and slant 
 To shed the rain away. 
 
 Yet in thy pride 
 Thou watch'dst him scornful when his trouble came. 
 For well thou knowest when upon the marsh 
 He fed the sheep and murrain smote them sore, 
 Thou knewest herbs of healing, yet thy lips 
 Were silent unto him ; and when he mourned 
 Laughed low and mocking that he knew no craft 
 Of healing for his flocks. 
 
 And on the eve 
 Ye waited by your altars, Abel brought 
 The choice of all the firstlings ; but thine arms 
 Brought not the fullest sheaves to offer up 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. • 41 
 
 Unto the living Lord ; for all thine heart 
 Was covetous and vain. And when there fell 
 From the high clouds of Heaven, flaming down, 
 The bolt that lit his altar, quick his hand 
 Reached forth a brand new lighted, that thine own 
 Might flash in joy beside him. And he died 
 Unknowing of thy wrath. 
 
 The creeping wind 
 Swerved the light ashes on the smold'ring fire, 
 White as the locks of Cain : and gray the morn 
 Gave token of its coming. In the sky 
 Clear shone the morning star, and sad the eyes 
 Of Cain were fixed on Adah, and he spake : 
 Oh ! Daughter, not in mine but Abel's ways 
 Thy spirit walks to-night, and thou hast kenned 
 Full many things that Cain has never known. 
 And Cain will hearken thee. 
 
 Behold ! She said 
 The morning star is passing, and its path 
 
•42 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 It keeps obedient to the hand that marked 
 Its place within the skies. Shalt thou, Oh ! Cain, 
 Be more in thine own strength than is the star 
 That leads the hosts on high ? 'Twas long ago 
 Thy wisdom learned the marvel that the seeds 
 According to their kind bring forth their fruits 
 In harvests waited long : and so thy deeds 
 And all thy thoughts, Oh ! Cain, a heritage 
 Unto thy children be, and they shall bear 
 According to their kind. Nor yet shall come 
 Full measure of them 'till the world shall end, 
 And harvests all be garnered of thy thoughts, 
 Of all thy purpose and of all thy toil. 
 And of thy passion and thy penitence. 
 Of all of good or evil that shall grow 
 From out thy wisdom of the woods and wilds 
 And from thy secrets of deep hidden things ; 
 Of all thy sons, unto the latest days, 
 May do because of thee, for in their veins 
 Shall flow the blood of Cain, and they shall toil 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 43 
 
 Because that Cain has sinned, and Cain shall bear 
 The burden of their evil : and their good, 
 Aye, in the last days of the earth, shall bear 
 A benison to Cain. 
 
 The level rays 
 Of the slow rising sun fell gray and cold 
 Upon their faces as the vibrant voice 
 Of Adah ceased. The fiery eyes of Cain 
 Were dulled in weariness, and slow and sad 
 His gaze turned to the clouds that drifted on 
 Before the northern wind. The hound uprose 
 As by a sign made conscious of the toil 
 Of wandering renewed. And Cain his hand 
 As if for benediction, raised, and then — 
 Recalling that his lips no benison 
 Or prayer could lift unto the Lord on high — 
 Let fall the rugged fingers on his staff. 
 Then, to his glance obedient, Lamech came 
 And walked beside him, and they went away. 
 
44 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 The hound close following. Their hollow tread 
 Grew faint and fainter in the rustling leaves 
 'Till lost amid the murmurs of the morn. 
 
 Alone beside the ashes, w^orn and wan 
 
 With their long vigil, the two women staid : 
 
 And soft and low they spake, though none could hear^ 
 
 In whispers shy and broken ; for each knew , 
 
 The secret in her bosom, and the words 
 
 That Adah spake to Cain, to Zillah's heart 
 
 Bore meaning deep and strong, and Adah kenned 
 
 The truth of her own words. So shall we bear — 
 
 They said in their soft converse — sorrowful 
 
 All that which Eve, our mother, bore when first 
 
 Woe came into the world. In agony 
 
 Shall come the burden of our travail sore : 
 
 And care shall be with us while at our knee 
 
 Our children rise around us, yet their deeds, 
 
 Yea, when our hoary centuries are done. 
 
 Shall bear the fruits of mercy, and our thoughts 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 45 
 
 Sure guide the craft of Cain in blessedness 
 To all that dwell on earth. And in the day 
 The Lord doth judge of Cain, shall Lamech's sons, 
 And Lamech's daughters, rise, and all their gifts 
 Of good wrought unto men be brought and there 
 Made offering for Cain. 
 
 The day was done 
 Ere Lamech came returning. From his lips 
 There fell no words of Cain, but in his eye 
 Shone dark the troubled look that Cain had borne, 
 And in his voice there seemed a sadness deep, 
 As in the voice of Cain. 
 
 The fair fields changed 
 From the mid growth of summer, and the yield 
 Of harvest came, and slow to them again 
 There came the seeding time. And hour by hour, 
 Yea, from the mid-grown harvest to the spring. 
 The women spake of all the craft of Cain 
 
46 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 And of his wisdom. And they sought Hke him 
 To learn the secrets of the earth and woods, 
 And of the river beds and of the reeds. 
 Of the wild fowl whose rustling wings they heard 
 Startled within the forests. And they brake 
 The hollow stems of herbs, and watched the toil 
 Of the nest-builders in the spreading branch, 
 And of the beetles that within the ground 
 Digged deep their tiny caves. Oft Zillah strayed 
 To seek the marvels of the woodland ways, 
 While softer Adah crooned the dulcet songs 
 The brooding wild birds sang. 
 
 When bright the earth 
 Was all new born in beauty, and more strong 
 Because of the long lapse of restful days. 
 Did Zillah hide her in deep shelt'ring boughs 
 To know a mother's travail and her joy : 
 And Cain she called the infant, but in years 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 47 
 
 That came thereafter, when the molten ore 
 Swam at her feet in hollow molded loam, 
 She called him Tubal also. In the dell 
 Where the dun cattle pastured wild and free, 
 And thickets hid her in their dusky gloom, 
 Did Adah lie in sorrow, and she bare 
 Him whom they Jabal called in after times. 
 And never in the land of Nod were known 
 Two new-born sons of men with eyes more bold, 
 Or limbs more strong, or with more lusty cry 
 Than were these sons of Lamech. And he laughed 
 And said, so Cain shall live when Cain hath gone 
 Into the dark of death, and Lamech's years 
 Are vanished and forgotten. And the gloom 
 Went from his face ofttimes a little while 
 Seeing the joy of Zillah and the calm 
 ^That like the starlight shone in Adah's face ; 
 But sin was in his heart, and deeper grew 
 The look of Cain upon him, and he went 
 More often in the wilds. 
 
48 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 Not yet the joy 
 That bent proud Zillah's heart to peacefulness 
 Was gone from her when once again she sought 
 The shelter of the boughs. And Adah's hps 
 Bore smile upon them as she hid again 
 Within the thickets' shelter. Zillah bare 
 Her whom they called Naamah, for -her ways 
 Grew into pleasantness. And Adah gave 
 Another son to Lamech, Jubal called 
 When he had grown in strength. Nor ever known 
 In all the land of Nod was gaze more soft 
 Than that of Naamah, a voice more sweet 
 Or dulcet cooing than from out the lips 
 Of joyous Jubal came. 
 
 And they were strong, 
 These children born of Lamech, and their strength 
 Grew greater with the fast returning days ; 
 And as the ripening harvests, one by one, 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 49 
 
 Came golden to the slopes the children far 
 
 And farther wandered from the hearth-fire's place, 
 
 Seeking the woodland ways, the river banks, 
 
 The mountain gorges and the dusky dells, 
 
 And reedy plains that hid dark silent streams 
 
 That crept from vales unknown. And, day by day, 
 
 The lips of Zillah and of Adah told 
 
 How Cain dwelt in the wilds, and how he knew 
 
 All wisdom of the world beneath the skies ; 
 
 And how, one eve, he came where Lamech's hearth 
 
 Gleamed lowly in the dark, and how he stood 
 
 Majestic in the dawn the while the star 
 
 Of morning blazed beyond him. And they asked— 
 
 These children born of Lamech — will he come 
 
 Again unto the hearth-fire, shall we see 
 
 Our father's father, Cain, and hear his voice ? 
 
 For so they knew t]iat not in all the earth 
 
 Was greater one than he. And Lamech laughed 
 
 With proud sad lips to hear them in their play 
 
 Speak thus the name of Cain. 
 
50 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 Beside a stream 
 Where placid waters sluggish crept and where 
 The sedge grew high around them, Tubal Cain 
 One day led all the others, and they played 
 Beneath the shadows of high branching trees 
 That hid them from the sky. And with the clay 
 Slow molded with their little hands they built 
 The semblance of the city, and the fields 
 That lay around its dwellings, and they made 
 Clay images, and one they Lamech called, 
 And one was Zillah, and one Adah was ; 
 The lesser were themselves ; and so, they said, 
 They peopled the fair city. And anon 
 One greater than the rest they builded high 
 And in its hand a knotted twig they placed 
 As Cain had borne his staff. 
 
 Above them bowed 
 The lofty branches of the dusky trees. 
 While all was silent save their voices blent 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 51 
 
 With murmurs of the south wind in the leaves : 
 And slow from branch to branch a leopard crept, 
 The yielding branches swaying with no sound 
 Save of the rustling breezes. Soft and low 
 The leopard slowly crouched and with its gaze 
 Measured the leap to earth. A mocking cry, 
 In voice with scorn defiant, clove the air 
 As Cain from out the thickets came and threw 
 His look aloft and met the leopard's eye. 
 Then speedy fled the beast and far away 
 They heard its cry grow fainter till the sound 
 Was borne to them no more. 
 
 Then fearlessly — 
 For they were born of Lamech — to his side 
 The children came and hailed him, and they saw 
 That he was Cain, for in his hand the staff 
 Was huge and knotted, and his hoary hair 
 Swept low upon his shoulders, and his beard 
 Was like the snow that lingered in the glens 
 
52 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 When all the plains were green : and in his eye 
 They saw the gaze of Lamech, save more stern 
 Than his it seemed to them. 
 
 And loud they cried, 
 Saying, Cain hath come again and he will tell 
 To us the wonders of the woods and wilds, 
 And of the lands beyond the high blue hills, 
 Of those beyond the rivers and the seas, 
 And all below the skies. Then reverently. 
 Their first glad impulse ended, low they knelt 
 Before the feet of Cain, for so they knew 
 Had Lamech knelt to Cain. And thin and bright 
 Through the tall branches sifted, came the ray 
 Of the high noontide sun, and radiantly 
 Upon the brow of Cain it fell, and there 
 Lay soft and beaming, and upon his face 
 The rugged lines were softened as he gazed 
 On the fair children kneeling. And he said, 
 Yea, Cain will tell ye marvels. He hath come 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 53 
 
 To shield ye from the dangers of the wilds 
 Lest ye should die, and all the lore be lost 
 That he hath garnered for ye. He will give 
 To ye the wisdom of his wanderings 
 That it may yield ye fruitage in the days 
 When him ye know no more. For he is old : 
 He sees his children scattered on the hills, 
 And sees their tribes increase, and chief of all 
 Is Lamech, of his sons, and ye shall bear 
 The rule of Lamech when his days are done, 
 For all Cain's wisdom is thy heritage. 
 Then seeing that they hearkened in amaze, 
 Nor understood his thought, he spake again 
 In changed and simple words. Ay, Cain is here, 
 So let thy hearts be glad, a little while 
 He lingers with thy play. 
 
 Naamah fond 
 Held close the hand of Cain, and Tubal threw 
 A mimic javelin to show his strength. 
 
54 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 And Jabal gamboled with the hound that sprang 
 
 Elusive from his grasp, and Jubal sang 
 
 Of bird notes clear and soft, and rhythmic smote 
 
 A crystal stone beside him. So they played 
 
 While Cain was watching, and the leopard's cry 
 
 Drew near and then receded and again 
 
 Came near and further went, until at last 
 
 Cain heard no sound within the forest depths 
 
 Save rustle of the branches ; from the stream 
 
 Naught but the murmur of the waters slow, 
 
 Moving along the sedge, upon its bank 
 
 Only the sweet child voices. Silently 
 
 He stood and watched them, and his brow grew calm 
 
 And transient peace upon his forehead lay. 
 
 A little while he waited. 
 
 Then he spake : 
 To each I bring my gift, yet bear to me 
 Each one his offering. Let Jabal bring 
 From Lamech's dwelling the long twisted thong 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. ^5 
 
 Cut from the tiger's hide. A bow unstrung, 
 
 Yet with the strings of seven, Jubal's task 
 
 To lay within my hand, with seven reeds 
 
 The greater and the less. Naamah, bear 
 
 On thy weak shoulders the dark sodden sheaf 
 
 That lies among the sedge where waters flew 
 
 Sluggish and dark, and spread it in the ray 
 
 Of the noon sunshine here. Let Tubal's hand 
 
 Bring in its palm a fervent burning coal 
 
 From Lamech's hearth. Then fast the children sped 
 
 To do his bidding. 
 
 When their task was done 
 He looped the thong of Jabal, o'er his head 
 With strong arm whirled it, and with steady eye 
 Flung far the loop away and caught the hound 
 'Twixt limb and breast. Then loosened it and then 
 So flung it forth again, and taught the lad 
 Till he himself could wield it. So, he said, 
 May Jabal snare the wild bulls of the meads, 
 
56 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 That stretch beyond the mountains, so may tame 
 The wildness of their strength. 
 
 Then Jubal came 
 With joyous step and hghtsome ; from his hand 
 Cain took the bow unstrung. The seven strings 
 He knotted side by side, and bent the bow 
 And strained the strings. Then at his touch there 
 
 came 
 From each a varying cadence, soft and low 
 As was the voice of Jubal, yet more light 
 Than cry of finches in the swaying boughs. 
 And Jubal's heart rejoiced. The slender reeds 
 Cain clove across, the little and the great, 
 And laid them side by side and bound them so. 
 Then with firm lips breathed in them till there rose 
 Forth from the cloven reeds a sound so sweet, 
 So sorrowful and strange that all their hearts 
 Beat fast and wondering. And Jubal grasped 
 The bow with seven strings and played thereon 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. ' 57 
 
 As Cain had taught, and from the seven reeds 
 He brought the music forth. Then Cain, to him, 
 Said, never while the earth shall know of joy, 
 Or know of sorrow, or of weariness, 
 Shall this thy gift be vain. 
 
 The sun aslant 
 Shone through the boughs, for now the noon was come, 
 And the dark nettle sheaves Naamah bore 
 From out the rotting sedge into the sun 
 Were dried and brittle, and their fibers gray 
 Hung loose upon the stems. Then with his staff 
 Cain beat the gavels till the fragments fell 
 Splintered and broken, and the flax he drew 
 Into a slender skein and thence there came 
 A twisted thread more slender. One by one 
 He drew the twisted threads, and then athwart 
 Of some he laid the others. So he wove 
 And taught the weaving to the gladsome child. 
 Then Jubal, who with careful skill had laid 
 
5 8 CHILDREN OF LA ME CH. 
 
 A crust of ashes on his open hand 
 
 That he might bring an ember from the fire 
 
 Glowing on Lamech's hearth, expectant gazed 
 
 Into the eyes of Cain : then at his word 
 
 He laid the crimson coal wiiere steadily 
 
 Between two broken rocks the shrill wind blew 
 
 And fanned it into flame, then on it placed 
 
 The gray, dry driftwood that the floods had thrown 
 
 In spring upon the sands. 
 
 And while the blaze 
 Swayed in the wind and slowly sank and fell 
 Cain told this tale to him. Ere yet thine eyes 
 Had gazed upon the world, one day I went 
 Where flame had scored the vales, and blackened lay 
 Its way along the edges of the hills, 
 And marked a rocky ledge where swift the wind 
 Swept clear and free, and lingering in the turf 
 Were little creeping flames ; but most of all 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 59 
 
 The embers of great cedars, in their midst 
 
 A dark brown earth, and slowly from it came 
 
 Dropping and creeping like to living things, 
 
 What seemed of molten stones, and in the track 
 
 Made by the wild hares' feet did flow and there 
 
 Grew harder than the stone. I shaped a place. 
 
 Like to the flints on Lamech's arrows borne. 
 
 In shallow sunken sand and guided there 
 
 A tiny creeping stream. It took the form 
 
 Of fairer arrow head than ever cleft 
 
 The air from Lamech's bow. Between two stones 
 
 I beat it thinner and an edge more keen 
 
 Than broken crystal gained. Then in the earth 
 
 I sought for hidden ores, and in the fire, 
 
 Amid the glowing embers by the winds 
 
 Blown into fierceness, placed them, and there came 
 
 Forth from their molten streams a fairer stone. 
 
 So came the iron ingots to my hands. 
 
 And so the brazen shapes, and these to thee 
 
 Are the brave gift of Cain. 
 
6o CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 Then when the flame 
 Was sunken into embers broad and deep, 
 And strong the wind blew from the low'ring east, 
 Did Cain upon them heap the dusky ore, 
 And on it lay the wood and then again 
 Heap high the ore, and then the wood laid high 
 Again upon it. And the wind blew strong 
 And steady from the east, and from the pile 
 Like serpents creeping crimson to the sand 
 Flowed the thin streams of metal at their feet, 
 And purple glowed : for now the shade was come 
 With sinking of the sun. 
 
 Then Tubal said. 
 They tell not all Cain's wisdom in the hills, 
 Nor know it on the plains, for he who kens 
 The secret of this thing may rule the world ; 
 May smite the forest and may cleave the stone 
 And dig the earth ; and staves more potent make 
 Than those from oaken boughs, and make of blades 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 6i 
 
 Shall cleave fire-hardened saplings as the stroke 
 Of flints the willow cleaves. Yea ! he may rule, 
 Who owns this secret, as the tiger rules 
 The jungle and the fen. 
 
 Then Cain to him 
 Made answer thus : Shall Cain his gift repent. 
 Or shall he sorrow that to Tubal came 
 The greatest of his lore. Let Tubal's thought 
 Seek all the mysteries that hidden lie 
 Within the ingots, and their purpose seek 
 And all their uses in the hands of men : 
 Nor let them die with him, nor with his sons, 
 When he is old and passing to decay. 
 For I would have, when all our tribes are grown 
 To cover all the earth, that men shall say 
 That Cain lived not in vain, and so my name 
 Shall linger with my children till the days 
 When all the earth shall vanish, and the light 
 Of the high sun in sudden darkness cie. 
 
62 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 That noon had Tubal led the children forth, 
 Himself a child and buoyant in his heart 
 And careless in his thought. The sunset rays 
 Were faint and fading where the waters plashed 
 Amid the willow stems, and now his face 
 Was gray in the dim twilight and no smile 
 Was bright upon his lips ; a youth no more, 
 He talked with Cain and understood his words. 
 Then slowly in the dark upon their way 
 The tired children went, but Tuba! strode 
 With unfamiliar step and haughty eye 
 And voice of mastery. 
 
 Ere yet the slope, 
 \\' hereon the hearth of Lamech blazed and burned. 
 Their loitering footsteps gained, they paused and 
 
 gazed 
 Back to the valley where the form of Cain 
 Grew darker 'mid the shade, and saw him pass 
 Into the forest darkness ; in his hand 
 
CHILDREN OF LAM ECU. 63 
 
 His knotted staff firm holden, and his hair 
 Blown backward by the breeze that through the vale 
 Swept steadily and strong. And many a year 
 To Lamech's children came ere they again 
 Beheld the face of Cain. 
 
 And year by year 
 The fair tilled fields grew broader on the hills, 
 And year by year upon the pasture plains 
 The flocks more distant grazed. And year by year 
 To Lamech's foemen came a wrath more deep, 
 And fonder memory of him who fell 
 Beneath the hand of Lamech. Where the haulm 
 Of the dead vines was heaped greener grew 
 The herbage in the spring; more heavily 
 Above the slain the yellow harvest ears 
 Nodded and drooped. And ever from the plains 
 The strong armed slingers came and rained afar 
 A storm of clashing stones. And from the hills 
 Came storm of arrows back, and so no more 
 
64 CHILDREN OF LAMECH 
 
 Was death a stranger in the homes of men. 
 For men went forth to battle, and the cries 
 Of women followed them, and homeward came 
 And heard the cries of women. Sad and slow 
 The living bore the dead, and in the vales, 
 And on the spreading plains, the haunts of men 
 Knew calm and peace no more. 
 
 Then on the plains 
 The elder shepherds told how once the Lord 
 Had spoken unto men. How Abel cried 
 That flame might kindle on the altar stones 
 'Mid tumult of the storm, and how his voice 
 Was heard in the high heavens, and they spake 
 With invocations loud. And all the tribes 
 That "dwelt upon the lowlands wailing cried 
 Upon the Mighty Lord, that he would shield 
 And shelter them from vengeance of the hills. 
 Upon the mountain slopes, in valleys far 
 From yellow teeming fields, in forests wide, 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 65 
 
 The dwellers in the hills the lurid flames 
 Of Tubal's labor saw, for he was come 
 To be a chieftain after Lamech's heart ; 
 And the deep craft of Cain within his thought 
 Had stronger grown, and from the heavy ore 
 With wind and flame he brought the metal forth. 
 He made of arrow heads and gleaming spears, 
 And broad, keen blades. And Lamech's heart was 
 
 proud ; 
 For when the foemen came he smote them sore 
 With the sharp steel of Tubal. 
 
 From the banks 
 Of the slow winding streams to where high hills 
 Sloped fair toward the sunset, grazed the herds 
 That Jabal kept. For well his snares he threw 
 Among the young wild cattle, and their strength 
 Subdued unto his will. And Lamech mocked 
 The puny flocks of Seth. The women wove, 
 
66 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 For so Naamah taught them, of the threads 
 From the wikl nettle twisted, and the lleece 
 r)rouoht, in the forays, from the phiins below ; 
 And there was gladness in the songs they sang. 
 So that the heart of Lamech from its gloom 
 Ofttimes awoke, so he would laugh with them. 
 And to their voices Jubal's pipe was joined 
 In shrill and j(W0us music : oftentimes 
 The soft night trembled as the sound came forth 
 And dwelt upon the air, that from the strings 
 The hand of Jubal drew. And dour and stern 
 Were all the sons of Lamech, and their sire 
 Was like to Cain in stature, and his eye 
 Gleamed like the eye of Cain ; and sorrowful 
 The look of Lamech grew when all alone 
 He wandered in the wilds. And far the fields 
 Were smooth and green in summer, and their yield 
 Waved golden in the autumn, and between 
 The yellow reaches rose the city's walls 
 The hand of Cain had builded. 
 
CHILDREN OF LAM ECU. 67 
 
 On the Lord 
 The shepherds cried as they to battle went, 
 And they who from the mountain came and fought 
 Raised high the name of Cain. And to and fro 
 The tide of battle drifted, till there came 
 A day when back retreating to the hills 
 'i'he sons of Lamech bore their captives on ; 
 And fleeing U) far edges of the jilain. 
 The shepherds bore of captives. So the woe 
 And so the joy divided. 
 
 In that day 
 Was Adah aged grown, and thin and fair 
 Her pure face shone amid the bronzed tribes ; 
 And all her words were peaceful, and her Ihouglits 
 Were all of mercy, for her kinsmen they 
 Who dwelt upon the plain, and hers the sons 
 That strode in haughty vigor o'er the hills. 
 And bore the gleaming spears, and arrows drave 
 Like flight of birds upon the distant air. 
 
68 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 So when they came, and in proud sorrow told 
 Of who was slain, and who was borne afar, 
 And spoke of vengeance on the captives brought, 
 Her words persuasive fell. 
 
 The earth of woe. 
 In these our evil days, doth have its fill. 
 And all is wrath and sorrow. We who nursed 
 Our children with full breasts, and watched their play 
 With careful tenderness, behold them slain 
 Or borne away in bondage, and our eyes 
 Grow dim with weeping for them : yet ye strive. 
 And wrath is all thy portion. Let them go, 
 These captives holden by thy vengeful hands. 
 That mothers wailing on the distant plain 
 May joyful greet to-morrow. 
 
 Ere her words 
 Were fully spoken, rose the wrathful sounds 
 Of loud remonstrance, and the spearmen knelt 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 69 
 
 To grasp of sheaves of branches bare and dry, 
 And heap them by the stakes where manacled 
 Their captives waitmg stood. But clearer still, 
 Her voice rang in their hearing. 
 
 Hearken me, 
 The wrath of the great Lord is lingering 
 In the far deeps beyond the starry skies, 
 And whoso sheddeth blood, his blood shall stain 
 The verdure of the earth. 
 
 Then angrily 
 Did Tubal answer her. Behold, our fields 
 Were golden in the sun ; the thistles grew 
 And withered into stalks that, thin and parched. 
 Could catch the spark and bear the flames along 
 Until nor haulm nor many-bearded ear 
 Remained of all the yield. The shepherds lashed 
 High blazing brands on bounding foxes lured 
 From these our fruitful hills, and drave them back 
 
70 CHILDREN OF LAME CI/. 
 
 So that the wild fire caught, and all our toil 
 
 Was wasted into ashes. Shall we wait 
 
 And wail like infants while they loud rejoice, 
 
 These robbers from the plain ? And while he spake 
 
 A shepherd bound with withes, fair-haired and tall, 
 
 With steely light within his kindling eye. 
 
 Made answer back to him. 
 
 Ye seek our flocks, 
 Ye lure the fatlings from the shepherd's fold. 
 And seize the fleece, the fruit of all our toil 
 Through many a weary year : and like the wolves, 
 Ye creep in darkness, and wx hearken ye 
 In the deep night, as hearken we the tread 
 Of leopards creeping from the wilderness. 
 And while upon the pastures lingers still 
 A lamb to tremble as thy footsteps fall 
 Shall all the shepherds hate ye, and their wiles, 
 Their anger and their labor on thy fields 
 Shall pour of evil forth. Then as they rose 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 71 
 
 To smite him that he answered, spake again 
 His shrill defiant voice, Ay, smite, he said. 
 And gaze where yonder through the distant dark 
 A spark seems gUmmering and faints and fails, 
 And then glows forth again. There fagots lie : 
 Full soon around the stake their lurid light 
 Will flame aloft to heaven, and thy sons, 
 Yea, the brave sons of mothers in the hills. 
 Shall pay the bitter guerdon of the pain 
 Ye lay on me this day. And Adah wept. 
 For so her children's children distant borne 
 Were captive on the plain. 
 
 Then Lamech spake. 
 The while he leaned upon the brazen bow 
 That Tubal made for him. What would'st thou have, 
 Oh ! woman, speak, and all thy will be done : 
 'Twas long ago I bore thee from the plains, 
 And Lamech's eyes are dim and Lamech's heart 
 Is full of gloom and sadness. Thou wast kind 
 
72 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 To Lamech in his brooding, and the storm 
 Of his stern heart hast killed through many a year 
 Since Lamech's mocking arrows flew and fell, 
 Beside thy brethren's feet. And so my will 
 Is but the will of Adah. Let him die 
 Who scorns to do thy bidding. And the front 
 Of Lamech grandly rose, and none save Cain 
 Had been so kingly of the sons of men ; 
 And all the tribesmen faltered, and the youth 
 Knelt low, and, fearing, listened. Wondering 
 Hearkened the captives, till should speak again 
 The weeping Adah to them. And beside 
 Strong Zillah stood and listened but no word 
 Her parted lips let fall. 
 
 Then once again, 
 In softened tones and kindly, Adah spake : 
 Take from my pillow the fair whitened fleece 
 And raise it on tall pikes and bear it forth, 
 With hailing as for succor, to the plains, 
 
CHILDREN OF LAM ECU. 73 
 
 So they shall smite ye not. And with it lead 
 The captives to their home, so may their kin 
 And brethren yield to us our sons that now 
 Await the vengeful fires. Then at her feet 
 The fair-haired shepherd knelt. 
 
 The tiger's hide 
 That wrapped her feet he lifted to his lips 
 With rev'rent touch and fervent. When he rose, 
 Strong Tubal, eager to atone his fault. 
 Upon a spear raised high the snowy fleece, 
 And round about the spearmen gathered close, 
 The captives following, and speedy strode 
 Down the steep slopes. Then as the distant flame 
 Seeth'd higher t'ward the skies and scattered broad 
 Its newly kindled sparks, still faster sped 
 The messengers of peace. And, nearer drawn, 
 They saw their brethren and the driven stakes, 
 And saw the fuel higher heaped, and then 
 They heard the clamor of the cries of war 
 
74 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 And all the vengeful triumph of the foe. 
 Till, over all, the war-cry of the hills 
 Rose shrilly and defiant, and the heart 
 Of Tubal swelled to hear it, for it bore 
 No weakness in its tone. And 'mid the sound 
 The captive shepherd whistled on the wind 
 A cry as of the hawk that frightened wings 
 Its sudden flight toward the drifting clouds ; 
 And whistled shrill again, and once again, 
 A signal wild and strange. 
 
 Then suddenly 
 The baleful fire was quenched, and still and dark 
 Was all the night before them. Then again 
 The shepherd whistled, but his tone more soft 
 Was varied on the wind, and answering came 
 A shrill, clear whistle back. Fear not, he said, 
 They wait our coming ere a hand be raised 
 In vengeance or in wrath. Anon, he sent 
 Another signal forth ; and one by one, 
 
CHILDREN OF LA 31 ECU. 75 
 
 Dotting the outmost circle of the camp, 
 
 Low hearth-fires slowly rose, and clear and calm 
 
 The star of morning shone. 
 
 The crisping herbs 
 Rustled beneath their footsteps as the}^ strode. 
 The hares leaped lightly from beside their way, 
 And from the high mimosas came the thrill, 
 The song and cadence of the nesting birds 
 Awakening to the morn ; for slow the dark 
 Changed into dusk and dusk to silver gray. 
 And gray to golden beaming of the sun 
 Across the level plain. And at their feet 
 The heavy dews lay crystal. Where the fires 
 Had tawny shone within the dark, the smoke 
 Now lightly curled and faded. And afar 
 Beyond the shepherd tents the lazy flocks 
 Were grazing in the dawn. 
 
 So, peacefully 
 Before the sons of Lamech lay the scene, 
 
76 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 And so once more the captive shepherds saw 
 Their dwelHngs near at hand. And as they came 
 Rose shout and cry to greet them. Marveling, 
 The gathered people saw the standard borne 
 Upon the spear of Tubal. Half afraid, 
 As if some risen from the dead had come, 
 They saw their brethren, all unmanacled 
 And bright of visage walking close beside 
 The wild men of the hills. Then mothers knew 
 That bale-fires of the mountains all their sons 
 Borne vanquished from the battle, spared, and so 
 Had let the lost return ; and high their cries 
 Mingled in fervid clamor. From the limbs 
 Of their own captives all the bonds they brake. 
 Bright brands anew they kindled, and on high 
 They brandished them amid the mountain spears 
 And sang a song of gladness. 
 
 Yea, our sons 
 Are spared from battle, and, returned to us. 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 77 
 
 Shall lead our flocks anew. Their days shall be 
 As many as are Enoch's, he our sire 
 Whose voice has called upon the holy Lord 
 To save us in our trouble. Ay, we called 
 Upon the Lord our God, and He hath heard. 
 
 And while the shepherds raised the burning brands, 
 
 The women, clasping hands, with swaying steps 
 
 Danced joyous to and fro. The Lord doth keep 
 
 The tribes of Seth within His holy hand 
 
 To shield them from all harm. 'Twas so they sang 
 
 In rhythmic cadence while above them shone 
 
 The glitt'ring spears the men of Tubal bore. 
 
 And snowy high above them swayed the fleece. 
 
 Forever hence a sign of peace to them. 
 
 For now an aged man came forth and slow 
 
 His weak limbs tottered, though the brawny arms 
 
 Of young men bore him up. His face was calm. 
 
 And his the eyes of Adah, save more stern 
 
 The look that lay within them. So, he came, 
 
78 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 Enoch the chief among the tribes of Seth, 
 And all the clamor fell, and at his word 
 Was silence everywhere. 
 
 Tell me, he said, 
 Ye brawny men and strong whose weapons shine 
 So glorious in the sun, how from yon hills 
 Shall leopards come in peaceful guise and lie 
 Unharming by our flocks : and shall ye bear 
 Thy spear heads wrought in fiercest flame and storm, 
 By crafty arts within the evil glens, 
 With peace unto us here. 
 
 In Tubal's eyes 
 There flashed an angry light, but ere his lips 
 Could fashion answer, quick the shepherd spake. 
 He who had knelt at Adah's feet and heard 
 The blessing of her words. Behold, he said. 
 We who are sons of sons of those who sprang 
 Forth from the loins of Enoch, in the field 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 79 
 
 Made battle 'gainst the warriors of the hills 
 And smote them sorely, and our brethren drew 
 Brave captives from the field, but overborne 
 Were we, thy children's children. Far away 
 They bore us to the mountains : by their fires 
 Doomed they us unto death. But over them 
 The mighty Lamech rules, and Lamech's heart 
 Is servant unto Adah, whom he won 
 By robber craft when thou, Oh ! Enoch, dwelt 
 A youth among thy flocks. 
 
 She ruleth them 
 With gentleness of heart ; within her eyes 
 Lieth the peace of those the living Lord 
 Hath touched with His deep pity. To her comes— 
 'Twas so the hillmen whispered while she spake— 
 His voice forewarning in the brooding noons, 
 And in the fiery dawns, and when the eve 
 Falls dusk and cool unto the upland vales; 
 
'8o CHILDREN GF LAMECH. 
 
 And in the fearsome nights when all the skies 
 Are black with sudden storm ; and so she turns 
 The coming evil back. And oft she hears — 
 'Twas so the hillmen murmured while we stood 
 Beside the kindled fires — His high commands 
 Resounding fall from Heaven when all ears 
 Save hers in wrath are closed. And promises, 
 Wafted on gentle airs from where His Throne 
 Exalted stands, are borne to her in dreams 
 When all, save her, are sunk in sodden sleep 
 Forgetful and unknowing. Her soft gaze 
 Is clear as waters that the melted snows 
 Leave in the peaceful hollows of the hills, 
 And her calm face is wan as is the sky 
 Transparent in the sunshine of the spring 
 Ere the low herbage 'neath the slender ray 
 Doth lift its spires anew. And in her voice 
 Are tones of sorrow and of tenderness, 
 And mingled with them the slow strength of sounds 
 Like those the swelling rivers make when all 
 
CHILDREN OF LAM ECU. 8i 
 
 Their high shores yield unto them. So she rules 
 The fierce tribes of the hills. 
 
 And at her word 
 They loosed our heavy bonds. Upon a spear 
 Tubal, the son of Lamech, raised the fleece 
 And bore it hither, and he brings to thee 
 With it the words of Adah. 
 
 As he spoke, 
 Tubal stepped forth and on his forehead bare 
 The level sunshine lay. The aged men 
 Who long ago his father, Lamech, knew. 
 Cried out, beholding him, for unto them 
 It seemed that Lamech, to his youth returned, 
 Had come to speak with them. Behold ! he said, 
 I, Tubal, son of Lamech, who is son 
 Of Cain the mighty father of the tribes 
 Who dwell in yonder hills, bear unto ye 
 Fair message of thy sister, — she who owns 
 
82 CHILDREN OF LAM ECU. 
 
 The love of Lamech ; and her words are his ; 
 Let a white fleece upon a spear point borne, 
 As I have borne it hither, be the sign 
 Of truce and mercy in the strifes of men. 
 Wherever it doth come let arrows drop 
 Their points toward the earth. Where'er it sways 
 Let the long shafts of spears their burnished heads 
 Uprear toward the skies ; and let the sword 
 In vengeful hands be stayed. 
 
 Then, as he ceased, 
 
 The voice of Enoch answered, thin and shrill : 
 So let it be forever, and accursed 
 Be he that heedeth not. And then the lips 
 Of all the old men answered, clear and high, 
 Aye let him be accursed. And all the sons 
 And all the daughters of the shepherd tribes 
 There gathered in the sunrise, reverently, 
 And in half breathed accents cried again, 
 Yea : let him be accursed. And Tubal's heart 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 83 
 
 Swelled strange to hear the sound. His hand he 
 
 raised, 
 As on the fury of a battle borne, 
 And, as in battle clamor, frenzied cried : 
 /tyelet him be accursed. And at the sound 
 His kinsmen strake the spears, and to the skies 
 Rose their shrill voices, crying, evermore 
 So let him be accursed. And white as snow 
 In the fair morn the fleecy banner shone. 
 And on them silence fell as on the land 
 A calm descends when sudden storm is spent. 
 
 Then spake a captive, and the silence brake 
 With eager words and high : On yonder hills 
 Where Adah rules o'er Lamech's angry heart, 
 And where our brethren breathe with wrath subdued 
 But yet a little while, they mark no sign 
 Of all the mercy here. So, let us go. 
 And with us let the children of the plain 
 Bear back a white fleece high in air upborne 
 
84 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 In token of our coming, so no harm 
 Shall meet us on our way ; and we shall bear 
 The message of the curse that Enoch spake 
 And Tubal and the shepherds. 
 
 Tremulously 
 The voice of Enoch rose : From out the flocks 
 Bring forth a lamb unblemished. On the pile 
 Of gathered faggots lay the sacrifice. 
 And while the smoke ascending, far and dark 
 Cleaves spiral to the skies, voice clear the song 
 Of rapture and of praise : and let the fleece, 
 From our burnt offering torn, be borne afar, 
 A symbol of the peace the living Lord 
 Doth will for all His children. As he said. 
 So did the shepherds. And beside the spears 
 The men of Tubal laid upon the sward 
 There lay the shepherds' crooks. And while the smoke 
 And odor of the sacrifice, on high 
 Ascended on the breezes, clear the voice 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 85 
 
 Of loud rejoicing rose in rhythmic tones 
 From sons of Enoch there. But Tubal knew 
 No meaning of their words, for in his heart 
 He praised the name of Cain, and like a dream 
 Dreamed in his childhood, and forgotten long, 
 Seemed all the sight of altar and the sound 
 Of sacrificial song. And mute he stood. 
 With all his men around him awed and still 
 The while the shepherds sang, and while the flame 
 Rose high and faltered, and to embers low 
 And then to ashes sank. 
 
 Then forth they went, 
 The captives to their homes among the hills. 
 And with them shepherds eager for the sight 
 Of the fair city whence the sons of Cain 
 Ruled all the mountain vales. But Tubal staid, 
 And with him staid his men, and at their feet 
 Was laid the plenty of the shepherds' feasts, 
 
86 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 And all the welcome of the shepherds' homes. 
 
 For they were kin to Adah — so they said, 
 
 The simple people of the plains — and so 
 
 Were kindred unto them. And lingering 
 
 The warm winds touched the strength of Tubal's 
 
 limbs, 
 And Tubal's spirit softened — and his voice 
 Grew gentler than of old. And day by day 
 The men of Tubal languished in delight : 
 And spear heads rusted while the shepherd staves 
 Were worn with travail, and the rugged hills 
 Grew day by day more distant to their sight. 
 And better than the forges in the glens 
 To Tubal seemed the hearthstone, and more sweet 
 Than wailing of the winds that fed the fires 
 That smote the brittle ore, the dulcet tones 
 Of maidens' voices in the eventide 
 When sheep came to the folds, or in the morn 
 That waked the world anew. So softer grew 
 The spirit of the wild men from the hills 
 
CHILDREN OF LAM ECU. 87 
 
 In glamour of the fair and sensuous days 
 That softly came and went. 
 
 And on the slopes 
 And in the valleys of the harvest lands 
 The shepherd messengers, at Adah's feet, 
 Heard words of peace anew. 
 
 And so, again. 
 From one unto the other, to and fro. 
 The traders came and went. And on the plains, 
 Soft voiced and lowly, peaceful shepherds spake 
 The name of the great Lord and cried to Him 
 In woe or thankfulness : but year by year 
 They cried the less to Him. And year by year 
 Whoso amid the mountams dwelt recalled 
 The less the name of Cain. And year by year 
 Their fair tilled fields were greater, and more great 
 The harvests than before. And Tubal strake 
 Of spear-heads on the anvil, till more broad 
 
88 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 And thin they were, and with them tilled the soil 
 
 With labor lightly done. And Jabal's hand 
 
 Wearied the wild bulls that his leash had held 
 
 Until, obedient to his will, they drew 
 
 Of burdens o'er the earth. Naamah wove 
 
 Broad fabrics that the shepherds sought, and so 
 
 Gave of their wealth of fleeces. On the winds 
 
 Swam melody of Jubal's harp, and oft 
 
 His reeds gave solemn sound that far and sweet 
 
 Lulled into lofty rest. 
 
 So, in the glens 
 The flaming forges glowed ; the captive herds 
 Bore burden for their masters : carefully 
 The women wove of fabrics fair and strong : 
 Alike in toil and restfulness the sound 
 Of music rose and fell ; and plenteously 
 The earth gave forth its blessings. And the arms 
 Of the strong sons of Lamech held the maids 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 89 
 
 Borne from the shepherds' tents. The lowland 
 
 swains 
 Wooed dark-eyed maidens in the highland dells : 
 And all were brethren in the peacefid days. 
 
 Yet everywhere— and year by year went on- 
 More languid were the breezes. On the earth 
 The sun more sultry shone. The winds arose 
 With more of sudden wrath, and failed and died 
 More speedily away. The rivers shrank 
 In fervor of the summer. When the fields 
 Were brown along the shores the torrents rose 
 And overflowed the land. From the low fens, 
 As year by year went by, the marsh grass crept 
 Into the upland pastures. High and far, 
 Where, in the youth of Lamech, all the year 
 The naked mountain summits met the sky. 
 Between the harvest and the springtide lay 
 The mantle of the snow ; and year by year 
 Lower upon the slopes, between the sheaf 
 
go CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 And sowing of the grain, the tempest heaped 
 
 Its billowy drifts along ; and year by year 
 
 The drouth grew longer and the heat more strong 
 
 And latter rains more heavy. And the heart 
 
 Of Adah weary grew, for boding fear 
 
 Was with her all the while ; and Zillah's voice, 
 
 And Lamech's, rose in wonder as they marked 
 
 The changes newly come into the world. 
 
 And spake of the old days when still there seemed 
 
 On hill and plain the winds that Eden knew. 
 
 And all the even verdure of its fields, 
 
 The soft calm of its skies, and balmy breath 
 
 Of wand'ring airs within the woods and wilds. 
 
 The storms that smote the night with kindled bolts, 
 
 And uproar of the skies that died at dawn 
 
 Leaving no wTath behind. 
 
 And year by year 
 These changes came unto the earth and sky 
 And with them changed the fiery thoughts of men. 
 
CHILDREN OF LAiMECH. 91 
 
 Their days were changed, and all their hearts were 
 
 changed ; 
 And sluggish flowed their blood in slothfulness 
 Of dreamy drifting days. Of clustered grapes 
 They pressed the juices forth, and patiently 
 With careful, longing eyes, they waiting saw 
 The bubbles rise and sparkle, and they drank 
 And sank to dreams again, save here and there 
 Amid the shepherd tribes, a man arose 
 And cried unto the Lord : and in the wilds 
 Some rose and beat their breasts, and spake of Cain 
 The lordly father of a lordly race 
 Now sunken into sleep. 
 
 And love and mirth 
 And sullen passions roused from slothfulness 
 To droop in sloth again, and wrath that knew 
 No noble impulse, and slow discontent. 
 And bitter scorn, and brooding sorrow filled 
 The languid lives of men, 
 
92 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 And worn and old 
 In these last days was Lamech ; gray and wan 
 Was grown the face of Adah, — dulled the fire 
 That lay in Zillah's eyes, and Lamech's sons 
 Bore wrinkles on their foreheads. And afar 
 The tribes of Cain were scattered in the hills, 
 And many cities builded,and their herds 
 Grazed all the midland vales, and far their fields 
 Were stretched on either hand. 
 
 At last there came. 
 Seething upon the air, the sound of strife. 
 Rousing the sluggish current of their lives 
 To those on hill and plain. For restlessness 
 Of men grown weary of the pleasure born 
 From fruitfulness of harvests and the yield 
 Of willing herds and flocks, had willful turned 
 In anger on each other. And again 
 The hillmen marshaled all their spearmen forth. 
 And those who drew the bow, and those who bore 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 93 
 
 The keen edged blades of Tubal. From the plains 
 Gathered the shepherd slingers as of old 
 In fiery marshaled ranks. And on the breast 
 Of mountain slope and level lying land — 
 For now were men grown cunning in their wrath- 
 There rose the ridged earth in ramparts high 
 With trenches deep behind. And from the plain 
 Came scoffing of the shepherds, and replied 
 The scorn of warriors from the citadels 
 That sons of Lamech builded. 
 
 Autumn came 
 And crowned an evil year with hoary frosts 
 More early fallen than the meads and wolds 
 Had ever known before. And when the rime 
 Was melted by the morning sun the herbs 
 Grew brown and sere, and all the forest leaves 
 To duller verdure changed. The sunset ray 
 Was gray and cold, and at the evenfall 
 The skies were cloudless and the winds were still, 
 
94 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 And starlight came unheeded when the dusk 
 Had vanished with the day. 
 
 In such a night 
 The shepherd sentries heard on silent airs 
 A cry afar, then wondered if they heard, 
 And listened that anew the sound might come 
 Assured unto their senses. Then once more 
 They heard it faint and distant, and again 
 More near it seemed and shriller, till at last 
 A cry they heard like that the shepherd sent 
 Across the midnight air, the time there came 
 The men of Tubal with the fleece borne high 
 Upon their peaceful spears. And in the gleam 
 And glimmer of the starlight soon they saw 
 The drift and sway of fleeces high upborne 
 With spear points bright above : then, nearer drawn, 
 Beheld strong sons of Tubal, fleet of foot 
 And strong of arm, but weary with the weight 
 Qf hasting travail done, 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 95 
 
 And round them came 
 The captains and the wise men, and the seers — 
 For now 'mid battle slaughter, fervently 
 The shepherds called upon the Holy Lord 
 For safety and for succor. 
 
 Wherefore now 
 Come ye with symbols of old peaceful days, 
 Ye tigers from the hills ? 'Twas so they hailed 
 The sons of Tubal as anear they came. 
 But raised no hand to smite them, for the words 
 That Enoch spake, and Tubal, long ago 
 Were graven in their hearts. Then sadly reared 
 His head the chiefest messenger, and spake. 
 And none from lips of warrior ever heard 
 Of tone more sorrowful : 
 
 Within our hills 
 In our chief city shielded, Adah dwells — 
 Then at her name the shepherds breathed low — 
 
96 CHILDREN OF LAMECH 
 
 And aged hath she grown, and in her heart 
 Surpassing wisdom lies. Around her head, 
 When the dim twiUght comes, a halo shines 
 And wavers to and fro. Unto her ear 
 Come all the sounds within the weary world 
 That meaning have to men, and to her thought 
 This many years the living Lord hath told 
 The mystery of His will : and yestermorn 
 She cried in her deep sleep. The voice is borne 
 Of Cain from vales afar, and with it comes 
 The baying of his hound. And she awoke. 
 And listened 'mid the clamor of the birds 
 That sang in the high branches, and the shouts 
 Anon that rose when all our marshaled men 
 Looked forth upon thy people, and she said, 
 I hear the voice of Cain, and to her face 
 A look of anguish came. 
 
 And in the noon 
 When all was still, she listened and she cried 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. g-) 
 
 Oh ! Lamech, hearken ! for upon the wind, 
 
 Drawn nearer since the dawn, the voice of Cain 
 
 Is calUng unto thee. And softly, then 
 
 Our warriors paused and Hstened, but no sound 
 
 Came unto them upon the drifting breeze 
 
 That turned the leaves aside ; and they who seek 
 
 The leopard in his den and know his tread 
 
 That softly falls on woodland mosses, knelt 
 
 Low down upon the ground and hearkened there, 
 
 And, list'ning heard no sound. And still she said 
 
 In anguished voice and weary. He- hath come, 
 
 Though men believe that long ago he died, 
 
 And calleth unto thee. O Lamech, haste ; 
 
 He calls for succor in the vales afar : 
 
 So, hail the lowland warriors, let them come. 
 
 And with our sons go forth into the wilds, 
 
 For Cain is calling sorely, and the hound 
 
 That walks beside his feet is baying loud 
 
 In watchfulness and care. And while she spake 
 
 The air so silent was, that at our feet 
 
qB children of LAMECIt. 
 
 We heard a locust creep, but to our ears 
 There came no voice from far. Then Tubal said, 
 In angry guise, Shall we who rose the morn 
 To smite the people of the plains, go forth 
 Like women speaking peace. Then once again, 
 As in old days, rose Lamech. Though his eyes 
 Are sere and blinded by the years agone 
 A sound is sight to him, and to the head 
 The long straight arrow of a brazen bow 
 He drew to Tubal's breast, but Adah's arm, 
 Though weak and shriveled, turned the shaft aside. 
 With humble words knelt Tubal, and his voice 
 Was full of penitence, for so the sons 
 Of sons of Cain obey : and Lamech said. 
 Then let thy first-born bear the message forth 
 To those upon the plains. 
 
 This Adah said. 
 Let of the wisest of their old men come. 
 The bravest of their young, and let them bear 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 99 
 
 Above their heads the fleece of peacefulness, 
 And let them with us seek the aHen ways 
 Wherefrom the voice is calHng : all the plains. 
 And those that dwell thereon, and all the flocks 
 Have profit of the craft the thought of Cain 
 Gave forth unto the world, so let them hear 
 The last words of his wisdom ere the earth 
 Shall know his voice no more. 
 
 And these her words 
 We lay upon thy hearts, and bid ye tread 
 With us in peace the paths where Adah waits 
 In sadness for thy coming. 
 
 When he ceased 
 A momentary silence fell on all, 
 Unbroken save by breathing hard and deep 
 Of those expectant waiting, till reply 
 Should from the chieftains come. These answering, 
 In one voice with the seers bid warriors raise 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 The snowy fleeces high. And with them went 
 Foremost the seers white-bearded, and the sons 
 Of Enoch by their side, and following 
 Were stalwart slingers, and strong men who bore 
 The mighty staves of war. And forth they trod 
 With sons of Tubal guiding, and the stars 
 Shone white and lambent o'er them. Slowly rose 
 In the far north a wan and wav'ring light 
 From far beyond the plains. And eastward kept 
 Toward the land of Nod their steady tread 
 Beneath the starry skies. Yet as they neared 
 The foot slopes of the hills, a terror seemed 
 Far borne upon the air. The night bird's cry 
 Was sorrowful and fearsome in the dark 
 Of the deep thickets ; and the wild wolf crept 
 Afraid athw\art their path. And when they came 
 To Lamech's dwelling, on the winding way, 
 The marshaled sons of Lamech bowed their heads 
 In sad recognizance. Of forest boughs 
 And interlacing spears did Tubal's sons 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 A litter frame, and on it Adah bore 
 
 Foremost of all, save Lamech. By his side 
 
 For he was blinded, and his aged eyes 
 Beheld the path no more — did Tubal go 
 And Jabal also, with their steadfast arms 
 Upholding as he trod. But in his hand, 
 For so he willed it, Lamech's bow was borne, 
 The symbol of his power. And Zillah walked 
 By Adah's side and held within her own 
 The thin white hands of Adah. And behind 
 Strong mountain warriors followed, in their midst 
 The reeds of Jubal sorrowful and shrill 
 In measured cadence sounding. 
 
 And on, and on, 
 Beyond the stubble fields, beyond the glens 
 That glowed with Tubal's forges, past the meads 
 Where Jabal's herds lay sleeping, to the wilds 
 That hunters in their distant journeys knew 
 With steady tread they went, and as they passed 
 
to2 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 From out the forest depths the tiger crept, 
 The leopard and the lynx, and by their side 
 Came all the timorous beasts that in the woods 
 Had shelter from their anger, and there came 
 The fierce ones and the gentle in their fear, 
 And crept beside the tribesmen as they went : 
 For fear had banished wrath, and all alike 
 Within the brooding silence felt the woe 
 That lay upon the air. 
 
 So, onward trod, 
 The hoary Lamech leading and his sons 
 Gray bearded at his side, they who from Cain 
 And who from Seth had sprung. And Adah, borne 
 Upon the litter, cried, I hear his voice. 
 The voice of Cain, low sighing, and the sound 
 As of a hound faint baying in the dells 
 Of mountains distant far. And making haste, 
 The faster sped the night, the tribesmen gained 
 At last a level space whereon the light 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 103 
 
 Of stars unbroken fell, where all around 
 The shafts of high trees rose, with broad above 
 Their spreading branches thrown, and verdure deep 
 Was on the little plain. 
 
 And in the midst, 
 On couch of grasses sere and brown, there lay 
 The withered form of Cain ; upon his brow 
 Shone glamour of the starlight, and his eye 
 Was kingly as he gazed, but loose his hand 
 Lay idle by his staff. Low at his feet 
 The gaunt hound wakeful watched. Upon his breast. 
 Untouched by breath of wind, his tangled beard 
 Lay spread like drifted snow. 
 
 And as they gazed, 
 The tribesmen faltered and their cries went forth : 
 And Lamech, sightless led, knelt low anear 
 The weary form of Cain. And by his side 
 They sank the litter down, and Adah's hand 
 
104 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 Was on Cain's forehead laid and Adah's voice 
 Bore words of comforting. 
 
 At last he spoke, 
 The toil of Cain is ended, and his days 
 Are fading into dark. A little while 
 He paused, and spake again. 
 
 Yea ! I have known 
 Through many centuries unto the earth 
 The changes come and go. And evil came 
 And wrath and wrong and terror, and no more 
 Is peace within the world. Yet it shall come 
 Through many marvels and through evil days 
 And anger of the Lord. Ay ! Year by year 
 The waters of the mighty seas are borne 
 By ardor of the sun and sweeping winds, 
 And gather, in the snows, and in the earth 
 Are hidden deep away. So, year by year, 
 The lowland herbs upon the heights are grown 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 105 
 
 And river birds are nesting in the hills. 
 
 Where long ago I Lamech's children sought, 
 
 Upon the banks where pleasant waters flow, 
 
 Beside my way I found a hoary stone 
 
 Engraven with the stars, for so of old 
 
 The sons of Seth were wise and marked the place 
 
 Of all the stars on high. Then curiously 
 
 I gazed upon the skies and, lo ! no more 
 
 The stars were where they were. And all is changed 
 
 And changing on the earth, and in the skies 
 
 The hosts of heaven change. 
 
 'Twas so I said 
 And, pondering, I slept ; and in my sleep 
 A dream came to me and I saw the earth 
 And all that is therein : and high the waves 
 Did rise upon the mountains, and the hills 
 Were hidden by the waves, and slowly rose 
 Unceasing in their strength the mighty seas ; 
 And all the mountains vanished, and I cried 
 
io6 CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 Lo ! They are gone, my children, and again, 
 I cried, lo ! they are gone who sprang from Seth, 
 Seth, he, my brother, who for Abel slain 
 Was come into the world. And in my woe 
 I cried unto the Lord, and, lo ! my dream 
 Was changed, and on the waters drifting far 
 Mine eyes beheld the reeds that long ago 
 I launched upon the billows, and, behold ! 
 Upon them were the children Adah bare, 
 And those of Zillah, and the sons of Seth, 
 His shepherd daughters, and his lingering flocks, 
 Yea, and the beasts that in the wilderness 
 Had known the face of Cain, and with them lay 
 Upon the reeds the herds that Jabal drave 
 With burdens borne upon them, and my heart 
 Went forth in thankfulness. 
 
 And I awoke. 
 Then all the air was still and all around 
 No leaf stirred in the branches. Calm the stars 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 107 
 
 Looked down upon me, and there seemed to fall 
 
 From out the firmament a tender voice 
 
 That whispered slowly. Yea, the time hath come 
 
 And Cain is penitent, so may he know 
 
 The marvels yet to be. 
 
 Then on my eyes 
 Soft sleep did come again, and in my dream 
 The waves receded and the land came forth ; 
 And on our plains, yea, far beyond the seas 
 That lapse upon the borders of our land, 
 I saw fair harvests gleam, and cities rise : 
 And on the narrowed waters proudly rode 
 Fair wide winged birds that, floating, proudly bore 
 From shore to shore the harvests and the yield 
 Of forges like to Tubal's, save their smoke 
 Was as the storm clouds that the strong wind drives 
 Ere fire doth cleave the skies. 
 
 Then nearer drew 
 The distant lands unto me and I heard 
 
loS CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 Soft voices of their peoples, sweet and clear 
 As was the voice of Abel ; and I saw 
 Their faces in the light, and on them lay 
 The peace that Abel knew. And in my heart, 
 Lo ! he doth live, I said, his gentleness 
 Is heritage of these. 
 
 So, in my dream 
 I, Cain the wanderer, the marvel saw 
 And I was comforted. 
 
 Again I woke. 
 Mine heart was fain that Lamech came to me, 
 That Lamech's people came, and Enoch's sons, 
 So they might hearken me : and so my voice 
 Rose crying on the air, for I am old 
 And now my day is ending, and the dark 
 Is coming fast to me. 
 
 On Adah's knee 
 Cain's hoary head was lain ; his eyelids sank 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 109 
 
 And thinner grew his face. And silent all 
 The tribesmen knelt around him. On his brow 
 Fell the dim starlight. To the zenith far 
 The streaming light arose that at the eve 
 Had waver'd in the sky. Upon his face 
 There came a stony calm. And Adah wept, 
 And all the warriors wept, and from the wild . 
 Loud wailing rose, for all its denizens 
 Had known the heart of Cain. 
 
 But grief most strong 
 Must cease, as mighty storms must fail and faint 
 And fainter grow till calmness comes and gleams 
 In transitory peace while yet the boughs 
 Wind broken quiver in the eddying winds, 
 And so the wailing ceased. The tribesmen digged 
 With spears inverted till a grave they made 
 Full deep and broad, and in it laid the turf 
 Clean cloven from the ground, and carefully 
 Upon it spread the fleeces from the spears 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 The lowland shepherds bore. The form of Cain 
 They placed within the grave with gentle hands, 
 And spread the fleeces that were borne on high 
 By Tubal's stalwart sons, upon his breast 
 To shield him from the loam. x\nd noting then 
 The faithful hound was silent and no breath 
 Came from his nostrils, they within the grave, 
 Beside the feet unshod, low laid him down, 
 As in the wilderness his watch he kept, 
 To guard the sleep of Cain. 
 
 And over all 
 They heaped the mellowed earth. From all around 
 Of boulder stones they brought, and built a cairn 
 With sides steep sloping, one toward the place 
 Where clear the north star shone, and southward one 
 Toward the billowy seas ; and one there was 
 Fair faced toward the west where late arose 
 The lambent star of even, and one lay 
 Aslant toward the dawn. And like to this, 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 Spake Tubal as they toiled, shall be the tombs 
 Of conquerors and kings until the world 
 Shall know of man no more. 
 
 And gray and cold 
 The daylight broke upon them as they turned 
 Unto the land of Lamech and the plains 
 That lay beyond his fields. And noon was high 
 In clear calm skies when from the hills they saw 
 The shepherd tents below. 
 
 Then every one 
 Of all the lowland tribesmen went his way, 
 And slowly night drew near ; and silently 
 Unto his hearthfire Lamech's children came. 
 And Lamech by it brooded, by his side 
 The strong limbed Zillah stood, and on her couch 
 Lay Adah wearied, and afar the wind 
 Made murmur with sere leaves, and with the grass 
 That higher grew where long ago was spread 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 The dead haulm of the vines. The firehght shone 
 Fitful upon their faces. Silently — 
 Save for the low sound of the wind — the night 
 Grew deeper and more dark. Then Adah brake 
 The sorrowing silence, and her voice was clear 
 As tones of one rejoicing. Nevermore 
 Upon the earth shall dawn of morning come 
 Unto the eyes of Adah. 
 
 Come to me, 
 Oh ! Zillah, kneel as long ago we knelt 
 Ere these our bearded sons their infant lips 
 Had touched upon our breasts. And dream not thou 
 That our fond thought was vain. Through centuries 
 The guilt of Cain shall soften, for the toil 
 Of Tamech's children in its yield shall bear 
 For him atoning harvests. 
 
 Though the floods 
 As Cain beheld them in his dream shall rise 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 
 
 Above the mountain summits, softly borne 
 Shall men outride the tempest, for his thought 
 Hath safety shaped for them. And everywhere 
 The craft he taught our children, in the fields 
 And in the forest wilds, and by the shores 
 Of far resounding seas, and on fair plains 
 That know no shadows of high branching boughs 
 And in waste places of the earth, and far 
 Toward the northern stars in lonely isles, 
 And lands afar where slow the sunset burns 
 Beyond our farthest ken, within the hearts 
 Of men shall bear its fruitage, and their hands 
 Shall gather golden harvests all their days 
 And earth be glad to them. 
 
 And lest the woe. 
 The travail and the tempest yet to be. 
 Bring death unto our race, and so be lost 
 The mighty wisdom of the tribes of Cain, 
 Let their fair daughters wed the lowland swains 
 
1 14 CHILDREN OF LA ME CH. 
 
 Who guard the flocks of Seth, and let their sons 
 Wed with the maidens, who with ardent eyes, 
 Behold the stars and in the far skies trace 
 Their paths above the plains ; and so the seed 
 Of Cain shall linger to the latest day 
 That shines upon the world. 
 
 And all the thought 
 Of all the sons of Cain shall give its yield 
 According to its kind, and all the toil 
 Of Lamech's sons, that greater harvests bring. 
 Lighten the woe of men. And all the peace 
 That, joyous born of plenty, to the earth 
 Shall come because of them, shall multiply 
 According to its kind. And men shall learn 
 Because of them, to trace the wayward winds. 
 And mark the slender beetles of the clay ; 
 To note the creeping herbs, and in the stones 
 find many marvels, till their voices rise 
 
CHILDREN OF LAMECH. 115 
 
 In praise unto the Lord that He hath wrought 
 The wondrous world for them. 
 
 And at the last, 
 When all the glory of the Lord shall shine 
 In calm clear light above the lurid flame 
 That all the earth consumes, and at His feet 
 They who have waited long for judgment come. 
 The sons of Lamech and their sons shall bear 
 To Him their offering of all their toil 
 Hath done of good to men, a sacrifice 
 For all the guilt of Cain. 
 
 And from the Throne, 
 The Throne of the great Lord, shall come a voice, 
 He hath atonement made through Zillah's sons 
 And through the sons of Adah. Then shall rise 
 The voice of Abel with the throngs that sang 
 With morning stars together ; and the guilt 
 
1 1 6 CHILDREN OF LAM ECU. 
 
 Borne through the weary years shall fail and die, 
 And Cain, redeemed, shall stand before the Lord. 
 
 Pale grew her lips and thin her veined hands, 
 Gray was the shadow on her face that crept 
 And on her closed eyes. And on her brow 
 Serene and soft the star of even shone. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
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