IN THE LAND OF THE HARVEST VERSE BY "WILLIAM CAR Y SANGER, JR. ^•^ ■U^^ IN THE LAND OF THE HARVEST VERSE BY WILLIAM CAR Y SANGER. Jr. AUTHOR OF '•TIDES OF COMMERCE" •'THE CITY OF TOIL AND DREAMS" NEW YORK 1918 c^ \? \j \^ Copyright, 1918 BY WILLIAM GARY SANGER, Jr. FEB I9i9i8 ©G1.A4817G2 'M). / This Book is Dedicated to the Memory of My Brother Henry Lawrence Sanger In the Land of the Harvest SUMMER Valleys of green and golden fields entrancing, Cool wooded hills that climb to meet the sky , Fair woodlands, gay with checkered sunlight dancing, White clouds on high. Close to the cottage wall the vine is clinging, Lazily dreaming are the maple trees ; Far in the blue above a lark is singing, Soaring and sailing on the summer breeze. SUNSHINE Along the hills the glint of sunbeams fair That kindle field and furrow with their light. E.efreshing with their rays the morning air, And cheering vale and hilltop's wooded height. Par in the blue, the clouds in gathered might Sweep in majestic splendor to the west. Like sailing squadrons billowing in flight Moving at some Imperial behest, Across the surging seas to Islands of th Bleste. 1916. RAIN A veiling mist encompasses the earth, Broken at times by sullen drifting rain, A fitting mood for melancholy's birth Fraught with the memories of former pain ; Blossom and leaf alike bow down again, With weight of gathered dampness bending low, O'erladen with the moisture they retain, And dreary mists across the valleys blow, Shrouding the fields where wheat and barley grow. IQ16. ODE *'They do not know enough to care or dream, " So said a passer-by who saw them there, Wearily trudging home along the street. A dim and listless afternoon When the sun's rays Glowed through the haze, And seemed to beat In pulsing cadences and waves of heat Upon the air, And everywhere were toilers from the mills; For them few sunny days were wont to gleam ; From morn till night the factory alone Dulled with its monotone Their darkened days ; And yet the hills Around the town And up and down the valley far and wide Gladdened the countryside. 4 Ode ^ **They do not know enough to care or dream, " So said the passer-by, Now knowing how The soul may be confined yet wander far Beyond the loom and factory and plow Seeking a star Or planet in some dim imagined sky, A distant gleam, That beckons far beyond All earthly bond Into a day which is the deathless goal Of every prisoned soul. A day which has not come, yet is to be Splendid and free In the fulfillment of Eternity. Mayy iQi6. AFTER THE STYLE OF CHRISTOBEL Quiet the sea; a lonely star Shines in the planet- jeweled sky; The lazy ground-swell plays afar ; A sailing ship serene and slow Dim on the sea is passing by; Her lights reflected dance and glow. Along the coast the wash and sweep Of drowsy waves their cadence keep, And on a headland, ghostly white, A lighthouse flashes through the night. IQ16. A CALL TO THE HARVEST Harvest fields of burnished gold Where the sunlight tips the wheat, Call again to young and old: Leave the office and the street, Leave the restless city's toil For the freshness of the soil, For the plain beneath the sky, Where the clouds are sailing by ; There your heart shall find its measure Of contentment — free from pain, And the reaping will be pleasure As you gather in the grain. July, IQ16. THE SPADE A humble thing, but yet its power turns Great empires, overthrowing Prince and King. Gold from the mountain, iron from the mine, These and their like are children of its toil ; Foundations of great palaces and halls, And vast Cathedral towers owe their birth To that most potent dynasty — the spade. And at the last when Captains and when Kings Sleep after life's long battle — to the ground The Church consigns their dust; and when the prayers Are ended and the mourners all depart, The spade completes their final earthly rites And bids them rest until the Lord shall come At the last resurrection of the Dead. JQ16. CHILDREN OF THE FACTORIES {After L' Allegro) Now the day of toil is done, Children at the set of sun Beside their cottage window sill Watch the twilight on the hill, Where lights appearing wink and glow And chimney smoke arises slow ; Seated beside the window ledge. They talk of voyage and pilgrimage To foreign lands and distant shores, And castles great and palace doors. They dream of gorgeous kings and queens, And marbled halls and jeweled screens, Where they may play and wander far Under the mystic sunset star. Knights and squires give to each Words of welcome, kindly speech, And so in thought they fly away Into the realm of another day. IQ16. ONE TENTH If we could say one tenth of all we feel, Or do one tenth of all we dream and plan ; Telling of things we've witnessed far and wide, And characters we've met with here and there, How happy and how thankful we should be. But why be wasting time on idle thoughts, For though our lives might last a thousand years And we had strength to work by night and day, Yet we could never more than just begin To tell of all the glory of the world, Things that have happened since the world began, And all that happens now from day to day. Nature is glorious beyond belief; Man is a living witness of our God; The Works of Man speak likewise of His power. The Universe and all the Soul of Life Are marvelous and glorious and vast. 10 One Tenth ii Yet out of all this endless field of Life We may but touch some portion here and there. Our years are all too brief — and soon we pass Beyond the Portals to that Other Life Where — by the Cross — we'll waken in the Light; But while we live, God grant us strength and power To see our pathway clear and never halt For Barrier or Pain — but driving on Look ever toward the Light — till Life is done. 1913- AT THE END OF THE DAY At the end of the day when the sun sinks low- On plain and ridge and crest, And the evening shadows deepen and grow, And we're tired and sick and opprest; We come to a home that we all well know, Our haven — Wanderer's Rest. Weary and lone we make our way To the portal that opens wide ; And we enter in — at the close of the day; For there we may abide. Nor is there any long delay — Once we have stepped inside. We loose our packs — and free from care We lay us down to sleep, And we rest — and none may rouse us there, For we sltmiber long and deep ; We rest — God knows we need our share For the road is rough and steep. 12 At the End of the Day 13 Through the long, hushed night we find release; There is no danger nigh. There is no sound — in silent peace The age-long night goes by, Till the Light that bids the darkness cease Dawns in the eastern sky. 1913- CHILDREN OF THE DAWN Children of the Dawn are we, Watchers of the night, Eager for the Dark to flee, Longing for the Light. Yearning for the brighter day, Dream of every soul ; Striving, though so far away, Ever towards the goal. Radiant — across the years Of our world of strife; Eastward — where the skyHne clears, Gleams a waking life. Guided by the dawning glow Through the Lands of Night Forward on our course we go Following the Light. 1913- 14 AUTUMN The harvest fields of autumn time are calling, Valley and wooded hill and golden plain, Rejoicing where the sunbeams now are falling After the rain. 15 WHAT DO THEY KNOW OF DEATH? What do they know of pain Who only know The tortured blow Of brief affliction ? Time will repay them all, And raise up those who fall ; Their pain shall seem to all A benediction. What do they know of death — They who have died In might and pride Of life and power? Clergy and mourning crowd Praying with faces bowed Chanting their psalms aloud Echo the hour. i6 What Do They Know of Death? 17 But others — they know pain And death's grim power Through every hour Of life — unceasing. A living death shall keep Their spirits chained to weep Till Time shall bid them sleep — All care releasing. IQ16. THE NEW KINGDOM We thought that Princes came with Power, and Pomp, and Pride, and Might, But Who is this that comes to earth so humbly in the night ? We thought that Kings were born to sleep with silk beneath their head, But Who is this that finds for rest a lowly manger bed? We heard that Emperors lived in state and ruled by rod and bar. And made their gorgeous journeys in a golden chariot car ; Striving to teach their subjects that their king- dom stretched afar. But Who is this that teaches — the Truth, the Life, the Way, Making his himible journeys on foot from day to day, i8 The New Kingdom 19 Whose name in Faith but spoken — washes all guilt away ? We heard that Potentates were wont to scorn the sick and lone, Careless enough to help the wrecks — who knelt before their throne; Careful to aid no interest that would not serve their own. But now the lame are walking, even the deaf can hear ; The bHnd have sight, the sick are healed, the weak have nought to fear; The lepers kneel before him — and rise refreshed and clear. We heard that tears were scorned by Kings (for they were proud and staid) ; Who is it weeps beside the grave where Lazarus is laid ? We thought the Cross a sign of shame — a curse to hold and bind ; What manner of Prince has made It the emblem of mankind ? 20 The New Kingdom We thought that Death was master of man's restricted day; But now we hear a Power has rolled the stone away. We thought the years made mock of Kings — and Time all bonds would sever, But Who is He who comes to reign forever and forever ? 1913- THE LIFE BEYOND Seek not the living among the dead, For ye shall not find them there ; Think not they rest in the narrow bed That is only the earthly share. Dust, it is true, shall return to dust, And earth to the earth again, Ashes to ashes — decay and rust Are the prizes of earth's domain. But why do ye seek in the Courts of Night For those who are free from bond ? They live — in the Realms of Eternal Light ; Afar in the life beyond. 21 RAILROAD BUILDERS When every dream was shattered, When every hope had gone, Against odds not even a gambler's chance, They fought their way and they drove their lance Through rock and cliff — and it's still "Advance. " They never give in on the line. 1 91 3' 22 THE LEGIONS OF LIGHT They shall cleanse the Earth of a million sins And a million souls set free; Their task begins when time begins, And ends with eternity. Children, under the skies of blue, Playing beside the sea And a world refreshed and made anew Their monument shall be. "What do you see in the snowy clouds Ever and ever so high, Up by the towering City's shrouds Where the offices mount to the sky ? All I can see is the vault of blue, And the billowy clouds in the air. But I know that your eyes are young and true, Oh, tell me what you see there ! "And what is that cloud bank far to the west, Beyond the billows of white? 23 24 The Legions of Light Its stormy dark and towering crest Seems like the shadow of night. I see the distant hghtning play, Flash and disappear, And the thunder roars — but speak, I say, Oh, what do you see and hear?" "I see the Legions of Light, my friend, In the smoke of the cannonade, Squadrons that plunge where the ranks extend, And the galloping charge is made ; Artillery smoke clouds whirl and change As the battle swings along, And I know that the gunners have found the range And they're storming the Forces of Wrong. ''Storming the Forces of Wrong to-day. And afar in the upper sky, Above the clouds where the armies sway. The Aerial fleets go by. Far and far in the higher air Of the uppermost strata of mist, In each successive cloud-belt layer Wherever the foe resist. The Legions of Light 25 *'I see the flash of the guns that speak Across the hills of cloud, I hear the whirr of shells that shriek And whine and scream aloud; The thunder and roar of heavy guns Pounding and pounding away Tell where the barrier river runs And the rival armies sway. "At first the Legions of Light fall back, Savagely fights the foe, Whose thundering charge and grim attack Deal his pitiless blow, But yet as the day wears on apace And the sunset fires burn On cloud and summit in starry space I see the war-tide turn. "For now the Legions of Light advance, Their hosts are surging by, Sweeping the plains and the vast expanse Of the valley across the sky. Their guns boom forth from crag and peak, That tower above the plains, And night comes on, but the guns still speak, The Army of Light still gains." 26 The Legions of Light They shall cleanse the Earth of a million sins And a million souls set free; Their task begins when time begins, And ends with eternity. Children, under the skies of blue, Playing beside the sea And a world refreshed and made anew Their monument shall be. 1915- SEA-COAST MEMORIES A silent token, A promise spoken, Whispered vows, that shall not be broken. The evening star, and the wave-washed bar- A light afar — And a promise spoken. June, IQ16. 27 THE RUSH HOUR When the long day's work is ended, And the never ceasing beat Of the traffic's roar is blended With the sound of moving feet ; If you watch the crowded places Where the workers throng the way, There you see the tired faces ; Wearied — after the day. 1913- 28 NIGHT The dances now are done — the guests have gone ; Even the revellers are hushed in sleep. The lamps burn low, the streets are quiet now; Deserted save where here and there some form Paces the sidewalk up and down again ; A watcher of the dim, mysterious night. And far above — all cold, and calm, and white. The moon floats high through drifting banks of cloud, Its silver glory touching roof and street. jgi2. 29 MIST OF THE SEA A fog-bell tolling, The ground-swell rolling, And dim on the misty beaches shoaling ; A ghostly gray is the fog and spray And the sea to-day, As the bells are tolling. June, igi6. 30