PS 3537 .T475 A5 1900 .^ /. 1* .'-'. f-c ^■-0< Ho. • I 1 ,» ... .\'J'* ^ ^4 o^ -a! AND THE STARS SAW r^ AND THE STARS SAW Written by THOMAS WOOD STEVENS & ALDEN CHARLES NOBLE Pictufingfs by IVAN SWIFT ^ THE BLUE SKY PRESS ^ ^900 office of tli« MAY 1 ^ \m C o p^T right Lang worthy, Sterens & Co. Chicago 5 « MCONO OOf Y, 58693 THE POEMS THE PONIARD OF DAY AS HAPPENS FOR THE FAIL- URE OF SATISFACTION THE KEY WHICH UNLOCKS TPiE DOOR FROM EITHER SIDE THE LOSER GALLOWS ILLUSIONARY TWIN REWARD WINDSWEPT WHO WEDS GOLD OF THE OPTIMIST AND THE SMILE OF THE SKULL FRAILTY FOG Of this book there have been 333 copies printed, of which this is num- FOREWORD We thank you, Stephen Crane, for this strangfe and subtle medium* As to the things we have written therein, they are ours; wc hare thought them out between us. T.W.S. A. C. R THE PONIARD OF DAY IN dim dusk of dawn A knigfht rode a gray far plain. His blood leaped for cool lone- somcncss; He cried a wild vacant cry t "Oh plain, give company* '^Bear me warriors to crashing battle here, '^Myself shall break them, "By the Lance of the Dark, broken "Shall they be. "And by my hand/' The spreading plain cried answer Echoless, so shrill he scarce heard. On all hands* "By the grim Lance of the Dark "We shall conquer "And the hot Poniard of Day shall make end/' So the knight rode. Shouting* Day^ and a molten white sun* The gray plain shimmering: white* The knigfht rode Groaning in his mail of despair* He shook himself and shouted ^'Oh plain, give company, ^*Let silent dark battle be; ''^I will break thy champions, **l will break thee, oh plain/' And the trembling plain cried. Roaring hot. ''The hot Poniard of Day shall make end* ''Be silent*'' The knight's voice sank* Failed into the hollow breast of his mail* Night, and the g:? ay plain cticd Ever ywhcte exulting: to the leering: stars* And the stars saw. The knig:ht was still. AS HAPPENS FOR THE FAIL- URE OF SATISFACTION A poor man was Once in the everlasting earth, A silly starved man^ A thin greedf ul man. "Oh world/' said the man, '*Give me bread or I die V^ And the whimpering world gave bread* ^'Stupid/' grumbled the man, "Where's the marmalade?'' THE KEY WHICH UNLOCKS THE DOOR FROM EITHER SIDE THIS is the key, This thing: of steel, uncom- promising:. Under her breast, driven hard It may bring: me reveng:e and white honor — And nig:ht-coldt dark, starting: Remorse* If I thrust it still harder between my breathing ribs And twist it, work it about For free blood flow, And quick end, It may bring rast sleep ; Or any one of many things whereof all men preach Differently, And each believes the preaching of another. It is the key. THE LOSER A MAN was working: '*Do not that;' said I, "Come and be met r y/' **You are a Fool/' he said And he worked. Examinations came. I passed. The man flunked. ^'You cribbed/ said the man. GALLOWS IN this dread engine of the witch- ery of Death I sec the tumult between dream and dream. I basked in the Friendship of God; Ignored, knowing well my Friend; I had strength And for the hate of an enemy. Ah, Between dream and dream I must feel a stiff cold rough noose tight on my throat. A fuzzy hemp noose. I am cut dead in the highway, To seek another Friend, Having lost the Friendship of God. ILLUSIONARY A BROWN eye Is only a little ring: Centered of wee transparent black On a white small gflobe With lashes* And the lashes should be long; and curved* Restless and lifesome, Because of the muscles that move it^ It can do nothing; Nothing: Save what the nerve countenances* It has no power* But some brown eyes — When I look into their pupils — I for g:et all the thingfs* TWIN DUAL is my Soul, (If there be any such un- proved thing) Of two, similar yet not alike; One, a sympathetic cynic Careless, heedful, irrelevant; And the other a melancholy opti- mist Spendthrift, selfish, worshipful. And both dream and are lazy. If I have a Soul. REWARD A DOG Is Love embodied; Liquid speaking: Love. Encased in various hair; Upon four legs. Love asking nothing of return, Love that puts life a toy For tyrant master. Love that thrives on curses, kickings. The rattle of a tin can Tied to the tail of Love Is a pleasing sound. WINDSWEPT ALONG the streets The winter whinnying: wind Howls. And the chilled people. The helpless hurrying people, Turn up their collars In vain endeavor to keep the snow Out of their necks. Vain endeavor* The hackmen shout harshly To their strugfgfling, straining horses, And curse in loud howlings That mingle with the wind, The fretful, whining wind. WHO WEDS GOLD A GIRL, ttdf black, white. Red is a royal bloom* Is she the worse For an independent §:ratuit7* For great surfeit of world's things. She is still royal. And in her presence, it appears I think I love her, Sometime I am certain of it. You argfuc poorly. There are a host of ways To be miserable, To be wretched. OF THE OPTIMIST AND THE SMILE OF THE SKULL AN optimist, A foolish man of firm fixed smile, Gazed on a sullen dead silent skull — Head of Death's past. The skull to the man Echoed the smile, Useless, meaningfless. The man, gfay laughing: cried, *'Ha! and yet he knows, "Knows smilingf/' The man lied. The skull was a woman's. Sardonic on his mirthless grin She smiled. TT P. \ smasmam FRAILTY I LOVED a man and he was a God, I walked with him in silly easy ways And we came to a Deep Ditch Bfown^ slimy, writhing:, *^Leap,'' I said And he looked long at the Ditch, Then leaped he trembling: white. He fell in the writhing brown And died. I wept, for Mine was a mortal God. FOG PUFF-wfcaths of curling gray, White against the sable va- cantness Of night. Muffled^ groping a tardy way Through cotton fog, The chimes come, broke now By sound of escaping steam. Sides of gray blearing white Under uncert shadow wraiths Of undreamed canvas* The world is a round Universe, Of ten foot radius. With tangible soft sides, Which, broken, merge to other Similar Universes* Mingle with curling fog-wreath Chime of bells. In the thick, rough bank Of night. Rows of blinking, blurred ligfhts, Lights flashing at even space. Bow to stern* On all ways^ ocean, fog. Careless laughter, music, unremem- brant joy, Within. Without, above, alone. Two eyes glare watchful ever, Unbeguiled by merryness below. A shape — ahead, on all sides White, whiter than gray-white fog. ^Hard— ^^ A cabin passenger shrieks at the crash. Spiteful the sun rises, Orange, spiteful. Welcome at first, cheerless Then, with blank bare sea. Bright is the day, and blue. The wind is alone. HEREEND- cth the lit- tle book of verses called ^ ^^AND THE STARS SAW; no pAf t of which was ever printed before, ^^/?^ It wai written^ out, in the firit place, by ^^/? Thomas Wood Stevens and fi Aldcn CharlcS/»? Noble, ^/l'^^ The Pictaringfs being: made by/? Ivan Swift.^^ Printed on the Blue Sky Press, ^ which is under the Front Stairs at number 5430 Lexingfton Avenue, in Chicago, Illinois, by the authors, fi Being: the second book by them print- ed. Published by Langfworthy, Ste- vens & Company, at the same place. Completed this thirteenth day of February, Anno Do- mini Nineteen Hundred. •1°^ WERT BOOKBINDING Grantville Pa :.pi-Oci 196^ ^o. ^oV" jP-n^. 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