Book^JllU^ Gopiglit]^?. ATj CiJPXRIGRT DEPOSIT. LIGHTS AT DAWN LIGHTS at DAWN Poems By ARISTIDES E. PHOUTRIDES BOSTON The Stratford Co. , Publishers 1917 Copyright 1917 The STRATFORD CO., Publishers 32 Oliver St., Boston, Mass. *i/k MAY 26 1917 The Alpine Press, 32 Oliver St., Boston, Mass., U. S. A. ©CL.A462891 To My Reader I AM no rebel ; from my inner shrine, I watch the endless world and gaze and ponder As you might gaze upon the restless brine From a high cliff with calm and silent wonder. Moved by the grandeur of the scene, I sing My song in ecstasy ; and midst the woe Or joy of life 's great drama wavering, I laugh or cry as the great winds might blow. Of the vast world and of humanity A tiniest and humblest atom, I Blow not the trumpet of command, nor see The eating rust of things beneath the sky. I preach no gospel, pull no temples down ; Yesterday's idols, gods that live to-day, And gleaming hopes that weave our future's crown, I venerate as fountains of my lay. I would these songs were echoes true of all Things noble, great, and beautiful that lift Our world above the lower earthen wall. If not, may they be dust on sea adrift ! Peacham, Vermont. August, 1916. [viil CONTENTS To My Eeader . The Outer Temple . The Dawn from the West The Conquest of the Air Glories .... A Maker's Voice Friends .... Mountain Climbers The Song of the Waterfalls On Californian Trails War Forward Songs of a Greek Peacham Olympus The Inner Shrine Balm Trembling Flames Last Solace . Captivity A Fate's Decree Raining Shadows Silences Vll xiii 1 6 10 11 12 13 14 17 20 22 24 29 30 31 33 35 37 38 40 41 43 45 CONTENTS — Continued Sun-Magic . 46 By the Sea . 48 Beleaguered Kings . 49 Awake ...... . 50 To One Called ''Tempest" . . 51 Creeping Things . . 54 Tranquillity .... . 55 To Kostes Palamas . 56 "Thou, Too, Brutus?" . . 57 I Wish I Were the World for You . 59 The Endless Trail . . 61 Voices from the Graves . . 63 Longing .... . 65 A Stranger's Epitaph . . 66 To a Suicide . 68 Youth . 70 The City of Sin . . 73 The Marble King . . 75 The Death of Egypt . . 78 Laura . 79 A Child's Grave . . 80 Eachel . 81 Lord Kitchener . 82 Dreams and Memories . . 85 An Idyl . 93 Ktaadn and Morning Dew . 107 The Outer Temple To Miss Mary E. Haskell. LIGHTS AT DAWN The Dawn from the West* An Ode to America BURDENED and bent, With their souls aflame and their lifesong spent, They sailed through the waves and groped through the valleys of night; And their hearts were heavy with woe and panted for rest. But they lifted their eyes and behold, in the golden west, A vision rose from the watery deep into light! And from sea to sea, Light, flashing and free. Spread meadows of green and mountains of violet and gray ! And the meadows laughed with lily and golden rod: * Written for the "Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts," it was read before them at the Old South Church of Boston and published under the title "America, the Restorer." A Greek translation by D. E. Valacos appeared un- der the title "An Ode to America." [1] LIGHTS AT DAWN And the mountains nodded with purple summits untrod, Empearled with the heaven 's dew and the water- fall 's spray ! Weary and worn, With the clangor of chains and with garments torn, They sailed through the waves and groped in the valleys of night; And their dreams were dead, and their hopes were waning away. But they lifted their faces westward; and lo, a new day Dawned forth from the western land! On his eastward flight, The westwind springs Upon fragrant wings! And the song he brings from the hollows and dales of his birth Is trumpeted forth on the myriad tongues of the breeze ; And the weary hear it, the song from beyond the seas, And their eyes are filled with joy; and their hearts, with mirth. [2] LIGHTS AT DAWN ' ' Come unto me, Ye burdened and bent from beyond the sea! I have light for your darkness and dreams for your dreams that are dead ! For your clouds of gray, I have stars that are ever ablaze And a sky as bright as the azure of cloudless days ! And for every sigh, I have flashes of crimson red! I have gold in my veins For your iron chains And diamonds eager to grind your fetters away ! And my orchards are blessed with a yield that shall know no dearth ! And my fields, with the golden grain of a sunlit earth ! And my rivers, with singing waters that revel in play I ' ' Come unto me, Ye weary and worn from beyond the sea ! For wide are my prairies, and green are my forests and dales ! [3] LIGHTS AT DAWN And my deserts are fragrant with sedge, and my mountains rise Upon pillars of flint and of granite rock to the skies ! Embattled on hope and on freedom, a new land hails. As workers of worth, Whom the old sends forth. Fling open my harbors ! And come, my chil- dren of sorrow ! For the lifesong I teach you anew, you will bring me your gifts From the distant lands; and lo, from all nations' drifts, A new people shall rise in the dawn of a greater to-morrow ! * ' Come unto me, Ye burdened and bent from beyond the sea! I have light for your darkness and dreams for your dreams that are dead! For your clouds of gray, I have stars that are ever ablaze And a sky as bright as the azure of cloudless days! [4] LIGHTS AT DAWN And for every sigh, I have flashes of crimson red ! Eeborn in my light And filled with my might, Be my children, and bards, and my iron defend- ers of woes ! For the hour may come when the flames of a righteous wrath Shall flash from mine eyes; and before you a radiant path Shall lead you to smite with your hands my glory's foes! ''Reborn in my light And filled with my might, Be my children of faith ! And in battle- ments drawn, Keep watch at the gates of the western dawn!'' Summer, 1916. [5 LIGHTS AT DAWN The Conquest of the Air *'Die Elemente hassen Das Gebild der Menschenhand. ' ' — Schiller THE DREAM Spirit of Man : ^/^N eternal space I ponder: To soar V>/ On the wings of the Air, The blue region to dare, And the clouds to greet in spite of the roar Of the thunder, — is this a dream and the flight Of my fancy ? — ^Who will resist my might ? What lawless force with my reason will fight, That has yoked the riotous steeds of the sea And ridden them safe unto victory ? ' ' Spirit op the Air : ''From the ends I come, to the ends I go; Through the infinite world I steer my course; And of life, I behold the end and source. LIGHTS AT DAWN Everlastingly moving, I roam and blow On the mountain cliff and the meadow rose. I can lash the seas into graves for those Who challenge mine anger and sail as my foes. Take warning, worm, and crawl on thy way ; My master is not a handful of clay ! ' ' II THE ATTEMPT Spirit of Man : "Indeed, thou art mighty; and mighty, thy breath. Thou canst rage and destroy, And canst crash like a toy The great oak that stands on thy way! Grim death On thy wings is hanging ! But I, the weak. Shall higher rise than the highest peak ; And subduing thy pride, I shall make thee as meek As a lamb at his shepherd's feet and as calm As a wounded chief at the healer's balm!" [7] LIGHTS AT DAWN Spibit of the Air : **Thy presumptuous toy like an insect flies Through my sacred abode; and thine arrogance Lures thee to thy death in a fatal trance. Thus did ancient Icarus sail through the skies To his watery grave. Let the winds now blow On his wings of straw ! Come, my brothers, ho ! And smite him and smash him and dash him low, Who spreads violent sail against me! Down! Let oblivion be his merited crown ! "He is crushed! He sinks! And his eloquent pride Is nought at my angry frown. Hail, fool ! My realm shall absorb thy life ; and my rule. An eternal Sphinx above thee, shall abide While thy blood shall curdle on barren rocks. While the forest shall sing at thy fate, while the flocks Of crows shall tear at thy flesh, and the fox Shall scoffingly sniff at thy skull And insult thee as brainless and dull ! ' ' [8] LIGHTS AT DAWN III THE VICTORY Spirit of Man : ''Let my brother moulder! Still I, the man, Shall entangle thy power ; And my spirit shall tower High above thyself and thy boisterous clan, Like a fleeting bird o 'er the angry rush Of the waves. Thy fury shall soon in hush To my reason yield ; and a glittering flush Of serial fleets shall blaze through thy sphere! For my spirit is bold ; and it knows no fear. ''And behold, I soar and conquer! Below My indomitable barks Sailing wider than larks, The loftiest mountains appear as low As the plains to eagles rejoicing in height! Blow ! Eoar ! Rage ! Mid thy tumult my pinions fight Unto victory! Whole and unharmed I light On the conquered goal of my daring dream. And my brow is bright with the victor's gleam ! ' ' April, 1910, LIGHTS AT DAWN Glories OH, the silent music of the hill ! The lulling murmur of the breeze ! The green calm flooding in the field ! And all the joy of the blue ! Glories still new! Glories still sung! Glories eternal! Glories true! August, 1910, [10 LIGHTS AT DAWN A Maker's Voice RESPLENDENT in the giory of the green, Beneath the blue, beneath the wanton air. The winged singers, listless of all care. Wander and sing maddened with joys unseen. Then Autumn comes, the melancholy Queen, Heralded by sad sunset-leaves that bear. Stamped upon them, the mark of death; and rare And tuneless grow their songs with grief un- clean. With spring comes joy; with fall, decay and death ; A funeral is signalled by a birth ; There blows a trumpet; here, a dying breath. hapless man, begotten of a mirth To drown in pain, who leads the weary way ? — ^A maker's knowing voice from far away! November, 1911. [11] LIGHTS AT DAWN Friends BLESSED with splendor, wound with glory, Deathless like worlds with life ensouled. Live within us our friends and mould Our faintest note into a story. A story full of living beauty, Lifted with melodies thrice-pure That with their waves enwrap and lure Our thoughts to the firm rock of duty. Duty to join a soul to soul ; Duty for friends to dwell with friends, And live a life that only bends To rise with others strong and whole. January, 1912. 12] LIGHTS AT DAWN Mountain Climbers UNDER sun-enamored shades Born of cedar, pine, and fir. Through the flower-spotted glades Where the fleeting insects stir, Past the valleys, past the hills, Up the singing mountain rills, Upward! Upward The blithe climbers go! Upward! Upward! Past all things below! To the lofty mountain peak ! To the snows that touch the sky ! Where the tongues of ages speak With eternal voices high, Echoed in their endless rhyme By a boumless space and time! Upward! Upward The blithe climbers go! Upward ! Upward ! Past all things below ! Kern Lakes, California, July, 1912. [13] LIGHTS AT DAWN The Song of the Waterfalls WE are born of the sacred springs of the mountains, Blithe children of clouds and of radiant glee; We are fed by the dew and the snow and the fountains, And gurgle with laughter unbound and free! And our shimmering song Shall be mighty and strong! Pellucid like crystal and mouldless like light, We can gambol with sunshine and play with the moon; We can sparkle and foam in the dark of the night, And endlessly seethe with our mirthful tune! Fall! Fall! Fall! With a sputtering bound and a thundering roar ! For our journey is long ; and our goal, far away ; And no sleep in the night nor rest in the day Can silence the song that we sing evermore ! There is strength in the rock that trammels our course ! [14] LIGHTS AT DAWN And the tamarack 's sinews are mighty and deep ; But the forest 's giants are dwarfs to our force ! We are reapers that long to gather and reap ! In a plunge and a dash, With our crystalline crash, We gnaw at the roots and pound on the rock From sunset to dawn, till a pitiless whirl Shall dance o'er the rock, and a smoking shock Shall crumble the tree in our eddying swirl ! Fall! Fall! Fall! With a sputtering bound and a thundering roar ! For our journey is long ; and our goal, far away ; And no sleep in the night nor rest in the day Can silence the song that we sing evermore ! We sprinkle the rose that graces our banks ! We laugh at the lilac that sports with our spray ! The fairest of ferns in delicate ranks And the flowering currant embellish our way! We revel through flowers And the greenest of bowers ! Past walls of basalt and granite, we rush ! Through the silent figures of sculptured stone! With our voices we break their eternal hush. And we drown in our roar the juniper 's moan ! Fall! Fall! Fall! [15] LIGHTS AT DAWN With a sputtering bound and a thundering roar ! For our journey is long ; and our goal, far away ; And no sleep in the night nor rest in the day Can silence the song that we sing evermore ! Thus we dream of the day when our course is run; And we long for the hour of our glorious reign When our task is done and our race is won And, at last, our long-sought goal we shall gain. To the seas of the blest ! To the golden west ! Where the waves, white-crested, merrily sound; Where the winds, swift-winged, their dances pursue ; To the infinite ocean our waters are bound, To the sacred fields of the sacred blue ! FaU! Fall! Fall! With a sputtering bound and a thundering roar ! For our journey is long ; and our goal, far away ; And no sleep in the night nor rest in the day Can silence the song that we sing evermore ! Volcanic Falls of the Kern, California. July, 1912. [16] LIGHTS AT DAWN On Californian Trails HERE is to the Land with a heaven bright, California rich with the blessings of gods ! And her peerless Sierras, her mountains of light, Great haunts of glory and beauty's abodes! We were five of us, tramping her mountain trails Overhung with pinnacles splendent with light; The sky, for our roof; for our chambers, the dales ; And for lulling songs, the whispers of night. Oh, for a campfire's joy And the sound of a comrade 's ' ' ahoy ! ' ' When, puzzled with blazes, you wander astray Among fox-tails and cedars that lure you away ! We were five of us watching the moon as she spread Her gold on the furrowless face of Rae Lake, And the rock-born shadows lowered in dread [17 1 LIGHTS AT DAWN As the mountains kept their eternal wake. Oh, for the sight of a glen And the shouts of the merry men As through gravel and brush and snow- field they plow Their light-clad path to the pinnacled brow! We were five of us, drunk with the glow of the heights As we stood all amaze in the midst of seas That stormed with their fragrance unlimited sights Of gold-studded meadows and purple-clad leas. Oh, for a bournless sky And a mountain pass in July When lilies and roses blossom in flood And the Indian paint-brush reddens with blood ! We were five of us, greeting the summer snow- flakes And plunging with joy in the icicled streams And the virgin waters of mountain lakes Under canyoned storms of clouds and gleams. Oh, for a snow-cold drink ri8i LIGHTS AT DAWN And the glow of a Sierra pink Where the waterfalls sing their eternal tune In the shadows of firs and in gorges deep-hewn ! We were five of us, racing from Owens to King's And from deep-cut valleys to sun-struck glades, Who leaned on the aged sequoias, the kings Of the Giant Forest, and mused in their shades. Oh, for a mountain stream And a nook in a canyon to dream With the song of the wren and the breath of the pine As we gaze upon altars of gleamings divine ! Here is to the Land with a heaven bright, California rich with the blessings of gods ! And her peerless Sierras, her mountains of light, Great haunts of glory and beauty's abodes! Sierra Nevada, Calif or^iia. July, 1912. [19] p LIGHTS AT DAWN War EACE! While the meadows of life are athirst with gray dust! Peace! While the wings of millions of spirits are bent! Peace! While the palace of Soul is burdened with rust, And the holiest visions like cobwebs are rent! Peace! While the Titans moulder in bonds of decay ! Peace! While the hammers of dwarfs beat the hands of a god ! Peace! While the powers of darkness defile the day, And the greatest bow at a tyrant 's rod ! Oh, I am weary of peace and her bitter fruit ! Weary of love begotten of selfish desires ! Weary of joy that grows on a sorrowful root And a goddess who sucks with the lips of vampires ! [20 1 LIGHTS AT DAWN War ! For the vengeance of ages engulfed in the past! War ! For the slaves that wait for a happier day ! Battle with sword and with fire while tyrannies last, And the towers of evil defiant stay ! Strike at thy foe and march like the shadow of death ! War! Till the mountains of light are reborn to the eyes ! War ! Till the Gods of Olympus awake with the breath Of the bluest of seas and the bluest of skies ! October, 1912. [21] LIGHTS AT DAWN Forward / FORWARD! Though tide is high and the winds blow hard Swelling our white pinioned wings! Forward! Though towering billows cannot retard Fate's indefensible flings! Forward ! The clouds are dark, but the sky is blue Vaulting above ever bright! Forward ! For pain in strife is a gift to sue, Sweet in its fierceness and light. What if a grave yawns deep in our tram- melled way? Brave is to sweep upon death, Braver than if a doom that we cannot stay Pilfers our coveted breath. Forward through storm and dark! Only fears destroy [22] LIGHTS AT DAWN Soldiers of hesitant hands. Forward! A hero's dreams are the dreams of joy, Visions of gold-wrought lands ! November, 1912. [23] LIGHTS AT DAWN Songs of a Greek TO SALONICA FREED THESSALONIKE, city of gladdening sound, Bathed in the blue and exalted on shoul- ders of mountains, Victory greets thee anew, and thy brow is wound Splendent with leaves that are plucked from Pieria's fountains. Fling wide open thy gates! If thy ramparts are gory. Darkened with ages of despot-born grief, tear them down ! Down ! For thy ramparts hence shall be founded on glory Heralding over the seas thy victorious crown ! Sing to the justice of Heaven a song of glad praise ! [24] LIGHTS AT DAWN Send thy free sons to the banks of thy river to strew Laurels and flowers on the path of the victor who lays Low the great strength of the Turk and creates thee anew! Hail to the Spirit's flame and the legions of Greece ! Hail to the light that has come to the dwellers of Night ! Hail to the goddess who brings an eternal peace, Liberty, blessed with joy and pavilioned in might ! November 8, 1912. II TO CRETE FREED Hoist higher the banner ! 'Mid stars let it soar ! Let the heavens thunder with revelling light ! Let the billows swell with exultant might And cheer with their laughter her blood-fed shore ! [25 1 LIGHTS AT DAWN Let freedom emblazon her conquerless throne! Sing louder her glory! Her brow still bleeds, And her hands are bruised with the strain of her deeds ; But triumphant and free she comes to her own. Let the sea bring forward her treasures of old ! Let the sun and the moon and the stars bestow What is brightest and best in their deathless glow! Let the earth uncover her diamonds and gold ! For each bitter thorn of her former crown, A garland of light shall encircle her brow ; And for each blood-drop, a laurel shall grow To soothe with green leaves each lingering frown. Hail, ancient queen of the isles of Greece ! From thy distant shores to the ends of the world. The glad tidings come by glad breezes unfurled That with hands unchained thou reignest in peace ! February 15, 1913. [26] LIGHTS AT DAWN III TO GREECE What if the ivy blushes its last ? What if the oak-leaves cover the plain ? What if the forests darken and wane Misty like shadows and dreams of the past ? What if the mountains swell with their snow? What if the storm-clouds havoc the day? What if the sunbeams shine far away Hidden to men that shiver below ? Spring is within me reigning for long! Gardens of glory, meadows of light, Swift streams of waters, rivers of might, Flowing to nourish laughter and song. Spring ! For my country wakes to renown ! Spring, for her bruises are healing anew ! Spring, for her laurels bathe in fresh dew, Ready to weave her victorious crown ! r 27 1 LIGHTS AT DAWN Drink to her glory ! Wish her the best ! Here is to her, the queen of the sea ! Here is to her, the victor to be ! Here is to Greece, the land of the blessed ! October, 1912. 28 LIGHTS AT DAWN Peacham GREEN everywhere, and in the midst of myrrhs Clover-distilled, the little village lies Nestled beneath the mantle of the skies And bathed in fragrances of balsam firs. About, with velvet green, a waving line Of hills weaves merry garlands azure-hung; The little lakes with silver bosoms shine In maiden modesty for charms unsung. Beneath the watchful shades of maple trees. The gladdened brooks in crystal chatter glide ; And in their wooded shrines, the chickadees Sing their short song in strains of airy pride. And in the hill-bound palace, dwell a few Who smile and weep at life's stream ever new. Peacham, Vermont. August, 1916. 29] LIGHTS AT DAWN Olympus EMBLAZONED with immortal light, I raise To heaven's azure lips my shining brow; And filled with blue divinity, I bow With shoulders clad in gold and silver haze At the sea's feet to listen to her plays Of sapphire merriment, and hear the sough Of my prophetic oaks, and ponder how My fame can lift the burden of its days. For ever since the noon of life, my crest Is gleaming with light palaces divine; Purple and amethystine raiments bind In god- wrought folds my adamantine breast ; Thunders and lightnings, clouds and storms are mine; And through my voice, the gods still speak their mind. Mt. Olympus, Greece. April, 1914. [30] The Inner Shrine To My Sister Despoena LIGHTS AT DAWN Balm I LIFTED mine eyes and behold, I saw in the darkness of night Queen Silence enthroned in her might; And watched the great shadows unfold From the caves And the woods in moonlight. I lifted mine eyes to the banks That, circling like walls without break, Rose over the motionless lake ; And saw the mysterious ranks Of the pines In their slumberless wake. Above me, the stars as in sleep Looked weary and languid and pale; And listlessly struggled to sail Across the unlimited deep To the end Of their meaningless trail. [33] LIGHTS AT DAWN But Silence with weariless might Held sway over beast and tree. And touched by her wand, I could see Her eyes were agleam with the light Of my dreams That had faded from me. She called; and my heart all aglow With agony's revelling flame, I answered her summons and came To kneel at her temple. And lo. As I wept. She poured balm on my flame ! Mount Eermon, Massachusetts. May, 1908. [34 B LIGHTS AT DAWN Trembling Flames UT do you love meV From the hearth the flames Leaped forth to look upon their trembling faces As they were mirrored in the shining frames Of polished brass and danced with magic graces. Then from your restless eyes, a quivering light Hurried across the space of airy gloom To meet mine eyes. The candles glistened bright Under the walnut panels of the room. It was the light of an unspoken song Whose secret dwelling was my timid heart; Your words, were they not spoken, I would long To hear ; and yet, they sounded like a part Of what I had — my native melody — . Flames leaped before the metal fields still flushing ; The crystal eyes were quivering timidly; And with the burning blood, the cheeks were blushing. [35] LIGHTS AT DAWN And motionless I asked : ' ' Love ? What is love ? ' ' ''To feel me near you." ''Nearer you cannot be." Mine ears were ringing with the song. Above, The gilded panels glittered knowingly. [36j LIGHTS AT DAWN Last Solace Te spectem suprema mihi cum venerit hora Te teneam moriens deficiente manu . . . — Tihullus WHEN o'er my heaven the darkening clouds shall press Veiling my thoughts in their far spreading gloom, And violent winds shall drive my weary plume To seek a shelter in some wilderness; When my dim eyes beholding less and less Of this fair world shall swim in vacant room, And I shall smell the horror of the tomb Full of the coldness of the Earth's caress; Still, if I feel thine eyes thus lean on mine Raining sweet love and love's pure sjnnpathy, If my hand feels the tenderness of thine. Then painless I shall greet the parting sign; Knowing that thou, my love, wilt sigh for me. My soul with gladness in thy love will pine. May, 1910. [37] LIGHTS AT DAWN Captivity UNDER the sky, under the light, With faint life-fragrance reach- ing through My prison's walls in tender might! Thinking of green, thinking of blue, Of creatures flying to and fro. And to be captive ! Oh, It is a cruel woe ! Give me the gift that earthworms have, To creep to sunshine at their will ; Give me what little sparrows have, To warble free above the hill As the glad reapers upward go. But to be captive ! Oh, It is a cruel woe 1 Let me swim free the azure flood Of wanton air with whistling wing ! And let me rest my restless blood [38] LIGHTS AT DAWN Where sheep flocks graze, and robins sing, And cooling breezes blow ! But to be captive ! Oh, It is a cruel woe ! Alas ! I hear the merry sound Of the wide world 's awakening song ; I feel life's quiver passing round My prison's walls, the walls of wrong. But I, in iron fetters, low I lie a captive ! Oh, It is a cruel woe ! September, 1910, [39] LIGHTS AT DAWN A Fate's Decree STRUGGLING! Struggling! Strug- gling ! Pining, panting, thirsting For that which is and was, For that which ever shall be Wastes Man's life and withers! Truth divine, how long. How long the pain of strife, How long the way shall be ? — Endless, boundless, coeternal With the splendors that it brings : Love, and peace, and bliss supernal. Strife must play while Man's soul sings ! Speed on ! Thy weary feet Shall move with quenchless strength; But strength that weariness. Slow weariness, must hunt Unto eternity ! It is a Fate 's decree ! December, 1910. [40] LIGHTS AT DAWN Raining RAINING ! Raining ! Softly weeping Spreads above the woeful sky ; Through the earth wet tears are creeping ; Lonely sparrows earthward sweeping Vainly sigh For a bright and joyful sky. See black phantoms onward sailing Through the seas of silent tears ! Listen to the voiceless wailing, Ever trembling, never failing. As it steers Through the shadowy misty spheres. Raining slowly! Softly raining! Shrouded sadly fades the day ; Shadows creep on ever gaining; Why of all should I be feigning? Were I gay, Why are sky and earth in gray? [411 LIGHTS AT DAWN Soul of sorrow ever roaming On the deserts of despair "Where black waves are ever foaming, Fold thy wings and stay thy roaming ! Stay, and bear Midst the world's gray woes thy share. January 1, 1911, [42] LIGHTS AT DAWN Shadows TELL me, heart close kin to sor- row, Tell me, when the end will be ? Will to-day or will to-morrow Bring us rest from agony ? Tell me, heart, art thou not weary In the dark alone to grope? Shadow-bound, unseen, and dreary To hunt still a fleeting hope ? Tell me then, why art thou clinging Still to hunger and to thirst. Endless feelings, always bringing Surfeit last and anguish first ? Listen ! Out a moan is sweeping ; O'er a forest solitude, There is wailing, there is weeping ! Thither go ! There is sweet food ! [431 LIGHTS AT DAWN In the shadows of the forest Fill thyself with painful dreams ; There the regions where thou soarest Will not shine with lying gleams. In the shadows by the river Shed thy tears and silent sighs ; Shake thyself with Sorrow's quiver Far from lights and peering eyes. Swarms of thoughts are inward flying, Humming like the mourning bees When their kingdom's queen is dying Wounded by the autumn breeze. Tell me, heart, close kin to sorrow, Tell me, when the end will be ? Will to-day or will to-morrow Bring us rest from agony? Hartford, Connecticut. August, 1911. 44 LIGHTS AT DAWN Silences SO many voices bold and bare ! So many whispers in the leaves ! The winds sound forth a lively air ; The ocean roars ; the billow heaves ; And yet from all I hear no call! For silence far about me weaves Her mists resistlessly and holds me thrall. Mirth dances wide and far ; The wine of joy fills all the hearts ; The mortal eye shines like a star That twinkling flings its merry darts. Yet spent with fear, I cannot hear! Life's brimming song from me de- parts, And Silence horror-laden fills my ear! November, 1911. [45] LIGHTS AT DAWN Sun-Magic OLIFE ! To labor for the light of dawn ! To long for the sweet vistas of a day ! And in a world of gleaming hopes withdrawn, To struggle through the shadows of decay! I wonder why should I race after stars That ever rise to set? Why waste the oil My lamp contains too fast? An ocean bars The racer's path with waves that ne'er recoil. Should I not listen to the ancient seer Singing the humble mortals of the shore Who, safe from danger, watch from far or near The bold sea-farer ply his fragile oar? Alas, I cannot ! From the sacred seas A thousand sacred voices call me on! And from my land of safety blows a breeze Wafting my ship spell-winged toward the sun ! [46] LIGHTS AT DAWN A sun that never stays its endless course ; A sun that knows no rest but hurls on light ; And over the untravelled seas, his force Shall ever draw me after him like night! January, 1912. [47] LIGHTS AT DAWN By the Sea THEN, Wide was the ocean; the heavens, blue; Gold were the sands; and the breakers, gray; And the sea gulls sailed over me and you. As white as the white of the waves in the bay. With you near me, Bright were the dreams I could see, Bright as the sunshine, joyful and free. Now, Gray are the rocks where the billows break ; Endless the sea's and the heaven's mirth; But you sleep the sleep of a waveless lake, And you lie spell-bound 'midst the shadows of Earth. With you so still. Shadows enfold me and fill Body and soul with darkness and chill. Santa Barbara, California. August, 1912. [48] LIGHTS AT DAWN Beleaguered Kings THE sun is westering ; the winds calm down ; And on the purple flashes of the west, The noiseless shadows lower with a frown That buries light and marshals all to rest. Yet blazoned on the brow of mist-wrapped thought, My evil bodings steal my rest away ; And in lorn castles that my fears have wrought, Sleepless I watch the shadows lull the day. Woe to the dreamers of the mighty dreams ! Woe to the souls that fly with eagle's wings! For they shall wander in the midst of gleams Forever restless, like beleaguered kings. December, 1912. [49] LIGHTS AT DAWN Awake LONG is thy sleep, my soul! And all thy dreams, Perched in thy lightless hollows, sleep like birds That in their haunts a dawnless night begirds Far from the dayfields and the daystar's beams. Wilt thou not wake ? Is not the song of life Filling thy caves with radiant resonance? Unfold thy wings and leave thy dreamless trance ! Awake and sing of longing and of strife ! September, 1915. [50 LIGHTS AT DAWN To One Called * 'Tempest** I WHO ART THOU? THY face that darkens with grief and brightens with laughter, Thy voice that travels on pinions of gloom and of joy, Thine eyes that restlessly search in the hidden hereafter. And thy heart that makes of thy feelings a world or a toy, J^re they the glimmers of lights? And watch they the birth Of a soul that flutters with life or bleeds with despair ? What shines on thy brow? A diadem wrought with mirth. Or a crown of thorns that is woven by spirits of care ? [511 LIGHTS AT DAWN II HER SONG While the clouds spread over my sky their mantles of gray, And the wind of the desert parches my prairies of green, While the billows seething and surging burst into spray, And the forests moan with the voices of mourn- ers unseen, Oh, give me a song with the thunder's sound And a melody wrought with the blackness of night To embody my sorrow in strains that are heavenward bound As laden as darJmess, and swift as the glit- ter of light! While the sea of hatred encircles my island with foam That whitens with wrath and melts like a laugh- ter of scorn, While a legion of beasts in my meadows joy- fully roam [52 1 LIGHTS AT DAWN To feed on my flowers and leave me bereft and forlorn, Oh, give me a song with the cypress's moan And the words of a bard who has tasted my grief That the black-stained thoughts that graze in my pastures alone May vanish away into sunshine and bring me relief! December, 1915. [53] LIGHTS AT DAWN Creeping Things! SLANDERERS! Secret, creeping, sneaking things ! Sly beasts that fawn before and bite behind! Vipers that hiss their poison in my sleep And sing like nightingales when I awake! Hiss on! Bite on! My body is of flesh. And my poor heart is filled with mortal blood! They heed your poison and yonr bites, and wane As flowers wane when wintry blasts are blowing. But I am more than that ! Within me shines A light that dazzles all your bane away! And in the waters of my crystal lakes, Shadows of mountains strong and tranquil bathe ! Pour forth your venom! Blast my crystal frame ! When I am gone, some winged bards will come To dwell among my ruins and sing a song Of fuller sound and power than all my life. January, 1916, [54] LIGHTS AT DAWN Tranquillity EASTERN breezes softly blowing, Whisperings of songs sea-born, Restless waters ever flowing Over caves that pearls adorn, Clouds above me gently frowning As you scud across the space, Vaults that twinkling stars are crowning, Crowns that Time cannot efface, Heavens ever bournless rising. Lords of days and months and years. Tranquil, endless, eternizing All that lie within your spheres, Give me that for which I am pining On my yawning surging sea! From your kingdoms ever shining. Send me sweet tranquillity! January^ 1916. [55] LIGHTS AT DAWN To Kostes Palamas THE darkling forests stood in mournfulness Upon the hills; the sky was gray; the sea Before me laughed a laughter numberless; And on the sands, I lingered silently. When lo, across the endless waves that rose In sapphire mountains of transparent wrath And vanished into fields of foaming snows, Thy siren song upon the airy path Unfurled its soul of harmony and came To fill my soul with verdant ecstasies. Moonlit and sunlit worlds of new-born fame, The children of thy rhythmic reveries, Eise from thy flaming battlements of thought And nestle on the ranges of thy light Like cities with a sculptor's fancy wrought Upon the virgin mass of marble bright! February, 1916. [ 56 ] LIGHTS AT DAWN **Thou, Too, Brutus?'* FRIENDS, too! Come, lash and bruise with whip and knife! With friendly claws tear up my breast ! and feel The trembling pulses of my heart ! and steal The lingering drops of blood that warm my life ! What if you raised me to the mountains high With love and care? For when the soul has grown It craves that love which gave it wings to own And raise to thought; else it cannot fly; And on its mountain tops fear-driven seeks A laughless cliff to rest its drooping wings Among the cloud lords and the thunder kings, Mere dust blown by the winds against the peaks. My veins are thickened with their dreams of death ; [57] LIGHTS AT DAWN Gray rains of tears beflood my fallow lands; And red flames bite my crumbling battlements Drowning the call of life in their fierce breath. March, 1916. [58] LIGHTS AT DAWN I Wish I Were the World for You I WISH I were the morning breeze To kiss your hair in play And whisper love songs from the trees When your eyes greet the day. I wish I were the laughing stream To cool you with my spray When at my banks you come to dream In the sweet air of May. I wish I were the deep blue sea With waters never failing To dance and shimmer merrily Whenever you are sailing. I wish I were a nightingale To sing my sweetest lay On mountain, hill, or forest dale When you walk tow'rds my way. I wish I were the crimson rose To blossom proud and fair [59 1 LIGHTS AT DAWN Whenever my fond sweetheart goes To pluck me for her hair. I wish I were the sunshine bright, The light of moon and star To kiss your eyelids day and night And be near you though far. I wish I were the heavens blue; I wish I were the sea; I wish I were the world for you, And you were one with me ! South Yarmouth, Massachusetts. July, 1916, [60 LIGHTS AT DAWN The Endless Trail OLYRE, that in me singest with soft strings Diffusing harmonies through my soul 's cave, Swell into louder sounds ! and let thy wave Break through the walls of speechless listenings ! What if I hear the voice that in me sings When my lips, sealed in silence, vainly crave To trumpet forth their song? Whoever gave What he had not knows my heart's sorrowings. A myriad of whispers blend in me; A myriad of lights are flickering ; And mingled like the foaming of the sea, A world of sound dies ere dawn's quickening! Oh, for the ship that, ever burdened, sails Far from the harbored land on endless trails! Peacham, Vermont. August, 1916. [61] Voices From The Graves To Raphael Demos. LIGHTS AT DAWN Longing SET a cross on my tomb Wherever my ashes you lay; But a rose tree must bloom O'er the dusty gloom That shall gnaw at my clay. Let the nightingale sing With accents mournful and kind Of the life I have left behind. For I loved the spring, And I longed for the days Of the rose and the nightingale's lays. July, 1909. [65] LIGHTS AT DAWN A Stranger's Epitaph THERE is a land away beyond the seas Where northern gales and winters are un- known And summer reigns with all her melodies; There once I wandered young and sat me down Musing; and far before mine eyes the lone Deserted ruins lay below the hill With time worn faces carved on yellow stone ; And in the death that bloomed my heart could thrill, And life, from sadness sprung, my loneliness could fill. But far away there is another land Where tempests live and lasting winters reign And roaring billows burst upon the strand. Thither I also came that I might gain More of the world; and driven from the plain Snow-covered, from the lifeless wood snow- bound To merry halls, I felt my life-light wane [66] LIGHTS AT DAWN Beyond the joyful eyes that scattered round Sunshine; and in my loneliness my death found. May, 1910. [67] LIGHTS AT DAWN To a Suicide SO, thou art dead! Thy earthen heap Lies soulless and unloving there Where life sleeps dreamlessly fore'er And where the ruthless worms shall creep In dark to gnaw thy youthful form to nothing- ness. . And this, when thou couldst choose to live ! Swimming in the happy blue, Hearing the blissful humming through The springtime's green, thou didst but give A blow to thyself that e'en the fates thought meaningless. Where now do thy flying hopes abide? What art thou seeking in thy grave? Which of thy yonder dreams canst save? Whither, oh whither dost thou ride? Is there in thee more joy, more love, more happiness ? [68 1 LIGHTS AT DAWN Methinks I hear thy silent moans: Yea, all the joy of life is lost — Of a bold deed the priceless cost — And on dark wings thy soul still groans For work now left behind undone and ransom- ! July, 1910, [69 LIGHTS AT DAWN Youth Based on a Greek legend ON the mountain tops With a dewy mantle clad And beneath a star-crowned sky, A blithe youth alone and glad Forward goes and never stops, Singing songs that echo high Overhead and roll back low To the precipice below. Buoyant and free, Breasting the winds that leap from the sea And perfume their way Through the forested lands. Forth he sings his frolicsome lay. Beating his feet and clapping his hands. When lo, there come to meet him From the precipice below Three sweet Fairies clad in snow! Sweetly beckoning, they greet him; [70 1 LIGHTS AT DAWN Forward dancing all aglow With their charms they lure his eyes Till his song enchanted yields Its glad sound to longing sighs. Lo, their spell his passion wields, And their eyes are aflash As forward and forward they dash! And the youth, with their warm kisses bound, Follows entranced, and gazes, and hears As they whisper to his ears Honeyed words of honeyed sound; In a passionate sway, Clings to them and goes their way; For they sing and they dance In a frantic melodious trance, And still downward and downward they go Towards the precipice below! Who has heard the merry song Of the youth that never stops On the lofty mountain tops? Ah, some have heard it long, Long and many years ago. [711 LIGHTS AT DAWN Now, the mountain tops are still To the buoyant voice of yore, Dumb, and silent. Nevermore Shall the free notes fill The breeze that creeps up low From the precipice below! November, 1911. 72 LIGHTS AT DAWN The City of Sin lake near Sorsov but it sunk and h the people were given to sin." '^ There is a lake near Sorsovi. In the old times, it was a city; but it sunk and became a lake because — A Greek legend CALM like sleep spreads far the lake; Sulphur-laden vapors rise; Rocks like giants grimly wake Keeping watch with hidden eyes Lest the sunken city rise From the depths where dumb it lies Never to be wakened, never; Dead to sin and life forever! Never green shall fringe the shore Of the water's waveless mass Where the feasters dwelt before! Never flower shall grace the grass Yellow from its birth and pale, Ever dying, ever frail, Never to be quickened, never; Dead to sin and life forever! [73] LIGHTS AT DAWN Only in the ghostly light Of the vapor-sickened moon, The belated passer might Listen to the wailing tune Sung by restless phantom bands Driven o'er the flooded lands, Never to be ransomed, never; Dead to sin and life forever! December, 1911. 74] LIGHTS AT DAWN The Marble King ^'Wlien it is the will of God, the angel will descend into the cave and will give life to the marble. . . And the king shall rise and shall enter the City through the Golden Gate, leading his armies against the Turks. . . And there shall be great slaughter that the calf shall swim in blood." — From a national Greek legend MY sleep is long; my marble cold; And endless my dream of dreams ; And years and years like clouds have rolled And sunk in the stream of streams. My sleep is full of lightless storms And full of my foeman's cries, The cries of joy that eat like worms Deep into my heart of sighs. I hear the steeds that stamp and neigh And call for my hosts to mount; I wait and watch night follow day. And thousands of suns I count. [75] LIGHTS AT DAWN I hear the woes my subjects bear, And dream of their longing calls; My kingdom wanes in dark despair, And sinks to a thousand falls. Oh, sing the song that wakens life! Give warmth to my marble veins! For my soul thirsts for war and strife To sweep over hills and plains. Weary I am of dust and graves! And weary of worms and dead! Of plaintive moans and hollow caves, The dwellings of silent dread ! Would that the shades would sing no more Of things my heart desires! What if in vain on sunlit shore Foam-studded the wave expires? Oh, for the angel's trumpet peal. The sound that unsheathes my sword To crush my enemies with my heel And rise a triumphant lord! [76] LIGHTS AT DAWN Till then I sleep, and, marble-bound, I dream through the dream-fed night; And with my brow in darkness wound, I wait for the dawn of light. December, 1912. [77 LIGHTS AT DAWN The Dead of Egypt UPON the great dawn's threshold once, we led Man 's youthful legions on to deed and thought ; In brazen panoplies we marched and fought Great empires founded upon might and dread, And battled them until their power fled To air and dust. Enflamed with life, we sought The fountains of eternity, and wrought. On deathless granite, walls against Time's tread. And temples forested with columns rose As sculptured songs of lotus and of palm; And in the magic of the sun's gold rays, Our kings, embattled with the amber calm Of Sphinx-souled pyramids, defy the throes Of death and sing the hymn of bygone days. By the Pyramids of Sakkara, April, 1914, LIGHTS AT DAWN I Laura LIVED and knew the calm and storm of life ; I drank its joys and woes; I laughed and wept Under an azure sky and clouds of gray. Amidst the endless waves of human strife, I labored among others; then I slept Trusting my soul to God, to Earth my clay. April, 1915, [79] LIGHTS AT DAWN A Child's Grave IN this dark grave, I dwell unwillingly. In the sweet spring that blossomed with de- lights, The voiceless reaper flashed his scythe o'er me And flung me down to shadows from life's heights. The pine tree's moan that rises to the skies Above me sings of hopes that faintly smiled Like budding violets before mine eyes ; But I lie cold, a child by death beguiled. Peacham, Vermont, August, 1916. [80 LIGHTS AT DAWN Rachel A LILY on a happy field I grew; About me budding smiles gleamed merrily ; Pure sunlight with its brightness gladdened me ; And thrilled, I gazed on shadeless fields of blue. Yet ere the sunbeams drank the pearls of dew That crowned my petals, lo, a hand plucked me And far beyond the sunset lifted me To a new dawn ! Your tears should be but few. January 6, 1917. [81] LIGHTS AT DAWN Lord Kitchener LORD KITCHENER was on his way Across the northern sea, And storms and mines about him lay To keep him company. The winds roar loud; the billows lash The ship with might and main! A f oeman 's mine ! and then a crash ! All hope for life is vain ! ''Lord Kitchener," the captain cried, "Though we be bold and brave, The foe has nature on his side; The sea shall be our grave! ''The mine has crashed into her keel! The engines swim in brine ! By God, Lord Kitchener, I feel That England's curse is mine!" — "England has only praise for those Who die for her like you; [82] LIGHTS AT DAWN The curses, they are for her foes, And you are brave and true. ''Pity the ship that goes to naught; A goodly ship was she. Pity 3^our men, who could have fought For England on the sea. ''Pity yourself, who might still steer Your ship back from the fight; Who might still live to see and hear That England rules with might. "But as for me, my work is done; My sword is by my side ; And millions five are up and gone To strike for England's pride! "No grave is better than the sea Where England's glory lies! No tombstone better pleases me Than the bright starry skies! "There will be space upon the sands For me to lie and sleep [83] LIGHTS AT DAWN When England's lands are England's lands And she commands the deep. ''The waves will lull me with their song; The wind will play with me; And when the tides are high and strong, I'll wake awhile to see *' Whether across the pearl-sown fields Fair England holds the sway; And whether her fleet still guards and shields Her children night and day!" 1916. [84 LIGHTS AT DAWN Dreams and Memories *^By the valley of Tempe, there is the Castle of the Beautiful One. And it came to pass that in the old days a king went up with a mighty host and smote the armies of the Beautiful One. And the Beautiful One fled and threw herself down from the rocks and was slain ; for she feared lest the king should lay hands upon her. And her grave is upon a rock near the fountain of Venus. And it cometh to pass that on a certain hour a moan riseth from within the grave ; and on the grave hath grown a pomegranate whose leaves stay on its branches forever. ' ' — A Greek Legend THE old king pondered; and the young king stood Watching his eyes rain tears of silent grief. The valley yawned before them while about, Age-crowned, the cliffs rose gray with mystery. From the unhaunted depths came up a sound As woeful as the humming of a swarm Of bees that mourn above their dying queen. The old king pondered and the young spoke thus: [85] LIGHTS AT DAWN '* Father and lord, behold, the wandering clouds Eain yearly tears above this solitude; Why weepest thou with eyes that should but gaze On things not to be seen eternally? Thou art old; death already bends his bow; And on the wings of silent darkness brought. His arrow strikes with edge that knows no ran- som. Nor mercy's melting pleas, nor healer's hand. Aye! Lay aside thy veil of tears and seize The virgin beauties that beset our eyes ! ' ' The young king halted ; and the old spoke thus : ''Unknowing child, gaze and rejoice; for thee, The caves of Gorgon-memories are empty. Unbound wdth rusty chains wrought by the past, Thou mayest swim free with might untouched by age In the sweet waters of thy crystal dreams. Once I had eyes and blood like thine ; and once My heart did revel in the joys to be. I wear no mask; I do not fret at what Is Fate, the mother of all living things; I do not wish for more than what I had; [86 1 LIGHTS AT DAWN Nor are my tears libations of complaint. But I must weep when on these cliffs I feel The shadow of my buried dream enwrap My soul with phantom clouds of memories," The old king pondered; and the young spoke thus: ''Memories? Memories? To me, they sound Like music sweet, like glories from afar Reflected on the tremor of thy lips. But if the wave that surges in thy breast Is heavy on thy heart, oh, let it flow Free from thy mouth, relieving thy pregnant thought To fill my empty youth with lifting spirit!" The young king halted ; and the old spoke thus : "Follow me!" And along the rugged brow Of the age-moulded pinnacle, he led The winding way. A path, long by all men Forgotten and beset with sedge and bramble, Revealed the only gate to the deep chasm. [87 1 LIGHTS AT DAWN Surely the trail of death they trod. For lo, From the unhaunted depths again a sound As woeful as the humming of a swarm Of bees that mourn above their dying queen Brought sorrow to their ears. A raven soared Above them, staining with its blackened plumes The azured vaults. An owl that hating day Had sought the remnant of the routed night In a storm-rent hollow flapped her downy feathers With fear. Yet over the eternal rocks They crept still downward till they came upon A terraced cliff midway between the heights Sky-bourned above and the unmeasured depths Below. A heap of ruins lay restfully In the cool shadows of the creviced rocks; And in a nook withdrawn in endless slumber Unbroken by the fretting blasts of storms, A mound held someone's life for evermore. Over the tomb, a marble column rose, Once white, now yellow with the stains of age And storm, half-buried in the mossy ground And in the branches of a lonely tree, [88] LIGHTS AT DAWN A pomegranate that bore no flower nor fruit But through all winters bent above the grave Its leafy boughs of ever darkening green. A spring of water welling from the foot Of the o'erhanging cliff streamed forth in two Soft-flowing arms, embracing on both sides The earthen mound and the deserted ruins, Lingering as in a caress of love. Then, swelling with a grief unbearable. The waters leaped in misty clouds of tears Into the bottomless abyss below. The old king looked about in ecstasy And leaned his forehead on the yellow stone As children linger on their mother's breast. In him, one might behold the living vision Of grief incarnate, of a sigh in flesh. Benumbed with awe, the young king also wept. Then they sat by the fountain on the ferns, And he spoke forth with the great voice of age : ** These ruins, aye, great ruins! great, as life! They were a marble palace clothed with splen- dor; And in the gold-wrought chambers bright as fire, [89] LIGHTS AT DAWN A beauty lived enthroned in holiness, Whose raiment was pure light; and for her crown, The stars of heaven lent their peerless gleam. Her essence was all that is beautiful In the fresh sunshine of the flower-girt spring. Pavilioned in her glorious charms, she reigned With might and fame that reached beyond the seas. Heralding to the corners of the earth Her kingdom as the kingdom of the blest And her as shadow of divinity. Charmed by the glow of her unrivaled beauty, I loved her." ''Loved? And thenr* ''Thereby I sealed My fate and shattered the palace of my dreams ! ' ' "Howr* "Long I struggled with my mighty hosts To conquer her. Mounted on winged steeds. We tore the winds and with our frightful engines, [90] LIGHTS AT DAWN We fell upon her lofty battlements Till all was ours. My sword drenched every step With blood. And when the hour, at last, had come And I stood victor on her royal threshold. The palace, as if touched by the great hand Of the Almighty, shook like chaff before The wind and crumbled of itself to dust!" ** And she?" ''There is her grave!" *'0f her?" ''Of all I dreamed to conquer in my restless life!" "And what is left?" "A moan that from this grave Drifts up the cliffs to rouse my buried woes. Yet thou art young; go, search for memories! The way to such a grave is hard and long." The pomegranate that bore no flower nor fruit With weary soughs bent over the dark grave [91] LIGHTS AT DAWN Its leafy boughs of ever dark'ning green; And from the earth, a wailing sound welled forth, As woeful as the humming of a swarm Of bees that mourn above their dying queen ! The old king pondered; and the young king wept! January, 1913. [92] An Idyl To Frank F. Kimmerle LIGHTS AT DAWN An Idyl I dreamed and behold, I saw a wilderness of para- dise; and the flowers grew therein, and the brooks gurgled, and the sea murmured, and the breezes whis- pered softly to the leaves, and the souls of true lovers mounted gladly toward the cloudless heaven. THE times of old! The times of old! When life was life, and man was man ; When passions held creation's van, And Nymphs were fair, and Satj^rs bold! The times of old! The times of old! When even trees were filled with blood ; When love songs made the roses bnd And sowed the barren fields with gold! II Sun's Battle The day had smiled upon the Grecian lands; The radiant sun had sent his merry bands [95] LIGHTS AT DAWN To war against the misty shades of sleep; And they, with shafts of light, rose from the deep. And sprinkling golden flowers on the blue Of the Aegean Sea, gladly did light On the dew-covered leaves. The mournful night Retired beyond the West; the shades sank through The woods and yawning caves. But they, un- fought, Battled triumphantly until they brought The glow of day on every chasm and glen Down to the hollows of the forest. Then The sunlit world, awakened from his dreams. Flung in the fragrant air his robe of gleams As to each tree the breezes whispered low The signal of the morning song. And lo, The sea winds sprang from sapphire fields aloft ; The birds poured forth their melodies; the soft Harmonious strains from hill to mountain spread Now slow and faint, now loud and merry, till The bleating of the sheep near yonder rill, Joined to the barking of the dogs who led The flock and to the oxen's lowing, drowned The music of the birds in a noisy sound Of joy. [96] LIGHTS AT DAWN Acis Sleeps The world is roused; all things adore The light. But in that grotto near the shore, Acis, the fairest of the shepherd lads, Still slumbers, wandering on Dreamland's far And happy Isles. In vain familiar The winds sing forth their tunes in myriads; Tranquil he sleeps in blessed loneliness. The sunbeams playfully in vain caress His hair and try to sear his eyelids so That he may rise. Awake, thou happy lad ! Up from thy dreams! The light is bright and glad, And sluggish rest may render thee too slow To do a shepherd's work. Awake! The day Has leaped into the azure, and the bay, Bathed in the sunshine, sends to the hills above Songs from the waves. The deer is up ; the dove Cooes to her mate; the sheep sport with each other Though shepherdless ; the Satyr and his brother Laughing their sloth away go joyfully Into the woods to climb from tree to tree [97 1 LIGHTS AT DAWN And hunt the fleeing Nymphs on mossy trails. But thou art heedless; though the grassy dales Enameled with the morning dew invite Thy flocks to pasture, and the larks unite To sing 'awake' to thy uncaring ear, Thy olive staff lies idle, and thy flute Buried in the cool grass is wet and mute. Wilt thou not heed the humming bee ? The fear Lest she may sting thy cheek so smooth and fair Taking it for a rose, cannot yet scare Thy sleep away? Galatea's Song But hark ! Whence comes that song That fetters sleep on him? Whence rise those long And melting melodies? The sea below Seems but to roar; and yet above its roar, These sleepful accents, sweet as music, soar Up to the cave and lull their youthful foe. Fair Galatea sings, the Sea-Nymphs' pride, A beauty that men's eyes may not abide. But why so far away from her sea cave. Which, built of pearl and crystal, Thetis gave To her beloved Nymph, she wanders? Why, Piercing the blue, she lifts her longing eye [98 1 LIGHTS AT DAWN And gazes at the cave of Acis ? Why Sings she so longingly? What can it be But love? happy Acis, leave thy sea Of dreams and look upon a greater blessing! Open thine eyes and see her eyes confessing The best of joys for her and thee. Awake To dream a dream as true as blissful; take What living beauty gives and lay aside Vain mists and shadows that the restless tide Of silent sleep brings forth. The Bee 'Tis done ! The bee Alighted on his lips ; the Sea-Nymph screams With fear; the bee flies up in fright; and see, At last, fair Acis rising from his dreams Opens his eyes to gaze on her. But she Plunges beneath the foaming wave, while he, Already in love, feels in his heart the pain Of the sweet wound, and, filled with visions vain, He curses sleep, the jealous sorcerer. Who with his arts had bound him far from her ; And then complaining of her hasty flight As treachery, he floods his tender sight [99 1 LIGHTS AT DAWN "With crystal tears, until, at last, he grew More thoughtful. With his hands he wiped the dew From his rosy cheeks, and, sighing mournfully, He murmured plaintively his winning plea: Acis' Plea *'How is it that a fleeting moment's rest On thy enchanted eyes has roused the best In such a restless soul as mine ? And how, While meditating on thy sunny brow, I drown myself in iridescent seas Of happy thoughts and blissful reveries? It was a single moment and no more ; The breezes with their luring kisses bore Thine image far away — I know not where — ; And yet, at every flash or shade, I stare Dreaming of thee, seeing thy gleaming ghost That haunts my thoughts. Oh, would that I were lost In the embrace of such a spirit's arms! Would that the power of thy enticing charms Could raise an ocean wide, without a bourn, Where I might plunge myself and never mourn For life abandoned and for tender years, But die without regret or longing tears. [100] LIGHTS AT DAWN bygone Shadow, nameless and unknown, What golden prairies has thy vision shown!'* Silent Grief His words were sealed with a relieving sigh, And he stood silent. But an inner cry Raged in his wounded heart, that restlessly Beat back all solacing. Above the sea, The vernal sun had climbed the top of heaven ; But Acis sat in silence, heedless even Of his impatient flocks that seeking food Had wandered into distant fields. He stood Like a' mourning angel, and, with frowning brow. He sighed and watched, till Galatea's heart, Suffering from the same god's pleasing dart, Melted with welcome love and sympathy, And rising from the dancing sapphire sea, She, like the morning star, shone forth. Her glance Made the white roses flush with crimson red; The silver olives bent their boughs and shed Pearls of fresh dew upon her path. In trance, Acis beheld the wonder; the red flame Of happiness seized him, and he became [101] LIGHTS AT DAWN As crimson as the roses. At last, she flew To his rock cavern and began to woo. Galatea's Plea She spoke; and as she spoke, a mighty wave, Rising beneath their isolated cave. Burst into seething foam of daisy-white Over the blue; and through the spray, in spite Of the unbridled fury of the wind That, blowing on their rocky palace dinned In whirlings of tempestuous unison. The radiant splendor of the noonday sun Displayed in fleeting hosts the sacred hues Of smiling rainbows. "See, the wave is loose And blue; the sky, in azure; and the blast Mingles its restless song that travels fast Through the unending smokes of the dancing sea. How passionate they plead thy love for me! Oh, let our sunny tempest break and dash Our passion on our lips. The sacred flash Of love is now enthroned upon thy cheek; Come closer; let my trembling hand but seek The touch of thine; it is so sweet to love! [102] LIGHTS AT DAWN Abandon all, yet let our love above The abandoned world bloom forth as flowers may Bloom on a long forgotten altar — " The day Shone brighter in Acis' heart, and while the blood Ran to his cheeks that flushing like a bud Of rose in May, showed louder than his tongue His paradise of love, he kept a long And thrice-melodious silence. Then a sigh Relieved his breast and timidly his eye Sought hers. Bliss "As flowers on altars?" said he; ''Nay, Flowers fade and wither; altars cannot stay The flow of time, and soon their ruins show Sadly their sacred temples lying low. Those cannot last; but ours shall never see The day of fading. For against decree Of Fate or Death, our love shall ever bloom Unto eternity. No gloomy doom Will overcome the burning flames that play In the soul 's pure shrines ; no mouldering decay [103 1 LIGHTS AT DAWN Will penetrate into our mingled hearts, Breeding discord with wily tricks and arts Unholy. But a fragrant, happy spring As this we now behold, shall ever bring To us new joys, new fruit for our same love. Thus, Galatea, let us live and love!" A stream of light that shone from each one's eyes Enticed to sleep all fears. With long drawn sighs. Their lips united, and their souls, let free, Leaped into each other in such ecstasy As never blessed two lovers, while her hair, Blown by the playful wind, entwined the fair Image of Acis, and some ocean Fay Sprinkled their glowing beauties with the spray Of amethystine waves. Through Death But lo, a groan Brought on the wings of the wind fell like a stone Upon their ears. For Polyphemus roaming By the resounding shore espied the foaming Of the glad wave that laughed in happiness [104] LIGHTS AT DAWN As they still lingered in their long caress, And lifting up his jealous eyes, he saw The shepherd and the Nymph ! Nor did the law Of love check him; in hateful jealousy, He swore that never would a lover see Again fair Acis. On his lonely path. He cast his single eye enflamed with wrath About, and seizing with his monstrous hand A giant rock from the wave-beaten strand, He hurled it. Acis fell; but in his fall, He heard his tender sea Nymph softly call His name in clearer sounds, and warmer felt Her loving lips. The cruel rock had dealt No death on their unrivaled love. Unknown, They glided in a crystal streamlet down Into the restless deep; and blended so In joy they gurgle in a living flow And pass from age to age eternally. No End Often the sun has risen from the sea; Many a spring has gone ; and countless years Have passed ; but not their love. The pious ears [105 1 LIGHTS AT DAWN May, by the rippling of the playful wave, Still hearken to the lovers of the cave And their soft whispers. Still the roses blush With crimson blood. The silver olive trees, Grown in the midst of vernal melodies, Still bend their branches to the morning breeze To hear their songs of wondrous tune and shed Dew pearls on their love paths unlimited. April, 1910. [106] Ktaadn and Morning Dew A Mountain Epic To Miss Sara A. Bailey LIGHTS AT DAWN Ktaadn and Morning Dew I Prelude GREAT SPIRIT, filling with thy light the world, Whose raiment flower-spangled lifts men's hearts With joy, — lo, at thy feet, the white-maned steeds Of the blue ocean meadows fall prostrate, Forget their seething wrath, and in soft ripples Humbly adore thee, Father of all things, Master of passions. Giver of sweet peace ! Thee, the gray clouds above, that hide thy brow Serene from mortal eyes, obey; and melting In flying snow-flakes and in gliding rain-drops. Bear thy love's kisses to the gladdened earth, Clearing the azure spaces of the sky And filling the brown sunlit fields below With the pure laughter of a thousand flowers And of sun-ripened fruit world-nourishing ! [109] LIGHTS AT DAWN Thee, great Jehovah, Zeus, or Manitou, I, too, thy humble creature and thy child, Call, that with thy sphere-moving harmonies Thou mayest touch my longing heart and mind To sing of things that live not in the world Of darkened graves fed by the corpse of life But of things dwelling in thy higher temple That grave-transcending rise in purity To the great life of beauty and of light ! The Mountain I watch at the gates of dawn and of night ; With unwearied eyes, I measure the world Below and the heavens above; and my sight Is filled with the wonders of ages unfurled! I cover my head with the glow of snow-flakes, And I stud my streambeds with pebbles and boulders ; I mirror my face in a thousand lakes, And a thousand fountains gush from my shoulders ! I am first to rise at the break of dawn; The sunbeams entwine for my brow their crowns ; riioi LIGHTS AT DAWN I am last to part with the day ; and drawn Into magic shadows, I live through night's frowns ! Eternity 's trustiest mirror am I ! I fling into sky my conquerless towers! And £eons in myriads past me fly As the clouds, and the winds, and my bosom's flowers ! The Clouds Away from the pearl-sown caves of the luring sea, And far from the silver ripples of millions of lakes. And up from the unseen breath of flower and tree. We rise by a thousand trails ; and our substance takes Vast legions of drifting fantastic shapes From lily-clad angels to mocking apes ! In a myriad flocks of sunlit and white-fleeced sheep. We graze in the inflnite pastures of scarlet and blue; [111] LIGHTS AT DAWN In glorious garlands, we play with the morning dew; And, whipped into wrath, we blacken the purple deep! Sun-driven, we form into crowns of pearls on the mountains; And clothe with transfiguring haze the valleys and hills! With our tears, we replenish the nourishing rivers, and fountains. And increase with our copious showers the brooks and the rills! We gladden the thirsty fields with our rains, And the forests, and dales, and meadows, and plains ! Wind-beaten, we sweep like angry monsters on high. And crush with our torrents the oaks and the laborer's toil! We flood with our waters the valleys and sun- dried soil. And smite with our blazing thunderbolts moun- tain and sky! [ 112 ] LIGHTS AT DAWN The Wind From mountain and vale, From rock-hewn canyon and shadowy dale, I spring upon whistling wings of a myriad plume! From the rolling and forestless steppes of the rosy East, From the cliffs of the golden eagle and haunts of the beast, With weariless flight, I dash to my endless doom! From ocean and bay And the billows' spray, I sweep over evergreen prairies wdth conquer- ing breath; And in amber clouds of burning dust, I blow on my way Through the sandy deserts of waterless yellow and gray. And raise on my trail the merciless paleness of death ! Loud-roaring and strong. And risen from millions of harps, my song [113] LIGHTS AT DAWN Unravels or mingles the voices of forests and streams ! But mightier still, it thunders and revels and swells On the pinnacled crests of the mountains; and, buoyant, it wells With harmonies resonant, filled with the music of dreams! Unfettered and free In my jubilee, I make of each hollow or pine a trumpet or lyre ! I blow on the mountain gulfs; and the giants bow Into bushes scrubby and scraggly and knotted and low, The creeping dwarfs of my breath and the slaves of my ire! Cloud-gatherer, I Dismantle and mantle the azure sky! And blowing from North and its glaciers of stiffening cold, I frighten the laughing stream into voiceless glass ! [114] LIGHTS AT DAWN I deaden the rippling waves and the verdant grass, And wring into pallor the leaves with my savage hold! I lash into snows The rains with my blows, And bind with the earth the roaring sea at mj^ will! I make the ancient trees of the forest quake ! I shroud with my ice the face of the restless lake, And I herald the winter's reign over field and hill! The Sun I shine, and the world is aglow with laughter and light; I hide, and the earth in mourning sinks into night; I rise, and all living things are astir and re- joice; I set, and the mantles of silence muffle life's voice. Were I not, would the forest be green ? Lived I not, would the living live? Shone I not, who could rise to give To the world my creative sheen? [115] LIGHTS AT DAWN I am master of all; of the fountains of life and of death. No cloud can roam iu the pastures of blue but for me. What colors the azure sky and the sapphire sea ? And the wind, — would he boast of his mighty wings and his breath? Would the glaciers imprison the distant ends of the earth If I chose to battle their chains with my radiant mirth? Would the mountain torrents sculpture the granite walls If the clouds at my will plunged not into water- falls? Were I not, who would banish the night? Lived I not, whence the flames would hail? Shone I not, would the moon smile pale And the planets so blithe and so bright ? I am master of all and the fountain of beauty and light; I clothe the meadows with flowers; I ripen the grain; [116] LIGHTS AT DAWN I mantle the world with glory, empurple the main, And raise on the mountains the altars of god- like might! The Forest, the Moon, and the Stars: In him we glory, the fountain of light; He touches the gates of the gladsome day, And the heavens exult in their crimson play. Triumphantly greeting the victor of night! We praise him, the father of life's desire! He passes the gates of the golden west, And the mellow glimmers of dreamful rest Make gold of mountain and plain with their fire ! We praise him, who clothes us with glorious rays! We praise him, who fills us with life and glow ! We praise him, who keeps us with radiant flow, The slayer of darkness and giver of days ! II THE VISION Mount Ktaadn Cloud-mantled stood the mountain; but the clouds [117] LIGHTS AT DAWN Spoke not of wrath that travels on the wings Of lightning serpents thunder- voiced. They were Of flaxen white and shone like crowns empearled In the bright sun that flooded with its beams The amethystine mountain buttresses, The forest sea of stern or laughing green, And the blue sleepless eyes of countless lakes Shining with myriads of sparkling flowers. Pure gold and silver, born of shafts of light. The granite cliffs, in age-wrought majesty. Rose proud above the tops of balsam firs. Of fragrant cedars, and of moaning pines. Crag upon crag, the voiceless pinnacles Ascended to the sapphire vaults, a host Of mighty Sphinx-like giants, looking on As the swift tide of the great Titan, Time, Rolled with its surging billows over sea And land, unmaking days and years and ages, Blowing with deadly blast against the race Of man and beast and plant, and revelling In dust and nothingness upon its trail Of crumbling ruins and of empty graves. Yet they, the mute and solemn witnesses Of life's vast drama, ever challenging [118] LIGHTS AT DAWN The great destroyer, stood erect and firm With feet of somber gray and brows of red, The speechless heralds of their lasting might, Baffling the blows of Time with changelessness And ever singing with their silences The hymn of victory against his waves. The moanful branches of the darkling trees Bowed down in reverence and whispered softly Their soughing prayers to the passing wind, Who, surging with the fragrant melodies. Rolled on and brought them upon quickened pinions Upward and upward till their ripples reached The granite lords and died in granite silence. No living creature dwelled upon the cliffs; No mortal man or beast dared touch their brows. Only the eagle, king of birds, would wing His way above them in his airy flight, Rejoicing on his trail ethereal. Of mortal men, the pure alone might climb Up the sky-gladdened peaks and stand nigh God To fill their breasts with lily fragrances Of all transfiguring divinity. [119 1 LIGHTS AT DAWN Morning Dew And Morning Dew, the Indian maiden, stood Upon the sacred mountain's highest peak And trembled as the shining clouds, descending Like brilliant pendants from the azure spheres, Clasped her bare body in their soft embrace. Upon earth's fields no lily ever grew More pure, no summer rose more beautiful. A song of songs, her flowing hair coal-black; Fountains of light, her eyes; a sea of rhythms, Her round breast curving as a turtle dove's And palpitating as a frightened deer's; Her arms, uplifted to the hidden skies. Strengthened like silent melodies her prayer That rose in singing flames from grief-rent heart. Thus had she stood since sunrise. With the faith Of innocence and the sweet hope of youth. She had dared forest-dwelling savage wolves, The thorny brambles of the undergrowth. The angry whirls of mighty mountain streams. The precipices yawning at her feet. The mountain gods' relentless wrath, and all The dangers of want and vengeful wilderness, To reach her place of pilgrimage. The night ri201 LIGHTS AT DAWN Had bathed her body with the holy dew; The dawn had mantled her with mountain vapors ; No sin defiled her bosom jasmine pure. But the Great Spirit frowned upon her still; And Morning Dew, the Indian maiden, stood Upon the sacred mountain's highest peak And trembled like a lonely aspen's leaves Over the treeless shore of a dark lake When the north wind descends upon its waters ; Then the dark waters shiver at the touch, And the pale leaves of the white lonesome tree Shudder and moan with fear at death's cold kiss, And linger yet a little ere they fall Upon the ground where all their brothers lie. Thus Morning Dew did shake with agony, And, buried in the clouds with arms uplifted. She prayed in growing weariness with words That rose in singing flames from grief- rent heart : Manitou *'Hear now, chief of mountains, lord of might, Hear my heart's prayer, Great Manitou, Who standest foremost 'midst the countless hills! [1211 LIGHTS AT DAWN Listen, I say, to thine own people's mourning! The Wabanaki, Children of thy Light, Dwelling about the lakes and streams that lie Before thee, from the great salt water whence The warm sun rises at the gates of day To the white mountains of the crimson west, Even thy people, smitten by the blows Of Memelek, the Evil Spirit, die With the cold snakes of sorrow in their hearts. For now the days are evil and woe-born; Their years of joy and laughter are long buried Under thy fallen garment of dark clouds. No longer are our wigwams warm with fire ; We have no more soft robes for coverings ; Our feasts that made the people once content Are ended. For the wolves have filled the woods With hungry howls; the moose and caribou Come not within the hunter's spear. Black pest Strikes our young children ere they know the joy Of noble deeds. Our maidens die ere bloom; Our warriors return with fatal wounds From blood-red battlefields, and find no wives To grind their corn and gladden them with food, Warming them back to life with their sweet love ! [122] LIGHTS AT DAWN No children come to climb upon their laps And touch with tender hands their weary breasts ; Even the faithful watchers of their wigwams, The dogs that danced and barked about them once, Come not to meet them on their homeward trail. For all are smitten with the evil sword Of evil Memelek, thy foe. She stirred Against thy people wolfish slaves from "West And South, the war-glad Mohawks drunk with blood. They came with clouds of arrows sped by bows Of death and with grim-flashing tomahawks. As many as the trees that grow about Thee, Filling their belts with scalps of our young chiefs, And dragging into dire captivity Their mourning brides. Oh, stretch thy mighty hand, Great Manitou, and pour thy healing balsam On our sore wounds! Hear now, Lord of Mountains, Who standest high among the shining clouds ! Pity, I say, thy dying people ! Give, [123] LIGHTS AT DAWN Oh, give us back those happy days of yore ! The daughter of a chief, the Cloudless Sky, Strengthened and loved by Thee before his death, And of the Early Da^vn, the flower of brides, Sprung of thy race and honored by thy blood Even beneath her grave, their daughter, I Cry unto Thee for help, Great Manitou, Show upon us again thy sunlit smile ! ' ' A flaming snake quivered across the sky; The mountain trembled with loud thundering; Over the moanful shudder of the forest, Up the steep granite walls, a mighty wind Myriad-trumpeted roared angrily; And darkness tangible enveloped all. Shutting from Morning Dew 's fear-haunted eyes Even the shining clouds that closed about her. Her blood was chilled ; her lips stood motionless Like roses wild when not a breath stirs by; Her knees exhausted bent upon the rocks. But still she held her maiden hands uplifted When lo, a shaft of brilliant sunshine tore The blackened clouds asunder instantly, And crowned the virgin's hair with a gold crown Of laughing radiance. The azure fields ri241 LIGHTS AT DAWN Above smiled endless smiles again. The clouds Of darkness, panic-stricken, fled away. And Morning Dew felt in her gladdened heart Sweet summer birds sing songs of joy and light. Hope made again its nest within her breast. Reorient with seething life, she rose Not in her former nakedness but robed With a white robe of lily fragrances That the bright clouds had wrought about her body, Weaving with mystic glimmers their pure garb. Thus sunlight-crowned and lily-clad, she stood And wondered, when the mountain breeze was filled With sky-bom sounds of god-like melodies: ** Sweet lilies for her raiment, And sunlight for each fold! The clouds are bright and clement For virgins pure and bold. The golden sunbeams playing Weave garlands for her hair And warm her heart, obeying The spirits of the air. [125 1 LIGHTS AT DAWN Bright is her glance and gleaming! Her maiden lips, afire ! Her breasts, two hillsides streaming With nectar of desire ! Sweet lilies for her raiment, Whom mountains come to woo! The bridegroom listens clement To thee, Morning Dew!" The Lord of the Mountain And Morning Dew, the maiden lily-clad And sunlight-crowned, beheld with wonderment A chandelier of pendant clouds descend In milky whiteness from the crimsoned skies Upon the sacred mountain's highest peak Just when the sun, aflame with scarlet fire, Filled the great heavens with its mellow glow, Tinging the treetops of the bristling forest With the gold sheen of the sun-ripened corn, Touching the silent granites of the mountain With blood-red splendors of a mystic light, Brightening with its dying rays the seas Of sapphire hollows, purple battlements. And topaz slopes, and flooding with soft glim- mers [126 1 LIGHTS AT DAWN The iridescent faces of a thousand Bright sparkling lakes and laughing mountain streams. The cloud then vanished, and before her stood A youth more beautiful than the thought image That a ripe maiden verging on love's river Makes in her dreams of her expected lover. Four times he called with accents soft her name ; Four times did Morning Dew feel quivering Her heart at the sweet sound; nor dared she move, Enchanted by the magic of the song. But he came forward, touched her maiden hand, And pointed to the setting crimson star Beyond the western hills: ''The day is gone;" Said he, "thy youthful frame, long-tried and cold With hunger, fear, and darkness, longs for rest ; And in my father's realm a palace waits Open for thee. For thy angelic prayer Brought waves of gladness to his ears and mine. ' ' [127] LIGHTS AT DAWN The Temple of Dreams He raised his hand against the granite wall: The rocks hard with long ages numberless Were cleft asunder in obedience; And from the cleft came forth a flood of light And breezes redolent of spring and youth. And Morning Dew thrice-happy bowed her head And let the wondrous youth lead her away Through a light-flooded garden of all flowers More brilliant than the glory of the rainbow, More fragrant than her sixteen springs in one, More marvelous than all her childhood 's dreams. And in the midst of the great wonderland, A crystal palace rose illuminant On crystal rocks; and down the crystal rocks, Waters like crystal limpid and pellucid Sang songs of perfect happiness and laughed With flying sparkles of white spray as they Dashed on the rocks in merry swirls, and curled About the gladdened myriads of flowers. And on the floating clouds of spray that waved In the soft wind like bridal veils, the sun Mirrored his visage in resplendent rainbows Circling the palace with their radiance Like great triumphant arches wrought of light. [128] LIGHTS AT DAWN "That is my father's palace," said the youth, "The mighty Manitou's, whose Spirit is The ever flowing fountain of all life And light. Thou mayest not stand upon its threshold, Bound as thou art by mortal woman's flesh. Beyond its gates, the Happy Hunting Grounds Spread far away with moose of golden antlers And beasts of an immortal flesh that roam Through forests redolent with ripened fruit Hanging on golden boughs above fresh streams. There all great chiefs that passed from times of old Dwell and hunt, armed with shining bows and arrows Of adamantine heads; and deathless birds That never seek a happier springtime Lull them to sleep with endless songs of pure And lasting happiness. There is thy father. Chief of the Children of the East renowned. And all the Wabanaki who have died Battling with evil or in righteous peace ; And they are happy though invisible To mortal eyes even so bright as thine, Morning Dew, whose dwelling is the rose. ' ' [129] LIGHTS AT DAWN The Palace of Love The youth stooped down and touched the amber earth They trod; and at his touch, a rosebush grew As swiftly as the mountain brooks in spring Flow, swollen with the rains and melting snows. And the rosebush grew thornless ; and its boughs Embraced with velvet leaves each other fast And built with tender trellises a couch Of living verdure. Then from laughing buds The roses blossomed forth with petals white, As white as foam against the purple surge Of the great sea or as the jasmine's brightness Against its mother bush of darkling green. Forthwith the roses spread their fragrances Upon the verdant couch, and, circling it With flower walls of wondrous blossoming, Hung from its balsam-dripping roof in clusters Of lustrous white and green, perfecting thus A bridal bower paradisiac. Imprisoned in sweet happiness, they sat; And Morning Dew bowed down her head and wept Warm tears of voiceless joy and reverence, Leaning upon the shoulder of the youth. ri301 LIGHTS AT DAWN And then her memory brought back the cloud Of sorrow burdening her father's race, And changed her tears of joy to tears of grief. The Promise The godlike youth unrolled her hidden thoughts And spoke: **Weep not for them, Morning Dew! Happy are they for whom thy tears have spoken ! Even when thou didst shake with mighty fear At the loud thundering that marked the trail Of the bright lightning snake across the clouds, My father frowned in wrath against his foe; And with my fiery arrows from my walls, I smote thy people's vanquished enemy. Mohawks and pestilence have fled away; The wigwams ring with laughter and with peace ; The warriors come back triumphantly, And meet the tearful glances of their brides And the glad songs and shouts of happy chil- dren; The hungry wolves are driven to their lairs Beyond the icy streams of northern hills; And moose and caribou shall roam again Abundantly about thy people's dwellings. [1311 LIGHTS AT DAWN ''Even more radiant the future smiles: For from thy womb, Morning Dew, a child God-risen shall be born, whose deeds shall fill The Red Men's land from where the Day-star rises To where the evening waters lie asleep. The mountain spirits shall behold his glory; And the night stars shall twinkle over him, Smiling their smile of praising radiance. And he shall lead his people with his might And wisdom; and all the Red Men, bowing down. Shall bless the power of the Wabanaki, Children of Light, who dwell against the sun, Making the Red Men's wigwam a great light To all the dazzled nations of the earth, Unless the Evil Spirit touches them." Morning Dew listened in a blissful trance. Hanging upon his lips that bloomed with hope And tore the granite walls of sightless future Asunder to show a paradise of bliss. Long after he had spoken, she gazed on, Transported by the silent melodies That haunted his enchanting eyes and dwelt Upon the myriads of thornless roses [132] LIGHTS AT DAWN Revelling in their royal robes of white. Then with heart trembling in her ecstasy, She asked: "And who art thou, most wonderful And godlike youth, whom the Great Spirit made His son and lifted with his might so high?'* The Four Sacred Mountains The youth caressed the maiden's hair and spoke : ''Four sacred mountains did my father make Of old : The mountain in the North, he fastened With a great rainbow on the wind-blown earth. He decked it with black beads, dark mist, and plants Wind-beaten and storm-bent through which wild wolves, Maddened with cold, roam hungry and snow- clad. Its head is dreaming with eternal snow And droops in dark and lonesome weariness; And from its flinty crest, the throne of winds, And from its rugged shoulders, nests of storms, Glaciers of whiteness desolate sweep downward, Gnawing with icy teeth the mighty rocks Into the impotence of dust and gravel, Cutting with their resistless blades of glass [133] LIGHTS AT DAWN The granite towers and the cliffs of flint, And banishing with their titanic torrents Mountains and hills and streams and lakes and plants Far from the places of their alpine birth. And over it, a covering of darkness Hides it away with gloom perpetual. ''Second he made the mountain to the South: He fastened it upon the sun-burned land Thrusting a knife of stone from top to bottom Hewn from the buried bosom of the earth. He decked it with turquoise of bluish-green, Gray clouds of flooding rains and forests thick Of rosewood, ebony, and rubber trees. Luxuriant in undergrowth and filled With giant ferns, and creeping vines, and flowers Hanging from trees with roots that draw their life From the damp air of sunless shadow- worlds. Parrots and humming birds make there their nests ; And the black- spotted yellow jaguars Prey on the gentle tapirs blackish brown, The shy nocturnal dwellers of green woods [134] LIGHTS AT DAWN Bathed in the waters of the torrid zone. And over all, turquoise and clouds and forests, He spread a covering of azure sky That smiles in fleeting hours of bright sunshine And frowns in long-drawn weeks of flooding rains. ' ' Then third he made the mountain to the West : He fastened it with a shaft wrought of sunlight Upon the amber earth on sunset shores. He decked it with bright abalone shells Vaunting their nacreous lines before the sun And yellow corn, the gold delight of men. Coyotes haunt the prairies circling it; And in its glens the mountain lions roar Filling with fear the graceful antelopes And the swift-footed elks. And over it He spread a glow of lasting mellowness Transfiguring the mountain with its luster Like velvet covering of amber cloud. ''But last he made the mountain to the East, And fastened it to the red-gleaming earth With a fire bolt of lightning. Then its crest, He decked with lightning snakes; its granite walls, [135] LIGHTS AT DAWN With shells of sparkling white; its feet, with corn Of yellow brilliancy heart-gladdening; And its deep hollows with a sea of clouds, Clouds flaxen-white, and crimson-red, and black. The eagle, king of birds, dwells on its cliffs ; Wise beavers build their dams across its streams ; Deer, moose, and caribou graze on its slopes; And at its feet, the wrens and thrushes sing With larks and robins of the coming spring. And in his goodness, the Great Spirit spread Over the. mountain a rich covering Of daylight pure, sprung from the purple sea, And called the mighty mountain's name Great Ktaadn, Ktaadn, the lofty palace of sunrise. The Sacred Mountain of the Eastern Lands, Raising its head with glimmers roseate In lonesome majesty to greet the stars First, as they rise from the blue tireless main. Ktaadn am I, the mountain's ruling spirit, The mighty wielder of the thunderbolt. The sleepless watcher of the morning gates. Thy lover and thy wooer, Morning Dew, Thou wondrous blossom of the Cloudless Sky And of the Early Dawn, sweet child of light, [136] LIGHTS AT DAWN My chosen bride among a myriad Of the sweet maidens of the Wabanaki!" The Reign of Love And Ktaadn, aglow with love, bent over her And kissed the budding lips of Morning Dew. mighty Love, King of all living things, Whose surging seas of fiery passion break On youth's bright realm, now laughing in sweet rhythms A laughter numberless of joy and bliss, And now, in heavy darkness, roaring loud With bitter agonies; great Creator And stem Destroyer; our life's bitter rue And honeyed nectar; flower of crimson fra- grance And thorn of black affliction ; by whose smile, The gates of heaven open, and whose frown Dashes man's life against the rocks of woe, Be gracious unto me, thy humble bard. And smile upon the love of Morning Dew! And as thou makest in the spring the fields Blossom with countless flowers and the trees Bud with fresh leaves, the messengers of fruit, And joinest savage beasts with burning passion [137] LIGHTS AT DAWN And liftest Earth to Sky and Sky to Earth, Winging all nature with thy flooding song, Thus lift her heart in godlike ecstasy And fill her with the rapture of thy fire, The golden crown of human happiness! Upon the sacred mountain's highest peak. Drunk with the nectar of the snow-white roses And with the amber wine of happiness. The human soul embraced divinity; And the great dream it dreamed in the low valleys Took flesh ambrosial on the mountain tops ! Memelek But lo, the Evil Spirit is awake, The frightful Memelek, who hated Ktaadn, The son of Manitou, her enemy. And fain would reek her vengeance on Morning Dew, The mortal vessel of his happiness, Whose lily innocence and peerless beauty Was piercing thorn to her unfathomed eye. Scorned for her ugliness and hateful thoughts And loathsome deeds, the evil Memelek, [138] LIGHTS AT DAWN Mistress of vengeance and of sin, dwelt fai Apart from all good spirits in a gorge Of utter darkness pierced by a black stream Of reeking blood most hideous to see. Upon the angry faces of its banks, Amidst a barrenness thrice-desolate. The lurid cactus, struggling for its life With its pale-yellow spines and thickened skin, Grew in long rows of ghastly leafless masts Unbannered, shelterless, inhospitable Even to bloodless insects seeking food ; No air-rejoicing birds with whistling wings Ever flew over them, or ever stopped To rest upon their lonely spiny tops. But timorously steered their course away From Memelek's uncouth and gloomy land. Grim, voiceless terrors only flapped their wings In frightful resonance and groped about In the dark hollows of the wilderness ; And horror-crested snakes with scaly skins Coal-black crept slowly from the filthy stream With fierce benumbing eyes turning to stone All living things that dared but look on them. And as they crept, their swift-vibrating tongues Sprinkled the flowing venom of their fangs [ 139 ] LIGHTS AT DAWN Upon their barren trail of lifeless dust. Their mistress' true thralls they were, the slaves Of Memelek's unflinching wrath and hatred: They were her couch, her foot-stool, and her crown; They made her girdle, decked her storm-like hair, And with their bitter flesh they filled hfer hunger In the dark revels of her evil triumphs. Thus now from her dark-yawning cavern where Not even Terror enters fearing her. She saw with mountain-piercing eyes the joy Of Morning Dew and Ktaadn in their bower As they sat drunk with the pure wine of love Among the thornless roses milky-white. She frowned with foaming wrath her ugly frown And struck the mountain side with her black claws To make an unseen path for her dark vengeance. Through it she bade the crawling serpents go. And, creeping through the roses secretly, Pour into Morning Dew's life-blood their venom. At her command, the serpents coiled and writhed Eagerly; and rearing their thrice-crested heads [1401 LIGHTS AT DAWN Into the opened passage, hissed with vile And quenchless ire, and sprang upon their trail With circling coils, swelling their hollow fangs With a new flow of venom. Forward creeping Slowly and stealthily, at last they reach The rosy bower and coil about the branches. The Triumph op the Rose And now with eager heads, they seek to glide Through leaf and flower that they might deal the blow Of painful death; when lo, struck with fierce pain, The slimy reptiles fling their bodies back And try in vain with writhes of agony To snatch themselves from the relentless grip Of the victoriously struggling boughs. For when the faithful watchers of Ktaadn's love Beheld with ready care the snakes creep on, Bristling with righteous wrath against the beasts. They armed their bark with a thick panoply Of brown sharp-pointed thorns that blossomed swift From where the stem creeps into the glad day [141] LIGHTS AT DAWN Parting with the earth-dwelling, downward growing And life-controlling roots to the branch-tops Where life bursts into merry fragrances, And, thrusting them into the serpents' skins, Filled them with anguish and the throes of death. Lifeless they droop their powerless heads and hang In harmless wreaths, unmindful of the words Their mistress spoke; and all the venom bred By their earth-creeping race availed them not! But over them, the blithe avengers, glad For their great victory, danced merrily And mingled their sweet breath in ecstasy With the cool breeze that, blowing past the stream Of the Great Spirit's palace crystalline. Wafted above the bower a veil of spray. Forthwith the sun embraced it with pure light And spanned it with triumphant arches shining With deepest red, soft orange, yellow, green. And violet blue. Exuberant with joy. The roses, envying the rainbow's glory And burning for its colored gladness, blushed [142] LIGHTS AT DAWN Their robes of white away ! Hast thou not seen The blessed hour of some uncommon sunset, When on the azure seas of golden West Fantastic clouds of fleecy whiteness float Like mystic isles upon the heaven's deep, How, in swift answer to the parting kisses Of the far-sinking sun, they turn from white To cream, from cream to yellow gold and saf- fron. Until their orange robes plunge into pink, And, dyed with soft vermilion and with scarlet, Hang in deep crimson folds against a field Of olive-green, the evanescent waves Of golden oceans? Thus the roses blushed From white to crimson, changing robes of glory Beneath the shining arches of the rainbow! Thus were the races of the roses born. That ever since grow with their prickly stems In memory of the great triumph won Over the Evil Spirit's vengefulness. Sweet flower, bringing into our low life The blessed fragrance of divinity. Filling our mortal eyes with purity Of colored gladness, and reminding us [143 1 LIGHTS AT DAWN Of what our brooding hearts might be, detached Of evil, might I sing with mortal lips A song reflecting even faintly thee ! Yet I cannot ; and, spell-bound with thy charms, Too weak to grasp thy smile celestial, I gaze on thee with wonder and delight As one who sees in vision what he dreams ! Thus over Ktaadn's love, in lustrous waves Of fragrant joy, the tender victors danced Triumphantly, caressing their new thorns And marveling at their new crimson robes With the delight of maiden innocence. And Morning Dew, the Wabanaki's pride, The child of light, sprung from the Cloudless Sky And Early Dawn, lived happy in her love. And made her dwelling in Lord Ktaadn 's bosom, Ktaadn, the mountain of the crimson East, Raising his head with glimmers roseate In lonesome majesty to the bright stars. Cloud-gatherer and sunlight-reveller. The mighty wielder of the thunderbolt And sleepless watcher of the morning gates. Peacham, Vermont. August, 1916. [144] LIBRARY OF CONGRESS