Book ^Sa±%B: GopyriglrtN"_ \'^\l COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS DRAKE'S BAY and Other Poems MRS. J. D. H. BROWNE MILWAUKEE: THE YOUNG CHURCHMAN CO. COPYRIGHT BY THE YOUNG CHURCHMAN CO. 1913 ©CI.A357138 THIS LITTLE BOOK OF VERSES, SCATTERED OVER A NUMBER OF YEARS, IS PUBLISHED AT THE REQUEST OF MANY FRIENDS, TO WHOM IT IS GRATEFULLY DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Drake's Bay 1 Undeb His Banner 4 The Light and the Song 6 Abba, Father 8 England's Queen 10 From Her to Me 12 A New Year 13 "Like Palestine" 16 Burden Bearers 18 "The Poor Ye Have Always with You" ... 20 Eventide 21 The Christmas Voice 23 Three Palms 25 Mission Voices 27 Edward the King 29 Long Live the King! 31 "Increase Our Faith" 33 "Come Unto Me" 35 Under the Mountains 37 Our King 38 The River's Lesson 40 A Mile Above the Sea 42 "If This Were All" 44 An Ideal 46 Speaking Silence 49 Hope 51 What Matters It? 52 vii DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS PAGE "Jesus and the Resurrection" 54 Sunset and After 56 "Eye Hath Not Seen" 58 Isabel 61 In Memoriam 63 The Mountain's Secret 65 Three White Flowers 67 Last Night 69 McKlNLEY 70 Falling Leaves 72 He Hath Borne Our Griefs 73 Spring 75 In the Shadow 76 "I Pray You" 78 What Shall We Bring? 80 In Bloom 82 By the Fire 84 Magdalene 85 Santa Monica 87 Pomona 89 1899 91 My Singer 93 The Sun is Up 95 The Call 96 Let the World Pass By 98 Snow-Crowned 100 On the Other Side 102 An English June 103 Youth and Age 105 Then and Now 107 The Old Highway 109 Goldenrod Ill viii DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS PAGE In the June Night 113 Autumn — A Memory 114 Destruction of The Times Building, Los An- geles, California, October 1, 1910 . . . 116 Father Rhine 118 A Night of Storm 120 Thistledown 121 On the English Coast 123 Twilight , 124 November 126 Apart 127 On the Mendips 129 Song of the Pine Tree 131 Song 133 A Vision 134 "Never Flower Did Grow" . 136 "He Sleeps" 137 By the Way-Side 138 Time 139 A Humming Bird's Nest 141 The Wanderer in the Saw-Mill 143 Nachtreise 145 From the German of William Mueller . . . 146 From the German of Heine 147 One More 148 A Prayer 151 The Christ Child 153 Light of Life 155 Lent 157 A Little While 159 A Thought for Lent 161 An Easter Thought 162 ix DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS PAGE Easteb Communion 164 The Wide World Round 166 Risen 168 O Happy Dawn 170 "The Resubbection and the Life" 172 SoBODA Spbings 174 O Thou Gbeat Lobd of All 176 A Golden Wedding 177 1579. It was three centuries ago; No white man's foot these shores had trod; No prayer from Christian lips below Had mounted to the Throne of God; And, under skies of wondrous blue, Between the mountains and the sea. In virgin robes of varied hue. Inwrought with flowers, fair and free, The land lay waiting. It was three centuries ago ; The mountains in their rocky breast. The rivers in their ceaseless flow. Held golden secrets unconf essed ; The lavish earth brought forth anew Growths strange and beautiful to see, Nursed by the sunshine and the dew. They told of wonders that might be. The land lay waiting. Three centuries ago and more. When lo ! there came, with white wings furled, A ship, slow gliding to the shore. The unknown shore of this new world; 1 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS The bay, with outstretched arms, appeared To welcome to its safe embrace; The shore, as still the sailors neared. Seemed like a friend's familiar face; The land lay waiting. A goodly land to them it seemed, Wearied of warfare and of waves, A land like home — they may have dreamed- This strong Sir Francis and his braves. Grateful for perils safely o'er Of flood and foe, down kneel they there Upon the white sands of the shore. And one lifts up his voice in prayer To God most Holy. A man of peace, yet who had shared The perils of the flood and foe, Another Francis who had dared Forth in his Master's name to go. He lifts his voice; — sacred words. Time-hallowed words of prayer and praise,- Dear Mother Church, what tender chords Thou touchest ! Blessed are thy ways, Spouse meek and lowly ! God's priest, upon that unknown shore. Was prophet, though he knew it not ; Thousands on thousands now adore Where then no soul its Maker sought; 2 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS There, though unseen, the Cross was reared, The heathen land for God was claimed. The angels sang there, though unheard. Though still for centuries, unnamed, The land lay waiting. It was three centuries ago; Forth sailed the ship and came no more; The ocean, in its ebb and flow. Still sang God's praises to the shore. In rhythmic change, years came and went. Earth ever decked herself anew. On "desert airs" her sweetness spent. While 'neath her canopy of blue. The land lay waiting. But lo ! at last, in God's own hour. From far-off lands the people came. And guided by His Gracious Power, The heralds of His Holy Name. And He, in whose Eternal sight A thousand years are as a day. Has shed abroad His Glorious Light Upon the land that waiting lay. ICn6er Tiis banner 1898. Men's hearts are thrilling as they see Our banners waving to the war, Waving to death or victory On hostile shores or seas afar. Our hearts are thrilling as we hear The measured tramp of countless feet, Of stalwart men who know not fear And spurn the mention of defeat. Our country's flag ! symbol dear Of mother-land so great and free, We hail thee with a smile and tear, And bless the brave who fight for thee. Yet when I see thy ample folds Swell proudly to the conscious air. And when mine eye the pride beholds Of martial pomp and courage rare, There comes a thought that quells my pride, A thought that thrills with sudden pain, Of thee, King ! Crucified ! And of Thy Banner with its stain. 4 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS Thou blood-stained Banner of the Cross, Time was that men would die for thee, All earthly things were counted dross, Thy sign once stood for victory. Where are Thy subjects, King of Kings? Lord of Hosts, Thy soldiers, where? The love that, spite of peril, clings. The faith that scorn and shame would dare? Love, that for the world didst die. Make Thou our blinded eyes to see: Thy blessed Banner lift on high. Win for Thyself the victory! From the other side of the earth. Across the waste of sea, At the time of the Saviour's birth, There comes a voice to me. Along the lapse of years Of checkered joy and pain, Sunbright or dim with tears. The voice comes once again. The voice of ancient bells. In vast grey towers hung high, The heavenly message tells To the listening earth and sky. The sound of the ancient bells. Hung high in those massive walls. In its solemn music swells, In its sweetest cadence falls. It comes like a wondrous chord, The depths of my soul to move. It comes like a spoken word From my childhood's faith and love. DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS Hail to the solemn chime That memory bids me hear, As in the dear lost time, With mingled joy and fear. In the far-off city street I stand like a listening child While the Christmas bells repeat The heavenly message mild. And I look with searching eyes, While with eager heart I long. And lo! from the star-strewn skies Break forth the Light and the Song ! Father, forgive ! Bent by the burden of our misspent years, We cry with faltering lips and bitter tears, With eyes that scarce can lift their gaze above. Even to the blessed symbol of Thy love. Father, forgive ! Father, forgive ! Voiced in this single cry The measureless regrets of years passed by. The good that waited for our hand, not done. The evil that so oft the victory won — Father, forgive ! Father, forgive ! They pass us one by one The things for which we never may atone. Deeds, words, and thoughts writ in Thine awful Book ; How shall we stand before Thy searching look ! Father, forgive ! Yea, we dare call Thee Father, for His sake Who came that He might sinners sinless make. Who in the wondrous mystery of the Cross Came to redeem us from eternal loss. Father, forgive I 8 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS One cried of old: "God/' and he smote his breast, "Be merciful to me a sinner !'' Blessed And pardoned, for that Thy all-seeing eye Saw his repentance and humility. But we may call Thee by another name, Abba — our Father! and in all our shame, For greater light and greater gifts misused. For Thy long suffering love and grace abused — Father, forgive ! Dear Lady who hast ruled so well and long With gentlest hand yet strong The widest Empire that the world has known. Dear Lady of our love, fain had we seen The evening of thy blameless life serene, And white-winged Peace sit by thee on thy throne. We hoped that thy great heart might not again Be pierced by England's pain. By wail of widows or the orphan's cry. Or mothers mourning for their sons afar. Gone forth at the dread trumpet blast of war. For Queen and country's sake to dare and die. Yet it has come. Lo ! the Southland once more Eesounds with battle's roar And skies are darkened with the cannon's breath. Men's hearts are swelling with the combat's rage And England's sons are burning to engage For England's triumph or a glorious death. 10 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS And in the long years of thine high estate Never wert thou more great. Steadfast and true to take thy queenly part, Never to meet misfortune's front more bold, Stronger thine Empire's honor to uphold Or closer to thy people's throbbing heart. Time's silver diadem that crowns thee now Is fairer on thy brow Than was the golden circlet of thy youth. Dear Lady of our love, whose life has shown The noblest virtues that adorn a throne — No fear but fear of God, Justice and truth. 1899. 11 TFVom 3fet to yUc A wandering thought comes at the close of day, A white-winged thought of peace, That gently soothes all weariness away. And makes each care to cease. It comes in semblance of a little child. Lovely and deeply loved. Who for a brief space here, all undefiled. Amid earth's tumult moved. And, then, beyond the reach of mortal sight. Or past the farthest star. Wandered at will, in spaces of the light, Where joys undreamed of are. So innocent, she stood but on the shore Of this world's wisdom wide ; But now, what sages vainly would explore. From her no veil doth hide. thought of healing peace, com'st thou, indeed. From her sweet soul to mine ? To teach even me that I may something read Of her deep lore divine. 12 '^ Mew year A new year, oh, my soul! See in the glad sunrise The path untrodden lies Towards the great goal. The path lies clear and wide, With ample room to raise Temples of love and praise That may abide. And, broadcast through the land. By roadside, and in field. Lie stones wherewith to build. Cut to our hand. Deeds waiting to be done. Of tender charity And sweet humility — Each deed a stone. Deeds waiting to be done, Each day a cross to take Gladly for His dear sake. Who bore His own. 13 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS Deeds waiting to be done, Sin to be crucified, And self to be denied Through Him alone. My soul, why dost thou fear? Why trembling dost thou stand Upon the border-land Of this new year? Alas! the old year saw Wrong for the right I willed. The promise unfulfilled. The broken Law ! Saw how my idle hand Has left the good undone, And not a victory won That I had planned ! Well may'st thou fear, my soul, For all thy strength is naught. The way with danger fraught. And far the goal. But in the opening day, One stands to lift thy weight Of sin, and guide thee straight Along the way. 14 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS Open thine ears and hear That sweet and awful voice That bids even thee rejoice In His new year. 15 Here in the Southland, where the olives grow Beneath such skies as arch Judea's hills, I love to think that He who when below Tasted for us all human griefs and ills, Sometimes found rest within the solemn shade Of gnarled olives, in some secret glade. Here in the Southland, where the olives grow I think of those within Gethsemane, Veiling the awful secret of His woe. Mute witnesses of that dread agony, While they the chosen three, who should have kept Their watch for Him, in wearied stupor slept. Here in the Southland, where the lilies grow In snowy ranks, like vestals tall and fair; Where crowding roses all their beauties show And pour their fragrance on the balmy air; Where violets with the crocus newly born, Lavish their sweetness on the Easter morn; Where pansies, wet with dew, and daisies meek. And tiniest blooms of blue and gold and red. With upturned faces the first sunbeams seek (Only the passion flower droops its head) ; 16 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS I love to think that in the dawning day, Such pressed around the Eisen Master's way. Here in the Southland, where the almond tree Puts forth its tender buds of promise rare, Then bursts to rosy beauty suddenly; I love to think it was so, even there, That in the Garden thus they spread their bloom To canopy His pathway from the tomb. 17 burden tftcar^rs Each one we bear our burdens, as we go Along life's highway to the end of all; And some beneath the heavy load stoop low. And some with faltering steps must ofttimes fall. And some walk firmly with uplifted head. And scorn to tell the weariness they know. And some, with smiling lips and lightsome tread, Clasp close the treasure that will work them woe. Each one we bear our burden, and the way Grows rougher as the pilgrim onward fares Amid the heat and turmoil of the day. The stress of passions and of pains and cares. Yet through it all there sounds a wondrous Voice, Whose piercing sweetness cleaves the earthly din, And they that hear it tremble and rejoice. And new-born hope stirs 'neath the load of sin. "Come unto Me," it says, "Come unto Me, Weary and heavy laden souls of men, For I have died to set My children free, And lo ! to give them life I live again. 18 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS "Come, lay your burdens down beneath My Cross. And learn of Me the secret of My peace, And I will give you heavenly gain for loss. For earthly sorrows, joys that cannot cease." Ah! thronging thousands, will you not give ear. Nor pause a moment on your weary road? The voice is calling, but you will not hear, Nor see the Hands outstretched to lift your load. Love long suffering! still in pity call. Cease not to cry, though dull of hearing we. So men at last at Thy dear feet shall fall And cease from self, and Thou shalt make them free. 19 '•"D^e IpooT ya 3fave Always wllb you * Love Incarnate ! when Thy holy feet In heavenly patience walked the ways of men. The leper and the outcast of the street. The poor, the halt, the blind were with thee then. Love ! could we but love, for Thy dear sake. Earth's hapless children whom Thou helpest here ; Pity's sweet burden on our shoulders take And minister, for Thee, with touch and tear ! Could we but love, not what is great alone. Of good report, noble and pure and fair, But sinners, for whose guilt Thou didst atone. And outcasts in whose shame Thyself didst share ! So might we come to touch Thy garment's fold And with Thy Baptism baptized might be. So might adoring from afar behold The wondrous meekness of Thy Majesty* 20 TEveitll6e Lengthening shadows and setting sun. And the day's work almost done. Wide was the field ; the need was great. Ah! work ill done or done too late, Though long the hours from dawn to dark. My Lord, "be not extreme to mark." Lengthening shadows and setting sun, And the day's work almost done. Thy slothful servant loved too well To loiter in some shady dell, To gather fair things by the way, While on life's flowers the dew yet lay. Thy faithless servant turned aside — Though ever there was One to guide — From rougher paths where for His sake Always there stands a cross to take. Yet could Thy self-willed servant see Where wearied souls for shelter flee. Where faltering feet secure may stand, "A great rock in a weary land." 21 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS Lengthening shadows and setting sun And the day's work almost done. Master, with empty hands I come, Of my poor labor this the sum. Nothing to lay at Thy dear feet But what is mean and incomplete, All marred with self and soiled with sin, How could it Thine acceptance win? Yet to the sinner at Thy side, Who shared Thy shame, Crucified, Thou spakest words of love divine; Trembling I ask to make them mine. So when the day's work all is done And evening shadows veil the sun. Even for me by Thy pierced side It shall be "light at eventide." 22 T5\)^ (E^rUlmas Voice Whether in lands snow-bound or sunshine-clad We may abide, A blessed influence conies to make us glad At Christmas-tide. Whether from ancient towers, in sweet accord, The great Joy bells Peal forth the Coming of the Infant Lord In sound that swells And widens, to the city's furthest rim, And meets and blends With kindred voices into one vast hymn That never ends ; Or in lone hamlet, where the silent lands All wintry lie. And only one small spire pointing stands Towards the sky. Where flocks are folded and, with stars a-light. The heavens bend low, And Christmas bells sound through the listening night Across the snow. 23 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS And here, where white-fringed waves upon the shore In music fall, There comes an undertone from other lands, The Christmas call. I hear in every solemn surge that swells, Cathedral chimes, And every ebbing whisper softly tells Of dear, past times. "Good will and Peace," the boundless Western Sea Sings to the shore, God's message to the ages yet to be. For evermore. Peace and good will to man in this new world ! God grant that we May see the banner of Thy Peace unfurled O'er land and sea. 24 Cl)ree "palms Etched black against a pearly sky I see at dawn three palm trees stand Like dusky pillars soaring high Above the trees on every hand. These stand like hooded shapes at prayer, Those fling their slender branches far To greet the first faint morning air, And some yet watch the last pale star. But my three palms, like sentinels. Or priests of nature's mysteries. Each to the other whispering tells The growing wonder that he sees. High, high above the dewy lawn, Above the garden's waiting blooms. They know the secret of the dawn And signal with their waving plumes. Upon the pearl a primrose gleam That, deepening, spreads — a golden way. Then crimson banners that beseem The coming of the king of day. 25 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS And then — a dazzling shaft that thrills The palm trees with a nameless bliss; New day the world with beauty fills, But they have felt the sun's first kiss. 26 Mission Voices Brave old Padres, when you came, Counting this world's gain as loss. In your Captain Jesus' name On these shores, to plant the Cross. On these shores, so strange and sweet To uprear His banner blest. And to gather to His feet The wild children of the West, Wise old Padres, well ye knew How to quell the savage breast. How the fierce heart to subdue. How to bid the wanderer rest. Skilful builders, up and down. Through the mountain girded land. Here upon a foot-hill's crown. There where blue waves wash the sand. Stately arch and solemn aisle. Shadowed cloister, shapely tower, Quickly grew each sacred pile; With them grew the Padres power. 27 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS And anon in niches fair, Swinging high above each fane, Open to the sun and air, Hung the bells they brought from Spain ! When the solemn clangor burst On the silence of the grove. When the silver voices first Eang the message of God's love. When upon the evening clear Faint and far their music stole. Who may say what joy and fear Filled the Indian's wakening soul. Padres, between us and you Rolls a century's solemn tide. Dim and shadowy to our view Walk you on the other side; But, across the gulf of time. Still the music of the bells Comes in sweet and solemn chime. And the olden message tells. And the wanderer of today Hears them with a swelling heart ; By the mission worn and grey. As the sunset gleams depart. Brooding shadows thicker grow, Deeper purple fills the sky, Down the roofless cloister slow Hooded shapes seem gliding by. 28 Swift as the lightening flash the tidings sped Around the world : "Edward, the king is dead ! And sudden as a bolt from cloudless sky, This pain that grips the heart and dims the eye. Best loved of kings ! We question can it be That they who loved thee best no more shall see Thy genial face and never meet again Thy kindly presence among living men? — Kindly and kingly — ^human to the core Of the brave heart that without flinching bore The weight of empire and the care that clings Beneath the ermine and the crown of kings. Edward the Peacemaker, thy lasting fame Shall blend through coming ages with the name Greater than that of kings, for thou hast stood For the world's welfare and the nation's good. Enshrined with her who bore thee in the heart Of thy true people — even in the smart Of this fresh sorrow, we are glad that thou Hast worn her regal circle on thy brow, 29 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS Glad thou couldst say, even with thy failing breath Facing with kingly calm the Conqueror Death : "It is all over — I have done — I think My duty — " then beyond the brink Of the dark river, on thy wondering sight Broke the full radiance of Celestial Light, Where the sweet Presence of the King of Kings To His redeemed Eternal rapture brings. May 7th, 1910. 30 Hail, son of Edward ! Hail King new crowned. Crowned with a pomp and glory unsurpassed In the long annals of this wondrous world! The peoples hail thee — not alone the lands Wide-stretched about the globe — that own thy sway, But nations rousing from their age-long sleep. Hail thee with warm acclaim and kindling hope. For oh, what goodly heritage is thine ! Thou son of Edward! as thy father stood For Peace and Right, so mayst thou ever stand Thy people's good still nearest to thine heart. Faith in Thy God thy breast-plate. Truth thy sword. And Righteousness the girdle of thy reins. Long live the King ! ah, may he live to see The ills redressed that darken this fair world. The poor and them that are oppressed with wrong, Uplifted to be Men! No longer slaves Of others' passions or their own, but free. And "Peace with honor" a strong angel stand Guiding the nations — Son of Edward, Hail! Hail good King George, and may thy brave right hand 31 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS Slay every dragon that besets thy path — St. George and Merrie England once again, And from our hearts we cry: "Long live the King!" 32 ••'Jttcrease Our J^aill)* Increase our Faith, oh Lord! Be this our constant prayer; Faith that may grasp Thy Word, Our shield against despair. "If ye had Faith" and then "0 ye of little Faith!" Still pleadest Thou with men, Thou Lord of life and death. If we had Faith! Thy peace That tongue can never tell. The joy that cannot cease Our thankful hearts would swell. Faith that would know Thee near. That thee unseen might see. Faith that would conquer fear. Faith that might feed on Thee ! Christ, increase our Faith, For what were earthly woe. What even shame or death. Could we but hold Thee so ! 33 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS Light were each weary load And pain, for Thy sake, sweet; The roughness of life's road No more would hurt our feet. Darkness were light could we But clasp Thy leading hand; Our sight were strong to see Things hard to understand. — Dim is our Faith and cold, Helpless and weak are we; We cry with those of old, Merciful ! to Thee. Thou who each thought canst read. Low at Thy feet we fall ; Thou knowest what we need, Our greatest need of all. 34 "(Tome Knlo 5Ke** Lord and Master, can it be That those dear words were meant for me ? That such as I may come to Thee? "All ye that labor" — what have I That I have wrought beneath the sky? To show to Thine all-seeing eye! The "heavy laden" Thou dost call, But daily cares to me that fall They are so trifling and so small. And yet the small things of each day Grow sometimes hard, along life's way, And faltering steps need heavenly stay, And the light cross so feebly borne Grows heavy, and the pathway worn By tired feet has many a thorn. So I will come — ^but now I see A barrier dark confronting me That shuts me out from Peace and Thee. 35 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS How dare I come ! My life appears With all its past of wasted years That cannot be washed out with tears. Yea, as a ''thick cloud" in Thy sight Gross darkness to Thine awful Light — Yet is Thy mercy infinite! And through the darkness I can hear The Blessed Voice that quells my fear And bids me — even me — draw near. 36 Knbtx l^e itloutttalns Sunset turns the trees to gold And the birds their vespers sing! Evening shadows, fold on fold, Up the valley creep and cling. Things of day — how far they seem ! All life's cares and toiling cease; Pains and passions but a dream In this deep and brooding peace. Now I lift my gaze and lo ! Sight of wonder passing speech. Mountains, in the afterglow, Through the azure heavenward reach. Snow-crowned majesties they rise, Clothed in purple, veiled in light — All too fair for mortal eyes. Glimpse of heaven to human sight. So the glories pass away, Fade the amethyst and rose. Purple darkens into gray And the solemn twilight grows. 37 Our TiXn^ Not, as befitteth kings, on downy bed Our new-born King is laid, But helpless on the Virgin Mother's breast. Among the cattle must He take His rest. 0, cruel world, that holds Him thus in scorn. Our King new born ! 0, matchless Love that thus can condescend; Adoring joy with contrite tears we blend. For on His tender brow a shadow lies. And in His wondrous eyes — The shadow of a coming crown of thorn, The anguish of a heart by sinners torn. The "Man of Sorrows" and with grief acquaint- ed Beneath sin^s load Who fainted! Veiled in His tender infancy we see The awful burden of the Life to be. And yet, oh joy ! oh joy that thus He came To take away our shame. To find us, lost within the realms of night. To lead us into everlasting Light. 38 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS Good will and peace Thou br ingest, Heavenly Child, Our Father reconciled! Lay we our cleansed hearts — an offering meetj Our ransomed lives rejoicing at Thy feet! 39 "Dl^e Elver's TCesson silver river lapsing to the sea, How much thou teachest me ! Among the lofty mountains was thy source, And all along thy course Thou spendedst blessings on the thirsty land. Thy brink on either hand Was bright with flowers that drew their life from thee, And many a lordly tree Spread wide his sheltering arms, a deep retreat Against the storm or heat. Wide meadows where the feeding cattle strayed Or lambs in springtime played. And orchards decked with blossoms white as snow. Or laden, bending low With autumn's store of crimson or of gold. All of thy largess told. silver river ! now thy course is run And here, at set of sun, Bearing his glories mirrored on thy breast. Thou passest to thy rest! — river ! would my life had been like thee. And, tending to the sea — 40 DRAKES BAY AND OTHER POEMS That boundless sea to which we all must tend- Thus calmly at the end. Bright with the memory of good deeds done, Might face the setting sun ! — 41 A mile above the sea, where the pine trees whis- per peace And cooling shadows waver to and fro And the sunlight filtering through From the over arching blue, Writes in gold the sweetest secret heart can know! A mile above the sea, where the pine trees whis- per peace And the spirit of the mountains bids you rest, Where their majesty enfolds And their matchless beauty holds, As a mother holds her infant to her breast. A mile above the sea, where the pine trees whis- per peace Where in magical remoteness, tier on tier. Vaster heights above us rise. Crowned with light in morning skies And at evening clothed in purple wondrous clear. 42 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS A mile above the sea, where the pine trees whis- per peace Where below lie purple glooms of depth untold, Whence the bleached rocks rising wan Tell of countless ages gone Ere human eyes beheld what we behold. A mile above the sea, where the pine trees whis- per peace And the breeze is like a message of God's cheer. You may taste what cannot cloy. Deeply drink of nature's Joy, While the heaven of His Love is bending near. 43 If this were all, beloved, if this were all. This little life of ours. If death's dark curtain should forever fall On hopes and aims and powers; If all within these limits be compressed. Then never to have lived were surely best. If this be all, beloved, if this be all, This narrow crowded place Whereon we build our Babels great and tall, To lift us into space. If we but mock ourselves with thoughts of heaven. Then better far this life had not been given. If this be all, beloved, if this be all. Scant joys and many cares. Much anxious sowing and, alas ! so small. The grain among the tares. If this be all the room for seed to grow, 'Twere best the hand were not put forth to sow. 44 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS If this were all — if the cold blast of Death Must quench the light of love, As we put out a candle with a breath. If what we hoped above As God's best gift, enhanced and purified Be but a dream, ah, why have lived and died ! This is not all ! sure and certain hope. Our God is Life and Love: And we His creatures need not blindly grope; In Him we live and move — Our spirits sparks of that Eternal Fire Towards which in purest longings we aspire. This is not all ! Did not Incarnate Love The darkling valley tread? Did He not vanquish death and grave to prove That we shall live though dead? And passing through Heaven's portals leave them wide. That we might enter in and there abide? 45 'TXn TJ6eal Fronting the east our house shall stand, On a table-land ; With the mountains north, and south the sea, Our home shall be. Its walls shall rise of the quarried rock, Each goodly block Spotted and veined with spar like snow — Wrought aeons ago. Its rooms of the mountain pine shall be, That lordliest tree, Carven and smoothed so fair and fine. To show each line. Wide doors to welcome many a guest. North, South, East, West; Large windows that shall frame the sea And the majesty Of the peaks that flush in the afterglow With their crowns of snow. And the purple shadow that abides In their rifted sides. 46 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS Climbing tendrils and clustering leaves Shall deck the eaves And roses, crimson-lipped, shall sigh As the breeze slips by And bears to the softly shadowed rooms Their faint perfumes. There in immortal grace shall stand. From the old Art land. Visions in marble wrought to teach What the soul can reach; And there the wise of every age From the deathless page. Shall show of all things deep and high To the searcher's eye. And give of all things great and good For the spirit's food. There will we gather those that are In lands afar, Loved and longed for many a year. To be always near. Great pines upon our velvet lawn Salute the dawn. And bend their heads with mystic signs As the day declines. Our olives in long vistas gray Shall softly sway, 47 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS And orange groves with spheres of gold Their wealth unfold. Down in the valley fair and green, In shadow and sheen, Scattered and clustered, now and then, Lie the homes of men. And spanning all, serene and high. The sunlit sky Rests, like the hollow of God's hand, O'er sea and land. 48 Speaking Silence How calm she lies, robed for her dreamless sleep In simple, comely vesture, white as snow. The parting sunbeams through the curtains creep And touch the marble face with passing glow. How fair she looks! The lines that care had brought. That told of the rough fellowship of pain. Are all smoothed out. Death hath a wonder wrought. His cold, kind hand hath made her young again. Peace on her brow, and knowledge, all too high For those who have not passed beyond the veil; And on her lips such love as cannot die. Such pleading love as must in heaven prevail. On those pale lips a smile more eloquent Than uttered word so gentle yet so keen. It pierces like an arrow strongly sent. Straight to the heart, the armor ^s joints be- tween. Strange paradox! She would have kept the wind From blowing roughly on her well-beloved; Yet lying there at peace, can be unkind, Can speak a dumb reproach, and smile unmoved. 49 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS When did a mourner turn to her in vain, Nor find a tender echo in her breast ! But now, nor broken sobs nor tears like rain, Can stir the pulseless quiet of her rest. When had her faithful heart not been his shield! But now, like barbed arrow sharp and true. On the sweet lips Death for his own hath sealed, That patient smile hath pierced him through and through. 50 Tfope Hope, with thy starry eyes still on us beaming, Whatever gloom enshroud, And hand still pointing where the light is gleaming Beyond the darkest cloud. Immortal loveliness forever changing Yet evermore the same. With luminous feet life's weary desert ranging, Who must not bless thy name ! Who has not known thy tender touch of healing Laid on his wounded breast, Who has not felt thy kiss of peace revealing New worlds of longed for rest ! Yea, I will trust thee never to forsake me Whatever ill betide And on the roughest way will ever take thee For my celestial guide ! 51 W^ot yUattzrs 111 What matters it, dear heart, that thou and I Have come along a rough and stony way, What matters it though clouds beset our sky And dimmed the golden promise of our day? What matters it ! Since every way must end. And every day to night and silence tend. What matters it, although the cup of pain Has to our faltering lips familiar grown. Though patient toil be fruitless, waiting vain And faithful sowing harvest never crown. What matters it? Since pain and toil and tears Must end forever with the end of years. What matters it, though for a little space Clasped hands must sever by the darksome tide. Each look their last upon the other's face And for a little lonely while abide, Since there is One to take us by the hand And gently lead us to the peaceful land. What matters it, if we but read aright The message writ across the earth and skies. If we but see the dawn beyond our night And to the hills eternal lift our eyes, 52 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS What matters it, dear heart? for time shall seem When we awaken, but a broken dream ! 53 ""Uesus anb l^e ^Resurrection** This was the sum of their teaching, The message that molded the world, This was the strength of their preaching. This was the signal unfurled O'er the strongholds of sin and despair. When they planted the King's standard there. They told of the Christ who had carried The woes of the world in His heart. They told of the Man who had tarried Alone and forsaken apart The Prophet and Healer, and then Despised and rejected of men. They told of the Sacrifice lifted Above the dumb, shame-stricken earth. When the veil of the Temple was rifted. And the new world had come to the birth. When, behold! "It is finished" at last, And the Holy One's Passion was past. They told where the sacred Form slumbered. Enfolded in silence and rest Till the hours appointed were numbered. When earth held her Lord in her breast 54 DRAKES BAY AND OTHER POEMS And trembled with rapture and fear As the time of his rising drew near. To the world that in darkness was lying They told of the Conqueror King, Whose rising is hope to the dying Whose death has robbed death of its sting, Sun of the souls who were crying For Light that He only could bring. This was the sum of their teaching. The Christ that was Eisen their theme. This is the Power out-reaching That touches with life-giving beam. Hearts that are hopeless with shame. And saves them through Faith in His Name. 55 Sunset att6 '^fter The sun goes down in the western sea At the end of a path of gold — A golden path that beckons me With a spell no tongue hath told. And the waves are smooth as a sea of glass And far-off ships like shadows pass, And the hours of the day are told. The sun goes down in the western sea, And a crimson flush has spread. Growing and deepening gloriously Till it veils the blue o'er head. And the far-off ships as they sail away And the path of gold that had turned to gray. And the glistening sands burn red. The sun has sunk in the western sea, And the crimson glory dies. And twilight creeps like a mystery Over the waves and skies. The tide flows in on the lonely shore ; Far on the rocks the breakers roar. And a passing sea bird cries. 56 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS sea! that laughs in the glad sunlight And glows in the sunset glow — sea, that moans in the falling night — A voice of this old world's woe — Thou takest us to thy breast, Sea, And the deeps of our soul they answer thee In thy ceaseless ebb and flow. 57 ••TEr<^ 3fatb ytol Seen * When the soft south winds blow, And the blossoms drift like snow To my feet : And the merry mockingbird In the perfumed shade is heard. Shrill and sweet; When the sky is tenderest blue, And the light clouds sailing through. Like a fleet Bound for happy shores, pass on, Casting shadows swiftly gone O'er the wheat : When old earth seems born a-new, And her breast with diamond dew Is bedeckt, And her green robes are a-gleam With the silver of the stream. Sunlight flecked; When the trees toss leafy plumes. And a thousand scented blooms Star the fields, 58 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS And the lark's clear monotone, O'er the bending grasses blown, Eapture yields; When the wild dove to his mate. With joy and Spring elate, From his spray In the dusk depths of the grove. Calls forth, "Love, love, love," All the day; So fair this glad world shows. So dear her beauty grows. That I thrill With a touch of nameless grief That life's day should be so brief. Night so chill! That lo ! yet a little while And for me the green earth's smile Will be gone. Closed eyes and silent heart We each shall lie a-part One by one. Yet, ah ! there is a land. Fairer than eye has scanned Or ear hath heard. With joy a thousandfold Dearer than earth can hold. Than heart hath stirred. 59 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS To those who loved their King, Beyond what life can bring, Shall be given, The glory of His face. The bliss of His embrace. The Light of Heaven! 60 Tfsabel Dear little maid ! 'Tis good to meet The clear glance of thy happy eyes, The smile, so radiant and so sweet, That to each loving look replies. The tender innocence that beams Like heaven's own light about thee cast, Thrills me like half remembered dreams Of childhood's joy that could not last. How wonderful to watch each day Thy mind like opening flower unclose. To see the everchanging play Of the young thought that searching goes. That goes, without a touch of fear. To meet life's myriad mysteries. That measures with a smile or tear Our tangled human histories ! Dear little maiden in thine eyes A higher wisdom I can trace Than sages boast or mortals prize. That gives thee nearer Heaven a place. 61 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS And so may Heaven keep thee dear And ever guard thee on thy way, Until thine eyes, so pure and clear. Shall see beyond life's little day. 62 3n ytt^moviam Emma Grebe^ Deaconess Does it seem hard to understand That God should call His child away, When work lay ready to her hand, And the world's needs about her lay ? We can but bend our head and say: "He knoweth best." Does it seem hard to understand That God should call His child away? That death should touch the willing hand, The willing feet that went His way? We can but clasp our hands and say : "He knoweth best." It was for Him she labored still. To bring His lambs into the fold, To teach them of the Father's will. To show them of His Love untold. And now — ^her lips in death are cold! — "He knoweth best." 63 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS He knoweth best — ah blessed thought That quells our doubt and stills our pain! Faith with all heavenly comfort fraught Tells us such lives are not in vain, Though all too brief, and her's the gain ! "He knoweth best/' We are the better to have known Her selfless service, to have seen The face that with meek fervor shone. And memory makes a link between This life and that, where she has gone To endless rest. 64 "D^e 5lloutttaln*5 Secret The mountain was stony and stern, And the plain at his feet Was silvered and burnished in turn By the frost and the heat. No mantle of green was outspread On her broad silent breast; Her sleep was the sleep of the dead. Unknown and unblest. The mountain was rocky and grim, But he held in his heart A secret — a treasure to him That he would not impart. Blue as a bit of the sky, In a gray granite zone, A lake in his bosom did lie — Deep and lovely and lone. The clouds on his head brooded low And they shadowed his face; Some times they crowned him with snow And they touched him with grace. 65 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS But still at his pitiless feet, Mutely pleading in vain, All frozen or parching with heat. Lay the poor barren plain. The years and the ages went past, Then, in gathering gloom. There came from the heaven a blast Like the trumpet of doom. And a bolt from on high, like a spear. From the hand of the Lord, Smote the rocks, that they trembled in fear And they fell at His word. The mountain's hard bosom was riven. His long cherished hoard To the desolate valley was given. All freely outpoured! And now, where the frost and heat Mocked the poor barren ground. Snowy blossoms and gold of the wheat, Richest fruitage are found. The mountain is riven and rent. But the plain at his feet Lies folded in smiling content And an incense so sweet. Goes upward by day and by night To the Maker of All, Who helpeth the wronged to their right And makes tyrants to fall. 66 Three white flowers together grew, Where the rough winds never blew, In a pleasant place, Hedged about with tender care. Pure as snow and very fair. With a gentle grace. Three white flowers bent each to each. Whispering low in airy speech, Telling of their dreams. Made of moonlight and of dew, Woven of the bending blue And the warm sunbeams. One had dreamed of fields that lay Past the fringe of alders gray And the gliding stream. Where the flowers grew straight and bold, Dressed in colors manifold. All with gems a-gleam. One had dreamed of gardens rare Where the soft and charmed air Wooed the opening flowers, 67 DRAKES BAY AND OTHER POEMS And the silver fountains fall Answered to the sweet bird's call Through the happy hours. One a vision strange had seen, Of a country filled with sheen Brighter than the day. Where the flowers with wings were clad And in voices clear and glad Praises sang alway. Gaily came a rider by. Blithe of heart and bright of eye, Saw the white flowers three, Gathered one with gentle hand, Bore it to a distant land All across the sea. Then another came that way. Proud of mien, in rich array, He with lordly grace Stooped the pure white flowers to view. And with jewelled fingers drew One from out her place. Last a wandering poet came, When the East was all a-flame With the new born day. He with fast closed chalice found Where upon the dew cold ground One white flower lay. 68 Hast 5tlgbt Mother, I saw thee last night, In a dream, if it was but a dream. And thine eyes were holy and bright As the day-star's trembling beam. Mother, I kissed thee last night. And the touch of thy lips was like balm. Diffusing a nameless delight, A blessed, ineffable calm. Mother, I lay in thy breast, As I did in the old, happy years. And weariness, pain and unrest Thou wipest away with my tears. Mother, thy voice was to me As the voices that ceaselessly sing Of the glory 'tis given them to see. Who circle the Throne of their King. Mother, thy comforting words — Ah! vainly I seek them today — I seem but to hear the last chords, Of music, just dying away. 69 Is this thy recompense, brave heart and true ? Is this thy wage ? thou who hast nobly borne The heat and burden of the arduous day ? How faithfully and patiently thou stoodst Through rough seas at the helm, and steeredst straight Out of the troubled waves of doubt and strife Into the sunlit calm of victory. How wisely and how well thy lofty place Thou filledst, with what manly modesty Thou bearedst on thy brow the viewless crown Of a great people's confidence and choice, Thou fearless patriot, great citizen. Soldier whose shield and helmet were the strength That comes from truest trust in the Supreme Is this thy recompense, brave heart and true ? This the return for the large, selfless love That spent itself upon thy native land? That showed itself in every gracious word And kindly hand-clasp, in the confidence That met all men as brothers ? Flags at half mast and bells that toll and toll From north to south from east to west they t-ell The dreadful story of so base a deed, 70 DRAKES BAY AND OTHER POEMS So great a loss, so pitiful a grief That men's hearts fail with anguish and with shame That this fair land should wear so foul a blot. 71 TPalUng TCeave5 Falling leaves in the fading day, Crisp brown leaves where the children play. Rustling leaves that those fairy feet Lightly press in their frolic sweet, Falling leaves in the fading day You have no lesson for such as they. Life in its spring what can it see. But the long, glad years that are to be? Falling leaves in the fading day. What of the old who pass this way? Have they heard what your dry lips, sad and sear Ceaselessly whisper, year by year? That life and loving and wealth and fame Pass as the sunset's parting flame, That all earth's gladness and all its grief Fade and fall like the falling leaf. Rustling leaves in the darkening day. My soul can hear what your whispers say — A tender promise that speaks of rest. Folded and still in the old earth's breast. 72 IKe Tialh) ^orite Our (Briefs Man of Sorrows ! in Thine heart Thou hast felt each mortal throe- Wondrous balm Thou canst impart For our deepest woe. Humbly kneeling at Thy Cross Gazing at Thy griefs divine — What our sorrows or our loss Jesu — matched with Thine! Sacred wounds for us that bled — "exceeding bitter cry'^ — What are all the tears we shed To that death veiled eye ! Piercing nail and cruel thorn — Gall that mocked Thy dread distress What the pains that we have borne, What our weariness ! In Thine hour of awful gloom Prostrate at Thy feet I fall; 1 would bury in Thy tomb Lord myself — my all ! 73 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS Lord ! the soul on Thee that calls Feels its sorrow cease to be; In Thy Passion's depths it falls — Eain drop in the sea. 74 0, everlasting loveliness ! Yet am I here to see thee bless The grateful earth once more. And still to my enchanted eyes New miracles of beauty rise From thine exhaustless store! 0, everlasting loveliness! With matchless hues I see thee dress The old familiar hills. Flowers spring beneath thy viewless feet And from their bright lips, nectar sweet An incense pure distills. The winds are music and they raise A world wide anthem in thy praise That swells o'er land and sea And yet is but a faint refrain, A chord of that undying strain That fills immensity. 75 3n t^e Sba6ow In some city of the old world have you never, From the hurry and the turmoil of the street. Where the tide of human life flows on forever, Turned your footsteps to some holy, calm re- treat? Pas(ging in, through some deep-arched, solemn portal. To a silence and a beauty so sublime That the sense of things beyond the ken of mortal Rushed upon you, blotting out the things of time. For without are all the noises of the city. All the restless pains and pleasures of the world, But within there is a breath of God's own pity. And the flutter of His banner* wide unfurled. For without are eager toilers, ever storing The treasures that must vanish from their hold. While within are clustered columns upward soar- ing. To bid us turn to Joys that wax not old. * "He brought me to His banqueting house, and His banner over me was love" ( Canticles 2:4). 76 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS Kneeling there, where the saints of many ages Knelt before you, heaven opening to their view, You have seen the written record on life's pages Poor and worthless, and have yearned to write it new. As we tread life's crowded highway, onward hast- ing, Some with eager, some with weary, wayworn feet. Shall our souls, within the Lenten quiet resting, Find its stillness and its shade a blessed retreat ? From the pleasures and the passions without num- ber. From the turmoil and the fretting and tlie pride. Shall we pass beneath the portal, grave and som- bre, Down the calm and solemn weeks of Lenten- tide? Dwelling here on the thoughts of God and heaven. Self-abased in the knowledge from above. Like the sinner whom the Lord had much for- given. We shall taste the priceless treasure of His love. Kneeling low, with the saints of many ages, In the awful, blissful shadow of His Cross, We shall wash with tears the record of life's pages. And shall learn to count all earthly gain as loss. 77 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS ••3 llrar Von* I pray you mock me not when I am dead With wreathed flowers, nor deck, as if in life, My poor, dumb form ! In humble vesture laid. My empty hands crossed meekly on my breast, Thus shall you make me ready for my rest. I pray you let not curious gazers see My poor, dead face, but through a mist of tears. Let loving eyes, if such, for me, there be, Look their last farewell till the end of years. Till this in weakness and dishonor sown, This mortal, "immortality put on.^' I pray you let not strangers speak my name. In idle praise of what I never did; If loving hearts there be, they will not blame My many faults; by love will all be hid! But I would have them for the dear Christ's sake For my weak soul their intercessions make, I pray you bear me to the holy place Where I was wont to feed upon my Lord; There let me humbly lie, a little space, 78 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS While the great message of His living Word Tells trumpet-tongued of conquered sin and death. And opens heaven to the eye of faith. I pray you lay me quietly away In some green spot, for passing well I love My mother earth ; there shall her sunbeams play, And soft tree-shadows falling from above, Eest where I lie beneath the shielding sod: There leave me to the mercy of my God. 79 WM SMI We »tlns? What shall we bring, Beloved, When we come at the dawn of day, When we come in the fragrant silence To meet Thee on Thy way? What shall we bring, Beloved, To lay at Thy wounded feet, We who are all unworthy To make an offering meet? We who have tried to follow Along the sombre road. We who have seen Thee bending Beneath sin's dreadful load. We who have watched and waited Besides Thy Cross and Orave, And now go forth to meet Thee, Conqueror, strong to save. What shall we give. Beloved, To Thee who givest all. When we come to Thy Holy Presence, And at Thine Altar fall?— 60 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS The souls He has purchased dearly Are dear in the Saviour^s eyes; The contrite hearts of Thy servants Lord Thou wilt not despise. — So we come in the fragrant silence, When the Altar lights burn clear. And we kneel in lowly gladness For the Risen Lord is here. 81 3n ^loont Blossoms against the blue — And the wild dove calling Out of the sycamore grove To his brooding mate: "Love — love" On the silence falling. Blossoms against the blue — And the water dripping From the fern-fringed rock above To the pool in the green alcove, Where the birds come sipping. Blossoms against the blue — And the knee-deep grasses, Where you may lie a-dream, And pains and passions seem Like the wind that passes. Blossoms against the blue — And the sunlight glowing, While shadows broad and deep In wooded hollows sleep Where the stream is flowing. 82 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS Blossoms against the blue — Perfumed petals straying Touch me on lip and brow; It seems — I know not how — As though the world were praying. Blossoms against the blue — Like an incense fire. An answer comes from above: "Earth's beauty is God's love," And His heaven stoops nigher. 83 What should I ask tonight, If that good fairy came We used to tell of by the firelight, In childhood's days, around the dancing flame? What should I ask tonight If the good fairy came? Some thing of beauty to rejoice my sight, Would it be wealth, perchance, or joy, or fame ? What should I ask tonight? If but to ask might bring The thing desired, quickly as arrow's flight. Or the swift eagle's distance-cleaving wing! What should I ask tonight? I watch the leaping flame; I see dream faces in the shifting light — Young faces — and I call them each by name. What should I ask tonight? To see my dream come true. See the old fireside in the leaping light. The happy children's faces that I knew, 84 (A Picture.) Magdalene with tear dimmed eyes And wildly scattered locks of gold That stream across thy bosom cold Bared to the bleak, unpitying skies. With trembling lips, Magdalene, That cannot frame the prayer for alms, With shrinkingly outstretched palms That fain thy piteous face would screen. Poor Magdalene — ^thou broken flower! Self righteous feet would tread thee down, For thou hast lost thy golden crown And cast away thy priceless dower! And yet — methinks, among the crowd That passes by with stony scorn. One pitying looks on thee forlorn Whose awful gaze rebukes the proud. Sad sister, thou shalt not despair While such a gaze is fixed on thee. meekly bend thy suppliant knee, And lift thy bruised heart in prayer. 85 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS Sad sister, thou no more slialt stand Helpless and hopeless and alone ! And who shall dare to cast a stone, When He doth take thee by the hand? 86 Santa Monica So fair the whole year round, But in these golden days Of dreaming autumn, fairest of the fair, When the low murmuring sound Of the blue deep that plays About thy feet, faints on the quiet air. These golden days — too brief — Are like a garment thrown About thy lovely form of hill and vale, And lo ! a falling leaf Speaks of the summer gone, But of a coming winter tells no tale. Where can this old world show A lovelier curve of blue With silver fringes of the swelling tide. Than reaches here below Thy cliffs of ruddy hue And the green canyon walls that cleave their side. 87 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS How fair against the sky Thy palms like pillars stand And the long vistas of thy far flung trees, While, to enchant the eye, Thy flowers on every hand Sway to the kisses of the passing breeze. Sweet was the mother tongue Of those who came from far. To seek these azure seas and sunlit shores, Who their first Aves sung Beneath the evening star. Within the shelter of the sycamores. Sweet are the names we hear Whose music shall not cease To touch us with the old time memory. But sweetest to my ear. With its own spell of peace. Is Santa Monica beside the sea. 88 "pomona Of old in Hellas, with an upturned face, The sculptor stood, beneath the radiant skies. And lo ! her form divine and matcliless grace Shone, keen as lightning, on his happy eyes. White as the snow on Ossa, fair as flowers In Tempe's vale, and stately as a palm. Benignant as the fruit-compelling showers. And tender as the south wind's breath of balm. And evermore he sees her; day and night He feels the quickening influence sway his soul, A thought, to be revealed to mortal sight. That moves his eager hand with strong control. He knew the marble held her, and he wrought With sacred passion, wrought to set her free, And thus she issued forth, a living thought Of loveliness, to last while time shall be. Oh wonderful! to look upon her face Unchanged through all the lapse of changing years The skill of that long-vanished hand to trace, Whose work of beauty moves our hearts to tears. 89 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS Oh votaries of Beauty ! Sons of Greece ! Great names that have out-lived the tide of time, Ye touch us yet, by ties that cannot cease, Men of whatever race, whatever clime. And here, in this far land, where mountains soar Beyond Olympus, where the skies are deep As those that bend o'er Athens, where the shore Is ever lulled by ocean's voice to sleep. Here where the earth her lap with plenty fills. And ^golden apples' 'mid the foliage shine. Where fatness from the olive-press distills. And purple clusters bend the fruitful vine. Here may the marble Goddess fitly stand. And here fulfill a mission, old as time. The mission of pure beauty to our land, Teaching the lesson of a truth sublime. Here shall the sculptor's sweet conception find A home of sunshine like her native Greece, Pomona in Pomona be enshrined — Fair harbinger of Plenty, Thrift and Peace. A beautiful statue of Pomona, copied from the an- sient statue supposed to be the work of Praxitiles, now in the museum in Florence, was presented to the town Df Pomona in California. 90 1699 Dear England — far away — Yet ever near my heart. In this thy darkest day More near, more dear thou art. In this thy darkest hour Fairer thou art to me Than in thy pomp and power, Thy pride of sovereignty. Dear birthland! of my soul Thou art no less the pride. Though dark clouds o'er thee roll And enemies deride. Though thy true sons have shed Their noble blood in vain, And many a gallant head Lies low on Afric's plain. Thy children, motherland — A score for each one slain — Will rise, with strong right hand To wipe away the stain ! 91 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS Will rise, at honor's call. Their hearts with zeal a-fire, And, for a moment's fall. Will proudly set thee higher. Dearer in thy distress And fairer for thy tears — Ah! could they love thee less, Or yield to coward fears? Nay, while the waves embrace The white rocks of thy shore Thy true and fearless race Shall love thee more and more. Shall flock thy sword to take. Shall lift thy standard high, And, for their mother's sake Shall count it joy to die. 92 511^ Slttjjer From early dawn to dark Along the upland where the young grain springs. My friend, the meadowlark. His simple song of glad contentment sings. "Sweet, sweet is life," he sings, And then, in rippling cadence, "sweet is love !" To my full heart he brings A message, old as nature, from above. All through the golden day. In every pause of labor or of care, I hear the liquid lay Fall on the stillness of the vernal air. "Sweet, sweet is life V Sing on Thy tender protest against doubt and pain, For love is as the sun That sheds his boundless brightness o'er the plain. Blessed be thy happy note ! The sweet reiteration, full and clear, In welcome music floats Across my day and touches it with cheer. 93 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS "Sweet, sweet is life !" He flings His cheery challenge to the passing breeze And "Sweet is Love" he sings, Resting a moment 'mid my olive trees. In the gray shade a gleam, I see the dappled primrose of his breast. Then, passing like a dream, He finds the hidden treasure of his nest. 94 "D^e Sun is Kp The sun is up and the birds are calling, "Life is too sweet to waste in sleep !" The trees' long shadows are westward falling, And silver dews the grasses steep. The sun is up and the winds are calling; "Earth is too fair to waste in sleep V The sun is up, and the waves are leaping In blue and silver along the strand. Day is too fair to waste in sleeping, Awake, sleepers and understand! The sun is up and the waves are calling. And summer reigns over sea and land. Their morning incense the flowers are breathing From lips of crimson and cups of snow; Silvery mists are the mountains wreathing, Soon to melt in the golden glow. The sun is up and the ocean heaving, joy of the morning to those who know! The sun is up and the palms are waving Their fair green pennons in stately row. The mountain streams their banks are laving In glancing ripples and shining flow. new-born day! Is it worth the having? Yea, joy of the morning to those who know. 95 X5be (Tall Spring, like a little child with dimpled hands Filled full of flowers, by the highway stands And calls us tired travelers to see Her dainty robe of green and share her glee. Tender as kisses from a childish mouth, Her soft airs breathing from the balmy south And whispering of the joys that we might know, Could we but drop the load that weights us so. Spring, like a dryad, in the fresh greenwood. Beckons to deepest, sweetest solitude. To ferny dells where flow the secret streams, And mossy couches woo to waking dreams. Or like a nymph, veiled in the waterfalls That cast their silvery spray on canyon walls. She leaps and laughs in every rippling pool Or hides in fringing sedges moist and cool. Oh, hear her call ! The wild dove's pleading note. The sweet insistent music from the throat Of meadow lark, and the keen, fearless song Of the gay mockingbird, the whole day long. 96 DRAKE'S BAY AND OTHER POEMS Oh, hear her call ! Those tender symphonies That out of every grove and garden rise, They bid us note the hours that pass too soon, For lovely Spring dies in the lap of June. 97 TCet Iha Worl6 IJass by Here in the pine tree's shadow will I lie, And let the world pass by. In the soft stillness of the noonday calm The breeze, with lips of balm, Whispers its sweetest secret in my ear; 0, happy those who hear! Here on the mountain's summit will I lie And let the world pass by. Above me, in the heaven's shoreless sea A shining argosy Of clouds goes sailing, and I watch them go Until they melt like snow. Here will I breathe earth's beauty undefiled. On nature's breast — her child; Here the vast fortress of the mountains scan, That never foot of man Has dared to scale — upon whose dizzy height The circling eagles light. Beneath me, veiled in distance, like a dream The plains and valleys seem. And cities, where the swarming thousands bide, With all their pomp and pride, 98 DRAKES BAY AND OTHER POEMS With all their eager toil and waste and woe- Like ant-hills look, below. Here in the great pine's shadow will I lie And let the world pass by. 99 Snow-