OEMS Frederick James Allen POEMS AC BY FREDERICK JAMES ALLEN FRANKLIN FALLS, N. H. CONTENTS Prospice 7 SONNETS. The Wood Thrush n St. Cecilia 13 Dartmouth Harbor 14 The Swallow 16 Longfellow 17 Mark Hopkins 18 " Sunset and Evening Star" 19 OCCASIONAL POEMS. Poem 23 Class Ode 37 Centennial Ode 39 Song 41 SUCH AS THEY ARE. Ye Everlasting Hills 47 Land of the Free 49 A Story of the Revolution 51 Sweet Peas 53 A Song 54 Sir Galahad 56 Hills of Hiram 58 vi CONTENTS PAGE. Quechee 60 Maiden, Tell Me 62 To a Robin. 64 A Pictu re 66 Hyacinths 67 The Religious Teacher 69 Sleep 70 Time 72 Ideality 74 Kmerson 75 God's Angel Hath Passed By 76 Invocation 78 Worship 80 Vespers 81 FROM THE GERMAN. The Sun I Questioned 87 Mignon 88 Heart, My Heart, Be Not Downcast 90 The Stars of the Night 91 My Heart 93 The Brooklet < 94 The Heart 95 PRO SPICE. Like a star when night is nigh, Beaming, beckoning on high, Fell upon my sight a vision Coming from a land elysian. Like a bird's wing passing by, Like a cloudlet in the sky, Fled it from my burning thought And for a day I see it not. Yet build* my heart, serene in knowing God's light-fount fails not in flowing, And thy way shall be attended Ever by the vision splendid. POEMS SONNETS i. THE WOOD THRUSH. f:HEX westward knv descends the sun's red car A lingering woodland note my heart enthralls; O hark ! O list ! It is the wood thrush calls From out the forest dim ; and sweet afar The ripple glides to greet the evening star, As when upon enchanted mountain walls Soft wind-harps sound, or fairy music falls In stilly hours beneath the moon's pale bar. O vesper singer in thy sylvan glades, What gift is thine, how thrills the enrap- tured air Beneath the burden of thy song ! O, cease Not while on field and forest deep the shades 12 SONNETS Of night are mantling down ; but, singing there, To all the hushed and listening earth give peace. ST. CECILIA 13 II. ST. CECILIA. f PATIENT face, divinely fair and sweet, That didst not quail at wrath of infidel, But steadfast gazedst up where angels dwell, And whence, on shining wings, earth's wants they meet ; Thou livest still, though heart hath ceased to beat. The fountain of thy Roman blood did well To keep the faith of Christ; the far years tell The story which these pictured lips repeat: On canvas or in marble live again, And speak to us, the martyred souls of eld. The measure of the love of man for man Is life; of man for God, life not withheld When duty calls, until high heaven's plan Be clearly understood and sin be quelled. 14 SONNETS III. DARTMOUTH HARBOR. fEAR after year the morning light soft lies Along Cornwall on wave-beat cliff and scar ; Year after year the evening sun afar Casts lingering sheen where warring breakers rise. Untiring on swift wing the seabird flies, While calmly, constant as the gleaming star, The river Dart rolls to the harbor bar, And mirrors clouds in over-smiling skies. Crusaders gathered here in time of old, And hence sailed vaunting barks to far Calais, Or toward the western world. Hearts that were bold DAR TMO UTH HARBOR 15 Are silent now, while cliff and tower decay. The spirit of the fathers is not cold, And lives the olden faith in us today. NOTE : Dartmouth harbor is at the mouth of the river Dart, in Cornwall, England. Navigable for a distance of only five miles, this river presents some of the most beautiful scenery in all England. From the Earl of Dartmouth comes the name of Dartmouth college, and in the college library hangs a painting of the harbor, suggesting this sonnet. F. j. A. j 6 SONNETS IV. THE SWALLOW. [HEN summer scarce had touched the vale and hill With gentle, odorous breath, back- ward one day The bird of passage came from far away And sought his old nest in the barn. There still His merry notes the dusty arches fill, At dawn or noon or when the shadows play Along the valley dim. Like morning ray His flashing wing, from dizzy height until He dashes into ripples myriad The lakelet's level brim. Full happiness And endless summer are his lot, or here Or in the sunny southern lands, where glad He flies so soon ere winter comes ; largesse Of life is his amid the changing year. LONGFELLOW 17 V. LONGFELLOW. ISHHE midnight shadows darkened all the Nor pierced a solitary star the gloom, With kindly ray my pathway to illume ; Yet look, above the hills there lightly lie Soft tints of the approaching morn, and I Am cheered; yet hark, the forest's leafy room Resounds with matin song, and love and home Do fondly swell within my bosom high. So wandering through our nation's nascent days I sought some promise of the dawn of song ; The hills became aglow with gentle lays Of lesser bards; but list, sweet strains prolong That tender voice ; and men no longer praise, But love the Laureate of the Human Throng. i8 SONNETS VI. MARK HOPKINS. ^WW^EN deified their heroes aye of old ilsgi^ When life was done, and in fair marble wrought Feature and form, and set each burning thought On tabled brass or stone. So we do hold Our leaders to be godlike, so have enrolled Their names upon our hearts, by them are brought Nearer the fount of life. This is the lot Of kingly souls who live for man, not gold. O thou in manhood and in service great, Exemplar teacher of our time, may He Who strength and inspiration gave to thee Help us, thy followers, to emulate The qualities heroic and divine Which by world-wide consent of men were thine. ' 'SUNSE T AND E VENING STAR " 19 VII. "SUNSET AND EVENING STAR." f UNSET and evening star; thus sung one whom A nation honored as its laureate, And who gave glory to a people great. Twilight and evening bell ; there was no gloom Beyond the tide for him, but spacious room Where God Eternal and his angels wait. And one clear call ; master of life and fate The bard whose pathway heavenly lights illume. With thought sublime, with words of won- drous grace, And with o'ermasteriug faith, sung Tennyson As he drew near the bound of time and space, And heard the calling o'er the sea whereon He passed to meet his Pilot face to face, And be forevermore before the throne. OCCASIONAL POEMS VIII. POEM. Read at the Fourth Decennial Re-union of Limington Academy, Limingtou, Maine. Wednesday, August 20, 1890. EAR Alma Mater, at thy call we come, As children gather in beloved home When evening shadows fall along the land; Thy sons and daughters, we, a broken band, And journeying from far with weary feet And dust-soiled, tattered garments, greet Thee once again ; and in our hearts we hold Thy name as precious as in days of old. In all the walks of life, thy fostering care Has followed us. Unfailing help to bear Our burdens thou hast given. And thy light Its radiance has poured upon our sight. Blest be the golden ties that bind us here ! We lift the veil of years, behold, appear Heart-treasured scenes; and we are young again, Our vision bounded by youth's joyous ken. 24 OCCASIONAL POEMS Life's architects, we build upon the past; And though each deed be nobler than the last, Though life enlarge its avenues of good And break the fetters of its servitude, The past remains unchanged; the fleeting years Have formed an adamantine arch of tears And treasured joys, commingled by the Hand That rules eternally on sea and land. Within our heart of hearts deep-seated live Those tender memories that ever give The past its roseate splendor and its sacred- ness, And that, like holy benedictions, bless The pilgrim soul. The milestones on our way Show clear, like mountain peaks at dawn of day, Along the vale of time. From morning lands Of youth the rainbow of our hope expands. Dear mother of our wayward years, we bring Thee offerings today ; thy praise we sing, Accept the imperfect lay ; receive our love, And let its fullness our affection prove. POEM 25 Three hundred years ago, the Pilgrims, staunch Of heart and true of soul, did boldly launch Upon the deep ; by day and night God's hand Cared for them, till they reached the sunset land, Where liberty was vital in the breeze, And peace eternal wedded shores and seas. The shore their altar, thanks and praise they gave To Him who stilled the storm and calmed the wave. The full-lifed blood in Saxon veins that run, Flowed free in those w r ho settled Limington ; Theirs was the vigilance which never slept While treacherous enemy in action kept ; Theirs was the same well-grounded hope, the same Stern faith, that crossed the seas; and at God's name In deepest reverence they bowed the head, And owned the Power that the Pilgrims led. 26 OCCASIONAL POEMS Beneath their sturdy stroke the forest fell ; And, as in ancient days a living well Came from the rock, so ministered the earth And air and sky to them, through change and dearth. In clustered hamlet here our sires abode ; Here built this century-favored Church of God, Within whose walls today, another age, We stand, heirs of the century's heritage. Say we beyond their little span of life They could not see? Forsooth, a future rife With good scarce yet attained by us they saw, And yielded self and all to the perfect law. Beholding how the light of Heaven led, And how their souls the bread of Heaven fed, Our fathers built the old Academy In faith and hope, trusting in time to be. Full forty years the Academy has stood Where once the desert frowned, and where dense wood, Peopled by nature's children, extended far. She was the forest's day-flower and night-star, POEM 27 And all the land by her fair name was graced. Among the sentient hills, like jewel placed In setting rare, was cradled her infancy, And her young light cast on eternity. With what expectant hearts her children came, With what exultant lips they breathed her name, How soft their footsteps in her conscious halls , How sacred from disfiguring hand her walls ! What visions opened to their wondering eye, Of grand achievement and of station high, Of rediscoveries of truths long lost, Of cities taken and of oceans crossed. How zealously employed was each young mind In seeking knowledge of whatever kind Seemed best to enlarge the life for usefulness And happiness, and the willing soul to bless With foretastes of the future, or with visions Seen by men of old; while here were made decisions 28 OCCASIONAL POEMS Which changed the course of many lives, and brought Some measure of the success for which youth wrought. All freely delved in mathematic lore, And uncouth figures scrawled the black- boards o'er ; Some studied nature ; some essayed to speak Their thoughts, as best they could, in ' ' modern ' ' Greek : The ancient Roman walking in our street, As once majestical in Rome, might meet With youth repeating, Forsan et haec olim Meminisse ju-vabit. Then was the future dim. And strange enough it well would seem, if they Who had attained such knowledge should delay To lead less favored youth to learning's fount. So pensive maidens, with a large amount Of halo round them, taught the district school. POEM 29 Ofttimes the wielder of the wooden rule Was some young Plato from the Academy, And none so wise, so eloquent as he. Another picture those far days present, A common joy which to our duties lent Its cheering influence and salient power, From overwork beguiling many an hour. A common life was ours, youth's genial blood Ran high ; a trivial happening moved a flood Of mirth among us, while our thoughts had wings, And flew from breast to breast, aerial things. While traveling learning's road, our feet were found On many other roads and hills around ; We loitered far when sunset shadows fell, Yet sometimes nearer midnight's mystic spell. Beneath the arching elm, the spreading oak, The murmuring pine, along the meadow brook, Familiar paths oft led us ; and we knew No cares while fast away the bright hours flew. 30 OCCASIONAL POEMS Was ever one of us in gayer throng Than that which joined in mirth and shout and song ? To carve our names, the belfry high we climbed ; And many revelries, though oft ill-timed, Were held within and round the Academy. At exhibition or lyceum we Came trooping out in force ; the ' ' pro- gramme" ended, Homeward our several ways we slowly wended. Sometimes on Lobby's mountain at sunrise, We watched the rosy morning tint the skies ; Sometimes upon the Saco far we rowed. Where'er we were, whatever oats we sowed, Indelible upon our hearts, the faces Of beloved friends of old are stamped ; the places Familiar to us then we remember still, The field, the wood, the valley, and the hill. POEM 31 Kind teachers guided us in learning's ways, And precious in the memories of those days Shall be the labors of their loving hearts. The distance which has intervened imparts New knowledge of their unselfish interest For all committed to their care ; how best They judged in matters little understood By younger heads, who mingled wrong and good. One rich in noble, lasting service, is With us today, the blessed privilege his To look upon the forty years now gone As part of his own life. As early dawn To full-orbed da} 7 , so has his service grown ; While afternoon and evening come down, Upon him may the smile of Heaven rest, And love be his from hearts whom he has blest. 32 OCCASIONAL POEMS IN MEMORIAM. But some companions of those happy years Have passed beyond earth's labors, doubts and fears ; Ransomed, in their eternal home they dwell, And their message conies from Heaven, "All is well." Though gone beyond our bourne of space and time, They leave behind the light of deeds sublime, Of true devotion, and of love and prayer ; They still are guardian angels, we their care. Some died in arms beneath the Southern sun, And some in childhood homes in Limington ; Our lives were interwoven, but the call Came first to them ; and love surmounting all Binds us with bonds which change shall never know. One sweetly sung "The Light of Long Ago," But she has joined the choir invisible, And all have learned the wisdom of God's will. f "POEM 33 Yea, broken are our battle-ranks of life, But not alone continue we the strife ; The places vacant to our mortal eyes Are filled with ministering spirits, and the skies Are writ with messages of hope supreme ; Our beloved are not dead, 'tis we that dream ! Life's labors crowned, and victors in the fight, They stand by us immortal, robed in light. What learn we from the past, dear friends, today ? What is the truth revealed through all the way In which the four decades have led us on ? What have we forfeited? What have we won? With life, to mind and heart comes power to grow; Our lives and hearts enlarge from what we know; Knowledge, divine, a gift of God appears, And we are richer for the light of the years. 34 OCCASIONAL POEMS We find the plant predestined in the seed, And read the law which clothes the flowery mead; The cause of beaut} 7 in the clinging vine Gives majesty unto the giant pine ; The softest harmony borne on the breeze Is one with the stately music of the seas, The Power that guides the bird in tireless flight, In glory keeps the unwasted stars of night. The Greek sought an ideal of perfectness In language, art, and life ; and nothing less Than this has given him place in history ; The Roman justice sought, and even we Confess the wondrous product of his mind ; The Hebrew read from tables God consigned To him on Sinai's height. Of every age The richest fruit becomes our heritage. Our minds from superstition partly freed, With larger thought, as present time brings need, We have lost nothing that we care to keep. Those gain the most who toil while others sleep, POEM 35 And we have gained some truths which knowledge brings, Some understanding of the common things Of life ; rich lessons from the treasured past, And light to aid us while our days shall last. From out the morn of time come radiant beams Of peace, and by the everlasting streams Of Goodness man has had his dwelling-place, The seal of I^ove Supreme upon his face. Before his conquering faith mountains have moved, And all his ways his sacred mission proved ; And evermore omnipotence is given To him, the king of earth, the child of Heaven. Beloved friends, with joy we meet, renew The ties of youth, and prove our hearts still true; While hand is clasping hand, eye greeting eye, Backward the sun returneth in our sky. 36 OCCASIONAL POEMS A larger growth has come upon us, yet The past lives still. A flag we unfurl, O let It symbolize our great inheritance ; And let the old-time faith be our defense. Dear L,imington, embowered in fair hills, Be thou protected by that God who fills Our cup with gladness and our lives with hope ; O Mother of our past, bright vistas ope For thee, whose name is still a cherished word; Long may thy bell beyond the hills be heard. O sacred I/ight of Years, shine on us when We part, be with us till we meet again. CLASS ODE 37 IX. CLASS ODE. Dartmouth College, Tuesday, June 25, 1889. A ir Miriam . fE gentle shadows fleeting Along this dear hillside, And mellow twilight greeting With peace these valleys wide, While all of nature's gladness Dies soft in evening calm, Upon our day of sadness Bestow your healing balm. Our hearts, with memories filling, Would hold the flying years ; Yet heed they not our willing, And joy is lost in tears. But light shall go before us, Effulgent from these days ; And friendship's star beam o'er us To bless our future ways. 38 OCCASIONAL POEMS Farewell, sweet village, nestled Above yon silver stream ; Farewell, ye battles, wrestled And gone like summer dream. And, evermore abiding, Thy vigil keep, Old Pine ; O God, to thee, confiding, Entrust we Eighty-Nine. CENTENNIAL ODE 39 x. CENTENNIAL ODE. 17891889. At the Anniversary of the Congregational Church, Limington, Maine, Tuesday Eve., Oct. 15. God, from out thy love, jpl A hundred years have sped, And safely to their seats above Our fathers thou hast led. A chosen people surely came, And built by vale and hill ; While thou didst guide in cloud and flame, To work thine own good will. We follow where our fathers trod, Ity the same streams of grace, Hosanna to our father's God, And to the Prince of Peace. 40 OCCASIONAL POEMS To the great Shepherd of his sheep, Immortal praises sing ; Echo the song from deep to deep, Crown him Eternal King. Almighty God of Righteousness, Whose blood for us was spilt, Preserve, while still the centuries pass, Our church in Zion built. SONG 41 XI. SONG. Bates College, Lewiston, Maine, March, 1896. Tune "Fair Harvard." I. fGEM of our city and pride of our hearts, Dear Bates, that hast never a peer, Thy praises we sing and thy glory proclaim With every crowning year. Here bluest the skies and greenest the earth, And brightest the sunlight falls On the brave and the fair who are chosen by thee To dwell in thy storied halls. CHORUS. Then, comrades, we pledge heart and hand to dear Bates, For Bates is the college that wins ; 42 OCCASIONAL POEMS In brawn and in brain in the old State of Maine Dear Bates is the college that wins ! ii. In contest of strength ever foremost thy sons 'Neath the talisman of thy name, And many a well-fought battle attests The ascendancy of thy fame. Let others have numbers or power or wealth, Yet ours is the college that wins ; In brawn and in brain in the old State of Maine Dear Bates is the college that wins ! CHORUS. III. The strongest thy sons and thy daughters most fair, True hearts in us all are thine own ; In these halcyon days, in these privileged ways, We are reaping what others have sown. The past is assured, and with joy and with song SONG 43 The present forever is rife ; And those who come after shall honor old Bates By the highest and holiest life. CHORUS. IV. The guardianship of our lives hast thou, Dear College of happiest days, O let the bright beams of thy glorious light Shine ever upon our ways ; And when we are old above silver or gold We will treasure thy classic lore, And thy name on the scroll that the years shall unroll Shall be fairest forevermore. CHORUS. SUCH AS THEY ARE XII. YE EVERLASTING HILLS. IFT up your heads, ye everlasting hills, What glory of the past your silence fills ! Along your peaks a startled, gazing world Beheld the smoke of Freedom's battle whirled, Beheld, 'neath Heaven's smile her flag unfurled. With lurid beams, the beacon lights of war Have roused a nation to support God's law ; From mountain side to mountain side have rung Paeans of victory, by freemen sung, Like chimes from bells by the immortals swung. In cloudy pillar, flaming column, moved The Guidance that our land's salvation proved ; 48 SUCH AS THEY ARE Upon yon heights how oft have prophets trod, In living hearts received the word of God, And spread, with tongues of fire, that word abroad. Inspired bards their noblest lays have found Here, where we tread ; and this is hallowed ground, For patriot blood has dyed the soil ; and we Receive the heritage of liberty : Honor and fame to those who made us free. And whether white with winter's robe of snow, Or green and gold with nature's fairest glow, Ye everlasting hills, praise Him who gave The country that our fathers died to save ; O God, unsullied may her flag e'er wave. LAND OF THE FREE 49 XIII. LAND OF THE FREE. tOXOR to those bold pioneers Whose noble lives adown the years, From gloom of superstition's night, Upon our daily paths cast light. In England where oppression's heel Was set to crush the truth hearts feel, Men left their homes by vale and steep, And braved the perils of the deep. Not any danger of the sea Could lessen dread of tyranny, Or dim the faith that saw afar, As men of old, their guiding star. Whene'er they slept, where'er they turned, Within their hearts the altar burned Of Him who brought them on to thee, O fair and blest Land of the Free. 50 SUCH AS THEY ARE Was never yet more sacred flood In veins of men than Pilgrim blood; Was never richer heritage Than thine, O Country, from this age. " When war has poured its crimson tide On smiling vale and mountain side, Such blood has spent itself for thee, O fair and blest Land of the Free. Within thy sentient soil they rest Who died for thee in East or West, Or North or South ; magnolia bloom Above them sheds its sweet perfume, And waving pines sing requiem, While the green turf that covers them Is kissed by summer winds. And love Keeps guard the cherished dead above. With reverent step and low-bowed head, Bring flowers for the sainted dead ; Dear is our blood-bought liberty, O fair and blest Land of the Free. A STORY OF THE REVOLUTION 51 XIV. A STORY OF THE REVOLUTION. STALWART youth and maiden fair, With clasped hands were standing where In childhood's morn they made their tryst, And Nature hushed her voice to list. "Dear Catherine, there's work this night For loyal men to guard yon height, Breed's Hill ; comes on the dark storm-cloud And England's threats are fierce and loud. " Not days, but years may pass before Our homes shall be at peace once more, And I can claim thee for my bride ; My faith to thee shall be my guide. " No coward hearts, no shrinking souls Have we when near the battle rolls ; My country calls and finds me true, Truer to her from loving you." 52 SUCH AS THEY ARE A tear, a prayer for Heaven's grace, A lingering kiss, a close embrace; The shadows gather 'neath the hill, The evening star shines cold and still. Day's glowing orb had well begun His course, when there came hastening on A rider toward his lady's home; His raven steed was flecked with foam. His sword and amulets of gold The rider's high position told, The glance that from his blue eye shone Bore witness of a victory won. His heart beat loud within his breast, His valiant steed he forward pressed ; He saw his loved one come afar, To welcome him returned from war. He stood beside his Catherine, Grown womanly in face and mien ; On battle-scarred and vigil-spent Kind Heaven benediction sent. SWEET PEAS 53 XV. SWEET PEAS. fUCH odors must have risen In other days upon Mount Helicon ; Such odors must imprison The nectar-laden cup The gods drain up. And are your green vines planted Beneath the summer skies Where ever rise Those fabled isles enchanted, The Islands of the Blest In the far West ? Fair flowers, richly blooming, Until before the frost Your life is lost ; Nor cold nor heat's consuming Can ever take from me Your memory. 54 SUCH AS THEY ARE XVI. A SONG. J'Tf HE music passed upon the breath of night ; <^4/ But when on crest and crag and silver sea Where blazoned golden tints of morning light, A sad, sweet harmony remained with me; As when remains, from lark in rapid flight, One note that melts the soul to melody. I walked upon the beach at eventide, And vesper bells were chiming far away; The gentle heaving of the waters wide Was like to that within my breast; but they, Meseemed, my hope and strong desire defied, And with their rolling deeps cut off my way. Yet she that sung the song of yestereve, And poured with trembling accent, her full heart A SONG 55 Upon the raptured air, O waves believe, Is true, is true ; nor ocean deep can part Our lives, nor hopes allure, nor fears deceive: Relentless Fate, all powerless thou art. 56 SUCH AS THEY ARE XVII. SIR GALAHAD. fIR Galahad, I meet thee Upon thy Holy Quest, Sir Galahad, I greet thee As one greets royal guest. What mean those eagle glances That pierce as stars the night, And flash like sheen of lances On field where knight meets knight ? Thou ridest in the manner Of some brave knight of old, Beneath whose flaunting banner Were mailed warriors bold. But thou alone, undaunted, Goest with eager mien, Thee and a land enchanted Only a veil between. 57 At crypt and shrine while bending With meek, averted face, Thy soul in prayer ascending O'er-passes time and space. The years flit by ; thou nearest Thy heart's great wish, dost see The Holy Grail, and hearest, "O Galahad, follow me." O follow on, immortal, Till One thy feet shall bring Within fair Heaven's portal, And there shall crown thee king. SL'CH AS THEY ARE XVIII. HILLS OF HIRAM. Jp^ILLS of Hiram, upward lifting, |i|/ Gleaming with a thousand glories In the golden sun of morning, Traversed by a thousand shadows In the softer lights of even ; Are ye sentient of the sunlight, Are ye conscious of the shadow, Throbs your great heart to the wave beat Ceaseless on the ocean's margin? From the bosom of the Atlantic Years untold the sun hath risen, Casting crimson on your high crests ; At his coming mists have vanished, Like the dreams of softest slumber When the daylight calls to action, Like the shadow on the child's face When the mother's kiss is given. 59 Hills of Hiram, glorious, golden, Castles reared in childish fancy, Years agone, with you compare not ! I would lay me on your summits, Fanned by breezes out of heaven, Breathed upon by purple vapors, \V rapped in odors of the forest, Lulled to rest by softest music Borne up from the aged ocean. Such the peace the gods imparted On some far Hesperian isle or Sunlit clime of storied aeon. 60 SUCH AS THEY ARE XIX. QUECHEE. fHROUGH green-vestured valleys I rode, Or followed where White River flowed, Whose ribbon of silver was lost In far mazes ; or sometimes I crossed Over hills that ascended to heaven ; Till, almost in the shadows of even, By Quechee's wild torrent I stood, Above the swift stream in the wood. At Quechee at even I stood ; Soft shadows on stream and in wood A dream-picture of fairyland made, In infinite beauty arrayed. Up the cliff which the fair river laves Rose the song of the on-rushing waves, And the echo returned from the steep In cadence majestic and deep. QUECHEE 6 1 There was gold upon hilltop, and gray Of night upon vale ; and the day, Richly lived and departing, like priest Benedicite breathed as it ceased. Ebon empress of earth, the still night Hung her stars in the sky, and their light In a myriad lustrous lines fell On the river, the road, and the dell. Oh, ye stars e'er unwearied, unwasted, That have seen, and have silently hasted Man's joy in its coming, pour your light On my pathway and heart through the night. NOTE : Quechee Gulf, where is a beautiful waterfall, in Quechee River, Vermont. 62 SUCH AS THEY ARE XX. MAIDEN, TELL ME. jjAIDEN, tell me what thou keepest Shut within thy silent heart, In its memory-hallowed chambers, Closely curtained, set apart. Ask me not to tell the story Of the light of years gone by, Of the love so early blighted When my hopes were builded high. Once there came a princely suitor, Seeking for my heart and hand, Noble-souled and young and manly, None were like him in the land. When I whispered yes, my lover Sealed the pledge upon my lips, Told of castles he was building And of treasure-laden ships. MAIDEN, TELL ME Then he sailed across the ocean, Promising to come again ; But his bark was never anchored, I have waited and in vain. 64 SUCH AS THEY ARE XXI. TO A ROBIN. , O happy bird that singest While yet the garments of the night Are scarce withdrawn, That fearlessly through shadow wingest Ere yet the tide of morning light Hath overspread the lawn. Thou see'st the tender glow outpouring, With golden touch, upon the hills; After sweet rest, And lingering not the light, but soaring, Thou sing'st the gladness out that fills Thy palpitating breast. Why comest thou again, repeating Thy merry note my window nigh, This springtime dawn ? My heart, with common duties beating, Responds to the awaking of the sky With thine upon the lawn. TO A ROBIN 65 Methinks the message that them bearest Is not of far or future states Where blessings throng ; It is of joy that for thee fairest Open the morning's crimson gates And thou hast the gift of song. 66 SUCH AS THEY ARE XXII. A PICTURE. RIGHT beams of the morning Are glinting the hills, And the music of nature With melody fills The dew-spangled blades of the grass, E'en the blades of the dew-spangled grass; And the heart of each creature Doth welcome the morn, From the night newly born. Two children are playing The flowers among, And the joy of their bosoms Bursts loud into song ; Their wee heads are tossing with gold, Their curly heads tossing with gold : And with pledges of childhood They vow to be true, But, ah me ! if they knew ! HYACINTHS 67 XXIII. HYACINTHS. "The man that has two loaves of bread should sell one and buy hyacinths, for they would feed his soul." Eastern Proverb. fHE Eastern proverb well hath said That he who owns two loaves of bread The one should sell, and therewith buy Hyacinths lest his soul should die. All flowers that grace the gray old earth, And smile at the sun since time had birth, Hyacinths, lilies, and roses, feed The soul of man in its great need. The sunset on the western hills, The rushes by the meadow rills, Flight of the bird, wave of the sea, A thousand glories are for me. For me the clouds are tinged with gold, And earth has beauties manifold ; For me the crystal sheds its light, And shines the returning star of night. 68 SUCH AS THEY ARE Of Nature's self I am a part, And nestle near her throbbing heart ; Receiving at her ancient hands Rich draughts of life my soul expands. THE RELIGIOUS TEACHER 69 XXIV. THE RELIGIOUS TEACHER. fHE world pursues its wonted way, Seeks raiment, shelter, food, today, And builds for time with wood and stone, The soul's high destiny unknown. Now here, now there, a prophet stands, And points the way with holy hands Where men must climb to walk with God Those paths the saints of earth have trod. Rich heritage the past hath lent, The lives of those whom God hath sent To lead his people up to Him When hearts were faint and eyes were dim. Inspired power, gift of grace, Oh make in me thy dwelling place ! Savior of men, thy strength impart, Make me the apostle of some heart. 70 SUCH AS THEY ARE XXV. SLEEP. y o'er yon mountain's crown |ug-i| A sea of crimson lies, Silent and softly down Night cometh from the skies. There cometh in her train Sweet sleep of tender grace. Come, balm of work and pain, O sleep of healing grace. Soft wave thy silken wand Above my weary eyes ; Protect, like mother fond When evening stars arise. Shut out the toil of day, Shut out the spectred night ; To my couch admit no ray Of peace-dispelling light. SLEEP 71 And if come dream or vision, May it bear heavenward ; Such be my rest elysian, While kindly spirits guard. 72 SUCH AS THEY ARE XXVI. TIME. AYS have left us, And bereft us Of dear friends and bitter foes. Days are with us, Moments give us Pleasures sweet as on life goes. Days are coming, Moments, summing Soon our share of joys and woes. Youth, life's morning Self-ad6rning, Time's deep impress does not show. Life is fleeting, Strong hearts beating Soon will pass through weal and woe. 73 Age is showing Fruit that's growing From the seed sown long ago. 74 SUCH AS THEY ARE XXVII. IDEALITY. !N truth that vision of the things that are, Though not encompassed by the eye of man, Nor bodied forth in forms or near or far, Hath its reality within ; nor can The toil of life obliterate or mar The perfect beauty of the heaven-laid plan. EMERSON 75 XXVIII. EMERSON. fHOU prophet, singer, utterer, and seer, Calm optimist, superior to fear ; Oh let thy honeyed lips speak on and on ; With artist touch paint an elysian Dawn In colors never yet on sea or land, For thine the poet's soul, the artist's hand. 76 SUCH AS THEY ARE XXIX. GOD'S ANGEL HATH PASSED BY. fOW the head, God's angel Hath come near us in the night ; Speak softly, for a loved one Hath gone onward to the light. Upon our souls deep sorrow, As tempest after calm ; "Has the night of death no morrow ? ' ' O faith, bestow thy balm. O thou who shared our gladness In days that scarce are fled, The silence and the sadness Within us call thee dead. Where on the hills and valleys The sun pours golden sheen, Where for young hearts time dallies, Our wandering feet have been. COD'S ANGEL HATH PASSED BY 77 Thou stood'st, with heart enchanted, Within life's morning glow; Thou saw'st, with heart undaunted, L,ife's crosses, cares, and woe. With God, the soul's Defender, In mansions of the blest, With Christ, the loving, tender, Thou hast attained sweet rest. When evening shadows darken, As in the days gone by Thy voice and step we hearken, And feel thy presence nigh. Bow the head, God's angel Hath visited our night ; Speak softly, for a dear one Hath before us reached the light. 78 SUCH AS THEY ARE XXX. INVOCATION. Tune The Lost Chord. |ERCIFUL God, our Father, Before thy throne we pray ; Bestow thy richest favor, Crowning with peace the day. We enter thy courts while angels With harps and with viols sing, And humbly before thy presence Hail thee as Eternal King. And infinite peace descending, Ivike the smile of ImmanuePs face, Shall our fevered spirit comfort, Filling all this holy place. Here waiting hearts meet their longing, And glorified visions ope ; Here healing is found for the leper And balm for life's broken hope. IN 'V 'OCA TION 79 The light of eternal sunshine Beams brightest and fairest here, And streams of unlimited mercy For the thirsting soul appear. Within thy love enfold us, O God of the endless years ; And evermore uphold us, Dispelling doubts and fears. From mountain and plain and ocean, From all the starry train, Thy praises ring, and Heaven Giveth answer loud, Amen. 8o SUCH AS THEY ARE XXXI. WORSHIP. L,ORD, within thy temple we Uplift our souls in ardent praise Unto the throne of Majesty For all the riches of our days. Though long and dark and drear the way, And faint our hearts in helplessness, Thy kindly light with cheering ray, Goeth before to guide and bless. Receive our worship now, O God, Nor hide thine arm, nor veil thy face, Oh ! make our hearts thy blest abode, Sufficient for our needs thy grace. From mount and sea glad paeans ring ; From forest deep, from desert far, All creatures adoration bring To Him who guides the sun and star. VESPERS 81 XXXII. VESPERS. fOFTLY the daylight dies Far in the west, Tranquil all nature lies, Bathed in rest ; Welcome, sweet hour of peace, Calming each heart ; O give our souls release, Blessing impart. Bringeth the eventide, O'er hill and valley wide, Tribute to God. Kindly your vigils keep, Angels of light, Peaceful shall be our sleep Through the long night ; Watch o'er us lovingly, 82 SUCH AS THEY ARE Father above, Shield us most tenderty, Thou whom we love. Bring we at eventime, Gladly at eventime, Tribute to God. FROM THE GERMAN XXXIII. THE SUN I QUESTIONED. From. Emil Rittershaus. sun I questioned: "Tell me, what is He gave no answer, only golden flame' I asked a flower : ' ' Tell me, what is love? ' ' She gave me odors, yet no answer came. I asked the Eternal : ' ' Tell me, what is love ? ' ' Deep earnestness, or gentle dallying?" Then God gave me a wife, a true, true love; And nevermore w r ill I the question bring. 88 FROM THE GERMAN XXXIV. MIGNON. From, Goethe. fNOW'ST thou the land in which the citron blows, Where in dark leaves the gold-tinged orange glows? A soft wind cometh down from the blue sky, There are the myrtle still and laurel high. Know'st thou it well? O there, O there Might I with thee, O my beloved, fare! Know'st thou the house? It stands with pillars tall, And wondrous beautiful its rooms and hall ; There marble statues, gazing, ask of me, What woe has come, thou poor, dear child, to thee ? Know'st thou it well? O there, O there Might I with thee, O my defender, fare ! MIGNON 89 Know'st thou the mount enshrouded night and day In clouds? The mule, mist-blinded, gropes his way ; In caverns dwells a brood of dragons old, And plunging floods the bursting cliffs enfold. Know'st thou it well? O there, O there Doth lie our way ! O father, let us fare ! 90 FROM THE GERMAN XXXV. HEART, MY HEART BE NOT DOWNCAST. From Heine. my heart, be not downcast, Bravely meet thy destiny. What the winter took from thee Springtime surely brings at last. Much remaineth ne'er to perish, And the world how fair to see ! And, my heart, what pleaseth thee, That unmeasured thou may'st cherish. THE STARS OF THE NIGHT 91 XXXVI. THE STARS OP THE NIGHT. From Moritz Arndt. fHE sun upon his mighty journey sped Around the world ; "O let us go with thee," the little stars said, "Around the world." And stern the sun replied : ' ' Your wish with- hold! For I should blind your little eyes of gold When on my fiery course around the world." The stars then went to the dear moon, and spake In the night : "O thou upon the clouds enthroned, take Us by night, Let us wander with thee, for thy soft light Outpouring never will destroy our sight." And she took them, companions of the night. 92 FROM THE GERMAN Now welcome, stars, and moon, beloved queen, In the night ! Ye know what in my heart hath ever been In the night. Come and enkindle all your heavenly fires, That I may joyously meet my desires And celebrate the revels of the night. MY HEART 93 XXXVII. MY HEART. From Heine. i;Y heart hath, like the ocean, Its storm and ebb and flow, And many a lovely jewel Within its depths doth glow. 94 FROM THE GERMAN XXXVIII. THE BROOKLET. From Goethe. fHOU brooklet, silver-white and clear, That wanderest forever near, I question, standing by thee now, Whence earnest, and where goest thou ? "From out a dark rock's lap I flow, O'er flowers and moss my course doth go; Within my mirror softly lies The image of the friendly skies. " Therefore have I joy free from care ; My course is on, I know not where ; He who from out the stone called me, He, trust I, will my leader be." THE HEART 95 xxxix. THE HEART. From Seunian. fWO chambers has the heart, Wherein Dwell Joy and Pain apart. If Joy awake in one, Then Pain In the other slumbers on. O Joy, do thou care take ! Speak softly That Pain may not awake ! 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