Cfe^ DAY DREAMS J5l «s AND OTHER POEMS CLARENCE BUCKMASTER BOLMER Class Book Copyright }J^_ COPYRIGHT DEPOStR DAY DREAMS AND OTHER POEMS CLARENCE BUCKMASTER BOLMER 3 Copyright, 191 5 BY CLARENCE BUCKMASTER BOLMER tlbe IknickerbocKr f>rcsg, "Mew l^orft JAN -8 1916 (©CI.A418363 1 KNOW I HAVE ALWAYS LACKED WORLDLY WISDOM, BUT IF THESE LINES MUST BE DEDICATED, WHY NOT SAY TO LOVE, LIGHT, HOPE, and SYMPATHY? CONTENTS PAGB Day Dreams i Dreaming on the Hillside 2 Cling to Love*s Sunshine 3 Dreaming on the Moor . 4 Golden Days 5 The Flowers 6 Spring 7 Love's Mirror 8 The Message 9 With the Clouds 10 Beyond the Blue II Sailing 12 A Message from the Sea 13 The Fishes' Wash-Day . 14 Neptune's Cowes . 15 Childhood .... i6 The Songs That Childhood Knew 17 Children .... i8 Grandpa's Clock . 19 Crowning Baby Br other 20 CONTENTS PAGE Mothers of Men ....... 21 Real Women ....... 22 Nature 23 The Call of the Cedars 24 Nature's Monuments 25 The Real Musician .26 Life 27 Old Sweethearts 28 Kindred Spirits ....... 29 Light of Lights 30 The Awakening of the Flowers . .31 The Pride of the Rose 32 Early Autumn 33 West Rock 34 The Woods in Winter 35 Departing Day 36 The Fairies' Goodnight 37 Watching for Santa 38 Spirit of Christmas . . . . -39 The Day after Christmas 40 The New Year 41 God's Love 42 Let There Be Light 43 vi CONTENTS PAGE The Spirit Calling 44 Eternity ........ 45 Tears 46 Snapdragons 47 The Soul of the Flowers 48 If Christe Is Coming 49 Finding Rest 50 Easter 51 Going Home 52 At Rest 53 The Song of the Sea 54 Fading with the Flowers 55 Looking Backward . . . . . -56 Love ......... 57 vu DAY DREAMS DAY DREAMS Only a ray of sunshine On the papered wall — Just a note of sympathy To link the hearts of all ; * The Golden Gates fly open — We wander where we will, The roses time has gathered Are blooming round us still ; And, in the soft warm pressure Of lips cold long ago, We feel the love-light passing From them to us below ! New Haven, Dec. 27, 1914. DAY DREAMS DREAMING ON THE HILLSIDE Come with me to the hillside To watch the shadows creep, And listen while the breezes Wake sighs in trees that sleep ; And then we'll go a-dreaming Our castles in the air, While unseen birds make music To charm our ladies fair; And fairies come a-sailing Like flowers on the wing, Till our poor hearts are stolen Ere they begin to sing. Now fast and ever faster Falls the declining day. The shadows meet together — Our dreams — oh where are they? August 2, 1913. DAY DREAMS CLING TO LOVE'S SUNSHINE Dreamily the shadows Are creeping o'er the grass, Blotting out the sunshine Where e'er they chance to pass. Thus our cares come stealing After the noon of life Driving out its brightness With growing shades of strife. Cling ye to the sunbeams That fell with early love ; They are links that bind thee To Him who rules above. Mamaroneck, July 5, iqis* DAY DREAMS DREAMING ON THE MOOR Deep in the heart of the meadow, At rest with the brown and gold, Part of the deathless mystery That the countless ages hold; Part of the grass and the rushes, A part of the river and trees, Our souls reach beyond the sky-line To a land the spirit sees ! While forever and forever On life's vast, eternal way We pass, like the clouds of summer,- The memory of a day ! New Haven, Oct. 4, 1914. DAY DREAMS GOLDEN DAYS Out of the haze, out of the sky, Out of the south wind passing by, Come visions of forgotten years Seen dimly, through a veil of tears. How often, when the heart was young — When like the birds we had a tongue For each sweet bHss that ever grew, While all the world was bright and true- We sat and watched a sunHt sea And revelled in its mystery ; No tongue or pen can ever tell All, all we felt and loved so well ! Far better than a crown of gold. The tender love that youth can hold; And when we pass beyond the sky Well find it waiting us on high! Mamaroneck, July 4, 1915- DAY DREAMS THE FLOWERS Like wind among the flowers My heart would love to roam And kiss each dainty blossom To take its fragrance home. The world is full of beauty For all who will to see : Go oft among the flowers — They bring God near to thee ! New Haven, April 30, 1915. DAY DREAMS SPRING An angel kissed the treetops, When all the world was gray, To wake the dainty goddess Whose soul shines in the May. And as we sit and wonder In the soft, sweet light of spring The golden gates fly open And we hear the angels sing; And there comes again the music That swelled in youthful days, And we see beyond the river The parting of the ways. New Haven, April 30, 191 5. DAY DREAMS LOVE'S MIRROR Sweetly from the river Smiles again the sky, While the waving branches In its bosom lie ; In our hearts the faces Memory holds dear Are forever shining In love's atmosphere. New Haven, Feby. i6, 1915. DAY DREAMS THE MESSAGE The wavelets murmur softly A message from the sea, And we can hear the echoes Of far-off Galilee. Deep in our hearts, the cadence Of all that was and is Frames the eternal message Peace ! Peace ! For ye are His ! Alike in joy and sorrow We feel that He is near. And as the shadows deepen He whispers, " I am here ! " Mamaroneck, July 4, 1915. DAY DREAMS WITH THE CLOUDS Ye clouds that come a-sailing, Sailing through the blue — Gazing we go a-dreaming, Dreaming there with you. The world is left behind us Cradled in the sky ; Alone with mighty echoes Of thoughts that never die, We hear a low, sweet music Stealing from above — Feel in our hearts the beauty. Might, and power of love ! New Haven, Jany, 7, 1915. DAY DREAMS BEYOND THE BLUE I wonder what lies hidden There, far beyond the blue? For oft, as I sit dreaming, Soft angel eyes look through ; And I can hear sweet music Stealing from far above, And feel the healing power Of His eternal love. A voice is ever calling From far beyond the blue ; It is The Heavenly Father Appealing there to you. Mamaroneck, May 31, 1913. DAY DREAMS SAILING We scud in a wild sou'wester With all sails bellying free, And cling on our perch to windward To laugh at the raging sea. Ho ! Ho ! to the salt spray flying As the white caps kiss the wind ; Ho ! Ho ! to wild delirium Enthralling both heart and mind. As clinging there to windward, We children of the sea Thrill at sight of her grandeur- Drink of her mystery ! Mamaroneck, May 30, 1913. DAY DREAMS A MESSAGE FROM THE SEA Softly the waves are singing Just as they kiss the shore, I love their gentle music Repeated o'er and o'er; And as I see them coming From far away at sea, I feel they bear a message To loose my cares from me. I would not^ — ^and I could not — Forego their magic spell For all the gold that glitters In halls where rich men dwell ! Mamaroneck, July 5, 1913. 13 DAY DREAMS THE FISHES' WASH-DAY (To a Child) "Mother, 'tis fishes' wash-day!" Nurse heard the mermaids say ; And you can see their soapsuds On every little bay. And rocks that hold their sponges While far away at sea, Out where the waves are breaking Their clothes lie bleaching^ — see ! Oh! Mother, call the fishes To come and play with me. And while they wash their dishes, To tell me of the sea. Mamaroneck, July 6, 1913. 14 DAY DREAMS NEPTUNE'S COWES A plaintive voice from far at sea, Old Neptune's Cowes' sad melody, Comes floating o'er the billows dim From fog-bound Light at danger's rim. That warning cry goes out to all. Clear as " The writing on the wall, " Telling of hidden perils nigh. Though calm the wave and bright the sky. No sailor, how e'er bold and grim. But shudders as it reaches him ; And feels how near by land or sea Is the vale of eternity ! Mamaroneck, July 5, 1913. 15 DAY DREAMS CHILDHOOD Hush! Was that but an echo? My heart is standing still ; Surely the veil is lifting As I gaze beyond the hill. For I can see the faces That I loved long ago, Before my soul was clouded With all this drifting snow; Softly fall the melodies That swelled when hearts were young, And gave the sweetest music That ever yet was sung; And, as I clasp them to me. There come again today The soulful songs of childhood When all the world was May. Take what you will but leave me The dear sweet dreams of youth, That came when hearts were guileless And sang with love and truth. New Haven, Dec. 21, 1913. 16 DAY DREAMS THE SONGS THAT CHILDHOOD KNEW If I could but remember The songs that childhood knew, And stand among the daisies When all the world was new, And see the violets smiling And nodding to and fro, While mossy-pipes are singing The songs the fairies know. Vd hear a sweeter music Than ever manhood knew. And see a sky of violets With heaven looking through. New Haven, Nov. 28, 1914. 17 DAY DREAMS CHILDREN Playing there among the flowers- Dancing in and out — Each new discovery greeted With an eager shout. Do the flowers beckon — Begging you to stay, Does every little blossom Whisper, " Come and play "? Children, soft-eyed children Sent us from above, We hear your voices calling, " Love, eternal Love ! " New Haven, Nov. 29, 1914. 18 DAY DREAMS GRANDPA'S CLOCK Grandpa's clock at foot of the stair, Come ! ope the door and peep in there Where, going ever to and fro The old heart mutters soft and low, Tick! Tock! Tick! Tock! as seconds knock Till sixty stand in every flock. And we have heard how minutes grow — Just sixty to the hour you know, Before a voice sings loud and clear — By day so sweet, by night so drear — The requiem of passing hours That die to make each day of ours ! New Haven, Jany. 20, 1915. 19 DAY DREAMS CROWNING BABY BROTHER Four years old tomorrow day — Mother, Mother, come and play With the blocks upon the floor, Here beside the house of Noah! Let us build a palace grand For the fairest in the land. Don't let baby brother see Till the fairies come to tea; Then, when all are gathered round, Let the music softly sound As we lead him by the hand — Crown him " king of fairyland ! " New Haven, Dec. 9, 1914. 20 DAY DREAMS MOTHERS OF MEN Like swans waddling upon the ice The suffragettes appear, Females shorn of womanly grace To man no longer dear. Fair birds of placid waters In sunshine or in shade, Round thee our hopes are centered, By thee our homes are made. What mean votes when you have them? You rule the hearts of men; Dear mothers of all the ages, Oh, come to us again! New Haven, Dec. 21, 1913. 21 DAY DREAMS REAL WOMEN The rarest things on earth today Are women of whom men can say They are the pride and joy of home And hold our hearts where 'er we roam. No vision sweeter nor more blest Than woman breathing hope and rest — An angel sent us from the skies, In her the world's salvation lies ! New Haven, April 28, 1915. DAY DREAMS NATURE The sky, the trees, and the waters Are ever singing to me : I love the fields and the hillsides. The mountains rugged and free. Nature ! Inscrutable nature ! Thy laws eternal unfold, And leave me clinging around thee, Far from the worship of gold ! New Haven, Feby. i8, 1915. 23 DAY DREAMS THE CALL OF THE CEDARS The sombre, gloomy cedars Stand pointing to the sky — A silent note of warning As we pass slowly by. And as the dead leaves rustle We hear the north wind sigh, Mocking the hopes of summer That all around us lie. Again, in the gray of evening. As stalk the shadows grim. We, too, are looking upward And feel the need of Him ! Marvel Woods, Jany. i, 1914. 24 DAY DREAMS NATURE'S MONUMENTS We sit among the cedars With autumn bending near, To us, they are the monuments Of each departed year; Standing and pointing upward To reahns beyond the sky We seem to hear them whisper, " Your bodies only die! " And, in the peaceful glory Of our fast fading day. We gaze beyond the sunset To where our loved ones stray! New Haven Oct. ii, 1914- 25 DAY DREAMS THE REAL MUSICIAN A touch that seems to mellow The notes of joy or woe, Sweet as an angePs carol, Soft as the falling snow. We hear the mystic voices With each composer's ear, As the waves of melody Retreat and then draw near. At home among the masters. They answer to his call; He links their souls together, Then speaks for one and all ! New Haven, Nov. 26, 1914. 26 DAY DREAMS LIFE Life is the blending of light and shade, The sun comes out and the clouds are made, And joy should be the season of prayer For in it lurk the seeds of despair. The brightest of days often foretells Fierce storms that only destruction quells, And soft eyes that gaze in thine today A moment hence may be called away. We must learn to bear both light and shade; Deep in our hearts are the sunbeams laid To cheer us e'en in the darkest hour With love's eternal and deathless flower. New Haven, June 7, 19 14. 27 DAY DREAMS OLD SWEETHEARTS As I sat sadly dreaming Beneath a maple tree, I saw a four-leaf clover Was smiling up at me. And as she gently nodded Her queenly little head I gladly caught her to me And listened as she said: " Through all the days of summer I've lingered 'neath the tree, That when the Fall was coming I might bring luck to thee. " And nothing now shall part us, For in my heart she grows Sweet as an April morning Blushing through the snows. Lake George, Sept. lo, 191 3. 28 DAY DREAMS KINDRED SPIRITS We love to watch the starlings High up on tower and tree, Looking ever for the light Though black as black can be. We feel that we are brothers, The children of the night, Who, in the gloom and darkness. Still bear the seeds of Ught. And, when the bright gates open. Flooding the world with light. We'll hear the starlings calling Us, far from human sight. New Haven, Jany. 9, 1915. 29 DAY DREAMS LIGHT OF LIGHTS Come and gather the sunbeams To twine around thy heart, For in our earthly music They play no minor part. And e'en at the gates of heaven I heard a lost one say : " Alas ! I may not enter, My sunbeams went astray ! " New Haven, June 5, 1914. 30 DAY DREAMS THE AWAKENING OF THE FLOWERS Come watch with me in the garden Before the first dawn of day, To dream as the sun on rising Kisses the dewdrops away. For sweet is the early morning As the flowers, one by one. Reflect in waves of purity The caresses of the sun. Hush! their voices are calling— Their breath is scenting the air- God's love is in and around them, And this is their morning prayer. Tune 15, 1913. 31 DAY DREAMS THE PRIDE OF THE ROSE I watched the gentle butterflies Kiss Pansies one by one, While the proud Killarney Roses Stood pouting in the sun. There be thorns on all the Roses; But those the Irish grow, Are a test for any lover Who would their sweetness know; And, when you visit Ireland With hopes and fancy free, You'll find that her maids so guileless Have pointed tongues for thee. Lake George, Sept. 7, 1913. 32 DAY DREAMS EARLY AUTUMN Blackberry bushes are glowing, Sumacs flame afar, We watch the autumn coming In her bright, magic car. All yellow are the birches, The maples here and there Are blazing in the forest To make the greens more fair. The grasses on the hillsides Are all a brownish gray. Bowing round the goldenrod^ — The autumn's Queen of May. And, in the hazy distance As far as eye can see. We go a-dreaming, dreaming Of life that is to be. 33 DAY DREAMS WEST ROCK West Rock brooding o^er a city — Growing to your very door^ — Where once lived a race of warriors Well beloved in days of yore? Shall we pass as they have vanished? Leaving scarce a trace behind Of the worshipers of Mammon — For a nobler race to find? Wake ! and see how we are drifting On the shoals of lust and pride ; BUnded by a golden shower Hemming us on every side. Speak ! oh, Rock ! in solemn grandeur Brush our sordid aims away ! Teach us how to build a nation That shall live for aye and aye ! June 28, 1913. 34 DAY DREAMS THE WOODS IN WINTER Peace is in the woodlands, Love is in the air, From the naked branches Steals the gentle prayer Of a spirit calling To the souls of men — Come ! when ye are weary Come and rest again. New Haven, Feby. 21, 1915. 35 DAY DREAMS DEPARTING DAY With the gray of evening, As night is gathering in, We feel a note of sadness Touch day's departing h3min; And as we pause to listen To the dictates of the heart, Old sorrows gather round us And tears unbidden start ! New Haven, Dec. 8, 19 14. 36 DAY DREAMS THE FAIRIES' GOODNIGHT Mother, while we nestle round you As the sun is sinking low, Tell again the magic story- Make the fairies come and go, Till they dance and circle round us In the mystic evening glow. While the lily bells are ringing Golden music from their snow; As their Queen, on rose-leaf sitting. Drawn by butterflies a score. With a diadem of glowworms. Fireflies flitting on before. Comes to greet her loyal subjects In the fairies' secret glen — Now our eyes are closing. Mother, As she waves her wand again ! New Haven, Jany. 4, 191 5. 37 DAY DREAMS WATCHING FOR SANTA Wondering, waiting, watching there, O'er the snow and up in the air, Where sleepless stars with eyes so bright Keep watch and ward on Xmas Night ! "Hark! How the clock ticks loud and clear! Closer, come closer, brother dear; I see a light beyond the hill^ — ' Tis nearer, nearer, hold me still ! " I hear the music of the bells— I see a dancing troop of elves — Look ! Look ! The reindeer pass the door While Santa climbs the chimney o'er! "Brother, Brother, let's away! For this is surely Xmas Day, With Santa waiting over-head Till we are all asleep in bed! " New Haven, Dec. 20, 19 14. 38 DAY DREAMS SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS Behold ! An angel smiling Above each Christmas tree; Her gifts are for the loving And they alone may see, Of all the many blessings God has bestowed on men, The crowning one is loving — For here He speaks again. And ye, who come on Christmas In meekness and in love, Are standing on the threshold Within the light above! New Haven, Dec. 22, 1914. 39 DAY DREAMS THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS Zero — with birds a-singing — The world a burst of light — Deep in our hearts the music Of Christmas Day and Night ! Oh ! let us all remember Who smiled upon that day, And follow with our crosses, Where He has led the way; For, though the path be narrow. With thorns on every side, A gentle Voice is calling : " Thou Shalt with Me abide! " New Haven, Dec. 26, 1914. 40 DAY DREAMS THE NEW YEAR " Ye Crane Calendar " is swinging On the desk above my head, As I watch the new year steaUng Through the portals of the dead. Sweetly swells ye olden music — Singing in far groves of love — As it did when all was summer, Summer with the nesting dove; And I call ye old days round me That the future may be bright With the memories of springtime To illume the shades of night. New Haven, Jany. i, 1915. 41 DAY DREAMS GOD'S LOVE All the pleasures we are finding, Stolen from the sands of time ; All the music we are grinding Into mystic notes of rhyme, Are an echo of the spirit — Of the mighty soul divine — God is near us when we hear it Calling to us " Ye are mine ! " Softly, sweetly, it is falling In the healing notes of love ; Calling, calling, ever calling. Bidding us to look above ! New Haven, Nov. 9, 1914. 42 DAY DREAMS LET THERE BE LIGHT The Parson babbles of Rubrics ; We gaze at sea and the sky; The Bishop drones from the Pulpit; We look at the flowers and sigh. Unheeded, their ancient dogmas Sweep on to oblivion's sea, Leaving earth brighter and purer, With God nearer to you and me. Mamaroneck, July 4, 1913. As the Rector calls. 43 DAY DREAMS THE SPIRIT CALLING Soft rolling clouds come floating And drifting o'er the blue, In shaded white and purple Of every dainty hue ; With fleecy domes and castles, Bright halls where fairies play. And with the wind-god gambol Along the golden way. Whence come these strange, wild longings To rise and with them fly Forever and forever The trackless blue on high? It is the Spirit caUing The soul of man's unrest Ever and ever upward To regions of the blessed ! Mamaroneck, July 4, 1915. 44 DAY DREAMS ETERNITY We pass — but is all forgotten? I cannot read it so ; For in my heart are the echoes Of ages closed long ago. Slumbering shadows from dreamland, Patiently lurking there, That oft in the twilight hour Cluster around my chair. While strains of rhythmical music Float from the groves of love Whispering, " We are remembered, " There in the land above. New Haven, July 14, 1913. 45 DAY DREAMS TEARS Looking through the ram drops — Gazmg through the mist — While our thoughts are drifting Wheresoe^re they list; Hearing plaintive voices In the falling rain, As our hearts re-echo Sorrow's sad refrain; Seeing flowers growing O'er those we loved so well^ — Waiting time to lead us — To where our dear ones dwell! New Haven, Dec. 19, 1914. 46 DAY DREAMS SNAPDRAGONS Bright dreamers gently nodding In waves of golden spray, Loved children of the sun-god, Who lights our pathless way. How sweet, when we are weary, To find thee blooming there On some old barren hillside. When life is full of care ; And feel our troubles fading In golden dreams of love. As in our hearts you echo A message from above ! New Haven, August lo, 19 13. 47 DAY DREAMS THE SOUL OF THE FLOWERS Just a spray of goldenrod With asters bending near, And yet we hear the echo Of all the world holds dear. We can feel the love of the flowers, The fragrance of their spell, But they breathe a holier message Our hearts may never tell. New Haven, Sept. 28, 19 14. 48 DAY DREAMS IF CHRISTE IS COMING If Christe should come — and Christe may come And stand with us today^ — The same thieves are in the temple That He drove far away. The same Golden Calf is shining In every human heart, And the Pharisees extolling The "better than thou art. " And, if Christe be really coming, Ye Christians of today Will be found in outer darkness As lost ones gone astray ! New Haven, Nov. 8, 1914. 49 DAY DREAMS FINDING REST I sit among the lilies, With friends on every hand, The purest and the sweetest Outside of fairyland; And, as I hear them whisper While smiling up at me, I feel a holy presence. And sink on bended knee; And ye, whose hearts are weary With life's depressing cares. Go ! Ye ! among the flowers And rest your soul in theirs ! Mamaroneck, Monday, July 5, 1915. 50 DAY DREAMS EASTER Christ is risen! Christ is risen! Low, sweet music in the air— We can feel our sins forgiven As our hearts go up in prayer! While the angels gather round Him, Songs of praise and songs of love Echo and re-echo round us. As we kneel and look above. Hope and love and praise ascending Make the cross a living thing; We have but our hearts to offer As we pray and as we sing ! Christ will help us if we ask Him — He, Who died that we may live. Only asks that we should trust Him, Cling around His cross and live. Let us then, in hope abounding. Meekly follow in His way; He will lead us! He will save us! If we truly work and pray! Easter, April 4, 1915. 51 DAY DREAMS GOING HOME I am tired, oh, so tired ! Let the flowers touch my brow; I am weary, oh, so weary ! Yet I hear the angels now. Play, oh, play some low, sweet music, Let it softly float about ! I am drifting with the current And the tide will soon be out. I don't ask you to forget me Waiting on the distant shore ; When you follow, oh, so weary, I shall meet you at the door ! Let my hands be meekly folded, Let the sun upon my brow Linger till the darkness gathers — Good-night ! I am going now ! In Memoriam. June 29, 1915. 52 DAY DREAMS In Memoriam. To the Countess Ostrorog {nee Eloise Eastwood Wallace). AT REST As you gather softly round her With a love unknown till now, Feel the hush as waiting angels Place the crown upon her brow. Weep not ! she was called before thee ; That her earthly task is done ; That the gentle Saviour to Him Has called Home a faithful one. But remember she still loves thee Better now than e'er before, And her spirit watches o'er thee From that sweet and Holy Shore. 53 DAY DREAMS THE SONG OF THE SEA On the beach the waves are singing The music of the sea, And my heart is dreaming, dreaming, Full of their mystery ; Till dimly I hear the echoes Of all that was and is, In their grand eternal rhythm. Whispering " Ye are His! " While softly the curtain rises^ — And I can see afar The land where souls are united Beyond the farthest star ! July 13, 1915. 54 DAY DREAMS FADING WITH THE FLOWERS Mother ! I see the angels Launching the fleecy clouds ; See ! There ! beyond the mountains— They come in snow-white crowds. Mother ! I hear the angels Passing overhead, And I can see the lilies Growing round my bed. Don't cry so, Mother darling ! I won't be long away ! Kiss me, for God is calling^ — And teach me how to pray ! Observatory, September 19, 1915. 55 DAY DREAMS LOOKING BACKWARD Would that in looking backward O'er the rugged path of life, We could have risen higher In its petty, selfish strife ! Would that the thought of others Had lingered by our side. When life was full of roses — Before our best dreams died. I see a country churchyard. And there among the dead^ — The duties long neglected — The kind words left unsaid ! September 19, 1915. 56 DAY DREAMS LOVE I saw a dainty bluebell Cling to a flinty rock, Holding a bud above her The color of her frock; Rocking the little darling In every wind that blows With sweet and gentle patience A mother only knows. And something whispered to me That, by a law divine, No heart so hard and barren But love will round it twine. Echo Bay, September 23, 1915. 57