PS 3513 1553 G5 1922 -GLIL^iNINGS .MUD i/EAVirsi(:;;s ISiMJEI.L.A, GUJlJilTT GLEANINGS AND WEAVINGS BY ISABELLA GILLETT SAN FRANCISCO MARVIN CLOYD 1922 c,35 ^s Q-^ Copyright, 1922 By ISABELLA GILLETT all rights reserved Published January, 1922 San Francisco FEB -I 1922 ©n!.A654467 DEDICATED TO:- Voices that speak and the heart still sway Though years may have passed since the bygone day When Friendship's sweet bond and Love's sweet truth First answered my heart in childhood and youth. THE AUTHOR. CONTENTS Page Sealed Melodies 3-4 The Star of Peace 5-6 Enthrallmcnt 7 California 8-9-10 Yesterday 11 Youth 12 One Flag 13-14 Content 15 Aftermath 16-17 A Voice From the Heart 18-19 The Narrower Way 20-21 The Lading 22-23 Ingratitude 24-25 The Flight 26-27 Lullaby 28-29 Tramp 30-31-32 Incertitude 33-34 Fortune's Quest 35-36-37 The Goblet 38-39 San Francisco 40-41 A Crooked Stick 42-43-44 Reputation 45-46 The Blunder 47 Opportunity 48-49-50 (Continued on Next Page) CONTENTS— Continued Page The Heart of a Rose 51 Over the Waves 52 Night's Benison 53-54 Memories 55-56-57-58 Bubbling Waters 59-60 Little Feet. ., 61-62 Destiny's Torch 63 Doubting Heart 64-65 The Derelict 66-67 Friendship 68 Hearth and Home 69-70 Love Song 71-72 The Rainbow 73 A Fantasy. 74-75-76 A Woman's Smile 77 The Silence 78 The Girl of My Dreams 79-80 The Quiet of Night 81 Forgetfulness 82 Hidden 83-84 Winter .85-86 Sleep 87-88 Remembrance 89 SEALED MELODIES OEEP — deep — v/ithin my slumber There breathes, within my dreams, Melody entrancing — So sweet — to me — it seems. In my heart its music There first the notes I hear, Then through my thought soft weaving It breathes upon my ear. Ah — the haunting sweetness — I linger o'er each note, Caressing in its cadence, That in my dream I wrote ! Awakening from my slumber My fingers seek the strain, — But fugitive — elusive — They seek in vain — in vain. Deep — deep — within my slumber, Within my dream breathe words That to me — in my dreaming — [3] Transcend the song of birds. Ah — the depth — the meaning — Revealed in verse — its rhyme, Ah — the beauty seeming Pregnant in each line ! My pulsing heart-beats quicken — My heart so richly fraught, My inmost being thrilling To the lading of my thought. Awakening from my slumber Vain — vain — I seek each word — Deep sealed within my dreaming,- Its voice — its song — unheard. [4] THE STAR OF PEACE ^^:;^HERE in the sky its glistening light ^^ Bright and brighter glowed — The Star that through the darkness of night The way to the Savior showed. The shepherds — it met their startled gaze And as its effulgence they saw It filled their thoughts with wond'ring amaze, Their hearts it filled with awe. The shepherds — they followed the Star to where Unswervingly it led — To where a Mother and a Babe so fair Lay in a lowly bed, — Sweet Mary and the Christ whose Birth In that Manger in Bethlehem Brought the message to all the earth: — "Peace on earth. Good-will to men." "Peace on earth. Good-will to men" — The Savior's heart there lies, — [5] Those words — He lived and died for them ; Who now that Cause denies? The heart of the world now bleeding, By combat, by conflict torn, — It cries for Christ's interceding — That His Spirit again be born. The earth — how long must it suffer Ere its strife be done And nation to nation offer The hand in fellowship won, — The wounds of the world — its blood — Stanched by the spirit of love, — Nation with nation in brotherhood Blessed by His Spirit above? "Peace on earth, Good-will to men" — That Cause may we maintain — Nor let the Savior's Blood have been — His Cross have been — in vain. [6] ENTHRALLMENT y=j^OONLIGHT softly gleaming t.1^ Silvering night and sea; Stars — the sky bright beaming — A glistening canopy ; Wavelets, gently lulling, Lap and lave my boat, — Thought and spirit dulling To this world — its note ; Melody sweet breathing On the listening air — A guitar so lightly weaving Through a love-song's prayer; — My boat soft rising — falling, — Music's subtle spell, — The moon, the stars, enthralling, Allure — entice — compel ; — This world I lose — its meaning, — Thought and spirit float In fairyland — its seeming — As idly rocks my boat. [7] CALIFORNIA ©Y the waves of the blue Pacific, O'erlooking the waters wide, She lies in her beauty magnetic, Fair — by the ocean's side. The ocean comes to her door, It enters the Golden Gate, It laps and leaps on her shore, California — our Golden State ! From his throne, the sun, looking down, Lends to her beauty and grace The gold of his mantle and crown — Touches with glory her face. And the blue of the sky above Seems to loiter — to linger there — As loath to leave labors of love It smiles on our state so fair ; — Smiles upon hill and dale, On bay, on lake, on stream ; Smiles upon mountain and vale In their chequered beauty seen ; [83 upon the forests' grandeur, On stalwart redwood trees That rise aloft and tower Undaunted by storm and breeze ; Upon the marvel, solemnity. Of dome, of waterfall, — The wonders of Yosemite That to the wide world call ; Smiles upon the verdure With which the fullness of earth Gives in harvests' measure To California's golden birth ; Gives from vine and vineyard, Pasture green and field Where Nature proves ne'er laggard Nor niggard with earth's yield ; Orange grove, and olive, Green and golden grain, Orchards — fruit and blossom — give Claim to golden fame. Rising up to their height, Embracing her in their length, Mountains guard in their might [9] Our state with their rugged strength ; And they render to her their wealth In treasure from richness of veins, In dower of vigor and health, In tribute of moisture and rains. California ! The charms are golden Where opens the Golden Gate — But ever must be beholden To speak our Golden State. Nature's voice, — glen and glade — Rippling rill and brook — Forest fern — leaf and shade, — Speaks no written book. Sylvan bowers — golden hours — Note and song of birds — Fairest gardens — sweetest flowers — Speak ne'er written words. [10] YESTERDAY ^^5^ HE day — it fled on the wings of the morrow V^_J But the breath still lives of its passing hours, Lives in the buds — lives in the blossoms — Lives in the fragrance of the sweetest flowers. Yesterday ! It could not linger But it speaks again in the song of the birds, — Their sweetest lay brings again The echo of soft whispered words. The rays of the sun more golden seem — The moon — the stars — more brightly gleam When in the garden of memory O'er those hours with you I linger and dream. [11] YOUTH TANDING at the cross-roads Where days of childhood end Not long we loiter, linger, Backward gaze to send. But brief the vision pauses On days so brief to last, Thought — it dwells but lightly On the milestone to be past. We seek the widening vista — Adventure — hopes — and dreams — The future with its visions A-light with glowing gleams. Youth, impatient, eager, Hastens — the milestone won — Hastens to follow the fireflies That gleaming lure it on. [12] ONE FLAG ^I^E are here in God's own country, \XJ We are here with millions strong, Then in our strength so mighty Let our strength be strong ; Let our hearts united Be ever welded firm, Nor let our steps, benighted, To false gods ever turn ; But one united people With strength to do and dare. To our country faithful, Our loyalty declare. Let one flag wave o'er us, The red, white and blue — With stars to ever guide us, Loyal hearts and true; — One flag to which our nation Shall allegiance pay, — Nor let diverse occasion [13] Win our faith away. One Flag ! Should foe conspire Let not our footsteps lag, But hearts and homes inspire To rally 'round our flag ! We are here in God's own country, We are here with millions strong,- Then in our strength so mighty Let our strength be strong. With faith in God and Country One banner let us bear, — With unity — with loyalty — Our record will be fair. The Stars and Stripes wave o'er us, The red, white and blue. Its stars to ever guide us — Hearts to Country true ! The Stars and Stripes forever ! Destiny awaits — Awaits with fairest dower Our fair UNITED STATES ! [14] CONTENT ^^^^1:^0 grow along the wayside %^\/ One flower blooming there That brief though be its hour Breathes sweetly on the air ; To touch the slumbering strings And in the notes to hear One strain that softly soothing Should reach some wearied ear ; To paint within a canvas Picturing the night One ray with brush that humble Yet speaks the sunrise bright ; — When the day were waning, The sun — its rays — near-spent, — In the glow of the sunset. The heart would feel content. [15 AFTERMATH OFTLY, softly, speak not so fast — For hasty words too long may last, And the word you speak so swift today Long may linger, long may stay. To hasty words we give little thought To the weight with which they may be fraught, Nor heed their aftermath of sorrow That may freight each day and freight each morrow ; For though light spoken, words have not wings — But import that remains, that clings, And Memory with her pen and file Is writing, is writing all the while. For Memory — though it be with tears — Must keep the record of the years. Many a day that dawns so bright — Ere the dawn brings on the night, Memory weeps o'er the hasty word That by the ear of Friendship heard — Friendship's seed, though tenderly sown, [16] The bud — the flower — in the dust are thrown ; — And Memory — though she weep o'er the word- Who can recall the word, once heard? And though we weep o'er words hasty spoken — Who can restore the Friendship broken? Many a day that dawns so bright — Ere the dawn brings on the night, Love lies heavy in the throes of death — Slain by the word whose fatal breath, Barbed with keen and bitter dart, Pierces again and again the heart. Memory — though she weep o'er the word — Who can recall the word — once heard? And we — though we weep o'er Love's death-bed- Who can restore to life the dead? Softly, softly, speak not so fast, For hasty words too long may last ; — Friendship — its dirge too often is sung — Too often Love's grave is dug — by the tongue. [17] A VOICE FROM THE HEART eO, fond thought, and to her speak The love that lies within my heart- The love that lips and tongue are weak Its weight and import to impart! Go, fond thought, and speak the hope That lies within my inmost soul And lures me ever on to grope Toward one fondly cherished goal ! Speak to her of nights and days Passed in darkness, deep, profound. Unless broken by the rays Of light that in her eyes are found. Speak to her of golden dreams That wrap the hours, waking, sleeping, When touched by the glowing gleams Of the love that I am seeking. [18] Go, fond thought, and to her speak The love that fills my heart so bold — The love that lips and tongue are weak Its world of longing to unfold ! [19] e THE NARROWER WAY OD, give us Faith — to carry on, — Faith — to hold to the end, — Through the doubts that now do frown — Doubts that our Faith now rend. God, lead us back to the narrower way That our fathers knew, — Nor let our footsteps longer stray From the path that leads to You. Too great the distance we have made From our fathers' thought, — Too great the distance we have strayed In new pathways sought, — Newer pathways lined with fears. Strewn with shattering hopes, — Pathways where through doubt and tears Our wavering Faith now gropes ; Pathways where our hectic joy Ever more does tend Our life, our being, to destroy [20] As we those pathways wend. Ever does the road we go Have its mete and bound; — Let our Faith sink not so low That it rest within the ground. From the worldly passion — pleasure That now our senses lure, Lead us back to the fuller measure Of life and joy more pure. Give us Faith— to hold to the treasure Where leads the narrower path-^ That, with Faith, we escape the measure, God, of coming wrath ! [21] THE LADING T dawn — in the sun's early hours — When earth was still moist with dew, I sought and I gathered these flowers Where in their beauty they grew. With dewdrops their petals are laden — They lie in the heart of each flower — Ah — if the dewdrops knew The thought in my heart each hour ! The flowers — I would that they could speak When they from me depart ; I would they could tell the longing That speaks within my heart. Their fragrance — I would that it could breathe The sweetness of the dream That led me on my pathway This morn at dawn's early gleam. [22] Ah — if the flowers could speak — Could breathe a subtle spell That would incline the heart To list to the tale they tell ! The dewdrops — were each a gem. Each gem— its beauty— were thine In jewelled crown— in diadem- Offered at love's shrine ! [23] INGRATITUDE ^^^HERE came a little stranger V/J And stood outside my gate,— So little and so lonesome, So patient did he wait. That seeming quite pathetic In his sorry plight, I took him in and warmed him By my hearthside bright. I gave to him the best My heart it could afford, — Most generous I thought I shared With him my store — its hoard ; But ah, the little rascal ! How could he treat me so ? Ne'er I thought ingratitude Could ever sink so low ! Unthinking and unseeing — One day I felt a smart And found an arrow planted — [24] Imbedded in my heart. That Httle beggar, Cupid, Had shared my fare with me And then, his arrow piercing. He but mocked me in his glee. [25] THE FLIGHT V?=^OPE with its brilliant plumage IP Spreads its wings on the air ; — Fluttering — it rises, — poising — it soars, And leaves our fostering care. One moment its brilliant plumage We see it gleaming bright, — And then the distance claiming — It fades upon our sight. Ah — the wayward wanderer — What perils may it greet, — The night, the darkness falling, How will it the shadows meet? What arrow wanton speeding Through the air may speak; — What eagle's talons hovering Ruthless its life may seek? Could our prayers but guard it On its winged flight ! Could our hearts but guide it There beyond our sight ! [26] But circumscribed — our hearts Must linger, tempest-tost, — Our vision too proscribed May not pursue its course. Circumscribed — our hearts Can but tend the gate Until the wayward pinions — By the guiding finger of Fate — Seek the cage where — luring — Wide we hold the door That Hope — we pray — returning- May enter and leave no more. [27] LULLABY ©YE-LOW— baby dear- Twinkling stars are peeping To see my baby here Softly, sweetly sleeping. Bye-low — baby dear — The silver moon is gleaming To see my baby here Softly, sweetly dreaming. Bye-low — baby dear — Flowrets are reposing, — Pretty posies, baby dear. They are softly dozing. Bye-low — baby dear — In the branches nestling The little birdies, baby dear, They too now are resting. [28] Bye-low — baby dear — The sandman is a-creeping,- Soon my little baby here Will be gently sleeping. Bye-low — baby dear — Moon and stars are beaming For they see my baby dear Softly, sweetly dreaming. [29] TRAMP >|^HO was his father?" \^y That's one of those jokes For he's one doesn't bother About claiming of folks. He's only "just dog"— That's what they say ; Several kinds of a dog — If you'll have it that way. He makes no claim As a pedigreed pup But he's not to blame For his birth or bring-up. * * * "My own pedigree?" Well — what's that to you? It's enough — I had family And bringing up, too ; Yes, I'd a home, Friends and money; Now, as I roam It seems kind of funny. Just a hobo — [30] Only a bum — I guess I've sunk low, — And it's all from rum. * * * "Why don't I try To cut out the booze ?" When it once gets a guy He's lost grit to choose. Kicked from some door Begging a bite Perhaps I get sore But— I can't make the fight.— It seems kind of queer In this little old world How some pages are clear And some, blotted and blurred. What the great scheme is Some day p'raps we'll know When each fellow gets his On high or below. But it's no use to whine About what we may get, For when I get mine I've deserved it, you bet. — But that little fellow— [31] They call him a cur — But he's got no yellow If his blood isn't pure. He's got no family In the Hall of Fame But my old Tramp — he Could make his own name. He's not much to look at — Kind of ornery like — But it's more than looks that Makes a man or a tyke ; It's the heart inside — Not the looks alone — And that dog would divide With me, his last bone. And my old Tramp — Gosh-darn his old hide — I wouldn't trade that scamp For the whole world beside. * * * And you ask "Is he game?" sir- "And can he fight?"— Well Just touch his master, sir. And he'll fight like— hell ! [32] INCERTITUDE HAIN my heart would speak — And yet would it refrain Nor lose the moment's hope For all-persistent pain. Would my heart could steal The secret where it lies Hid within the depths Of guiling, guarded eyes ! Could heart but read those lips Inscrutable, — if read — Their word — were not — when heard- Rather left unsaid ! Ah, cruel Thought! To know And charms so freely paint, — And wishful heart to leave In conflict torn and faint ! [33] For fain my heart would speak And yet would hesitate To brave the "Yes" or "No" Of the baffling lips of Fate. [34] FORTUNE'S QUEST QO coffers I ask of silver or gold, — No caskets of precious stones, — I ask no sway of power to hold That lies in monarch's thrones. I ask but the wealth that lies in the length And the width of the world so wide, — I ask but the sceptre that lies in the strength Of care-free heart — and stride. I ask but the wealth, the fortune that lies In the vault that domes the earth; I ask but the fortune that lies 'neath the skies, That circles the earth, its girth. But the gold, I ask, of the rays of the sun To meet my eyes, my vision, — And the glistening stars and the silvery moon- The gleaming jewels of heaven, — To see the sun rise to its height — To see the sunset glow — The moon and stars light up my night — The dawn's first gleam to know ; — [35] To roam o'er hill — to roam o'er dale — O'er country-side and road, — To know the mountain — know the vale- Nor know no fixed abode; — To see the mountains meet the sky Where in the clouds they hide, — To see white sails go scudding by Where they the ocean ride ; — To climb the cliff — the height to scale — And from the apex — crown — Where ends the narrow winding trail Upon the world look down. I ask the wealth that lies in field — Within the garden-bower, — The beauty and the fragrant yield Of bud and leaf and flower. I ask the wealth in glen and glade — In woodland dell and dingle — To wander 'neath the forest's shade Where fern and bracken mingle ; — To tread the needles of the pine — To lie by running stream — To idly cast the hook and line [36] Where finny tribes do teem. I ask the wealth in song of birds — In voice of rippling brook; — I ask the wealth within the words And leaves of Nature's book. Keep your caskets and your coffers, Let monarch hold his throne, — But give to me where Fortune offers The wide world free to roam. [37] THE GOBLET gS strain of music elusive, They hover on confines of dream, — As the firefly in the pathway — To flit with fugitive gleam. They came — they went — golden moments, They came — they sped on their way — To haunt the dream in sleeping — To flit with the break of day. Ah — to have held one hour, Hid so deep away That never its joy, its sweetness, Might steal, be stolen away. The bee ever stores its honey Sipping from flower to flower, — Of those golden moments garnered Ah — to have stored one hour! One hour — one hour — its nectar — Hid deep in the depths of the heart — To drink — to sip — at the pleasure — To quench the thirst of the heart. [38] In the garden I wait — I linger — I linger there alone, — I seek the blossoms — the flowers, — Their joy— their sweetness— have flown. Golden the moments garnered, — Gleaned from the fruitage of years, — But Memory drinks from a goblet Filled— not with nectar — but tears. [39] SAN FRANCISCO ^^^ HOUGH far the footsteps wander— ^^ Though far may stray the thought- Though far the heart a-roving The dream of life has sought — Ever a spell recalls And ever it lures one back — Back to San Francisco — Back to its beaten track. Though far in life's adventure The vivid fancy stray, Seeking treasure, pleasure. Along the world's highway, Ne'er the venturer finds The charms that ever await And bring again to the portal — Again to the Golden Gate. [40] San Francisco ! Never the heart May your pathway learn But footsteps that depart Again and again must return. Your subtle powers endure And ever hold captivate Hearts that enter your door There by the Golden Gate ! [41] A CROOKED STICK ^^s^ HERE were suitors who came and courted me, % ^J And suitors there were who left me free; — For Dick — I liked not the shape of his nose, — And Harry — I liked not the style of his clothes; William — he walked all too weightily, — And Peter — he talked all too pompously; Mathew and Tom — I had loved none the less Did they not to me their love confess. And so 'twas said — "Too long you'll tarry — A crooked stick in the end you'll marry." When John looked my way with his dignified air The years had sprinkled with gray his hair, But the years that brought him the touch of gray Had brought John much in a worldly way, — For his pockets well-filled, his bank account Ah me, — it was ever a goodly amount ; — While Jerry — alas — were his pockets many — Of pockets, Jerry, he needed not any, — [42] For his coat was shabby in the light of the SUti For of dollars Jerry had few or none ; But who could think of silver or gold When Jerry's eyes looked tender, yet bold, And when 'neath the stars we wandered together My heart was light — as light as a feather, — And when on my ear his whisper I heard My heart it sang — it sang like a bird. But ever they said — "Too long you'll tarry — A crooked stick in the end you'll marry." John — his air was most dignified As I walked from the church at his side a bride And in the years I have been his wife Little he has known of storm or strife, — For John had the wisdom that comes with age And could tame a bird in a gilded cage. But as the bird that beats 'gainst the bars Times there are when 'neath the stars My heart, it flutters and then grows cold When I think of eyes once tender, yet bold, — t43l And times there are in my dreams when I hear A whisper breathed so soft in my ear And struggling to catch, so faint, its word — Times there are when mocking Fve heard An echo that speaks — "Too long you'll tarry ; A crooked stick in the end you'll marry." [44] REPUTATION XT may be that the heart May hold no thought of wrong Nor ne'er in life may part From principles held strong; But foolish lips there speak To mischief but inclined, — Malicious lips they seek Their mirrored wish to find. The wagging tongue of Rumor- Started on its course — Slackens not to seek nor Trace its lading's source ; With bridle held but light It makes but little matter If in its speed — its flight — Reputations shatter. Consistent with our thought Should our bearing be That no charge be brought Of actions all too free. [45] Fair Fame — that Fate has willed- We may not feel its worth, — But lack of it — unfilled — We know, in full, its dearth. (46] THE BLUNDER ^^^HE day that we two parted ^/^ Could you my thought have read As eager, so eager-hearted, Too swift the moments sped, — My thought — those words that thronging My heart it feared too bold And lips repressed their longing; — And then you thought me cold. — Cruel — that woman less free Must be in love's expression. And love it then should be Lost by its repression ! Pride — it could not cross The chasm dug by Fate Nor words repair their loss — Words they were too late ; — And now two lives asunder — Each in its separate path — Fate but laughs at its blunder Nor cares for its aftermath. [47 OPPORTUNITY EAIR he stood in his conscious strength, In the full of his youth and his pride, Fair he stood and his eyes swept the length And the width of the world so wide. Long he gazed upon its arena, Upon the battle-field there, Where Pride, Ambition, Purpose, Endeavor, Array to do and to dare. Long he gazed, and with flashing eyes Stood fair in the morning sun As he gazed on the field, gazed on the prize, On the trophies to be won. At length he cried — "The field is mine — Its victory comes to me — To me the day in the fullness of time And the trophy whatever it be. [48] Be it Fortune, or be it Fame, Or Power that I choose. The day I claim, its glory gain, Nor ne'er the vantage lose !" Many the weapons that came to his hand, And each for his favor vied ; Many the weapons that failed his demand, He scouted and cast them aside. "This/^ he cried, "it fits not my birth, Nor measures this to my pride" ; ''This," he cried, "it has not the worth For length of Ambition's stride !" Ever he sought the steel, its mettle. And ever the sun rose high ; And ever he cried, "When ends the battle ; At my feet the foe shall lie !" Ever persistent, Opportunity sought His eye, his favor to gain; [49 But ever too humble to meet his thought, It met with his disdain. But when the day — its sun did wane, By its parting light The Weapon that sought his eye in vain On the field shone fair and bright; But the Youth, who stood in his conscious strength Fair — in the morning sun, — On the field he measured his length — The field the foe had won ! [50] THE HEART OF A ROSE y^u/ HEY buried my love beneath the sod ; V /y They buried my heart with the fall of the clod ; My heart, my soul, my hope, all lay With my love in the ground, in earth's cold clay ; Only my thought lived to v^eep O'er that grave in the ground, so cold, so deep ; Only my thought lived to be Mocked by its dreams and its memory. Beneath the sod where they buried my dead A seed I buried in that lowly bed, And in the thought that surges, that sears, The seed and the sod I watered with tears; Until at length the seed did 'wake And through the sodden clods did break Reaching upward to the day. Up to the sun's warm golden ray ; And there in the fullness of God's own hour It bloomed, it blossomed, in a glowing flower, — And the sodden clods did disclose God and my love in the heart of a rose. (Sll OVER THE WAVES y^^ Y ship is sailing on the sea \mJ^ And the portents I search them wishfully. Each lowering cloud that darkens the sky I watch it till it passes by. Each breeze that rising stirs the air I seek its import, foul or fair. The dawn I 'wait and the rising sun I trace it till its course be done And the moon and the stars with softer gleams Guide my ship with its hopes and its dreams. My hopes, my dreams, my ship it bears ; And my heart it follows it close with its prayers. But north, or south, or east, or west, Some day o'er the ocean, borne on its crest, Breasting the waves and riding free My ship will bring its lading to me. [52] NIGHT'S BENISON OAYLIGHT is fading, the flowers sink to rest, Shadows are falling, the birds seek their nest, Swiftly the curtain of night closes 'round Enfolding all nature within its arms ; Darkness and silence hold land and sea, Darkness and silence enveloping me. Out of the shadows that fold 'round my heart I send forth a prayer far into the dark : "Love, I am weary, the night is so long, I need thee, dear one, thee and thy song. Deep grow the shadows, fainter the gleams Of Hope's glowing rainbow and Love's golden dreams. Tears blind my eyes, so lonely the way, Vainly 1 'wait the day." Daylight has faded, the flowers are at rest, Shadows have fallen, birds are in the nest. Softly the curtain of night closing 'round Lulls tired nature to sleep in its arms. The moon, softly gleaming, silvers the night, [53] Twinkling stars beaming their vigils of light. Was it the breath of the slumbering flowers, Or the breeze faintly whispering in the still hours? "Love, I am waiting, the night is soon o'er, In the 'Forever' we shall part no more. Deep though the shadows, more glowing the gleams, Dawn still will come to Life's rainbow dreams, Beyond the starshine and moon's silver ray Is the golden, the glorious day." [54] MEMORIES ©ACK to the past memory drifts, To the past, to far-gone days, Whose lure ever calls, whose charm never palls, And the wayward heart still sways ; Back to the past memory drifts, To the past, to far-gone scenes, Bearing the print of Time's ceaseless tread But still unchanged in dreams ; Back to the past, to days and scenes 'Ere Time's indelible trace The furrows of years, the furrows of tears Left upon heart and face. Life may bring its meed of treasure — Ambition may bring success — Pride may work accomplishment In full or in excess — [551 New years may bring new friends with grasp Of friendship strong and true — New loves — new hopes — sentiment, — To which we render due ; Yet back to the past Memory drifts To days beyond recall, — 'Ere Life and its years, Time's furrows and tiers Built an ever encroaching wall. Back to the past Memory drifts, To the past, to far-gone days When happiness spun a web so sheer — Soft as a summer haze ; — Back to childhood's happy days Untouched by thought of the morrow — When encircling arms sheltered and kept From fear and harm and sorrow ; Back to childhood's happy hours, Fled upon gossamer wings, [56] Intangible to touch, elusive to clutch, And yet with power which clings ; Back to childhood's artless joys — The simple boon and pleasure. To childhood light as thistle-down But gaining later measure ; Back to childhood's hearts and hands — To early friends so dear, Whose greeting warm, now distant and gone. In thought we seem to hear ; Back to childhood's sheltering arms Whose close embrace we knew, Whose lips we pressed, whose hands caressed, In love, so fond, so true. Life may bring its meed of treasure — Ambition may bring success — Pride may work accomplishment In full or in txcess — [57] New years may bring new friends with grasp Of friendship strong and true — New loves — new hopes — sentiment, — To which we render due ; But oh — for childhood's hours and joys, The loving hearts we knew — The sheltering arms — the endearing charms — Now past and lost to view ! Oh — for childhood's happy days And scenes beyond recall Which linger in dreams — whose memory clings And holds the heart in thrall ! [58] BUBBLING WATERS FACE looked out into the night With eyes that sought a gleam of light ; Two hands were pressed against a heart Bruised and stricken in the world's grim mart; A breast there heaved with silent despair, Torn by grief and want and care. The twinkling stars lighted the dark But no ray — no gleam — no single spark Pierced that heart in its grim despair ; Pierced that breast in its struggle with care. God sat there in His Temple on High But no message was sent from the twinkling sky. Two hands that were pressed against a heart Toward Heaven did suddenly reach and dart; Two lips breathed forth a hurried prayer, Asking God's mercy in His Temple there ; A leap — a plunge — and the waters cold In their embrace a soul did hold. The twinkling stars lighted the night With ray — with gleam — with spark so bright, — [59] But only the bubbling waters revealed A grave and the anguish it concealed ; Only the bubbling waters told Of a heart so faint — and its leap so bold. [60] LITTLE FEET OO not hasten those little feet From their childhood ways, — Let them stay — nor hasten them Too soon from childhood days. Do not hasten those little feet Forth in the world so wide, — Let them by the hearth and home In childhood longer abide. Let those little hearts expand Longer in childhood's sun Nor let them shrink, nor let them wither Too soon from life's vast sum. All too soon those little feet Must bear those little lives And hearts forth to the world's arena — Forth to its fetters and gyves. [61] All too soon life's stern battle May win their joy away, — Ah ! Let them stay, — nor hasten them Too soon from childhood play ! [621 DESTINY'S TORCH ©REATHES there a land 'neath fairer skies Where fairer promise awaits Than the land o'er which our banner flies — The Flag of the United States? Destiny with her gleaming torch Seeks and searches our shore, — Destiny with a scroll so fair Stands waiting at our door. Our Country needs each loyal thought Inscribed within her name, — Our Country needs each heart enrolled In the roster of her fame. Freedom with her flag so fair Invites within her gates, — Destiny seeks with her promise there A united — United States. [63] DOUBTING HEART OOUBTING heart, why seek the depths When the heights are there to cHmb,— Why grovel in mud and mire when Thought Can on pinions fly? The earthworm grubbing in its lair Of night's dark prison-cells Yet ventures upward toward the day In blind gropings there; But you, — whose Thought and Fancy — free — Can untrammelled soar, — You grope 'mongst black and sodden clods Nor see blue sky above. The tiny seed hid in the bosom Of brooding Mother-earth — Held and nourished by the force And strength of her life-blood — Breaks from her restraining grasp, Ever upward striving. And in the ray of the golden sun [64] To golden grain does come. When all space lies about — When all nature speaks — When heart reaching forth to heart Does call and point Beyond — Why stay — why stumble — in pitfall Of cold and clinging clay, — Why not rise in thought, on pinion, To gleaming sun and sky? [65] THE DERELICT eONE! Hurled into Eternity With all his sins upon his head ! Gone ! To stand before the Almighty And lay his foul record bare ! Without a prayer the tie was severed That bound him to this earth, And hurtled through space, his soul was sped To the infinite vast Beyond. Oh mothers of men — as you gaze on your babes Today in their innocent beauty, Who can say how those feet may stray In the highways and byways of life ! Had he no mother — the limp figure there — There at the end of a rope, No proud mother who scoffed at the pain Of childbirth when it was o'er And she held to her breast the soft tender flesh Of the man-child she had borne ; No fond mother who wove tender dreams Mingled with mother-love prayers [66] As she fondled her babe in his sweet innocence And visioned his future so fair? And oh ! The horror and ghastly despair Had mother-love foreseen The child that she bore and nursed at her breast Dangling from the end of a rope ! Oh, God ! In love and infinite mercy Take the sweet babe in Thy care — That no more may the life commenced at the breast End on a rope in the air ! Oh, God ! In love and infinite mercy Open our eyes and our hearts — That we may see and we may straighten The tortuous pathways of youth ! [67] FRIENDSHIP OF the blessings that Heaven to Earth may give What joy, what wealth in Friendship live ! How dear to the heart it is to hold The name of one who, ne'er grown cold, Ever is there in life to heed The voice of the heart — to answer its need ; One who, ever, whate'er befall, Responsive is though mute be the call ; One in thought to thought so bound — Linked in close reciprocative bond — That though the lips speak not o'er-much. The language within the look — the touch — The clasp — the pressure of the hand — Speaks the meaning — "to understand." The years may not linger — they fade into past — But Friendship, enduring, the years may out-last, — And speech — how may it give or lend Enrichment to the name of — Friend ! [68 HEARTH AND HOME HE went her way, day by day, Through Life's stern thoroughfare ;- The roses that had strewn her path Long had withered — only thorns were there Thorns to pierce her weary feet, Her empty arms, her yearning hands, As through the hour-glass of Time Fell the steady stream of sands. But of the thorns that Time had left Within her heart she made no moan As she went the rough-hewn path — Through the briers and over the stone. But whitened hair its story spoke, — The lines deep-graven on her face Life's harsh story mutely told — With mute — but unmistaking trace. And as she went her daily way And I her daily courage saw, — Her patience — resignation — all — Filled my wondering soul with awe; [69] Until at length my questioning lips Did seek the intent of her thought That led her on through life — to bear The burden with which her life was fraught. *'My life?"— she said— "Not here I live — But there where leads my hope most fond — There where wait with open arms My dear ones in the life Beyond. What though the way be long and weary — And though the way I go alone — When at the end to meet and greet me Are my dear ones, hearth and home !" "But,"— I cried— "if this world be all— If the weary way that now you wend Leads to naught but oblivion, — What if this world— it be the end?" "What then?" — she said — "I live in my hope, — If my hope should fail — why then should I weep? If my hope should fail I shall not know For my heart and I so sound shall we sleep." [70 LOVE SONG O'ER the waters gliding Swift my bark does go, The gentle waves swift riding, The breeze so faint and low. Soft the moonlight gleaming Silvers night and sea, — Soft the moonlight beaming And stars are calling thee. To thy lattice speeding Swift my bark does come — Where my heart is leading To thee — to thee — dear one. Where my bark is riding Thy love is 'waiting thee, — Thy heart thy footsteps guiding Ah — haste thee, love, to me. [71] Awake thee from thy dreaming, — Come, my boat does ride Where moon and stars are gleaming And call thee to my side. Eager my heart is beating, — Ah — linger not so long, Awake thee to my greeting — Awake thee to my song. Too swift the moments fleeting, Ah — linger not so late, Haste thee to our meeting — Impatient here I 'wait. Where my bark is riding Thy love is waiting thee, — Thy heart thy footsteps guiding Ah — haste thee, love, to me. [72] THE RAINBOW X COULD not linger longer In this vale of tears Did not the rainbow lure me Onward through the years ; For though the skies may lower And shadows close enfold — 'Tis said where ends the rainbow There lies a pot of gold. So ever on I struggle Toward the rainbow's ray Seeking for the truth Of that I hear them say. Though the days may weary Lengthening into years — Ever I seek the rainbow Gleaming through the tears. [73] A FANTASY ^^:;^HE lure of the golden Isle of Dreams- x S'j Who has not known its charm? In those fair enchanting scenes Who has not found sweet balm? No fortune too poor to make the flight To that golden isle, — No fortune too poor to seek the delight With which it does beguile. Sometimes by the fireside's gleam — By its ruddy glow, — Sometimes by the running stream I on that journey go. The Fancy free — Thought in tune — No ban — no barrier bars — Though I sail by sun or moon Or through the twinkling stars. [74] And when I do that journey make, Ne'er my thought may tire, For on that journey I may take With me Heart's Desire. I visit dear or distant lands That Time has e'er refused, — But quite abashed old Time there stands. With edicts all confused; And scenes I view and wondrous sights Tongue could ne'er describe — Rivalling Tales of Arabian Nights — On that flight — its ride. As a panorama spread — Or vast kaleidoscope — Varied beauties — their charm ne'er fled— The heart and mind's full scope. And as I gaze, I there may see Pleasures I have known — [75] Joys too that eluded me I there may meet and own. And perchance 'way far across the sphere, In some dear old, quaint old place, Though passing strange it seems not queer, I meet fond-remembered face. And at length in my golden Isle of Dreams I come to my castle there, — In the sunlight it glistens and gleams — My castle up there in the air. Who and what my coming 'wait By the hearthside fire Of my castle whose gleaming gate I reach with Heart's Desire? Who and what await by the fire Of my castle, to me may be known, — But only to me and to Heart's Desire; — Each one must people his own. [76] A WOMAN'S SMILE >T^ IDE o'er the world my heart did rove Vl^/ Searching the earth for treasure-trove- Seeking the pot of gold that lay Concealed where ends the rainbow's ray. Deep, deep, I delved ; of life partook Till weary feet at length forsook Their wandering— ceased to roam- Retraced their steps and turned back home. There the pot of gold concealed In a vision it was to me revealed — And I saw where its fullness of treasure lies In the unfathomed depths of a woman's eyes ;- I saw where its wealth— riches untold- Lay fast in a woman's heart and hold ;— I saw where of life — all worth while Lay — for me — in a woman's smile. [77] THE SILENCE yjVY yearning heart reaches vLJ Through the silence it may not break With thought that ever beseeches And would your heart awake — Awake unto its pleading — Awake to its hidden want, — But the silence, grim, unheeding, Stalks, a spectre gaunt. Only the echo murmurs My thought — each poignant word, — Only the echo answers My heart — its prayer unheard, — Only the echo speaking Mocks my tortured hope, As dumbly, darkly, seeking My heart must ever grope. [78] THE GIRL OF MY DREAMS ^^^::^HE girl of my dreams — I see her V ^V Ever — each day — each hour; — Ever — in w^aking — in slumber — I see her beauty's fair dower. — You ask me her picture — to paint it? Her picture — 'tis graved on my heart- Indelible, each feature is vv^rit, But tell me just w^here must I start? Her eyes — ^you ask me their color — Are they brow^n or of gray or of blue? The girl of my dreams when I see her- Her eyes are with lovelight true. Her cheek — is it fair as the lily — Or more with the damask glows? Her cheek, be it fair as the lily When I see her it tinges with rose. Her tresses — are they of ebon — Or lighter — more golden the tint? Her tresses — when I see them 179] I see but the sunlight's glint. Vivacious — it she? Or demure — more shy? Is she coy — or free from all guile? Ah — could you see but the light in her eye ; Could you see but her witching smile ! Her stature — you ask? Her inches I can tell to minutest part — The girl of my dreams — she reaches — She reaches just to my heart. And now I have painted her picture — The girl of my dreams is revealed ; — Her picture — you see it, — no feature Have I hidden or left concealed. [80] THE QUIET OF NIGHT 'OFTLY the Night hovers O'er the weary day As the sun's last lingering gleam Fades in the west away. Earth that with the daylight Spoke with busy hum — Her voice with evening shadows Grows faint —the day's work done. Softly the Night hovering Draws the earth to her breast ; Holding — enfolding, — crooning — soothing,- Night cradles the earth to rest. [81] FORGETFULNESS GHIDE not the heart that seems to live — That seems to live and forget, — See you the blood that the heart may bleed In the struggle to live — to forget? The sun that sheds its golden rays Upon the daylight hours — Sees the sun the night that falls — The midnight pall that lowers? The sun that sheds its golden rays — Its lingering gleam is brief, — Lengthening the shadows of night that creep And hold in torturing grief. Not in the gay and festive scene May the heart forget its sorrow, — But the heart in the vivid — the living throng May struggle to live the morrow. [82] HIDDEN SARING along a rough road That seemed to never end, Through ruts and rocks and brambles The way seemed but to wend. The rocks, the ruts — they bruised my feet And the brambles caught my gown, — Thought dwelt but on the milestones To reach the distant town. Sudden, amongst the briers, As if it there did hide, A flower's blooming beauty My grudging eye espied. Its fairness and its fragrance Seeming so mis-placed — It seemed that fairer setting It fitter would have graced. My hand — it reached to pluck it. And then my hand I stayed — Wondering if its fairness Were better there displayed ; If some other wayfarer, Following after me [83] With heavy step and grudging eye, Its beauty rare might see. I left it there to greet him, — But thought had lost its bent, — No longer on the milestones Was it fixed intent ; But 'mongst the rocks and brambles I sought new beauties fair ; Not always did I find them — But I found that they were there. [84] WINTER V^s^HE trees have lost their vesture, K S'J The green of summer gown — The red and gold of autumn ; — The boughs are naked brown. The meadows and the orchards Lie drear and devastate, The mountains and the marshes Show bleak and desolate. The autumn chill grown colder, Where fallen leaves lie dead — The earth — frost and snow entomb — Their hoary mantle spread. . The skies, with pall, dark, somber. With lowering clouds o'ercast. Enshroud the sun, the moon, the stars,- Their brilliance — paling — past. The lowering clouds more sinister Grow with portent's form, — Big with rain and hail and sleet They speak the gathering storm. [85] The winds — they lash the naked trees, The clouds — they loose their hold, Their torrents pour, — with gust and gale Winter's arms enfold. [86] SLEEP! LEEP! To win thy favor — _ What favor could'st thou ask That heart would not discover And willing bear its task! To woo thy arms, oh Slumber ! Forget the sordid day, The hours of night — their number Yielding to thy sway; — The frenzied thought that fills The mind with spectres gaunt, — Grief's distorted vigils, — Grim care and carping want, — Those shapes that pathways haunting Pursue the restless day, And e'en with voices taunting Upon the night they prey; — Their forms to find effacement As weary eyelids close. And in thy fond embracement The heart finds sweet repose, — To drift as on the down Of bird's soft feathered breast [87] To realm whose graven crown Bears no word but "Rest"; The world — to lose its seeming,- Life — to lose its qualms, — To lose one's self in dreaming In thy seductive arms ! Oh Sleep ! To win thy favor — What favor could'st thou ask That heart would not discover And bow unto its task ! [88] REMEMBRANCE >Y^ EMORY'S ship gathers its lading v|^ As it sails the course of the years And takes from Life of its joys and its griefs, Of its hopes and its smiles and its tears. The skipper, Time, conning his chart. Through waters deep and shoal. Enters each port and stores in the hold Values of tribute and toll. Hid away in the cargo we find Treasures that none would refuse, — That ne'er would Time nor Fond Remembrance E'er their lading lose ; — Mementos of days and hours that now May cause the tears to start, And yet we hold them guarded — treasured — Deep in the depths of the heart. [89] ^f^snK .^x/^ca^^ ■ . 015 897 213 A f