s Class __^^^^^^^ Book Copyright]^" ■'^r COPYRIGHT DEPOSm BY NELLIE SEE LYE EVANS, (Mrs. Dudi,e;y Kvans.) PRESS PRINTING ESTABI^ISHMENT,, ENGI^EWOOD, N. J., 1906. Copyright igo6, by the Author. ! LIBRARY of CONGRESS Two Copies Received APR 19 1906 Copyright Entry CLASS dj XXc. No. 9^1 ,^ n \-:f) .¥3^ ^"^ THIS BOOK IS DKDICATKD TO THE MEMORY OF /!D^ Son, RAWIvKY DUDIvBY BVANS. (Died April i6, 1905). TABLE OF CONTENTS. NATURE. Page Content , . 17 My Sunday Walk ....... 18 Sunrise on Mt. Rainier 20 lyove in Winter 21 My Lady Hyacinth 22 House Cleaning Time ....... 23 Spring at "Brooklawn" 24 Canon of the Little Big Horn 25 The Mushroom 26 Sweetheart 27 Summer 28 Spring 29 Rose in a Glass ........ 30 A Sunset 31 Trifles 33 Oregon Pine ......... 34 Spring in Town ........ 35 Titania Regina ........ 36 The Wind 37 Circumstance ......... 38 Companions ......... 39 viii CONTENTS, Page Roses on a Birthday 40 Portland Heights Revisited 41 The Warbler in a Summer Shower .... 42 In Autumn ......... 43 Neighbors ......... 44 Mt. Hood 45 On a Picture of the Berkeley Oaks .... 46 Arizona Cactus ........ 47 Aurora Borealis ........ 48 CHILDHOOD. At Dawn .......... 5^ Burney Boy ......... 52 Ivittle Sweetheart 53 To My Boy 54 The House of Childhood -55 Ruth 56 To a Child, Two Years Old 57 Motherhood 58 A City Item > • • • 59 To a Child of Three 60 Enthroned 61 Christmas in the Tenements ..... 62 LIFE. The Poet 65 At "The Bells," in the White Mountains ... 66 CONTENTS. ix Page Love 70 Emily Dickinson 71- Riches 'ji A Portrait 73 Her Voice ......... 74 Discovery ......... 75 Glory 76 Character ......... 77 The Teacher . 78 The Oregon Pioneer 79 Happiness 80 Gossip 81 Telegram Sent for a Golden Wedding .... 82 The Grey Sea-gull ....... 83 Ambition 85 Luther Burbank ........ 86 Ella Higginson 87 The Egoist 88 A Silver Wedding Day 90 Hate 91 Alter Ego 92 Habit 93 To My Father 94 The Reformer 95 Care 96 Life 97 To Mother 98 X CONTENTS. Page Admiral Sampson 99 Convalescence . . . . . . • . . loo Change loi DEATH AND GRIEF. In Memoriam 105 The Dead Poet 107 On My Birthday 109 The Conqueror no Heaven .......... in Friendship Lost . . . . . . . . 112 Memorial Day . . . 113 Retrospect 114 Prelude to " Tristan and Isolde" 115 " The Crystal Coast" Il6 At a Church Door 117 The Unbidden Guest 118 Her Grave 119 A Faded Flower from Shelley's Grave . . . 120 Escaped 121 Immortality 122 Grasses from Keats' Grave ...... 123 Guido Reni's " Ecce Homo" 124 Recompense . . . . . . . . . 125 Anton Seidl 126 The Fault ......... 127 The Kiss 128 CONTENTS. xi Page TTie Grave of Helen Hunt Jackson .... 129 Equality ......... 130 The Dead Pauper . . joj On the Shore 1^2 Evolution T-,^ The Color Bearer .... ti* Under Oregon Pines 135 Mater Patriae . . . . • . . . . 136 The First Wound 138 Christ the Consoler 139 POEMS OF OCCASION. The Return 143 Unveiling of the R. E. Lee Statue .... 146 The Loyal Rebel I4y In Meridian ......... 148 A Class Poem 1^3 Song 155 MISCELLANEOUS. " Alis Volat Propriis" i^g "Scherzo" jgo Autumn on the Monongahela 161 Lines on a Cameo Brooch ...... 162 Wordsworth ••....... 163 J. F. Millet 164 xii CONTENTS. Page Venus de Milo ....;... 165 A Mexican Shrine 166 Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac . . . . . 167 Wagner's Siegfried 168 Art 169 Dresden China ........ 170^ To an Automobile 171 With a Cup and Saucer ...... 172 For a Scrap-book 173. California Oranges ....... 174 Questioning 175 The Roses' Farewell . 17S NATURE. WEST AND EAST. DENE A TH the fragrant deep-fringed pine I waited long^ O Muse of mine I Thy light wing touched the bought and then^ Swift as a bird had flown again. Here on these older shores I find The foot-prints thou hast left behind. All but the rapture of the chase Lost, with thy dream-haunting face ! NATURE CONTENT. T ITTI,E I ask, a day in June, And then, perhaps — a rose. An hour with the crescent moon, That joy the thrush bestows. Too rich are they who ask for more, No lordly hunger know, Who would the Summer's warmth devour. And ostracize the snow. Frost has a beauty dew's denied, And windy days a charm, The abstinence that Nature shows. To keep her realm from harm. Evglewood^ N,J., i8g6. i8 POEMS. MY SUNDAY WALK. n^HE hillside pathway beckons me, It leads me up and on Where walls of blue pellucid air Shut out dull noise and gloomy care, Fair heights to dwell upon. The purple Brodia welcomes me Empress of wayside fields, No jewelled monarch can outvie The sheen of her imperial dye, Such tincture April yields. No leaflet falls, no flower departs But I can feel it go; The fellowship our spirits own Within the wide mysterious zone Of nature here below. The bee upon his punctual round Nods gravely as I pass, Older than Nineveh the mound The ants are building on the ground Under the sun-dried grass POEMS, 19, Question of questions : Who is wise ? What spins the morning dew ? Who taught the tree to seek the stream ? Who laid the rainbow's crystal beam? What paints the iris blue ? From good earth-mother's larger store I ask no great bequest, — The homely friendship of the pine The brotherhood of birds is mine, Such gifts as these are best. San Rajael^ California, ic/02. ^o POEMS. SUNRISE ON MT. RAINIER. T SAW a new Apocalypse ! The Seraphim, the Sea Of pearl and fire mingled, The gates of God, — while He In awful splendor waited For morning to unfold. Be lifted, O my trembling soul ! Be wise, be pure, be bold ! JEnglewood, N. J. POEMS. 21 LOVE IN WINTER. "rjKCEMBKR is not bleak to me, There's bud and bloom on every tree; And lo ! beyond these wintry skies The dearer April of her eyes ! Englewood, N. /. 12 POEMS. MY LADY HYACINTH. Tars of purple, pearl, and blue. Quick she fills with iiectared dew; All the odors Summer knows On cold April she bestows. I^ifeless though the garden be, Here she holds a quaint levee; Lords and ladies, courtiers gay. Nodding plumes in rich array. Now within my quiet room, Tw^o in royal colors bloom, Sent by neighbor kind and wise, Prophecy of Paradise ! Englewoody N,J.^ iSgg, POEMS. 23 HOUSE CLEANING TIME. "Duckets — mother-of-pearl — March has filled to the brim, To drench the hills, and scour Roof and steeple trim. Pert April follows after, To sprinkle dusty corners, And hang new tassels on the trees For happy owners. Then comes a day in May, When our good neighbor Sun Piles his brooms in amber heaps, House cleaning is done. While from blue garrets of the sky The swallows swarm again; And Summer days begin for me Their old delicious pain. Omaha ^ I^ebraska, i8go. 24 POEMS. SPRING AT •• BROOKLAWN." Tn whispering groups the elms foretell The secrets of the spring ; The brook betrays no confidence For all its murmuring. And, shy as maid in bridal white, The dogwood greets the day, Her brown boughs bearing tenderly The harmless snows of May. " And this is mine," good neighbor says, " Sweet lawn, and brook, and tree ; " But nature smiles at title deeds And gives it all to me. Englewood^ N. J. POEMS. 25 CANON OF THE LITTLE BIG HORN. P^ SENSE of space, a forest-calm, A lifting of the heart, a balm That cities know not. Here the sky In clear pellucid blue can vie With ocean's deep transparency. Here in dark pools the silver trout Like living opals dream and float, The hunter knows the wooded trail. The stream he loves sings through its veil Of water, green and blue, and gold. The song that poets knew of old; Night with its stars above his tent Sends him sweet dreams, and high content, A brother of the birds is he. And boon companion to a tree. Here Nature lays her cool white hand On aching brows; a mighty land Where life in larger terms is writ, Not bound by narrow city wit. But free, and high, as peaks that rise Snow-fed, star-led, to the skies ! San Francisco^ 1902, 26 POEMS. THE MUSHROOM. -^ENT that no warrior shelters, Fiercer than the bee: — A nocturnal encampment Known to the birds and me. I feel a quick compunction That any should assail The good name of this visitant And talk of poison pale. There is a yellow bandit, An outlaw without shame, He is assassination, And bears a traitor's name; But this white satin fellow, In the pink pleated vest Is courtier of meadows — Titania's chosen sruest. Englewood, N. J. , j8 POEMS. 27 SWEETHEART. (To be set to music.) 'T^HE birds fly over the daisies and clover Just so high as my heart, Just so high as my heart, Sweetheart, Just so high as my heart. The June rose faints in her own perfume The lilies tall are in snowy bloom Just so high as my heart. Sweetheart, Just so high as my heart. October's wind is at the door, Lily and rose shall bloom no more. Just so high as my heart, Sweetheart, But thou shalt live forevermore, Deep in my heart. Sweetheart, Deep in my heart. Englewood^ N.J., 1893, 28 POEMS. SUMMER. 'pHK pollen on a bee's wing, His hum against the pane, Are hints that Summer thinks of us, Would woo us back again To old beliefs we had in dawns, In sunsets, and in dew, — Before this hurry blotted out The primal me and you. EngUwood^ N. J. , jB%. POEMS. 29 SPRING. 'T^HE lawn's green silk is softly drawn About the garden beds, Pinned here and there with daisy disks, And dandelion's heads. O ! I would be a thing with wings Forgotten or despised ! If only I might fly an hour Under these warm Spring skies ! Portland^ Oregon. 30 PO EMS. ROSE IN A GLASS. ^HiS flower fading all too soon, Ivcaves a presence in the room^ Dearer than its earlier bloom ! Englewood^ N. J. , 1897. POEMS. 31 A SUNSET. A CROSS a sea of splendor An emerald ship sailed fast, Upon her deck an elfin crew, A star tipped every mast. Beside her were five golden swan Whose wings outsped the breeze. And deep beneath that magic sea, Red grew the coral trees. Rare finny creatures of strange hues, And shapes of awesome mien, Disported in the purple depths Of ocean's sunless stream. IvO ! in a breath all passed away, And on the ashy sk}^ A shield of burnished copper hung^ Kmbossed with heraldry. A city like fair Troy there seemed, Guarded by warriors bold, And tall Achilles in his tent With Agamemnon old. 32 POEMS. Blood-red the shield became, as if The thought of that old strife Had crimsoned all the heavens in scorn Of this tame modern life. Dusk came, the scarlet faded out Behind the Autumn trees, And life seemed larger that the soul Had glimpse of scenes like these. Englewoody N. y. , 1905. POEMS. 33 TRIFLES. ^HAT velvet look a dog bestows, More^ exquisite than speech, The passion of his sad brute heart For something out of reach: The red upon a robin's breast, When March is dull and grey, That curve the wheeling swallow makes Against the blue of May: The purple hint that evening throws Across the darkening sky: — To me have meaning and impart Almost a sympathy. Englewood, N,J., iSg6. 34 POEMS, OREGON PINE. "VT7H0 boasts of palm, the tropics crown, Has never seen the pine step down The mountain side in kingly ease, Our "Coeur de lyion" warrior of trees. The caiion streams white banners fling From peak to peak, the fountains sing, In widening curve the eagle sweeps His dusky wing, and sentry keeps Upon the heights where burns a star, The pine-king's oriflamme of war ! Portland^ Oregon. POEMS. 35 SPRING IN TOWN. ATThkn Edith crosses Union Square, The sullen fountain leaps in air And rings of crimson bloom declare 'Tis tulip time. The sky is blue, tlie birds are here, And in the fount her image clear Reflects the gladness of the year In tulip time. Sweet as the violets on her breast Her maiden thoughts, and half-confessed The secret that the Spring has blessed In tulip time. Upon a bench I muse and sigh. And see ray own youth passing by. But thank her for the fantasy In tulip time. Englewood N. J. 36 POEMS TITANIA REGINA. TTThen the foxglove ties her door, With a spider's thread, When the thistle's mimic fleet Snowy sail has spread; When the droning beetle nods Saying sylvan mass, When the frost elves softly weave I^aces on the grass, Time for sighs and sweet farewell, "Fays ! ring Summer's parting knell ! " Portland^ Oregon. POEMS. 37 THE WIND. t;;^ragiIvE: fingers on the pane, Tap, and flit, and tap again: Off to whirl the weather-cock, Hide in chimney, rattle lock. Sift the snow and weave the hail To a fleecy bridal veil, Whispers he in lover's ear, Laughs at childhood's mimic fear Beggar, fugitive, and king, Mother Nature's changeling. Englewood, N. J, 38 POEMS CIRCUMSTANCE. 'T^His lawn with dew upon Is small to thee, To sparrow, worm and home. His all, — eternity. Englezvood, A\j. POEMS. 39 COMPANIONS. TTThen hills are green and the earth repeats The old, old charm of June, We saunter forth, my dog and I, To bathe in the blaze of noon. His wistful air, his questioning look. That woo an answering glance, Too eloquent of spirit are To be the sport of chance. In some far mystic age he learned That silence was his part, And loyal to an unknown god Still trusts his master's heart. Englewood, N.J., igoo. 40 POEMS. ROSES ON A BIRTHDAY. i( ^EMPUS fugit ! " Alas ! it must Take life with it. There's no Trust Big enough to corner Youth, Buy the years, or hide the truth. Only birthday gift to-day Were your roses, and they say, "Dews of kindness cheer and shine Though the centuries decline." Englewood, N.J., i8g8. POEMS. 41 PORTLAND HEIGHTS REVISITED. gNRAPTURED, to the crest of this green hill, The traveler with thankful step returns, To view the enchanting landscape that he kept Inviolate through years that wandering earns. Homesick for this beauty, he beheld Cities and palaces with absent eye, How paled Venetia's sunset 'gainst the hue Of Hood encrimsoned on the evening sky, And fair St. Helen in her cloak of pearl, Sentry and guardian of rivers twain He saw her beauty through a mist of tears Amid the glories of Himalaya's chain. So fair is home, so dear the accustomed round Of wood and field, of roof and orchard green, Wallamet keeps her secret as of old But murmurs benedictions in her dream. Englewood^ N. J. 42 POEMS AM THE WARBLER ^e-M* A SUMMER SHOWER. TDhii^osopher of Summer and of sun, Indifferent he views the darkening cloud, With eye inquisitive he searches me Nor fears the lightning proud. Fain must he wonder Nature took No pains to teach me secrets of the tree, Poor coward I of sheltered roof and nook, Poorer by far than he. When the first raindrops sparkle on his wing He flits from view to warn the cherished nest, His liquid note a sudden joy imparts To my sad human breast. Englewood, N. J. , igoi. PO EBTS. 43 IN AUTUMN. (From the French of Paul Verlaine.) T^ioi^iNS of Autumn sobbing Deep and lone, Pierced my heart is with their throbbing Monotone. Fierce and quick the breath, and choking, When at last Sounds the hour, and I recall The happy past. With the truant wind that brought me I must go, Hither, thither, as this dead leaf Whirls below. Englewood, JV.J., 1898. 44 POEMS. NEIGHBORS. TTE neighbor is, whose voice I kiiow> The thrush in yonder tree, — The sparrows on my window ledge, A cordial company. He neighbor is, whose heart is true, The squirrel with his store, Kconomy is poetry Within that mossy door. Ah ! Brummel-bluejay, may I take That bow to mean a friend ? And, since you are in uniform — My garden to defend ? Englewood, N. /. POEMS. 45 MT. HOOD. A MIGHTY form in awiul calm, With cloak of gleaming snows Like outspread wing of seraphim Whose errand no man knows. Crowned with a nimbus by each morn That tints the eastern sky, Or veiled in amethystine mists Of night and mystery. Afar withdrawn from lower plane Where frets this fevered life, A silence for our clamor loud And calmness for our strife. E'en on the common highway mid Its toil and din and care, How oft we lift the eyes and heart To greet thee shining there ! The child, the sage, the poet, each Thy presence doth inspire, And silently the spell is wrought That draws our spirits higher ! Portland^ Oregon, 1882. 46 POEMS. ON A PICTURE OF THE BERKELEY OAKS. 'T^His shaded path I never knew, These boughs ne'er waved for me, Yet in some fairyland of dreams, I knew each separate tree. And worshipped 'neath their Druid arms, Beside an ancient sea. Eiiglezvond, N.J., 1904. POEMS. 47 ARIZONA CACTUS. TT There pale mirages shift and fade, Across the desert's shadeless waste, Doomed like prisoners they stand. Rank on rank in shape grotesque. Here a twisted club uplifted Fitted for a Titan's hand, There a dial finger marking The burning hours on the sand. Through the torrid da3-s in silence Pulses white the quivering air, Dream they not of streams that rush Through dewy meadows greenly fair? Creatures of some fell enchantment Such as haunt a goblin tale. Spectral when the moon is furling Overhead her crescent sail. Nature's outcast children these, Naked, fled to desert land, Ishmaelites, and thus forever Springs a sword within their hand. Portland^ Oregon^ 18S7. 48 POEMS. AURORA BOREALIS. 'T^HERK is a flower of climate rare, That never bloomed for me, I searched the wood, I searched the moor, I robbed the emerald sea. Alone upon an icy coast, By Arctic's hem it grows, Its beauty is intoxicant To those who brave the snows. But when the Bear shines clear and high I dream of Polar night. Wherein this wondrous flower blooms In sheaves of rainbow light. Englewood, N. J. igo6. CHILDHOOD. POEMS. 51 CHILDHOOD. AT DAWN. "DiRDS stir in their nest at dawn, A child's soft touch wakes me;. We mother-birds await the morn With Benedicite. Night brings all nestlings home, But mine hath flown afar; Less worthy than the robin I am mother to a star. Omaha, Nebraska, i8go. 52 POEMS. BURNEY BOY. "Y gentle child, My Burney-boy, Your eyes are soft and brown, As if you caught them from a deer, — Yet I saw none in town; And then that trusting voice, 'Tis like the thrush's note When Summer's twilight ecstacy Is trembling in his throat. My gentle child, My Burney-boy, You have a loving heart; 'Twill ache, I fear. Ah ! world, be kind. Let not the dream depart ! The vision only childhood sees, And none but angels know. These tender feet too soon must meet Sad Winter, and the snow. Englewood N. J. , igoo. POEMS. 53 LITTLE SWEETHEART. (To a Child's Picture.) 'HAT SO true as those eyes, Sweetheart ? Violets in May weather, A cloud of blue on the edge of the wood Star upon star together. What questions deep do they ask, Sweetheart ? With their gaze serene and tender ? For only of love they seem to speak, And only of love remember. That head is proudly set. Sweetheart ! To look the wide world over, A captain brave in childhood's ranks, And mother's chosen lover ! Englewood^ N.J., 1903. 54 POEMS. TO MY BOY. R. D. E. A PRiiv bloom is in his eyes, Hints of dews and showers, Shadows caught from crystal brooks, Dusky tints of flowers. All that's wild, and sweet, and free. Bird or tree or stream. — O ! for childhood's heritage The rapture and the dream ! Englewood, N.J. POEMS. 55 THE HOUSE OF CHILDHOOD. Tf I knock at the house of Childhood, Who will come to the door ? A head with curls run over ? Or beldame quaint and hoar? What voice shall say, "Come in, sir," Or answer, "Not at home," While peals of elfin laughter From roof and chimney come ? I long to lift the knocker, But timid, lest they say "We never heard of you, sir. Pray come another day." Englewood, N. /., i8g8. 56 POEMS. RUTH. ATame of quaint and ancient grace, In the Sacred Book has place; Like that other Ruth hath she Looks that breathe love's constancy. Englewood^ N. J. igo6. POEMS. 57 TO A CHILD, TWO YEARS OLD. C. E. ^HY soul's a fountain, crystal clear, With lilies set about, Where rainbow bubbles, like thy mirth. Go dancing in and out. The shadows that thy spirit knows, Are cast by seraph's wings, Thou seemestin this sunny air, The soul of happy things. Hid in the azure robe of June, We found thee, darling one, The last, the best, most perfect rose, She left beneath the sun. Portland^ Oregon^ 1884. 58 POEMS. MOTHERHOOD. Oj^HE chrism of a child's kiss, That accolade "He's mine" Were more, when angels ask my rank, Than long escutcheoned line. Englewood, N.J. POEMS. 59 A CITY ITEM. r^ REAT walls of brick that scarcely leave A strip of sky between, Which ever stays, and ever flows — The river of a dream. The crescent moon breaks the lucent edge Of her cool rim on the eaves. And a breath sweeps through that sinful place, Like the sighing of Summer leaves. 'Tis the soul of a tender poet-child Asleep in a garret there. That hallowed the stones of the city's streets To an aisle befit for prayer. And up, by the help of the stars, he climbs Till he touches the great white throne; But all we know is the printed line, "Found dead: a child: alone." Englewood, N,J., i8gj. 6o POEMS. TO A CH5LD OF THREE. S. S. E. Ol,owi,Y he learns our rough cold speech, With lisps that bubble through, Much wiser doth it seeui to me That we should learn of him and be Taught innocence anew. The angel-light still dims his eyes To sight of common things, Sweet waif from happier clime and fair, How sad that in this denser air You cannot use your wings. Portland^ Oregon, i88g. POEMS. 6i ENTHRONED. lyroTHKRHOOD is mine, What care I for crov/n, One soft linger on my cheek Is for me renown. While I rule my realm, Poets envy me. Enthroned in these tender hearts, Childhood's divinity. Portland^ Oregon^ 1884. 62 POEMS. CHRISTMAS IN THE TENEMENTS. " Unto us a Child is born." Ty/TEEKivY, before that humble door, Three veiled Kings bend low, — The stars above the city's street A path of glory show: A Caravan of dreams arrives, To bear the Babe away: So wondrous is this miracle That happens every day 1 Englewood^ N. J. LIFE. POEMS. 65 LIFE. THE POET. A N alchemist of secrets he, The Councillor of sky and sea: A purer Merlin, Mdthout stain, To charm away our grief and pain. Rnglewood, IV. /. 66 POEMS. AT "THE BELLS," IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. "C^ROM roof and eaves the bells are swung And with a quaint and Orient grace Seem mocking plain New England's sky With legends of an alien race. And hint of gay pagodas hung With tinkling bronzes; priests that bow In pagan temples, where the gods Sit high in state with frowning brow. (Strange paradox for village folk, Here where the hills come sloping down With granite step, and look austere To the long street of Bethlehem town.) No image but of kindliest mien Has ever dwelt beneath "The Bells," The welcome that the traveler finds Of warmth and friendship ever tells. Thus in the household group the first Whose quiet greeting we can hear, Is she, the home's best arbiter, Our Lady-of-good-cheer. POEMS. 67 In duty's simple round she sees Life's highest purpose and design, The peaks of God are all about, Through evening mist the stars still shine. She moves among her household ways As one, who knowing sadder hours, Yet fills the autumn of her days, With fragrance of spring's early flowers.. And he, the Man-of-books who deep Has delved in lore of arts and men, Who waits beside the Well of Life To hear the Master's word again. Or, if on kindly thought intent Forgetting self, he richly gives The garnered treasures of his mind And in another's pleasure lives. Next gentle Lide in whose dark eyes Star-like there rises a sweet wit, Who catches thought upon the wing Ere duller souls have dreamed of it, — 68 POEMS And laughing Helen, in whose sky Sunshine and shower commingled meet, Who challenges the Summer hours And follows them with flying feet. ('Twere long to tell what summer brought What gifts of light, or shade, too soon "The days of sunny stillness passed When earth seemed poised in noon. Those argosies of snowy cloud That rose and melted in the blue, What shores unchartered wrecked their course No human pilot knew ! The scarf of mist that morning wove About each purple height. And that red sword that sunset drew Across the breast of night. _Nor yet were lesser glories lost. We heard the punctual bee, With cheerful note the cricket thought To make a revelr3^ POEMS. 69 The quiet grass was meekly proud Her humble place to fill. But the first leaf that Autumn took With sadness shook the hill). Thus as a traveler who stops To deck with flowers a wayside shrine Remembering blessings he has known By virtue of the will Divine. So I this slender garland bring Of gratitude that friendship tells. And pray that happiness may rest On each and all, beneath "The Bells." Bethlehem, N. H., igoi. 70 POEMS. LOVE. "PvEAR, if remembrance make thee sad, I pray, remember not. And if forgetting make thee glad, Then would I be forgot. Englewood, N.J, POEMS. 71 EMILY DICKINSON. Ohe told the rosary of her days Each day a thought of power: A cloistered heart aflame with light; A soul that only bloomed at night, — Like some exotic flower. Englewood^ N. /., 1894- 72 POEMS. RICHES. A ivKTTER, in a lonely land, Music, breathed at memory's call,- Dreams, that are of azure planned, — Books, the last and best of all. Englewood^ N. J. , 7599. POEMS. 73 A PORTRAIT. A s one may see above the noisy street Some shrined Madonna fair, and still, andsweet;- So she life's common jangle set at rest, And all the while unconscious that she blest. Englewood N.J.,i8g8. 74 POEMS. HER VOICE. (To A. S.) T> ICH as the organ's note, or harp's deep thrill, Echo of sadness, yet of joy the friend. Telling of death, of life, and wild unrest. Of love's elysium and its bitter end. But when the song has ceased upon the air, It lingers on in memory to bless The soul that hears its messages divine, To calm, to heal, to chasten and caress. Englewood^ N.J., igo4. POEMS. 75 DISCOVERY. ■\T7e; hurry to horizons dim While here, beside the door, In some familiar countenance, — All unexplored before — Are zones of tropic beauty, shores That over-vie Peru. How short the voyage, chair to chair,- Yet perilously new ! Englewood N. J. , 1894, 76 POEMS. GLORY. A ND what is glory? vaunted of great and brave, And how remembered ? storm and struggle o'er, 'Tis but the lip of foam upon a wave, That wastes its passion on a lonely shore. Englewood^ N. J, iSgg. POEMS. 77 CHARACTER. 'ITH evening lamp between and book put by; So still we sit, — that other guest and I, — The pulse, a surging tide in ear and brain, Fills all the room with seeming hurricane. Nor dare we speak ! An unconf essed fear, A sinister meaning hidden many a year Waits its release from eyes and brow and lip: We turn aside, and smile, and bury it, Omaha, Nebraska,, i8gi. 78 POEMS. THE TEACHER. (The Rev. J. T. D.) ■\T7iSK, reasonable, true, With heaven-lifted thoughts That move to noblest utterance: But most we love the heart that warmly beats 'Gainst the heart o' the world, And feels God's strong pulse throb In unison with all. Omaha, Nebraska, i8go. POEMS. 79 THE OREGON PIONEER. TTe) held his course by steadfast stars, Through weary leagues of sand, Some vision of divine intent Beckoned from out that land. The peaks of God were holy ground, They called him and he came, To toil and die, that these might live, Nor dreamed his deed was fame. Englewood, N. J. 8o FOE MS. HAPPJNESS. OlowTvY it comes. — The pearl Hides long in Indian seas, Ere giving to the tropic air Her iridescences. Englewood, NsJ., 1893. POEMS, 8r GOSSJP. T TOivD my secret to the air Forgetting it had tongue, ^olus blew once round the world, His messages the flags unfurled, They told it to the drum. The drum the citadel informed. And what was meant for me, Was heard in dusty Sarmacand And by the Yellow Sea. Englewood^ N. J. , iSgj. 82 POEMS. TELEGRAM SENT FOR A GOLDEN WEDDING. "jVyTAY future years their golden harvests bring Till love shall blossom in immortal Spring. San Rafael, California, igo2. POEMS, 83 Soon after peace was proclaimed in the Philippines, a friend of the author visiting San Francisco, crossed the harbor in a steamer that was accompanied by a large flock of sea-gulls. One of these birds alighted with outspread wings upon the top of the flagstaff, forming a beautiful silhouette against the blue sky. This incident, together with the presence in the harbor of the battleship "Wisconsin," sug- gested the thoughts transcribed in this poem. THE GREY SEA-GULL. (A Fantasy.) T^ROM the Golden Gate, where the sullen guns Look out on a sunset sea, On pearl-grey wing a wild gull came And brought this word to me, " Lo ! the flags are furled, and the moaning drums Their requiems sad have sung. And peace proclaims to a waiting world The new age has begun." I looked, and there on the waters blue, A white ship rode at rest, As on a Summer lake the swan Broods calm with lucent breast. Her deep guns told of a message grim. But hushed were bugle and bell, And high on her mast shone the starry folds Of the flag I loved so well. 84 POEMS. Still the sea-gull circled, and wheeled, and curved And paused in his airy flight. And uttered the harsh and solemn cry That is born of the ocean and night. Till I spoke, and said, **0 bird, sail on, You will find no shore like ours, Or paths made sweet by Freedom's feet And glorified with flowers. "Wing your way to the wide earth's farthest rim, Where the last slave hides from sight, And bear him this message, — a nation's pledge, — * It is dawn, and there shall be light.' " Then the grey bird perched on the mast, broad-winged, Like a symbol of the free, A promise of sweet peace to come In the Isles beyond the sea. The years flow on, and the silver gulls Still watch o'er the harbor wide, And ever the stars at midnight tell Their dreams to the waiting tide. EngUwood^ N.J., igoi. POEMS. 85 AMBIT50N. TJow purple looms the distant isle Our sail will never find, While Autumn's glories at the door Are left to dust and wind. Englewood, N. J. , 1899. 86 POEMS. LUTHER BURBANK. A SiMPiyE home-spun gentleman Who needs no coat-of-arms Or patent of nobility- Won in war's brute alarms. Strong-hewn from Nature's granite he, Heir of her larger lore, Eager to turn some hidden page And con it o'er and o'er: Till in a crucial hour he finds The secret of the tree, The necromance of bud and flower The Eldorado of the bee: Father-confessor he, of birds, — Blood-brother in the clan Of grey night-moths and butterflies, — Friend of the shy god Pan. Nor has the blight of worldliness Within that heart found room ; Unconscious of his greatness. As a rose is of her_^bloom. Englewoodt N. J. , 1904. POEMS. 87 ELLA HIGGINSON. Author of " The Land of the Snow Pearls." r\^ Nature's listening heart she leans, And hears the voice of God, The while the mighty snow peaks send Their challenge all abroad. To cool green caves the glaciers call, Where drips a crystal stream; To such as she the river tells The secrets of its dream. The sunset brings her golden bales, And argosies of blue, While dawn presents the sacrament, That "maketh all things new." Englewood N../., P0E3IS THE EGOIST. TTe; built his soul a treasure house, None ever rose so fair, Before it stately fountains threw Their mimic rain in air. Lo ! far upon a shining height, His banners gleamed, their hue Of azure set with silver stars Mocked heaven's own perfect blue. High in a lordly hall he set A throne of jacinth clear, Whereon his soul might reign and sing Sweet strains that none could hear. For all alone, he lived and loved Within that peaceful place, And in the garden pools beheld His own dream-haunted face. ' No home in all the world," he said, '* Is half so blest as this. Alone, no stain shall reach my soul, Nor alter its pure bliss." POEMS. 89 But once by moonlight, as he walked The shaded coppice through, He met three shapes of Awfulness, A hateful, ghostly crew. He challenged them to mortal fight, They laughed in vilest glee. "Thou canst not hide thy soul," cried they, "Thy Sins have followed thee ! " £nglewood, N,J., 1900. 90 POEMS. A SILVER WEDDING DAY. "C^IERCE glows the furnace where the ore is tried. And pure the silver that survives the flame ; But fear thou not, One walketh at thy side, Beyond is Paradise which knows not pain. Portland^ Oregon. POEMS. 91 HATE. TTaTE is of narrow minds Never confessed, Next to mighty love it lies In gentle breasts. EngleTvood, N. J. . 1899. ^2 I OEMS. ALTER EGO. T)Y day, by night, he close beside With hint of elbow warm, He, ghostless, loveless, without shape, Keeps step, he means no harm; And yet we do not like his touch, He half suspects us, too. And at some noble moment sneers, "Impossible, ior you.^^ Englewood, N. y., 1895. POEMS. 9S HABIT. TTabiT is a cruel jailer Yet how well-beloved: Gyves he sets for foot or finger, Nevermore removed ! Englewood^ T^. /., i8gg. 94 POEMS. TO MY FATHER. A SCiNTiivi^ATiNG Spirit free To touch the stars and scan The world of men with larger view Than smaller nature% can. A buoyant mind, that brightened all Life's fortune, good, or ill, A wit that gleamed but did not wound, Or leave the heart more chill. A soul that never knew defeat, Though dark the battle be. The portrait of a chevalier, — Dear father, that was thee ! Englewood, N. J. I- OEMS. 95 THE REFORMER. "Pjaii^y his soul is to the judgment seat Dragged, scourged, and spit on; Before some little Pilate helpless stands And hears the mob without. — " Release to us Barabbas, Caesar's king ! " And Caesar means, — convention. Englewoody N.J., iSgg. 96 POEMS. CARE. r^ARE) was a faithful guest, In sober vest, And kirtle grey, She moved beside me day by day; And I begrudged the chimney's glow,- Not dreaming I could miss her so. Englewood, N, J,^ iSgg. POEMS. 97 LIFE. TTOW came ? How fled ? Viewless, unseen, As squadrons of ether That convoy a dream. Soft came, soft fled, The chrysalis swings, Wrecked is its satin whorl Empty of wings. Englewood, N. J. 98 POEMS, TO MOTHER. A s some still saint in cloistered niche Had walked the world again, Bearing the incense of sweet deeds Among the haunts of men ; So does she bless, and, canonized In calendar of home, — Finds each day holy, and low roof Fair as cathedral dome. Englewoody N. /., 1895. POEMS. 99 ADMIRAL SAMPSON. (A Portrait.) CtkadfasT his soul as Polar star, Forgetting self, and scornful of mere pose. Duty the single goal, the port afar To which the deep tide of his life all flows : Humility exalts him thus to be Splendidly simple, and most simply great. God grant us evermore upon His sea, Such Captain, and such faith inviolate I £nglewood N. /., i8g8. 100 POEMS. CONVALESCENCE. As one who battling with engulfing waves At last sights land, and sky, or the sweet stars. And feels the grasp of friendly-reaching hands, — So we from sickness, and the sea of pain Return with conscious bliss to light and love, Forgetting the dark realm that lies behind : — ' Tis then the song of birds, the stir of leaves, Have fresher meanings ; familiar faces glow Like new found worlds, long sought, and wonderful ; The commonplace has commonness no more, But all is beauty, touched with deeper hints Of that immortal love that bears us all Upon its ample bosom, as June skies Sustain their squadrons of full sailing cloud. EngUwood^ N.J., igoj. POEMS. loi CHANGE. Ohe held me close, as if an arm Could bar out Grief and Pain, Or finger push Atlantic back Into its path again. She thought she knew my soul as bird The way to parent nest, — Yet I another's heart-beat touched Asleep upon her breast ; She kissed my hand, my icy cheek, And knew that I was dead. But I/ife and I had only stepped A shadow's length ahead. Englewood, N. J. , 1894. DEATH AND GRIEF. POEMS, 105 DEATH AND GRIEF. IN MEMORIAM. RAWLEY DUDLEY EVANS, (who died April 16, 1905.) T AM proud of my dead, of my beautiful boy Who went white-souled to God, As a star breaks and falls in the sapphire night, Like arrow celestial swift winged for flight. So sank that sweet life, but not darkness or void Was its goal. Mid the radiant host of the spheres There was room for my day-star, For my youth with his glorious years. There was a look of April in his eyes, Of dewy woods, and forest's madrigal with Spring, Of all things free and sweet. That matched the growing soul And gave it sustenance. io6 POEMS. Child, in the light of common day- Did we miss thy starward way ? Did we, unaware, shut out Thy angel visitant with doubt ? Hast thou grown so far from me I can never compass thee ? Knowest thou wisdom past compare ? Wilt thou teach me lessons rare ? How celestial flowers blow, How the sandalled angels go Rank on rank with even feet On their joyous errands fleet? All and more, I fain would ask Where thy dwelling, what high task God hath set thee, for He knew How thy eager spirit grew Rich in ardor to explore Shores and worlds undreamed before. Though the burgeon of the Spring Bring us no awakening, — When the robin builds his nest On the bough above thy rest, — May thy love with memory blent Be to us a sacrament ! Englewood, IV, J., 1905. POEMS. 107 THE DEAD POET. In memory of Samuel L. Simpson, Oregon's best loved poet. ^HE fir tree spreads a shade, Her poet's host to be, But far his steps have strayed, Night is his hosteh-y. Hark ! what a troubled note, The blue-jay's sharpened cry ! ]wO, mournfully, twin eagles float Silent, across the sky. (All heedless of the day, How still the poet lies ! No tremor to betray That last, and great surprise ! ) The Cascades far uplift Peak upon peak of snow. And still the rivers drift Seaward in rhythmic flow. The rainbowed torrent sings Through the blue-tented air. All wild, beloved things Wait for his coming there. (But heedless of the day. How still the poet lies ! No tremor to betray That last, and great surprise ! ) io8 POEMS, Yet to those hearts that love, These friends of sky and tree, Time shall but dearer prove His spirit's minstrelsy. Fresh dawns will bring return Of some sweet strain he knew. Bach night some star will burn His fame upon the blue. (All heedless of the day. How still the poet lies ! No tremor to betray The soul's last, glad surprise ! > Englewood, N.J. POEMS. 109 ON MY BIRTHDAY. TJerK lies a little maid I knew in Junes gone by; To wake her I'm afraid, ' Tis like the dread to die. The question of her glance, — Should she remember me, Might an eternity reveal And resurrection be. Englewood, A'. /. 1896. no POEMS. THE CONQUEROR. 'K beat his soul against life's bars,. More cruel far than steel, So deep the scars they gave him No surgeon ere could heal: The first was Youth's belief denied. The next, the Hope that flies, And then, more piercing than them all, Love's tragic sacrifice. None saw that midnight struggle. None guess the victor now %Vhen he, a simple gentleman, Returns my morning bow. San Rafael^ California^ 1902. POEMS. Ill HEAVEN. VToT "I have triumphed," But "I'm comprehended." And service just begun, Not labor ended. Omaha ^ Nebraska^ i8gi. 112 POEMS. FRIENDSHIP LOST. T DROPPED a ruby, thinking To replenish me with pearl; But the bazaars were shut that day, Their silence echoed "Churl ! " So careless of the wealth I'd had, No merchant trusted me; Ashamed I stood before their door And envied enmity. Englewood^ N.J., 1894. POEMS. 113 MEMORIAL DAY. n^HK smallest creature in the grass A resurrection sings, New nest, new boughs, and overhead An ecstacy of wings. The hills have pitched their peaceful tents, The fields take council of the sky, On last year's graves the violet Spills her imperial dye. The winds shut lip a secret holds, The grass has known it long — Taught by the dead, so opulent Of time had they become. Portland^ Oregon, 1886, 114 POEMS, RETROSPECT. Tif cobwebbed corner yield to our surprise A toy of childhood's day, these older eyes Smile, that so slight a thing could make us glad: So we at Heaven's gate may turn and see Life as it is, — a gift for infancy. Englewood, N. J. , 1900, POEMS, TLS PRELUDE TO "TRISTAN AND ISOLDE." T17AVE on wave the music leaps; Violin, and harp, and horn, Moaning drum and wailing flute To new ecstasies are born. Then the Soul, — as some far shore Feels the shock of ocean's might, — Reels and trembles with the rush Of Ivove's deep, mysterious night. Englewood^ N. /., i8gg. Ii6 POEMS. "THE CRYSTAL COAST." '" No angel from the Crystal Coast" — "Threnody" — Emerson. •Dray not for forgetfulness ' Tis memory's sword-thrust proves we are not clods, Not earthy, but of the spirit shaped and wrought To an immortal type, This ship we steer may other harbor find Than that it sails for ; crystal shores not charted, In deeps not plummeted, — by pilots pale. Englewoody N.J., igoi. FOEMS. 117 AT A CHURCH DOOR. U X)Y Thine Agony and Bloody Sweat" Is the cry of human, Birth-throes of a soul that waits In darkness, as a woman Knows the nail-thrusts pain must give Ere another child can live. " By Thy Cross and Passion," Priest and people plead, ( Beggar in the shadow there, Answers this your need ? ) Snowy choir, lift it up, Wine-filled, like a golden cup. " Resurrection and Ascension," What is that to you ? Long the years since that Face faded In the Syrian blue? — New ascensions every morn Outcast, till thy heart is won ! Portland^ Oregon^ 1886. ii8 POEMS THE UNBIDDEN GUEST. ■/^K young life's guests we welcome all but Pain, For her no flower-strewn hearth Or smile of welcoming: Yet she — the journey ending we confess — Has taught us all we know; Was wisest counselor, and truest friend, Most helped the soul to struggle, and ascend ! Englewoody N.J.^igoo. POEMS, 119 HER GRAVE. TTZhkrE thrush and robin dip a dewy wing, And greet the emerald of recurring Spring, Let no harsh note, or discord, break the blest And brooding calm that hovers o'er her rest. Grow softly grass, and tender wind-flower too, So gentle was her life, so sweetly true To think of her without love were to say "June has no rose ; there are no buds in May : " Love was the effluence of her spirit fine That walked in peace, leaning on Love Divine. Englewood N. J. I20 POEMS. A FADED FLOWER FROM SHELLEY'S GRAVE. "DK too imperial to forget, Be purple at that name, O violet ! Englewood, N. J. , 1894. POEMS. 121 ESCAPED ! ^hkre; may have been the sound of wheels That hour she went away ; — ' Twas whispered that she met a sail Ready upon the bay. No keel I saw, nor any steed, Or service of a guide ; Only a purple cloud ajar — The morning that she died ! Omaha, Nebraska, 1890. 122 POEMS. JMMORTALITY. TT7HO questions ? Not the crocus. Denies? Not beast or bird. Blind to that star within us. We stumble at the word. JEnglewood, N. J. igoo. POEMS. 123 GRASSES FROM KEATS' GRAVE. "Dressed in a letter, sent o'er sea To make New England,— Italy. Englewoody N. /., iSgj. 124 POEMS, GUIDO RENTS " ECCE HOMO.'' ^HE suffering Christ too oft we see Blood on that brow makes all eyes dim, Spear point in side, death's augury, Prints on the soul the human note in Him. Not pierced hands, but strong from blessed toil To lift the dead or bless a Magdalene, Were His. Our holiest prayers we spoil With foolish tears that blur that face serene, " If not the poor, the hungry, blind, ye bless. Cheap are your Litanies," we hear Him say, " Burn shrine and crucif^ to ash, no less The heart that loves. My temple is alway." Portland, Oregon, 1887. POEMS. 125 RECOMPENSE. '^HOUGH Pain hath its own triumph wrought, Calvary, at Bmmaus, is forgot ! jEnglewood, N, J. , it 126 POEMS, ANTON SEIDL. Oo simple, it were strange to call him proud, So proud, with artist's high simplicity, That each was blended in the richer whole ; He nothing asked for self but all for art. Music his deity, his shrine and goal. What nights were those we watched his poet face Glow with rapt mastery, while mounting waves Of glorious sound swept all life's dross away ! Far to enchanted shores he led the soul With " Tristan and Isolde," through deep woods We heard the blithesome " Siegfried " wind his horn. And all the joy of youth was in the strain. O ! hours benignant that cannot return ! O ! master-hand that touched with witchery ! All chords, all harmonies, and all dissonance. Where soars thy spirit now ? Englewood, N. /., 1905. POEMS, tir THE FAULT. TT7HEN you reach Heaven And miss me there, Ask not the blessed Why I chose despair. One look of scorn from you Deeper would burn, Than all life's scars Through eternity worn. Love is not gladness, Not triumph, not goal, ' Tis self's last surrender^ A crucified soul ! Englewood^ N. J. , igo4. 128 POEMS, THE KISS. TTands clasped and eyes entreating, To looks that spoke again, With continents between us, Of lyove and Pain. Sacred renunciation, The last this side the grave. Our lips divinest meeting, The kiss we never gave ! Englewood, N. J,, igo6. POEMS. 129 THE GRAVE OF HELEN HUNT JACKSON Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado. r\ I HAPPY poet, here to lie at rest, No queen more nobly tombed. For guard, the lightning's lance, For requiem, the sobbing of innumerable pines. Stars softly gleam above, the winds breathe low, And e'en the timid creatures of the wood Hush their soft footfall in that hallowed place. Manitou, Colorado, i8go. 130 POEMS. EQUALITY. "OKAVEN is homelike, we are told. To beggars as to kings ; And resurrection is a fashion Antedating wings. Englewood, N. J. , igo^. POEMS. , 131 THE DEAD PAUPER. T /"Kii. it from curious gaze, That wan face new in death, Shall naked soul have less respect Than living body kept ? Under those waxen lids What look of scorn. For all your pity spent On what's outworn/ To mend the threadbare dress Eternity she hath ; To rest those illshod feet A grassy path. We have no time to lose, Her soul is set Ahead in that great race^ Where God is met. Omaha., Nebraska, i8gi. T32 POEMS. ON THE SHORE. ^IME ebbs, but Grief abides — Grim flotsam of Life's tides. Englewood, JV.J., j8g8. POEMS. I3S EVOLUTION. T^OR aeons lay the earth in darkest night, Fierce waged the wars between Races and tribes of hairy, brutish men Ruled by their gods obscene. Slowly as water-lilies pierce the ooze, Some rare souls struggled higher ; Oft trampled neath feet of blinded men, Oft bound on funeral pyre. Until on Gallilean hills there walked A Youth whose spirit's cup Was like a crystal, clear and marvelous, Which God with Love filled up. Long had He waited, sought and sorrowed long, A Son to find among the sons of men ; The Christ, obedient, still renew-s the quest, Bestowing life, as then. Englezvood, N. J. 1904. £34 POEMS THE COLOR BEARER. n^HE cannon had ceased to resound, The battle-smoke cleared for a space, A light from the old flag above him Transfigured his powder-grimed face. The oldest and bravest shrank back From the desperate charge that was given, While he rushed on the shot-smitten wall And planted his colors,— in Heaven. Omaha, Nebraska, i88g. POEMS. 135 UNDER OREGON PINES. n^HE soul of the trees is mine, I feel each leaf and stem Stir with the pulse earth-mother gives To oak and elm. But best loved thou, O Pine, Whose quickening breath Pungent and wild is to my sense. And sweet in death ! Here in thy shade — I ask no holier place,— To lie with folded hands, And peaceful face. No stone or marble cold To shadow me, Hushed, guarded, sentried, And by thee ! Englewood, N. J. , 1894. 136 POEMS. MATER PATRIAE. (Decoration Day.) Suggested by reading the Supreme Court's decision in the Phil- ippine case, May 2Qth and 30th, 1901. TTpon her arm, ere day begun, Fresh garlands had Columbia hung ; Her footsteps slow and yet elate, To honor those who served the State, And chrism of her tears to lend The unknown dead who claim no friend. Yet sad her look, and that sweet brow Darkened with troubled thought, that now Not the proud drum or martial strain Could change to starry calm again. ** And must my dream of peace be lost, And war with its dread holocaust Forever reign, and can there be No truce but blood, from sea to sea ? Shall new-fledged custom be so strong That right shall be the slave of wrong. And young lives learn to bend the knee To power and lust, forgetting Thee ? — God of the dear, the noble dead Who for their countr}'^ died and bled. Sacred Republic ! holiest shrine POEMS. 137 That freedom kept, what hope was thine ? — To sweeten labor's hard-earned day, To wipe the sad slave's tear away, To walk majestic among men When kings did humbly kneel. Lo ! then The times were fair for love and truth, We wrought for God, not land, forsooth ; Dull wealth ruled none in camp or home, * Union ' the watchword, and dark Rome A spectre shunned, (not praised, held high — As if our eagle low might fly As hers, and dip its wings in gore To make one bloody Caesar more.) " Columbia paused, then lifting high Her fearless forehead to the sky, Adjured the dead : '* Shades of a mighty past renew Our faltering faith ; may the red dew That bathed our battle-fields be sign Injustice dies, but freedom divine Lives ever ! " Majestic thus she turned to see The white dawn's silent "reveille," Then, softly scattered vine and rose To mark the soldier's last repose. Englewood, N.J. 138 POEMS. THE FIRST WOUMD. 'T^HF, day my heart began to bleed I saw the red drops come, I saw the sword that made the wound, Its hilt with rubies shone ; And on the blade so cruel keen This legend I could spell, In crimson hieroglyphics — " From one who loves you well." Englewood, N. J. POEMS. 139 CHRIST THE CONSOLER. ''T^HE Christ I know no priesthood has, No altar and no alms, He has no hour for liturgies, Or incense breathing psalms. There are so many broken hearts, So much despair and sin, So many weary little ones That He must gather in. And dry their tears, and on his breast Hush them at length to sleep. The Christ I know a brother is To those who work and weep. Omaha ^ Nebraska^ i8gi. POEMS OF OCCASION. POEMS. 143 POEMS OF OCCASION, THE RETURN. In memory of Soldiers of the 2nd Oregon, U. S. Volunteer Regi- ment, who fell in the Philippines, Col. O, O. Summers^commanding. For the strong of soul ; Toll; In crowded ranks, who gave The inspiring shout Of Liberty, from youth's full throat. Contented death to dare, That they might share The *'Well done" Santiago heard, When the world's deep heart stirred. Toll, For the pure of soul ; Toll; The fair head, and the boyish look, That War's black wave o'ertook. Ere grief had touched the untroubled blue Of childhood's wondering gaze. 144 POEMS, Toll, For the strong of soul, Toll, A mother sees beyond the wave, Isidro's palms above his grave ; She hears "reveille" call. But not for him, her darling : Orient day grows cold, though steeped in light, And all its torrid beauty fades in night. Toll, For the proud of soul ; The Virgin State That welcomes late. These sons of iron make ; Here on her lilied breast pressed down, They sleep, and dream not of renown. Nor of these garlands, pine and rose, — Emblems of beauty and repose, — We weave to scatter o'er their rest. Who honored duty's stainless crest. Rejoice, O State of ours ! Spring's earliest flowers Speak from the dust : Be pure, be just ! To larger hopes our hearts are true, POEMS. 145 We seek the task that God will do, In the grim path where honor led The feet of our beloved dead. Englewood^ JV. /. rgoo. 146 POEMS. UNVEILING OF THE R. E. LEE STATUE. May 29, 1890, at Richmond, Virginia. T TiRGiNiA sends her greeting out, With the first morning gun, Tiber and Thames shall know to-day She welcomes home a son. Proudly, the fair-hilled city waits The glories of the May, The triumph of her Captain true, The wearing of the gray. Immortal Knighthood wrought in bronze ! As love is ever more than fame, So thrills in every Southern heart The epic of thy name ! Not North or South thy worth shall claim Along the lengthening years, America, in that new birth. Shall garland thee (with tears) . Omaha, Nebraska, i8go. POEMS. 147 THE LOYAL REBEL. Read at a banquet in Baltimore given by the Society of Army and Navy of the Confederate States, on the birthday of Ger.eral R. E. Lee, Jan. 29, 1891. TTuSHKD is the hurrying tread of his trembling charger, The dread boom of the gun, Quiet the meadow, the stream slips along like a dream thing,. Soldier, well done. Here at the wheel, in the mart, by the forge-fire. Duty he follows as well As when with war's fiery cataract o'er him He faced death and hell. Honor he still loves, his country's the shrine of his best hope,, The pride of his years. The Old South, enshrined in his soul as one dead is Made sacred by tears. Ye O ! his children, inheriting peace of the new day,, Hopeful and strong. Forget not the chrism your happy brows are bedewed with Was agony-wrung I Omaha^ Nebraska^ 1891. 148 POEMS. IN MERIDIAN. Written for the celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding of St. Helen's Hall, Portland, Oregon. TT7HO gives a well, who plants a palm, The Arab's three-fold blessing hears. Shall hearts less grateful here forget The Life that wrought through changing years, To build this house, to keep its fount Of life unsullied as the snow That lifts on far St. Helen's crest An everlasting stainless brow ? JRather like Bedouins we return And tent in this familiar shade, Drink from the spirit's crystal pool, ]Renew old friendships undismayed, iRemembering those sweet voiced ones Who led us on in storm and shine, Finding in sea shell, as in star. Some hint as of a plan divine. The SchooIv. :How oft, as travelers, met to rest In some oasis green and fair. We saw the past in beauty rise, A mirage on the painted air. FOEMS. 149 No caravan from farthest Ind But halted at our fountain's rim, The camels bearing loads of spice, Or Persian stuffs, of color dim And weave mysterious, as the text Of some old palimpsest. — As slow These ancient treasures were unrolled. We saw the veils like wreaths of snow, And amber anklets rich in hue, — Great shawls with leafy broideries thick, A peacock fan of irised blue. Here, amulets of jade and pearl. Henna, for lips and fingers fair, Rare chains of silver and of gold. That might have shone in Saadi's hair. Or, hid in secret bales of silk. We chanced upon a naked blade, A jeweled yataghan, with device ♦♦ For good Al Raschid was I made," Or double-edged sword that bent Like osier on the thumb, and bore A text from Koran in the hilt " Allah is Allah, evermore." And bags of uncut jewels, smooth With touch of many dusky hands. Here ivories old, and jacinth carved In subtle skill of far off lands. f5o POEMS. The enchanted carpet, too, was there, A common rug to foolish eyes, And in a box of sandal wood The apple — Venus' prize. The fleece of gold, and Dian's bow, Aladdin's lamp, his magic ring, Fatima's slippers, and the seal Of Solomon — the king. From Bagdad and from Agra, too, Daily there passed a lordly train, Heavy with spoils of far Cathay Sent by the Sultan Suleiman. And still the days went peaceful on. And still we read beside the palm Of Ilion's woe, Ulysses' quest, The Lotus Eaters' isle of calm. And all the wonders of the Taj, With moonstone and lazuli drest, — The Shrine of Mecca, and the pool That Mahomet had blessed. With songs of chivalry and war, And ancient paladins of France, The Red Cross banner gleaming high. Stout-hearted Godfrey in advance. Sometimes, with Chaucer ambled on To Canterbury, in the train POEMS. 151 Of that good "companie" and true To hear their tales again. And thus till dusk and night came on When Hesper and Orion rose, The Pleiads' starry helm aglow, Or stormy Leo in repose. And that pale Star that truest points To pole of duty, — unafraid, Though all the hosts of heaven wheel And flash their glory. Next the Maid, The Virgin with the streaming hair. Her garments gleaming through the night. And surly Canis, watcher keen ; The Hunter, lingering on his height. So like familiar friends they call, Our answer follows from afar, *In some good morrow we shall meet, And know your secrets, what they are. Then clasping hands, like children wait The vision wisdom has in store. The prophecy the Master gave, His reign of love forevermore." Now, as in thoughtful mood we turn Toward each other, and in part 152 POEMS, Read o'er the list that memory keeps In secret chambers of the heart ; Some names are writ in gold, and some In tears, but none are quite forgot : Like flowers pressed in book of verse A lingering fragrance they impart, That mingling with the common air, A benediction seems to bring, Faint promise of the larger hope, The breath of a diviner Spring. Engltwood^ N.J., 1894. POEMS, 153 A CLASS POEM. Proi^ogue. n^HE Muses Nine, in groups of three, Sat sipping nectar for their tea. All happy and in joyous mood Save one, — a pretty frown did brood O'er her white forehead. Cried the Eight, " Why so distressed, what heavy weight Of care oppresses. Maid divine ? Hath some new poet begged a line? Or, seeing pity in thy face. In our charmed circle claimed a place ? " She answered slow, when thus adjured. Vexation in her every word, " Much worse, a class poem must be writ. The poet begs me furnish it. ( Not like to him who rang the chime Of fifty years in perfect time, And gave to mortals, as to us, A song that age nor wear can rust.) This being wants a theme, at least That shall not threadbare be, a piece, Not long or short, in nicest rhyme, — And wishes it sent in on time. 154 POEMS. But, oh, dear me ! what can be worse. Than tinkering at such wretched verse, I'll tell her she's ao-oose, and see What inspiration that will be." FivYixG South. How often sounds as day yields up Her spirit to the night The hoarse and changeful clangor Of the wild geese in their flight. A magic arrow in midair They form with beating wing, A strange and melancholy chant Floats earthward as they sing. Tired pilgrims of the upper blue, What shrine seek ye so far ? Is there indeed a land of rest Beyond the evening star ? My thought a bird of passage is And follows where they've flown. Is there a single human soul But seeks some brighter zone ? Portland, Oregon, 1881. POEMS. 155 SONG. For dedication of the new St. Helen's Hall, Portland, Oregon. TTKRE in virgin soil be planted Tree of life with generous shade, Like the banyan, wide, out-spreading. With new needs, new roots be made. Here, by mighty hills encircled, Raise a shrine for holy thought. And may knowledge consecrated To the highest aims be sought. Science, with its magic vision Making common things divine. Here shall read earth's fair evangel,— Flowers that bloom and stars that shine. Here, where flow majestic rivers From their fountains to the sea. Art shall feel a new upspringing Full of richest prophecy. Song shall lend its own enchantment, Music here an altar find. And the best thought of the ages Nobly speak from mind to mind. 156 POEMS. What is truest wisdom, teach us, Oh ! Thou Light and Life of men Be our tasks or great, or simple, Childlike may we follow them. EngUwood, N.J., 1890. MISCELLANEOUS. POEMS. 159 MISCELLANEOUS, *"ALIS VOLAT PROPRMS." Motto of the State of Oregon,—" She flies with her own wings." TTER eyes are like the eagle's When they look upon the sun, Her breast is mirrored in the streams That feed this mighty one ; Her feet are swift to scale the cliff, And climb the mountain pass, But most they linger where the plough Turns back the dewy grass : Her white wings spread in every gale That blows the wide earth round, Her mission is to feed the world, What nobler could be found ! Onward and upward be thy flight, O ! strong young state of ours ! Freedom attend thee, and sweet peace^ With all the heavenly powers ! Portland^ Oregon, 1887. i6o POEMS, "SCHERZO." ' npiS daintiest of measures, Between a smile and sigh, A gossamer of sound that yields A subtle alchemy. The sparkle of a fountain, The beat of Summer rain, The murmured tune of Autumn brooks; A bliss that's almost pain. It tricks, deludes, and teases, Haunts like a gypsy dance, Or crisply paces like some dame In courts of olden France. Of all the magic measures That music gave to earth, '• Scherzo, '^ thou art the dearest, Sprite born of love and mirth ! Englewood, N, y„ 1903. POEMS. j6i AUTUMN ON THE MONONGAHELA. TTastk not, O ! emerald river to the sea, Still hold thy mirror to the crimson woods, The cool green curve of hilltops set between, — The magic of thy wonder working moods. Tranquil, as some sweet soul to duty true, That knows no touch of passion's scarlet stain, Bear to our troubled hearts a deeper calm. The peace that follows pain. Morgantown, West Virginia^ iSgg, i62 POEMS. LINES ON A CAMEO BROOCH. TTKRfi) in a rim of ancient gold are set Diana and Endymion. — He as fair As when the moonbeam kissed him first With chaste white lips, deep in a Grecian vale. In Cyprus' Isle a patient graver sought With loving skill to shape the amber shell. He set a slim crescent in the goddess' hair, Lay bare her lucent bosom, and with ease. Curved the sweet mouth. Then, with a tightening heart, Wrought — though in fear — her "azure-lidded" eyes. Fated for happier lot than dusty shelf Or mercenary trade, the gem serene Glowed on the breast of beauty. Oftentimes Shone in a palace as the guest of Kings, And so passed on from hand of youth to age. Age gave to youth again — as death to life : — And lastly, — in an ancient city found, — It pleased the quick fancy of a blitheful girl. Englewood^ N. J. , J904. POEMS. 163; WORDSWORTH. T IKK some far northern lake his fancy lay, Circled with frosty hills, Passion he knew not, but that heavenly glow Which nearest Deity can bring the soul He felt, in every wood, by sylvan stream Or hill, and saw divine significance in alL Omaha, Nebraska, i8go. t64 poems. J. F. MILLET. 'T^HO' the sad burden of the earth Lay heavy on his breast, This manly Sower flung afar, Seeds of immortal rest. jEnglewood, JV,J., i8gg. POEMS. 165 VENUS DE MILO. ''T^HIS Venus ? She with amber hair And looks of laughing mirth ? Ah, no, some nobler destiny Did consecrate this birth. Her sweet, stern lips are duty's own, That mien serene and high As one who in heroic hour, I/Cads on to victory. A daughter of fair Greece who made Her country's fame secure ; Some priestess of the vaulted wood, Or mother, proud and pure : All these we dream while waiting Her queenly step to hear. With the same awe as he w^ho wrought Her form in love and fear. The groves are silent where the dove Once sighed in Venus' name. Blackened and torn her altar stairs, Quenched the ambrosial flame. But art supreme forever claims All beauty as its own, And breathes a sacred lesson still From the mute sculptured stone. Englewood^ N. J. , i8g8. [66 POEMS. A MEXICAN SHRINE. ''TpHE cactus, bleeding red at every pore, Still hides her thorns with beauty. Here in the quiet shade of convent walls, All ghost-like broods the past, And kneels in turn at every sacred shrine. Where fading saints, and sad-eyed Marys wait The homage of their scattered worshipers. Portland, Oregon, 1886 POEMS. 167 ROSTAND'S CYRANO DE BERGERAC r^ ASCON, tender and brave, Gascon, bitter and true, Better a leaf from thy grave. Than a rose that no sacrifice knew ! Englewood, N. J. , 1900. i68 POEMS. WAGNER'S SIEGFRIED. "Drother of bruin and of bee, Thy woodland banter gladdens me! Care forgotten — spirit free, Through thy song's rich alchemy! Englewood^ N. J. , 1899. POEMS. 169 ART. Written in the Congressional Library, Washington. "VTOT all the temples blue ^gean knew, Nor grove of nymph, nor shrine of Delphian seer Could teach the nations how fair Justice grew. Or find God's answer to a helot's tear ! Washington^ D. C. lyo POEMS. DRESDEN CHINA. /^ve;r seas they came one day, The little Maid and He, With a lute across his shoulder, Watteau gown had she. Underneath the fragrant linden Gently does he woo, — And she answers, as he questions, "Mad Chen, wilt be true?" Time that brings us each a sorrow Leaves them quite alone, Happy in the forest stillness Hand in hand to roam. Ever loved and ever lovers ' Neath the greenwood tree, Dainty little maid of Dresden, How I envy thee ! Omaha, /Nebraska, 1890. POEMS. 171 TO AN AUTOMOBILE. T^ocir^K steed, with nerves of steel, Bid old Time to have a care, Tell him that with silent wheel We have tracked him to his lair. All his shams are useless now, Silly tales for childhood's ear ; Youth has borrowed wisdom's brow, Age grows younger every year. Smite upon his door of Snow, Offer him a pardon free, If he'll leave Wife Care, and go Automobiling with me. Englewood, N,J., i8g8. 172 POEMS WITH A CUP AND SAUCER. AT/iTH the good things of life May your cup be abrim, — Kind friends, and a spicing Of good luck thrown in ; And may Fortune, while brewing The drink for each day, Use her best spoon to sweeten Your cafe-au-lait. Portland^ Oregon. POEMS. 173 FOR A SCRAP-BOOK. Tj^RAGMENTS cauglit from off the tables, Of the wise, poetic, great ; With crisp crumbs of wit and fancy. Here your appetite await. Portland, Oregon, 1885, 174 POEMS. CALIFORNIA ORANGES. 'T^HE hoarded gold of sunset seas. True apples of Hesperides ! Englewood^ N. J. , 1905, POEMS. 175 QUESTIONING. TTow can a bird bear The rapture swift of wings, What fortitude of joy sustains That clear note he sings ? How do the planets keep Their sentry withovit shout, Or challenge to that other host Bncamped round about ? In immemorial years What countersign was given, What thought of God within their arcs, What augury of heaven ? Portland^ Oregon. 176 POEMS, THE ROSES' FAREWELL. A iviTTiyiC waner in the cheek, More fragile in the stem, They could not bear to say go©d.-bye, I^est I should weep for them. They told the bee the secret, And he, with busy tongue, Informed the garden of the hour When their sweet life was done. So silently they passed, the noon In stillness held its breath, A flight of petals on the grass Was all the sign they left. Englewood^ N.J.^ igo6. X^;