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The RIVER: 
 
 n 
 
 A SONG OF HUMAN LIFE. 
 Br ALA, 
 
 Author of "The Silent Dormitory and Other Poems," "Disciple- 
 ship," "The Two Paths," etc. 
 
 PRIVATELY PRINTED IN HONOR OF OUR MOTHER' 
 NINETY- FOURTH BIRTHDAY. 
 
 JOHN LOCKWOOD, 
 138-140 South Oxford Street, 
 " Brooklyn, N. Y., 
 1890. 
 
WHAT IF SHE NE'ER RETURN ! 
 
 Mother is ,y;oiie ; her empty chair I see. 
 
 Gone! hut, please (tOcI, she conieth soon again. 
 
 joy ! she conieth 1)ack again to nie. 
 
 What if she ne'er return I To her, sweet gain ; 
 To me immeasurable loss and pain. 
 
 1 dare not think of that distressful day 
 When from the window I shall gaze in vain 
 
 For her returning steps, unwont to stray, 
 That come no more, howe'er with l)reaking heart I pray 
 
THE T{iyER: 
 
 A SONG OF HUMAN LIFE. 
 
THE RIVER : A SONG OF HUMAN EIEE. 
 
 Out of a dingle wild 
 
 I came, dear Nature's child, 
 
 A brooklet undefiled, 
 
 As cr3'stal clear. 
 I danced to see the light 
 Of the pure heaven so bright, 
 And sparkled at the sight 
 
 Of sunbeams near. 
 
 Out of the great mystery, the Human Soul is ushered 
 into the worhl, at birth, in immaculate innocence 
 and perfect beauty. 
 
lo The 'l^iver: 
 
 Shot b}^ the sttirs strong bow. 
 
 They pierced me through and through- 
 
 'T was but their wa}^ to show 
 
 Their welcome sweet. 
 By mossy rocks I played, 
 'Twixt banks of fern I strayed. 
 In cozy nooks delayed 
 
 My baby-feet. 
 
 Absorbing mother-love greets it, and it soon finds 
 its way to the delights which kindly Nature has 
 provided for it on every side. 
 
zA Sojio- of Human Life, ii 
 
 There laughing zephyrs came 
 Breathing love's blissful name, 
 But innocent of shame 
 
 I heeded not : 
 With gleeful strife and din 
 They pressed my cheeks and chin, 
 They pressed love-dimples in, 
 
 Then kissed the spot. 
 
 Being wholly unacquainted with sin, the babe is 
 unaffected by its approaches. 
 
The %h'er: 
 
 Unmoved to love's delay 
 Eftsooiis I slipped away, 
 For I would be at play 
 
 Amid my toys : 
 The pebbles at my feet, 
 Whereon as harpchords sweet 
 I swept my fingers fleet, 
 
 Sang of my joys. 
 
 Impatient of dalliance, it seeks its playthings with 
 glee, and coos its innocent happiness. 
 
^^ Song of Human Life. 
 
 Lured by my dancing wave, 
 For me the wild-bird gave 
 His wood-notes gay and grave 
 
 In shade and shine ; 
 Swinging from tree to tree, 
 So fearless and so free, 
 The squirrel played for me 
 
 His antics fine. 
 
 Finding in Nature a response to every desire, it 
 more and more seeks her sympathetic companion- 
 ship. 
 
14 The ^iver: 
 
 Unto my pebbly brink 
 
 Came creatures wild to drink — 
 
 Duck, otter, weasel, mink — 
 
 And plash and pla}' : 
 Happy betwixt ni}^ banks, 
 I watched their brimming pranks, 
 And heard their noisv thanks 
 
 The livelong day 
 
 Pets are drawn to the child, who is in turn attracted 
 to them. 
 
<^4 Song of Human Life. 15 
 
 By pool and waterfall, 
 By rapids great and small, 
 I heard the red fox call 
 
 His loitering mate. 
 I heard the panther's growl, 
 I heard the lone wolf's howl, 
 I heard the midnight owl 
 
 Hoot his " Too late ! " 
 
 With observant eyes the child gradually gets ac- 
 quainted with its sweet companion, Nature, 
 
1 6 The %iver: 
 
 By maii}^ a soft cascade 
 Whose melody dela3'ed 
 Whatever footsteps stra3'ed 
 
 Within their spells, 
 By many a grassy bed 
 With strawberries white and red 
 And violets interspread 
 
 And lilv-bells, 
 
 and with advancing 3-ears grows in sweetness and 
 beantv ; 
 
c^ Song of Human Life, 17 
 
 There poets loitered long 
 M}' rocks and rills among 
 And caught a loftier song — 
 
 Diviner fire : 
 There lovers came to find 
 In me a purer mind, 
 An essence more refined 
 
 Than love's desire. 
 
 and begins to get glimpses of the deeper significance 
 and beant\- and purity of the world. 
 
The %iver: 
 
 Thus many a day and mile 
 My life was one sweet smile, 
 With naught that could defile 
 
 My earth-pure stream ; 
 Nor shadows that oft creep 
 O'er life's serenest sleep 
 Came to disturb ni}' deep 
 
 And golden dream. 
 
 It begins to perceive that it has a share in the un- 
 tainted splendor of the universe, 
 
^4 Song of Hitmaji Life, 19 
 
 At length not far away, 
 Where slept the sun all da}', 
 I found a meadow gay 
 
 With daffodils ; . 
 There the lush grass was green, 
 And there the floral sheen 
 Lay beautiful between 
 
 The sun-kissed hills. 
 
 and enters completely into the enjoyment of the 
 
20 The 1{iver: 
 
 There children golden -tressed, 
 By sunbeams soft caressed, 
 All da}' the cool grass pressed 
 
 With knees and feet. 
 With them fond zeph3'rs played 
 And round their lips dela3-ed ; 
 O who could them upbraid ? — 
 
 So pure, so sweet ! 
 
zA Song of Human Life. 21 
 
 I watched them, bo3\s and girls, 
 Their locks in tangled whorls 
 Of dandelion curls, 
 
 That fairies know'; 
 And they wore coronets 
 Of braided violets 
 More beautiful than frets 
 
 A royal brow. 
 
 Nature, the indulgent mother, companions the spot- 
 less and beautiful 
 
22 The l^iver: 
 
 Their necklaces were made 
 Of butterciips abraid, 
 With clover leaves inlaid — 
 
 Ah, pretty weeds ! 
 What the}' called ' ' cheeses ' ' round 
 On hollyhocks they found, 
 And these with grass they bound 
 
 To make them beads. 
 
zA Song of Human Life. ■ 23 
 
 They chased with footsteps sly 
 And bonnets poised on high 
 The painted butterfly — 
 
 That winged flower ; 
 Till, hushed their nois}^ g^ee, 
 Beneath some spreading tree 
 Gave up each little knee 
 
 To slumber's hour. 
 
 of innocent happiness. 
 
24 The '^{iver: 
 
 Of this fair spot possessed 
 I loitered long at rest 
 Nor had within ni}- breast 
 
 Or thought or care. 
 I let my music die, 
 Content, stagnant, to lie 
 And gaze into the sk}' 
 
 With vacant stare. 
 
 Passive to these influences it becomes enervated, not 
 having 3-et discovered that it has a positive and coni- 
 mandin,s< work of its own to do. 
 
^ Song of Human Life. 25 
 
 By scarce-seen affluents new, 
 Fed by the rain and dew, 
 More and more strong I grew ; 
 But lo, there crept 
 
 But conscience not having yet awakened, the child 
 knows nothing of sin, and so has not learned to be 
 on its guard against temptation. From a mixed 
 
26 The "l^iver: 
 
 Out of obscurity 
 Rills of impurit}'-, 
 While in security 
 Fancied I slept. 
 
 environment, evil influences approach it along with 
 good ones, and the soul is contaminated, though yet 
 sinless, before it is aware. 
 
zA Song of Hitman Life, 27 
 
 Then on my ganiients' sheen 
 
 A track of stain was seen 
 Behold I was unclean ! 
 Not quite in vain 
 
 Conscience awakens, and reason begins to discrimi- 
 nate between worthy and nnworthy objects of pur- 
 suit. Fruits which reason has disapproved are 
 
28 The 1{iver: 
 
 The pitj^ng sun looked down, 
 { For this he hath his crown). 
 To cleanse ni}^ baby gown 
 Of this first stain. 
 
 tasted, and the taint of sin follows. This taint the 
 just-awakened spiritual force of the soul strives to 
 remove. 
 
zA Song of Human Life. 29 
 
 But more and more — O shame ! — 
 Turbid my stream became ; 
 Matters not whose the blame, 
 Mine was the cross. 
 
 Sorrow follows condemnation, but it is not deep 
 enough to enable the soul to resist triumphantly the 
 allurements of pleasure ; nor is the understanding 
 yet sufficiently enlightened to give proper weight to 
 
30 The T{iver: 
 
 O this vile influence ! 
 O this base indolence ! 
 Lost was ni}' innocence- 
 Ah me ! the loss ! 
 
 the dangers of temptation, and thus the soul's purity 
 is more and more stained with sin. Innocence is 
 gone for ever. 
 
Z.4 Soiiiy of Human Life, 31 
 
 Near this sweet glade I found 
 A mill whereat I ground 
 For all the farmers round 
 Their golden grain. 
 
 But under the action of the mighty forces now at 
 work, the understanding developes rapidly, the will 
 takes command, defensive works are erected at the 
 weak points, and the soul, fortified and guarded 
 against surprise, is secure. The youth begins to see 
 
32 The %iver: 
 
 More and more wheels beside 
 I turned with ni}^ swift tide, 
 And heard the shuttles glide 
 With might and main. 
 
 that he has a place in the great world's work, the 
 voice of Duty is heard and obe^-ed, and in the hum 
 of industr}' the calls of the tempting siren, thou.y^h 
 heard, are unheeded. 
 
<i/J Song of Human Life. 
 
 33 
 
 Then on I ran in haste, 
 
 
 With all my waters waste, 
 
 
 M}' turbid stream more chaste 
 
 
 For good work done ; 
 
 
 My dreams 'mid rocks and rills, 
 
 
 With babes and daffodils, 
 
 
 My service in the mills 
 
 
 All past and gone. 
 
 
 Useful occupation gives the spiritual forces a 
 
 chance 
 
 to cleanse the soul, which now bids farewell to self- 
 
 indulgence, frivolity, and idle dreaming, and 
 
 even to 
 
 the rougher forms of industrial activity, 
 
 
34 The %iver: 
 
 B}' quiet farms I swept, 
 B)^ hamlets still that slept, 
 By villages I crept, 
 
 And on and on. 
 I heard the lambs repeat 
 Their soft, heart-touching bleat 
 Beneath the fervid heat 
 
 Of summer's sun. 
 
 and enters, with a due sense of its allotted part, upon 
 
zA Song of Human Life, 35 
 
 I heard the piping quail, 
 I heard the black crow rail, 
 And, near, the threshing-flail 
 
 On the barn floor. 
 The hovering hawk I saw — 
 A king whose might is law — 
 Eying with hungry maw 
 
 The barnyard o'er. 
 
 life's inomentoiis work. 
 
36 The %iver: 
 
 Down to my brimming brink 
 Came flock and herd to drink, 
 And birds to preen and prink 
 
 Their pkimage gay. 
 I made the cool morass 
 Where in the tall, coarse grass 
 The cattle loved to pass 
 
 Half the hot day. 
 
 The noble youth becomes a helper to those less 
 able, a creator of beneficent instrumentalities, 
 
Z.4 Song of Human Life. 37 
 
 The sun-loved golden grain, 
 Faint with my long disdain, 
 With the cool lips of the rain 
 
 At length I kissed. 
 Also, the tr3\st to renew, 
 I sent my daughters true. 
 
 Soft-footed fog and dew 
 
 And shrouding mist. 
 
 though at first, from mental preoccupation, consider- 
 ed cold and distant. 
 
38 The %iver: 
 
 In a cradle of silk the corn 
 
 Has nestled since it was born, 
 
 And the silk will never be torn 
 
 Till the grain be ripe. 
 
 The farmer will ne'er take his ease 
 
 Till he 's gathered the golden fleece ; 
 
 When his granary full he sees, 
 
 He lights his pipe. 
 
 His industry bears rich fruit ; 
 
<^4 Song of Hitman Life. 39 
 
 He quietly ridges his brows 
 
 As he sees his well-stuffed mows, 
 
 And thinks of his good milch-cows 
 
 In the winter's cold. 
 He opens and looks in his bins, 
 
 He slams them shut and grins, 
 
 And chuckles under his chins 
 At sisrht of his orold. 
 
 he prospers and is glad. 
 
40 
 
 The %iver: 
 
 
 Now I have ships that glide 
 
 
 Forth and far on my tide, 
 
 
 And I feel the pulse of the wide, 
 
 
 Majestic sea ; 
 
 
 And cities crowd to my shore, 
 
 
 Where mone3?^-kings sit in the door 
 
 
 Of their tents of smoke, whose roar 
 
 
 Comes ever to me. 
 
 He 
 
 engages in trade and commerce, founds cities, 
 
 and becomes a moiiev-kint^. 
 
Z.4 Song of Hitman Life. 41 
 
 I give the breath of my tide 
 To the atmosphere, m}- bride. 
 And away to the north it doth ride 
 
 On the southwind's wings. 
 Then it falls in a gentle rain 
 To nourish the thirsty grain, 
 And quickl}' joins me again 
 
 In the rills and springs. 
 
 His beneficent influence extends far and wide. 
 
42 
 
 The %iver: 
 
 In the dusk the fisherman sets 
 In ni}^ current deep his nets, 
 And patiently awaits 
 
 Dawn o'er the hills ; 
 Then he draws his nets, and behold ! 
 Up from my waters cold 
 What beauties ! good as gold ; 
 
 And his boat he fills. 
 
 His touch awakens the correlated forces of healthful 
 business activity, 
 
£/f Song of Human Life. 43 
 
 Quick to the city streets 
 Come up the fishing fleets, 
 And them the huckster greets 
 
 With a laugh in his sides ; 
 Then the huckster hawks my fish, 
 And the poor child hath its wish, 
 And shouts at the smoking dish 
 
 The River provides. 
 
 and brings to the community the blessings of pros- 
 perity and happiness. 
 
44 The %h'er: 
 
 At anchor there in ni}' bay 
 Are ships from lands far awa}' 
 Across the sea and the da}^ 
 
 With treasures unguessed. 
 The ships will be laden again 
 With riches of mountain and plain, 
 And, home-going pigeons, amain 
 
 Will fl}' to their nest. 
 
 His ships sail every sea, 
 
<tA Song of Human Life. 45 
 
 With these ni}' shuttles of trade 
 The Cloth of Gold I braid, 
 Whose beaiit}^ never shall fade ; 
 
 That shall cover the world — 
 The Gospel of I^ove and Peace, 
 Whose jubilance never shall cease, 
 Whose banners shall float in the breeze, 
 
 Ne'er to be furled. 
 
 sowing in distant lands the seeds of universal frater- 
 nity, and teaching and spreading over the whole 
 earth the gospel of peace and good-will to men. 
 
46 The loiter: 
 
 And now ni}^ goal is won 
 The River's work, begun 
 In the far hills, is done ; 
 
 The bar is passed. 
 Cleansed by th}^ purit}-, 
 
 all-embracing sea, 
 
 1 am absorbed in thee. 
 
 Rest ! rest ! at last. 
 
 Old age comes on at last, crowned with success and 
 peaceful joy, and death and apparent absorption in 
 the soul of the universe ends the scene. 
 
 PD-2.3 
 
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