SYMBOLISMS 
 
 T. CARL WHITMER 
 
Class _:H-^ 
 Book_jfolS3- 
 CopyrightN" 
 
 COPyRlGHT DEPOSIT. 
 
SYMBOLISMS 
 
 T. CARL WHITMER 
 
 
 BOSTON 
 
 RICHARD G. BADGER 
 
 THE GORHAM PRESS 
 1909 
 
Copyright 1909 by T. Carl Whitmer 
 
 All Rights Reserved ^ 
 
 The Qorham Press, Boston, U. S. Ae 
 
 GIA2533G4 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 The Grinding 7 
 
 The Earthen 11 
 
 Interlude : The Cycle 16 
 
 The Mother 18 
 
 World Rest 20 
 
 The Darkening 22 
 
SYMBOLISMS 
 
THE GRINDING 
 
 "two women shall be grinding at the 
 mill; the one shall be taken and the 
 
 OTHER left". 
 
 Two women — middle aged — in Eastern 
 costume. Both are grinding at mills. They 
 speak : 
 
 ONE. 
 
 I love. 
 THE OTHER. 
 
 I hate. 
 ONE. 
 
 We grind 
 
 And grind 
 THE OTHER. 
 
 Early and late. 
 ONE. 
 
 I love; you hate. 
 THE OTHER. 
 
 Yet we grind 
 
 And grind 
 
 Both alike. 
 And 
 
 Both wait. 
 
ONE. 
 
 Yet we grind 
 
 And grind 
 
 Although I love. 
 I love; 
 
 You hate. 
 
 I see now In the clouds (pointing) 
 A little spot. 
 THE OTHER. 
 
 (Looks below toward the sea.) 
 
 ONE. 
 
 (Eagerly) 
 There Is a greater spot In the clouds; 
 It Is as a mighty hand! 
 THE OTHER. 
 ( Calmly ) 
 
 I look to the sea. 
 
 Nothing Is there but 
 
 A foam! 
 
 ONE. 
 
 I see God! 
 THE OTHER. 
 
 I see nothing; 
 
 But I hear the wind. 
 8 
 
ONE. 
 
 (affrighted) 
 
 I see God In the cloud ! 
 I see — Him ! ! 
 
 (listening) I hear Him now ! (eagerly) 
 THE OTHER. 
 
 I hear the wind 
 
 And the foam dash 
 And the waves. 
 
 And now the bird-scream ! 
 ONE. 
 
 (quietly) 
 
 O sweet God! 
 
 (She disappears) 
 
 THE OTHER. 
 
 I hear the wind 
 
 And the foam-dash 
 And the waves. 
 
 You (pointing above) loved. 
 
 I hate. 
 
 I — am alone. 
 
 I — wait I 
 
 I hear the wind 
 
 And the Waves. 
 9 
 
(grinding) 
 
 But I must grind 
 And grind 
 
 Early and late. 
 
 I grind 
 
 And grind. 
 
 Grind, 
 
 Grind 
 
 And 
 
 Wait!! 
 
 lO 
 
II 
 
 THE EARTHEN 
 
 "Then shall two be in the field; the 
 one shall be taken and the other 
 
 LEFT." 
 
 THE YOUNGER. 
 
 (to himself) 
 I love. 
 THE OLDER. 
 
 (to himself) 
 I hate. 
 THE YOUNGER. 
 
 {to THE older) 
 
 We work 
 And work. 
 THE OLDER. 
 
 ( bitterly ) 
 
 And wait 
 And — wait. 
 
 THE YOUNGER. 
 
 Why do you work? 
 THE OLDER. 
 
 To keep three lives in 
 
 Hate! 
 II 
 
And you? 
 THE YOUNGER. 
 
 The day comes sooner. 
 THE OLDER. 
 
 But night Is softer; 
 
 Night is sweeter. 
 THE YOUNGER. 
 
 I long for the day. 
 THE OLDER. 
 
 (starting his plough) 
 I hate the light I 
 
 THE YOUNGER. 
 
 (eagerly) 
 
 An Angel 
 
 Is in my furrow. 
 THE OLDER. 
 
 (with a curse) 
 
 Rocks and earth — only I 
 THE YOUNGER. 
 
 The Angel beckons. 
 
 (spurring on his oxen) 
 Yes, I come. 
 THE OLDER. 
 
 (He tries to hurry his oxen. Then 
 finding they will move no faster, he says:) 
 They cannot move faster. 
 (stopping them) 
 
 12 
 
There ! 
 What do you see? 
 {Running towards THE YOUNGER) 
 
 Tell me, 
 What do you see? 
 THE YOUNGER. 
 
 {looking upwards) 
 I cornel 
 
 Ah ! I knew Thy arms 
 Were gentle. 
 {He disappears. His oxen stand by the fur- 
 row.) 
 THE OLDER. 
 
 {looking towards the sky) 
 Nothing but a 
 
 White Cloud! 
 
 {He goes to the oxen of the younger) 
 Your oxen have seen the Angel. 
 I will look Into their eyes; 
 And I, too, 
 
 I shall see! 
 
 And I will yoke 
 
 Thine to mine 
 
 And they shall draw together. 
 Early and late 
 
 13 
 
Will I work; 
 And— O God- 
 Wait! 
 
 {He leads the oxen to his own. They plough.) 
 Perhaps I shall see what 
 He saw. 
 There! {His own oxen stumble.) 
 No, it is a rock. 
 
 {They stumble again.) 
 They draw not well. 
 {He lashes them and gives an oath.) 
 {mutters) 
 
 Rocks ! Rocks ! 
 
 {He lashes them again and mut- 
 ters his curses. ) 
 You loved; 
 
 I hate. 
 I work 
 
 And work 
 
 And— 
 I hate the light. 
 
 I hate the — 
 ( curses ) 
 
 To keep three lives 
 In — hate ! 
 I work 
 
 14 
 
Early and late. 
 Work 
 
 Work 
 
 And 
 
 Wait 1 1 
 
 15 
 
Ill 
 
 INTERLUDE: THE CYCLE 
 
 A night; 
 
 Stars and the moon; 
 A wind; 
 
 A sheet of light ; 
 A dawn; 
 
 A Day. 
 
 When the golden haze is last upon the autumn 
 
 leaf; 
 When the birds upon the boughs, wrapped 
 
 within that burning color, cease their 
 
 songs ; 
 When the grinding of labor is done; 
 When the horses of the ploughmen see God ; 
 When the world revolving in inconceivable 
 
 space disintegrates and becomes new 
 
 Force ; 
 When mortality is robed in the spaceless, un- 
 
 crushable immortality; 
 When bodies change into pulses; 
 Then again come 
 
 i6 
 
A night; 
 
 Some stars ; 
 A moon; 
 
 Leaf odor; 
 Gentle winds ; 
 Grayness ; 
 Dawn ; 
 
 Color ; 
 
 A flash; 
 Day; 
 
 The Eternity I- 
 
 17 
 
IV 
 
 THE MOTHER 
 
 "The children are come to the birth ; 
 and there is not strength to bring 
 
 FORTH." 
 
 {A woman lies in a bed. Her husband is in 
 the shadow of a distant corner.^ 
 WOMAN speaks: 
 
 Come to my side, Dear, 
 
 And wait; not from yonder. 
 
 Come (gasps) — to — my — side. 
 
 Look! (gasps again) 
 
 Can — yoU' — (pointing upwards) 
 
 (Her head falls back.) 
 
 (reviving) 
 
 I see the child — that I — 
 
 I see it with God! 
 
 And now, 
 
 God reaches out His arms for me. 
 i8 
 
So you beckoned me 
 
 When you loved me to be near 
 
 And I came. 
 
 Shall I not go to Him? 
 
 I am going away 
 
 Slowly 
 
 Slowly- 
 O God, may he not come? 
 Call, 
 
 Call him ! 
 
 19 
 
n 
 
 WORLD REST 
 
 *The strong men shall bow them- 
 selves." 
 
 Two men at the edge of a wood 
 THE ONE talks: 
 
 Yonder, Majji, is the sun; 
 But it shall not last 
 And the grass on the side of the hill: 
 See ! It is growing brown even now. 
 
 The sun shall be no more; 
 
 The moon and stars are near their end; 
 
 The world is going to its rest. 
 
 The faint light you see 
 Is the sun's last effort. 
 
 I hear another song, Majji I 
 It is the voice of a woman. 
 I thought we had heard 
 
 The last voice. 
 The world is near its end. 
 Soon — 
 
 (Majji is taken) 
 20 
 
Majji! 
 
 Where have you gone? 
 Where the sun's light is? 
 Where the stars are? 
 
 I am ready, too; 
 
 I am ready. 
 
 {eagerly) Majji 
 
 iiil 
 
 21 
 
VI 
 THE DARKENING 
 'And those that look out of the 
 
 Near a wood. A man and a woman stand 
 within a latticed window. The sun is ob- 
 scured by a light mist which gradually be- 
 comes thicker and thicker, first brown and 
 then a reddish black, 
 
 THE WOMAN : 
 
 {Sings in a low voice. Then a 
 silence. She turns to the man 
 and says:) 
 
 The sun Is almost gone. 
 
 No light upon your face, Dear. 
 
 Ah! one ray is left. 
 
 Put your arms about me; 
 Draw my head to your breast; 
 We can love but a moment. 
 {They stand in silence) 
 
 22 
 
I see a Hand 
 
 In the darkness of the cloud. 
 
 It is an Angel's. 
 
 I Hear a Voice ! 
 
 (VOICE: 
 
 I am Gabriel that 
 Stand in the 
 
 Presence of GOD ! ) 
 
 It calls you, now, Sari. 
 (Sari disappears) 
 I see the Hand again 
 In the blackness of the cloud. 
 It is beckoning for me. 
 
 Come, 
 
 I am ready. 
 
 Come and take me 
 
 To my Beloved. 
 
 Yours arms are gentle. 
 
 Gentler, 
 Softer, 
 
 Sweeter than 
 
 I knew, 
 
 GOD! 
 23 
 
One copy del. to Cat. Div. 
 
 DEC 21 1909 p