btii^L W/\iSU^ COLLECTED POEMS HAROLD ERl^EST WANDS COPYRIGHTED 1920 HAROLD E. WANDS Uuu "^* •^'-'^ ©•:!.A571916 The Salisbury Press Newark - New Jersey REVEILLE •^^ The mist in the valley is rising slow, j^ Upward to Heaven's deep blue; The brook ripples on in its ceaseless flow, ^'^ Light as the glistening dew. Then reveille, calling at break of day, Clear, as the sun climbs higher, Re-echoes it's song in the hills away While the dawn comes up like fire. The sun now is sinking in western hills, Silver is turned to gold. The bird of the forest soft music trills. Singing his song of old. That joy of the woodland may come again There where I long to he. And reveille echoes shall sound again At last bringing joy to me. A WOODLAhlD MQHT SONQ The twilight shadows gently fall On field and hill and stream; Oh harken now to the woodland call And come to the land of dream. Soft moonlight falls on waters still Where silver clouds float by; The whippoorwill sings from the hill To answer the white owl's cry. The glittering starlight slowly fades - Another day is born; The birds awake in the forest glades, Awake then - awake, . . . 'tis morn. A SONG OF CAMP In the ruffled stir of morning Rippling waves caress the shore, Call us from our cots at dawning, Unknown lands we shall explore. Through the waters we are gliding, Hills above us tow'ring rise To the summits - there abiding In the splendor of the skies. Day is here in all it's fullness, Lightly now our paddles lift; Rich the fragrance, deep the coolness Through the woodland where we drift. In the mellow glow of sunset Night bird from it's nest now flies; O'er the calm and silent lakelet Darkness creeps and daylight dies. On the bank there shines the moonlight, Time of day we love the best; 'Round the camp-fire in the warmlight- Time for story, song - and rest. AUTUMN Who has said that joy was dead Or all the skies were gray ?. . . . Surely not he who cares to see A glorious autumn day, The. sun's bright ray awakes the day And chase off the dew; The sunlight thrills and warms and fills The very heart of you. Moonlight plays it's silver rays Far over field and hill, And floods with light a perfect night When all the world is still. The northwind sighs as daylight dies. But what have we to fear; Or what care we where summer be As long as love is here. IDOLATRY Her hair like strands af purest gold All woven 'round her dainty head, As fairies in those days of old That ages since are dead. Her eyes twin pools of heavenly blue That sparkle in the darkest night, Searching the very soul of you And flooding it with light. Her cheeks like rosebuds sweet and fair As any in the garden grew - So fresh and fragrant blooming there Await a kiss from you. SlTTm 'ROVhID THE FIRE The stars are bright in the sky tonight, The golden moon creeps higher; Our hearts are Ught and our eyes are bright A'Sittin' 'round the fire. A tale is told from the days of old - Of these we never tire; Of pirates bold and buried gold A'Sittin' 'round the fire. And through the years let he who hears Know this is my desire: To dry my tears and ^alm my fears A'Sittin' 'round the fire. OH STARS: OH SUMMER NlQHi: Shine on, oh radiant stars, in silent skies, Glitter and gleam in thy celestial splendor, Glow on, oh stars, from time the sunlight dies When Venus, wafted through the skies, shall bend her Immortal form before her God on high. Gleam on, oh kindly stars, of summer night; Let this, oh night of nights, most glorious be; That I might bathe in thy soft, silvery light, Windows of Heaven, windows of Heaven, open now to me. THE CALL Someday thou shalt call to me Far over the azure, boundless waste, And in low, cold tones thou shalt call me; **Come, come, it is I, - make haste !" But I shall answer, "Ah, not now, For earth is far too sweet." . . . Ah, how I dread thee, . . thy cold, dark brow Bends o'er me . . . but I stand - upon my feet. Someday thou shalt call to me Out of the cold, cold gray, When all sunshine is hidden from me . . . Farewell oh earthly way. As I have lived and loved thee, oh earth, oh flowers, Oh glorious skies of immortal blue; As 1 have lived and loved thee, oh happy hours, So Death, sweet Death shall 1 love thee too. SHAKESPEARE Master of noble art, Thou who didst do thy part In days, of yore; To thee, most noble sage, We, of a later age, Bow down before. King of all mystery, Glorious in history, TKy praises sing; We of all creeds and birth, Children of all the earth. Tribute we bring. Thou bard of mirth and rhyme. Lasting to end of time Shall be thy fame; On through the distant years. Where'er life's vessel steers, Laud we thy name. FOLK SONQ Should i meet her tripping o'er the meadow In the stillness ot the dawn, All my heart would fill with sunshine And the glory of the morn. Should I meet her sitting by the brookside Weaving flowers in garlands fair, Could I e*er describe the beauty Of her flowing, golden hair ? Should I meet her roaming through the woodland In the happy light of day, Would she see me, would she know me, Would she call. . . .and bid me stay ? Should I meet her standing in the garden Caught in moonbeams silvery lair, I shall hold her, tenderly enfold her, Should I find her waiting there. SOMEDAY' Someday along that dusty trail That leads to lands unknown, The column presses onward, but Our thoughts are turning home. Someday upon some foreign field Where shrapnel bursts in air. We make the charge and say a prayer For home. . .far 'over there'. Somenight when stars are shining bright Upon some field of France, From out the trench, on 'no man's land' We cautiously advance. Someday if they should find me there, Dust to dust concealed, They'll know that I, for Country's sake, My life would gladly yield. But think not this shall all come true And when I'm far away, Have courage. . .when the mists have cleared, I'm coming home. . .someday. ET la LUNE DESCEhID sur VEQLISE Night . . . and the glory of Heaven fills the sky, Soft wind, and a leaf goes fluttering by; Safe in the hills and dormant lies the town; High o'er the church, the moon is shining down. Night . . . and the dear little town is asleep; Moon, through the long hours, her vigil shall keep; Tenderly watching above the ivied wall Where, on the hill, the church stands . . . over all. Night . . . and in silhouette against the sky, Seems then the church to commune with Thee on high; Earth seems part of Heaven, close is all that's dear; Peace reigns here tonight and God is very near. France y 1918. SVhISHlhlE Sunshine, sunshine everyv/here And all the skies are blue, May happiness, like flowers fair. Bloom in the heart of you. Don't you fret or worry, dear; Just try each little while To dry away that glist'ning tear In the sunlight of your smile. As down the little winding lane Of life you travel through. Look up, . . through clouds of care and pain Are shining skies of blue. RErROSPECT Summer: And the skies all blue and fair; Flowers, pregnant with the incense of the Gods And, wafted gently on the wings of night, Comes a faint perfume from a land afar. And then . . you came, Fresh and fragrant as dew upon the flowers, Lovely as a child arising with the dawn; A joyous, living being . . filled with a love That could but be endowed by Heaven. You came: And your dear smile flooded my path with sunshine That I might tread where happiness alone should reign; And there, in that sweet-scented forest . . . Boardering on the uncertain edge of night. The soft, warm glow of the waning sun Enveloped and penetrated my soul with it's golden light. Then your dear hands, how gently clasped in mine; Thrilled by their touch I stand enraptured, thralled; 1 am enthroned in a glorious little heaven That holds me, folds me gently in a maze of ecstatic delight; Your eyes have told me of the love you bore As deep I gazed into their love-lit depths And saw. . . .your very soul. When, in the night, I came and found you. sleeping. How softly did I lay my cheek on thine, How gently, tenderly did I kiss thy lips. FALLEN I found him " Lying. . .full length on the ground, Just as he had fallen, forward and face down; His helmet, battered and thick with mud, Lay just beyond his reach. . . Oh, could he but grasp it - it is so near - And struggle onward by my side. I knelt there -• And, Oh God, the touch of his hair That glistened in the noonday sun; With what tenderness did I clasp that form, So beloved here, surely as welcome There, And lovingly did I close those eyes In which the light had gone. And which gazed but did not see. Opened but did not smile. I wept there - For, in the pitifully meager soul of me, There was no thought except of self; I had lost, and there arose within me An overwhelming power of unconquerable hate; Close to my breast I held his form And pressed my burning cheek to his cold hands That 1 might warm them into life. I arose ' And there in the west gleamed the last ray Of the low, descending sun - He had 'gone west* and, for one sacred moment. All earth seemed refulgent with the light of Heaven; And so, dear God, shall I fare onward, For I have seen the working of Thine All-wise Hand; Thou hast given to me the Peace of Understanding, And to him, . . . .Eternal Rest. France, 1918 WHITE THZNQS Alar off in the land of yesteryear There was a lovely garden; A tiny Eden of winding paths and scented flowers, And ever was it bathed in the warm light Of the golden sun, While little white sunbeams danced From clematis to purple aster. Safely hidden among the hills of dream Lies a little lake, Set as some precious, sparkling gem In the emerald of the pines. Where the full moon rides high Through the infinite space above And the lakelet welcomes with joy The dainty white moonbeams that glide about hi the phosphorescent glow. Beyond the utmost path of the dying moon. And hurled onward into the adyssmal Depths of the Unknown, Is the white Stardust that is whirled about On vast heights and the extreme hills of heaven, . Onward, onward through the purple depths That I have known only in my Land of dream. Rising high above the fertile Valley of Desire Are the rugged and wind-swept peaks That are clad in perpetual snow Here does the rampant wind Scurry the tiny snowflakes in reckless abandon But, with unfailing certainty, finds for them A resting place at last. All these things have I seen and known, And my greatest desire is, when at last I am laid away, that my soul shall rise As motes do in the moonbeams, To the place from where all lovely White Things come: The sunshine, the moonshine, the starshine And the snow. WEST WlhID The moon's shining bright on our billet tonight And the wind's coming straight from the west; It's a wind that I love, sent from Heaven above For it comes from the land I love best. And I like to believe that 1 never need grieve Be it summer or deep winter snows; But wherever I roam, I shall know that at home All is well when the western wind blows. It speaks to me now as it sighs through the bough Of a tall, stalwart evergreen tree; In the same glowing light, I am sure that tonight They are praying and waiting for me. So small is the voice, yet it seems to rejoice And there's nothing that's dismal or sad; For it's calling to me from that land 'cross the sea All cheery, contented and glad. God himself only knows how sweet that wind blows And how much of my dream it's a part; How it brings very near all the things that are dear And quickens the beat of my heart. Oh hasten the day when from far, far away It shall bring a sweet message. . .and then The great war shall cease, the world be at peace And my footsteps turn homeward again. A SOhlQ FOR YOU I want to sing you a rollicking song, One that will please you well; The sentiment in it must not be strong, It would never do to make it long. Although there is much to tell. Be it just to remind you, dear old friend, Of the sunny springtime weather, And the days that all too soon would end. As along that path our way would wend, To the hills o' dream together. And this be the wish of my little rhyme: Though we're sometimes far apart, May the joy of youth remain sublime, The glory and warmth of the summertime. Be always in your heart. SOLDJERINQ Away back in civilian life I used to think it fine To watch the soldiers marching Down the street in perfect line, And though it was a common sight To see them every day, I always added my applause And with the crowd v/ould say "Gee, but it's great to be a soldier/' And then they came around one day And got me in it too; The 'non coms' 'jazzed' me all around And told me what to do; Double timed us 'round the field Beneath a sizzling sun. They were'nt content to work us hard But liked to see us run . . . Gee, but it's tough to be a soldier. Some boys went on sick report And tried to dodge the drills But no matter what was wrong They only got more CC pills; Heat a hundred in the shade So who would call it strange That several completely 'flopped' Out at the rifle range. . . Gee, but it's tough to be a soldier. With rifle, bayonet, gas, close order- This is how we trained; We worked hard in the hottest sun And harder when it rained; Learned all the tricks of soldiering And when they'd taught us these, They packed us in a dirty boat And shipped us overseas. . . Gee, but its tough to be a soldier. Then finally we landed In a place called 'Sunny France'; It's mis-named because the rain Don't ever give the sun a chance; They quartered us in places Far too dirty for a cow And were never very generous In handing out the chow . . . Gee, but it's tough to be a soldier. Hiked us over many miles Out in the mud and rain, And when they'd got us there they Simply hiked us back again; Gave us picks and shovels Then they sent us out to dig . . At first the ditch was too darned small And, afterward, too big. . . Gee, but it's tough to be a soldier. But now the war is over and The time is coming when To the land of life and sunshine We are going home again; Each of us has suffered, but We all have done our part And, to a man, each one will say Deep down within his heart "Gee, but it's great to be a soldier." ro MABLE Sunshine of summer day Your heritage; I pray - Never to go away, Dear httle girl. Ah flowing, golden hair That nestles softly there On your dear brow so fair, Dear little girl. And in your deep blue eyes I gaze as through the skies To gates of Paradise, Dear little girl. Ah with what tender grace Rested your lovely face 'Gainst mine in fond embrace, Dear little girl. Would you were here tonight That once again I might Kiss you - and say goodnight, Dear little girl. NlQHr. ON rHE LAKE Night. . .you and 1 are alar From the noise and strife Of the sounding town, Out where even the trees uplft Their arms in adoration, And glowing Stardust shimmers down. Night. . .and the curtains o( darkness Fall tenderly about us, Fold us in a mystic haze; Comes across the hills A soft, sweet-scented wind, Murmuring of happy summer days. Night. . .and the windows of Heaven Reflect as sparkling gems Upon the water's blue, - And oh, the gorgeous splendor Of the wind-swept sky, - Night. . . ,and the stars, . . .and you. YOUR PICTURE When as I gaze upon thy likeness, dear, Though far away, I feel thy presence near. Oft through the long hours Of hardship and pain, I find, in thy sweet smile, My courage again. . . When in your dear eyes I see the light shine, That is tender with love As they gaze into mine - No lovelier vision Shall ever, it seems. Come into my life or Inhabit my dreams. So, dear little picture, We never shall part And wherever I go You will rest near my heart. When as I gaze into thy likeness, dear. Though far away, I feel thy presence near. France, igi8. HIKE - HIKE ' HIKE Hike, hike, hike along the hard turnpike. The packs upon our backs can't dull the joys; Hike, hike, hike along the hard turnpike. Oh Tm happy when I'm hiking with the boys. Passing by the rolling meadows And beyond the distant hill Where the skyline fades into a maze of green, On across a rippling brooklet That recalls another rill, And another happy hike that's all a dream. Though it's hard to keep on smiling As the distant miles go by. We will carry on for Country and for Right; Though our uniforms be dusty. And our throats are parched and dry As we're toiling on 'neath noonday's burning light. Carry on . . . keep that the watchword; Through the column let it ring . . . Shout it loudly so that all the world may know. And forget that packs are heavy, Hearts are light, so let us sing, For the Sammy boys are out to meet the foe. After all it's but a gamble In a great and glorious game. And we're here to take our chance and play it square; When the last long hike is over, Well . . . we'll hike it back again; Back to home - our native country - over there. Hike, hike, hike along the hard turnpike, The packs upon our backs can't dull the joys; Hike, hike, hike along the hard turnpike. Oh I'm happy when I'm hiking with the boys. DEAR LITTLE HOUSE ON THE HILL On across the broad meadow, the far rolling hills, And beyond the dull roar of the sea; Oh dear little place, what a memory it fills, And I know it is waiting for me; Out there where the bright sun seems ever to shine On scenes that are peaceful and still... Oh nearest and dearest to this heart of mine Is that dear little house on the hill. And beyond the dim vistas of far reaching years I see as through mist-cpvered folds, All the joys that are ever dispelling the tears With the infinite love that it holds; Oh whst happiness reigns in it's sheltering walls, With what echoes of joy do they fill. And how welcome the soft voice within me that calls From that dear little house on the hill. I can hear the dear voices as soft, patt'ring rain That falls on the rafters above. Rejoicing the day I shall be there again Among the dear ones that I love; Oh soft, glowing mem'ries more valued than gold, How wonderfully sweet is the thrill That awakens within me a longing untold For that dear little house on the hill. France, igiS ST. NAZAIRE Down beside the rolling ocean 'Neath the sunny skies of France, Where the sea in constant motion Makes the little wavelets dance, And the sunlight seems to always fill the air; Where the river Loire is flowing, Where the big transports are going, Lies that little, quaint old town of St. Nazaire. When the boulevard is thronging In the light of afternoon, Or the silvery bay belonging To the kingdom of the moon. And a gentle breeze is blowing everywhere; There the sun and moon seem brighter. Hearts of men are ever lighter, In that little, quaint old town of St. Nazaire. Down the narrow streets a-winding Comes the never ceasing throng. Bent on joy and pleasure finding And the air is filled with song; All the golden, glowing lights are shining there; Where the joyous throng is singing, Where the bells are softly ringing. Lies that little, quaint old town of St. Nazaire. And in distant years when dreaming Of the time we trod those ways, When the star of youth was beaming In those happy soldier days, And we Uve again our service 'over there,' Through it all our thoughts will wander But remain content out yonder, In that little, quaint old town of St. Nazaire. France, 191 8 LA PROMENADE FRANCAISE In the soldier's leisure hours Along the road to town In pairs they stroll, the maid looks up, The soldier gazes down; With the aid of book and gesture He has learned at last to say, "Et vouloir vous aller a moi, La promenade Francaise ?" Though at first she does not comprehend, (His emphasis is bad,) At last she lifts her eyes to his And all her face is glad; Though he stammered on in falt'ring words. He scarcely needed say, ''Ah si vous uniquement venir La promenade Francaise." So they wander on through winding lanes That lead to realms of love, Where the carpet of earth is green below And the sky all blue above; Then it's here he whispers low to her, Along that flowered way, "Ah mon cheri, si tres jolie. Nous promenade Francaise." And through all the dim; far-distant years. If something seems to lack, That Yankee boy will always find A joy in looking back, On the glorious soldier days in France, And always will he say, "Laisser moi vivre pres elle coeur. La promenade Francaise." France, 1918 COME LAD Come lad across the sunlit land, Out where the leaflets, rustling in the breeze. Are murmuring a message to you lad; Come out to live and be a part of these. Come lad across the wooded hills And let us find what life out there will be; A woodbird ofl^ on yonder hilltop trills, With sheer delight, a woodland melody. Come lad out on the moonlit stream - There will we drift, not caring where we go; And watch in Heaven above the starlight's gleam. While all the world is silent here below. Come lad as sunlight brings the day, On 'cross the hills to Heaven's gate and through; Come let us live our youth while yet we may, And I'll walk side by side, my lad, with you. A DREAM I slept and dreamed of moonlight, A rippling lakelet too, Whereon there shone a pathway That led somewhere to you. I dreamed of scented gardens, 0{ birds and flowers fair; But oh, the joy and gladness To wake . . . and find you there. YOUR BIRTHDAY From out the distant mirage of the past, Wafted gently on the wings of night. Steals softly thoughts of you, -at last Changing darkness into light. On this glad day may warm sunshine Caress thy flowers, sweet with dew, And all the hope and joy be thine That I can wish for you. mimmmmm^m^mmm