J"S*>-<*.'*fc, "*-'^."%V«*> ^ -TV. % TV.fV^- LIBRARY OP CONGRESS M fright JtfgrfbiB J7/„// sJf v UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.' %-'%.^.'%-%.^ > '%>'%,%.<^^^ > .^, ^ ; di RHYMES OP CULTURE, MOVEMENT, AND BBPOSE. WILLIAiM Dp EMERSON. CINCINNATI: Geo. E. Stevens & Co., 39 West Fourth Street. 1874. Entered according to A.ct of Congress, In the year 1874, BY WILLIAM 1>. EMERSON, In the officeof the Librarian of Congress, al Washington, D. C. Stereotyped by OgdEN, CAMPBELL & Co., Cincinnati. pREFACE. rpiIE following metrical essays are respectfully offered to the public; being a selection from a variety of articles, with the composition of which the author has amused some of his leisure hours, during marly forty years of diversified labor and study. A few of them have been published in newspapers and magazines; others, contained in a small volume printed for private circulation about twenty-three years ago. But by far the greater part were never before in print. Where the date is appended, it shows the time the article was substantially written. Most of the articles, however, of late, have undergone careful revision. Many shorter pieces are interspersed, generally at the foot of the pages, without titles, and therefore do not appear in the table <>!' contents. The author hopes that what has cheered him so much in writing, may cheer some one in reading. £0NTJENT£. R 11 VM KS OK I'lll/niR E. PAQB, Athens, Ohio '•' Marietta H Sohoolhouse Stanzas 1 1 Teacher's Melody 19 The Rich 14 The School Master 1 1 Mj Pockel Bible 10 The ( lonsumpllvc 1 1 a Site tor a Seminary 21 To a Locust Tree 24 A Peep through the Backwoods 20 Fashionable Literature 28 The West 80 t LOl lliiiuili(\ 81 \ Rhapsodj 88 The Cornfield 81 Brevities 00 Main Street, Cincinnati '.'7 am Night Long 08 Equinox 100 Charcoal 100 Mj Office 101 < invention 102 Saved 105 107 Days for Ifears L08 RHYM E S OK MOV E M E N T . To the (thin River 109 Morning L12 La Belle Riviere 114 The Explosion 119 Decay 12] Stanzas 122 Freedom 124 The Invitation 125 Dawn in Winter vn u ao are the Free? 128 TheOld Town < loch I !9 Forebodings 182 The Railroad 183 Ride to Springfield I ID < ihange 1 15 Nevi b 'ii ' Daj 1 1 i Dov n the Stream 147 Come dome 1 19 Found L50 Ml i i ' VJLQE. Poetrj 152 w eloome 158 Palestine 154 The Spring 155 Beautiful Day L56 « lamping Oul near Lake Supei loi - L67 a waking i.')'.* do Ahead L60 Firmness 162 Voyage of Life 168 A Prayer 164 Props 165 Motion and Rest 166 Patch of Sky 167 Coming and < ;<>i u;-, L68 Spring Notes 169 I i I g Up 170 Spring 171 May 172 Walk toOfflce 178 CONTENTS. PAGE. The Fourth L74 Parting L73 Watch! Watch! 17G Revolution 177 Our Washington 17'.) Dim Day 180 To the Sun lsi The Times L82 Morn 183 The Alarm 184 The Wind , 186 Hold On 187 The Old Elm 188 Sabbath Dawn L89 Drought 190 shine and Rain 191 Hope 192 Beginning and Ending lit:; Union l'.u Empty Wishes 195 Snow 196 Ten O'Clock, P. M 198 Day 199 Glaciers 200 Our Father in Heaven 202 PAGE. Looh Up 203 Opening Up 204 Covenant Meeting '205 Sunn; at Wedding Centennial 206 Friends 207 Shelling 208 The Heart 209 Ripening 210 End of the Drouth 211 Praise 211 Contrast, L860— 1866 212 Freedom's Fort 213 Fast and Present 213 Fountain of Youth '21 1 Infinite 215 Winter 216 steam. Fire and Water 218 The Spectrum 220 Christmas 221 Freeze and Thaw '222 Summer in the City 223 Morn and Eve 225 To a Little Hoy 226 Doing for others 227 The stout Nurse 22S RHYMES OF REPOSE. PAGE, To the Sky 231 Faith 235 The Hills 236 Fines Written in an Album 237 Toil and Rest 238 Sunshine 2:;'.) Stanzas 210 The Little Kill 241 To the Woods 242 I'm all Alone 246 Mind against Soul 248 Evening 210 Stanzas 250 Fife 251 Hill Scene 252 Hymn beneath Dawalageri 25;; on the Death of Mrs. Price 256 A Summer Dnv in the Woods 257 PAGE. Evening Stanzas 258 Niagara 258 The Fallen Cottonwood 2.">9 A Hundred Years Henee 261 Death by the Roadside 263 Farewell 2G 1 Sleep 265 The Departed 266 The Wild flower 268 Sabbath 269 Evening towards Home in the < 'ily. 209 Sabbath Morning 270 Sabbath Eve 271 Prayer and Praise 271 Uprising 272 Laborer's Song 27:'. Day at Home 273 Prayer 271 CONTESTS. vu PAGE. Devotion 274 The Dying Saint 275 Opening of Sunday School 270 Look Up 277 Atthe Hearthflre 277 Night 27s Trust 27;i Reading Room 279 Street Lights 280 innocence 280 August 281 TheSabbath 282 Hope and Duty 282 Rest 2s;; PAGE. Sunset ; 284 Sunrise at Window 284 September •.... 285 Starlight 287 The Potato 288 Refreshment 289 Land and Ocean 2S9 The Canal Boat 291 After a Rain 302 The Window Shade 303 Saturday Night 305 Rambles in Quiet Fields 306 Our God 310 Setting Sun 311 t\hyme£ of Culture. ATHENS, OHIO. Sweet Athens ! the home of learning and beauty, How I long for thy hills and thy rich balmy air ; For thy wide spreading greens, smiling sweetly on duty, And the valley beneath, and the stream winding there! On the North the high rock, on the South the lone ferry ; The ville on the East, and the mill on the West, The lawn where the gravest at play hours were merry, And the walks by the footstep of beauty made blest : The old college building — where Enfield and Stewart Oft found me ensconced in the cupola cool ; While I glanced now and then, mid the study of true art, At the names graven there by the pocket edge-tool ; Oh, time has diminished the strength of my spirit; The visions of youth are my glories no more ; But still one estate from thee I inherit, The old right of way to the stars and their lore. What eloquence rang from yonder broad staging ! Old Cicero's spirit was certainly there; And there was some youthful Demosthenes raging, Or Chatham or Webster was sawing the air : '■» 10 11 11 YMES F C UL T I r li E . Our essays — the teachers endured them how meekly, As well as our sermons on virtue and truth ; But they heard not, as we did, the doggerel weekly, The talk ot smart fellows and promising youth. Then the fun of the blunders at each recitation ! The roasting coal fire beneath the blackboard — The hard lessons darkening anticipation — The way idle scholars were scolded and scored — The answers from book where the coat-tail concealed it, The drawings of genius that stole o'er the slate, The awkward excuse, when a side view revealed it — The broad hint Professor gave lazy eyed Late. And then our Societies, oh how we boasted Of what we would do, and of what we had done ! How oft in debate were our opponents worsted ! What golden opinions our literature won ! What a fuss we were in at th' examination — Pitty-pat went our hearts, and our faces turned red ! What a shout on the stairs, just before the vacation ! What a funny life through interregnum we led ! Sweet Athens ! o'er thee love and light hold dominion; They poured their rich harmony full on thy breeze ! Oh, would but some gentle dove lend me his pinion, How soon would I perch mid thy soft locust trees ! But where is his reverend form, who presided, Alive with strong intellect, feeling and power; Whom we loved and revered, and in whom all confided, The Washington guiding through danger's dark hour ? S CII L- 110 US E S TA NZA S. 1 1 Bright Athens, farewell ! if thy green slopes should never Loom up in the distance to welcome me more, Thy scenes are engraved on my heart, and forever Shall memory faithfully keep them in store ; I think of thy rills, and my blood, richly flowing, Leaps freshly as erst through every vein ; And thy landscape, with distance and time brighter growing, Seems all made anew in the heavenly plain. MARIETTA. Here, where two meeting rivers fringe the plain, O'er which the semi-circling green hills tower, The "Pioneer City'' stands : its streets a chain In graceful folds, of cottage, tree and flower. Here Learning loves to build her shady bower, And, like a magnet, draws the mind from far ; Giving that mind its own magnetic power ; Freighting the mental and the moral car, And sprinkling all the West with many a radiant star. 1836. SCHOOL-HOUSE STANZAS. The rose of the morn Entrances the sight, And the Spring in her dawn Seems an angel of light. So the cheek has its roses Of beauty and youth ; And each one discloses A heavenly truth : 12 RI1 Y M i:s OF CUL TUBE. Oh, brighter than morn with its rosy light Are the visions that glitter in childhood's sight ; And lovelier far than the dawn of the Spring, Is the flight of the soul when it first takes the wing. The bird who, so fair, Dipped his plume in the sun, Ouitteth beauty for care ; To his nest he is gone. Go thou to the skies, Wrap thyself in their glory ; Then brighten young eyes With the robe they fling o'er thee : And richer by far than the beams of the sun Is the light which the embryo spirit has won And higher than ever the lark hath flown Is the flight of the soul, when its wings are grown. That stream was a rill — A raindrop of the mountain — And would have been still, Had it ne'er left its fountain: That oak was an acorn, Alone in the wood ; There the eagle has taken Her nest and her brood : That soul is a drop and that mind is a grain ; The eagle shall follow its soarings in vain ; 'Twill be strong as the oak and wide as the river ; Flow onward, and widen and deepen forever. 1I.UNHI-. 1838 TEA CHER'S MELO D Y. 13 TEACHER'S MELODY. I like my little scholars, I like them every one ; The little lass with the lily face, And the poor man's ragged son. As they sit upon their benches, They seem like rows of flowers ; And as I watch their busy eyes, How sweetly pass the hours. There's something in the faces Of freshly blooming youth, That is the very portraiture Of innocence and truth. And as I watch the sparkling Of a. mildly beaming eye, I seem to be a gazer-on The pure millennial sky. And if there is a paradise Upon this guilty earth, ? Tis in a school where Virtue leads The song of genial mirth. Oh, what is there which minds one Of Eternity's long day, Like the bursting of the mental bud That ne'er shall know decay. Illinois. 1838. l i nil YMES OF CUL TURE. THE RICH. 'Tis he thro' whose deep-channelled soul The steady stream of lime shall roll, And leave its gold and gems behind To fill the coffers of the mind ; Who has a home in every clime, A heavenly friend in every time ; Who calls the blooming earth his mother, And everv son of Earth his brother ; Heaven keeps for him a golden niche — He has the world, an.l he is rich. THE SCHOOL MASTER. Oh, who is so merry as the merry school master ? True mirth is his fortune, and none spend it faster ; Tho' his cheeks may be hollow, his locks may be gray, He lives to his last 'mid the dawn of the daw Tho' the flowers of the field bathe our eves in the light, 'bis the bloom of young faces enraptures the sight ; The one may breathe fragrance, the other breathes soul, llow it gleams thro' the eves that bewitchiniilv roll ! Oh, give me the rose — the sweet rose that can blush, And the blossom that weaves a bright thought in its flush; Oh, give me the eye like the sun on the lake, And the ripples of life o'er the features that break. '/'///: SCH I. MASTER. 15 Full many a day o'er the rusty old stove, Have those features been lighted with life and with love; While the whistling of Winter came thro' the thick walls, And the music of storm from his cloud covered hulls. Tho' the earth should seem melted to mud and to water, As sure as the sun, comes the dear little daughter ; And when the whole sky is falling in snow, With a wool-covered back pops in little Joe. For their lessons to learn is more fun than slciohino-, And to read about kitty is better than playing ; And the praise they receive for perfection in spelling, Soon puts them above all conceit of rebelling. At recess they frolic like birds on the wing ; How thrilling their shout as they chase around the ring ; When they catch out each other while playing old cat, And the ball is sent back by the broad-pointed bat. Then the loud and long call, or the bell or the rap, Each bows at the door as he pulls oft' his cap ; Then hush their loud mirth, and with faces too red, They sit o'er their lessons as still as in bed. Yet never a nod, or if there should be, The sleepy-head's waked by the laughing, you see; While his big eyes roll round 'neath the weight of their lids, He grins at the sport he reluctantly heeds. it; l: II ) .1/ ES OF CUL TUR E. Then out comes a class, and in turn or together, They read of the world, or the wolf, or the weather; Some clear as a flute, and some soft as a rill, And some with the tones of a clarion shrill. And as for the rest — the cyphering, writing, The spelling, the scolding, the occasional smiting; 'Tis the pepper ami salt to a school master's dish, To be a school master then pray don't you wish ? In a school you will live in perpetual youth ; Your companions, sweet innocence, beauty and truth ; On your deeds will your own world around you be fed, And vou live in a thousand hearts when you are dead. lii iNius, 1888. MY POCKET-BIBLE. \1\ little Pocket-Bible, I would not part with thee, If thou couldst purchase all the gems at the bottom of the sea ; For that one word — that single word — on which I dropped a tear, As I gave m\ heart to Heaven, I'll hold thee ever dear. When wearied out witli vanity, my spirit sighs for home, I (.men thee, and hear a voice, " Come, hea\ v laden, come ; " The load tails off my shoulders, 1 feel the strength of wings, And wuii its lowh place content, my raptured spirit sings. /'// 1: CONS I'M /'/*/ VE. 17 All glory seems ascending to God from whom ii came, Ami gratitude seems burning in everj starry flame j All loveliness and beauty, tin- truthful ami the grand Shine on thy pages, like the streams and hills ol Canaan's land. Thou art the t6ngue*of Heaven (hat speaks In mortal ear In tones of love ami pit',', yet faithful ami severe ; That wains us from the steep which hangs o'er wickedness ami woe, And bids us follow yonder star of brilliant eastern glow. Tlu- star that shines so height on earth, how much more bright in heaven ; The Sabbath of the week of time that sanctifies the seven ; Where eyes too strong tor mortal gaze, like eagles scan h the sun, Ami wings of eeslaey ascend toward the Eternal throne! l i.i .1 • . ■ ■ i i THE CONSUMPTIVE. A brother and three r-isteis came to school ; They were the children of adversity; Their manners easy, quiet, kind, yet cool ; Their t hasten ''l spirits never rose to glee ; A something like entreaty rilled theii eyes j I h :ir virtu ■ med above their years to rise. Tl II )W ES OF CUL TUB E. A tender mother was their only stall'; The father was an invalid for years ; With resignation's smile they learned to quaff Contentment's cup, half sweetened by their tears. To nurse a growing cough, the boy at home Remained, and soon his sisters teased to come. Again they came with paler cheeks, but staid Scarce lull a week; for now the mother saw llis illness was a lingering death delayed; A ml tho' the book ceased not his heart to draw, lie still loved play, and as he chased the ball, Would often stop, with sudden cry, or fall. So kept at home, he lead while mother spun ; And oli slu- stopped the loom to mark his tens ; While little Maltha's eye was often won By an unearthly look of his, and teats Of something she knew not would touch her heart, And she from waking dreams would shuddering start. A little garden long had won his care — ■ A nursery round it, and a vigorous tree, Just twice his height, hut not of age to bear, Was in its midst; he loved to sit and see The \cllo\vmg leaves now dropping one by one, As if he sympathized with bloom so nearly gone. One day his eye grew brighter, and he seemed • The portrait of returning health. The sister.; thought That never had his face so sweetly beamed. And by unwonted animation sought To keep his spirits up } they gathered round, And talked ot" all that one.- had made his heart to bound. '/'// /: COJS S UMPT1 V E. L9 He smiled upon their fondness; mother smiled; Even the lather's ghastly features lit; But while John's eye grew bright, 'twas growing wihl ; "Sister, my litlle garden, tend it yet — " W'luii the first apple from my young tree lalls, "Then listen, and believe 'tis John that calls. " Mother, this Bible I give back to yon ; Let Martha read lor me— to father; when" — Here In- stopped short and sunk —it was to., true His features marble — ne'er to change again ; Astonishment first kept their eyelids dry — Then hurst the mother's, then the sisters' cry Two days had passed, when slowly came a train Of bending forms, and pensive downcast eyes, To that green spot upon the wooded plain, Behind the nook whereon the school-house lies ; The children stood aroun 1 the grave, and wept O'er him who in that long red coffin slept. No more in social play or Study, he Whose check is ghastly, cold and pale, shall join; The coffin lowers in the grave, while she, Who held him dearest, utters one deep groan ; A brother's feedings in each young heart swell, And every eye expresses a farewell. Then fell the clods upon the coffin lid, And every stroke thrilled thro' a mother's heart. A mound is soon erected o'er tin- dead ; A roof of poles laid on with rustic art, To guard the sleeping place from vulgar feet, While- head and loot-hoards make the bed complete. II II YM ES F C UL TV R E. No funeral service o'er the grave was spoken, No pompous mourning dresses flaunted there ; But every saddened feature was a token Of the deep mourning feeling hearts can wear ; And when, the burial o'er, the crowd had gone, The scholars sung a little dirge to John. Farewell, brother, we have laid thee Underneath the lofty oak, That last summer used to shade thee From the Sun's meridian stroke : Did we think while 'neath its cover, Here we read our lessons over, Round thy grave we soon should hover ? Could we think, when lovely morning P'ound thee at the school-house door, With its rose thy cheek adorning, Soon that rose would bloom no more ? When to Teacher we recited, Would his smile so bland have lighted, Knew he thou wouldst soon be blighted ? When at noon we used to call thee To the base, or hole or den, Had he told what would befal thee, Would we have believed him then ? Sure to strike, and quick to parry, Brisk at play, though seldom merry — Rest thee, brother, thou art weary. .1 SITE FOR A SEMINARY. '21 Could we go but half way with thee, To the place beyond the tomb, We with farewell flowers might wreathe thee, Catch a glimpse of thy new home. Fare thee well — a spirit blooming, Hither should'st thou e'er be roaming, Brother, tell us of thy corning Ir.i.i.vois, 1838. A SITE FOR A SEMINARY. From all the settlement the paths converge, To one rich grove upon a central spot, Through which the teamsters ne'er the oxen urge, In which the feathered songster ne'er is shot ; No girdled trees decay, no lofty oak Rebellows to the woodman's sturdy stroke. But there sweet quiet breathes among the trees, That whisper to the zephyrs as they fly ; And he, whose broken spirit inly grieves, There nurses pensive dreams his tears that drv ; There meditation finds a cheerful home, Devotion »azes on the azure dome. The plain swells gently to the centre, where A modest building rears a lofty spire; Its form is full, and its complexion fair ; Its front door faces Phoebus' earliest fire ; The short side ranges with the northern star, And Phoebus mounted on his noonday car. n ii ymes o F a ul r u n /•:. Around the roof extends a walk, with seats; And from its elevation one may see A boundless prairie country, with its streets, Its charming groves, each like one spreading tree ; Its painted mansions, and its sea of flowers, The sport of breezes thro 1 the summer hours. While on the north a snow-capped mountain gleams, A rich cloud hanging from the heavens to earth ; Hill after hill declining from it, seems The staircase to the halls of heavenly mirth ; With beauteous swells abounding, and with groves, O'er which the eye enkindles as it roves. And on the east is seen a lovely lake, That every morn is plated o'er with gold ; Whose stillness no intruding tempests break ; A mirror for the sky, in which are told The stories of the stars and sun and moon, Varying their loveliness from night to noon. While on the south, a broad, meandering river Sweeps off an hundred steamers to the sea ; Winding in graceful majesty forever, Like Time in chase of vast Eternity ; And their hoarse thunder, softened thro' the wood, Is like a low wind speaking to the solitude. Afar is seen a city, whose rich hum Floats on the wings of the south-western gale ; And Nature in her noonday slumbers dumb, Sim es as if hearing some sweet spirit's tale ; The stream winds round the plains so neatly urest, As if it clasped the city to its breast. A SITE FOR .1 SEMINARY. 23 But when the eye is tired of far oft views, It rests with calm content on scenes at home ; The armies of young corn, all bright with clews ; The giant oaks, where rich voiced singers come On morning colored wings to chant their joys, Whose merry sports no fowler e'er annoys. Around extends a yard of lovely green, Fenced in by double rows of locust trees ; Where, as the Sun's fast shortening shade is seen, The children play ; their minds and hearts at case ; Their faces flushed with warm and cheerful blood ; Their joyous laugh long ringing thro' the wood. Behold that slender form instinct with mirth, Now bent to aim, and now to shun a stroke ; Then straightened up to pride, as if his worth Were doubted, or his word— he never broke ; Suddenly fired against his dearest' friend, But softened by a look to former bend. Then mark that sweet blue eye, those saffron locks — A speck of heaven amid the golden clouds ; How gay in yonder vine hung chair she rocks ! While round her hear the rich tones growing loud; The songs, that speak the spirit's reckless glee, Are measured by the pend'lum swinging from the tree. But who is that fast striding up the path, Marking the new born flowers, the new tuned birds ? Whose face and eye are apt for smile or wrath ; Sweetness and strength are mingled in his words ; He waives his hand, and bows, and hids good morn, While all to him and to the school-house turn. 24 RHYMES OF CULTURE. And there he rules a little realm of thought, The faithful gardener of life's opening flowers ; He gains a glory, glory knoweth not, Touching the spring that moves all human powers ; A world of love is gathered in that room ; Is he not happy in his heart built home ? 1S39. TO A LOCUST TREE. I love thee, locust tree, Where'er or when I see, Not for thy form in which I trace The gently curving lines of grace ; But for those forms of glee Thou bring'st to memory, My earliest playmates 'neath the merry locust tree. I love thee, locust tree, Not for the breezes free, That play with thy velvet-fingered leaves ; Nor the fragrance thy rich blossom gives To the ever busy air, But for those faces fair — Bathed in the locust's cooling shade — again I see them there. I love thee, locust tree, For the song that rung from thee, Like an angel choir, when the morning beam Awakened me from a glorious dream. The song it came unsought Thro' the window of my cot, And roused a thrill of gratitude for my happy, humble lot. TO A LOCUST TREE. 25 I love thee, locust tree, For my mother seems to be Now at my side, as wont of yore, When she taught me nature's noblest lore ; I see her now as oft, With hand and voice so soft, She pointed through the boughs of green and bade me look aloft ! I love thee, locust tree -, My father, where is he ? When the thunder roared, and the lightning came, And wound the locust with wire of flame, How sudden was my cry ! He searched my frightened eye, " Son, fear the voice of Him who thunders from on high." I love thee, locust tree — 'Twas a mournful day to me, When 'neath the shade in front of our cot, My sister's coffin was slowly brought ; And a dying leaf did fall From the locust on the pall, And I wept as we bore her clay — not her — to the narrow funeral hall. I love thee, locust tree, Thou seem'st a family, That I may never see again, Till the car of Death bear us o'er the plain ; But if a landscape sweet Our meeting eyes shall greet, In another, happier world, 'neath a locust may we meet ! Illinois, 1838. (3) 120 /;// YMES (> I' CULTUR E. A PEEP THROUGH THE HACK 'WOODS. Out West, a certain edifice is built In one day and a hall, In - twenty hkmi, Of black oak logs \ and half the cracks arc filled With fence rails, mud anil mortar; now ami then A hole is left to let in light of" day — Xhe other half are filled in the same way. A something called a chimney, at one end, Is reared ot" rock, clay, shingles, laths and logs ; And these in strata regularly ascend ; Two chunks ot rotten wood may serve tor dogs ; A door will whine on wooden hinges, and Yon bench is built so high, to sit — will be to stand. A roof is weighed with several cords ot" wood ; The shingles fastened down without a nail, Thro' which the storms occasionally intrude, And save the lugging water in a pail, To wash the floor, which is by no means tight, - The windows have no glass to dim the light. To make these airy openings water proof, Loii!', boards on hinges ot" sole leather play ; The lizards walk the ratters, nor aloof" Big spiders Stand, almost as big as they ; The mice, too, have a race path on the chinking. At which the little scholars oft are winking. A P /<: B /' V // /,' C7 G U 'I' II E r, A 1< W <> DS. 27 The furniture — a kitchen chair — split-bottom — Which answers Pedagogus for a throne ; The benches — wonder where the people got 'em; Unba< ked, they seem saw-horses overgrown; A bucket, tincup, and si\- nails lor hats J A swallow's nest — now occupied by rats. A county road meander, half way round The Seminary yard ; the noise oi cattle, The oaths of drivers, and the rumbling sound Of passi ii" ( ha i iotS, and the OX < ait \ rati le, Serve to relieve the tedious eight hours' study — But oftener to interrupt a body. The inmates of this model backwoods college Are twenty barefoot youngsters of all sizes ; Who give their time by halves to corn and knowledge, And leave their trundle beds ere Phoebus rises , You see them dropping in from seven till nine, And some who come from far remain to dine. Their raiment is not, more than they, of silk ; Yet think not that theil li'nt , are cold as pone, Nor yet their faces sour as buttermilk, Although their dinner pails nought else may owti ; They keep, by rubbing them from morn till night, Their hoes, their hearts, their head,, their honor bright. Ii.i.i i i 28 i; 11 ) u /"> OF CULTUR E. FASHIONABLE LITERATURE. The miserable 's the modern true sublime) An*! rei klesfl \ ice the shortest way to rcat ii 11 . Plunge into ruin, you can plunge in rhyme j Learn by experience, and you can teach ii , Poel "i passion, j >'u will populai be, Since men are wretched, ahd want compant Some writers with the powers ol good and evil Claim like acquaintance . they are cicerones, Read} to introdu< e to ( '>'>1 01 de\ 11 . l'iu-\ make but slight distinction 'tween the thrones ■> rheii hobby is effect, and so you are riuu followers, will lead you don't care where. While others gathet flowers from even land, Aiul foi (in - richest jewels search the set . Foi golden dust sin History's moving sand, l\> deck theii goddess, sensuality . On worthless objects ruin mental worth, \n«l ii ih>\ could, would turn heaven into earth, [*o Virtue pa] n compliment to day Aiul then to Vice .i neatei one to morrow . ro -ill the meanei passions make .> bow, \iul whine tli* - i*' s f ol life in reckless sorrow ; Oi build, like Bgypt,a most splendid pile, Foi what \ \ temple (>' -i crocodile, / I 811 1 <> v i /: /, /■: /, / /■//,• i TUM IS, W A" mi oui critici nn i i lomei imes I hii I ilcni wa ■ "iily given to be di iplayed ; 'I i . noi the ' i imi to aim wrong, bul to mi i No mattei what you 'I" to help voui trade > The end is chaff, when ripem I well the meam — 'I he end i i bul the pod to hold I hi bi an ■■ Ri( h men make great expenditures, and ihave 'I hi pooi , not foi theii own, 01 others' good , Bul |U8t i" how the woiM how much they have, (Sim '■ < ash 01 no i ash makes i efined 01 i ude \) ■ niu le • may cui .ill Natut e's i ules 'I o ihow thai they can handle fine edged tool.. Some clevei soul a knowledgi ol the world Will give you , il you onl / bu / hi i book ; Bul ei e long in hi i fan< / < hai iol wlm led I- loin .' ene to s< ene, foi som< thing • I le you look ; l'r-i> li.ni' - you find '"" late hi i trade to be To lead you into bad soi i< I y. Yon novelist show i how pretty ;• thing i i pit e, A nd 1 hai a rascal is a i ighl fine fallow ; 'I li it I; nowledge should be had al any pi i< ■■ , 'I h.it one may be devotional and mellow} I n to h< a ' I* he lomi time i offereth, Bui e ."ii i hi n you smell a di unkai d's breal h< We wish well to oui country, bul such lore I "i hope is fai from palatable food , A n'l pet a tin hi n no moi e 'I he dai k ne i shall be light, oi evil good ; WIimi 'I ruth and Right become sublimity, I hen, and noi till then, man is truly free 4 i •» 30 JUIYMES OF CULT UR E . THE WEST. The West ! the West ! the sunset clime, The last, the loveliest path of Time ; Where glory spreads his loftiest flight, Ere Fate shall bid the world good night, And Spirit rises high and higher, Above the old earth's funeral pyre ! The West ! the West ! the favored East Has spread for thee her treasured feast ; Her commerce brings that science here, Which cost a dozen centuries dear ; And Liberty, that fled her shore, Rises on thee to set no more ! The West ! the West ! where is the West ? 'T was here — 't is on the prairie's breast; It follows the declining Sun Along the banks ot Oregon ; It will be where he lavs his pillow Upon the wide Pacific's billow. The West ! the West ! and o'er the sea, East as the Sun the shadows flee ; Religion, Learning, Freedom high, Their mantles drop while passing by ; On China's towers their flag is gleaming, And wakes whole empires from their dreaming. HUMILITY. 31 The West ! the West ! still onward West ; And now the Earth indeed is blest ; Lo ! here the spot where Eden stood, And there where Jesus shed his blood ! The morning star above suspended ! The East and West together blended ! Cincinnati, 1817. The sky is an infinite True ; To the green world that darkens before it, Bringing down the old and the new From the Misrhty whose wings are o'er it. HUMILITY. Who is the humble? Is it he That yields to man, but dares his God ! A slave to slaves consents to be, But slights his mighty Master's rod ? Or he who knows himself a man, And begs to give, of Him who can ? Who is the humble ? Is it he That stoops from Duty's path to creep, Or clips the wing, or bends the knee, That he may have a chance to sleep ? Or he whose thoughts, once set on fire By love, to glorious deeds aspire ? 32 RHYMES QF CULTURE. Who is the humble ? Is it lie That droops beneath a weight of pride Well pleased that men in him should see Such lowliness and meek outside ? Or is it he whose sunlit soul, Lightened of self, can reach its goal ? Who is the humble ? Is it he That makes humility a blind ? Who fawns to all the powers that be, That he the way to power may find ? Or is it he whose active zeal Prefers to his, another's weal ? Humility— it is the sky — The simple azure of the soul ; The giving up of little I, To share Creation's boundless whole ; The quiet eye, so clear, so bright, That yields itself to truth and light. 1S4S. A IlII A l'VtjD Y. 33 A RHAPSODY. Oh, could we hear each voice that soars above, In prayer or praise, from church, or cot, or wood And mark each saintly look, engraved by Love On count'nances with tears of joy bedewed ; Could we, this moment, in a million eyes, Behold a million images of Jesus rise ; And call each voice, each cheek, each eye, each heart, A father's, mother's, sister's, or a brother's ; What ecstacies of gratitude would start From these o'er burdened bosoms ! Every other's Best gifts would be the heirlooms of each soul ; (Tho' not possessed entire, till clay has turned to coal.) Then wrought into each other's being, we Would die to self, and live to wage the strife, Who should by serving most, become most free. Did we but die indeed, oh, what were life ! Did we but live indeed, oh, what were death ! Who would not, then, exchange for Heaven a single breath ? Springfield, Ohio, 1850. 34 R // YMES OF CULTURE. . THE CORN FIELD; I. Long ere bold Europe's daring gained thy shore, Land of the free, the red man reaped his field, Though rudely tilled, of Indian com, whose store Supplied the food the forest could not yield ; And yet it was not he that deigned to wield The clumsy hoe, best fitted for the drudge, his wife ; His heart to toil's serener pleasures steeled, He nerved his arm in war's unceasing strife, Or in the burning chase he wore away his life. u But he is gone, and she who toiled for him, Far to the wild unconquered by the plow ; The fierce light of his watch lire waxes dim ; Sadness has shor-n the terrors of his brow : Behold him, desolate and nerveless, bow To fate, and drown his sorrows in the bowl ; But some there are in whom the Indian now Lives on, and some that strive for that same goal Which they pursue that fain improvement's car would roll. in Whence came the Indian with the golden maize? Or came he with it? History is mute. But not to him who spends his priceless days Destroying, where he eats not — life's best fruit j And lends no hand to help the rising shoot Up to communion with the Sun and air, Doth mild eyed Nature give in charge to root In a new soil the stem so tall and fair, Whose arms are full of grain whole nations seek to share. •I'll E CO i: 2V /<'/ EL h. Perchance some wanderer from a Southern clime, Laden with produce from a taller stem, His pathway took amid the plains sublime, In which the florist finds his brightest gem, Hoping to gain some lesser diadem ; And thus along his path a winding row Unconscious dropped, till where the forests hem No more the prairie ocean ; thence to flow A mighty sea of blades wide rolling, sure and slow. When first our broad Alluvials saw the Sun, The bounteous soil supplied an ample store •, Altho' the plow did slender furrows run, In which the corn was dropped and covered o'er ; The rich mould scarce required disturbance more ; Earth gave and asked not •, what she gave was all The many cared for ; not to look before Had been their wont ; but soon a long, loud call From beggared hungry land was heard in farmer's hal Then not too soon he started and awoke From dreaming that his land would last forever ; The heart of Earth, he now saw, must be broke ; Nor could she always be the bounteous giver, Receiving not ; that Nature's great receiver, The soil was made, while six- retained the sway ; That pouring Rain and Rill and rolling River Her laborers were ; her treasures night and day, Scattered with ccjual hand, for flower and fruit made way. 36 i: U V M ES OF OUL TURE. Oh, spiritual Air, whose constant breath We draw ; the plants innumerable in thee Breathe too, until their fruit is ripe in death ; For the chief elements of stem and tree Thou art a store house vast and ever free; The snow, the rain, the dew, are thine, oh Air ; Thine all Earth's children give thee •, happy he \\ hose soil with ever open heart cm share Those gifts which thou to give all round the Earth dost bear. Oh, holy Rest! restorer to the soil Of what her vegetable children take away ; Angel ot mercy to continuous toil! Thou givest Nature's energies full pin- ; 'The fruits and flowers change places 'neath thy sw.iv ; Earth takes from Air and fattens ; seasons roll 'Their cargoes in her store-house; night and day Fill up her purse again, until made whole [n rich and bounteous growth we see her generous soul. 'Then Hies the turrow from the glittering share; Deep sinks the double plow ; Earth's coat ol glass 'Thick woven in the soil, bursts out to bare Her bosom as the panting oxen pass; We see 1 .nth breathing, as the torn up mass Smokes freely, till the harrow's iron jaw Grinds all to powder; then of floating ^as 'The soil diinks deeply ; while the zephyrs draw Its timely gifts ; with joy fulfilling Nature's law. THE COR \ FIELD. 87 X. Decay and Waste! ye, too, have bounteous stores, Which man may give to the impoverished land ; Sometimes transported from far distant shores, But oftener sought and found on every hand ; Ye arc- dissectors of th' innumerable hand Ol forms that life deserts; when Autumn shakes Earth's carpet and lays by, the great command, Receive and give, man heeds ; of yours he takes And scatters to the soil, which the young Spring awakes. XI. To equalize is thine, oh, Culture ; thine the task To bring the buried talent up to light; The parched and worn out soil, no more to hask In the Sun's rays, thou turncst under; Night Throws up full many a moist, fresh clod to bright Companionship with Day, and Air and Dew; Dissolving 'neath thy hand, they thus invite Rich laden airs to visit them, whose true Bounties descend ; meanwhile the soil turns up anew. 4 Ml. Month after month, the Winter holds his plow, Deep in the land ; at first compressing all, Ami then dilating; thus the- gloomy now Preparing tor the bright lure-after ; (all Mis sheets ol dost all over this great hall; With blanket snow he warms the slumbering grain; 1 1c- gathers sweet from e.nh decaying gall ; Fills up the reservoirs of healthful rain ; And thus prepares the realm for spring to rule again. ;;s /;// y m i;s OF CUL TUBE. The latest snows have melted quite away ; The grass is peeping from its ample bed ; The moments hasten round the lingering day ; While furthei North the twilight shows its red ; With many .1 stranger wind the air is fed ; The ground sends ug its fresh and wholesome breath ; rhe robin in the tree top bobs lus head, Aiul sings triumphantly the winter's death, As Spring's first opening flower its sweetness gathereth. The polished plow is bright ; the harness shines, Ami vigor sparkles in the horses' eyes ; The driver holds them firmly by the lines ; The magic words u Gee, Haw, '"the plowman tries ; The lorn; wedge enters and the tin row tlies ; And as th' inverted ground sends up its steam, Beating the air, the long, long whip he plies ; And still with cheer, he urges on the team ; Meanwhile their plump round sides with perspiration gleam. XV. Onward it speeds, the swift, yet weighty plow, The plowman singing to the obedient span ; In yonder corner see them land, and now Quickly he wheels the share as plowman can, Turning right angled, like the hold, broad man ; Then smooth and straight, lie cuts the long, long line ; Nearing the center evei •» time ; we scan At last a shape not easy to define. And which the waving [Mow shall quickly undermine. Till' CORN FIELD. 89 XVI. AihI now the hanow comes upon the scene, Geometry's best figure, set with teeth; The big adhesive clods are crushed between The iron spikes acuminate beneath ; And so the mellowed soil has room to breathe rhe air of heaven, and drink the healthful rain, Rain thai is sleeping in 5 on cloudy wreath ; But mark the courses lapping, as the train Is smoothing down the face oi yonder torn up plain ! And now the roller, iron east or wood, — One line that ever changes, moving <>n, — Crushes the soil, the vegetable's food, Anil leaves the plant a bed to grow upon, Smooth as a garden thai reflects the Sun; And thus the ground more mellow still becomes ; A crust is formed that keeps whate'er is won From God's distributors, that have their homes, l\\ yonder sky where all that feeds existence roams. Meanwhile- with eyes hem down where vermin lurk, Ami hills hall' opened, pointing to the sod, The early risen fowls have been at work Seizing the worm uprooted with the clod ; Mi, little home where strangers never trod Ere the late revolution ; easy prey To hungry bird lie falls; the lazy toad Unhoused and sometimes mangled, hops away To lind a dwelling safe heyond the light of day. 40 R // TMES OF CUL TUBE. XIX. The smaller plow has left its resting place, Beneath the roof and boldly takes the field ; There many a shallow furrow does it trace, Straight, parallel and smooth, with room to wield Four feet or less the lively hoe, and yield The future horse and plow an ample street ; Then crosswise is the tier of furrows wheeled, Cutting the ground in squares, and where they meet. The shining kernels haste their mother Earth to greet. Thro' every realm of Nature's wide domain, One truth stands holdlv out ; the first well sown "Will have the deepest root ; the houiulless plain Ot human intellect will ever own The earliest influence longest ; nor alone The realm ot thought ; more truly will the heart Yield food to plants that have been earliest grown ; While youth to age its vigor will impart ; And loveliest Nature walk thus hand in hand with Art. wi. Thou, Mental culture, mav'st behold e'en here Whv seeds o( truth should have a burial deep In the voting soul; tho' late the fruit appear. More sure the plant its constancy to keep; And when their floods life's pelting tempests sweep, The stem more firmly to the soil they bind, And serve the well extended roots to steep In nourishment; nor can Time's grasp unwind Thoughts that give birth to acts with all the soul entwined. 'I'll i: CORN FIELD. 41 XMI. Men of full stature, mighty, tho' but few, Make a great nation ; not vast hordes half grown, Half cultured. Thou, oh, Greece, what men could do, Small numbers with great hearts, hast taught •, alone Thou art not there; who laid the corner-stone American greatness rests on, they were men -, A few whose every soul on its own throne Reposed, men equal. Citizens, oh when Will ye be such ? When great and equal — not till then. XXIII. Dwarf not the many that the giants may Strength over-grown possess; if equal right The masses claim in theory, oh Day Of opportunity upon the nighl Of poverty and ignorance the bright Dawn quickly bring ; or else unequal power And grasping selfishness the rule of might May fasten upon right, till Freedom's (lower Die without fruit ; the tree last withering hour by hour. Tell not the millions they must be mere bones, That a few hunched may become all brains ; Nay, leed the brains of millions, tho' the thrones Do crumble ; make not men to grind out gains Machines — toil's bondmen, bound by custom's chains; LI - will the starving ne'er their outcries cease. Hunger and War ! why live they on the; pains Of dying races ? Feed the brain, n I Tin- fettered; men ami means together will increase. i 1 1 42 RHYMES OF CULTURE. All tilings in right proportion is the good The man should sock, and nation ; wrong doth mar The land where population scants the food. Remove the wrong; bring light from near and far; Discovery and plenty have no bar But ignorance and sloth ; wake up the soul I'o all that Nature places on a par With human reason ; and the storms will roll Abundance 'neath our feet within each man's control. So equal right in moving toward true bliss — Yes, equal right in progress toward a State, Equal in fact as well as theory — 'tis this A great and true Republic aims at ; great Indeed that nation that first opes the gate To greatness real, equal and diffused, Where good hearts move gre.it minds, nor idly wait The masses to be moved ; no life abused Or scorned, the workers live ; no men as tools are used. The soldier's coat; that scarecrow; worship base Paid to the purple, and the hat and star, Si ill warn off the vast millions ot the race From freedom and from greatness. See afar Where the proud castes, the growth of centuries, bar One-fourth the human race from lore and light, Or where time-honored superstitions mar The deep, bread lessons man would learn from Right, Or where wealth worship leaves the masses in the night. THE COR X FIEL D. 43 The Summer's crop is buried in the ground ; The tree-toad from the bough begins to sing ; O'er yonder blue the busy light clouds bound ; The air grows moist, a rain is on the wing; Onward the breezes all their armies bring ; In scattered groups the sky they range at first, While yet the storm in doubt is hovering ; It gathers and it blackens — see it burst ! As it at once to sate Earth's overpowering thirst. And now the Sunshine pours upon the scene, That smile which Nature lends to all the earth ; The meadow weaves a carpet work of green ; The earliest flowers are springing into birth, The birds fill all the air with music mirth ; And lo ! the blade is springing from the soil, Fresh as young soul, and sweet as modest worth ; E'en now is seen the recompense of toil, Young beauty — oh fell Drought, come not thou to despoil That tender blade, an emblem of our life, Frail in its birth, and hastening to its end ; Nursed by the elements, and yet at strife, Oft with the nurse, its future to defend ; Pointing to Heaven as the truest friend ; See its young fingers, soon to be the leaf, Lungs to its loving heart ! the dew to send, And air and light thro' all its being brief, Till on the pining stalk comes fruit, its joy of grief 44 i; II Y M l's OF CUL TUB E. The growing corn its infant robe has burst ; The three formed harrow from its resting place Is now drawn out ; the tooth in front is lust Withdrawn ; the well fed horses by the trace Are firmly chained, and fieldward made to face ; The center of the harrow on the row ; On each side walks a horse ; a lively chase The shining teeth will give the team, and throw A smoothness round the blade that makes it joy to grow. And thus the invading weed, with mangled root, In its first weak approaches is destroyed ; St) that the Earth brings forth a single fruit, And vegetation rises unalloyed ; So Nature's toil for man is best employed ; Her favorites from the robber plants are saved ; The water and the light of heaven enjoyed, By healthful appetites most rightly craved, Till noble harvests smile on labor timely braved. And now the tender blade puts out its leaves, And draws a richer verdure from the sky, And wider still the beauteous network weaves To catch the flying air ; a gentle sigh Is whispered to the breezes hastening by, Accompanied by quiet, graceful motion ; The upper blades like little streamers fly, The signals of their cruise o'er Being's ocean ; And all is full of life, life wrapped in sweet Devotion. THE CORN FIELD. 45 XXXIV. A little family in every hill, Springing at equi-distaht intervals, It seems a young Democracy, whose will One and well knit, is stronger than its walls ; While each on Heaven, great freedom giver, calls For health and life ; oh ! 'tis a beauteous sight ! A colony well ruled in Nature's halls, Planted by Order, that great source of right, Which Sun and breeze and storm shall soon build up to might. The liveliest horse is taken from the stall, And steadiest, to draw the neat, light plow; Young Jock, of graceful figure, strong and tall, Well trained, well curried ; long ago as now, No stranger to the oats ; he makes his bow As the firm bridle clasps his brain and ear ; Th' inverted collar slides adown his brow; The hames are tied, the traces are brought near, And hooked securely, bright along his sides appear. A leathern band upon the horse's back Expansive, ties the traces well together ; The singletree of tough wood, on the black And hinge-like clevis swinging, at the nether End of its axis locked by thong of leather To ploughbeam, while the tree's each willing hook Invites the ring of trace-chain. 'Tis the weather The plough loves best ; so seize the reins ; one look Give all things ; then turn up the leaves of Nature's book. 46 RHYMES OF CULTURE. And now the field the plowman moves upon ; He speeds, not screaming at his horse, nor till Th' occasion calls, the sturdy whip lays on ; Between the rustling rows he guides the will Of panting Jock with all a master's skill ; The plow bar next the corn ; and then returns Between the selfsame rows, that he may fill The middle space with that which mellowing earns The air, the dew, the heat, that blows, distils or burns. Softly the plow will pass the tender root, And touch it not ; yet near enough to throw The caking earth away from springing shoot, And leave it on a ridge of loam to grow ; While alternating swiftly, Jock will go Backward and forward till the journey's o'er, From hill to hill fast followed by the hoe ; Each stalk receiving from the upturned store ; The heavy clods are crushed and weeds can rob no more. The shining corn has reached a goodly height, The blade is deeplv green and bravely wide ; The stalk erect and grateful to the sight, Wearing the mien of modest, decent pride ; The four young brothers standing side by side, A beauteous family, enchant the view ; To social harmony so near allied — How would the ideal perfect near the true, If order such as this Humanity but knew ! Till! CORN FIELD. 47 Again the plow is winding toward the corn ; The bright swift horse is walking on before, Fresh from his breakfast mid the dew of morn, Supplied from yonder barn's abundant store ; See where the polished share, that briskly tore The soil away from those two verdant rows, Returns it to them ; dashing round the core Of every hill the mellow soil, that throws The nets that catch the food wher'eer the rootlet goes. And thus the infant weeds are covered up, Giving their riches to th' absorbing corn ; And thus the green blade with the sun can cope, Nor will the tender roots be rudely torn, If skillful hands the light plow have upborne ; Far down the roots have dug ; concussion slight Disturbs their bed ; the naked and forlorn, Left by the storm, are sheltered from the bright Of noonday, till their eyes can bear his piercing sight. XLTI. Go ask the skillful farmer what is first Among his pressing duties ; slightly bowing, (A farmer's bow by no means is the worst ;) The answer of his first thought may be "plowing;" And what is second, harvesting or mowing? " Plowing," he answers, as his eyelids close ; And what is third ? Mis steady voice endowing With tone more confident, and well he knows, " Plowing, the door thro' which comes every grain that grows." 48 RHYMES OF CULTURE. The bending farmer in his heavy shoes, Now sits astride the fence to view the corn ; His feet upon the middle board, his toes Well pointed downwards, and his elbows borne By far projecting knees ; his hand of horn Veiling his ruddy face ; his steady eve- Thrown widely o'er yon field, the pride of morn, So early in its vigor ; need he sigh, Like office hunters who the fence political try ? But one sad thought still burns within his breast, — Where is Lewellyn ? He the blight and brave ? Hath secret sorrow brought him to his rest Where no kind parent weeps upon his grave, Beneath some far-off sod or ocean wave ? Or if the Sun still lights him on his track, Lives there within him all that Nature gave? Hath honor's soul within him ne'er grown slack ? Then why for these long years comes there no answer back ? Rest, faithful plow, the corn is laid aside ; The color of the blade is deep and pure ; E'en tho' the drought should cut away its pride, Faith tells the man his crop is now secure ; The stalk, well taught the tempest to endure, Is strong and hearty, tall and branching far; The rain comes bounding, and the summer's sure : If hungry beasts their beauty do not mar, What heaps o\ golden grain will await the Autumn car ! THE CORN FIELD. 49 How grateful to the soul the summer scene ! The healing water to its aching eye ; Still bringing horn its waving wealth of green The myriad fingers pointing to the sky, As witnesses for Him who rules on high ! On countless pipes of one great organ play The joyous breezes as they hasten by, While giving fragrance to the merchant Day In barter for the rain, and genial heat and ray. Among her children animate and dumb Is Nature's commerce ever going on ; All Nature tends to equilibrium, And final justice must by all be won ; For this the planets journey round the Sun ; For this the billows of the ocean boil, For this the clouds upon their voyages run ; For this the never wearying zephyrs toil ; For this the Spring creates a world from every soil What mysteries of life in every stalk ! How doth the grain at first send forth its shoot, The efforts of its hungry foes to balk ; Each with a claw so slender and acute, To gather food and drink for infant root ; And how doth flow the sap within the stem, The law of gravitation to dispute? And how is formed the flowery diadem ? And where, when fruit is ripe, is borne life's precious gem? (5) 50 RHYMES OF CULTURE. But now the sunshine pours upon the scene That beauteous face of Nature, whose delight Is well reflected from the jo\ ous green, And comes from fields and woods to hail the sight ; Oh, holy Sunshine, lovelv in thy might ! Thou seem'st the presence of a power divine, Making the world with life and beautv bright ; Thou art to soul, the truest, purest wine ; Oh, that would come with thee, heaven's inner world of shine ! The fields are plaving with the gentle wind ; They seem engaged in converse sweet and low ; As if they shared the banquet of the mind, While waves of changeful o-reen continual flow ; With gratitude and love their faces glow ; Musicians sweet, they ever leap for joy ; Their own rich pipes the curling leaflets blow ; No mildew spirits dare the plant annoy ; No tempting serpent may their Paradise destroy. But what the wind's low converse, or the green Rolled into seas of beautv, waving there, To that fond hope that something vet unseen, The guerdon Nature gives to toil and care, The coming fruit, may turn out rich and fair ; Stalk, leaf and flower rise, fall for this one end ; Their lifetime is one toil, the seed to bear ; All mvsteries, all motions, jointly tend To strike a golden coin posteritv to lend. THE CORN FIELD. 51 This living truth, the law of Nature's laws, Is written on Creation's every page ; The language of the wires the Great First cause Sends down to electrify age after age ; To simple heart revealed, or mighty sage, His laws are truth, love, order and increase; Shall He, whose one word stills the tempest's rage, E'er fail his purpose? Nay; tho' Time do cease; A new Time shall be born to fill all worlds with peace. He traced this chart of life, he sent down youth, The spirit's blossom, pencilling the man; Bright fancy to perfect the germ of truth ; The wings of hope the cheek of love to fan; Pure reason's aim the ranging thought to span; The form to be the exponent of the mind ; So when the hair is gray and cheek is wan, And in his grasp the limbs old age has twined, The heart grows ripe for worlds where love is unconfined. Say not that childhood's pleasures are in vain, Altho' so quickly they must pass away ; They flourish, fed by Nature's bounteous rain ; The stalk, the leaf, the flower so pure and gay, Beneath the shine of life's delicious May ; These pleasures soon may form the golden seed The wise call wisdom ; and the livelier play The young heart keeps with elements that feed Its feelings and its powers, the richer is the meed. EE RE. ■ - - . / . : ■ : i senses, th skill; To warm the state . set too cold; To reg _ the will; Dc- ss c pting i the bud to kill; TV stir the soul to < - si . : heart with hope and A::.: ■■■■ : :.:-:;. . . ■ - . ... . Blest s s an sges, len or truth Sine i sakness taught, H.i> '. the g The : are came Wh : ue learn'. ig firs _ U . Still o'er our Ian fhai be die - - ► the sk i school; lose n nerso ; soul's *lc \ . ;ssons n W . > that as To ripen the ing dawn ; ITm tse the t was an The secret of itsa The. THE CORN Fl i: I. D. 53 The mild, sweet mother, and the noble sire ; The affectionate first born, the merry Jane; The elder brother, full ot deeds and fire ; The younger full of thoughts like steady rain, And others coming to make glad the train ; What happy lessons 'tis their lot to learn ! Study and labor bring them richest gain ; Kind words are theirs, and thoughts of ready turn; Religion, patriotism, in them like passions burn. And yet a farmer's life wants not its cares, Us soi rows, disappointments and vexations ; N>t come they singly only, nor in pairs; Sometimes a host of cruel perturbations Break in upon his soberest calculations ; Yet often these may timely skill prevent, Aided by two of thrift's most near relations, Lumber and cash, whose services are lent Most freely where the toil is seasonably spent. Dick leaves the bars wide open to the cow ; She casts her hungry, fearful glances in, And bawls for company ; with steps not slow The whole tribe join her ; soon the crackling din Of cornstalks hearing, Tray advises Ben;' They raise the posse ; tho' 'tis darkest night The half dressed Inns the fierce attack begin; Wary at first, lest harm should follow flight, They drive th' invaders thence, all foam, and rage and fright. 54 RHYMES ULTTJRE. The men are scattered to the farthest farm ; A rebel pig roots out ; the pop corn dies ; The little Joseph, out of breath, tells ma'm ; The girls turn Amazons, while Peggy tries Field, garden, yard sue flies Afar for reinforcements, and thev come To see how 'mid the roses Jennie plies The broom; thev seize the grunter, far from dumb, And hurl him where old sow will welcome him back home. LXII. Sometimes the little cut-worm murders all The slender s:ai^.. as soon as tl b ^rn ; E netimes the clou Is seem . ■. ;ch rain, and fall To drown the you Giving the day no eve or noon or morn ; .-times the Sun arrows fierce and shuts the rate Thro' which the streams come id all forlorn, The thirst shad >wy as thev wait The prom se of the clouds that rol a s:ate. Sometimes the great, fierce, iron hurricane, As if a vast ball from unearthly gun, Plows up at once unnumbc ain ; Or pestilences all the realm o'errun ; Or sue.., Vast anarchy throws >.': igs wrath Fires the wh - nay be undone Bv ca ; when all the toiler hi At one seems b path. THE CO 1! .V FIEL P. 55 And yet with gratitude the fanner moves Among the ripening fields his toil hath reared ; For he hath trained his heart to higher loves ; llis eye seeks Heaven, who to our sires appeared When patriots for their infant country feared; And now pours down upon the thirsty plain The light by which yon azure has endeared To human sense the dew, the air, the rain, The