PEACE AND PROGRESS UC-NRLF ^ By NATHAN HASKELL DOLE , 8 GIFT OF Prof. C.A. Kofoid vc PEACE AND PROGRESS Peace in Religion and Music — Peace in Love Peace in Death — Peace in Brotherhood — Peace Universal ^z A* 3 Copyright, 1904, by Nathan Haskell Dole . . . . « . ■ ■ Printed at The Plimpton Press Boston, Mass., U. S. A. TO ANDREW CARNEGIE, LL. D. LORD RECTOR OF SAINT ANDREWS UNIVERSITY GIVER OF ORGANS AND LIBRARIES PROMOTER OF PEACE AMONG NATIONS THE American People having, of their Generosity, granted to you a magnificent Share in the Natural Monopolies of this great Country, you have accumulated a colossal Fortune which you have splendidly recognized as a sacred Trust to be administered for the Benefit of your Fellow Men. In honour of this Act of Justice it gives me Pleasure to dedicate to you the Symphonic Poems here printed as a Contribution to the three inspiring Causes which I would desire to serve with my best Powers— MUSIC, LITERATURE, and PEACE. NATHAN HASKELL DOLE Ml THE BUILDING OF THE ORGAN A SYMPHONIC POEM IN FIVE MOVEMENTS PART FIRST. PROLOGUE SONG OF THE PINES 1 High on the mountain side Sturdily planted, Lifting our heads in pride, Spreading our branches wide, Ever green, ever young we abide, Old and undaunted. Storm-winds around us roar, Tempests assail us; Thunder-clouds flash and score Scars on our brows; we soar Undismayed o'er the chasm evermore : Nothing can quail us. [9] 3 Lured by our balmy crests Dreamily swaying, Eagles their eyrie-nests \ A$Tj3cfc :they are welcome guests Winging home from their far-sweeping quests, : ) "■ i i Weary of slaying. 4 Down on the horizon's bound Gleams the old Ocean. Hark! hear the solemn sound Thrilling the air around, Like the chant of the cherubim crowned Bowed in devotion! II VOICE OF AN ANCIENT PINE 1 Oft at Midnight's marvellous hour, When in the zenith the Stars are in flower, Voices prophetic sweep thro' the Skies, Deep undertones from the Ocean arise. They tell of Mysteries known to the Few — Only the Wisest can follow the Clue ! Changes impending: earthquakes and storms, Death and Destruction in manifold forms. [10] 3 New Order grows from the tumult of Strife; Death gives way ever to perfecter Life, Forests must fall that Cities may grow — Mountains be levelled that Rivers may flow. 4 Over the Sea even now come the Sails Borne by the breath of Beneficent Gales. Woodsmen with axes will level our Pride — Miners will delve for the Treasure we hide ! Yet we rejoice in the Grief and the Pain, Turning our loss into cosmical Gain ; Bend to the Steel and welcome the Fire — Thus rise to God, whither all things aspire. Ill SONG OF THE BENEFICENT GALES 1 We are Daughters of the Sky And on viewless wings we fly, Swooping low or sweeping high On the mighty errands we are chosen to fulfil. Now we bring the fruitful rain To the parcht and thirsty Plain; Now we grind the golden grain By our tireless breathing on the wide vans of the Mill. [11] 2 We dispel the sullen Clouds Piling up in massive crowds When the Fog the horizon shrouds, And we bring the cheerful Sun again to glad the World; Swifter than the albatross Drive the gallant fleets across Boundless Deeps whose billows toss, Vying with us till they reach the Port where sails are furled. 3 Wild seolian symphonies Play we on the Forest-trees, While the deep bass of the Seas Booms on every beach and headland of the echoing Main. Then we bend the feathery reeds Where the crested Heron feeds, And a weird, faint tone succeeds Like the sighing of a Lover dying of his pain. 4 Laden with the scent of Flowers, Comrades of the sunny Hours, Yet we hold unbounded powers : Full of joy we sing, and yet if barriers stir our wrath, Then in phalanx vast we rise Roaring thro' the shuddering Skies And whatever Foe defies Him we hurl in ruin from our devastating Path! [12] IV SONG OF THE PROSPECTOR Thro' trackless leagues of Wilderness With steadfast purpose on I press. At Night my lone, unsheltered camp Is lighted by the Fire-fly's lamp. With stern Privation at my side I follow Fortune as my guide. 2 A thousand disappointments cheat The wanderings of my weary feet. What gleams from far like yellow gold, When hardly won, is turned to mould. Yet tho' by wild Illusion tried I follow Fortune as my guide. 3 Ravines I scan with practist Eye Where stores of buried wealth may lie. The mountain Bear, the treacherous Pard, Those hidden hoards may watch and guard, From me no longer shall they hide : I follow Fortune as my guide ! 4 On yonder Height, above those Pines The beckoning Star serenely shines. [13] At last the dreamed-of goal is won ! The splendid Era has begun! Come, Wealth, come, Glory, like a Tide! Hail, Fortune, my inspiring Guide! V SONG OF THE WOODSMEN 1 We are come from afar with our axes and saws ; Like an Army we move on the forest-crowned Height. They must fall — the proud Pines that have stood there for Ages. For the World hurries on without respite or pause And the darkness gives way to the Kingdom of Light Long foretold by the Sages ! Lay the ax at the root of the tall, stately tree ! Cut the gash in the flesh of the white, fragrant wood. With a crash it will sink on the brink of the Valley, It will glide from the side of the Mount to the Sea, And the Town shall abound where the Wilderness stood, Where the deep Rivers dally! 3 Into houses and vessels, for tapering masts, Into manifold use for the Children of Men, Shall the shadowy Forest be changed by our labour. There is nothing on Earth that infallibly lasts ; It is life and new life and then new life again, 'T is the Plowshare from Saber! [14] 4 And the Wind that plays now on the harps of the Trees Shall make melodies sweeter and richer accords, When it comes at the Master's sublime invocation, As his Spirit awakes from the answering keys Thoughts too deep to be uttered in words, like the Lord's Silent breath of Creation! VI SONG OF THE MINERS 1 Down, down, down ! into the depths of the Earth ! In dark, in mirk, we work, we moil. Down, down, down ! There is little of gladness or mirth In endless days of gloomy toil. % Toil, toil, toil! Far from the light of the Day, Like moles we bore thro' beds of ore. Moil, moil, moil! For the long, weary hours, scanty pay! Must we be Serfs for evermore ? 3 More, more, more! That is the order we hear! We bend, we pick, we drive, we blast ! More, more, more! New demands for us ever appear! And this must be while Time shall last! [15] VII SONG OF THE FOREMAN 1 Thro' subterranean caverns hollowed, Thro' long, black galleries shored with beams, Has Nature's clue discreetly followed Led us to wealth beyond our dreams. 2 But not for us the splendid Treasure, With small meed must we be content. The worth of Life 't is hard to measure; The coin of Joy is quickly spent! 3 In faithful service rendered duly, In simple pleasures, work well done, Is sweeter comfort reckoned truly Than grows from wealth unjustly won 4 I hear thro' these low, sombre arches A deep and solemn organ-tone! The Van of Progress upward marches And Man is coming to his own ! [16] VIII CHANTY OF SAILORS 1 We are off, we are off on our homeward course. (Take a pull on the weather main-brace!) The Captain's voice thro' his trumpet sounds hoarse (O bowse in the sheets and flatten her face!) "Set up the halyards!" he calls. Each tar is at work in his place And the bark springs her luff and is ready to race And to meet whatever befalls. (Take a pull on the weather main-brace!) She is tearing along with a bone in her teeth ! (Take a pull on the weather main-brace !) There is pale blue above and dark blue beneath. (O bowse in the sheets and flatten her face !) The wind is piping a song Crowd all the kites on ! By God's grace We will lower the record by mending our pace ! And the voyage will not seem very long. (Take a pull on the weather main-brace !) 3 Oh, clew up your royals and down with the jib! (Down top gallants and staysails! avast!) In the harbor we ride on a rollicking tide ! Up with your courses ! Lay topsails to mast ! [17] Let go the anchor! haul taut and belay! Our voyage is over at last! With ore for our ballast and lumber all fast. So off for the Shore and away ! Hurray! IX THE SONG OF THE ORGAN BUILDER 1 Seasoned long is the mountain-pine, Close the grain and white and fine, Saw it, plane it, bevel it well ! Now the promist time is ripe. Now it shall live as an Organ pipe — Thro' it the breath of the Wind shall swell! 2 Perfectly fashioned, row on row, Tuned to the gamut that Singers know — Thousands of voices uniting in one : — Thread of sound like the sigh of a bird — Thunder of bass by the pedal stirred — Now 't is completed — the Work is done ! 3 Elephant's tusk from the Tropic brought, Creamy white and carefully wrought. Ebon from far Honduras's strand, These shall adorn the banks of the Keys; From them shall arise the harmonies That soon shall obey the Master's hand ! [18] 4 The Case shall be barred with fretted gold — Carved in black oak a millenium old : — Singing choirs of angelic boys, Seraphs winding their trumpets and shawms, Virgins breathing on clustered haulms, Cymbals and drums making plastic noise! 5 To the great Cathedral it shall be sent — The perfect and glorious Instrument. It shall lead in laud and in choral song. The hearts of men it shall ever sway On Sabbath and on Holy Day, And unto God shall the Praise belong. X CHORUS OF ORGAN FINISHERS 1 Our masterpiece is now complete Of precious wood and tin and gold. A thousand Voices strong and sweet These ranging diapasons hold! % The melting tones of harp and flute, The sighing of the sylvan reed, The arpeggios of the Poet's lute Are to these full stops deftly keyed. [19] 3 Here shall the great Magician sit, And fill the Fane with waves of sound. Here fugues of pathos infinite With holy symphonies shall abound. Glory to God for such a power! Forever more His Name be praised! High in His Temple vast shall tower The immortal Fabric we have raised. [20] PART SECOND THE CONSECRATION OF THE ORGAN I THE CATHEDRAL 1 Andante maestoso Above the City's proudest mansions towering, Its double spires sublime, cross-crowned, cloud- high, The Century-plant of Art reveals its flowering In yon Cathedral bulked against the sky. The flying buttresses, the arches glorious, The grand, clear-story rising o'er the nave, The Campanile like a shaft victorious That Life has raised above the conquered grave ; 3 The mullioned windows filled with pictured histories : Stern Prophets, grave Apostles, Angel Choirs, The Dove and Lamb and Lamp— the symbolled Mys- teries, That glow in jewelled glass like living fires : — [21] 4 At last the wondrous whole is fairly finished : — From corner-stone to finial it has grown. Oh, may its Splendour never be diminished, Its perfect Beauty never be o'erthrown! 5 Heart-weary Pilgrims from far lands slow wandering Shall feel a quickened pulse to see this shrine. Low-bowing, on each marvel solemn-pondering, They know the Glory here is all divine ! 6 The golden Flame that fires each Orient oriel At morn shall first kiss that resplendent Rose, A radiant Sign from ages immemorial That Light from Darkness ever surely grows! II THE DRUID GROVE j 1 Allegro Out of the Darkness Day is born — Night is Mother of the Morn! So from the mirk of Ignorance The Sun of Knowledge must advance; So from Superstition's night Leaps Religion's kindly light. [22] 2 On this temple-flowering height Thro' the misty ages stood, Druid-tenanted, a Wood. Chief or tribesman came not near Save with awe or pallid fear. Underneath the sacred Oak Scarred by many a lightning-stroke, Rose the Altar stained with gore, Carved with mystic Runic lore. At Midnight wild, barbaric chants, Sung by white-robed hierophants, Echoed thro' the cloisters aisled Cruel tho' the Summer smiled. Ill CHANT OF THE DRUIDS 1 Allegro con brio On the Oak-bough hanging low Grows the pale green mistletoe : Cut it with the golden knife! Offer up the precious life Of the two white bulls that low Prescient of the coming woe! Bring the Prisoners — man and wife — Captives from the bloody strife : — They shall learn, yea, they shall know Mighty is our great God Selago! [23] 2 On the Altar virgin Fire Rises higher, ever higher! It was sleeping in the ash, But the hard wood's rasping clash 'Gainst the soft pine woke Desire, And it leapt forth for the pyre With a swift, o'mastering flash. Beat the cymbals with a crash, To the world the Fire shall show Mighty is our great God Selago! IV ARRIVAL OF THE ROMANS 1 Presto Hark, what means that brazen blare Shattering thro' the tremulous air ? Hark, those frenzied shrieks, those cries! Hoarse, exultant shouts arise! 'T is the Roman legions dread By their fierce Pro-consul led! 2 Did not Druid Sorcerers know There would come a deadlier foe Than the Germans hot for war — Mars be mightier than Thor, Mightier than Vasio ? [24] 3 What then meant that conflict dire 'Twixt the red Blood and the Fire ! When the Hawk swooped on the Dove What appeared from high above ? 'T was a wide-winged Eagle flew Straight from Southward thro' the blue ! Hawk and Dove alike he slew! 4 Were not the Omens clear to read ? Could they not the warning heed ? 5 Vainly, vainly, Druidesses, Do ye tear your tangled tresses, All in vain ye call your Gods : They are deaf as frozen clods ! Hide behind the cromlech gray! Never will you ride away On the swift steeds of Epona! Never will the bright Dumona Bring you aid this fatal day! Adder-stone and herb All-heal Will not heed your wild appeal! 6 Un poco piu lento Already thro' the shadow-haunted glades Rush the Roman Foot with dripping blades; Javelins with brazen points are hurled. There where the smoke of Sacrifice up-curled, [25] Heapt in stark ghastliness the Druids lie, Surrounded by the ruins of their world, Too happy thus to die ! V THE ROMAN TEMPLE 1 Allegro moderate "Where once grew the Druid's Grove Rises now the Fane of Jove; Monolithic columns grand Carved with marble garlands stand, As once stood the tall oak trees Guarding well the entrances. Crowned with olive leaves the Priests Celebrate the solemn feasts, Sacrificing milk-white kine, Pouring out the mellow wine, To the God who sends the thunder, Filling men with speechless wonder. They perform the mystic rites, Lifting high the belemnites Which the Arch-Druid thought were hurled By Taranis when the cloud Hung blue-black above the World, And the Forests by the dazzling bolt were plowed. 3 Hark! the stately Hymn resounds Thro' the holy Temple's bounds. [26] VI HYMN OF THE PRIESTS OF JUPITER 1 Maestoso Jupiter Omnipotent Hurler of dread thunderbolts, Seated on thy mighty throne, Heed our Libations! 2 Lord of this World thou art Ruling all the Gods by fear What can thy Integrity Shake or diminish ? 3 Here where barbarian Bands Sacrificed to thine Enemies Now thy great white Temple stands Ever inviolate! VII DAWN OF CHRISTIANITY 1 Duo: cantabile first peasant: Say, who is yonder grave and reverent Stranger With calnij benignant face ? He tells us of a King born in a Manger — A Saviour for our Race! [27] 2 SECOND peasant: He was a slave at Rome : his cruel Master Kept him for years in chains. At last compelled by pressure of disaster He freed him from his pains. 3 first peasant: He teaches us that all the ancient Stories, That we believe, are lies. His Peasant God in whose dark Death he glories He calls All-Good, All- Wise 1 4 second peasant: In Rome this new Faith came to him like healing; New Life to him it brought; And now he wanders thro' the world revealing The Lessons he was taught. VIII THE PROPHECY OF THE PEASANTS Allegro The Temple of Jove shall be swept away. We see the Dawn of a happier Day. Freedom and Love shall rule over Life; An end shall come to Hatred and Strife. We welcome our new beneficent Lord ! Long have the cruel old Gods been abhorred. [28] The poor and the slave shall find relief: Comfort shall dry the tears of Grief. Christ is our King! we herald His Name. All over the land the tidings proclaim ! IX THE CATHEDRAL 1 Recitativo: adagio Long centuries past; the Forest disappeared. The rich, black soil for golden grain was cleared. A village clustered round the sacred well; The Roman temple into ruins fell. Its columns quarried for foundation stones Lay mutilated; statues, altars, thrones Of polisht marble where the Flamens sate Suffered the same rude, ignominious fate. The grave God Jupiter, the cloud-Compeller, Followed the Druid Deities; the Queller Was quelled; the pipes that Pan the Friendly played Were heard no longer in the shadowy glade. The homely Cult the rich and great despised, By ragged slave and boorish peasant prized, Was now the only Faith men recognized. From lowest bondman up to Emperor The Christ-Religion all now battled for! Then as the village to a city grew The Temple site was consecrate anew. [29] The abundant wealth that Trade and Conquest gave In generous tithes built arch and architrave, The ornate chapel and the vaulted nave. High rose the Towers with foliated spires — Perpetual semblances of Altar fires. Pride of the Nation the Cathedral stands A shrine of Pilgrimage from distant lands. THE ORGAN 1 Allegro Gift of the Faithful, the eloquent Organ, Gracing the loft that faces the Transept, Waits for the Master to waken the Spirit Forth from the marvellous heart of the Instrument. 2 Silent as yet are the tall golden bourdons, Motionless lie the powerful bellows; Closed are the stops, all inert are the pedals : They will respond at the hour of the Festival. 3 Come, O Breath of the Gale from the Ocean, Come from the far distant murmuring Forest, Come from the reeds that sigh by the River: It is your music the Master makes manifest. [30] 4 Songs of the warblers, the soughing of branches, Waterfalls, mountain-brooks, silverly tinkling, Echo of lakes when the Ice shouts his paean — All these mellifluous voices you bring with you ! XI DEDICATION OF THE ORGAN Allegro animato 'T is Saint Cecilia's festal Day: November's sky is cold and gray, But o'er the Cathedral's vaulted aisles The light from countless tapers smiles. There is no hidden nook of gloom In that Basilica's spacious room. A waft of incense clouds the air With delicate perfumes everywhere. In purple robes of 'broidered gold The Priests their silent stations hold; The mitred Bishop devoutly kneels Before the Altar which reveals A rare, resplendent, dazzling blaze Of starry candles maze on maze. Then with a lofty mien he stands Holding the Crucifix in his hands, And turning to the expectant throng, Intones the In Nomine Domini In quavering notes which full and strong Break into strains of Poesy: — [31] XII CARMEN SACRUM 1 Allegretto Nos in hac Praesentia stantes Iesum Christum adorantes, Salvatorem Dominum, Ut decentius colamus Nunc laetantes consecramus Hoc pulcherrimum Organum! Semper in hac aede gaudens, Semper sacrum nomen laudens y Dulcem dabit musicam: Sacrificio arcanorum Cantus mollis angelorum Ei comitantur iaml XIII Allegro Then from the choir bursts forth a Hymn Such as the blessed Seraphim Might sing before the Almighty's throne, When up to Heaven's bright Courts hath flown An angel bearing in his arms A soul redeemed from earthly harms : — [32] XIV GLORIA 1 Allegro con fuoco Glory, glory, unto the Lord of the Universe, Throned on high amid Light more bright than the disc of the Sun! Infinite ages of time 'twould take for our tongues to re- hearse All of Thy marvellous attributes, O Thou Infinite One! Glory, glory, glory! Sing Hallelujahs, sing! Praise and Honour and Glory unto our Lord be- long! Let our harmonious voices now with the Organ ring. Chant the homage of Man in clear antiphonal Song! Amen ! Amen ! XV THE FUGUE 1 Andante maestoso Hark! like a golden thread of sound aerial A plaintive cadence from the Organ steals: It trembles, rises, floats away etherial ! The Soul in silent prayer devoutly kneels. [33] 2 Then comes a change : a crash of chords rolls thundering And shakes the windows in their leaded panes; It thrills the throng who listen breathless- wondering, To hear the splendour of the sequent strains. 3 From out the chaos of the weird prophetical Emerges like the crystal Light of Life A fervid theme, spontaneous, poetical, That sings of strenuous Victory won from Strife. 4 With deeper tones the same great theme euphonious Ensues enmesht in woof of woven sounds, Thus grows the Fugue: a splendid web harmonious With a whole world of Beauty in its bounds. XVI APOSTROPHE TO JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH 1 Prestissimo Some who hear are rapt away From the environment of clay, Borne on wings of Rapture From Earth's trifling toys, Ready to recapture Something of Heaven's joys Which they long had lost At such bitter cost — [34] Borne beyond the Evening Star Infinitely far To the pearly gates Where the Flame-guard waits Each with his flashing scimetar! 2 Oh, the Soul's attuned ear Songs of heavenly Choirs may hear Praise to God forth-pouring, Set to harps of Gold Struck by rapt adoring Angel hosts white-stoled, While the crystalline Harmonies divine Of the far-revolving spheres, Carrying golden years, Swell like Organ-notes, And above all floats Love's Eternal Hymn of Joys and Tears. 3 Allegretto Master Bach, this was thy Power! Before thine Organ seated Didst thou make music flower Like radiant many-prismed blossoms In sterile human bosoms ! Oh, miracle repeated A thousand times in thy dear life; When men defeated Undone by strife [35] New courage gained, New hopes conceived; When hearts sin-stained Once more believed That Purity might be attained! When Love, heart-banisht Exile with broken wings, Mourning her Eden vanisht Once more to Hope's hand clings ! And sees a beauteous Vision Of Joy elysian, Crowned with immortal rays, And with an infinite yearning Beholds the sweet returning Of Paradisal Days! 4 Tender-hearted Master Kindly, patient, mild, Simple as a happy child, Brave amid Disaster, Sweet when Fortune smiled, A most rapturous fire Burned in thy spirit undefiled ! To what didst thou aspire ? Celestial harmonies awoke in thee! The Voice of Yahveh spoke in thee ! In thee the sentient chord Vibrated 'neath the finger of the Lord! [36] 5 Thou didst interpret for the unknowing The sounds of jocund Rivers flowing, The roar of snow-encumbered Tempests blowing, The fitful, dreamy sighing Of lake-reflected willows, When the first Spring-green beguiles; The murmur of the Forest, Harp-like faint replying To the gentle summer Zephyr dying; Where the light and shadows morrised, Make a checkered pavement, As for Gothic minster aisles. The thunder of Aegean billows Plunging into azure caves When the wild Mistral raves ; The weird, mysterious, Vast, imperious, Midnight Music of the Mountains; The Voice of vernal Fountains Bursting into brief existence, The gurgling calls of rapturous birds Darting to join their mates Thro' long, translucent leagues of liquid distance, The Robin's gay arpeggios The Bobolink's solfeggios, The bell-notes of Thrushes Amid the Forest's hushes, The songs of Nightingales, In vine-abounding Grecian vales; The maddening ecstacy of Mocking-birds, Telling the Texan prairie lover's tales; [37] The marriage of the Poet's words That sing of loves and hates, Of joyous and of desolate Fates, Of Death and Birth Upon our night-and-daylight alternating Earth. XVII FINALE: THE TE DEUM 1 Andante O, mighty-dowered Instrument! All passions that in human Souls are blent Dost thou respond to when thy Keys Are reverently bent To sincere harmonies; But in God's Worship is thy Service chiefly spent. % When Man before his Maker bows, His weakness and his faults confessing, Renews his childhood's fervent vows And asks his Heavenly Father's blessing, Then the Te Deum rolls In most majestic tides of glory, That lift men's guilt-freed souls Above the trivial and the transitory! And leave them inly-fired And awe-inspired Before God's throne, Each with his secret thoughts, alone ! [38] I PART THIRD SCHERZO: THE WEDDING I JUNE 1 Allegretto June is returned with her garlands of Roses; Every breeze is a Perfume-wafter. Even the Lily her heart discloses ; Joy is dancing with crystalline laughter, Light white Clouds o'er the azure chasing, Meet with sweet and gladsome embracing! All things around and below and above Allure to Love! % Human hearts are thrilled with futurity, Young hearts eager to find their affinities; Temples of Purity Held in security, Perfumed to please their enshrined Divinities. 3 Vows attested by faithful Service Now shall bring to the dear reward, Like as the carved, elaborate pervis Leads into the minster of the Lord. [39] June is returned and the Earth rejoices! Songs awake on the lips of the Dumb. Woods and meadows are jocund with Voices; Over the clover the honey-bees hum ! Sweet looks Life as she temptingly beckons; Youth presses onward and never reckons; All things around and below and above Inspire to Love! II WAITING FOR THE BRIDE Andante Like a Garden full of Flowers Glow the vast Cathedral spaces, Gay with radiant, eager faces ; While the Master at the Organ seated Scatters melodies in pearly showers : In each theme is Love repeated. Ill THE PRINCESS Adagio Now it tells a piteous story Of fond lovers long ago : He, — a Knight who fought for glory, She — a Princess pure as snow. [40] 2 Grew their passion shy and tender, Like a Violet by the stream; Dared he his heart's key surrender? Dared she breathe her waking Dream ? 3 But their Idyl soon was broken : He was sent to foreign lands, And their Love was never spoken, Priest ne'er joined their mutual Hands! 4 She became a Queen sad-hearted; He for glory fighting died; Happier they by Fate so parted : She could ne'er have been his Bride! IV LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT 1 Piu animato A new and cheerful Theme Comes like a golden gleam Out of a Summer cloud, That drifts across the Sun Lighting its Summit proud When Day is just begun : The searching melody Sings in clear major key : — [41] 2 Two Strangers pass along the street : For one brief second glance they meet. Yet tho' they part Each answering Heart Knows now the circle is complete. 3 Years glide away. In some far land Again they meet. Hand clasps with hand. Their eager eyes Swift recognize The kinship which their souls had spanned. V LOVE POSTPONED Un poco meno mosso Then a strange Theme broken Tells of Love once spoken, Vows once fondly plighted: Dark misapprehensions, Cruel interventions, Letters lost, Threads of Fate Tangled, crost; — Years by Sorrow blighted. Then at length, but ah, too late, Lovers reunited! [42] VI FORBIDDEN LOVE 1 Moderato Sombre chords, the woof of Dirges Out of which emerges Like a golden thread A vibrating measure, Haunting in its plaintive Beauty, Signifying Love that yields to Duty, Self-denying, Choosing Pain instead of Pleasure, Starving lest it should be fed On forbidden bread ! Two that love their Love confess, Knowing well 't is vain to hide What their greeting Eyes express, What their meeting Hands confide. 3 Face to face and heart to heart, In glad sorrow, in sad bliss, They have chosen Honour's part, Sealed with one long Farewell kiss. 4 One is free but one is bound By the sacredest of ties, Is a slave to Life uncrowned, Having missed Life's rarest prize. [43] 5 Yet their joy in Sacrifice, In Renunciation's pain, Makes their Love beyond a price, For 't is Love without a stain. VII THE OLD, OLD STORY 1 Animato The Music clarifies: A strain of doubly-blended themes Born of a Poet's rapturous dreams Tells of the Love that never dies : That holds thro' all Eternities. Two spirits fresh and youthful Draw near and blend in union, So pure, so clear, so truthful That Heaven's most rapt Communion Can know of nothing sweeter, No orbed Love completer. 3 It is the dear old story: How Life is turned to splendour, And Spring-time spreads her glory In hues so soft and tender That Earth an Eden seemeth, Thro' which all Rapture streameth! [44] VIII LOVE'S MYSTERY In the souls of those who listen, Kindred chords awaken, Jewel-tears in bright eyes glisten; On the Tree of Memory shaken, Unforgotten leaves are fluttering! Each heart with its own life history Hears the organ- voices uttering Love's ineffable mystery! IX THE BRIDAL PROCESSION 1 Tempo di marcia Here comes the Bride! Now Organ peal! Loud speak the joy and the pride All hearts feel ! Slow 'neath the arches Of woven roses, Now flusht, now pale, Under the veil The Chosen One marches By her stately Father's side, And the gay Procession closes With a throng of radiant girls : Each Maiden With a garland laden. [45] X THE LOVER 1 Agitato In the Chancel the Lover waits With trembling calm, with modest pride. For him, unworthy, the pearly Gates Of Paradise are opening wide! Thro' distant lands he had been a ranger; On fields of carnage he had fought. To him had Danger Seemed no stranger, And yet a simple girl his soul had taught That he was not immune to Fear. He who a score of Foes had captured Meekly at sight his heart surrendered, And now a Prisoner enraptured His firm allegiance he tendered ! Ah, Fate austere! XI THE CEREMONY 1 The hands are joined, the rings exchanged: The brave responses cleave the air. The Reverend Father gives his Blessing. Oh, may their hearts ne'er be estranged May they Life's trials nobly bear, Love's magic Talisman possessing! [46] 2 Love so pure Shall endure! For all cares and griefs it is a cure ! All of worth On the Earth From such union of two Hearts has birth. This the Organ in its final Benediction tells And the Hymn of Love Eternal swells : — XII HYMN OF ETERNAL LOVE 1 Allegro con fuoco When the first primordial atoms in space commingled Each was drawn to each by a strange Desire, From out the nebulous haze each the other singled And they grew to an Orb more dazzling than Fire. 2 It was Love, it was Love divine which the worlds created; God is Love : up to Him all Existence flows. Throughout the vast Universe all things are finally mated, In satisfied Love must the Cycle close! 3 'T is the conflict of sound makes the ultimate Concord the sweeter, Perfect Harmony out of Discord resolves; Pain and Strife build Life ever richer, nobler, completer; Into higher forms the unfinished evolves. [47] 4 There is nothing lost in the mighty scheme of Creation; The Star that falls and the broken arc; The Flower that fades and the perisht unchronicled Nation, And the spark that is swallowed up in the Dark : 5 They have all their part in the cosmic Order symphonic; Even Sin and Shame into Beauty grow: It is Love that resolves the Discord harsh to harmonic; It is Love's sweet themes that thro' all things flow. 6 The Love of the Mother who gives all her Heart without measure, Or who dies with joy that her offspring may live; The Love of the Father who counts privation a pleasure, If so more life to his own he may give; 7 The Love of the Man who shields his Friend from Disaster, Who marches to death that his Land he may save; The Love of the Saint who to serve his Heavenly Master Counts martyrdom bliss and is true, to the grave. 8 The Love of the Sailor who plunges to rescue the Stranger, Of the Hero who offers his life for his Foe ; 'T is the Love of the God who deigns to be born in a manger, That the Children of Men Salvation may know. [48] 9 Yes, the Earthly Love is the type of the Love that forever Creates and upholds and unites and absorbs; There is one Purpose serves all the infinite urge and endeavour; There is one Law that rules all the Heavenly orbs ! 10 At last when the Stars in their flight cease from marking the aeons, When the Circle of Time on the Dial shall cease, Then shall dawn a new Cosmos proclaimed in raptur- ous pseans, And over God's All reign an infinite Peace! XIII FINALE LOVE IS KING 1 Allegro This is the message The Organ tells! Marvellous presage It vibrates and swells; And as it dies Like the fragrant sighs Of a Summer breeze, Suddenly rise [49] The melodies, Sung by the chime Of the Wedding Bells, High in the steeple Thrilling the air, Greeting the people Everywhere, To all Time: — 2 Love is crowned, Love is King; The whole world round The Tidings bring! Below and above Everything Breathes of Love! [50] PART FOURTH THE DEATH OF A NATIONAL HERO THE GLOOM 1 Adagio The City thoroughfares are hung with crape; The Nation's banners every building drape, Hang half-mast high on all the Ships, Droop, as if conscious of some fateful Doom; The air is heavy with inexpressible gloom ; Sorrow makes eloquent all lips! 2 In the remotest hamlets in the Land Men of the most discordant Creeds are clanned By reason of this common Grief. Far alien tongues their keen regret rehearse; A hundred Poets into heartfelt verse Breathe sorrow for the fallen Chief! 3 In the Cathedral Chancel lies in State The Conqueror conquered by the Bolt of Fate. [51] On a high Catafalque he lies. Carved as from Alabaster is his Face Haloed by Death's calm and pathetic Grace: Death's sleep broods o'er his eagle eyes. Pausing for one slow, deep, and reverent glance Upon that stern, majestic countenance, The mournful throng all day move past. The tapers blaze; the incense clouds the air; The attendant clergy kneel in silent prayer; O'er all the Pall of Gloom is cast! Gloom in the House of God ! Is Death a bane ? Have Heroes, Saints, and Martyrs died in vain ? Is Faith delusion, Hope a snare ? Too far the Pagan dread of Death still holds ! Too deeply black the funeral shroud enfolds! A solemn joy such Grief should wear! 6 And now the Requiem, to commemorate The Virtues and the Service of the Great, Fills the Cathedral to its bounds. All minds the Master of the Music stirs; Of Anguish and of Bliss interpreters, Speak now the Organ's awesome sounds : - [52] II DEATH 1 Death never spares: inexorable Death, He summons all — the least — the mightiest, The moth whose life is compast in a breath, The Infant on its Mother's breast, The Monarch whose imperious behest A thousand servants hasten to perform, The Sun whose bulk enorm Centres a universe of earths A million fold more populous than ours, The Hopes of countless births, The beauty of the Summer's loveliest Flowers : — All doth he claim, King of the viewless Realm Monarch of sombre name, All doth he overwhelm! With ponderous shattering chords Death's Song of Triumph rolls, And sable hordes Of Horrors and of Fears, Of inextinguishable, burning Tears Invest Men's midnight-darkened souls. [53] Ill DEATH'S TRIUMPH SONG I am the Lord of Life ! All living things Are mine and have been mine since Life began. Mine, beasts and birds, and mine their Master, Man. 'Gainst me no strength prevails; no speed of wings Can save. My overtaking Angel flings The fugitive back within the fated ban. Destruction is the sum of all my plan : — God's Universe to naught my Sceptre brings! 2 Yet am I most beneficent : in my realm All Cares and Sorrows, all Earth's miseries cease. Men mourn because my arrows overwhelm; They mourn tho' only thus they find release. Swift sails the Ship with Death's hand on the helm, But at the end the Port it makes is Peace. 3 I am the Lord of Life ! All systems die. The Universe is one engulfing Tomb ! The great white Suns rush ever to their Doom, Wan, lifeless Moons thro' lifeless spaces fly, Wasting their pallid light on orbs that lie A prey that I insatiably consume. In all the Infinite what waste of room, How little Life ! King of the Dead am I ! [54] 4 Yet am I merciful : when Time is done, When Memories, when Records all have perisht, And every Hope is gone that Mortals cherisht, When in the sky revolves no glowing Sun And God and I alone are left, at last The Sleep of Peace shall brood above the Vast! 5 I am the Lord of Life! Behold my Way! Upon the magic Mountain sunny bright With fertile Terraces my wiles invite The Vine-rejoicing Sons of men to stay. They toil and when their tasks are done they play; They build them palaces and find delight In glorious prospects over vale and height; They thrive and multiply; they live their day. 6 And then I shake the Mountain! Far and wide The marble many-pillared palaces fall! Down flows the boiling lava; crimson-dyed The snow of ashes settles like a pall. The stricken towns in vain for succour call! I bring to naught all Splendour and all Pride. 7 The Lord of Life am I ! Again men build Their Habitations on the Intervales Beside the stately River, where the sails Of Commerce by the prosperous gales are filled. [55] The humming Hive of Traffic is never stilled, Wealth vaunts herself superb ! Nor Science fails — Nor Art; and Beauty's gracious smile regales With every wile wherewith the Mind is skilled ! 8 Men live, love, prosper, multiply. — And then I melt the Snow among the Mountains. The Waters gather from their sudden Fountains. Houses and marts and splendid temples crumble. Alike in one mad maelstrom Great and Humble Perish. There is no Power to heed their cry. 9 The Lord of Life am I. Along the Plain Which stretches level like an emerald Lake The scattered flocks of Men their dwelling make. What golden harvests of the generous grain Are coined for Luxury's ever- widening Reign! What teeming Cities into splendour wake! What Pride the builders in their labour take ! But soon I show them that their Vaunt is vain. 10 A cloud of purple blackness fills the South, Shot thro' with jagged lightnings! Lurid Shape It waxes monstrous : from its yawning mouth It roars in triumph. There is no escape, Rich cities, populous fields, to Death are hurled, As swift it passes with vast wings unfurled. [56] 11 I am the Lord of Life. In hearts of Kings I sow black seeds of War. Nor long I wait Or ere I reap the harvesting of Hate. Nation at Nation insolently springs : They battle like Scorpions armed with poisoned stings, Fierce armies face fierce armies all-elate With passion of conflict, heedless of their Fate. Red Carnage riots and my triumph brings : — 12 Thousands of Heroes stript of lusty life; Heapt piles of gallant war-steeds, stiff in gore; Sackt cities black with piteous deeds of strife; The butchered child, the stark, dishonoured Wife. And still the Hate engendered calls for more. War is my Master-stroke since Days of Yore. 13 I am the Lord of Life. I smite the Lands With scourge of Pestilence, and like the grass When thro' dry Fields red Flames in fury pass Men perish — and beasts. I call : gaunt Famine stands Ready to reap my grain with skeleton hands From Countries widowed of Water: skies of brass Hang pitiless. The elements amass My prey ; the Dead are countless as the Sands. [57] 14 The Ocean and his raging Storms are mine ; Nowhere is living thing I do not claim. Mine are the tiniest motes of Life that shine; Mine are the Worlds that shrivel up in flame. I ruin — I destroy : — DEATH is my name. God made me and His work is all divine ! IV LIGHT FROM DARKNESS 1 Allegro moderate Yet not for long Triumphs Death's insolent, o'erweening Song. A clear imperious Trumpet-call With sudden lustihead puts all The clouds of sullen gloom to flight As Tropic Day o'erwhelms the Night. 2 There is no strife: Death yields at once to his great Conqueror, Life. Exulting rise the harmonious notes In vast Arpeggios : then there floats The Banner- theme of Deathless Joy Like liquid gold without Alloy : — [58] V TRIUMPH SONG OF LIFE 1 Allegro con brio Tho' the Winter the face of the Meadow may freeze, Tho' the leaves may all fall from the sorrowing Trees, Tho'the Fountains may cease and the Rivers be bound, And the Snow may lie deep on the bloom-widowed ground, Death may rejoice, But the World shall awake at the Spring's thrilling Voice ! 2 Tho' the Worm may live only the brief Summer hour, Tho' the petals be blown from the heart of the Flower, The Butterfly floats from the chrysalis left And the Fruit grows in place of the blossoms bereft. Death gets no prize, For a new Grace is born when the old Beauty dies. 3 Tho' the Babe may be torn from the Mother's fond arms, Tho' the Maiden be lost with her sweet budding charms, Tho' the Youth, howe'er strong, howe'er gallant and brave, May descend, in despite of his pride, to the grave, Death nothing wins, For a new Life forever with dying begins ! [59] 4 And tho' cities may perish and nations consume And tho' stars rush together in flame to their Doom, It is only a part of God's marvellous plan, And his Love rules the world from the atom to Man. Death is no foe, It is only thro' Death that the new orders grow ! 5 'T is thro' Death that Life lives : both are servants of God And the path thro' the Vale of the Shadow when trod Leads to measureless fields of fine Service afar Where there 's no loss of Love or of Friendship to mar: Death brings the gain, And the infinite Joy shall atone for the Pain ! 6 Meno mosso The Flower must die that the Fruit may gladden men; The Corn be reapt that the grain be stored ; The loss of the Great for the moment may sadden men, But there's naught in their death that should be deplored. They are only called to a higher career As Captains to far-off posts are promoted; They will find new work in their unknown sphere; Whether there or here Their best to the Service of Life is devoted. 7 The personal note thro' the Organ wells : Of the varied life of the Chief it tells, And above all swells The solemn tolling of funereal Bells : — [60] VI ELEGY 1 Moderato Now the Head and Hero of the Nation Falls a victim to the Assassin's steel; Maddened Envy strikes amid the Ovation, To o'erwhelm the Commonweal. All too well the sharp blade is directed; In the hour of Triumph Death awaits; Thus forever, sombre, unexpected, Toll the Doom-bells of the Fates. 3 He, the Hero, is secure in glory; He has done his work and won his meed; He has built his name and fame in Story, Twenty million Slaves he freed ! But the sudden blow so grim and tragic Brings discordant Parties into one; Sorrow's ancient feuds are solved by magic As the snows melt in the Sun. 5 Every tongue the Hero's mastery praises, All his Virtues glow with haloed flame; His success in multitudinous phases E'er will stir to rival aim. [61] 6 He was lowly born, reared mid privation; As a child he worked beyond his powers; Eager, snatcht the crumbs of Education From the surly, grudging Hours. 7 Books were few, but those of royal standard : Shakespeare's Bible, Shakespeare did he know. Naught he learnt of Literature that pandered To the passions of the low. 8 In the firelight, flickering, rising, sinking, Lived for him the Characters of old; He grew wise in their high modes of thinking; His thoughts took their mighty mould. 9 When he spoke, his words, with Wisdom weighted, Sank into his Hearers' inmost hearts; Unto Service was he consecrated; Destined to play foremost parts. 10 Calm in judgment, strong, impassioned, Swift and rapier-keen in argument; All his weapons from the Truth were fashioned, And his face was eloquent ! [62] 11 In his ready speech gleamed lambent humour; Homely wit flasht ever from his tongue; Echoes of his deeds were spread by Rumour; Everywhere his Praise was sung! 12 When before the ermined Court he pleaded For the life or fortunes of the wronged, He was shrewd to apply the Logic needed, Fact with fact where each belonged. 13 He was forward to befriend the Friendless — Sympathetic, gracious, innocent; And his deeds of Kindliness were endless; Joy was spread where'er he went. 14 High he lived above the storms of Faction, Like a Mountain-peak above the clouds, Heeding not the thunder of Detraction Or the sullen snarl of crowds. 15 When the world's Arena first he entered As a Champion of Freedom's cause, All the shafts of Malice on him centred, Yet he did not shrink or pause. [63] 16 Stern, erect, untrammelled, simple, fearless, With the shield of Faith, the blade of Truth, He was greeted as the Leader peerless; Round him thronged all generous Youth. 17 Like a Rock when Winter hurls the Ocean, In a maddened welter, at the Shore, Stood he — Type of Duty's grand Devotion While the surges round him tore. 18 Threats of Vengeance, weapons fiercely pointed, Nothing swerved him from the clear-seen Right ; Like the Shepherd King with chrysm anointed He was clad in matchless might. 19 And this might he nobly used for others, To protect, uplift, encourage, aid, Humbly counting all men as his Brothers, Of the self-same Spirit made. 20 Sons of God the Serf and Slave he reckoned : Should the Sons of God be Serfs and Slaves ? Equal-born are all men : Justice beckoned Pointing to a million graves : — [64] 21 Equal-born and equal in their ending, King and Clown alike must leave the Day, To the same Unknown and Dark descending To the same uncouth Decay. 22 Equal in their right to Joy and Sorrow, To the Sunshine, to the Earth, and Air; So he signed the Edict: "From To-morrow Freedom shall reign everywhere! 1 5> 23 Fetters fell from black limbs scarred and broken; From dwarf t Souls the chains of Bondage fell; Not since God's "Let there be Light" was spoken Had Love worked a mightier spell ! 24 What a shout of boundless exultation From the Ocean to the Ocean ran! Man is henceforth free ! Emancipation Is the Watchword given to Man ! 25 He, unspoiled, unmoved by blame or praises, Gave to God the Glory of the Deed, Knowing well it is the Tide that raises Stranded Ships, the Sun wakes seed! [65] 26 So he reached the zenith of his Shining At his Apogee to leave our skies — Happy to be spared the slow declining Of the Light that wanes and dies. 27 Every Darkness has its phase of brightness, Good evolves from ill, however dire; As the fragrant Water-lily's whiteness Rises from the noisome mire ! 28 Here we see the threads all knotted, tangled; But the warp and woof make patterns rare. To our ears the bells of Earth are jangled; They will blend in concord there! 29 Lives whose circling Arcs are not completed Fill the service they were meant to fill. Victory's crown may halo the Defeated : Death can never be an ill ! 30 Mourn not that the Life so rich, so splendid, From your yearning Eyes is rapt away! Tho' the Sun sink by dark clouds attended Yet there dawns another Day! [66] 31 As the motes that thro' the light float sparkling, Float from gloom and into gloom again, — Are the same motes whether bright or darkling, So in Life and Death are men ! 32 Men depart and others take their places, And the endless Work of God is done! See the radiance shining in their Faces From the mighty central Sun ! 33 Mourn not therefore! Banish grief and sorrow; Wipe away your bitter, blinding tears. We shall meet in Death's sublime To-morrow, In the Land of Timeless Years ! VII EASTER SONG 1 Gioioso After Winter's seeming frozen Death Comes the Spring's revivifying Breath : — Waken, O, ye beauteous Flowers, Now dawn golden hours, it saith. 2 From the Southland throng the Choirs of Birds, Love their music turns to glowing words : — [67] "God is Love: He fills the worlds with Light, Beauty follows Winter's blight." Love alone this wondrous change performs, Love gives joyance after dreary storms. Nature lauds her great Creator Life bestowing in a myriad forms! Praise the Lord ! Give God the Glory ! Tell in song the wondrous Story, Grief and Death are transitory, God is Love ! Amen! VIII FINALE 1 Andante As the Music swells and minishes Throbs and wells and sighs, As the tear-wrought minor finishes, As the major replies, As the brave and hearty dominant With its wealth of surprise Makes the Life-idea prominent And the Death-thought dies, [68] As the mournful, funereal Storm of sorrow flies, As the solemn, imperial Stars of joy arise, In the memory of the mourners, Glows the story of the Hero And the Organ seems to tell it, With its struggles, labors, triumphs, Breathing forth its high ideals, Pouring comfort, consolation, Spurring on to high Endeavour, Blending alien hearts in Union, Quenching Flames of angry Passion. Thus the mortal Life tho' ended Lives more vitally than ever, And its power no man may measure. % Thro' the lofty pointed arches Of the glorious old Cathedral Rolls the thunder of the Organ, Breathes the whisper of the Music. 3 Thro' the world will roll forever Echoes of the Hero's glory, Of his sweet, unselfish nature, Of his democratic spirit, Of his struggles, labors, triumphs, Of his last and noblest message : "All men are born free and equal"; [69] Of his dying mid his Triumph; Of the great Regeneration Which his Life and Death accomplisht, In the nation which he cherisht In the Thought of all Mankind! [70] PART FIFTH END OF A GREAT WAR FOR FREEDOM AND INAUGURATION OF ERA OF UNIVERSAL PEACE. I INVOCATION 1 Moderato Harpy-faced Passions of War — Rapine, Destruction, and Slaughter, Cruelty, Hatred, Despair — spread your wings and depart! White-robed Angel of Peace — God's Star-crowned merciful Daughter, Come and dwell in the Earth; throne thyself in its Heart! Clear the seas of the Cruisers! Let the Battleships perish ! Turn the Forts into Parks! Melt the great Guns into Bells! Spirit of Love and of Joyance fulfil the Hopes that men cherish, Bring them the Golden Age such as the prophet foretells ! [71] II THE FESTIVAL OF PEACE 1 Why is the vast Cathedral crowded with jubilant throngs ? Why are the Streets hung with Banners, resounding with shouts and with songs ? Tidings have come that the War is ended, that Peace has been signed. Hence the shouts of Joy and the Banners that wave in the Wind. Long had the War been waged, with the forces of Free- dom arrayed, Desperate-battling with Tyranny armed with his scab- bardless Blade, Each aware that the Conflict was final, the end of the Strife Never would come till One or the Other lay stript of his Life. Thus had the Old and the New, face to face, fought the fight, as they say, Fought Ahriman with Ormuzd, as the Night fights ever with Day. Evil must yield, at the last the Good must rule over the World. Now it has come! the broad white Banner of Peace is unfurled. This is the Festival Day : a service of thanksgiving Song Paeans the triumph of Freedom, the absolute Down- fall of Wrong! [72] 3 THE ORCHESTRA Now shall the Organ be roused to its utmost passion of power; All the Winds of the Sky shall grant it their opulent dower! Other Instruments, too, shall join in the Symphony's maze : — Flutes with melodious warble learned amid bird- haunted ways; Sylvan Clarinets, the Hautboy beloved of the Swain; Passionate Violins with hearts keyed to joy and to pain; Soulful Violas with Voices for pathos and yearning Desire; 'Cellos with generous thoughts as of noble young men that aspire; Horns whose mellow, deep call sets the Huntsman's blood all afire; Trumpets that ring for strife and animate languishing hearts; Drums and Cymbals and Harps — all fill their eloquent parts. 4 THE CHORUS Ranged like a pyramid, high sits the Chorus row upon row, Ready to start at the nod of the Leader the tones that shall flow Deep as a River and full as the Fountains that fall in the Spring; Praise and Thanksgiving and Joy are wrought in the Anthem they sing. [73] 5 THE POET Nor shall the Poet fail! When the heart of the People beats high Surely he must not fail; with the fire of the Seer in his eye He will stand forth to sing in verse that never shall die Freedom's glorious triumph, the Deeds that were done in her name, Winging the words of his dear mother-tongue with pinions of Flame. Happy the Bard on whose brow the Laurel-wreath so is entwined! Kings pass away and the breath of their Power is the breath of the Wind; Dynasties fade from the Earth and leave no remem- brance behind; But the Verse of the Poet, inscribed on the heart of Mankind, Lives forever, forever is prized above jewels and gold. Tho' he may die in despair yet his name in the Stars is enrolled ! Ill THE HYMN OF PRAISE 1 Redtativo Hush ! Hark ! Like a vast wave that breaks Against a caverned coast, When the wild sullen Ocean makes His immemorial Boast [74] To overwhelm the steadfast Land, So rise the vocal Host And waiting stand To heed their trusted Leader's mute Command. 2 Hush ! Hark ! A mighty flood of sound Bursts from a thousand throats, Overleaps the Earth's defiant bound With full, harmonious notes, Whereon the Hymn of fervent Praise, Borne high, majestically floats, And mounts, and lays Its Homage down before the King of Days ! 3 Cor ale: andante Thy children come, O Lord, Before Thy Heavenly throne, To give Thee thanks with one accord For countless mercies shown. 4 By blind and thorny ways, Thro' Deserts bleak and wan, Thro' stormy Nights and dreary Days Thou'st led us safely on. 5 Tho' Foes our march assailed We heeded not their darts ; Thro' Thee our Courage never failed, Thy Love made strong our hearts ! [75] 6 And now the Victory 's ours ; We reach the Promised Land, Around us bloom Hope's gracious Flowers, Sweet Waters are at hand. 7 All War is at an end, All cruel Passions cease, The former Foe shall be a Friend, The Earth shall smile with Peace. 8 To thee, dear Lord, we owe The good that we possess; With love and joy our hearts o'erflow: Thy name we praise and bless! Organ and orchestra Join with the choralists Lifting the harmonies Into the loftiest Heaven of devotion, While the thrilled auditors Keyed into unison By the great Victory Won over Tyranny Sob with emotion! [76] Allegro IV THE SYMPHONY MARTIAL INTERLUDE Allegretto Now swells a Martial Symphony, Wherein the speechless ecstacy Of Genius wrought to whitest heat Finds its expression so complete That blended Wood and Brass and Strings And the great Organ's cadencings Lift men and bear them far away, As in the old, miraculous day King Solomon's magic Carpet bore From town to town, from shore to shore, From Palestine to Turkestan, From Ispahan to Candahar, Nay, even to the evening star, Whoever knew its talisman! THE PARADE Now, as the pulsing rhythms beat, You seem to see a long, wide street, Wherethro' a host of Volunteers — Brave youths who strike for Freedom's cause Surge onward without rest or pause Mid clapping hands and shouts and cheers. In fair alignment on they go, Each stern face lighted by the glow [77] Of pride in conscious Sacrifice, Where Honour wins at any price, And Life itself is given to Duty. The Sunlight flashes on the steel Of polisht rifles that conceal The baleful purpose of their beauty. The silken Banners flaunt the air; The shrill heart-stirring Trumpets blare. On, in bright billows, on they pass! Oh, the brave spectacle! But, alas! When the dark web of War is spun Mayhap from all that host not one Unscathed will reach his home again. The "Now" will scarce compensate then! The memory of the great parade Like midnight visions soon will fade. How many will fill nameless graves ! How many roll 'neath mocking waves! Those Banners, now so proudly borne, Will droop begrimed, blood-stained, and torn! The glorious, soul-enthralling strain Will end in dirges for the slain : Here are War's pomp and circumstance That cheat the superficial glance. ii the capture of the redout Now the Reality comes! Hark to the roll of drums ! Hark! the Bugle's blast! Angels and Men, stand aghast! It is the call for the charge! [78] As on the threatening marge Of the wild Ocean men wait Watching the dubious fate Of a brave life-boat that saves Ship-wreckt crews from the waves, So (to set large things with large) Watches the world in amaze, While with drawn weapons that blaze, While with a deafening shout, Forward against the redout Dashes the Death-courting line Filled with a valour divine. Nearer and nearer they dash ! Then, like a lightning flash, Then, with a terrible crash — Omen and prophecy dire Opens the welcoming Fire : — Mitrailleuses in whose breath Regiments shrivel in death, Melt as the flakes of the snow When the Sirocco-winds blow Bringing the sand-laden heat; And in continuous rattle Mausers and Krags that repeat Death with each feverish beat Join in the slaughterous Battle. Heapt on the ground in grim piles Lie the maimed and the dead. Reckless the fast-melting Files Forge with fierce Daring ahead. [79] Never would mortal emerge Out of that merciless surge, Did not the huge, hurtling shells Fall with a thunder that swells Louder and louder! They burst Where most incessant the curst Hail of the bullets defies. Sudden the musketry dies, And in the silence that follows, Over the mounds and the hollows, Gathering impulse again, Dash the War-maddened Men! Lo! they have gained the Redout! Hark ! the hoarse, triumphing shout ! Freedom her battle has won ! Ah! but the cost in young lives! Mourning in hearts of fair wives. Mother, now weep for thy Son! Fatherland, all that survives Rests on these deeds nobly done.' Solely that Liberty now Gleam as the Star on thy brow ! in THE PROVINCE OF MUSIC (Interlude) 1 It is thy Province, O Music, — not to describe or to picture, Not to imitate Life but to quicken and move! [80] Rapt away by thy strains, the Soul sees the Past and the Future — Sees and hears and retains, not with corporeal Powers. 2 Some may catch only the sounds — may know they have pathos or beauty, Missing whatever they mean under the sensuous mask; But for the true Adept arises the bright glowing Vision; Now of march and assault, now of fierce battling Ships. IV THE BOMBARDMENT OF THE CITY 1 As the lair of the Lion Is assailed by the Tiger, Who destroys the young princes While the King, their protector, Is not there to defend them, But returning discovers The havoc and ruin, And burning for vengeance Meets the striped marauder And defies him to battle, And the furious combat Fills the jungle with terror, Stains with gore the bamboo! So the beautiful City With its opulent palaces, With its cloud-reaching towers, With its treasures incomparable [81] Of Art and of Science, By a failure of foresight Falls a prey to the Foe. 2 The insolent monitors With turrets impregnable, The solid steel battleships, The brine-cleaving cruisers With their dread, bristling cannon, Combine and concentrate : — They silence the earthworks, They dash by the fortresses; And then on the City The huge floating batteries Pour death and destruction! 3 The works on which peaceable, Industrious Artisans Had lavisht their labors : — The intricate carvings Of wood and of marble, The pride of the City — The columns and arches, The picturesque towers, The statued memorials Of Heroes departed, Of Scholars and Poets, The Schools and the Colleges, [82] The world-famed Museums Where the Art of past ages Is kept for men's marvel, All crumble to powder! 4 Like the Djinns of the Orient Released from Captivity, And maddened by memory Of cycles of Servitude, Rise the Flames from the ruins ! Conspiring to ravage, They spread and commingle To sweep crackling and roaring In a mad conflagration : — There is no one to cope with them! 5 With cries of lamenting, With moanings of anguish, The wretched inhabitants Seek in vain to escape: They are crusht, they are mangled, Flames clutch them and strangle them. The dead and the dying — Fair women dishevelled, Sweet, innocent children, The gray-haired whose counsel Was heeded with reverence, The stalwart and strenuous, Entrapt unescapably, — Even Sisters of Charity [83] In their errands of Mercy Encumber the pavements, Lie in heaps in the highways, Stain with blood their dear Homes. Oh ! the Tiger has ravaged The lair of the Lion! THE BATTLE OF THE SHIPS 1 But not long is the chastisement, The stern retribution — Delayed in its striking : — From the Southward and Northward To the aid of the City, Come flying the Warships The angels of Nemesis All fierce for the vengeance ! From their black, raking funnels Pours the smoke as from Craters Of bursting Volcanoes. The green, foaming billows From their beaks, like a cataract, Dash hissing away. They close round the harbor, They bear down on the Enemy. 2 The Lion and Tiger Grapple now in the fray! [84] 3 Cold guns against heated guns, Fresh crews against weary crews, Wrathful hearts steeled to vengeance! What will the issue be ? 4 As in far fields of ether Suns darting thro' spaces Unmeasured by Fancy Meet in sudden collision : Across the vast Universe Flares the flame of their conflict, So the steel-bulwarkt warships Rush together in onset So desperate furious That the crash of their impact, That the clash of their ramming Make the very Air shudder. 5 Then with deep, sullen rumble, With a thunder crescendo, With an outspirt and uprush Of wallowing water, Jetting high like the Jotuns That leap from abysses, Boom the bursting Torpedoes! 6 As the Shark, when the Swordfish Thrusts his terrible weapon Up from under his enemy, Sinks paralyzed, death-doomed, [85] So the might-compast warships That had vented their cruelty On the opulent Capital, One after the other Meets the woe that was waiting them. 7 Diving down thro' the water, Gliding close, unsuspected, The stealthy assassins Apply the Torpedoes Heavy loaded with lyddite, That with ravage resistless Rake the Ships to their vitals. Down they sink as if maelstroms Had swallowed them under. Oh, their Crews and their Captains, Their Boatswains and Gunners, Their Pilots and Stokers, With a horrible gurgle As of Souls in last agonies, Are drawn under and vanish From the life of the World ! The costly equipment, The wonderful Engines So swift and obedient, The great rifled Cannon All polisht and beautiful, Lie silent and useless In the black, slimy depths. Nevermore may they rise again Save with blessings for Man ! [86] THE HORROR OF WAR 1 Agitato Oh, the horror of War, and the waste! Fair Countries deflowered and defaced ! Brave lives cut off in their prime. Noble steeds ript open and maimed, Foul passions of Fiends — every crime! From the dimmest beginning of Time The War-Gods' altars have flamed The War-Gods have triumpht unshamed, The Valkyrior have not ceased To bear to Valhalla's red feast The Souls of heroes death-tamed ! Never once on this globe for a day Has Peace universal held sway! 2 Wars of Conquest, Ambition, and Greed, Of Jealousy, Envy, and Hate, Thro' the ages of History succeed As if forever decreed By the cruel arbiter, Fate; Wars of Freedom, enkindled by Need, As when Bolivar, Winkelried, Rienzi, heedless of meed, Girt on the implacable sword And swore that their Race should be freed, And, followed by Heroes, out-poured Their lives for the Land they adored ! [87] 3 When Tyranny blasts with his curse The weak and the lowly, enslaves The lofty of mind, if Man saves His cowardly life, it is worse, Yea, 't is a million times worse, Than to fight for the Right, tho' he braves The Death that he knows may await! So War has his glories and praise, And the Freeman who fights and who falls Is worthy of living in Lays Sung by Nations in Liberty's Halls! VI ENCOMIUM OF HEROES 1 Moderato Hail! ye Sons of Glory Thro' the crowding ages Shining on the pages Of your Nation's story! Who with hearts defiant Took the desperate chances, Faced the serried lances Of the tyrant giant, Gladly, grandly perisht With a Faith unshaken In the Sword once taken For the Cause they 'd cherisht. [88] 2 Hail! ye unknown martyrs, Dying unrewarded, Your names not recorded, Ye won Freedom's charters! Ere the Day star mounted, While the East still darkened, Duty's Voice ye harkened; Forth ye came uncounted, Courting posts of Peril, Doing deeds of daring, Life and love not sparing, For a Promise sterile ! 3 Con fuoco Hail! thrice hail with paeans, Freedom's rising Sun! Let the coming aeons Chant the Victory won! Tyranny is ended, War, the Demon dread, All his spite expended, From the Earth is fled! 4 Bells with melodious clangour Ring out the Era of Pain, Selfishness, Cruelty, Anger, Arrogance, Pride, and Disdain! Ring in the era predicted Often of yore by the seers : — Joy for the sad and afflicted, Laughter for sighing and tears; [89] Brotherhood, Kindness, Devotion, Sympathy, Patience, and Love! Peace on the Land, on the Ocean — Peace with the wings of the Dove ! Organ — instruments — voices Blend in ecstatic accord ! Chant of the Peace that rejoices, Chant of the Love of the Lord ! VII THE REIGN OF PEACE 1 Animato In the ruthful Reign of Peace When War's red flag is furled, When all Armies find release Around the waking World, When the battle-scars are healed, War's wicked waste redeemed, Nobler powers shall be revealed Than ever Prophet dreamed. 2 Fabled tales of Paradise, The Poet's Age of Gold, Which in Fancy took their rise, Shall be surpast tenfold. Gold that winged Destruction's blasts, That idle armies fed, That provided Death's repasts Of men untimely dead, [90] Turned to use beneficent Will change the face of Earth, Bring about, when wisely spent, The end of Plague and Dearth; Lay smooth roads across the land, For traffic and for pride, Where broad Rivers shall be spanned With Bridges strong and wide; Found Museums where shall glow The richest stores of Art — Schools where happy youth shall grow In grace of Mind and Heart, Colleges where Wisdom's Fount Shall flow serene and pure — Libraries where fast shall mount The books that will endure, Noble Theatres where plays Worthy of worthiest stage Show how the Thespian art can raise The standards of an age, Where a school of Song shall claim Great Operas that shall lift Their composers into fame, By reason of their gift. 3 Sun-scorched, arid Wastes shall smile, With flowers and fruits and grain; Water led by many a wile Thro' leagues of sandy plain [91] Shall awake the wilderness To Beauty and to Gain, Hosts of men to cheer and bless Who once had toiled in vain. Cities shall be beautified With all that Art and Wealth From the broad World can provide For comfort, pleasure, health :- Parks where every tree and flower Shall yield the eye delight, Fountains where the crystal shower Shall cool the Summer night; Groves where joyous birds shall sing And raptured lovers rove; Halls where Eloquence shall bring Her power to thrill and move; Statues cast from richest bronze, From purest marble hewed; Splendid arches whose carved stones With voices are endued, Telling of the glorious lives Heroic yeomen led Thro' whom Liberty survives, And Happiness is spread. Music shall sound everywhere, Like founts of generous Wine, Lightening human grief and care With harmonies divine. [92] Poverty will be a name, For Work shall hold for all; Sweet Philanthropy shall flame Where'er mischance befall; Bitter rivalries of Trade, Shall yield to saner ways; Strikes shall cease with Justice made The measurer of men's days, Arbitration sit on high To settle feud and broil; Wise Co-operation's tie Shall bind the sons of toil. 6 Education's flower shall bloom, In Childhood's freshest time; Children shall not meet their doom By drifting into crime, When the hand of Sympathy Can lead them safe along In the path of probity And leave them wise and strong. 7 Prisons shall be tactful schools Where weaker men may learn Life's inexorable rules — The power and will to earn ! Wealth — the unearned increment — Shall be a public trust, Ne'er for selfish pleasure spent Or kept for Lucre's lust. [93] 8 When the Golden Rule shall gain The Sanction of mankind, When the Son of God shall reign O'er Heart and Soul and Mind, Saints will not have prayed in vain Nor Martyrs life resigned. VIII THE PROPHETS 1 Allegro This was the glory the Prophets foretold, Shadowed forth in the legends of old : — Garden of Eden and Age of Gold. Some looked back and beheld it there : Splendid Vision seductive and fair Beckoning men its blessings to share. 3 Hebrew Isaiah saw it shine from afar, Dazzling and bright like the Morning Star, Harbinger true of Day's hastening car. 4 Vergil beheld it with eyes of a seer: Still it was far but to him it seemed near, So was the glory triumphant and clear. [94] 5 Christ, on the cross, knew its Beauty would rise — Looking aloft with Pain-clarified eyes, Seeing the Promise in cloud-darkened skies. 6 John, in his Mediterranean Isle, Saw the Peace Angel's enrapturing smile Beam as he poised his flame-pointed style. 7 Paul, with his fiery, unquenchable zeal, Paused in his orbit one glimpse to reveal Light that should lift, Heavenly Hope that should heal. 8 Dante, in exile's disconsolate Hell, Suffered his woe with more calm that there fell Clear from the Vision the ineffable spell. 9 Huig van Groot, Jurist, Statesman, and Bard, Prophesied joy for all Lands evil-starred, Mourning that Kings should the blessing retard. 10 Others unnamed saw the same golden gleam Radiantly forth from the Star blaze and stream, Wondering; were they deceived by a dream ? [95] 11 Brighter and brighter it shone in the East, Day's lusty fire slowly spread and increast; Zendiks and scoffers their cavillings ceast ! 12 Loudest outspake a Bavarian Jew: — "War is barbaric! conditions are new; Nations a peaceable life must pursue." 13 He was upheld by the great white Tsar : "Bring all disputes to the Judgment-Bar. Reason shall rule as men's guiding Star. 14 " Let us our standing armies disband, Let us all join the friendly hand! Then shall Peace reign in every land." 15 Why was not heeded the solemn call ? Why was the gauntlet of Discord let fall ? Why were the War-steeds released from the stall ? 16 So it was fated : ere Storms should assuage Fiercer than ever the Winds should rage, Giant forces in conflict engage. [96] 17 Now it is finisht : the Tempest is done. High in the East the Jubilant Sun Shines on the Victory Freedom has won ! IX EXULTATION 1 Presto Ring out, exultant Bells ! Shout thro' the echoing streets ! The joyous jargon swells; Each tongue the note repeats : — 2 " The War is ended ! Peace plumes her wings! The Victory splendid Makes beggars Kings! 3 " War never more In wrath shall soar Above the lands ! And Foes of yore Strike friendly hands!' 5 [97] X Un poco meno mosso In the Cathedral, the Orchestra, Organ, and Chorus, Yea, and the Congregation, Chime in a patriot Hymn sublime and sonorous, Voicing their adoration. Up thro' the arches the volume of Harmony rolling Swells like the chant of the Ocean, Hearts of the sad and bereaved relieving, consoling, Bowing the Proud in devotion. XI THE PATRIOT HYMN 1 Grandioso Oh, Country, fair and grand, Our glorious Fatherland, Superb, star-crowned — By Freedom's breezes fanned, Firm in thy mountain band, That guard on every hand Thy sacred ground! Thy children come to-day A wreath of love to lay Before thy feet. In festival array, With jocund hearts and gay, Our homage pure we pay; With song we meet! [98] 3 In War's hard Wilderness, With bitter storm and stress, We've tarried long. Now Peace thy sons shall bless! As on and up they press, Freedom and Righteousness Shall make them strong! Strong in the cause of Right To aid the weak with might Born of the Truth; Strong as the hosts of Light Arrayed against the Night, To put all wrong to flight With zeal of Youth! 5 We are thy Sword and Shield ! To thee our all we yield At thy Command. But when War's wounds are healed, In workshop and in field, Our love is best revealed, Dear Native Land! [99] XII IT IS NO DREAM 1 Andante Is it a dream — a poet's fanciful dream ? Must the old World go on forever Catching only the Glory's vanishing gleam, Mocking its blind and pathetic endeavour As with the Cynic's laugh of derision ? Is there no truth in the Vision ? 2 Art gives the answer! Dignified, glorious Art, Seeking forever for Truth in expression, Picturing Beauty and Grace to every Heart, Holding the Universe in his possession : — "Yea, it shall dawn, the new Era superb, Which no War shall disturb." 3 Music the answer gives, Music, the Heavenly Maid, Daughter of Deity, Soother of Passions, When on the sounding keys her fingers are laid, Gives she the promise in manifold fashions : — "Discord shall surely resolve into Beauty, Harmony ever be Duty!" 4 Love gives the answer — Love, the Spirit divine, Swinging the worlds in cosmical order, Ruling wherever a mote of Life may shine [100] ■ ■ Even to Space's remotest border: — "Yes, it is coming, my reign is at hand, Blessing every land." 5 Also the Poet, with far-seeing eyes, ne'er deceived, Looking beyond the sombre curtain, Gives the reply. It must be by all men believed : — "Law is the Truth and the Truth is certain. Yea, it is coming — the Age men have sighed for, Patriots and Martyrs have died for!" XIII EPILOGUE 1 Presto In the vast Cathedral Filled with twilight shadows, Empty of the people, Sits the Master-Poet At the conscious Organ, Dreamily improvising; And the tones in billows, Swelling, dying, rising, Hint the deepest feelings Mortal Heart may cherish — Subtle, strange revealings As from men that perish, Once for all confiding Secrets they were hiding; [101] 2 Lo, before his Fancy, By weird necromancy, Glow the Past and Future : — Pictures which the Music Colors and interprets : — Woodsmen in the mountains Felling ancient forests ; Miners darkly delving In the noisome caverns Hollowed by their mattocks; Sailors on the ocean Battling with the tempests; Artisans in workshops Voicing dulcet organs, Fitting and contriving; Poets — being makers — Builders of Cathedrals; Painters giving canvas Life in blended colours, Recreating Nature With a God-like impulse; Sculptors hewing marble Into shapes of Beauty Which the world shall treasure; Architects whose triumphs Fill the soul with wonder; Zealous scholars searching Into God's arcana. [102] In the vision enter Weddings, consecrations, Wars among the nations, Armies marching, melting 'Neath the hail of bullets; Festivals, rejoicings, Funerals of Statesmen, Obsequies of heroes, Dying for their fellows; And the dawning Era With its certain changes, With its perfect Freedom Reconciled with Service, With its hope for Woman Last emancipated From the chains of Bondage, From Convention's thralldom, With its joy for Childhood Given scope and training, With its recognition Of the rights of Labour, With its Law of Beauty Everywhere prevailing, — Make the mighty motive In the woven concord Of the final psean Swelling from the Organ. FINIS [103] ONWARD A VISION OF PEACE SYMPHONIC PICTURES IN NINE MOVEMENTS PROGRESS 1 The Glacier, gray with star-dust, sifted down Thro' immemorial time, no change displays. It fills the gulf where snow-clad Mountains frown, And lifeless mid a living Nature stays. Illusion ! 'T is alive with ceaseless Flow — The gauge of Science marks the onward trend In that majestic stream of ice and snow Whose sources from the Alpine heights descend. 3 Its gravitating masses slowly march With irresistible impulse toward the Sea; And in the valley from a crystal arch Bursts forth a new-born River, full and free! 4 So to the narrow vision oft appears Inert and barren, to all progress barred, Thro' long succession of monotonous years Mankind's pathetic story, evil-starred. 5 Widen the outlook! Find a broader range! Measure by centuries! Behold! Compare! Beneath the frozen mass is endless Change; The World progresses, foul grows into fair. [107] 6 Glance back across the centuries : — At what time Should we prefer to set the term of life ? The Reign of Saturn with its joy sublime Was never known in those stern days of strife. 7 | The Now forever beckons from the Past, In spite of dim Traditions, Legends old ; To-day's attainment also will not last; The Future holds the fabled Age of Gold. 8 ! We gain contentment from a calm survey Of vanisht epochs, great, tho' less than ours; But Hope still promises a better day When Peace shall reign among the rival Powers. 9 I That Day is surely coming! Prophets strewn Like watchmen thro' the Night have had their eyes Fixt on the Orient, where when Night has flown That blessed dawn upon the World shall rise. 10 I sing of Progress : from the gloomiest mirk Of Savagery, where human thought's faint germ Might hardly in its embryo seem to lurk, Yet waiting, like all births, its fruitful term; 11 Thro' great sporadic outbursts of the Mind, In Civilizations, passing rich and grand, When godlike Wisdom came to crown Mankind And Intellect the Universe outspanned; [108] 12 Then reaching forward with prophetic glance, We see the better Eras still to be; We recognize that it is God, not Chance, That weaves the mystic web of History. II THE CAVE DWELLERS 1 Thro' the slow evolution of ages, Since the first cosmic vortex was whirled, With a wondrous succession of stages Came Man to the heart of the world. He swam as a fish in the Ocean, He flew in the air as a bird; He crept with a serpentine motion; He was scaly, and feathered, and furred. 3 He hung by his tail from the branches Of forests of palm and of fern; He sat like a bear on his haunches ; Oh, the aeons it took him to learn! 4 At last his vertebras strengthened; On his legs, and upright, he could walk; The list of his vocables lengthened — He was Man: he could think, he could talk! [109] 5 And one day when he tremblingly cowered In the clammy gloom of his cave, When the Thunder-cloud threat'ningly lowered And he heard the fierce winds madly rave, He beheld the God of the Thunder Ride by in his chariot of flame ; And he knelt in worship and wonder, And he called the God by his name. 6 About him the lightnings were flashing; The air was red as with wrath, And the trees fell cracking and crashing Along the Hurricane's path. 7 But when the tumult was ended, Behold a stump was on fire : Prometheus to earth had descended To teach Mankind to aspire. 8 The stump was a primitive Altar; The Temple a grove on the hill; Henceforth the Faith should not falter, The sound of the worship grow still. 9 From the fire grew Civilization ; The metals were worked into tools — Into weapons for nation 'gainst nation, Into gyves for knaves and for fools. [110] 10 To the men that lived in those ages, The ages of Iron and Brass — To even the Priests and the Sages — How slow seemed abuses to pass. 11 But still there was Gain ; we detect it From the vantage of distance and time; Wars and barbarous creeds may have checkt it; But the Race was beginning to climb. 12 The Potter and Sculptor and Painter Evolved new forms for their Art; Crude colours grew softer and fainter, And Poesy rose from the heart. 13 Those primitive tribes had their glory; But 't is buried in mounds and in mould; Long and tragic their terrible story; Not as yet dawned the Era of Gold. Ill THE EGYPTIANS 1 Along the valley where the Nile Forever makes the Desert smile, A mighty population flourisht On the great River's bounty nourisht. [Ill] Vast hordes of slaves rich gardens tilled; They worked the cumbrous pumps and filled The ditches with the slimy flood; The whip-lash stained their backs with blood. They quarried blocks of syenite On distant Sinai's laboured height, And rolled them over leagues of sand, By blasts of fierce Sirocco fanned; And piled the giant Pyramid 'Neath which their mummied Kings were hid; They carved the Sphinx whose mystic eyes Look forth so solemn, calm, and wise; They built them temples gray and grand Thro' countless centuries to stand — Where even now the Black and Red Glow rich as when they first were spread; Their priests were verst in magic lore And taught what Gods men should adore. 2 The dynasties of Hyksos Kings Grew haughty with their harvestings. The few by power and wealth were cherisht; The wretched millions, toiling, perisht. Where now is that swart Pharaoh Whose hieroglyphics, row on row, Relate his titles and his name, The realms he conquered and their fame ? 3 He and his haughty Court are dust; His treasures food for moth and rust; [112] But while they lived their Power seemed solid Their slaves obeyed with patience stolid; They bowed to Fate and acquiesced Unquestioning if that way were best. It seemed as if that realm would last As thro' the ages of the Past; But none the less the Fatal Stroke Boomed on the Doom-bell : Men awoke. 4 The Gods of Egypt slunk away — Dog-headed idols made of clay, Disgusting monsters, vulture-beaked With glaring colors pied and streaked. New Faiths arose; new prayers were said; Closed was the dread Book of the Dead, Forgotten and no longer read. 5 Known is the mystery of the Nile; His flood has swallowed Philse's isle; But still the Fellahin are bowed Beneath the yoke of masters proud. Not yet has Freedom's glorious dream Inspired the slaves that ply that stream; But they shall sometime catch the gleam That shines as from a rising Star On happier nations, near and far. [113] IV THE HELLENES What is the story of Hellas, throned by her wine-col- oured main — Hellas, whose glory was Athens, a glory that dazzled in vain ? There were the mountains of marble as glittering- white as the snow, Quarried for shrines of the Gods, for statues with beauty aglow. There was Genius, ever awake to build and to carve — to create; Why from those quarried states could they never fashion a State ? Sparta was jealous of Athens and Thebes was drunken with pride; Each little town stood alone and aloof without Wisdom to guide. Oh, the splendour of Athens, the Acropolis, Parthenon- crowned ; Chryselephantine altars with olive and myrtle wreaths bound ! Beauty, the chrysm of the Gods that worked its ineffable spell ! Could they not see Aphrodite borne o'er the Sea in her shell, Lovely of limb and face, with her bosom's ravishing swell, Beckoning men to the rapture of Love and the passion of Lust, [114] Ever to find that the apples they longed for were ashes and dust ? Had not a huntsman been blinded when by chance he espied Artemis ringed by her nymphs and striving vainly to hide? Had not Apollo mingled with men and taught them to sing, Touching his tortoise-shell harp with fingers skilled to the string ? Had not Athene, the Goddess of Wisdom, dwelt on their Mountain, So that the Liquid gold of their Genius flowed like a fountain — Poetry, Music, and Art became as the air that they breathed, Grace was the only robe required for the dances they wreathed ? Pan, too, the old God of Nature, whom Poets still call to their aid, Did he not lurk mid the reeds and answer the prayers that were prayed ? Then was the glorious Drama a power, and Festivals brought Thousands to listen and judge and learn from the les- sons she taught. Progress surely was there ! Have we not looked back to that day Ever with deeper regret for the treasures of Art swept away? Only the torsos are left, the temples are shattered and crumbled ; [115] Cracked and splintered the columns, the friezes in rub- bish-heaps tumbled : Here the breast of an Amazon, there the hock of a steed. Scarce can we read the inscriptions that told of the memoried deed; Most of the poems are lost and the Poets are only a name, Leaving a broken line to base the shaft of their fame. Still do we bend our Youth to drink from that Well- spring of learning; Still the flame of Poesy pure on those altars is burning. Yet is the Hellas of old a lesson of what to avoid : Still was the noble and true by the false and unworthy alloyed. Foolish ambition to lead, to grasp imperial power: — That was the worm in the heart of the bud that cankered the flower. 4 Fair like a gem in the Sea lay the far Trinacrian isle ; Athens would make it her own by force of arms and by guile ; Hence in a few short years lay the City shorn of her strength ; Low in the murderous quarries of Syracuse perisht at length Athens' generous Youth and the Glory of Hellas was quenched : Shame that the loveliest soil in the world by blood should be drenched! [116] V THE ROMANS 1 Rome arises on our vision, Seated on her seven-fold hills; On her haughty face derision At the fear her glaive instills. She has won thro' seas of slaughter She is mistress of the World; Yet success has never taught her How her war-flags might be furled. 3 She has seized the wealth of cities ; She has drained the power of Kings; Hers the heart that never pities, Hers the voice that never sings. 4 Gems pour in from Persia plundered; Statues come from ravisht Greece; Cynic Gods from Egypt sundered Jealous, watch her might increase. 5 Crafty, treacherous, splendid, cruel, Recognized by all as Queen, On her brow a blood-red jewel, Fierce and terrible her mien; [117] 6 Never yet of conquest sated, Distant nations she subjects, She is feared, distrusted, hated, And she slays whom she suspects. 7 Yet these victories bring their dangers ; Wealth and Luxury undermine; Virtue, Honor, scorned as strangers Cease their influence benign. 8 Once there were such men as Cato To reprove the waxing shame; Cicero to thunder veto, When with plunder Verres came. 9 Once the private house was simple And the soldier unadorned; Splendour shone in public temple And the Persian pimp was scorned. 10 But the Roman Empire splendid, Built by force, maintained by might, Over all the Earth extended, Had to meet its hopeless night. 11 Fierce barbarian hordes assailed her, Rottenness was rife at home; Men and means, when needed, failed her; Numbered were the days of Rome. [118] 12 Yet how slow the culmination, How insensible, decay; To the casual observation Life was changeless day by day. 13 Slaves, once princes, toiled and languisht, Praying to their Gods in vain; Christian virgins, martyr-anguisht, Hopeless bore the pain and stain. 14 We who live in later ages, We who doubt, lose faith, distrust, Turn those dark and bloody pages, Filled with cruelty and lust; 15 Learn the lesson, hard and painful, See how Progress wins at last. All the grievous steps were gainful: Man from out the desert past ! VI THE RENAISSANCE 1 With a burst of crescent Splendour, like the dawning of a day in June, Came the waking of the Ages from their seeming hope- less, deathlike swoon. [119] Art now found a new expression, Christian Faith a myriad Hearts inspired, And the faces of Madonnas deep Devotion's emulation fired: Martyrdoms of Saints and Virgins, Crucifixions, Resur- rections, scenes From the ancient Legends borrowed, glowed on ceil- ings, walls, and screens. Colours that have never faded, spread by Piety's exul- tant hand, Made Religion seem a Passion, showed how Beauty might uplift a land. Botticelli, Guido, Rafael, Leonardo, Titian, Angelo — Mighty host of reverent Workers spent their lives that men more joy might know. 2 Splendid Minsters, proud Cathedrals, dominated every bustling town With their foliated towers on the feudal Castle looking down. Arching forests carved in marble bent above the tesse- lated aisles; Statues wrought in alabaster heavenward gazed with their enraptured smiles; Altars blazed with gold and jewels lavisht by the Faith- ful in their zeal ; Mullioned windows flashed and sparkled with the sacred Story's mute appeal; [ 120] 3 Music caught the strains of Heaven — Harp and Organ, Viol, Lute and Voice — Wove the harmonies celestial, making saddened hearts of men rejoice. All the Sister Arts reviving new and glorious rivalries began : What achievement! what fulfilment! what a promise! what a Hope for Man ! Grecian Poets rediscovered after lying Ages all un- known, Brought the world fresh inspiration, taught a richer, fuller, grander tone. Aristotle lent Religion help to mount and gain new views of God; History found forgotten pathways where the feet of Kleio erst had trod. 4 Then the Language of the People, once despised as boorish, crude, and low, Fitted to a lyric utterance, with a magic charm began to flow. Even Dante, sombre scholar, used the mellow Tuscan tongue to tell Of his weird and fearful journey thro' the gruesome circles into Hell. And the sluggish Masses listening, who for centuries had like cattle borne Toil's dull burden, Slavery's whiplash, felt the shackles from their spirits torn. [121] 5 Learning's winged Coadjutor, Literature's ten-million- handed Djinn — Rose the Press to scatter broadcast treasures which the Priests before kept in. So the Poet had his audience tho' in tongue unknown and strange he sang, And the Preacher's ardent Gospel thro' a hundred dis- tant cities rang. Never had a Power so mighty bent itself to mortal Man's control, Spreading Knowledge, teaching Wisdom, widening outlook for the Mind and Soul ! 6 Plunging Westward with his shallops built for skim- ming o'er the Midland Sea, Trusting to the veering Compass, heeding not com- plaint or mutiny, Steered Colombo, fondly hoping soon to find the clue to far Cathay; And from Kingdom unto Kingdom flew the tidings of a World that lay Decked with gold and gems and beauty, waiting like a virgin Queen unstained Ready for supreme surrender to the Hero who her heart had gained. 7 Here was room for Europe's children, for the Young, Adventurous, and Strong, Here was field for fresh beginning, chance to purge away the ancient Wrong; [ 122] Here Democracy, firm-rooted, might extend its bless- ings o'er the Earth, And the glorious boon of Freedom be to Man as primal Right of birth. 8 Rivers rolled their balmy waters, longing to be turned to human gain; Prairies swept to dim horizons pregnant with the myr- iad-bushelled grain, Where the wandering herds of Bison multiplied without a Master's care; Fruits and flowers in lavish Beauty dropt untasted, wasted everywhere. Splendid-harboured Lakes extended farther than the Eagle's eye could see, Dreaming of the teeming Cities that in fuller days should surely be; Mountains swelled with hidden treasures, royal-rich Golcondas beckoning : — " Come, explore us, rob us, use us — wealth is here be- yond your reckoning!" 9 Many-marvelled Age portentous ! Climax in the drama of the World! Pink of dawning! Sunrise glory! Love-light on the Eastward Sky impearled! Those that watched it hailed its Beauty, crying : — "Lo! at last the Day has come; We have reacht Time's culmination, now begins the Christ's Millennium!" [123] Woe ! the storm-clouds swiftly gathering, shut the peace- ful-beaming Sky from sight. 'T was a False Dawn! overpowering lowering Blackness brought again the Night! Once again the same old Story ! Slavery — War — Rapine — Self-seeking — Caste Deluged the New World with anguish ; streams of blood flowed deep as in the Past. 10 Still 't was Progress! Vast improvement marked the Epoch; nevermore should men Fail among the rival Nations, that should teach by deed and voice and pen Peace and Love and true Religion, high Democracy and Brotherhood: Failure should not hide the Promise: Final perfect triumph of the Good ! VII THE PRESENT DAY 1 The tide lifts up and the tide sinks back, And how foolish were that man Who, when he saw the waters slack — How the channels outward ran, How the boats were aground and the flats were bare Should curse the Moon in a shrill despair. [ 124 ] 2 In the vaster Ocean of human life, There are strange, mysterious tides; There are years of torment, destruction, strife, Where naught that is fair abides, And the weary watcher is tempted to curse As if God had abandoned his Universe. 3 There are times when this beautiful Land of ours, With its stores of marvellous wealth, With its promise of vast beneficent powers, With its glory of Youth and Health, Seems to have reacht its summit of gain, And its Star of Triumph were destined to wane. 4 We have harnest the Lightning, tamed the Sea; We travel on wings of the Wind ; We have conquered the Plague, the Slave is free; We have taught the knife to be kind ; Education flows so that all may drink, And the humblest boor is encouraged to think. 5 But the sterling simplicity served by our sires Gives way to Luxury's vaunt; Died down are Religion's altar fires; Too many still perish of want; There are Pride and Conceit and Hatred and Caste, Injustice and Jealousy as in the Past. [125] 6 Not jet indeed is the Promised Time; We are far from the destined goal ; Desire for Wealth still tempts to crime; The lust of Power kills the Soul. 'Twixt the Rich and the Poor a gulf is fixt, And the aims of men are tangled and mixt. 7 Our cities are ruled by thugs and thieves; Dishonor is paid with place ; The official shares what he receives As the price of his disgrace; The Legislature is the Lobby's prey And the People are robbed in every way. 8 The Virtue of Reverence stands aloof; The young, grown selfish and vain, Despise grave Wisdom's mild reproof And the life that is lofty and plain; Relaxt are the sacred laws of Marriage, And Justice too often meets miscarriage. 9 Democracy hardly trusts her powers; She resigns her will to the few; The Negro still bends his back and cowers Uncertain what path to pursue; There are fearful problems and dangers ahead: But the Spirit of Liberty is not dead. [126] 10 We have given Cuba her Queenly Crown, The Isles of the West shall have theirs. The White shall not crush the Black or the Brown. All Nations are Freedom's heirs ! We cannot hide the glorious news. No tribe of men can the gift refuse. 11 Oh, never before in the story of Man Was life more truly worth living, Nor so far advanced the Spirit's van, Nor more of helping and giving. Yet the Drama of Progress is slowly unrolled; Not yet indeed is the Age of Gold. VIII THE FUTURE 1 Prophet Vision sees a better day In the future, maybe far away, Yet the promise of it certain : Might I only lift the curtain! 2 Wars of every stripe shall surely cease; There shall dawn the happy reign of Peace, Guaranteed by Arbitration, Reverenced by every Nation. [127] All the Millions' waste in needless war (Foolish trifles men have battled for!) Spent in costly armoured-cruisers (Brutal Hates their only users!) Spent in cruel, polisht, rifled guns, Wasting smokeless powder, tons and tons, Spent in forts and standing armies (Slow men are to learn where harm is!), Shall be utilized for human good When the Law of Love is understood. 3 Foolish tariff-walls shall crumble, All such mockeries shall tumble; Liberty of Trade shall bring mankind Whatsover Wit and Will may find, Men across the wide world ranging, Every sort of wealth exchanging. 4 Strife of Capital and Labour ends; Enemies no longer — helpful friends, Joined in common enterprises Seize advantage as it rises, Yet with public Spirit in control, Proving Corporations with a soul. 5 Cities, purified and splendid, With good taste and wealth unended, Served by citizens of ablest mould For high Service' sake and not for gold, Will be free from slums and hovels, Where a pauper Misery grovels. [128] 6 Glorious buildings shall adorn the heights Claimed for Genius' most exalted flights. Money shall be spent unstinted For the public welfare minted. 7 Old Age shall no longer terrify, Zealous Youth shall labour and lay by; Genius shall not know the sorrow Of an unprovided morrow; There will always be enough to spare If each person do his proper share; Every one shall have in measure Of Life's infinite zest and pleasure. 8 Art and Music shall for all abound ; Peace and comfort everywhere be found. Earth shall bloom with wondrous beauty; Service be Man's dearest Duty. Thus will come the happy Golden Age Promised Man on Love's Prophetic Page! IX THE VISION OF PEACE O, beautiful Vision of Peace, Beam bright in the eyes of Man! The host of the meek shall increase, The Prophets are leading the van. [129] Have courage : we see the Morn ! Never fear, tho' the Now be dark ! Out of Night the Day is born; The Fire shall live from the spark. It may take a thousand years Ere the Era of Peace hold sway. Look back and the Progress cheers And a thousand years are a day ! The World grows — yet not by chance; It follows some marvellous plan; Tho' slow to our wish the advance, God rules the training of Man. FINIS [ISO] GENERAL LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-BERKELEY RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED This book is due on the last date stamped below, or on the date to which renewed. Renewed books are subject to immediate recall. LD 21-100m-V54(1887sl6)476 VD 03443 M101976 ^^ THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY