SILVANIA and Other Poems GEORGE DU BOIS THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES / SILVANIA SILVAN I A AND OTHER POEMS By GEORGE DU BOIS 1920 THE STRATFORD CO., Publishers BOSTON : - : MASSACHUSETTS Copyright 1920 The STRATFORD CO., Publishers Boston, Mass. The Alpine Press, Boston, Mass., U. S. A. Contents PAGE The Voice of the Silence .... 1 To a Lark in a Cage . Bohemia . . . . 4 Immortality . Futurity . . ..." . 10 The Spirit of Beauty . . . 13 Retrospection (To Josephine) . . . 15 Passer Solitarius . .... 17 Mimicrus Ludicrus . . ... 19 Echo Aetatum . . . . , . 21 Ocean . . . . . . . 23 Sylvester . . . . . . .26 In Quest . . ..... 28 Eros, Guide Me . . . . . . 30 Pansies . . . . . . .32 Solitude . . .,. . , ..34 Secretae Lachrymae . . . . . . 35 Vesperae Vitae . . v . . . . 36 The Law of Destiny . . . . .36 No News for Mother ... . . 37 The Voices of Flora 38 623810 CONTENTS Pensees I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. Credo Deus . Destiny Materia Elevation . * School of Existence Evolution Sympathy . . Justice . . The Critic . Judgment . JUVENILITIES Winter in Los Angeles Divina Fides Guide Thou My Way . Mid-Day in Galilee Mary . TRANSLATIONS FROM THE GREEK ANACREON Ver . . . . . Anacreon . . . . Eros PAGE 43 43 43 43 44 44 44 45 45 45 46 47 51 53 54 56 58 63 65 66 CONTENTS PAGE ALCAEUS On Sorro 68 On Desire 69 MELEAGROS . . . . . 70 On Cupid 72 ARCHILOCHUS On Despair 74 On Fortitude 75 On Himself 76 BACHILDES On Peace . . . . . . . 77 On Care . . . . . . . 79 SIMONIDES On Human Existence .... 80 On Virtue ... . . .82 SATIRES Lullaby . 85 In a Cabaret. . . . . .86 The Harlot . . . ... 87 The Vampire . . . . .89 Urbanity 90 Creation 91 CONTENTS PAGE SATIRES TRANSLATED FROM THE CLASSICS GREEK AND LATIN ANTIPATEE Venus 95 Inspiration ... . .96 The Nine Muses Terreste ... 97 PALLADAS, OF ALEXANDRIA Human Insignificance ... 98 Human Inquietude .... 98 Money . . . . . .99 The Enemy ... . .99 Femina . . . . . .100 Cosmetics . . . . . . 102 Nicaros ."* . . . . 103 ONESTES Poesy 104 DIONYSIOS Desires . . . . . . 105 CRATES The Panacea . . . . ..106 ANONYMOUS Hymen . t . . . . 107 CONTENTS PAGE Second Nuptials 107 Brevity of Life . . . . .108 LUCILIUS GAIUS The Toilette . . . . .109 Amity . . . ... .110 LUCIANUS False Amity . . . . .- Ill Time . . . . . . .112 Talent ... .112 Silence . . . . . 112 NESTOR Invocation to the Muses . . .113 PAULUS Virtus . . . . ... 114 Vita 115 The Voice of the Silence Oh, the voices of the silence ! Oh, those penetrating voices ! How they murmur in the silence, In tranquil tones devoid of pity. In the brilliance and the glory Of the day they recount a story Of the past, of an aspect hoary, That to oblivion we d fain consign. In tenebrous night they tarry By the couch your soul to harry, As a falcon pursues its quarry, With solemn censure most condign. But in his soul of strife so weary Sounds a strange, uninvited query, Pronounced in an accent eerie, To his conscience dormant long: [1] SILVANIA What doth avail this base conniving? Of what avail my strenuous striving? What is the use of vain contriving ? One leaves so soon the fruit of wrong ! How vain the quest for the fatuous fire ; The glitter of gold: that insane desire, If employed to uplift humanity higher, Might make of life a grand sweet song. Oh, the voices of the silence ! Oh, those penetrating voices ! How they convey us in the silence The secret of the way to grandeur. m SILVANIA To a Lark in a Cage Poor captive bird, whose pretty plumes Cut and disfigured restrain thy flight, Fated to pass an existence that presumes Absence of elevated place and light ; Enclosed in thy narro cage, despair Must often seize thee, as yon pure sky, To which thy pinions thee may never bear, Tempts the captive spirit to gladly fly. Tis thus with man, whose spirit fain Would fell the fetters Fate forges to rise Above the sphere of labor, care and pain, To reach the goal his inner soul descries. Longing to escape the sordid round Of petty strife, at which his soul rebels To attain to sphere ideal of art, where sound Voices melodious, where joy his pain dispels. [3] SILVAN I A Bohemia We are a grand fraternity, Tho we no nation recognize; Of a noble paternity, Ditto regarding maternity, Still bon ton we do despise; Altho time and eternity Attest our active enterprise: Citizens of Bohemia. On the map you ll search in vain For our country or its tongue; Some may treat it with disdain, Procuring jealousy to contain, Yet many have its praises sung, Proud neath its banner to remain, Numbered our patriots among : Patriots of Bohemia. Merit is our sole divinity; Riches we do not desire; For genius evince affinity, [4] SILVANIA A veritable consanguinity, Begardless of lingo or attire; We frequent only the vicinity Of souls who elevate us higher: Condisciples in Bohemia. Our mode appears a disparity; A mode of necessity and pain ; To the vulgar we re a rarity, (View exciting our hilarity), As in observing us they fain Would treat us with charity, To have us by experience gain : Paupers in Bohemia. Yet we have no cause for sorro, With our ideals are content; Never do we seek to borro Trials or trouble for the morro, Sure that Fate will ne er consent That soul or body should go farro For what we need in all event: Aspirants in Bohemia. [5] SILVANIA Immortality Dedicated to Don Ignacio Mariscal, in reply to Descanso y Vida." Eternal question on this mundane sphere : Surviveth spirit when the mortal form A rigid cadaver lieth on its narro bier, To pulse no more, that no fire may warm ? "Where go the grand ideas that animate This frame, that cause the vital flo To move with ardor, those eyes dilate, That marvels operate, where do they go?" With eye material on the universe we gaze, And, incarnate, try to pierce the gloom Involving its mystery, to kno the ways Of the Creator, who interposed the tomb. But none may yonder firmament regard And sensate say : There is no Cause ! And if there is, it has the labor marred In Nature, by creating mortal laws." [6] SILVANIA But beside the grave one halteth to reflect : Is this the end ? Is man then born in vain ? His fervent prayers receive silent neglect : No pity appears to ease his doubt and pain. "To ardent supplications for a single ray Of light divine to pierce the gloom of doubt, Tenebrous shades densely obscure the way; The forces of reason put to ignoble rout. " Tis a solace to kno our name will live For generations honored by compatriots; But is this toto ? May Nature no more give ? A recompense enjoyed by Judas Iscariots!" Piteous priests cant of a celestial place, Where repentant spirits find eternal peace, Or basely prate of an inferno devoid of grace, Where dole and pain and sorro never cease. A spirit grand these sophistries doth deny, And seeks to solve the problem for itself; To be finally convinced that Death is our ally, Offering escape from a sphere of sordid pelf. Oh, Muse celestial, aid me in this hour To sound a note of solace to the heart [7] SILVANIA That no comfort finds ; give me the power To point the way that may joy impart; The way that doth to verity conduce, To firm conviction that the life of man Is not limited to one existence, that abuse Of moral agency doth circumscribe the plan Of the Creator, whose omnipresent care Permits the effects that we as cause create, So that by force of pain we learn to bear Our cross and attain the summit soon or late. The life of man resembles that of a flower, That in form of seed is to soil consigned, Where by virtue of strange and latent power The germ one day arrives to leave behind The humid soil, that like a prison obscure Enveloped till the hour it could penetrate Those dense walls material, gross, impure, To expand in air and light, to beauty great. Nature in every part teems with lessons rare That demonstrate our grandiose career: The vermin vile will one day fare To realms of light and air, to joy and cheer. [8] SILVANIA We here must pass the terrestrial stage The Creator wills, ere emerging to light ; We must in combat carnal long engage, Ere passing to existence spiritually bright. One day we ll kno how trivial was the span Of that existence correctly called of clay ; That we are heirs to the Universe, that man Halts here, as one poor station on the way; On the infinite way of spheres more fair, In whose ambient merit finds a minor strife, Whence force divine will thy essence bear, That it attain to the ideals of thy life. [9] SILVANIA Futurity I. Recount me not those silly tales Of virgin who a carnate deity bore, Vain legend of peoples who lived before, That priests to their proper profit turn, Enslaving humanity by rites and fears. II. If to intelligence incarnate the don We have received to survey yon globes, To mete the distance, to kno the poise, Tis consequent also to seek the Cause, To kno the Creator who them doth move. III. Tho in every action of this life, No effect is possible sine a cause, We perforce infer the infinite stars [10] SILVANIA Were placed by a potence inconceivable To our mortal esse that naught creates. IV. As we perceive our mortal frame Is animated by a pensant soul, Whose volition our every nerve may move, So we for the essence divine do seek, That causes the movement of the universe. V. If the soul survives this carnal form, Incorporeal, invisible to mortal eyes, Tis the noblest labor of the Omnipotent, Whose primary creation, the universe, Extends majestic thru infinite space. VI. If that comprehension, spirit, soul, Or what it be, the carnal survive, The essence divine will surely guide To destiny eternal, to other spheres Of progress, to thus attain our goal. [11] SILVANIA VII. In prison material are we retained, A subtle essence in a closed phial ; Rupture the case : we float across The infinite space, to perpetual stars, A spiritual perfume, soul unrestrained. VIII. On electric waves thru immeasurable space, The pulsations of the core of infinity. Will conduce us along the arteries of Fate, Vibrating in accord with planetary rays, Sensing we re a part of the essence divine. IX. So, preach me not of a celestial paradise, Of angels chanting to dulcet sound of harps ; Oh, Humanity, dispel those dreams of vice, To kno that creation is a grand symphony, A progress eternal of the essential soul. [12] SILVANIA The Spirit of Beauty I am the spirit of beauty, entity whose age Humanity may ne er calculate, whose origin Was divine, due to those laws that ruled The evolution of vivid Nature from chaos. I am the force that most potently animates The core of Nature, that perfection in form, Of color, contour, the indescriptible grace, That is in toto my sole mission to infuse. The infinite vault of space an azure tint I paint, in harmony with the auric orbs; The restless ocean a denser blue I tinge, To form a contrast with the rocky rives. The exquisite tints of the tender flower I trace in many degrees, that richer seem Crowning the verdure of the parent plant, In suave tones that to rival my adepts essay. Nor content am I my mission to perform On the surface merely, but I descend [13] SILVANIA To the caves of ocean most profound, To the very core of Terra I penetrate. In the strata of rock I softly trace Rich colors to please the avid eye ; The mollusca I touch with tender tones, Whose delicacy to rival the rose defy. In man I inculcate in grander degree The desire for beauty, to depict, enjoy ; The sense of imitation that has proved To civilization the most potent force. In the savage I infuse a sublime idea In embryo, to cause him to rudely adorn His person with gaudy objects, to imitate Forms purer, of evolution the primary law. I am the spirit of beauty, more grandevous Than Luna, than Terra, aye, e en than Sol, For I embrace the infinity of the universe: Of the Deity Omnipotent I form a part. [14] SILVANIA Retrospection To Josephine. In the calm hour of crepuscule, When the fervid light gros gray, My soul, replete with pathos, To the past is borne away. The strange calm invades my spirit, Like the tranquil hours of age, That succeed the day of passion, When its fire has ceased to rage. And the desire that possessed me During the day, now changes tone ; Melancholy vague invades me, As I pass on my way, alone. I see the lights of the city Gleaming thru the misty haze, But one to my very soul enters, Recalling dreams of other days. [15] SILVANIA Tis the light that in your windo At eve you were wont to place, As a sign of the cheer and comfort I would see in your tender face. In that humble chamber haunted With tones of a mystic rhyme, I revive the words inscribed In the terrible tomes of Time. As a mood of ineffable longing Returns for moments now no more, To flood me with love and pity, Aye, with sorro, for days of yore. Exile am I from the loved country, Recalling dreams of other days ; Watching for the light in your windo, Gleaming thru the misty haze. [16] SILVANIA Passer Solitarius Poor rescued swallo, why seek to flee? Repose thy weary form upon my breast; Am I not a lonely traveler like thee, Vainly seeking for a place to rest ? In this desert of Destiny our fates Have a strange resemblance ; only stay Till thy weary wings are rested, then Continue refreshed on thy way. From thy native nest, the same as I, A cruel fate destined thee to roam ; Thy beloved ones are scattered, gone : Vagrants are we, without a home. Exiled by the snos of wintry scenes, By melancholy grey of northern sky, Thou hast southward fled to seek repose, To faint with fatigue, the same as I. Solitary, thou goest on thy way: Perchance disillusioned, like me; [17] SILVANIA Sensing also the need of a caress, Like a memory of days of infancy. No; thou too, perhaps, in tender age, Lost thy mother by some fatal bio, Whose memory is the sole sacred tie, The only one divine for us belo. Repose thy weary form upon my breast ; Lonely, exiled travelers are we; Rest, ere departing for the sky, Where some day I will folio thee. SILVANIA Mimicrus Ludicrus In a cathedral grand I entered, My attention on the music centered, That strange secrets to me revealed; Its spirit with my senses blending, To abysses profound descending, To chasms until then concealed. In its intoning I heard moaning, As of souls in mortal anguish, Who reject the light to languish, Intoning the errors of the aeons, Moaning terror in pompous paeons, Of horrid place, Devoid of grace. In the cathedral that I entered, Sad secrets were to me revealed, By poor souls in fear descending, Souls rejecting light to languish, Intoning the errors of the aeons, Moaning terror in pompous paeons, [19] SILVANIA Of infernal place. Fears that debase. The acrid incense in it floating Seemed spirits of evil gloating O er the farce to view displayed; The multitude devoutly kneeling, The organ notes sonorous pealing, Before an altar richly made. Pomp resplendent, Riches intendent, Tawdry priests for gain deceiving, The multitude inane, believing, The humble Christ in pomp parading, The poor in ignorance degrading: A creed of pain, Of priestly gain. Spirits malefic seemed floating er the puerile farce displayed : The multitude in tatters kneeling, The prey of avid priests deceiving ; The humble Christ in pomp parading, The poor in ignorance degrading : A creed of pain, Of priestly gain. [20] SILVANIA Echo Aetatum Echoes trembling in the distance, Memories of some past existence, Vaguely vanquishing resistance, In a language strange but clear; Like a ray of rude reflection, Mutely cruel in its detection, Acutely fair in its perfection, Piercing core and eye and ear. Intermingling pain and pleasure, Harmonious in its stately measure, Discovering an occult treasure, In my soul, as they appear. They the phantasma of the ages, Who have traced historic pages, For the masses, princes, sages : "Tis their voices that I hear. Voices from remotest regions, Voices of uncounted legions, [21] SILVANIA From the ultra-stellar regions, Sounding from an ignote space; A melody of the spirit vernal, Harmony of the grace supernal, Purity of vita sempiternal, Where the Eternal shos his face. Here the mortal struggle ceases; At this portal love increases; Love our base desire surceases, With no bias of tongue or race. Only spirits vile sense sorro, With a clear hope for the morro ; Errors past are their sole sorro, Assigning them inferior place. Echoes of the past vibrating, From a pure source emanating, A million memories relating, In the progress of the soul. Tis the apex of its glory; Tis the climax of its story ; Tis the acme of Time hoary: The attainment of our goal. [22] SILVANIA Ocean Roaring, Pouring, Boiling waves of the sea gigantic, Shoaling o er the sands in frantic Chase of pebbles, ever purling, Race of ripples, ever curling; Tumbling, Rumbling, Beating along the shining shingle, Retreating where voices variant mingle In eternal monotone, On the craggy keys of stone Playing with pallid, frigid fingers, Staying like a soul that lingers, Merging into solemn funeral knell, Tolling, Rolling ; Surging anew o er its breast of shell. Oh, ye voices variant of the ocean, Spirit of Nature, in mighty motion, [23] SILVANIA Will you tell Me where dwell The deities of immortal history? The secret of their ancient mystery ? Sho me the goal ; Where goes the soul? Grumbling, Tumbling, Groaning like huge beast in travail, Moaning its mysteries to unravel, Pounding like Hercules enraged; Sounding like demons dire encaged ; Spraying, Flaying, Spuming in fury as it rushes, Fuming vapors in angry gushes: Its ereunic monotone Changes into a cyclone. Voices on the wind seem wailing, Voices now in tone of railing, Deriding in mortal such pretension, Crying, Dying, Subsiding a moment their dissension ; Then the mingled voices roaring, [24] SILVANIA To the very stars seem soaring: This, oh, mortal, Is the portal, Where souls weary cease their toiling, Where the evil cease despoiling, And the spirit leaves the carnal, On the search for grace supernal, Into vivid space to soar, On its journey evermore. [25] SILVANIA Sylvester I have erred into this valley, Into this vale of aspect gray, Where the shados densely lay; And my soul seeks not to sally From this dim, solitary valley, With its acrid odors of decay. Every tree a phantom seemeth, Spirit, that my soul hath known In the fair days forever flown ; Every rock with fancy teemeth; Foliage with gray eyes gleameth, As I pass on my way, alone. Mid the vulgar one is more solitary Than in silva mid invisible sprites, Whose murmur to meditation invites; Whose mute lingo mocking or merry, A solace infuses in the solitary, A true source of exquisite delights. [26] SILVANIA But the goblins invade my seclusion; Every shado secretes now a gnome, Every rock seems an uncanny home, And my past appears but a delusion, That unrols like souls in confusion, Who mid tombs are destined to roam. I vague in the sombre gray valley ; In each rock I encounter a tomb, A grave in each gathering gloom, Of souls fled, hopes dead, that sally Like phantoms to haunt the lone valley, Like a menace of ultimate doom. [27] SILVANIA In Quest In the musty retreats of the forest, Where the rusty hues of the foliage Reflect the sombre tone of ideas, That surge like a sea in torment, That urge me to seek for Psyche, With Psyche my soul, for solace. With anguish I seek in the silva, Where languish the spirits of ages, The echo of voices e er cherished, That resound from a country distant, That confound in a multiple murmur, In recesses recondite of my being. In quest of a key that may open ; Some test to disclose the portal, That conduces to vistas of glory, Where we enter a sphere ignored, To a centre of reason and beauty, In communion divine with the ages. [28] SILVANIA In the rusty retreats of the forest, Where the musty hues of the foliage Reflect the sombre tone of ideas, That surge like a sea in torment, That urge me to seek for Psyche, With Psyche my soul, for solace. SILVANIA Eros, Guide Me Tho the continent divide us, Tho the Fates seem to deride us, Yet I hear her voice so plainly, Sense her tender touch of yore ; Angels "bear to me the murmur, That Psyche my soul repeats in firmer Tones than Eros ever heard before : Eros, guide me ! Eros, guide me ! Tho infernal pains betide me ! Guide me to that voice directly, Voice that thru ages I ll adore; Law and distance must not duant me ; Let remorse no longer haunt me : Permit not, Eros, that I suffer more. Exile and time have ne er effaced The memory of her love misplaced ; Her soft brown eyes seem yet burning, Gazing yet into my very core, Perceiving there a spirit hardy, [30] SILVANIA Destined to kno its loss too tardy That Psyche my soul doth now deplore. Eros, guide me ! Eros, guide me ! Let thy flame for aye decide me ! Let me see those eyes so darkly, Eyes that forever I must adore ! Daily, nightly have they sought me ; Pain and exile have dearly taught me, The words of pardon that I implore. [31J SILVANIA Pansies PENSEES Pensive pansies, whose fair faces Irradiate joy from humble places, Whose tender eyes encountering mine Convey me ideas pure, divine. * * * What is possible only you should desire; Errant is he who seeks what is not ; Dulcifying the acrid, and thus aspire To more commonplace but happier lot. * * # A strange destiny surrounds us, A fate we fail to comprehend; The mystery of life confounds us, Wherein matter and spirit blend. * * * The Eternal Father willeth That the noble suffer most; He their lives with crosses filleth, While their duties here are host. [32] SILVANIA In candent crucible is refined The precious metal, while the dross Is returned to earth, consigned One to grandeur, one to loss. 33] SILVANIA Solitude There is a solitude appalling: The solitude of one alone; But there s a solitude more galling: Of two souls wed in disunion. Every virtue you may acquire, Simply seeking to form a place In your soul, where a sacred fire Endures, till no touch can e er efface. [34] SILVANIA Secretae Lachrymae In the morn you visit the valley, An azure sky to see ; In its limpid light to dally: How beauteous is the lea! But you ignore that in the night hours Heavily fell the -rain, On the fainting, faded flowers, Now fresh and fair again. Ah ! each soul doth conceal a sorro, Neath a countenance serene, That none may note on the morro Tears that fall at night unseen. [35] SILVANIA Vesperae Vitae How serene is the eve of life Of one who virtuous lives ! The crepuscule Of the sun on that horizon is rife With rosy tints that minor colors rule. And when o er him the night doth close, It brings no fear, and in his narro nest, As one repairs to couch of soft repose, Weary of toil, he goes to rest. The Law of Destiny Man is an atom in the infinite space, Whose course by volition he may guide To noble ideal, in the universe trace The destiny that unerring laws decide. His acts are creatures, which conduce To the ways of obscurity or of light; Angels or demons, to elevate or reduce To the regions of eternal day or night. [36] SILVANIA No News for Mother Dedicated to Mrs. Amelia St. Morris No news from my darling boy today ! What does it mean? where can he be? At sight of his words with joy I pray The Father to keep him from danger free. If he only knew how a few lines bring Cheer to my heart, how none is sorro, He d ne er neglect so small a thing : But surely he will write tomorro. [37] SILVANIA The Voices of Flora Around me a group of fragile faces, Rich in color, that no artist E er may hope in tone to rival, Range with eyes of glaucous glory. Very quietly to me they murmur Secrets of a sphere unnoted, In a mute but merry lingo, Respiring a perfume captivating. Ah, fairy faces of the forest, Humble porters of a message, None is too grand to listen loly : None too sage to despise the lesson. Pansies of the shadowy silva, Violets alban, blue or azure, The radiant rose, the dainty daisy, E en the pale poppy recount a story. [38] SILVANIA They murmur of humility, of beauty, Of color, perfume in humble places, Of Destiny, Deity and Duty, Of ignote charms and native graces. 139] PENSEES I. Deus Deus whose form and substance none May ever hope to comprehend, Yet lives in us, and his sign the sun Proves that his love is without end. II. Destiny Destiny and Duty is labor and love, In imitation of the divine plan: For thus we rise to those realms of Light where the divine is evolved in man. III. Materia Materia is but a transient phase, That we must pass in pain and woe, Destined by spirit our state to raise, And purer spheres one day to kno. [43] SILVANIA IV. Elevation If thou wouldst rise to higher spheres, Direct thine eyes toward the heights; Each battle gained means countless years Of spiritual joy and intense delights. V. School of Existence Our being to a school may be compared, A school where the boy long lessons learns, And he who masters goes forth prepared To fill the post for which he yearns. And on this sphere of material aims, Of base egoism and of gross desire, To suffer is perforce what tames And tempers the spirit to nobler fire. VI. Evolution Tis our destiny here by nobility To evolve by the force of labor and love [44] SILVANIA That we may observe of the Deity, In each atom belo and in orbs above. VII. Sympathy Sympathy is a scintilla divine, That emanates from a noble soul, Which the Creator placed in it as sign Of his love for us in a sphere of dole. VIII. Justice Tis the duty of man to e er seek the light, To hate and judge only what is vile or base ; The creature most hideous rejoices the sight If the soul is lovely : one notes not the face. IX. The Critic Piteous is the person whose petulant bile And envy cause him to see only defects Everywhere, with ne er a soft word or smile : For being evil he but evil in others detects. [45] SILVANIA X. Judgment Jesus judged the Scribes and Pharisees, In language violent, but the gentle and true He praised, and cured them of their disease, Seeking a higher moral in man to imbue. And while we in him may but concede A nature quite as human as our own His potent phrase forms the only creed To apply to evil, that it may atone. [46] SILVANIA Credo My credo is clear As the day is clear: The power divine Removeth every doubt and fear, And changeth dole to joy and cheer, If I resign My will, and thus dispelling fear; Why then repine? It is not a way Of tenebrous day That the mystic soul Regardeth in the fair array Of stars that ever seem to say, As e er they roll: The force that turns the globe of clay, Doth them control. [47] JUVENILITIES Winter in Los Angeles Queen city, guarded by the mountain range, That protects thee from hibernal change, Thou sittest, enthroned in beauty rare, Amid thy noble hills and valleys fair, That rapidly descending seem to be Thy pedestal, laved by the sounding sea. Thy hills, the slopes, each intervening dale, Are replete with charm, and every gentle gale Lifts the huge fans of palms, then flies To orange groves, to revel in the waxy prize, The snowy blossoms, or mid the scented fruit, To rob their fragrance as its just tribute. Unchilled by blasts of the boreal breath, Neath azure skies thy verdure knos not death ; While many climes are trist neath frigid frown, Thy vales are gay with sunlight sifted down; And tho so seeming near, on the mountain brow, [51] SILVANIA Like a corona of silver gleams the chastened snow, Winter dares within thy realm no nearer roam ; Too well he knows the confines of his icy home. From this fair height look down where gro Long extending orange groves belo, Whose glossy foliage and clustering shade, Like huge emeralds gleam with gold inlaid. Near lies a vineyard where late a merry band Piled high the luscious treasure of the land ; When ruddily hath the fragrant vintage run, And the pearly muscat withered in the sun. Yon are orchards where stately olives rise, And branching figs, fair neath italic skies, While thru the vale, from a mountain source, The shimmering river takes its winding course, Whose waters, during long calid summer hours, Refresh avid plants, till benefic showers In winter arrive, on fleecy clouds to dower Pale verdured fields with recreative power. Mark the bright vales, the mountain chain, The rolling hills, the extending plain, Where the city in beauty semi tropic lies, Mid scenes as fair as those of paradise. [52] SILVANIA Divina Fides Creator Omnipotent, Power Divine, Tho invisible, I kno thou art. If doubts arise, Or fact decries The Word, yet ever in my heart I adore the presence of thy sign. He who with Nature doth converse, Notes the orb of day, the starry night, Must fain declare, Mid scenes so fair, We re but frail creatures of the might Of the grand Author of the universe. [53] SILVANIA Guide Thou My Way Creator of refuge, thru this sombre space, Guide thou my way ! By these long paths diverse unto the face Of glorious day. To tread alone the mazes of the wild I fear: I pray thee guide me thru this valley drear. Oft from thy gentle guidance have I strayed, In my fair day; Tho when the pensive eve obscured, I prayed : Guide thou my way ! No other friend I found, e er so truly kind, E en to me so frequently to thy mercy blind. From trials in divine justice sent, I turned, And ceased to pray ; Firm pride or fierce unrest within me burned : Guide thou my way ! In vain a friend I sought amid the multitude ; In pain I experience bought from ingratitude. [54] SILVANIA Tis thus; no love save thine doth e er abide, So surely stay; Thy hand will safely lead me to the other side : Guide thou my way ! The rocky pits along the spiny paths gro light, But safe am I within thy care in darkest night. |55] SILVANIA Mid-Day in Galilee In pale cerulean sky the sun is shining With meridian force on fair Galilee, That lies inert, e en the plants repining, Languish as in pain, and the tranquil sea. Glints with a million bright reflections, As tho signaling her secret love To ardent Sol, while in all directions Naught moves, save the lucent orb above. From the ruddy hills a breeze brings faintly A tone to disturb the sepulchral calm; For then arise some figures quaintly Garbed that dozed neath a spreading palm. Now, from a mosque a Moslem crier In dreary tones the hour doth tell; Each matron at the chimney stirs the fire, While maids carry water from the well. Few the changes since the days the Master Descended yon streets, by faith to cure ; [56] Assembling his band like a tender pastor, To impart the precepts of his doctrine pure. An ineffable halo now seems to hover er the place ; those crumbling walls appear Grave secrets of the sacred past to cover And the souls to the heart of the Savior dear. [57] SILVANIA Mary 1 Who does not love this little name, So simple, short and neat, So full of poetry and love, And all that s fair and sweet? A Mary bore our Savior Lord, And watched his early years ; A Mary humbly kissed his feet, And washed them with her tears. Two Marys ministered to him, In sunshine and in gloom; They lingered longest at the cross, And earliest sought his tomb. And thou, sweet idol of my youth, The spirit of each dream, That flashed across my early years, Like a meteoric gleam. 1 Memory of verses in scrap-book of my mother. [58] SILVANIA I ll ne er forget thy mortal span, So fleeting, pure and fair, That gives thy name of mystic rhyme A charm beyond compare. 1 And thou, sweet Mary mother mine, Whose sainted name I bear Within the temple of my heart, Sacred beyond compare. Tho memory is dim of my infancy, When thou didst pass away, It must ever pure and verdant be, Till I am senseless clay. And oft in meditative hours My tears unheeded flo, As I pronounce thy sacred name, And pray surcease from woe. The name which utters all that s pure, That whispers hope and love ; The purest name on human lips, Or heard in realms above. 2 Additional original lines. [59] SILVANIA Who does not love this little name, So simple, short and neat, So full of poetry and love, And all that s fair and sweet? [60] TRANSLATIONS FROM THE GREEK ANACREON Ver In the days vernal The Graces strew roses; The blue sea tranquillizes, Its boreal fury reposes; And the heron is seen, And the alb an swans furro The lake crystalline. The rosy finger of Helios The gray nebula condenses O er the labor of mortals, That blind Plutus dispenses : Every seed germinating, In valley or mountain, A rare charm disseminating O er desert and fountain. Incipient flowers the rami Of the olive are blanching ; Crowned with ruby foliage, The vines seem stanching [63] SILVANIA The vital fluids of Nature, That presently nourish The fruits so desired, That there richly flourish. [64] SILVANIA Anacreon I care not for Kroisos, Nor envy his treasure; I desire but pleasure ; The wine that rejoices. I desire but fresh roses, To twine in my tresses, A plectro and caresses, While near Eros poses. It imports very little That me awaits sorro ! I rejoice! For tomorro I care not a tittle. [65] SILVANIA ANACREON Eros It was midnight : In the vault serene Ursa only seemed to roll Her constant course around the Pole. Mortals resposed In calm profound, "When tiny Eros, at my gate, Rudely knocked, at hour so late. "Who s there?" I cried. "Who thus disturbs my rest?" "I m but a boy," he lo replied; "Open; let me be thy guest. A cruel tempest bios," he sighed; "I pray thee let me share thy nest." Pitying I heard, And porting light, I oped, and an angel boy, [66] SILVANIA With bo and quiver, met my sight. I bade him enter, and with joy Close to the chimney placed a stool, Solicitous for his sorry plight, Blindly, like many another fool. Once restored and warm: "Give me the bo; let s see If the cord is injured by the storm," He proffered in dulcet tone to me. He placed an arro, let it soar, To penetrate my very core. Deriding my pain, The ingrate cried: "The arros of Eros are not in vain, For love must ever conquer pride." [67] SILVANIA ALCAEUS On Sorro What utility do we obtain In our breast to nourish sorro ? What advantage do we gain In mortal anguish for the morro ? Serve, then, rich wine, oh, boy! There s no remedy of better savor Its exhilaration let s enjoy. And of Bacchus court the favor. SILVANIA ALCAEUS On Desire Oh, if my lyre were Of ivory fabricated; If I to the chorus of Bacchus might Be borne by a band inebriated, Formed of adolescents gay, Beauteous as dawn of day, Merry as lambs at play, And, as acme of joy above, Of a fair damsel have the love. [69] SILVANIA Meleagros Of my love in vain, Of my grief and pain, Of my dole, I dream : Come, then, gentle cricket, Dulcet cantor of the valley Whose voice doth soothe the ear Of the peasant solitary, With thy cricri divine, So strangely imitating The sound of suave lyre : Sing me a gentle air, Full of joy and festive, And if my heavy core, And if my sorro sore With soft sleep thou curest, In oblivion tender, I promise thee to pay With the dew most limpid That the roseate Aurora On flowers ever scattered. [70] SILVANIA MELEAGROS Venus Venus, rosily voluptuous, Is mistress of the vessel ; Eros is the pilot, Who manages the tiller, And with his tiny fingers Ports me where he pleases, And my every rebellion By a tempest is combated. Ah! on this sea of pleasure, Ever the sea most agitated, Inconstant and dolorous, Ah, me ! I am sailing, sailing, And fear that I may perish. f71J SILVANIA MELEAGROS On Cupid Ah ! I want to sell him ; To sell him I determine, Altho he seems at present Strangely calm and quiet On the tender bosom Of his mother, sleeping. Why should I longer Suffer with this infant, So insolent and fiery, Malicious and alated, Ever false, vindictive? His tears deceive one only; His merriment is feigned. Of a verity I tell you, None has seen him timid. He is parlous : from his eye Naught is e er concealed, And he s so cruel and sly That even his very mother [72] SILVANIA This infant cannot manage. Truly, I lose my patience! To vend him I determine If some buyer cares To remove him from my vision. Ho, there ! who will buy him ? Ah ! now his face is puckered ! Ah ! now he cries ! Don t fear, Don t fear, my blessed baby! I no longer want to sell thee ! Stay, stay, my pet, and play With thy tender Aphrodite ! Oh, my precious little Eros! [73] SILVANIA ARCHILOCHUS On Despair There is no reason for man To despair, not to essay : There s naught more marvelous than The labor of Theos turning night to day. He obscured Helios at meridian hour, Causing terror in mortals belo: Let us then imitate his power, In the nature he doth on us besto. No trial then should cause despair, In view of the marvel quotidian: If we disperse the gloom of care By the light of our day meridian. [74] SILVANIA ARCHILOCHUS On Fortitude Why thy spirit torment, Oh, friend, with asperous cares? Seek force, encouragement; Triumph is for him who dares And to the camp of battle bears A ruder lance than his adversary, Who everywhere is temerary. But when the triumph is once thine, Remember that mercy is divine. If thy foes thee vanquish, Give not feebly way to tears, Nor allow thy soul to anguish With vain and idle fears. Only noble is he who hears Amid the din a tender voice, That o er misfortune will ne er rejoice: In whom mercy increaseth every day For the petrous ills that pave our way. [75] SILVANIA AECHILOCHUS On Himself I care not for the treasure Of Giges, that so abounded, Nor for vain pomp or pleasure, Nor am I of emulation slave. I envy not the power Of those mortals semi-divine, But desire that every hour For humanity may be utilized. [76] SILVANIA BACHILDES On Peace Presently may sacred peace Keturn, men riches to bring, And the pen of the poet not cease In dulcet verse its praise to sing. Auric flames will be incended On altars of the Lares divine, And with them will be blended Limbs of the sacrificed bovine. Ardent youth will sound a hymn And flutes, or in gymnasium play, While in the armor of the warrior grim The spider will weave its web by day. The brilliant lance the rust will wear, While the sword its edge will lose; No longer will the trumpets blare, To rob dull eyes of the sleep they choose. [77] SILVANIA One then will see in every part Joyous greetings that never cease, While the grand noise of every art Seems a sacred hymn in praise of peace. 78 J SILVANIA BACHILDES On Care Only one way is indicated To mortals their welfare to attain, And he who is not prostrated By the force of continuous pain, Should strive with zeal unmitigated His fair ideal of a goal to gain. But he who is pursued By vain care, both night and day; Who with anguish is e er imbued, To his own false fears eternal prey, Only his path with thorns has strewed, That torment and deter his future way. [79] SILVANIA SIMONIDES On Human Existence No stability is there in mundane existence, For we, like leaves from branches separated, Descend, and to rude Boreas no resistance Offer, e en tho of rami elevated. Aye, thus prematurely falls the human genus, Disregarding those verities venerated, In pursuit of Bacchus or the joys of Venus, Too frequently from destiny deviated. Expectancy is a flame* that we entertain, For hope, like elixir, the spirit animates; And because it delights, we it sustain, While the flower of youth ostentates In the adult, with any petty desire, His spirit light such passion sates, That serves as fuel for the fire, That life consumes and hope devastates. [80] SILVANIA Reflect on the evils that us assail : "Tis folly in one to no change suppose, For he ignores how brief, uncertain, frail Is life, that even youth hath woes. For verily brief is the time conceded As the life of man, that soon declines : So, thou, versed in the resignation needed, Suffer, as one who to sleep himself resigns. [81] SILVANIA SIMONIDES On Virtue Virtue lives in a rocky retreat, Whose ascent is very precipitous; A sterile region round about, That no one cares to view, Except he who free from doubt, After many conflicts vain, After much long interior pain, Rises to that altitude supreme, Excelsior, where the Fates redeem. [82] SATIRES Lullaby Oh, slumber, my baby ! Let not my unrest, Disturb thee, my baby, On the maternal brest. Oh, when thou hast also Attained virile estate, Will atavism thee also Make false to thy mate? Thy father is dancing In gray haunts of vice, "Where sirens entrancing Seek only their price, For charms that they lavish On fools lost to shame, Who by arts seek to ravish, And their tribute claim. Oh, slumber, my baby ! May thy future mate Be spared my sorro And such infelice fate. [85] SILVANIA In a Cabaret Strange music sounds; In fantastic rounds, To syncopation of Indo-negro slums, The couples dance, As in a trance, And a lubric murmur of evil hums. A jazzing grind, That fills the mind Of the normal soul with grim distaste, Shame of our time ! High school of crime, Where perversion with desire is enlaced. [86] SILVANIA The Harlot A harlot was she : A girl of the street; Despized was she By all she might meet. And yet on a time She was pure and sweet, Till soiled by the slime Of the man in the street. Today she s rejected As an object of shame, But the base cur infected, Who for it was to blame, May mingle with the pure, In salon and in dance, For whose ill there s no cure, Seeking only a chance The thing to transmit That s too horrid to name, [87] SILVANIA That leads to the pit Of misery and shame. Oh, is this the civilization Of our modern times, That permits the perpetuation Of concealed crimes? [88] SILVANIA The Vampire She is a product of her race : The male of the species is her prey ; Vain and false and fair of face, The cause of dishonor and disgrace ; She only seeks to have her way. With trifling trinkets and flimsy rags She dazzles the asses in her train, The envy of other painted hags, Harping and hating, but who never lags In the choice of victim whom she drags To ruin with a gilded chain. [68] SILVANIA Urbanity Urban to urbanity gave the name : But urban now only means what s base, To express the gross, the vile, and shame, Where prostitution bares its hideous face. Where courtesy is a thing antique, Of the days of dames and cavalier, Of which today we find a rare replique, For courtesan means now the harlot blear. [90] SILVANIA Creation When Satan descended to our sphere, Vanquished and fuming with defeat and ire, He sought to make his arts appear As innocent, and chose as buyer The female of the genus, who Gave the old fello a lot to do. And in her rude mind of early days He sowed the seed of vice and guile, Making leaves and gossip quite the craze, That presently caused in old Adam bile. For there wasn t a biddy in the land To escape from Eva s tingling tongue, And Adam just had to take and stand, Till he wished his rib on a tree were hung. But Eva never cared a rap, And made him for trinkets climb high trees, Till Adam, poor old misguided chap, Found Eva a nuisance and hard to please. [91] SILVANIA And in these days of Parisian togs, The fate of Adam is sad and sore, For to dress fair Eva his mind befogs, And he sighs for the day when it is o er. 92] SATIRES TRANSLATED FROM THE CLASSICS GREEK AND LATIN ANTIPATER Flourished in the reign of the last king of Macedonia, Philip, 398 to 319 B. C. In praise of Praxiteles for his statue of Venus Adonis, Hercules and Mars And the pastor Paris have come To see me nude as the stars, Before me, with admiration dumb. And now that Praxiteles my face Hath reproduced with so much grace, They sculptors also would become, My image to model in his place. Venus Of Venus nude, the form and charms He cut in marble, which inspired an ode, And when Venus saw her image she said : I only wish it were the mode ! [95] SILVANIA ANTIPATER Inspiration Sage and divine Hippocrene, Who inspirest sublime verses, On the leafy margins Of thy current limpid, beauteous, Eternal renown Pindaros, And Anaereon and Homerus Have acquired : let us bibe ! Ea! cupbearer, serve us Wine excellent and aged! Ridicule for those who censure That we esteem more the liquor Which matureth in sunny Falerno, Than all the waters that Helicon Produceth on his high summit. [96] SILVANIA The Nine Muses Terrestre The Macedonian monte celebrated And the sublime Helicon inspired The hymns and chants of poetesses, Of voices divine in concert: Myro, Praxilla, the eloquent Anytes, Of clear numen, feminine Homerus; Sapho, of Lesbos ornament and gala, And those others of harmonious plectrum : Erymis, Telesilla, and thou Corinna, Thou the cantora of the ferrous escutcheon Of Minerva, and the delicate Nossis, Of dulcet tone, effeminate echoes, And Myrtis, whose chants so mellifluous, In toto auric pages of verse composed. Nine Muses inhabited the Pindus, Eternally to pertain to regions celestial; And Terra produced also nine sisters, For humanity the glory and adornment. [97] SILVANIA PALADAS, OF ALEXANDRIA Flourished about 369 Christian Era. Human Insignificance Thou, who only a gross parcel art, Among the atoms that the orb containeth, Pretendeth to measure the universe in part, Directing thy glances where Zeus reigneth : Measure thyself, and know that they Inscrutable are; despite thy ambition, Thou wilt ne er arrive to know the way, If of thyself thou hast but intuition. Human Inquietude Nude I entered this vale of sorro, And nude I ll be when it I leave: Why then worry for the morro, For gain is vain; why then grieve? [98] SILVANIA Money Eternal source of doubt and fears And heavy sorros, oh, metal vile! Adored like Zeus, with prayers and tears, Which humanity seeks with zeal and guile, And to possess it, with frenzy insane, While the fear of losing it s a goad, A horrible malady. Thus, tis a bane To have it or not, in equal mode. The Enemy If a mortal enemy comes to curse me, I know, and on guard I him receive ; But he who ne er seeks to reimburse me, Who is false and base and makes me grieve ; Who to despoil me comes unblushing, With deceit and affection feigned, My faith and care forever crushing, Is the enemy whose bio I ne er restrained. [99] SILVANIA PALADAS Femina To the element inflamed, Jupiter the female added, And these two fierce fires untamed Have in all time raged and gadded, For which Jove has e er been blamed For having caused us such torment, The consuming fire which one may stifle, But ne er the one which Jove us sent, Who holds our peace, aye, life", a trifle ; Who in life s dual plan was meant To purge our dross and pockets rifle. Woman is a genius : she is the cause Of our torments and our anguish; Only at moments does she pause In her plan our will to vanquish : One is when a bride upon our brest, And the other is when she s laid to rest. [100] SILVANIA You say that you live not Neath the yoke of your dear spouse, And tho you suffer, yet give not A sign of what happens in your house ; In your soul the pain concealing, With many subterfuges vain: My wife is virtuous and this feeling, In view of it, I must contain. I must satisfy her caprices, For that is the only domestic means, Altho she knocks my soul to pieces, Tis the only way to avoid bad scenes!" You are not her slave : I admit it ; You may be right and a noble spouse, But I see a point each time I hit it, And say you re a servant in your house. [101] SILVANIA PALADAS Cosmetics In exchange for sounding money, I saw thee, Hortensia, tresses buy, Paints and powder, lotions of honey, That form your charm, when not too nigh. And all those arts are so illusive, No man of sense could aut more ask, But while I refrain from words abusive, For me, Hortensia, you wear a mask. "I was born crying and will die amid tears; My life doth pass amid worries and sorro!" Thou hast no reason to thus nourish fears, Oh, mortal, nor worry thus for the morro. The evils unceasing that our paces folio, Are the fire of Nature, our dross to burn, To try the spirit, in this life so hollo, That to Theos and Terra one day must return. [102] SILVANIA Nicarcos In Century I of Christian Era Why doth the husband cease His wife to praise? Why doth his love decrease? Why lieth he when he says In gymnasium he passed the time? Who ll explain his conduct strange? The wife is fair, but her crime Is in causing his love to turn, And on the altar of a strumpet burn. [103] SILVANIA ONESTES Epoch uncertain Poesy To the summit of Helicon, arduous It is to arrive ; but there one sates His fatiguing thirst, where Hippocrene A source limpid and pure libates. And in equal manner, poesy also Doth her asperous apex to us sho ; But if thou attainest the height divine, Companion thou It be of the Muses nine. [104] SILVANIA DIONYSIOS During reign of Emperor Adrianus Desires Ah, if I were the sylvan flor That Phyllis from its stalk hath torn, Or the rose of the sanguine core, On her bosom so gaily borne; Ah, no ! if my wish were heard tonight, I d be the zephyr douce that bios, The essence and spirit of the flor, So that Phyllis in hours of repose In my aroma might find her delight. [105] SILVANIA CRATES 328 prior Christian Era The Panacea Eros takes the appetite away, And is only by time dispelled ; But if the petty monster stay, Refusing to be thus expelled, You may only on one thing depend, His ardent fires to cool : Take a rope and yourself suspend ; Tis the only remedy for a fool ; [106] SILVANIA ANONYMOUS Hymen Those who incline to receive the yoke Of Hymen, invariably lament Their fate, while others joke; But in the same predicament Is the mocker when he takes the road And in turn doth in equal mode Incautiously accept the same heavy load. Second Nuptials The fool who freed from chains, Seeks them anew in matrimony, I compare, in his lack of brains, To the imbecile saved from the sea, Who ruined and maimed, ventures again. Embarking anew on the perfidious main. [107] SILVANIA Brevity of Life For meditation man was created, But in his cogitations fated To incur in error and delay, And during the labors of the day He anxiously awaits its close, Desiring night with soft repose; Thus passes time in slumbrous strife, Mute to the real labor and dole of life. [108] SILVANIA LUCILIUS GAIUS Roman Satirist, 180-103 B. C. The Toilette A pile of tresses curly, Pomades, cosmetics, scented nice, Combs and a host of trifles pearly, That surely cost a pretty price, Which, in fine, are used for coating The face of Femina, until you ask In disgust, the paraphernalia noting, Would she not be better in a comic mask? [109] SILVANIA Amity If in verity thou me esteemest, If thy amity is true and would not cause Trials and troubles, and thou deemest That amity also possesseth laws: Prove it, for I prefer that one hate Than falsely profess love that is a harm, For they say a vessel hath a better fate When rocks project like an angry arm, Than when o er waters of tranquil face The shoals concealed prove its disgrace. [110] SILVANIA LUCIANUS Flourished A. D. 150 False Amity The most odious monster that produceth, Without any doubt, the human race, Is a friend perfidious, who faith traduceth, Neath the cover of a fawning face. I may avoid those vicious lances That an enemy may at me cast; But a false friend whose suave advances And honeyed words are too sweet to last, With flattery and with smile persuasive, Finds me exposed to his poisonous arm; His traitorous bios are not evasive, And I cannot prevent so vile a harm. [Ill] SILVANIA LUCIANUS Time He who, prosperous, lives in opulence, Sees time pass rapidly and vernal; But to one who lives in sad suspense, A day or a night doth seem eternal. Talent In verity at times to be discreet is hard ; More precious is talent than gems or gold ; Of more use at times than the sure guard Of treasure, is it for one a secret to hold. Silence A seal put on thy lips: The phrase that slips Doth to loss thee expose, And thy secrets disclose. Words are treasures and we On our guard e er must be. [112] SILVANIA NESTOR Lived in Century III of Christian Era Invocation to the Muses Muses, let your gracious voices, So full of entrancing melody, To my ears arrive : let echoes Celestial resound of those divine Heliconian notes, which escape From your lips and enchanting lyres, For those who are privileged, In rays of light and poesy, That you in magic waves impel, Inspired divinely by your chants, Concert of harmony that^mortals Are rarely allowed the grace divine. [113] SILVANIA PAULUS Flourished in Century VI. A. D. Virtus Be ye ne er seduced By the flattering breeze Of Fortune, nor reduced Your spirit by disease ; For this our life entire By gales is agitated, Variable as is the fire Idly borne, to extinction fated. But Virtue, and she alone, Is immutable, eternal, For with her, as is known, One fears no ills infernal. [114] SILVANIA Vita Each morn We are born Anew, day by day, Only knowing by the cost Of the day, now gone and lost, For strange, we may say, Are we to yesterday. We recommence to live. Faults past we soon forgive. Symbol is this life of more To folio on a mystic shore. [115] UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. Form L9-42m-8. 49(B5573)444 THE LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES Du 3507 JD8 515 s PS 3507 D8515s A 000 920 327 4