Ye tantinel*, that for a thousand years Have watched this peaceful ralle.tf . . . eee p. 25 THE ARMY OF DAYS AND OTHER VERSE BY JAMES HENRY MAcLAFFERTY Author of "My Soul s Cathedral," "Light Through the Valley," etc. BOSTON SHERMAN, FRENCH 6- COMPANY 1911 COPYRIGHT, 1911 SHERMAN, FRENCH & COMPANY If this be song, then would I bring A tribute in the song I sing To one who in the singer s life Is every day a Friend and Wife. CONTENTS PAGE THE ARMY OF DAYS 1 MINISTERING ANGELS , 3 MY CRAVING . . . 4 TO A DAISY 5 CARISSIMA 6 ROSES 8 DEFEAT .9 THE BLENDED NAME 10 SUNSET ON REDONDO BEACH 11 FRIEND 12 FORGIVING 15 THE OAKLAND HILLS 16 THE FLY-CASTER S ELYSIUM 17 LOVE OF NATURE 18 IN THE STILL NIGHT WATCHES .... 19 COLUMBIA RIVER 20 A DAY WITH THEE 21 RECOMPENSE 22 OUR WORDS ARE WINGS 23 JUDGE NOT ... 24 THE SEQUOIAS 25 HOPE 28 THE HOUR DIVINE 29 THE STAR OF HOPE 31 THE POET S MISSION - ... 32 BUILDING HOPE 33 PAGE ALCATRAZ, THE ISLAND PRISON .... 34 JESUS THE CHRIST 35 THE OLD ENGLISH LAVENDER MAN . . 36 CALIFORNIA, BRIDE OF THE SUN ... 37 AGE 38 THE GREATEST 39 MY SONG OF THEE 41 HOME 42 PUGET SOUND 43 FREEDOM 44 MOUNTAINS 45 SUNSET IN IDAHO 46 GREAT SALT LAKE 47 HOPE 48 LIFE 49 THE DESERT 50 I KNOW NOT 54 SOLACE .55 ARISEN 56 THE WILL 57 THE CITY LOVED AROUND THE WORLD . 58 THE CALL OF THE BELL 59 THE SHASTA DAISY 66 THE SONNET 67 PURIFICATION 68 I LL SMILE MY GRIEF AWAY 69 ONE DEAR DAY 70 INFINITY 71 GOD IS LOVE 73 YEARS .75 PAGE THE FLOWER IN THE WOOD 76 AT MIDNIGHT . 77 TO A PORTRAIT 78 HAST THOU GONE FROM ME? 79 ETERNAL LIFE 80 TEMPTATION 81 A VALENTINE 82 WINGS OF GRIEF 83 MY FRIEND . 84 THE ARMY OF DAYS They come with a measured, martial; ilg&tth Through a deep defile in the barrier hills,: With a kindly face or a mien I droadVr, , ; ! No rift in their ranks the rhythm stills And these are the days confronting me This side the Hills of Eternity. They swing and fling with never a halt Or a shortened step or a broken line. They march and march with never a fault Though the storm may howl or the sun may shine. And I must meet them one by one And conquer each ere the setting sun. Gainst some, with courage as strong as steel, I throw my strength to win the fight; From others shrink and backward reel, My courage weakened ere falls the night ; With a deeper pain, with a grief more real If I lose from the lack of a high ideal. And on and on they sweep along, Each day unmatched in all it bears ; An army of days that thousands strong Must test the armor my spirit wears. For filled with struggle are some of these While others tempt to seductive ease. Steadfast I ll stand with the knowledge shod T.hat the man who wins against baser things, In .his s ciiil, is a man more like his God .Than he *who at ease to the tide s turn swings. Ah, thanks to Thee as I strive the while, That the days of life march single file! MINISTERING ANGELS Ye thoughts of mine that are not of earth And hopes possessing me born above, That temper passions of evil birth And hide my hatreds in lasting love ; Softly swing on thy silken strings That seem secured in empyrean blue The realm the skylark seeks as he sings Ere yet the sun signals home the dew. Tis ye my Ministering Angels are In silent night or in stress of day ; Unerring guide as the Northern Star, Un-numbered as is the Astral Way. Overspreading me like the arch of Heaven, In heat of conflict affording rest ; In every good thou dost place a leaven And soothe as once did my mother s breast, [ 3 1 MY CRAVING It may not be for me to glorify And hallow in the hearts of those to come The fair spots of this goodly earth, as some Have done ; or nature s charms to magnify By painting pleasant pictures out of words. Though be it far from me to idly say It would not be a rare, delightful thing If God did honor me, that I might sing Of these, for those along the future way With song as liquid sweet as any bird s. I yearn for power like this. Not out of pride, But that of nature s lessons I might teach, How God through nature everywhere doth reach The human heart and good from ill divide, By song inspired in the hearts of men. But more than this I crave from Thee, O God ! I ask the power to soothe the human heart ! To know its innermost its secret part To ease the soul, to rest it when the rod That heated white sears often and again. TO A DAISY Darling of the poet s breast; Jewel set in nature s crest; Saucy in the summer shower, Half a gem and half a flower. Frightened when my bungling foot Stumbles near thy magic root. Here I find thee quite alone. Hast thou error to atone? Bowing meekly to the sun, What small evil hast thou done? Time will come that nodding head Bows upon its mother bed. Time will come when thou, as I, Must find time withal to die. Ere the day when this needs be, Daisy, Sweetest, teach thou me. CARISSIMA What is it that over me stealing Like sweet, dreamy music at night, Sends rest to my soul and a sealing From scenes that have troubled my sight; That lends for my load an endurance, That opens my eyes so they see Through the lowering clouds, sweet assurance? T is because I am clinging to thee. Why is it that when in my thinking The vision possesses me quite Of the font drying up where I m drinking, The noonday becomes as the night? Not the night when the stars are above me, But night when their radiance is gone, And the fear that you no longer love me Makes me doubt there can ever be dawn. O er the sands of the desert I ve stumbled, With a glaze in my eyes, and athirst; Seen the hopes of the years as they crumbled, While I gazed on mirage that accurst Seemed a cool, shady spot in the distance Oh, I longed for the shade of a tree It was then that I called for assistance And the succor I found was in Thee. As a buoy to one that is sinking, As a life-line thrown into the sea, As to lips that are parched is the drinking Of water, so art Thou to me. Thou art surcease from all of my sorrow, A resting from all of my pain, My hope for the coming to-morrow When we shall no longer be twain. [7] ROSES Was ever a year like this for roses? Did ever the birds seem half as gay? And is there a spot where nature poses As glorious in her wanton way? Why a poet s heart must break into singing From sheer delight at the lavish spread ; While his fancy starts to rhythm a-swinging And songs are strung on a golden thread. DEFEAT I ve fought the fight against my foe and lost. A foe not human but of circumstance. For weeks contested stubbornly advance He made, nor counted as too great a cost To give my life to stay his hand. But, crossed In all my purposes, his sharpened lance Has pierced my armor and in dev lish dance He has his heel-marks on my shield embossed. But though I ve suffered physical defeat T is not defeat the craven coward knows. And though my heart and body may be sore Yet I have still the fortitude to meet Whatever storm across my pathway blows To win against this foe and many more. THE BLENDED NAME " He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father." When the often self-sought battle rages ; When I vainly wield a faulty sword ; Jesus, miracle of all the ages, Through the ages still to be adored, Beholding thee in raptured contemplation Silences the clamor of my life, And in these moments rare of divination Farther, fainter, vanishes the strife. And then a light suffusing all my being, A wondrous light that blinds my mortal sight, Reveals the will of God in thee decreeing The reconciling evil with the right. I stand uncovered, filled with awe before Him ; I bare my soul to Him, The God That Is, And then, as I with all my soul adore Him, Unconsciously I blend thy name in His. [10] SUNSET ON REDONDO BEACH Was heaven s clouded canopy ere yet Bedecked with half the glory sight can reach, As here I stand upon Redondo Beach And watch thee as thou fadest, thou sunset Of June s last day? O, that I might but get From Him who made thee, power to tell how each Of yonder liquid amber clouds doth teach My soul to worship and to ne er forget. I gaze enraptured All surpassing sight ! The dome of heaven is deep, volcanic red And now the Sun is gone and for the night Beneath Pacific s sombre floor his bed Has sought. See! Slowly pales the red to rose, And timid out the east the first star shows. [in FRIEND TO L. F. C. I call thee Friend because the word is large, Perhaps, beyond all words that may denote The ties men have assumed among themselves. A greater word is Friend than husband, wife, Than father, mother, brother, sister, son Or daughter, even as the base laid deep Beneath the surface and whereon is held A towering pile must needs be sterner stuff And more enduring than the ornament That gilds the pinnacle to charm the eye. For with the base secure the dome is held O er all, and in return protects it from The ravage of the elements. And so With flawless foot the mass remains as one United whole to please the sight, as well As serve its own intended use. And thus Neath all relationship there must abide The quality of friendship, else the tie Sustained can be but in the name alone. Had Cain been friend to Abel then his hands Had not been crimsoned in his brother s blood. For bond of brotherhood spared not the life The bond of friendship would have saved. A man Will spare his friend although he take the life Bestowed upon another by the one Who gave himself his being. [12] More than this. If friendship, true comraderie, cement The tie assumed in wedlock, nought but death Dissolves the union, if at all. For some Who bear this bond believe and have within Their souls the witness that it goes beyond The ending of their earthly days and joins Them closer in the Heavens. The Master when He taught of love took on His lips the word, "For greater love hath no one," so He spake, "That a man will give his life to spare a Friend." And so is not the tie that must exist To make all other earthly ties endure Of deep significance? Nor should the word Be lightly spoken or the bond assumed Unthinkingly, for with it must there be The burden of responsibility. And yet, remembering this, I call thee "Friend." To walk with thee is deepest joy to me. I love the things that thou hast loved and share With thee the spiritual pleasures few have known. In thy companionship have they become To me like physical reality. [13] In that rejoicing thee is my delight, And, greater proof of friendship, in the pain Thou sufferest lives my deepest sorrow. So Like Ruth, I say as truly unto thee, "Entreat me not to leave thee, nor return From following after thee." [14] FORGIVING To still the throb of an aching hurt Forgive the one who made it. For a garden may be but useless dirt Till the hand of a man shall spade it. The deeper the furrow the richer the yield Of the golden-headed grain. But the harvest is not till the furrow is healed Nor the blessing till after the pain. [15] THE OAKLAND HILLS O the Oakland Hills that back the town With canons deep that up and down Are filled with tempting, shady nooks That lure the body as tempting books May lure the mind; and on whose breast The whole of a man may find his rest. From Berkeley s oaks to nestling Niles A score of Mediterranean miles Do call and call, enchant and hold The miser who loves a poppy s gold. For this is wealth no man can spend And this is gold no man can lend. [16] THE FLY-CASTER S ELYSIUM Where the tipsy, tattling Truckee Tumbles downward to Nevada, Where the dreams of being lucky Like the sails of an Armada Drift across the heavens filled with boundless blue: Where the foxy, far fly-caster Loses thought of church and pastor There s Elysium for such as I and you. Just a mile of flashing river, A sublime, unending poem ; Every inch a blissful shiver Just like heaven when you know em And with every inch a pipe-dream comes to me. So away I drift from troubles As the Truckee floats its bubbles To the desert, playing hookey from the sea. O the mad-cap merry Truckee! O you two-pound speckled beauty ! How I love you when you re plucky! With my fly I cast off duty. O the Ananias Club at close of day, Where each weary, angling liar, Spreads his legs before the fire, Reeling yarns about the ones that got away. [17] LOVE OF NATURE Of all the loves that time has ever known, Of all the loves that time will ever bring, What purer or what more exalted thing Than in the love of nature may be shown? A passion out of which the sting has flown, That makes the heart continually to sing! Its memory can never come to ring Again in hollow souls, to changes prone. Handmaid of God! Like God Himself that all May love devotedly with passion deep, What nobler altar can I find for thee Than here among the Cascade Mountains, tall And towering, where great Columbia s sweep Ten thousand years has been and yet will be? [18] IN THE STILL NIGHT WATCHES In the still night watches While mine eyelids sleep, Jesus, Blessed Savior, Still thy vigil keep. Thou hadst thy Gethsemane While the others slept, Thy soul suffered anguish, Thine eyes, too, have wept. Deepest human sorrow Knew its day with thee; Now this desolation Hath o erwhelmed me. By thy grief and passion Thou the crucified Hast provided comfort, Hast my need supplied. Smooth my fevered pillow, Calm my fears unrest, Touch my troubled forehead, Jesus give me rest. [19] COLUMBIA RIVER Columbia, mighty pulse in empire s vein, Who, throbbing through a thousand cen turies night Dost roll serene, majestic in thy might Before my vision ; To the solemn strain Of thy deep rhythm doth my heart attain A depth of reverence and a clearer sight. I ve known thee near thy source where thou art slight, I ve seen where thou dost nourish fertile plain ; Where through deep mountain chasms thou hast worn Thy still, persistent, unrelenting way, And made my home where thou dost offer all To swell and sweeten broad Pacific, shorn In part of savor yielding to thy sway Then binding thee forever in his thrall. [20] A DAY WITH THEE The fondest dream a day ago This dying day has made to be, And peace is in my heart, although An ache is there that saddens me. For that I dreamed could live one day And now its life has passed away. But there is left within my heart And o er my life an influence sweet, That always, ever will be part In every problem I may meet ; And purer, stronger, will I be Because of this day lived with thee. [21] RECOMPENSE Two souls apart may journey on life s road, Be tossed about on life s tempestuous sea And sore beset of all the ills that be May call aloud for succor from the load. Yet into many years God hath not showed Each to its mate. And then, as if decree Of heaven had willed each hears the other s plea And each finds in the other its abode. Ah, blissful recompense for all the years In those first hours when these two souls have met! Ah, wealth of treasure that doth sure atone In rubies, diamonds, pearls, for all the tears That each hath shed in all the past and yet Ah, greater wealth, to never be alone. OUR WORDS ARE WINGS Our words are wings that waft away But part of what the soul could say, And carry to the listening ear Imperfectly the soul s good cheer ! So one who with a soul would speak The language of the soul should seek. For daily barter marts of trade The words we use were really made ! But when we rise to higher things And words we use, their crippled wings Can scarce transmit the soul s desire Or bear the heat of heavenly fire. [23] JUDGE NOT What do I know of the man I may meet? What of my life knows the man on the street? Yet on his acts in stern judgment I sit, He, in his turn sits in judgment on me. Both of us blindly ignore holy writ ; Purblind am I and as wilful is he. Weak is the folly that makes me forget Failings that be in my conduct, and yet Whispering secretly, hid from his sight, Blacken his name in the mind of a friend. Robbing a man, like a thief in the night, Stealing a treasure I never can spend. THE SEQUOIAS TO THE SEQUOIA CLUB, SAN FRANCISCO Ye Sentinels that for a thousand years Have watched this peaceful valley, once again I find a happy quiet neath your shade. I hide among you, far removed from strife Where men are seeking higher yet to rise On ladders built of fallen hopes of men; To plant their fortresses, impregnable, Upon foundations laid by other hands ; And yet, can only flourish there until Some victor, stronger than themselves, shall cast Them down. And here, old friends, give me to learn The secret of the power that made you great. The patient willingness you have to grow So slow, so sure. That makes you envy not The upstart vine that shoots to greater height Along your towering forms in one short year Than you have risen through decades of years. And give me, too, the kindliness that you Have shown in lending aid to weaker things. For I have coveted your silent strength ; The power, rooted deep in gentleness, That makes you willingly, alike the home Of singing birds, or sternly to defy The beating storm. [25] And teach me how I may Transform life s discords into harmony, As passing through your arms, the howling gale Hath blended into soothing melody. I, too, would know the magic and translate To music all the discord of my life. Like you, deep-rooted in the earth, may I, Well-grounded in enduring faith and hope, Grow far above the turmoil and the strife And breathe a purer atmosphere, as you, Who, lifting fronded tops above this vale See not alone your own environment But all the broad expanse of Heaven as well. Departing now, though longing yet to stay, I go to meet again the things that test The truth of all that I have learned this day. And in the trial I shall not forget The peace that here abideth, and perchance Again, awearied by the conflict, may Invoke the solace found within your shade. Unless, ah yes, unless before that day I pass beyond the need of that you teach. Or, too, unless some pigmy shall have laid A sharpened blade against your furrowed sides ; [26] Unless devouring flames shall desecrate You, Temple of the Living God, or some Wild torrent sweeping down this quiet vale Shall cut the ground from under you, as do The baser passions surging through the lives Of men, so often lay them low. [27] HOPE For this shall compensate in full all bitterness to me, That the ills I may have suffered shall enable me to see The joy, the cheer there is in life since bitter ness is gone; That the womb of blackest midnight holds the glory of the dawn. [28] THE HOUR DIVINE I love the dawning of these perfect days When come the first pale tints that open wide The womb of light, and glow the while the rays Of splendor search the hidden nooks that hide The last of lingering night. I cherish, too, The drowsy mid-forenoon when nature seems Asleep ; when drunken honey-bees are through The morning s first debauch, and in their dreams. I love the glory of the mid-day hour When shadows least abound, and when the source Of life and light in his stupendous power Has reached the zenith of his daily course; When man, infinitesimal, attests His insignificance, and ceases toil. When in some cooling, friendly shade he rests, And prostrate draws his strength from brother soil. And yet, while loving all of these, I know The sanctuary of a perfect day Is when the setting sun, descending slow, Has followed far adown his golden way [29] And hid his face beneath the western sea. For this unlocks the secret inner shrine Where Thou art waiting, O Dear Heart, for me. Ah, this of all the hours, the Hour Divine. [30] THE STAR OF HOPE I cannot know what destiny has stored Within her sealed and secret vault for me; I yet must scale the towering crags, and ford The swollen torrents ere is found the key. I cannot know to-day the reason why Seems lost the battle fought through many a year; But choosing brightest star in yonder sky To guide me on, I still shall persevere. The potion I may quaff that seems to be The draining to its dregs a bitter cup, Compels me, even in that act, to see The Star of Hope. ... To drink I must look up. [31] THE POET S MISSION Exult, O Poet! And have no dread That thy spirit-body shall leave the earth. Though thoughtless tongues shall have called thee dead, For thou shalt awake in a second birth. For God hath placed it within thy power To strike the chords on prophetic lyre ; To sing the songs that in some far hour May nerve a soul to again aspire. To thee is given a vision past The mocking furrow we call the grave ; Reflecting out of the future s vast Unknown the hope that the weary crave; To warn the soul that afar hath strayed, Yea more, to speak in a nation s ear. To stand when opposite thee arrayed Is a mighty host, and to know no fear. To love a friend and to wrong no foe ; To smite in mercy, in mercy just; To stand in front of the foremost row And to stand steadfast as a leader must. [32] BUILDING HOPE There is no base whereon to build The hope for future days, Save memory by the past instilled In all its devious ways. And even though the past has held So little of the true, Yet on its memories we weld Our hope, and start anew. [33] ALCATRAZ, THE ISLAND PRISON Set midway twixt the land and land What spot a gloomier aspect has Than the sombre walls of Alcatraz? Her rock-hewn sides like barriers stand To cleave the surge of Pacific s roll, While the man held there at the law s com mand Feels the sob of the tide within his soul. [34] JESUS THE CHRIST We sing of the fame of the prophets and sages, The heroes of war and the heroes of peace; Of men who have lived and have wrought through the ages The ages to come shall their lustre decrease. But one name shall live with the centuries passing, While fame of the others is fading away. Its glory increasing, its splendor surpassing The fame of the mighty They live but a day. The King of all Kings, little Bethlehem s Jesus ; The Chief of Ten Thousand, foretold from afar; The Lion of Judah whose gentleness frees us, Nor faileth but lures like the light of a star. T is He untold millions have loved with devo tion; T is He they will cherish while time shall en dure. The knowledge of Him, as the deeps hold the ocean, Shall cover the earth and shall hold it secure. [35] THE OLD ENGLISH LAVENDER MAN English Lavender! Ten cents a pack! Just buy one surely you can ! You won t want your money back From the Old English Lavender Man ! He stands through each day near the wall Of a building that pierces the skies; As I pass I can hear his clear call As he stares with his poor sightless eyes. I wonder if deep in his soul Are visions of hopes and of fears ; And if his lost sight were made whole Would he love what he now only hears? I wonder if Christ passed this way And pressed the moist clay to those eyes, Would he cease to remember some day Or forget petty cares that arise? Here s the money ! I ll willingly pay ! But the lavender I shall not need. The lesson you ve taught me to-day Is so plain I may run as I read. [36] THE GREATEST When this age passes into the ages And thy splendor, dear land of my love, Hath vanished as mist from the ocean Dissolves in the boundless above ; When the full of the greatness we cherish Hath rounded resplendent, complete, Shall the grandeur of thee be forgotten, Or thy memory with fame be replete? Twill not be the prosaic record Of marvelous miracles wrought ; Twill not be the history of battles Thy death-daring heroes have fought, Nor story of cunning invention That dwells like a charm over thee For the millions that live in the future And the millions beyond them to be. Ah, nobler than all of thy warriors, Beloved o er the best of thy sons And famed above those that are mighty Of all thou hast borne are the ones To be heard through the march of the ages As voices that float from the past, To pen on unperishing pages That fame of thy glory may last. [39] Dear Land, lest thy name be forgotten There one day must spring from thy side Some clear-voiced, some sweet-singing Homer In whom to the full shall abide The reflection of all of thy glory, The music of all of thy birds, And whose song shall so perfectly blend them Thy memory shall live in his words. [40] MY SONG OF THEE No Heathen Nine shall aid my rhyme, No oaten pipes shall guide my singing; No dancing feet shall mark the time Or tune the tribute I am bringing Daily, hourly unto thee. It needs must be majestic measure Drawn from source of endless treasure If t would half way voice the pleasure Thou hast given to life for me. For down Life s River I was swept, Nor could I turn against its power. Anon upon its brink had wept My saddened soul through many an hour Because denied one vital need. And so I knew not where to turn me, Feared I friend as foe would spurn me, Doubted I did God discern me Or to my despairing heed. T was when my hope had all but gone, My faith become the faintest glimmer ; When seemed had come the last pale dawn- Yea, hope was faint and faith was dimmer- Then it was a hand touched mine. . . . Saved was I ! And so the praises Sung of thee must be in phrases Only holiest Angel raises, For I found my hand in thine. [41] HOME It s Home though it has but four brown walls, A window that looks in a quaint back yard, A table, some books, and a couch that calls, That dissolves my care when the days are hard. A window that stares at a wall close by. When I hide me there I am not aloof, For over head, through a pane in the roof I can see a million miles of sky. [42] PUGET SOUND O the burnished bays and the winding ways That as one make Puget Sound ! the opal seas with their guardian trees There the soul delights abound! 1 may sail and sail to the uttermost sea I may scale to the sheerest height, But no depth nor height can contain for me Such a transcendental sight. For thy morn s a song and the whole day long Has the note of a clear refrain, While the Silver-side on the buoyant tide Has returned to his home again. And thy stars grow pale near the peak of night While the matins of countless birds Chant the death of gloom in the birth of light With a medley surpassing words. In thy emerald deeps are the pictured steeps Of Olympic s jagged crest And the soft facades of the blue Cascades Float a-slumbering o er thy breast With their tops made white, like an altar cloth, By the drifted and chastened snow, And as free from stain as the plighted troth That the purest of maidens know. [43] FREEDOM Done am I now with all cant and all sham ming; Free evermore from the worship of creed. Riven in twain is the barrier spanning The sigh of my soul and the help I may need. Banished the fear of my ignorance born And aglow is the night with the glint of the morn. Days have slipped past me that once were to morrows, Yesterdays all, be they joyful or sad. Dead is the past and the haunt of its sorrows, Sing, O my Soul in thy trust and be glad. The bitterest test thy novitiate ended, The mystery of peace with thy future is blended. [44] MOUNTAINS The man who has gazed at a mountain And felt no response in his soul Had never a drink at the fountain That mortals may taste and be whole. It is that which is silent remaineth, For a sound s but a sigh then *t is gone ; And in mountains methinks God explaineth The riddles that vex us anon. Give me but a glimpse, then withdraw it, Yea, deny me forever my sight; For the signal that came when I saw it To the depth of my soul flashed a light. [45] SUNSET IN IDAHO I saw the day-sun seek his rest to-night Neath mountain peaks in southern Idaho, And turn to purple with his dying glow Their covering mantle that so deep, so white, Reflected back his glory to the sight. The massive tiers of cloud-banks like the snow Were glorified, and every shade I know Bedecked them as adorned for this great rite. O, ultimation of a perfect day, Though death-song of a dying day thou art, How infinitely better in this way That day should end, since daylight must depart ! And, O, that my life s day could ever be And end as full, as glorious as with thee! [46] GREAT SALT LAKE Great Inland, Salty Sea a mile in air Earth has no other jewel such as thou! And gazing round me from thy center now At day s expiring hour a sight so fair Is spread before me, there can none compare Unto it. Held aloft by mountain s brow Thy glassy surface, ne er disturbed by prow Of craft of trade, into the sky doth stare Reflecting back, as might a mirror s face, The storm-scarred mountains planted on thy shore All painted wondrously by hand divine In every color known to human race. Thou hast not nor canst have forevermore An outlet save to mount the hot sunshine. [47] HOPE Hope never lives in the valleys Nor despair at the crest of a peak. Paupers do not live in chalets Nor strength find a home in the weak. But Hope may go into the valleys And rescue the prey of despair. Paupers, that were, may own chalets With Hope even weaklings may dare. [48] LIFE O Life, them greatest mystery of time, Less understood than is Eternity ; Thou mystery of mysteries sublime, I know why light or darkness more than thee. Thy quickening came within my mother s womb, Thine ending shall not find me in the tomb. [49] THE DESERT In places man has called the Solitudes There God abideth most. And in the place Where men do most abide too often God Seems least to be. He knew because his path Had led through busy marts, through jostling crowds As well as through the forests where the leaves Were whispering secrets of the universe. His soul had lost itself in reverie Beneath the forest kings in whose rough sides Were etched the history of a thousand years. Nor was his spirit stranger to the thoughts That flood the soul three hundred leagues from spot Where man may set his foot upon the land. There had he gazed about him and beheld The throbbing of a million white-plumed breasts, Had known the power beneath each one and felt It surging in his own. " T is here," he said, "Where God has placed his throne upon the earth. He rides the deep, and those who come not here Deceive themselves to say they have communed with Him. [50] And so through sea and forest grew his soul In closer union with The Infinite. His lot was cast where but a line did part The virgin forest from earth s mightiest sea, And loving both he felt that naught of earth Could share with them his love. T was then the hand Of duty beckoned him and for a space, His steps turned toward the east, he left the sea And wood and for the first time found the place So magical, so silent and so vast T were fitted well for God s retreat where He Might come alone to meditate ; to plan New worlds, to fashion all minute detail Pertaining to them and perchance again Debate creation of that species which Of all His works has sought to thwart His will. This place men call the Desert and at first Turn back afraid. And so, he, too, as blind To mystery returned to sea and wood Content. But soon there crept into his soul A something vague. At first he knew not what It meant. The whispering of the trees, the weird Complaining of the sea had ceased to sate [51] His longings and half aimlessly, half led, He scaled the high Sierras where he saw The Desert and he knew from whence had come, Unheard except within his inner soul, The voice that fed continually his unrest And heeding naught beside he pressed him on Toward the Mystic East. And there, was placed Within his hands a key that he might loose The latch that bars a man from his best self; That places in his grasp not only square And rule wherewith to measure earthly things But instruments geometricians use When leaving earth to compass heavenly spheres. T was on the Desert first he knew himself, Took heed of potency of silent power And learned that greatest wisdom need not be Articulated from the lips nor flow From facile pen. The Desert, nude of all Affording comfort ; scorched and seared anon By burning shafts yet saturated with A presence he had never felt in height Or depth. Where every color eye hath known United into perfect harmony Has exquisitely painted cliffs of all Fantastic shapes of frowning battlements, [52] Of castles turreted against the sky And from whose tops one sees, his eye deceived, Mirage of shady forests, running streams, Of crystal-breasted lakes beside whose shores Are nested sleeping villages ; and yet May be reflected from the real as are The highest aspirations and ideals That tantalize the soul and float before It s eye a shimmering goal. And here like One Who went alone into the wilderness ,He found ere he returned with lagging step The peace that silence whispers in the soul To feed the fagging sinews of resistance. [53] I KNOW NOT I know not where nor how, I know not why nor when, I only know when life is done That I shall live again. And though I cannot see, In faith I can believe That I ll partake of holier joys Than any I shall leave. And so I m walking, Lord, A prayer in every breath, The path that leads up mountains steep Or through the vale of death. At times o er desert waste, With weary, burning feet. At others, thanks to Thee, dear Lord, By waters still and sweet. [54] SOLACE Has thy sun gone down? Does the darkness frown? Is it night in the hours of day? Is the light obscured? Does the pain endured Make thee stumble in thy way? There s a soothing thought With a solace fraught That may heal the deepest scars. For the sun must set Ere our eyes may get The light of more distant stars. [55] ARISEN Arisen! Arisen triumphant o er fate; Thy splendor renewed at the sea s Golden Gate. Hail, brave San Francisco, thou bravest and best, March on to thy glory in front of the west ! We wept at thy sorrow And ever we pray God guide thy to-morrow God bless thee to-day ! And praying we pledge thee united to be To keep thee the Queen of the earth s greatest sea. [56] THE WILL The trying burden daily borne Is but the task that makes thee strong; But bear it not from night till morn And thou canst bear it all day long. There are those who in error hold That God intended some to fall Beneath the load in bondage sold With none to heed a helpless call. If this be true t would but defame The righteousness and love of God, And in The Great Creator s name Chastise us with a heavy rod. But God hath placed within thy soul A healing for its every ill. If thou shalt choose t will make thee whole, T is part of Him it is thy will! Bestowing this within thy hand He delegated unto thee A power like His to thus command In molding thine own destiny. [57] THE CITY LOVED AROUND THE WORLD The Pride of the West ! The Gem of the Sea! The City that Is! The City to Be ! Where the ship "Content" her sail has furled ; The City Loved Around the World ! San Francisco! [58] THE CALL OF THE BELL Alone in a quiet, old country town At evening in earliest spring, While sitting in front of the quaint little inn Came the sound of a church-bell s ring. T is Wednesday I mused as the clear tones pealed Throughout the long tree-clad street, And harking me back in memory s ken The night that God s people meet. As danced in and out through the arching trees The silvery song of the bell, The scenes quickly pressed one by one into mind That held me secure in their spell ; How each Wednesday night through my life as a lad I was taught to take up my way To the door of a drab-colored meeting house Where sinners had met to pray. So, spanning with thought the abyss between My life as now and then, When I went to the little, drab meeting-house, I said, I will go again! And rising, I started with willing feet To the rhythmic ring of the bell, Nor halted until I had found a seat Mid scenes I had known so well. [59] Now clearer and clearer my vision grew Of a past almost forgot In striving for what we may think avails, But having, avails us not. And hearing the voices these village folk Were raising in hymns of praise I yearned for the days of the long ago, For days that were better days. The speeding years betwixt then and now, The gods I had worshipped and known, Have passed from my thought, neath the in fluence here The years and the gods have flown. For I know that with all of his failings, Though far twixt his life and the goal, The man who sincerely acknowledges God Is nearest the man that is whole. So, finished the song with its worship of praise And peace seemed pervading the air As the silver-locked leader extended his hands, On his lips invitation to prayer. I knew that he meant it as truly for me As for any who looked on his face And it seemed in the tones of that kindly calm voice I could all my young manhood retrace. [60 And now began to vibrate once again My heart-strings, rusted through the long neglect Of years, and grown discordant as the strings Upon a stringed instrument unused. And with each sentence of the simple prayer The pastor offered in a child-like faith I felt returning sight, as I had seen In matters spiritual and not discerned By mortal eye. The many doubts that had From far afield hung o er me as a cloud, And like miasmic poison caused to droop And flicker, what was once a steady flame Seemed now in fast retreat. And where so long These doubts had held dominion I could feel Exultant pleasure in returning faith; The simple faith I learned when at the knee Of Mother, sweet as man has ever known; A faith that penetrates as sharpened steel Through every grief and all perplexity; That will not, cannot swerve though locked within A body drawn and bent by mortal pain. For simple faith is faith that will abide ! As trusting child of earthly parent asks The thing in earthly parents power to do, So prayed this man a trusting child of God. "Our loving Heavenly Father, Dearest Friend, [61] Whose mercy brings us at this quiet eve With one accord to kneel before thy throne, We ask Thee first, to cleanse our hearts from guile, From insincerity and secret sin. We here acknowledge Thee in all the way In which unto this night we have been led, And sad are we our feet so often stray And in forbidden paths are wont to tread. Forgive us when unthinkingly remiss And pity, Lord, when knowingly we sin. We thank Thee for the blessings we enj oy ; For daily food, for shelter from the storm, For health and strength^ for loving friends, for all We have we thank Thee, and for all that we But for our own shortcomings might have been. For those who wont to worship here who now Are laid on beds of pain and cannot come To join their prayers with those we offer Thee We ask a soothing blessing and that Thou Wilt lay upon their ills a healing hand." And now it seemed he prayed for me alone. As if he knew the thought within my heart Of hearts. "But most of all, dear Lord, we ask That Thou wilt fully heal the sick of soul, [6ft] Who whether here or elsewhere carry deep The self-inflicted wounds that will not heal, Nor can be cured except by means of grace That makes us see our insufficiency. Who, seeking surcease, wander everywhere But in the way that leads them unto Thee ; Who, having ears yet seemingly are deaf, And having eyes are yet too blind to see. For him who prides himself he always lives Within the bounds prescribed by moral law, And feels this all sufficient, Lord, we pray. But more we pray, Our Father, for the man, Who, though he cherish well the written law, Yet knows a higher duty still remains To be fulfilled by him and heedeth not. For him who seeth, Lord, and taketh not ; For him who heareth, Lord, and doeth not We feel our prayers must needs more fervent be Because he thereby addeth sin to sin. If such there be within this presence now, Then grant the prayer we offer may be his, And as he passes forth into the night May every shining star above his head Reflect on him Thy glorious radiancy. Yea, give to him assurance doubly sure That he who doeth more than must be done That men may dwell together in accord, Shall feel Thy benediction in his soul, And come into a goodly heritage ; And in Thy Name we ask it all. Amen." [63] And then a song was borne on every tongue ; "Abide with me, fast falls the eventide, The darkness deepens, Lord, with me abide. When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, O, abide with me." The prayerful song was done and then the words Of benediction sealed within my soul A blessing greater than could soul contain. I hastened forth beneath the glorious night And felt were I to speak t would but profane And mar the eloquence of God s own voice. The hearing to my soul so long unknown Seemed once again returned and sensitive To sound heard only in the silence, but Whose mandates followed lift us far above The life of sordid gain. And now beside The loss of deafness came the gain of sight. Of sight discerning spiritually the things Long since forgotten, or, if not forgot, Unheeded and as well forgot. For if They unremembered be then wilful sin May not be added to the sin that we Commit, mayhap, so often thoughtlessly. For thus I do affirm it my belief, That when I do an evil knowingly, Resisting conscience struggling to be heard, My guilt is greater far than when I sin [64] Unthinking and unhearing conscience plea. But each indeed is grievous and in each I sin. With sight and hearing full restored I saw beneath the thin veneer that hides The rough, uneven inconsistencies That make my days. I heard again the voice That once I knew and followed in my life And felt anew the t restfulness of peace That once was mine but since was lost, and I Content and joyful sought repose with heart So long discordant now attuned to God. [65] THE SHASTA DAISY If out the past now dim and hazy, Wordsworth, Burns or Chaucer came, They d each immortalize thy name As daisies queen, thou Shasta Daisy. They d love no less the little mite That Burns bright plowshare brought to sight, Or Wordsworth s gallant knightly one Protecting dewdrop from the sun. But they would surely see in thee A daisy s rich maturity, And, too, perchance might truly feel Their singing of the daisy s worth, Caused sympathy and love to steal In Burbank s heart to give thee birth. 166] THE SONNET A sonnet? But the cradle for a thought; A golden setting, where the purest gem Of truth may shine. A royal diadem To crown the loftiest forms that men have brought Adown the heights of Helicon. That ought Be ne er profaned, nor even touched by them Except with awe, as was Christ s garment hem, When poetess of old its healing sought. O harp of gold, whereon could angels play, T would set seraphic melodies adrift; O chords made fit to sound beyond all time, The noblest strains that be in any day, My yearning soul hath sought no richer gift, Than once to sound thy fullest power sublime. [67] PURIFICATION Like as the scudding spray when hurled By mighty gales from ocean s crest Is driven far, by tempest whirled, And falls again to ocean s breast; So, often we are cast above The bosom of life s stormy sea To fall upon God s tide of love When searching gales have made us free. [68] I LL SMILE MY GRIEF AWAY The sun has sought his resting place Across the western lea ; The herds are lowing in the fields And sad the heart in me. The nighthawk sounds his mournful note Like wail of some lost soul And though the bells are chiming clear I only hear them toll. But, no! I ll cast from out my heart The thoughts that make me sad, Remembering the day contained So much to make me glad. The hope I cherished ere the sun Began his course to-day Has been fulfilled unsparingly I ll smile my grief away ! [69] ONE DEAR DAY One dear day, just one dear day To satisfy hoping and longing of years ! And when t is gone I ll go my way With a last tender look and a prayer God hears. For in days that are coming the memory sweet Must suffice for the hoping and longing I meet. O, coming day thou rt doubly dear! I ll live in thee now for to-night is thine eve And with its shadow shall go the fear Thy dawning and sunlight would surely re lieve. At thy close when I part from thee sorrowing, then, Blessed God, give me strength to go onward again ! [70] INFINITY Thou Great and Uncreated One, Whose fadeless glory pales the sun, What finite mind can comprehend How love and grandeur in Thee blend, Who, never born, can never end? Before by aeons the nations were, Before the world s foundations were, Or orbits laid through dizzying space Where countless worlds at maddening pace Could strive in their eternal race; Before Orion, Pleiades And all the host that speed with these Were on their journeys, never ending, Called from space and with the blending Of equilibrium, were lending Harmony to swell the shout The rushing, thundering spheres ring out Projecting onward, ceasing never, Thou wast then and will be ever Elohim, Adonai, Jehovah! As men Thy ceaseless wonders see They raise continually to Thee, Too often with an outward show, Their puny altars where the glow Of Holy Fire is ever low. [71] But more befitting would it be To Thy Ineffability That highest mountain peaks be e er Thine altars, their pure snows the prayer Of those who Thy Great Name declare. The clouds that melt in silent space Be incense veiling o er Thy face From man s presumptuous arrogance That lets him dare to give offense Withholding from Thee reverence. But when our inner souls rehearse The wonders of Thy Universe We stand in awe, we worship Thee, With vision of the soul we see, With minds appalled Infinity ! [72] GOD IS LOVE I do not see Thee in the storm That shrieking through the air Bombards the leeward, rock-bound coast, Unheeding black despair Besetting some poor mariner Who still the hope may cherish That Thou, in his extremity Wilt save him lest he perish. Nor in the earthquake s awful shock When souls are steeped in dread Mid thunderings that only mock The soul whose hope has fled. When mountains tremble to their base, When mighty trees are falling And every quivering human face Is blanched with fear appalling. I see Thee when the canopy Of summer s dying day Is settling to the ocean s crest And faith holds fear at bay. When minds are filled with loftier thought And hearts with nobler aiming Than when resolve has root in fear And virtue s but the naming. [73] I see Thee when on mountain peaks I learn from Thee, my teacher, And in the peaceful valleys sleep Secure Thy weakest creature. When in the nest the mother birds Enfold each little dove. These tell my soul as if in words That God, my God, is love. [74] YEARS Who reckons a love between two by their years ? Who by this same measure can judge sorrows tears ? Does the span of the seasons dissolve bitter hate? Then unheedful of time let the heart find its mate. For the reck of the days of our years here will be Forgotten and lost in an eternity. [75] THE FLOWER IN THE WOOD There s an ecstasy of feeling, A superlative delight, A devotion that makes kneeling Follow, as the morn the night, If our natures see reflected, In its mystic, magic power, The hand that made the forest trees, Within a forest flower. Yet count it still a mighty hand That built the towering mountains, That fills the never failing seas From never failing fountains. But count it, too, as fully great A marvel that He could With that same hand make exquisite A flower in the wood. 76] AT MIDNIGHT The darkness, Lord, is on the deep, My soul doth trust in Thee to keep A kindly watch till night has run And comes again the rising sun. And yet I love the midnight hour When darkness makes me trust Thy power, When not one ray of silvery light May pierce the void to aid my sight. For all day long neath garish ray By mortal sight I choose my way And wander far aside from Thee In paths Thou dost not choose for me. I look back on the day that s done And forward to another s sun, I ask forgiveness for my sin And pray my better self may win. And so I love this midnight hour When darkness makes me trust Thy power. When fails the help mine eyes afford I needs must trust Thee most, dear Lord. [77] TO A PORTRAIT Ah, the pity that all neath the light of the sun Must fade like the joy of a day that is done. And though it enchant and enrapture the while Must be withered by time and partake of the vile. That to-day in its beauty a flower, full blown, Gives its lips to be ravished and then all alone In the breath of the sun withers back to the sod, Like the mortal consumed for the love of a god. That the leaf that has sighed as the soft sum mer breeze With a lingering kiss whispered love in the trees, Must die in its grief when the lips have grown cold; That the breast that has nourished will turn it to mold. Ah, yet greater pity that all doth embrace! As the flower and leaf so must fade woman s face. Be marked by the touch and the ravage of years And watered again and again by her tears. [78] HAST THOU GONE FROM ME? Hast thou gone from me, my blessed Poesy, Left me desolate upon the shore, Where through days with thee I dwelt so hap- Art thou gone from me forevermore? Doth my woe commence because I gave offence ? Gave I sorrow in some thoughtless deed? Hath some providence as evil recompense Willed my wounded heart again to bleed? Sad through saddened years I shed my bitter tears, Made my griefs but could not make my joys- Filled with many fears and deaf to hope that cheers I filled the gold of life with life s alloys. Then, as out the sea, thy presence came to me, Dissolved the mist before my blinded eyes. Made me long to be through all eternity Pure as prayer ascending to the skies. Blessed Poesy, as now I sing of thee, Comes again thy gentle, soothing spell. Thou wilt constant be, as constant as the sea Is to the shore it kisses with its swell. [79] ETERNAL LIFE Eternal Life not merely endless state That may thy weak presumption desolate. So, think it not sufficient, erring soul To say there is a God who orders all. The cloud from out thy vision cannot roll Until thou knowest God and on Him call. Then, in that moment, hath begun for thee The life that shall endure eternally. [80] TEMPTATION Who stands secure against the lure That sore besetteth him, Hath builded deep and high and sure Around a chasm rim. But he who yielded only once Yet once again may yield. He fights the foe his life confronts Behind a weakened shield. And yet, who yielded not at all It may be never knew The trial that made the other fall Or he had fallen too. [81] A VALENTINE TO I. C. If thoughts are things May my thoughts be As birds whose wings Fly fast to thee; Each thought of thine be but a nest Where all my birds find home and rest. [82] WINGS OF GRIEF When this weary old world is so full of the things That may cause us to sigh and to grieve Shall we labor on foolishly clipping the wings Of the sorrows we cannot relieve? For grief hath the fast-flying wings of a bird, But if resting on thee from her flight She will bide with thee long at a welcoming word That hath robbed her swift wing of its might. [83] MY FRIEND TO M. P. B. She was a friend to me! And I say it not as we idly speak Of the strong who only pity the weak With never a thought nor a wish to seek To lessen the ills that be. Hers was the weight of years, And a soul made pure in their chastening fire, That never a moment had ceased to aspire. Her body grew weak but her soul grew higher In graces whose charm endears. Then her soul bid its house adieu. As the burr falls off the ripened nut ; As the heir to a throne leaves a humble hut ; As a seed dropping out from a shell that was shut, Her spirit departed, too. So an revoir, sweet Friend! You are in the heavens, I know, to-day. The path you have marked is Heaven s High way. I ll walk in it, too. Perchance I may Find you when I reach the end. [84] VB 12024 73G96G UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY