PS 3531 E42 T9 MAIN NRLF 471 MSS GIFT or OTT m m twenty tfennete ffc California / 9endletcn m ^ -SL^-X EMMF PENDLETON WM. M. ALEN, PRINTER RED BLFF. CAL. COPYRIGHT. 1912 BY EMMET PENDLETON f 5 TO MY MOTHER THESE TWENTY SONNETS ARE RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 272988 COPYRIGHT, 1912 BY EMMET PENDLETON Q When these sonnets were written, they were not intended for publication, but friends encourag ed that they be put in book form, so I now set them forth to face the ordeal. I, myself, do not place much faith in their merit, for they were never writ ten from a literary standpoint. They were a sort of a diary. What ever impressed me I commented upon it in this manner, therefore their meaning is clearer, and they are of greater interest to me than they would be to any reader. This book was to have been publishd several years ago, but owing to a few rhythmic errors, that were found when the book was near complet ion, flaws that had escaped my notice when I had read the proof, the work was discontinued for the time being. That book would have contained ov er thirty sonnets. I cut them down to the present number because there appears such a marked contrast between my earlier and later thoughts. Quite a few of the sonnets included in this pamph let were written during my High School days. My reason for not publishing my later sonnets, although I personally feel that they are more Foreword worthy, is that since these presented were to have formed the nucleus to that book, and as this is the fulfillment of those previous plans I feel I should not change the contents. One person suggested that I should have shown more respect with my dedication. Perhaps I should! However, I know, my mother saw their growth, knows their crudity, understands their clarity, and at least for my sake gives them an ap preciation. I take this means of thanking Mrs. Emma Cogswell of Klamath Falls, Oregon. She was very kind to encourage and help me in this work. I am also especially indebted to Wm. M. Allen, of Red Bluff, California. He was the first to see any worth to these sonnets, and it is entirely due to his untiring efforts that they are placed in this book form. Several other friends have given timely suggestion, and I sincerely appreciate their interest. Emmet Pendleton Red Bluff, California. May 1, 1912 CONTENTS 1. To a California Sunset 2. To Amos Edwin Clark 3. To a California Springtime 4. To my Peach Tree 5. To Tuscan Buttes 6. To Mrs. Blanche McCalvy 7. To a California Sunrise 8. To a Pine Tree 9. To Mount Shasta 10. To the Game 11. To William M. Allen 12. To a Rose Bud 13. To my Grandmother 14. To Home 15. To a California Goldmine 16. To a Cactus Plant 17. To Sister Mary Berchmans 18. To the Sacramento River 19. To the Pacific Ocean 20. To a Friend Q Q The entire western sky is all ablaze With many splendid pyrotechnics grand, That burn up brightly in King Hesper s land, For great Apollo s sparkling daily rays, Whose final gorgeous colors now amaze, Do best since they have reached their nightly strand; And Zephyrus shifts upon the scene a band Of fleecy clouds with ev ning s quiet haze. The eventide is here. The closing day Is marked with aspects grand of Nature s store, An end befitting of the greatest thing; And now from this magnificent array Of color and of quietude, what more Could one expect the Last Great Day to bring! II To Amos Edwin Clark His eyes are of the grayish pearly blue, And rather short he wears his flaxen hair, So rightly one can call him extra fair; Tis he of all the boys I ever knew (You truly know that they have not been few) Whose many qualities were fine and rare, And yet a boy so full of life and dare, Whose lasting friendship proved to be most true. These thoughts of him recall a joyous time, Those rapid flying dear old High School days, That now to me have lost their weary strife, But thus remain as being most sublime, And bring the wish that those dear happy ways Will follow his as well as all my life. Q *"f-\ /A 1 (t * I o n Cyciuioi iun The fragrance of the manzanita flowers Is calmly whiffed in gentle air to fill The country wide; the rocky glade and hill, Which chaparal converts to snowy bowers, In warming sunshine bask in tranquil hours, And in the fields with animated thrill, The golden poppies nod in beauty still, While idly in mid- air the buzzard towers. The spring-time s here; while nature s worthy sap Is rising in the plants with ardent swell, To cause them all to bud and do their best, The blood of mankind in a drowsy nap, Feels not this inward energetic spell But dreaming yearns for melancholy rest. IV To My Penoh My lonely peach tree has just been in bloom, And filled my garden with a quaint perfume, That gentle blowing breezes did consume, To scatter in the outdoor s spacious room; But winds, though gentle, are not good to groom A dainty blossom touched with fairy fume, And caused to burst forth freshly from its glume A spring s glad tidings over winter s gloom. So now the flowers are gone. A very few, Who knew its beauty, could appreciate The dainty workmanship of each pink flower, But yet if they did not, the insects knew, And worked most ardently from morn till late At night in joyous buzz about that bower. V f .. o tisonn Those mighty Buttes of hard volcanic trass, That have thus stood through ages safe and sound, Survey the country wide for miles around, And stand as land marks in this plain so crass, A plain of rocks, just one lavatic mass; Their value is not much, it will be found, But yet I love the grandeur they abound, The sparing coat they wear of brush and grass. They saw the two extremes of human race: The Diggers live their lives in artless way, And idly rove this valley so heartfree, And then the white man come and take their place With all his crafts, his struggle day by day. I wonder now what are they yet to see! ex VI XX Co Mrs, iMaaolta MoGnb/y Those grapes of Zeuxis won for him a name, And caused the birds to sing a roundelay; Parrhasius, of that same ancient day, By his great curtain picture gained the same; Acanthus gave Callimachus his fame; Apelles picture set beside a way Did cause the horses all to loudly neigh, That near this rudely treated picture came. But why consider men of days gone by, When we have equals at the present date, Who paint with such a ceaseless pain and care They do much more than to deceive the eye? I ve seen the rose in such a perfect state, The air was filled with every fragrance rare. VII Co n On Hfo rain SunrUo The last pale rays of Phosphor do their worst, And fondly lingering gives his final flings Of light to earth. A cooling breeze then brings A group of fleecy clouds that slowly burst To thus display Aurora, who is first To wake and cross the sky on lightest wings; Apollo then through morning s portals springs, And for his daily course shows eager thirst. It is the birth of day. A soberness, That follows close upon the somber night, Is lifted with the dew from off the land, And now the earth, so full of sprightliness, Gives many hearty cheers with all its might To California s morning, fine and grand. VIII zxx: .Co n XX Consider how that pine on yonder height Has grown to such a tree among those rocks, To make all others seem to it as mocks; It too was once a sapling green and bright, That grew and loved to grow in warm sunlight, Until each branch o er others interlocks; And now old age bring many worldly knocks By mars of surly knots and sooty blight. How like unto our lives! The others strived To gain this same great stately prominence, Which now this one by great Ambition s thrill Has gained through snowy storms and fires, and lived As if it were designed by Providence To thus become the pride of this vast hill. IX XX To This high and mighty mountain of the North, So massive and with such a contour bold, Would fascinate the Grecian Gods of old Till famed Olympus soon would lose its worth For them, and they would then come forth In joy to revel, when the sun would mold The snowy brow to most attractive gold, Such as they never did before in mirth. Tis magic; for all that survey agree This pond rous mound of earth is but a guide That casts o er all a noble influeuce, To climb, to grow, be big and thus to see The hills, the valleys and the country wide And be beheld in great magnificence. OX" _ =30 X To Uu) G; I laughed a sneering laugh at grewsome Fate, The chances all in all were oh, so few, And each of these I felt I so well knew To win and always win at any rate, That I ne er stopped for once to contemplate That even I would meet a Waterloo, My luck might change, calamity ensue, That I might lose my all when hours grow late. The time did come. The torture of my mind Made me a demon to the circumstance; A nervous fever then my thoughts so whirled That anguish made existence one hard grind. It all was gone. Not even hopeful chance Was left to help me turn to face the world. XI To William H Alka Q The fervent spirits to create abound In Man, that, satisfied in striving thrill, The pleasure of creation, there is still Desire, when imperfection is so found, To yet continue. Flaws are all around; For the beginners, each with timid will, With faults their simple works no greater fill, Than masters, whose gigantic arts astound. Ambition to create expands the mind, The World thus gains, but imperfection s strife, Caused by our short existence here below, Infects all earthly things, therefore we find Works badly, but gives proof of second life, The great completeness of our time here now. XII xx: To n llo-so :Vl But yesterday I found a bud in down Of youth; it was so fragrant and so fair, I wished to pluck it then, but left it there Until it still more beautiful had grown; But now to-day I find its beauty flown, A change has come, the bud is stripped quite bare Of all its charms, so that I do not care To pluck it since it is a rose full blown. And so procrastination has gained nought But mars the thought that beauty did enthrall, And make me hold myself in true disdain. For very avariciously I sought To gain still more, but have thus lost it all, For that same bud will never bloom again. XIII ) E^^D To my Qrmnlaiotlwr *>< ^~J] ; 1 Can one gain favor from those grewsome Fates, Whose hateful austere looks befit each head, Those three, who ever spin the f^rnsy^hread Of human destiny? While each bdates, Will they see that true kindness thus belates When they shall cut the shred with shears of lead, To have another life add to the dead, Amid a dirge of laughter from those mates? Yet they are good. They gave you favored time, By granting partial acts from year to year, A life of seventy and eight to bring, And robust sprightliness from health sublime. So may you still live many Summers sear, Before you see the long eternal Spring. < ; | (I : "~1 P _ XIV rot So oft to me a peaceful air will come, Amid the irksome strife of each long day, And cause in true kaleidoscopic way, My mind to rush like changing billow s foam, To pleasant thoughts of that dear place called home; Its great influence over me each day Is such, I could forever with it stay, Without desire about this world to roam. I love this place beyond my pow r to tell In words so limited, so very few, To me its real, its quite unbounded worth; For it has cast o er me a magic spell, Until that with exceptions none, I do Now hold it is the dearest place on earth. XV * To n Cnilfor.unOoM Muu> ^ The gold, the gold, the cravings of the man! That calls him to the Indian Wars no more, And lured him to the cold of Arctic shore$! But hardship never seemed to wan but fan The cravings, and undaunted still he can With modern ways thus take from earth s deep core The precious metal that he does adore, As time has changed the cradle and the pan. For Nature s secret stores great grist and grind Must Man endure through long laborious days, To separate the good from worthless pelf; So causing question thus to come to mind; Was Nature fitted just to suit Man s way5 ( Or for mantainance Man adapts himself? XVI To a Cnocm I have an ugly spiny cactus plant, A true disgrace unto my garden plot; It is unsightly, for it is besot With spots and scars and things appurtenant; But late it showed a bloom so elegant, A dainty blossom of the fairies got Astray among my flowers of common lot, A waxen beauty so extravagant! So judge a thing not as it may appear, For one knows not what capability May lie concealed behind the roughest mask, To burst forth into beauty and good cheer, And unto life the greatest pleasure be If left to do aright its given task. XVII To SUtoi Mary ki ohmnm With lilies of the field what can compare! What other flower that grows about the land, Can breathe a breath of adoration grand, As does those lilies that grows lofty there In sweetest purity, so chaste and fair? They waver not in Time s fast running sand To mundane toilsome ways, but stately stand In solemn reverence a beauty rare. For all of purity, so fast akin To godliness, the truths of Life revere, And with bowed heads the noblest thoughts adore; And in this busy age ensnared in sin, I am so pleased to have one friend sincere, Whose goodliness with lilies can compare. < * * > XVIII Em ^^^^^ , ^^ ^^ 7^ ( ^j ) cho SnocnmotUo River ~-J) ; ( Thus onward do these waters ever run, A surging stream at willy-nilly pace, That dances, changes yet at every space, As if they do enjoy the sparkling fun To so reflect the world s deep blue and dun; Then rushing on as if in fiercest race, Find relaxation in a soothing place, Where, idly flowing, bask in warming sun. It is most humanlike. This surging stream Of mindless populace, propelled by time, With outstretched hands trys hard to grasp the bank, And catch one proof of their dear treasured dream, But, getting none, flows on with hopes sublime, For Death to add them to its unknown rank. j * y " y <: * * > XIX C. ^C^>d !>^ .^<" A ; T] To tlio PnoiOo Ocenu n ^>c^<! ><z ^x; J ll j Were I an ancient Greek, that I might hold This stretch of water reaches to that land Where Oceanus rules; and see so grand Dear Amphitrite and her Neptune bold Pace steeds of brazen-hoofsfnanes of gold, Along these foamy waves which wash this sand; And hear loud Triton s blast; and see there stand Among the dolphins Proteus so old. Yet still I stand entranced. This changing sea, Whose motion so attracts and binds the eye, That ever swells, and flows, and ebbs^spell, Is with the mind of Man in sympathy For waves unsettled, ever dashing high, An inward soul that rushes on pell-mell. f ^X^^^^X^^N^ I^C^^>d* J ^^**^^^^^^~ m **\ M , y < ^ yc ~> <L X K *> XX f" ^^" "!^^ *-^^^^. ^^ " ^^T "\ To n iYuHul ) \J ^^1 J^^ I^^^^,^ ^^" *^^H^J < i Could I but send to thee a worthy line, A really animated word or two, That would express my sincere thoughts of you, My love, my wishes, hopes for thee and thine! Could I but write in polished verses fine, As Shakespeare did his love, nought would I do, But turn my passions loose, my love thoughts true, And spend these long, long days in writing rhyme. It takes the gifted genius hand to mold A sonnet to a pleasing work of art, And make each word a treasured souvenir; So why should I, so giftless, try unfold In rudest language, feelings of my heart, The sentiments that are to me so dear? < | M ^ y P _^j] < "X K > UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY LIBRARY THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW Books not returned on time are subject to a fine of 50c per volume after the third day overdue, increasing to $1.00 per volume after the sixth day. Books not in demand may be renewed if application is made before expiration of loan period. 03154 \ w\ UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY UNIVERSITY B LIFOENIA LIBRARY, ELEY THIS BOOK IS DIE ON THE LAST DATE STAMED BELOW Books not returnedm time are subject to a fine of 50c per volume after third day overdue, increasing to $1.00 per volume air the sixth day. Books not in demand may be renew if application is made before expiration of loan peri. 03 1 54 UNIVERSITY OF CAUFfeNIA LIBRARY