STACK ANNEX / : r K ^^ .1 / j AUBURNDALE-ON-THE-CHARLES POEMS RIVER VERSES AND OTHERS BY LOWELL STARR WITH SKETCHES BY THE AUTHOR RICHARD G. BADGER THE GORHAM PRESS BOSTON COPYRIGHT, 1920, BY LOWELL STAKK All Rights Reserved Made in the United States of America The Gorham Press CONTENTS CHARLIE RIVER A PATCH OF BLUE BITTERSWEET .. CONSOLATION SYMPATHY . . . EMPATHY. ... FATE CHANCE .... VIOLIN SONNET To HAFI AEROSONNET YOUTH'S STREAM .. MOON EAGLE To A VlOLETTE .. MATIN . 4 . '.. THE PEAKS OF DESTINY FIRELIGHT AND DAWN . To HER . . 2138452 * POEMS RIVER VERSES AND OTHERS CHARLIE RIVER On the Charlie River, By day by night, Where the aspens quiver, Seek we delight In a canoe, Bobbie and I. There the blue sky blazes, Dazzles thru the mist, As the Sun raises Vapour Sunbeam kist From the emerald shores. n] And the pine trees bend and sigh, Sad as if repining, As we paddle by, Or, perhaps divining Youth's Eternal Spring For Bobbie and me. So the redwinged blackbirds, Crane and tanager, Bursting forth in songwords, Chorus there's no danger From a red canoe, From Bobbie and me. [12] J fc Yonder rise the castle walls, Turrets, moat by Drawbridge spanned, Of some unknown Jaspard's Halls, Here in Nature's fairyland Of woods and flowers. Come we now to tiny islands, Breaking up the broad Expanse (of the River, of the Charlie River) And lagoons like wreathed garlands, Hedged with pine and bush, Forming turquoise patches In the underbrush, Waving as it catches Gentle Zephyr's breath, Entrancing Bobbie and me. And our red canoe, Frail, responsive thing, Rides the rippled blue, Balanced like a bird on wing, Cheerily on, With Bobbie and me. 14] Dreaming, fondly dreaming, Of the days to come, Out there on the River (on the Charlie River), Where Youth's currents run, There is perfect freedom, Blessed happiness, Making earth a paradise Of forgetfulness. 15] A PATCH OF BLUE That little patch of blue! How bright and beautiful It seems when I, Entombed within the confines Of these barren walls, Peer out between the dusty window ledge And shutters into the azure Blue of vast Eternity! [16] BITTERSWEET I know not why the Bittersweet, A paradox of Nature, Should give a pleasing taste To any living Creature; And yet, when yesterday I won a gentle kiss, It waxed so sweet and bitter, 'Twas neither that nor this. And so in days to come, If e'er our lips shall meet, I'll span the dingy past And beg for Bittersweet. 17] I CONSOLATION In the land of old romance Once I lived, long, long ago; In a world of song and dance, It was coloured rainbow-fashion With the tint of crimson wine, With the sweet of stolen kisses, And the thrill of Love divine; But the rainbow now has faded To a sadder, greyer hue, 'Til the safer, saner world I leave but seldom now, Just for Consolation's sake. [18] SYMPATHY What is Life's Stuff then, Anyway, without response, Without a share in its Creation, too! Alas, I crave The friendship of the Dust. How hard it is to reach f The trembling fingertip Along the Lyre's limp strings And find no firm, responsive Chord to satiate the Soul With its due Harmony. A tale A Soul without a Mate, With but a Universe to tell it to. 19] EMPATHY My heart's abound with joy, This gay, May day with all its Wealth of azure skies Above the shadowy, lacelike Imagery of the leaving trees All bursting forth alike Expanding Nature's pride. Could I but live a fleeting Moment way up there, Aloft, on high somewhere And set my soulwings free, . . . Enjoy the interrupted Pleasures here outside the Magic Circle of Life's Vital Force, ... I stay, and long, And find the World unreal. 20 FATE Much we'd like to tell our dear ones All the secrets of the heart, Down where our eveready memory runs, Erasing all the darker part; Love is just the one lone secret In between the written lines; Never shall the pen disclose it, Ever sacred, as the Fates divine. 21] CHANCE Upon the barren plain There was a storm; A sheet of blinding rain, A draught of teardrops warm; And then, ... a welling flood Of Penitence without a Cause. Thunder and lightning, With a chill wind through The bushes blowing, And the dry reeds, Cracking and complaining, Shed their seeds. But which among them Will that tempest stand? Poor little pawns of Chance ! A million others might This Earth sometime enhance If Nature cared a wight. 'Tis best, perhaps, she doesn't care And leave them in a Game of Chance, As Players Unaware. 22] VIOLIN SONNET TO HAFI Ah, Paganfni, old; A Veteran Minstrel, Thou, Responsive to your bow Your subtle curves I hold. A tender, furtive Soul Your vibrant walls confine; A Saint, elusive, yet Divine, Thy mysteries unroll! But if your frail body A hundred Souls enclose, For you I'll then compose A minor melody, A tune for Hafi's sake To keep Her Soul awake! [23] AEROSONNET Descends, all but unseen, An autumn leaf on high, From the garden of the sky, Red, white, and green. It gleams in proud descent To wondering multitudes below, Beginning fast to show Its faltering course, . . . life spent. Close now to earth, it blows, Touching only lightly there The emerald field so fair Whence first it rose, Green, white, and red, Its glory ever dead. [24] YOUTH'S STREAM At eventide there falls a hush upon the stream, The time when owls and nightbirds scream With shrill and startling cries, Among the lofty pines with their soft sighs, And vesper bells across the mead have rung, Announcing the night to come. Just at this lull we o'er the silvery water skim In a canoe so frail and slim, Sliding thru the rippling tide, As if its slender form to hide From that vast mirror, Its image even clearer. [25] Gliding, slipping, Paddle softly dripping Tink a tanka Tank a tink, . . . plash, The paddles rise and dip (O, so softly rise and fall), And listening to the nightbirds' song, As o'er the stream we rove, We seek a dark, sequestered cove, And hide us there. 26] So cool, and dark, and still, All quiet, save the croaking frogs And whip-poor-will, And yet beyond the fringeing bush, The crescent moon, unweary Watchman of the night, Sends down his pale, unlavish light. So dark, and still, and cool, Within that limpid pool, Bristling, ebon shadows round us, Like impervious walls beyond us, Twinkling stars grow dim and fade, As we lie within the circling shade. [27] So still, and cool, and dark, Hid in the bosom of that woodland park And nestling snugly in the frail canoe As lovers oft are wont to do, We feel the thrill of joy supreme, The waking passion of a youthful dream. Gliding, slipping, Paddle softly dripping, Tink a tanka Tank a tink, . . . plash. The paddles rise and dip (O, so softly rise and fall), Leaving naught but memories and dreams Of pleasures found on Youth's Immortal Stream. 28 MOON EAGLE A yellow haze had veiled her face, A cross of white stood on her brow, Her arms stretched outward to erase Four streaming bands of light below Upon the black Horizon's countenance. 29 When, lo, the warrior-lady frowns, Her face grows deathly pale, . . . not cold, Tempered white hot, for passion knows no bounds; An ebon eagle folds his wings Upon the banded brilliance of her arm. She sends him down the path of white, Headlong to earth, his dusky wings outspread, Her colour fails, the earth grows dark, Until he shall return, ... his havoc wrought . To tell her that his mission's done. [30] TO A VIOLETTE A tiny, purple thing You'll say! Modest perhaps, It tries to hide, at least, Its soft, mauve hue beneath A canopy of green. But, ah, its evanescent charm Is gloried beyond The fancied worth of gems, The glint of gold, The silver's chilly sheen, Tawdry and cheap displayed, But senseless stones that stay From age to age unchanged, That neither hear nor feel, Nor know the joy to grow, To live, and fade and die. O Violette, raise your head! 'Tis true you stole your hue, You robbed the Sunset glow; Alas, 'tis but to wonder how You keep it so! MATIN You, Cuckoo, There beyond the park, Hiding your haughty, Restless glance the while; Why don't you ever Fly across and Light upon my Window-ledge to Take the crumbs I've Spread and sing your Matin-song, ... to me? THE PEAKS OF DESTINY Sweetheart, 'tis you Who stirs my Soul Each morn beyond the Bounds of Heart's control When I awake and peer Into the brilliance of The morning sky and feel Its molten radiance, [33] I see your face Beaming at me afar In the Sun's first rays, Like a morning star. All day, through the busy Hours, your happiness is mine, And so I know unquestionably Your Soul's attune with me. [34] Again at Sunset beyond The corniced heights Of brick and stone, Above the city towers And spires, when I'm alone, I see You, too; ah, Could I then but fly With You into the Crimson Lake of Setting Sun ! [35] Among the friendly hills, Far, far away they rise, Bedeckt in their mauve frills, Amid the saffron skies, Ever there, and yet to Mortal's dazzled eyes Not oft in view, the barrier Of Eternity defies. [36] 'Tis You, Sweetheart, Who every evening spurs me on To find somewhere, apart, Beyond the fading horizon, Up, up, among the bald, Majestic Peaks of Destiny, That Royal Road, where I Can reign with You, Supreme. [37] I ask You now, my Queen, "What would You give, (If this be not an idle dream) "To crown him with Success?' [38] FIRELIGHT AND DAWN Have you in your many travels Sat before a dying fire In some sylvan wilderness With your Heart's Desire? When the moon, so big and red, Buried in its misty shrouds, Strives to hold its heavy head Above the haze and clouds. [39] And the night sounds all around Make you know the World's alive, When afar off night birds sound Their hollow, plaintive calls. While the heavy night air brings The welcome gift of Sleep; As the forest swells and rings With echoes hushed and deep. [40] In the fading embers there Burning eyes grow grey And dim beneath their coverlet Of warm, grey ash. The drowsy night wind comes And bids the weary soul Retreat to rest upon the Hemlock boughs beside the fire. [41 Lucky are you to find The slanting, yellow streaks Of dawn waking your sleeping soul, Responsive to the beckoning morn. Rich are you, when you can lie Snug in your cozy lair, Beneath the sparkling sky Fresh in the dew-laid air, [42] And watch the new-born day awake, Throw off night cap and robes, And don the sunbeamed raiment Of another Summer's Day. [433 TO HER Long I've waited here To meet a maiden fair; She was rich in Youth And wavy, chestnut hair; But when I looked into Her lovely eyes and Noted her soft glance, So timid and surprised, I felt I loved. Well I know the glance I gave her, too; It was adoring, and . . . If Heaven be my judge, Confessing Truth. [44]