IRLF Iflt, % \Wjffir * T ." ,*,. .\w<.,f!, 1 * .4 ,V K * * ; . ^ v; i r<J IN THE REDWOODS BY FANNIE DEC. MILLER READ BEFORE S. F. SOROSIS, REDWOOD DAY, APRIL 1, 1895. 2 f : c "!_ LOAN STACK ,s IN THE REDWOODS. Stately and tall these giants of the West, Stand like an arm}- marshalled for the fray, Where the great mountain s brow is daily blessed By the last kiss of the departing day. 204 IN THE REDWOODS. Rank after rank along the rocky ledge, Up the steep heights with ceaseless march they climb, Clinging undaunted to the rude cliff s edge, Unchanged by seasons and untouched by time. Here nature from her overflowing store Pours forth her floral gifts with lavish hand, Seeking with ceaseless largess to restore The fading beauties of the Sunset Land. Like elfin forests how the ferns uplift Their curious fronds, and all around my way The dainty maiden-hair clothes every rift In bank and bluff. The sighing winds that stray IN THE REDWOODS. \ From the far ocean, touch with mute caress The balsam-breathing branches overhead, Whose fadeless foliage with deep shadow bless The ever blooming vistas where I tread. And here from duty s bonds a space set free, Life s daily cares forgotten for the time, I, happy wanderer, fancy that I see The open portals of a fairy clime. IN THE REDWOODS. The clear sweet notes of bird-song far and near, The thickets rustling to the breezes swell, The swift, light footsteps of the startled deer, The sound of waters rippling through the dell, /A THE Scarce break the silence of these solitudes, But, like the notes of music in a dream, The blended voices of the solemn woods TJirill through my being with a joy supreme. I linger, wrapped in bright Elysian dreams, Soothed by the peaceful calm of these fair bowers, Where brokenly the golden sunlight gleams, And incense rises from uncounted flowers: IN THE REDWOODS. Till, as the grim Magician from his cave Came forth with glittering wand in days of old,- Looking upon these forests monarchs brave, A vision of the future I behold. jjfc^- vWr j S*^M23 . IK "^ ^ -:^_ .^ ;...,_: t^t^ ^e*. /A THE REDWOODS. A down these aisles I mark the Wizard 7<v/7, Pass with his gleaming axe, beneath whose blows The mighty offspring of the fertile soil, Shall soon sore-smitten writhe in deadly throes, /A r THE Till severed, to the flower-strewn sod they fall, Exiled from hence, behold, they rise again, In humble cottage or in lofty hall, By toil transformed to happy homes for men. Or, fashioned by the patient worker s skill, Cradle the babe the mother sings to sleep, Or, in Death s silent chambers hold the still, Cold forms of those Lore yields to Him to keep. /A- THE Perchance yon spreading tree, whose red veins now Are warm with nectar from the verdant sod, May list the chanted hymn, the whispered vow, Breathed in the Temple of the Living God. The vision passes, still the shadows fall, The glen untrampled smiles in peace serene, The might} guardians of the mountain wall, Lift to the sun their banner s emerald sheen, IN THE REDWOODS. Music and fragrance on the balmy air, The hum of bees, the quail s far-reaching call, The awe that floods great Nature s house of prayer, The wondrous feast of Joy She spreads for all, Are mine in fullest measure, the dim woods Unvail their hidden secrets to my gaze, As to thy charms O sylvan solitudes ! I wreathe with tender love my song of praise. /A 7V/ /i RE /WOODS. Towering monarch of our forest, Giant Ruler great and grand, Sequoia Sempervivens! fleetest symbol of our Land : California ! California ! This sunny land of ours Binds our hearts in strange devotion By her wealth of fragrant flowers : - x ; -. r -^-., .^JLL * ^ IN THE By her vales of peace-crowned beauty, By her sun-kissed dimpling hills, By her shady tangled moss-glades Trembling to the zephyrs trills : fj\ Her stretch of vine-clad uplands, And billowy tide of grain That sweeps in undulations Like Pacific s swelling main. And by the pride, and hope, and glory Of her crowning crown, and boast The evergreen Sequoias Sturdy Redwoods of our Coast ! RETURN CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT 202 Main Library LOAN PERIOD 1 HOME USE 2 3 4 5 6 ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS 1 -month loans may be renewed by calling 642-3405 6-month loans may be recharged by bringing books to Circulation Desk Renewals and recharges may be made 4 days prior to due date DUE AS STAMPED BELOW \ 1 P-LlfiRAI LOAN M/ W26 1978 REC. ILL J UN 20 ] ^.70 - RCV J::y ^ 7 . v . ; 1 a LO ^ 9 c\/ -: ^ <r. i^ /if ^c ^ ,i-r - FORM NO DD 6 40m 10 77 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY BERKELEY, CA 94720