Once Love grew bold and arrogant of air,Proud of the youth that made him fresh and fair;So unto Grief he spake, “What right hast thouTo part or parcel of this heart?” Grief’s browWas darkened with the storm of inward strife;Thrice smote he Love as only he might dare,And Love, pride purged, was chastened all his […]

Villain shows his indiscretion,Villain’s partner makes confession.Juvenile, with golden tresses,Finds her pa and dons long dresses.Scapegrace comes home money-laden,Hero comforts tearful maiden,Soubrette marries loyal chappie,Villain skips, and all are happy.

I be’n down in ole KentuckyFur a week er two, an’ say,‘T wuz ez hard ez breakin’ oxenFur to tear myse’f away.Allus argerin’ ’bout fren’shipAn’ yer hospitality–Y’ ain’t no right to talk about itTell you be’n down there to see. See jest how they give you welcomeTo the best that’s in the land,Feel the sort […]

A youth went faring up and down,Alack and well-a-day.He fared him to the market town,Alack and well-a-day.And there he met a maiden fair,With hazel eyes and auburn hair;His heart went from him then and there,Alack and well-a-day. She posies sold right merrily,Alack and well-a-day;But not a flower was fair as she,Alack and well-a-day.He bought a […]

I Beyond the years the answer lies,Beyond where brood the grieving skiesAnd Night drops tears.Where Faith rod-chastened smiles to riseAnd doff its fears,And carping Sorrow pines and dies–Beyond the years. II Beyond the years the prayer for restShall beat no more within the breast;The darkness clears,And Morn perched on the mountain’s crestHer form uprears–The day […]

Silently without my window,Tapping gently at the pane,Falls the rain.Through the trees sighs the breezeLike a soul in pain.Here alone I sit and weep;Thought hath banished sleep. Wearily I sit and listenTo the water’s ceaseless drip.To my lipFate turns up the bitter cup,Forcing me to sip;‘T is a bitter, bitter drink,Thus I sit and think,– […]

You kin talk about yer anthemsAn’ yer arias an’ sich,An’ yer modern choir-singin’That you think so awful rich;But you orter heerd us youngstersIn the times now far away,A-singin’ o’ the ol’ tunesIn the ol’-fashioned way. There was some of us sung trebleAn’ a few of us growled bass,An’ the tide o’ song flowed smoothlyWith its […]

A POEM OF FAITH I think that though the clouds be dark,That though the waves dash o’er the bark,Yet after while the light will come,And in calm waters safe at homeThe bark will anchor.Weep not, my sad-eyed, gray-robed maid,Because your fairest blossoms fade,That sorrow still o’erruns your cup,And even though you root them up,The weeds […]

Long years ago, within a distant clime,Ere Love had touched me with his wand sublime,I dreamed of one to make my life’s calm MayThe panting passion of a summer’s day.And ever since, in almost sad suspense,I have been waiting with a soul intenseTo greet and take unto myself the beams,Of her, my star, the lady […]

She gave a rose,And I kissed it and pressed it.I love her, she knows,And my action confessed it.She gave me a rose,And I kissed it and pressed it. Ah, how my heart glows,Could I ever have guessed it?It is fair to supposeThat I might have repressed it:She gave me a rose,And I kissed it and […]

I The young queen Nature, ever sweet and fair,Once on a time fell upon evil days.From hearing oft herself discussed with praise,There grew within her heart the longing rareTo see herself; and every passing airThe warm desire fanned into lusty blaze.Full oft she sought this end by devious ways,But sought in vain, so fell she […]

If the muse were mine to tempt itAnd my feeble voice were strong,If my tongue were trained to measures,I would sing a stirring song.I would sing a song heroicOf those noble sons of Ham,Of the gallant colored soldiersWho fought for Uncle Sam! In the early days you scorned them,And with many a flip and floutSaid […]

By the stream I dream in calm delight, and watch as in a glass,How the clouds like crowds of snowy-hued and white-robed maidens pass,And the water into ripples breaks and sparkles as it spreads,Like a host of armored knights with silver helmets on their heads.And I deem the stream an emblem fit of human life […]

He scribbles some in prose and verse,And now and then he prints it;He paints a little,–gathers someOf Nature’s gold and mints it. He plays a little, sings a song,Acts tragic roles, or funny;He does, because his love is strong,But not, oh, not for money! He studies almost everythingFrom social art to science;A thirsty mind, a […]

Seen my lady home las’ night,Jump back, honey, jump back.Hel’ huh han’ an’ sque’z it tight,Jump back, honey, jump back.Hyeahd huh sigh a little sigh,Seen a light gleam f’om huh eye,An’ a smile go flittin’ by–Jump back, honey, jump back. Hyeahd de win’ blow thoo de pine,Jump back, honey, jump back.Mockin’-bird was singin’ fine,Jump back, […]

An old man planted and dug and tended,Toiling in joy from dew to dew;The sun was kind, and the rain befriended;Fine grew his orchard and fair to view.Then he said: “I will quiet my thrifty fears,For here is fruit for my failing years.” But even then the storm-clouds gathered,Swallowing up the azure sky;The sweeping winds […]

Seen you down at chu’ch las’ night,Nevah min’, Miss Lucy.What I mean? oh, dat ‘s all right,Nevah min’, Miss Lucy.You was sma’t ez sma’t could be,But you could n’t hide f’om me.Ain’t I got two eyes to see!Nevah min’, Miss Lucy. Guess you thought you’s awful keen;Nevah min’, Miss Lucy.Evahthing you done, I seen;Nevah min’, […]

On the wide veranda white,In the purple failing light,Sits the master while the sun is lowly burning;And his dreamy thoughts are drownedIn the softly flowing soundOf the corn-songs of the field-hands slow returning. Oh, we hoe de co’nSince de ehly mo’n;Now de sinkin’ sunSays de day is done. O’er the fields with heavy tread,Light of […]

The sky of brightest gray seems darkTo one whose sky was ever white.To one who never knew a spark,Thro’ all his life, of love or light,The grayest cloud seems over-bright. The robin sounds a beggar’s noteWhere one the nightingale has heard,But he for whom no silver throatIts liquid music ever stirred,Deems robin still the sweetest […]

The change has come, and Helen sleeps–Not sleeps; but wakes to greater deepsOf wisdom, glory, truth, and light,Than ever blessed her seeking sight,In this low, long, lethargic night,Worn out with strifeWhich men call life. The change has come, and who would say“I would it were not come to-day”?What were the respite till to-morrow?Postponement of a […]