At sunset, when the rosy light was dying Far down the pathway of the west, I saw a lonely dove in silence flying, To be at rest. Pilgrim of air, I cried, could I but borrow Thy wandering wings, thy fr...

Who watched the worn-out Winter die? Who, peering through the window-pane At nightfall, under sleet and rain Saw the old graybeard totter by? Who listened to his parting sigh, The sobbing of his feebl...

When tulips bloom in Union Square, And timid breaths of vernal air Go wandering down the dusty town, Like children lost in Vanity Fair; When every long, unlovely row Of westward houses stands aglow, A...

How long the echoes love to play Around the shore of silence, as a wave Retreating circles down the sand! One after one, with sweet delay, The mellow sounds that cliff and island gave, Have lingered i...

Flowers rejoice when night is done, Lift their heads to greet the sun; Sweetest looks and odours raise, In a silent hymn of praise. So my heart would turn away From the darkness to the day; Lying open...

In warlike pomp, with banners flowing, The regiments of autumn stood: I saw their gold and scarlet glowing From every hillside, every wood. Above the sea the clouds were keeping Their secret leaguer, ...

Does the snow fall at sea? Yes, when the north winds blow, When the wild clouds fly low, Out of each gloomy wing, Silently glimmering, Over the stormy sea Falleth the snow. Does the snow hide the sea?...

If all the skies were sunshine, Our faces would be fain To feel once more upon them The cooling plash of rain. If all the world were music, Our hearts would often long For one sweet strain of silence....

Fair Roslin Chapel, how divine The art that reared thy costly shrine! Thy carven columns must have grown By magic, like a dream in stone. Yet not within thy storied wall Would I in adoration fall, So ...

When May bedecks the naked trees With tassels and embroideries, And many blue-eyed violets beam Along the edges of the stream, I hear a voice that seems to say, Now near at hand, now far away, “Witche...

Do you remember, father⁠— It seems so long ago⁠— The day we fished together Along the Pocono? At dusk I waited for you, Beside the lumber-mill, And there I heard a hidden bird That chanted, “whip-poor...

The moonbeams over Arno’s vale in silver flood were pouring, When first I heard the nightingale a long-lost love deploring. So passionate, so full of pain, it sounded strange and eerie; I longed to he...

Deep in the heart of the forest the lily of Yorrow is growing; Blue is its cup as the sky, and with mystical odour o’erflowing; Faintly it falls through the shadowy glades when the south wind is blowi...

From the misty shores of midnight, touched with splendours of the moon, To the singing tides of heaven, and the light more clear than noon, Passed a soul that grew to music till it was with God in tun...

The roar of the city is low, Muffled by new-fallen snow, And the sign of the wintry moon is small and round and still. Will you come with me to-night, To see a pleasant sight Away on the river-side, a...

Four things a man must learn to do If he would make his record true: To think without confusion clearly; To love his fellow-men sincerely; To act from honest motives purely; To trust in God and Heaven...

I count that friendship little worth Which has not many things untold, Great longings that no words can hold, And passion-secrets waiting birth. Along the slender wires of speech Some message from the...

Only a little shrivelled seed, It might be flower, or grass, or weed; Only a box of earth on the edge Of a narrow, dusty window-ledge; Only a few scant summer showers; Only a few clear shining hours; ...

“Wayside songs and meadow blossoms; nothing perfect, nothing rare; Every poet’s ordered, garden yields a hundred flowers more fair; Master-singers know a music richer far beyond compare. Yet the reape...

Remember, when the timid light Through the enchanted hall of dawn is gleaming; Remember, when the pensive night Beneath her silver-sprinkled veil walks dreaming; When pleasure calls thee and thy heart...

A fir-tree standeth lonely On a barren northern height, Asleep, while winter covers His rest with robes of white. In dreams, he sees a palm-tree In the golden morning-land; She droops alone and silent...

The record of a faith sublime, And hope, through clouds, far-off discerned; The incense of a love that burned Through pain and doubt defying Time: The story of a soul at strife That learned at last to...

This is the window’s message, In silence, to the Queen: “Thou hast a double kingdom And I am set between: Look out and see the glory, On hill and plain and sky: Look in and see the light of love That ...

Self is the only prison that can ever bind the soul; Love is the only angel who can bid the gates unroll; And when he comes to call thee, arise and follow fast; His way may lie through darkness, but i...

Saints are God’s flowers, fragrant souls That His own hand hath planted, Not in some far-off heavenly place, Or solitude enchanted, But here and there and everywhere⁠— In lonely field, or crowded town...

“Joy is a Duty,”⁠—so with golden lore The Hebrew rabbis taught in days of yore, And happy human hearts heard in their speech Almost the highest wisdom man can reach. But one bright peak still rises fa...

There are many kinds of love, as many kinds of light, And every kind of love makes a glory in the night. There is love that stirs the heart, and love that gives it rest, But the love that leads life u...

With eager heart and will on fire, I strove to win my great desire. “Peace shall be mine,” I said; but life Grew bitter in the barren strife. My soul was weary, and my pride Was wounded deep; to Heave...

O Thor, the Thunderer, Mighty and merciless, Spare us from smiting! Heave not thy hammer, Angry, against us; Plague not thy people. Take from our treasure Richest of ransom. Silver we send thee, Jewel...

We worship the Spirit Divine, all wisdom and goodness possessing, Surrounded by Holy Immortals, the givers of bounty and blessing. We joy in the works of His hands, His truth and His power confessing....

March on, my soul, nor like a laggard stay! March swiftly on. Yet err not from the way Where all the nobly wise of old have trod⁠— The path of faith, made by the sons of God. Follow the marks that the...

When I beheld the splendour of the night, And all the misty myriad of her stars, Forever swinging on their paths of light, Far out beyond our system’s narrow bars, I marvelled that the glory of God’s ...

Could every time-worn heart but see Thee once again, A happy human child, among the homes of men, The age of doubt would pass⁠—the vision of Thy face Would silently restore the childhood of the race. ...

What shall I give for thee, Thou Pearl of greatest price? For all the treasures I possess Would not suffice. I give my store of gold; It is but earthly dross: But thou wilt make me rich, beyond All fe...

When days are dark and nights are cold, And all the world seems going wrong; When fears are fresh, and hopes grow old, And die because they’ve waited long; When all is sad without, within, And I am pl...

Just to give up, and trust All to a Fate unknown, Plodding along life’s road in the dust, Bounded by walls of stone; Never to have a heart at peace; Never to see when care will cease; Just to be still...

Who seeks for heaven alone to save his soul, May keep the path, but will not reach the goal; While he who walks in love may wander far, But God will bring him where the Blessed are....

O mighty river! strong, eternal Will, Wherein the streams of human good and ill Are onward swept, conflicting, to the sea! The world is safe because it floats in Thee....

Stand back, ye messengers of mercy! Stand Far off, for I will save my troubled folk In my own way. So the false Sultan spoke; And Europe, hearkening to his base command, Stood still to see him heal hi...

Into the dust of the making of man Spirit was breathed when his life began, Lifting him up from his low estate, With masterful passion, the wish to create. Out of the dust of his making, man Fashioned...

Hear a word that Jesus spake Nineteen hundred years ago, Where the crimson lilies blow Round the blue Tiberian lake: There the bread of life He brake, Through the fields of harvest walking With His lo...

A silent world⁠—yet full of vital joy Uttered in rhythmic movements manifold, And sunbeams flashing on the face of things Like sudden smilings of divine delight⁠— A world of many sorrows too, revealed...

Come, give me back my life again, you heavy-handed Death! Uncrook your fingers from my throat, and let me draw my breath. You do me wrong to take me now⁠—too soon for me to die⁠— Ah, loose me from thi...

What time the rose of dawn is laid across the lips of night, And all the little watchman-stars have fallen asleep in light, ’Tis then a merry wind awakes, and runs from tree to tree, And borrows words...

We met on Nature’s stage, And May had set the scene, With bishop-caps standing in delicate ranks, And violets blossoming over the banks, While the brook ran full between. The waters rang your call, Wi...

Furl your sail, my little boatie; Here’s the haven still and deep, Where the dreaming tides in-streaming Up the channel creep. Now the sunset breeze is dying; Hear the plover, landward flying, Softly ...

It’s little I can tell About the birds in books; And yet I know them well, By their music and their looks: When May comes down the lane, Her airy lovers throng To welcome her with song, And follow in ...

Afterthought of summer’s bloom! Late arrival at the feast, Coming when the songs have ceased And the merry guests departed, Leaving but an empty room, Silence, solitude, and gloom⁠— Are you lonely, he...

The river of dreams runs quietly down From its hidden home in the forest of sleep, With a measureless motion calm and deep; And my boat slips out on the current brown, In a tranquil bay where the tree...

Where’s your kingdom, little king? Where the land you call your own, Where your palace and your throne? Fluttering lightly on the wing Through the blossom-world of May, Whither lies your royal way, Li...

Daughter of Psyche, pledge of that wild night When, pierced with pain and bitter-sweet delight, She knew her Love and saw her Lord depart, Then breathed her wonder and her woe forlorn Into a single cr...

With eager heart and will on fire, I strove to win my great desire. “Peace shall be mine,” I said; but life Grew bitter in the barren strife. My soul was weary, and my pride Was wounded deep; to Heave...

Heart of France for a hundred years, Passionate, sensitive, proud, and strong, Quick to throb with her hopes and fears, Fierce to flame with her sense of wrong! You, who hailed with a morning song Dre...

Thou who hast made thy dwelling fair With flowers below, above with starry lights And set thine altars everywhere⁠— On mountain heights, In woodlands dim with many a dream, In valleys bright with spri...

Let me but do my work from day to day, In field or forest, at the desk or loom, In roaring market-place or tranquil room; Let me but find it in my heart to say, When vagrant wishes beckon me astray, “...

When to the garden of untroubled thought I came of late, and saw the open door, And wished again to enter, and explore The sweet, wild ways with stainless bloom inwrought, And bowers of innocence with...

For that thy face is fair I love thee not; Nor yet because thy brown benignant eyes Have sudden gleams of gladness and surprise, Like woodland brooks that cross a sunlit spot: Nor for thy body, born w...

If on the closed curtain of my sight My fancy paints thy portrait far away, I see thee still the same, by night or day; Crossing the crowded street, or moving bright ‘Mid festal throngs, or reading by...

The fire of love was burning, yet so low That in the peaceful dark it made no rays, And in the light of perfect-placid days The ashes hid the smouldering embers’ glow. Vainly, for love’s delight, we s...

I would not even ask my heart to say If I could love another land as well As thee, my country, had I felt the spell Of Italy at birth, or learned to obey The charm of France, or England’s mighty sway....

It pleased the Lord of Angels (praise His name!) To hear, one day, report from those who came With pitying sorrow, or exultant joy, To tell of earthly tasks in His employ. For some were grieved becaus...

In robes of Tyrian blue the King was drest, A jewelled collar shone upon his breast, A giant ruby glittered in his crown: Lord of rich lands and many a splendid town, In him the glories of an ancient ...

O who will walk a mile with me Along life’s merry way? A comrade blithe and full of glee, Who dares to laugh out loud and free, And let his frolic fancy play, Like a happy child, through the flowers g...

Now in the oak the sap of life is welling, Tho’ to the bough the rusty leafage clings; Now on the elm the misty buds are swelling; Every little pine-wood grows alive with wings; Blue-jays are flutteri...

I think of thee when golden sunbeams glimmer Across the sea; And when the waves reflect the moon’s pale shimmer I think of thee. I see thy form when down the distant highway The dust-clouds rise; In d...

I put my heart to school In the world where men grow wise: “Go out,” I said, “and learn the rule; Come back when you win a prize.” My heart came back again: “Now where is the prize?” I cried.⁠— “The r...

Lord Jesus, Thou hast known A mother’s love and tender care: And Thou wilt hear, While for my own Mother most dear I make this birthday prayer. Protect her life, I pray, Who gave the gift of life to m...

A silken curtain veils the skies, And half conceals from pensive eyes The bronzing tokens of the fall; A calmness broods upon the hills, And summer’s parting dream distils A charm of silence over all....

The worlds in which we live at heart are one, The world “I am,” the fruit of “I have done”; And underneath these worlds of flower and fruit, The world “I love,”⁠—the only living root....

All the trees are sleeping, all the winds are still, All the fleecy flocks of cloud, gone beyond the hill; Through the noon-day silence, down the woods of June, Hark, a little hunter’s voice, running ...

Long, long ago I heard a little song, (Ah, was it long ago, or yesterday?) So lowly, slowly wound the tune along, That far into my heart it found the way: A melody consoling and endearing; And now, in...

When the frosty kiss of Autumn in the dark Makes its mark On the flowers, and the misty morning grieves Over fallen leaves; Then my olden garden, where the golden soil Through the toil Of a hundred ye...

Waking from tender sleep, My neighbour’s little child Put out his baby hand to me, Looked in my face, and smiled. It seems as if he came Home from a happy land, To bring a message to my heart And make...

Long, long, long the trail Through the brooding forest-gloom, Down the shadowy, lonely vale Into silence, like a room Where the light of life has fled, And the jealous curtains close Round the passion...

Not to the swift, the race: Not to the strong, the fight: Not to the righteous, perfect grace Not to the wise, the light. But often faltering feet Come surest to the goal; And they who walk in darknes...

Hours fly, Flowers die New days, New ways, Pass by. Love stays. Time is Too Slow for those who Wait, Too Swift for those who Fear, Too Long for those who Grieve, Too Short for those who Rejoice; But f...

Yours is a garden of old-fashioned flowers; Joyous children delight to play there; Weary men find rest in its bowers, Watching the lingering light of day there. Old-time tunes and young love-laughter ...

With memories old and wishes new We crown our cups again, And here’s to you, and here’s to you With love that ne’er shall wane! And may you keep, at sixty-seven, The joy of earth, the hope of heaven, ...

Our college rhymes⁠—how light they seem, Like little ghosts of love’s young dream That led our boyish hearts away From lectures and from books, to stray By flowery mead and flowing stream! There’s not...

In mirth he mocks the other birds at noon, Catching the lilt of every easy tune; But when the day departs he sings of love⁠— His own wild song beneath the listening moon....

A flawless cup: how delicate and fine The flowing curve of every jewelled line! Look, turn it up or down, ’tis perfect still⁠— But holds no drop of life’s heart-warming wine....

The cornerstone in Truth is laid, The guardian walls of Honour made, The roof of Faith is built above, The fire upon the hearth is Love: Though rains descend and loud winds call, This happy house shal...

This is the soldier brave enough to tell The glory-dazzled world that “war is hell”: Lover of peace, he looks beyond the strife, And rides through hell to save his country’s life. April, 1904....

The shadow by my finger cast Divides the future from the past: Before it, sleeps the unborn hour, In darkness, and beyond thy power: Behind its unreturning line, The vanished hour, no longer thine: On...

Long ago Apollo called to Aristæus, youngest of the shepherds, Saying, “I will make you keeper of my bees.” Golden were the hives and golden was the honey; golden, too, the music Where the honey-maker...

The other night I had a dream, most clear And comforting, complete In every line, a crystal sphere, And full of intimate and secret cheer. Therefore I will repeat That vision, dearest heart, to you, A...

Children of the elemental mother, Born upon some lonely island shore Where the wrinkled ripples run and whisper, Where the crested billows plunge and roar; Long-winged, tireless roamers and adventurer...

O youngest of the giant brood Of cities far-renowned; In wealth and glory thou hast passed Thy rivals at a bound; Thou art a mighty queen, New York; And how wilt thou be crowned? “Weave me no palace-w...

I love thine inland seas, Thy groves of giant trees, Thy rolling plains; Thy rivers’ mighty sweep, Thy mystic canyons deep, Thy mountains wild and steep, All thy domains; Thy silver Eastern strands, T...

The mountains that inclose the vale With walls of granite, steep and high, Invite the fearless foot to scale Their stairway toward the sky. The restless, deep, dividing sea That flows and foams from s...

I read within a poet’s book A word that starred the page: “Stone walls do not a prison make, Nor iron bars a cage!” Yes, that is true, and something more: You’ll find, where’er you roam, That marble f...

There are songs for the morning and songs for the night, For sunrise and sunset, the stars and the moon; But who will give praise to the fulness of light, And sing us a song of the glory of noon? Oh, ...

’Tis fine to see the Old World, and travel up and down Among the famous palaces and cities of renown, To admire the crumbly castles and the statues of the kings⁠— But now I think I’ve had enough of an...

Dear to my heart are the ancestral dwellings of America, Dearer than if they were haunted by ghosts of royal splendour; They are simple enough to be great in their friendly dignity⁠— Homes that were b...

To thee, plain hero of a rugged race, We bring the meed of praise too long delayed! Thy fearless word and faithful work have made For God’s Republic firmer resting-place In this New World: for thou ha...

Count not the cost of honour to the dead! The tribute that a mighty nation pays To those who loved her well in former days Means more than gratitude for glories fled; For every noble man that she hath...

Mother of all the high-strung poets and singers departed, Mother of all the grass that weaves over their graves the glory of the field, Mother of all the manifold forms of life, deep-bosomed, patient,...

Lover of beauty, walking on the height Of pure philosophy and tranquil song; Born to behold the visions that belong To those who dwell in melody and light; Milton, thou spirit delicate and bright! Wha...

Wordsworth, thy music like a river rolls Among the mountains, and thy song is fed By living springs far up the watershed; No whirling flood nor parching drought controls The crystal current: even on t...

The melancholy gift Aurora gained From Jove, that her sad lover should not see The face of death, no goddess asked for thee, My Keats! But when the scarlet blood-drop stained Thy pillow, thou didst re...

Knight-errant of the Never-ending Quest, And Minstrel of the Unfulfilled Desire; For ever tuning thy frail earthly lyre To some unearthly music, and possessed With painful passionate longing to invest...

How blind the toil that burrows like the mole, In winding graveyard pathways underground, For Browning’s lineage! What if men have found Poor footmen or rich merchants on the roll Of his forbears? Did...

In a great land, a new land, a land full of labour and riches and confusion, Where there were many running to and fro, and shouting, and striving together, In the midst of the hurry and the troubled n...

Dear Aldrich, now November’s mellow days Have brought another Festa round to you, You can’t refuse a loving-cup of praise From friends the fleeting years have bound to you. Here come your Marjorie Daw...

Oh, quick to feel the lightest touch Of beauty or of truth, Rich in the thoughtfulness of age, The hopefulness of youth, The courage of the gentle heart, The wisdom of the pure, The strength of finely...

Ah, who will tell me, in these leaden days, Why the sweet Spring delays, And where she hides⁠—the dear desire Of every heart that longs For bloom, and fragrance, and the ruby fire Of maple-buds along ...

Yes, it was like you to forget, And cancel in the welcome of your smile My deep arrears of debt, And with the putting forth of both your hands To sweep away the bars my folly set Between us⁠—bitter th...

Her eyes are like the evening air, Her voice is like a rose, Her lips are like a lovely song, That ripples as it flows, And she herself is sweeter than The sweetest thing she knows. A slender, hauntin...

Across a thousand miles of sea, a hundred leagues of land, Along a path I had not traced and could not understand, I travelled fast and far for this⁠—to take thee by the hand. A pilgrim knowing not th...

Oh, why are you shining so bright, big Sun, And why is the garden so gay? Do you know that my days of delight are done, Do you know I am going away? If you covered your face with a cloud, I’d dream Yo...

Once, only once, I saw it clear⁠— That Eden every human heart has dreamed A hundred times, but always far away! Ah, well do I remember how it seemed, Through the still atmosphere Of that enchanted day...

If I have erred in showing all my heart, And lost your favour by a lack of pride; If standing like a beggar at your side With naked feet, I have forgot the art Of those who bargain well in passion’s m...

“Do you give thanks for this?⁠—or that?” No, God be thanked I am not grateful In that cold, calculating way, with blessings ranked As one, two, three, and four⁠—that would be hateful. I only know that...

Glory architect, glory of painter, and sculptor, and bard, Living forever in temple and picture and statue and song⁠— Look how the world with the lights that they lit is illumined and starred; Brief w...

“Two things,” the wise man said, “fill me with awe: The starry heavens and the moral law.” Nay, add another wonder to thy roll⁠— The living marvel of the human soul! Born in the dust and cradled in th...

Long had I loved this “Attic shape,” the brede Of marble maidens round this urn divine: But when your golden voice began to read, The empty urn was filled with Chian wine....

Limber-limbed, lazy god, stretched on the rock, Where is sweet Echo, and where is your flock? What are you making here? “Listen,” said Pan⁠— “Out of a river-reed music for man!”...

’Twas far away and long ago, When I was but a dreaming boy, This fairy tale of love and woe Entranced my heart with tearful joy; And while with white Undine I wept Your spirit⁠—ah, how strange it seem...

Let me but feel thy look’s embrace, Transparent, pure, and warm, And I’ll not ask to touch thy face, Or fold thee in mine arm. For in thine eyes a girl doth rise, Arrayed in candid bliss, And draws me...

When down the stair at morning The sunbeams round her float, Sweet rivulets of laughter Are rippling in her throat; The gladness of her greeting Is gold without alloy; And in the morning sunlight I th...

I envy every flower that blows Along the meadow where she goes, And every bird that sings to her, And every breeze that brings to her The fragrance of the rose. I envy every poet’s rhyme That moves he...

O wonderful! How liquid clear The molten gold of that ethereal tone, Floating and falling through the wood alone, A hermit-hymn poured out for God to hear! O holy, holy, holy! Hyaline, Long light, low...

Like a long arrow through the dark the train is darting, Bearing me far away, after a perfect day of love’s delight: Wakeful with all the sad-sweet memories of parting, I lift the narrow window-shade ...

“Through many a land your journey ran, And showed the best the world can boast: Now tell me, traveller, if you can, The place that pleased you most.” She laid her hands upon my breast, And murmured ge...

O garden isle, beloved by Sun and Sea, Whose bluest billows kiss thy curving bays, Whose light infolds thy hills with golden rays, Filling with fruit each dark-leaved orange-tree, What hidden hatred h...

All night long, by a distant bell The passing hours were notched On the dark, while her breathing rose and fell; And the spark of life I watched In her face was glowing, or fading⁠—who could tell?⁠— A...

At dawn in silence moves the mighty stream, The silver-crested waves no murmur make; But far away the avalanches wake The rumbling echoes, dull as in a dream; Their momentary thunders, dying, seem To ...

One sail in sight upon the lonely sea, And only one! For never ship but mine Has dared these waters. We were first, My men, to battle in between the bergs And floes to these wide waves. This gulf is m...

Jesus, Thou divine Companion, By Thy lowly human birth Thou hast come to join the workers, Burden-bearers of the earth. Thou, the Carpenter of Naz’reth, Toiling for Thy daily food, By Thy patience and...

Blessed is the man that beholdeth the face of a friend in a far country, The darkness of his heart is melted by the dawning of day within him, It is like the sound of a sweet music heard long ago and ...

This is the thanksgiving of the weary, The song of him that is ready to rest. It is good to be glad when the day is declining, And the setting of the sun is like a word of peace. The stars look kindly...

How wonderful are the cities that man hath builded: Their walls are compacted of heavy stones, And their lofty towers rise above the tree-tops. Rome, Jerusalem, Cairo, Damascus⁠— Venice, Constantinopl...

I will sing of the bounty of the big trees, They are the green tents of the Almighty, He hath set them up for comfort and for shelter. Their cords hath he knotted in the earth, He hath driven their st...

Mine enemies have prevailed against me, O God: Thou hast led me deep into their ambush. They surround me with a hedge of spears: And the sword in my hand is broken. My friends also have forsaken my si...

Man the maker of cities is also a builder of altars: Among his habitations he setteth tables for his god. He bringeth the beauty of the rocks to enrich them: Marble and alabaster, porphyry, jasper and...

The rivers of God are full of water, They are wonderful in the renewal of their strength, He poureth them out from a hidden fountain. They are born among the hills in the high places, Their cradle is ...

The lizard rested on the rock while I sat among the ruins, And the pride of man was like a vision of the night. Lo, the lords of the city have disappeared into darkness, The ancient wilderness hath sw...

The ways of the world are full of haste and turmoil; I will sing of the tribe of the helpers who travel in peace. He that turneth from the road to rescue another, Turneth toward his goal: He shall arr...

The Lord is my teacher, I shall not lose the way. He leadeth me in the lowly path of learning, He prepareth a lesson for me every day; He bringeth me to the clear fountains of instruction, Little by l...

Thou hast taken me into thy tent of the world, O God, Beneath thy blue canopy I have found shelter, Therefore thou wilt not deny me the right of a guest. Naked and poor I arrived at thy door before su...

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love; Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, Praising Thee their sun above. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; Drive the dark of doubt away; Give...

Two hundred years of blessing I record For Morven’s house, protected by the Lord: And still I stand among old-fashioned flowers To mark for Morven many sunlit hours....

The nymphs a shepherd took To guard their snowy sheep; He led them down along the brook, And guided them with pipe and crook, Until he fell asleep. But when the piping stayed, Across the flowery mead ...

With two bright eyes, my star, my love, Thou lookest on the stars above: Ah, would that I the heaven might be With a million eyes to look on thee. Plato. A little while the rose, And after that the th...

What makes the lingering Night so cling to thee? Thou vast, profound, primeval hiding-place Of ancient secrets⁠—gray and ghostly gulf Cleft in the green of this high forest land, And crowded in the da...

O Mother mountains! billowing far to the snow-lands, Robed in aerial amethyst, silver, and blue, Why do ye look so proudly down on the lowlands? What have their groves and gardens to do with you? Thei...

All along the Brazos river, All along the Colorado, In the valleys and the lowlands Where the trees were tall and stately, In the rich and rolling meadows Where the grass was full of wild-flowers, Cam...

The tide flows in to the harbour⁠— The bold tide, the gold tide, the flood o’ the sunlit sea⁠— And the little ships riding at anchor, Are swinging and slanting their prows to the ocean, panting To lif...

Come home, my love, come home! The twilight is falling, The whippoorwill calling, The night is very near, And the darkness full of fear, Come home to my arms, come home! Come home, my love, come home!...

Winter on Mount Shasta, April down below; Golden hours of glowing sun, Sudden showers of snow! Under leafless thickets Early wild-flowers cling; But, oh, my dear, I’m fain to hear The first bird o’ Sp...

We men hat go down for a livin’ in ships to the sea⁠— We love it a different way from you poets that ’bide on the land. We are fond of it, sure! But, you take it as comin’ from me, There’s a fear and ...

Honour the brave who sleep Where the lost Titanic lies, The men who knew what a man must do When he looks Death in the eyes. “Women and children first,”⁠— Ah, strong and tender cry! The sons whom wome...

“How can I tell,” Sir Edmund said, “Who has the right or the wrong o’ this thing? Cromwell stands for the people’s cause, Charles is crowned by the ancient laws; English meadows are sopping red, Engli...

O Lord our God, Thy mighty hand Hath made our country free; From all her broad and happy land May praise arise to Thee. Fulfill the promise of her youth, Her liberty defend; By law and order, love and...

The day returns by which we date our years: Day of the joy of giving⁠—that means love; Day of the joy of living⁠—that means hope; Day of the Royal Child⁠—and day that brings To older hearts the gift o...

A deeper crimson in the rose, A deeper blue in sky and sea, And ever, as the summer goes, A deeper loss in losing thee! A deeper music in the strain Of hermit-thrush from lonely tree; And deeper grows...

Ere thou sleepest gently lay Every troubled thought away: Put off worry and distress As thou puttest off thy dress: Drop thy burden and thy care In the quiet arms of prayer. Lord, Thou knowest how I l...

Read here, O friend unknown, Our grief, of her bereft; Yet think not tears alone Within our hearts are left. The gifts she came to give, Her heavenly love and cheer, Have made us glad to live And die ...

Far richer than a thornless rose Whose branch with beauty never glows, Is that which every June adorns With perfect bloom among its thorns. Merely to live without a pain Is little gladness, little gai...

Ye gods of battle, lords of fear, Who work your iron will as well As once ye did with sword and spear, With rifled gun and rending shell⁠— Masters of sea and land, forbear The fierce invasion of the i...

I never seen no “red gods”; I dunno wot’s a “lure”; But if it’s sumpin’ takin’, then Spring has got it sure; An’ it doesn’t need no Kiplins, ner yet no London Jacks, To make up guff about it, w’ile se...

Oh, the angler’s path is a very merry way, And his road through the world is bright; For he lives with the laughing stream all day, And he lies by the fire at night. Sing hey nonny, ho nonny And likew...

Here’s a half-a-dozen flies, Just about the proper size For the trout of Dickey’s Run⁠— Luck go with them every one! Dainty little feathered beauties, Listen now, and learn your duties: Not to tangle ...

Among the earliest saints of old, before the first Hegira, I find the one whose name we hold, St. Nicholas of Myra: The best-beloved name, I guess, in sacred nomenclature⁠— The patron-saint of helpful...

The clam that once, on Jersey’s banks, Was like the man who dug it, free, Now slave-like thro’ the market clanks In chains of corporate tyranny. The Standard Fish-Trust of New York Holds every clam-ba...

All hail, ye famous Farmers! Ye vegetable-charmers, Who know the art of making barren earth Smile with prolific mirth And bring forth twins or triplets at a birth! Ye scientific fertilizers of the soi...

In the pleasant time of Pentecost, By the little river Kyll, I followed the angler’s winding path Or waded the stream at will, And the friendly fertile German land Lay round me green and still. But al...

A mocking question! Britain’s answer came Swift as the light and searching as the flame. “Yes, for a scrap of paper we will fight Till our last breath, and God defend the right! “A scrap of paper wher...

Stand fast, Great Britain! Together England, Scotland, Ireland stand One in the faith that makes a mighty land⁠— True to the bond you gave and will not break And fearless in the fight for conscience’ ...

“Lights out” along the land, “Lights out” upon the sea. The night must put her hiding hand O’er peaceful towns where children sleep, And peaceful ships that darkly creep Across the waves, as if they w...

God said, “I am tired of kings,”⁠— But that was a long while ago! And meantime man said, “No⁠— I like their looks in their robes and rings.” So he crowned a few more, And they went on playing the game...

If Might made Right, life were a wild-beasts’ cage; If Right made Might, this were the golden age; But now, until we win the long campaign, Right must gain Might to conquer and to reign. July 1, 1915....

Peace without Justice is a low estate⁠— A coward cringing to an iron Fate! But Peace through Justice is the great ideal⁠— We’ll pay the price of war to make it real....

O Music hast thou only heard The laughing river, the singing bird, The murmuring wind in the poplar-trees⁠— Nothing but Nature’s melodies? Nay, thou hearest all her tones, As a Queen must hear! Sounds...

The gabled roofs of old Malines Are russet red and gray and green, And o’er them in the sunset hour Looms, dark and huge, St. Rombold’s tower. High in that rugged nest concealed, The sweetest bells th...

Give us a name to fill the mind With the shining thoughts that lead mankind, The glory of learning, the joy of art⁠— A name that tells of a splendid part In the long, long toil and the strenuous fight...

The land was broken in despair, The princes quarrelled in the dark, When clear and tranquil, through the troubled air Of selfish minds and wills that did not dare, Your star arose, Jeanne d’Arc. O vir...

What hast thou done, O womanhood of France, Mother and daughter, sister, sweetheart, wife, What hast thou done, amid this fateful strife, To prove the pride of thine inheritance In this fair land of f...

The heavenly hills of Holland⁠— How wondrously they rise Above the smooth green pastures Into the azure skies! With blue and purple hollows, With peaks of dazzling snow, Along the far horizon The clou...

When Stävoren town was in its prime And queened the Zuyder Zee, Her ships went out to every clime With costly merchantry. A lady dwelt in that rich town, The fairest in all the land; She walked abroad...

The laggard winter ebbed so slow With freezing rain and melting snow, It seemed as if the earth would stay Forever where the tide was low, In sodden green and watery gray. But now from depths beyond o...

They tell me thou art rich, my country: gold In glittering flood has poured into thy chest; Thy flocks and herds increase, thy barns are pressed With harvest, and thy stores can hardly hold Their merc...

The glory of ships is an old, old song, since the days when the sea-rovers ran, In their open boats through the roaring surf, and the spread of the world began; The glory of ships is a light on the se...

You dare to say with perjured lips, “We fight to make the ocean free”? You, whose black trail of butchered ships Bestrews the bed of every sea Where German submarines have wrought Their horrors! Have ...

Thou warden of the western gate, above Manhattan Bay, The fogs of doubt that hid thy face are driven clean away: Thine eyes at last look far and clear, thou liftest high thy hand To spread the light o...

I never thought again to hear The Oxford thrushes singing clear, Amid the February rain, Their sweet, indomitable strain. A wintry vapor lightly spreads Among the trees, and round the beds Where daffo...

Home, for my heart still calls me; Home, through the danger zone; Home, whatever befalls me, I will sail again to my own! Wolves of the sea are hiding Closely along the way, Under the water biding The...

I have no joy in strife, Peace is my great desire; Yet God forbid I lose my life Through fear to face the fire. A peaceful man must fight For that which peace demands⁠— Freedom and faith, honor and ri...

The winds of war-news change and veer: Now westerly and full of cheer, Now easterly, depressing, sour With tidings of the Teutons’ power. But thou, America, whose heart With brave Allies has taken par...

There are many kinds of anger, as many kinds of fire; And some are fierce and fatal with murderous desire; And some are mean and craven, revengeful, sullen, slow, They hurt the man that holds them mor...

Deeds not Words: I say so too! And yet I find it somehow true, A word may help a man in need, To nobler act and braver deed....

O dark the night and dim the day When first our flag arose; It fluttered bravely in the fray To meet o’erwhelming foes. Our fathers saw the splendor shine, They dared and suffered all; They won our fr...

Who knows how many thousand years ago The twelvefold Zodiac was made to show The course of stars above and men below? The great sun plows his furrow by its “lines”: From all its “houses” mystic meanin...

The rough expanse of democratic sea Which parts the lands that live by liberty Is no division; for their hearts are one. To fight together till their cause is won. For land and water let us make our p...

Sign of the Love Divine That bends to bear the load Of all who suffer, all who bleed, Along life’s thorny road: Sign of the Heart Humane, That through the darkest fight Would bring to wounded friend a...

Under the cloud of world-wide war, While earth is drenched with sorrow, I have no heart for idle merrymaking, Or for the fashioning of glad raiment. I will retrace the divine footmarks, On the Road of...

Oh, gallantly they fared forth in khaki and in blue, America’s crusading host of warriors bold and true; They battled for the rights of man beside our brave Allies, And now they’re coming home to us w...

Ship after ship, and every one with a high-resounding name, From the robber-nest of Heligoland the German war-fleet came; Not victory or death they sought, but a rendezvous of shame. Sing out, sing ou...

It was my lot of late to travel far Through all America’s domain, A willing, gray-haired servitor Bearing the Fiery Cross of righteous war. And everywhere, on mountain, vale and plain, In crowded stre...

There is a bird I know so well, It seems as if he must have sung Beside my crib when I was young; Before I knew the way to spell The name of even the smallest bird, His gentle-joyful song I heard. Now...

Long, long ago I heard a little song, (Ah, was it long ago, or yesterday?) So lowly, slowly wound the tune along, That far into my heart it found the way: A melody consoling and endearing; And now, in...

Many a tree is found in the wood And every tree for its use is good: Some for the strength of the gnarled root, Some for the sweetness of flower or fruit; Some for shelter against the storm, And some ...

O Maker of the Mighty Deep Whereon our vessels fare, Above our life’s adventure keep Thy faithful watch and care. In Thee we trust, whate’er befall; Thy sea is great, our boats are small. We know not ...

Thy wisdom and Thy might appear, Eternal God, through every year; From day to day, from hour to hour, Thy works reveal self-ordered power. We worship Thee whose will hath laid Thy sovereign rule on al...

Like children in the market-place Who weary of their play, We turn from folly’s idle race And come to Thee to-day. O Jesus, teller of the tale That never will grow old, Thy words of living truth preva...

Return, dear Lord, to those who look With eager eyes that yearn For Thee among the garden flowers; After the dark and lonely hours, As morning light return. Return to those who wander far, With lamps ...

No form of human framing, No bond of outward might, Can bind Thy Church together, Lord, And all her flocks unite; But, Jesus, Thou hast told us How unity must be: Thou art with God the Father one, And...

Now again the world is shaken, Tempests break on sea and shore; Earth with ruin overtaken, Trembles while the storm-winds roar. He abideth who confideth, God is God forevermore. Thrones are falling, h...

Thy victory is in the heart, Thy kingdom is within; When outward pride and pomp depart, Thy glory doth begin. Thine army, ever in the field, Is led by love and light; Thy followers fall but never yiel...

A tale that the poet Rückert told To German children, in days of old; Disguised in a random, rollicking rhyme Like a merry mummer of ancient time, And sent, in its English dress, to please The little ...

Oh, was I born too soon, my dear, or were you born too late, That I am going out the door while you come in the gate? For you the garden blooms galore, the castle is en fête; You are the coming guest,...

How long is the night, brother, And how long is the day? Oh, the day’s too short for a happy task, And the day’s too short for play; And the night’s too short for the bliss of love, For look, how the ...

You only promised me a single hour: But in that hour I journeyed through a year Of life: the joy of finding you⁠—the fear Of losing you again⁠—the sense of power To make you all my own⁠—the sudden sho...

The cradle I have made for thee Is carved of orient ivory, And curtained round with wavy silk More white than hawthorn-bloom or milk. A twig of box, a lilac spray, Will drive the goblin-horde away; An...

The British bard who looked on Eton’s walls, Endeared by distance in the pearly gray And soft aerial blue that ever falls On English landscape with the dying day, Beheld in thought his boyhood far awa...

All day long in the city’s canyon-street, With its populous cliffs alive on either side, I saw a river of marching men like a tide Flowing after the flag: and the rhythmic beat Of the drums, and the b...

In the blue heaven the clouds will come and go, Scudding before the gale, or drifting slow As galleons becalmed in Sundown Bay: And through the air the birds will wing their way Soaring to far-off hei...

Here the great heart of France, Victor in noble strife, Doth consecrate a Poilu’s tomb To those who saved her life! Brave son without a name, Your country calls you home, To rest among her heirs of fa...

Soul of a soldier in a poet’s frame, Heart of a hero in a body frail; Thine was the courage clear that did not quail Before the giant champions of shame Who wrought dishonour to the city’s name; And t...

The grief that is but feigning, And weeps melodious tears Of delicate complaining From self-indulgent years; The mirth that is but madness, And has no inward gladness Beneath its laughter straining, T...

Great Nature had a million words, In tongues of trees and songs of birds, But none to breathe the heart of man, Till Music filled the pipes o’ Pan. 1909....

Oh, what do you know of the song, my dear, And how have you made it your own? You have caught the turn of the melody clear, And you give it again with a golden tone, Till the wonder-word and the wedde...

The time will come when I no more can play This polished flute: the stops will not obey My gnarled fingers; and the air it weaves In modulations, like a vine with leaves Climbing around the tower of s...

Some threescore years and ten ago A prince was born at Florida, Mo.; And though he came incognito, With just the usual yells of woe, The watchful fairies seemed to know Precisely what the row meant; F...

Come all ye good Centurions and wise men of the times, You’ve made a Poet Laureate, now you must hear his rhymes. Extend your ears and I’ll respond by shortening up my tale:⁠— Man cannot live by verse...

How bridal thy beauty, O dear California; How lovely and fragrant, how rich and how rare! Like a virgin arrayed for the day of her wedding. Thy face is aglow and thy garments are fair! With snow on th...

Along Assunpink’s woody bank we left our camp-fires bright, While like a fox with padded feet we stole away by night; Cornwallis watched his Trenton trap, And drained his glass, and took his nap; But ...

O Comrade of the Human Heart, O Son of Love Divine, Partaker of our Life Thou art And we would share in Thine. In Thee is manhood glorified. In Thee is God adored; Our heavenly Brother, earthly Guide,...