And saw afar the glorious day
His chosen seed should tread,

The soil where he in sorrow lay
His loved and cherished dead.

GOING EAST.
She came from the East a fair, young bride,

With a light and a bounding heart,
To find in the distant West a home

With her husband to make a start.
64 GOING EAST.

He builded his cabin far away,
Where the prairie flower bloomed wild;

Her love made lighter all his toil,
And joy and hope around him smiled.

She plied her hands to life's homely tasks,
And helped to build his fortunes up;

While joy and grief, like bitter and sweet,
Were mingled and mixed in her cup.

He sowed in his fields of golden grain,
All the strength of his manly prime;

Nor music of birds, nor brooks, nor bees,
Was as sweet as the dollar's chime.

She toiled and waited through weary years
For the fortune that came at length;

But toil and care and hope deferred,
Had stolen and wasted her strength.

The cabin changed to a stately home,
Rich carpets were hushing her tread;

But light was fading from her eye,
And the bloom from her cheek had fled.

Slower and heavier grew her step,
While his gold and his gains increased;

GOING EAST. 65
But his proud domain had not the charm

Of her humble home in the East.
Within her eye was a restless light,

And a yearning that never ceased,
A longing to see the dear old home

She had left in the distant East.
A longing to clasp her mother's hand,

And nestle close to her heart,
And to feel the heavy cares of life

Like the sun-kissed shadows depart.
Her husband was adding field to field,

And new wealth to his golden store;
And little thought the shadow of death

Was entering in at his door.
He had no line to sound the depths

Of her tears repressed and unshed;
Nor dreamed 'mid plenty a human heart

Could be starving, but not for bread.
The hungry heart was stilled at last;

Its restless, baffled yearning ceased.
A lonely man sat by the bier

Of a corpse that was going East.
66 THE HERMIT'S SACRIFICE.

THE HERMIT'S SACRIFICE.
From Rome's palaces and villas

Gaily issued forth a throng;
From her humbler habitations

Moved a human tide along.
Haughty dames and blooming maidens,

Men who knew not mercy's sway,
Thronged into the Coliseum

On that Roman holiday.
From the lonely wilds of Asia,

From her jungles far away,
From the distant torrid regions,

Rome had gathered beasts of prey.
Lions restless, roaring, rampant,

Tigers with their stealthy tread,
Leopards bright, and fierce, and fiery,

Met in conflict wild and dread.
Fierce and fearful was the carnage

Of the maddened beasts of prey,
As they fought and rent each other

Urged by men more fierce than they.
Till like muffled thunders breaking

On a vast and distant shore,
THE HERMIT'S SACRIFICE. 67

Fainter grew the yells of tigers,
And the lions' dreadful roar.

On the crimson-stained arena
Lay the victims of the fight;

Eyes which once had glared with anguish,
Lost in death their baleful light.

Then uprose the gladiators
Armed for conflict unto death,

Waiting for the prefect's signal,
Cold and stern with bated breath.

"Ave Caesar, morituri,
Te, salutant," rose the cry

From the lips of men ill-fated,
Doomed to suffer and to die.

Then began the dreadful contest,
Lives like chaff were thrown away,

Rome with all her pride and power
Butchered for a holiday.

Eagerly the crowd were waiting,
Loud the clashing sabres rang;

When between the gladiators
All unarmed a hermit sprang.

68 THE HERMIT'S SACRIFICE.
"Cease your bloodshed," cried the hermit,

"On this carnage place your ban;"
But with flashing swords they answered,

"Back unto your place, old man."
From their path the gladiators

Thrust the strange intruder back,
Who between their hosts advancing

Calmly parried their attack.
All undaunted by their weapons,

Stood the old heroic man;
While a maddened cry of anger

Through the vast assembly ran.
"Down with him," cried out the people,

As with thumbs unbent they glared,
Till the prefect gave the signal

That his life should not be spared.
Men grew wild with wrathful passion,

When his fearless words were said
Cruelly they fiercely showered

Stones on his devoted head.
Bruised and bleeding fell the hermit,

Victor in that hour of strife;
SONGS FOR THE PEOPLE. 69

Gaining in his death a triumph
That he could not win in life.

Had he uttered on the forum
Struggling thoughts within him born,

Men had jeered his words as madness,
But his deed they could not scorn.

Not in vain had been his courage,
Nor for naught his daring deed;

From his grave his mangled body
Did for wretched captives plead.

From that hour Rome, grown more thoughtful,
Ceased her sport in human gore;

And into her Coliseum
Gladiators came no more.

SONGS FOR THE PEOPLE.
Let me make the songs for the people,

Songs for the old and young;
Songs to stir like a battle-cry

Wherever they are sung.
Not for the clashing of sabres,

For carnage nor for strife;
70 SONGS FOR THE PEOPLE.

But songs to thrill the hearts of men
With more abundant life.

Let me make the songs for the weary,
Amid life's fever and fret,

Till hearts shall relax their tension,
And careworn brows forget.

Let me sing for little children,
Before their footsteps stray,

Sweet anthems of love and duty,
To float o'er life's highway.

I would sing for the poor and aged,
When shadows dim their sight;

Of the bright and restful mansions,
Where there shall be no night.

Our world, so worn and weary,
Needs music, pure and strong,

To hush the jangle and discords
Of sorrow, pain, and wrong.

Music to soothe all its sorrow,
Till war and crime shall cease;

And the hearts of men grown tender
Girdle the world with peace.

LET THE LIGHT ENTER. 71
LET THE LIGHT ENTER.

The dying words of Goethe.
"Light! more light! the shadows deepen,

And my life is ebbing low,
Throw the windows widely open:

Light! more light! before I go.
"Softly let the balmy sunshine

Play around my dying bed,
E'er the dimly lighted valley

I with lonely feet must tread.
"Light! more light! for Death is weaving

Shadows 'round my waning sight,
And I fain would gaze upon him

Through a stream of earthly light."
Not for greater gifts of genius;

Not for thoughts more grandly bright,
All the dying poet whispers

Is a prayer for light, more light.
Heeds he not the gathered laurels,

Fading slowly from his sight;
All the poet's aspirations

Centre in that prayer for light.
72 AN APPEAL TO MY COUNTRYWOMEN.

Gracious Saviour, when life's day-dreams
Melt and vanish from the sight,

May our dim and longing vision
Then be blessed with light, more light.

AN APPEAL TO MY COUNTRYWOMEN.
You can sigh o'er the sad-eyed Armenian

Who weeps in her desolate home.

• glorious [´glɔ:riəs] a.光荣的；辉煌的 (初中英语单词)
• prairie [´preəri] n.大草原 (初中英语单词)
• stolen [´stəulən] steal 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
• humble [´hʌmbəl] a.谦卑的 vt.贬抑 (初中英语单词)
• restless [´restləs] a.没有休息的 (初中英语单词)
• wealth [welθ] n.财富，财产 (初中英语单词)
• lonely [´ləunli] a.孤独的；无人烟的 (初中英语单词)
• fierce [fiəs] a.残忍的；强烈的 (初中英语单词)
• conflict [´kɔnflikt, kən´flikt] n.&vi.战斗；抵触 (初中英语单词)
• fearful [´fiəfəl] a.可怕的；担心的 (初中英语单词)
• dreadful [´dredful] a.可怕的；讨厌的 (初中英语单词)
• assembly [ə´sembli] n.集会；装配；与会者 (初中英语单词)
• fiercely [´fiəsli] ad.凶猛地，残忍地 (初中英语单词)
• wretched [´retʃid] a.可怜的；倒霉的 (初中英语单词)
• thrill [θril] v.震惊；激动；刺激 (初中英语单词)
• abundant [ə´bʌndənt] a.丰富的；充分的 (初中英语单词)
• stream [stri:m] n.河 vi.流出；飘扬 (初中英语单词)
• vanish [´væniʃ] vi.消失；消散；消灭 (初中英语单词)
• homely [´həumli] a.朴素的；不漂亮的 (高中英语单词)
• stately [´steitli] a.庄严的，雄伟的 (高中英语单词)
• longing [´lɔŋiŋ] n.&a.渴望(的) (高中英语单词)
• caesar [´si:zə] n.凯撒；暴君；独裁者 (高中英语单词)
• hermit [´hə:mit] n.隐士 (高中英语单词)
• heroic [hi´rəuik] a.英雄的，英勇的 (高中英语单词)
• fearless [´fiələs] a.不怕的，无畏的 (高中英语单词)
• naught [nɔ:t] n.无；零 (高中英语单词)
• soothe [su:ð] vt.安慰；镇定；减轻 (高中英语单词)
• earthly [´ə:θli] a.地球的；世俗的 (高中英语单词)
• appeal [ə´pi:l] vi.&n.请求；呼吁；上诉 (高中英语单词)
• desolate [´desəleit] a.荒凉的；孤独的 (高中英语单词)
• domain [də´mein,dəu-] n.领土；版图；范围 (英语四级单词)
• corpse [kɔ:ps] n.尸体 (英语四级单词)
• blooming [´blu:miŋ] a.正开花的；妙龄的 (英语四级单词)
• intruder [in´tru:də] n.闯入者；打扰者 (英语四级单词)
• devoted [di´vəutid] a.献身...的，忠实的 (英语四级单词)
• daring [´deəriŋ] a.&n.勇敢(的) (英语四级单词)
• saviour [´seiviə] n.救星；救助者 (英语四级单词)
• blessed [´blesid] a.享福的；神圣的 (英语四级单词)
• nestle [´nesl] v.偎依；抱；使紧贴 (英语六级单词)