The Mysterious Cat
A chant for a children's pantomime dance, suggested by a picture

painted by George Mather Richards.
I saw a proud, mysterious cat,

I saw a proud, mysterious cat
Too proud to catch a mouse or rat --

Mew, mew, mew.
But catnip she would eat, and purr,

But catnip she would eat, and purr.
And goldfish she did much prefer --

Mew, mew, mew.
I saw a cat -- 'twas but a dream,

I saw a cat -- 'twas but a dream
Who scorned the slave that brought her cream --

Mew, mew, mew.
Unless the slave were dressed in style,

Unless the slave were dressed in style
And knelt before her all the while --

Mew, mew, mew.
Did you ever hear of a thing like that?

Did you ever hear of a thing like that?
Did you ever hear of a thing like that?

Oh, what a proud mysterious cat.
Oh, what a proud mysterious cat.

Oh, what a proud mysterious cat.
Mew . . . mew . . . mew.

A Dirge for a Righteous Kitten
To be intoned, all but the two italicized lines, which are to be spoken

in a snappy, matter-of-fact way.
Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong.

Here lies a kitten good, who kept
A kitten's proper place.

He stole no pantry eatables,
Nor scratched the baby's face.

*He let the alley-cats alone*.
He had no yowling vice.

His shirt was always laundried well,
He freed the house of mice.

Until his death he had not caused
His little mistress tears,

He wore his ribbon prettily,
*He washed behind his ears*.

Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong.
Yankee Doodle

This poem is intended as a description of a sort of Blashfield mural painting
on the sky. To be sung to the tune of Yankee Doodle, yet in a slower,

more orotund fashion. It is presumably an exercise for an entertainment
on the evening of Washington's Birthday.

Dawn this morning burned all red
Watching them in wonder.

There I saw our spangled flag
Divide the clouds asunder.

Then there followed Washington.
Ah, he rode from glory,

Cold and mighty as his name
And stern as Freedom's story.

Unsubdued by burning dawn
Led his continentals.

Vast they were, and strange to see
In gray old regimentals: --

Marching still with bleeding feet,
Bleeding feet and jesting --

Marching from the judgment throne
With energy unresting.

How their merry quickstep played --
Silver, sharp, sonorous,

Piercing through with prophecy
The demons' rumbling chorus --

Behold the ancient powers of sin
And slavery before them! --

Sworn to stop the glorious dawn,
The pit-black clouds hung o'er them.

Plagues that rose to blast the day
Fiend and tiger faces,

Monsters plotting bloodshed for
The patient toiling races.

Round the dawn their cannon raged,
Hurling bolts of thunder,

Yet before our spangled flag
Their host was cut asunder.

Like a mist they fled away. . . .
Ended wrath and roaring.

Still our restless soldier-host
From East to West went pouring.

High beside the sun of noon
They bore our banner splendid.

All its days of stain and shame
And heaviness were ended.

Men were swelling now the throng
From great and lowly station --

Valiant citizens to-day
Of every tribe and nation.

Not till night their rear-guard came,
Down the west went marching,

And left behind the sunset-rays
In beauty overarching.

War-god banners lead us still,
Rob, enslave and harry

Let us rather choose to-day
The flag the angels carry --

Flag we love, but brighter far --
Soul of it made splendid:

Let its days of stain and shame
And heaviness be ended.

Let its fifes fill all the sky,
Redeemed souls marching after,

Hills and mountains shake with song,
While seas roll on in laughter.

The Black Hawk War of the Artists
Written for Lorado Taft's Statue of Black Hawk at Oregon, Illinois

To be given in the manner of the Indian Oration and the Indian War-Cry.
Hawk of the Rocks,

Yours is our cause to-day.
Watching your foes

Here in our war array,
Young men we stand,

Wolves of the West at bay.
*Power, power for war

Comes from these trees divine;
Power from the boughs,

Boughs where the dew-beads shine,
Power from the cones --

Yea, from the breath of the pine!*
Power to restore

All that the white hand mars.
See the dead east

Crushed with the iron cars --
Chimneys black

Blinding the sun and stars!
Hawk of the pines,

Hawk of the plain-winds fleet,
You shall be king

There in the iron street,
Factory and forge

Trodden beneath your feet.
There will proud trees

Grow as they grow by streams.
There will proud thoughts

Walk as in warrior dreams.
There will proud deeds

Bloom as when battle gleams!
Warriors of Art,

We will hold council there,
Hewing in stone

Things to the trapper fair,
Painting the gray

Veils that the spring moons wear,
This our revenge,

This one tremendous change:
Making new towns,

Lit with a star-fire strange,
Wild as the dawn

Gilding the bison-range.
All the young men

Chanting your cause that day,
Red-men, new-made

Out of the Saxon clay,
Strong and redeemed,

Bold in your war-array!
The Jingo and the Minstrel

An Argument for the Maintenance of Peace and Goodwill
with the Japanese People

Glossary for the uninstructed and the hasty: Jimmu Tenno,
ancestor of all the Japanese Emperors; Nikko, Japan's loveliest shrine;

Iyeyasu, her greatest statesman; Bushido, her code of knighthood;
The Forty-seven Ronins, her classic heroes; Nogi, her latest hero;

Fuji, her most beautiful mountain.
# The minstrel speaks. #

"Now do you know of Avalon
That sailors call Japan?

She holds as rare a chivalry
As ever bled for man.

King Arthur sleeps at Nikko hill
Where Iyeyasu lies,

And there the broad Pendragon flag
In deathless splendor flies."

# The jingo answers. #
*"Nay, minstrel, but the great ships come

From out the sunset sea.
We cannot greet the souls they bring

With welcome high and free.
How can the Nippon nondescripts

That weird and dreadful band
Be aught but what we find them here: --

The blasters of the land?"*
# The minstrel replies. #

"First race, first men from anywhere
To face you, eye to eye.

For *that* do you curse Avalon
And raise a hue and cry?

These toilers cannot kiss your hand,
Or fawn with hearts bowed down.

Be glad for them, and Avalon,
And Arthur's ghostly crown.

"No doubt your guests, with sage debate
In grave things gentlemen

Will let your trade and farms alone
And turn them back again.

But why should brawling braggarts rise
With hasty words of shame

To drive them back like dogs and swine

• mysterious [mi´stiəriəs] a.神秘的；难以理解的 (初中英语单词)
• kitten [´kitn] n.小猫 (初中英语单词)
• mistress [´mistris] n.女主人；情妇；女能手 (初中英语单词)
• ribbon [´ribən] n.缎带；带子；色带 (初中英语单词)
• description [di´skripʃən] n.描写 (初中英语单词)
• yankee [´jæŋki] n.美国佬；美国公民 (初中英语单词)
• energy [´enədʒi] n.活力，精力；能力 (初中英语单词)
• chorus [´kɔ:rəs] n.合唱；齐声 v.合唱 (初中英语单词)
• slavery [´sleivəri] n.奴隶制；奴役 (初中英语单词)
• glorious [´glɔ:riəs] a.光荣的；辉煌的 (初中英语单词)
• cannon [´kænən] n.大炮 (初中英语单词)
• restless [´restləs] a.没有休息的 (初中英语单词)
• banner [´bænə] n.旗(帜)；头号标题 (初中英语单词)
• statue [´stætʃu:] n.塑像，雕像 (初中英语单词)
• indian [´indiən] a.印度的 n.印度人 (初中英语单词)
• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)
• warrior [´wɔriə] n.勇士，战士 (初中英语单词)
• tremendous [tri´mendəs] a.可怕的；巨大的 (初中英语单词)
• argument [´ɑ:gjumənt] n.辩论；争论；论证 (初中英语单词)
• statesman [´steitsmən] n.政治家，国务活动家 (初中英语单词)
• splendor [´splendə] n.壮丽 =splendour (初中英语单词)
• sunset [´sʌnset] n.日落；晚霞 (初中英语单词)
• welcome [´welkəm] a.受欢迎的；可喜的 (初中英语单词)
• dreadful [´dredful] a.可怕的；讨厌的 (初中英语单词)
• pantry [´pæntri] n.食品室；餐具室 (高中英语单词)
• mighty [´maiti] a.强有力的 ad.很 (高中英语单词)
• oregon [´ɔrigən] n.俄勒冈 (高中英语单词)
• maintenance [´meintinəns] n.保持；主张；保养 (高中英语单词)
• classic [´klæsik] a.第一流的 n.杰作 (高中英语单词)
• minstrel [´minstrəl] n.吟游诗人；音乐家 (高中英语单词)
• righteous [´raitʃəs] a.正直的；正当的 (英语四级单词)
• trapper [´træpə] n.夹兽者 (英语四级单词)
• matter-of-fact [mætərɔv´fækt] a.实事求是的 (英语六级单词)
• presumably [pri´zju:məbli] ad.推测起来；大概 (英语六级单词)
• bloodshed [´blʌdʃed] n.流血；杀人 (英语六级单词)
• heaviness [´hevinis] n.重；重量 (英语六级单词)
• oration [ə´reiʃən] n.演说；引语 (英语六级单词)
• ghostly [´gəustli] a.鬼的；朦胧的 (英语六级单词)