At the Bars of Memory and Other Poems/Foreword
FOREWORD
Let me sing the songs o' the Common Place,
As the whitenin' years roll by;
Let me trace the smiles o' each passin' face
Let me sound each sob an' sigh;
Let me echo the laughter o' children,
An' the liquid lyrics o' birds;
Let me sing the songs in the hearts o' men
The songs without notes or words!
Ever let me sing o' the love o' life,
Let me sing o' the days I knew
When youth was mine' an' joy was rife
An' friends were ever true;
Let me sing a song o' the Common Man—
The man o' the sweat an' grime—
Who follows the windin' caravan
Through the long, slow years o' Time!
Let me sing the old time melodies—
The songs I used to know—
The sweet lullabies o' Slumberland Seas
On the shores o' Long Ago;
An' e'er let my humble pen indite
The songs that are seldom sung;
The old songs that I sought to sing an' write
In the days when my heart was young!