Page:Canadian poems of the great war.djvu/46

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Bliss Carman

One of the greatest lyric poets of this century. Author of Low Tide on Grand Pre; 'Behind the Arras,' 'Ballads of Lost Haven,' 'By the Aurelian Wall; 'Pipes of Pan' (five books), etc.; and of several books of fine essays. Born at Fredericton, N.B., April 15th, 1861, son of William Carman, barrister, and Sophia Bhss, an elder sister of the mother of Roberts. A Gold Medalist of the Unversity of New Brunswick. took postgraduate work at Edinburgh and at Harvard. Since young manhood has lived most of the time in the New England States.

TECUMSEH AND THE EAGLES

TECUMSEH of the Shawnees
He dreamed a noble dream,—
A league to hold their freedom old
And make their peace supreme.
He drew the tribes together
And bound them to maintain
Their sacred pact to stand and act
For common good and gain.

II


The eagles taught Tecumseh
The secret of their clan,—
A way to keep o'er plain and steep
The liberty of man.
The champions of freedom
They may not weary soon, Nor lay aside in foolish pride
The vigilance of noon.

Those teachers of Tecumseh
Were up to meet the dawn,
To scan the light and hold the height
Till the last light was gone.
Like specks upon the azure,
Their guards patrolled the sky,
To mount and plane and soar again
And give the warning cry.

They watched for lurking perils,
The death that skulks and crawls

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