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Poems, now first collected

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New York: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, pages iii–xii

POEMS

NOW FIRST

COLLECTED: By

EDMUND CLARENCE

STEDMAN





BOSTON: HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN

AND COMPANY: NEW YORK


MDCCCXCVII


COPYRIGHT 1897
BY EDMUND CLARENCE STEDMAN
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED


TO MY WIFE


CONTENTS

I
VARIOUS POEMS

PAGE
MUSIC AT HOME 3
THE HAND OF LINCOLN 5
NOCTURNE 8
"YE TOMBE OF YE POET CHAUCER" 10
THE CONSTANT HEART 14
GUESTS AT YULE 16
THE OLD PICTURE-DEALER 18
THE WORLD WELL LOST 22
HEBE 24
SOUVENIR DE JEUNESSE 30
A VIGIL 32
THE STAR BEARER 34
EVENTIDE 38
HELEN KELLER 39
PORTRAIT D'UNE DAME ESPAGNOLE 41
A SEA-CHANGE, AT KELP ROCK 43
HAREBELL 48
THE PILGRIMS 51
MORS BENEFICA 52
PROEM TO A VICTORIAN ANTHOLOGY 53
ON WHITE CARNATIONS GIVEN ME FOR MY BIRTHDAY 54
FATHER JARDINE 55
FIN DE SIÈCLE 58
 

II
OTHER SONGS AND BALLADS

FALSTAFF'S SONG 65
PROVENÇAL LOVERS 67
THE WEDDING-DAY 70
THE DUTCH PATROL 72
WITCHCRAFT, I., A. D. 1692 77
", II., A. D. 1884 79
AARON BURR'S WOOING 81
COUSIN LUCRECE 84
HUNTINGTON HOUSE 89
CENTURIA 92
INSCRIPTIONS 94
 

III
COMMEMORATIONS

THE DEATH OF BRYANT 97
GIFFORD 103
CORDA CONCORDIA 105
ON A GREAT MAN WHOSE MIND IS CLOUDING 115
ON THE DEATH OF AN INVINCIBLE SOLDIER 116
LIBERTY ENLIGHTENING THE WORLD 119
AD VIGILEM 122
"ERGO IRIS" 123
W. W. 124
BYRON 125
YALE ODE FOR COMMENCEMENT DAY 130
"UBI SUNT QUI ANTE NOS?" 132
 

IV
THE CARIB SEA

KENNST DU? 141
SARGASSO WEED 145
CASTLE ISLAND LIGHT 147
CHRISTOPHE 153
LA SOURCE 155
TO L. H. S. 159
JAMAICA 162
CREOLE LOVER'S SONG 166
THE ROSE AND THE JASMINE 169
FERN-LAND 174
MORGAN 181
CAPTAIN FRANCISCA 184
PANAMA 190
MARTINIQUE IDYL 192
ASTRA CAELI 196
 

V
ARIEL

ARIEL 201


Note—Having delayed collecting my own poems of recent years, I now find them so various in theme, motive, and expression as to render their arrangement a somewhat difficult task. The plan finally adopted seems as good as any other. With few exceptions, the pieces within each of the general divisions are given in the order of their composition as shown by the respective dates. The Caribbean series has been completed for this volume, and much of it appears for the first time.

E. C. S.


Thou,—whose endearing hand once laid in sooth
Upon thy follower, no want thenceforth,
Nor toil, nor joy and pain, nor waste of years
Filled with all cares that deaden and subdue,
Can make thee less to him—can make thee less
Than sovereign queen, his first liege, and his last
Remembered to the unconscious dying hour,—
Return and be thou kind, bright Spirit of song,
Thou whom I yet loved most, loved most of all
Even when I left thee—I, now so long strayed
From thy beholding! And renew, renew
Thy gift to me fain clinging to thy robe!
Still be thou kind, for still thou wast most dear.


1897



This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

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