Traced, with his golden pen, On the deathless page, truths half so sage And had he not high honor, To lie in state while angels wait, And the dark rock-pines, like tossing plumes, Over his bier to wave, And God's own hand in that lonely land, In that deep grave without a name, Shall break again, O wondrous thought! And stand, with glory wrapped around, And speak of the strife that won our life, O lonely tomb in Moab's land! O dark Beth-peor's hill! Speak to these curious hearts of ours, And teach them to be still. God hath his mysteries of grace, Ways that we cannot tell; He hides them deep, like the secret sleep Of him he loved so well. -Cecil Frances Alexander. NOTES 1. Study the wanderings of the children of Israel in the wilderness, on any good map. 2. Locate each of the places mentioned in the introduction of the poem. 3. Transept. The cross aisles in a cathedral constructed in the form of a cross, with one long aisle and one short aisle crossing the long one. The cross aisle is called the transept. The transept divides the long aisle into the two unequal parts, the longer of which is called the nave, the shorter the chòir. 4. Look up the following words and expressions: sepulcher, tramping, crown, verdure, lonely, eyrie, arms reversed, emblazoned, pall, lie in state, bier, uncoffined clay, mysteries of grace, incarnate. EXERCISES 1. Tell something of the story of Moses' life. 2. Why was Moses not permitted to lead the children of Israel into the promised land? 3. Where was Moses buried? 4. What sort of funeral procession does the poet say honored Moses? 5. Explain "Beast and bird have seen and heard that which man knoweth not." 6. How are warriors usually laid to rest? 7. How are bards and sages usually honored after death? 8. Why then should this bravest of warriors, this most gifted poet, statesman, and philosopher have no such honor given him? 9. What high honors did he have shown him? 10. What mystery lies in this poem? What do you think is the explanation? ADDITIONAL READINGS WOLFE: Burial of Sir John Moore. GILDER: Burial of Grant. ALBEE: A Soldier's Grave. BOKER: Dirge for a Soldier. KNOX: Oh, Why Should the Spirit of Mortal Be Proud? O'HARA: Bivouac of the Dead. SERVICE There is a destiny that makes us brothers. All that is sent into the lives of others -Edwin Markham. THINK FOR THYSELF Think for thyself-one good idea, -Sir Walter Scott. TRUTH Truth crushed to earth shall rise again, -William Cullen Bryant. LINCOLN, THE GREAT COMMONER AS S Abraham Lincoln lay dying, Edmund Stanton, the great War Secretary, said, "Now he belongs to the ages." At the time, few or none comprehended the import of this saying. With the passing years, not statesmen alone nor Americans alone, but the world is beginning to see that the wisdom of the speaker is being verified hourly. Everywhere the martyrpresident's wisdom, tenderness, and simplicity have been discussed until he has become the accepted type of these virtues. His old friends, the members of his cabinet, his letters, and every conceivable source have been besought for additional material concerning the habits, character and life of this great American. Authors of alı degrees of prominence have laid their meed of praise upon the monument of Lincoln Literature until it has grown to bewildering magnitude. No man has ever received more eloquent or more finely conceived tributes than "The kindly-earnest, brave, foresceing man, Sagacious, patient, dreading praise not blame, New birth of our new soil, the first American." Among all the splendid tributes paid, none excels in beauty, aptness, and dignity the follow ing written by Edwin Markham, the author of "The Man with the Hoe." LINCOLN, THE GREAT COMMONER* When the Norn-Mother saw the Whirlwind Hour, Greatening and darkening as it hurried on, *Used by the courteous permission of the Editor of McClure's Magazine, in which the poem was first published. |