Dear, I took these trackless masses Fresh from Him who fashioned them; Wrought in rock, and hewed fair passes, Flower set, as sets a gem.

Aye, I built in woe. God willed it;
Woe that passeth ghosts of guilt;
Yet I built as His birds builded.
Builded, singing as I built.

All is finished! Roads of flowers
Wait your loyal little feet.
All completed? Nay, the hours
Till you come are incomplete.

Steep below me lies the valley, Deep below me lies the town, Where great sea-ships ride and rally, And the world walks up and down.

O, the sea of lights far streaming When the thousand flags are furled When the gleaming bay lies dreaming As it duplicates the world!

You will come, my dearest, truest? Come, my sovereign queen of ten; My blue skies will then be bluest; My white rose be whitest then:

Then the song! Ah, then the sabre Flashing up the walls of night! Hate of wrong and love of neighbor — Rhymes of battle for the Right!

-

And so ye saw the eagle fall!

Struck in his flight of pride He hung in air one lightning moment, As wondering what the deadly blow meant, And what his blood's ebb tide. Whirling off sailed a loosened feather; Then headlong, pride and flight together,'T was thus ye saw the eagle fall!

Thus did ye see the eagle fall!

But on the sedgy plain,

Where closed the monarch's eye in dying, Marked ye the screaming and the vying Wherewith the feathered train, Sparrow and jackdaw, hawk and vulture,

As the things I eat are rather tough and dry;

For I live on toasted lizards,

Prickly pears, and parrot gizzards, And I'm really very fond of beetle-pie.

The clothes I had were furry, And it made me fret and worry When I found the moths were eating off the hair;

And I had to scrape and sand 'em,
And I boiled 'em and I tanned 'em,
Till I got the fine morocco suit I wear.

I sometimes seek diversion
In a family excursion

With the few domestic animals you see;
And we take along a carrot

As refreshments for the parrot,
And a little can of jungleberry tea.

Then we gather as we travel Bits of moss and dirty gravel, And we chip off little specimens of stone; And we carry home as prizes Funny bugs of handy sizes,

Just to give the day a scientific tone.

If the roads are wet and muddy We remain at home and study, For the Goat is very clever at a sum, And the Dog, instead of fighting, Studies ornamental writing,

While the Cat is taking lessons on the drum.

We retire at eleven,

And we rise again at seven;

And I wish to call attention, as I close,
To the fact that all the scholars
Are correct about their collars,
And particular in turning out their toes.