IRENE ELDER MORTON

IRENE ELDER MORTON

HE sits at last among his peers,While we stand chilled with eyes grown dimIn looking over life's grey fields,And feel the heart-light folded in.O great soul! entered in to knowThe fulness of the Central Life!O giant leader of the race,Who never with the world made strife,But led it surely, grandly on,Scaling clear heights with leap and bound,—Then, beckoning with a strong man's hand,He kept his way to higher ground!No maudlin cry he gave the world,—"Behold my grief, pity my pain;"Strong as the breath of Alpine hills,Sweet as the sound of summer rain,The songs he gave us. EvermoreThe deathless might of English speechShall sound their notes from shore to shore,And to the coming nations teachThat it is nobler to endure,And smother back the cry of pain—Shall call us onward to the heights,To press ahead and bear the strain.He wore no caste-bound fetters here;A man of men he proved his soul;The mighty pulse within his wordsBeat full and free above control.The illumined fringes of his thoughtsHave set the world's face after him,As one would follow clear flute notesHeard in cool aisles of forests dim.With loving face of child and friendTo look on as the last of earth,God wrapt him in a robe of light,And gave him strong immortal birth.He looks again in the clear eyesOf her, the love-dream of his youth,The moonlit side of his great heart,To whom he gave his manhood's truth.Perfect conditions of new lifeAre vibrant to his being there,—Gone in to feel the wider thrill,Gone in to breathe the purer air.

HE sits at last among his peers,While we stand chilled with eyes grown dimIn looking over life's grey fields,And feel the heart-light folded in.O great soul! entered in to knowThe fulness of the Central Life!O giant leader of the race,Who never with the world made strife,But led it surely, grandly on,Scaling clear heights with leap and bound,—Then, beckoning with a strong man's hand,He kept his way to higher ground!No maudlin cry he gave the world,—"Behold my grief, pity my pain;"Strong as the breath of Alpine hills,Sweet as the sound of summer rain,The songs he gave us. EvermoreThe deathless might of English speechShall sound their notes from shore to shore,And to the coming nations teachThat it is nobler to endure,And smother back the cry of pain—Shall call us onward to the heights,To press ahead and bear the strain.He wore no caste-bound fetters here;A man of men he proved his soul;The mighty pulse within his wordsBeat full and free above control.The illumined fringes of his thoughtsHave set the world's face after him,As one would follow clear flute notesHeard in cool aisles of forests dim.With loving face of child and friendTo look on as the last of earth,God wrapt him in a robe of light,And gave him strong immortal birth.He looks again in the clear eyesOf her, the love-dream of his youth,The moonlit side of his great heart,To whom he gave his manhood's truth.Perfect conditions of new lifeAre vibrant to his being there,—Gone in to feel the wider thrill,Gone in to breathe the purer air.

HE sits at last among his peers,While we stand chilled with eyes grown dimIn looking over life's grey fields,And feel the heart-light folded in.

HE sits at last among his peers,

While we stand chilled with eyes grown dim

In looking over life's grey fields,

And feel the heart-light folded in.

O great soul! entered in to knowThe fulness of the Central Life!O giant leader of the race,Who never with the world made strife,

O great soul! entered in to know

The fulness of the Central Life!

O giant leader of the race,

Who never with the world made strife,

But led it surely, grandly on,Scaling clear heights with leap and bound,—Then, beckoning with a strong man's hand,He kept his way to higher ground!

But led it surely, grandly on,

Scaling clear heights with leap and bound,—

Then, beckoning with a strong man's hand,

He kept his way to higher ground!

No maudlin cry he gave the world,—"Behold my grief, pity my pain;"Strong as the breath of Alpine hills,Sweet as the sound of summer rain,

No maudlin cry he gave the world,—

"Behold my grief, pity my pain;"

Strong as the breath of Alpine hills,

Sweet as the sound of summer rain,

The songs he gave us. EvermoreThe deathless might of English speechShall sound their notes from shore to shore,And to the coming nations teach

The songs he gave us. Evermore

The deathless might of English speech

Shall sound their notes from shore to shore,

And to the coming nations teach

That it is nobler to endure,And smother back the cry of pain—Shall call us onward to the heights,To press ahead and bear the strain.

That it is nobler to endure,

And smother back the cry of pain—

Shall call us onward to the heights,

To press ahead and bear the strain.

He wore no caste-bound fetters here;A man of men he proved his soul;The mighty pulse within his wordsBeat full and free above control.

He wore no caste-bound fetters here;

A man of men he proved his soul;

The mighty pulse within his words

Beat full and free above control.

The illumined fringes of his thoughtsHave set the world's face after him,As one would follow clear flute notesHeard in cool aisles of forests dim.

The illumined fringes of his thoughts

Have set the world's face after him,

As one would follow clear flute notes

Heard in cool aisles of forests dim.

With loving face of child and friendTo look on as the last of earth,God wrapt him in a robe of light,And gave him strong immortal birth.

With loving face of child and friend

To look on as the last of earth,

God wrapt him in a robe of light,

And gave him strong immortal birth.

He looks again in the clear eyesOf her, the love-dream of his youth,The moonlit side of his great heart,To whom he gave his manhood's truth.

He looks again in the clear eyes

Of her, the love-dream of his youth,

The moonlit side of his great heart,

To whom he gave his manhood's truth.

Perfect conditions of new lifeAre vibrant to his being there,—Gone in to feel the wider thrill,Gone in to breathe the purer air.

Perfect conditions of new life

Are vibrant to his being there,—

Gone in to feel the wider thrill,

Gone in to breathe the purer air.


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