Bliss Carman, et al., eds. The World’s Best Poetry.
Volume VI. Fancy. 1904. | | | | Poems of Sentiment: IV. Thought: Poetry: Books | | The Poet of To-day | | Sarah Jane Lippincott (Grace Greenwood) (1823–1904) |
| | | MORE than the soul of ancient song is given | |
| To thee, O poet of to-day!—thy dower | |
| Comes, from a higher than Olympian heaven, | |
| In holier beauty and in larger power. | |
| |
| To thee Humanity, her woes revealing, | 5 |
| Would all her griefs and ancient wrongs rehearse; | |
| Would make thy song the voice of her appealing, | |
| And sob her mighty sorrows through thy verse. | |
| |
| While in her season of great darkness sharing, | |
| Hail thou the coming of each promise-star | 10 |
| Which climbs the midnight of her long despairing, | |
| And watch for morning o’er the hills afar. | |
| |
| Wherever Truth her holy warfare wages, | |
| Or freedom pines, there let thy voice be heard; | |
| Sound like a prophet-warning down the ages | 15 |
| The human utterance of God’s living word. | |
| |
| But bring not thou the battle’s stormy chorus, | |
| The tramp of armies, and the roar of fight, | |
| Not war’s hot smoke to taint the sweet morn o’er us | |
| Nor blaze of pillage, reddening up the night. | 20 |
| |
| O, let thy lays prolong that angel-singing, | |
| Girdling with music the Redeemer’s star, | |
| And breathe God’s peace, to earth “glad tidings” bringing | |
| From the near heavens, of old so dim and far! | | | | |
|
|
