De sarpints hissed; de painters yelled; tel', whut wid all de fussin', You c'u'dn't hardly heah de mate a-bossin' roun' an' cussin'. Now Ham, de only nigger whut wuz runnin' on de packet, Got lonesome in de barber-shop, an' c'u'dn't stan' de racket; An' so, fur to amuse he-se'f, he steamed some wood an' bent it, An' soon he had a banjo made-de fust dat wuz invented. He wet de ledder, stretched it on; made bridge an' screws an' aprin; An' fitted in a proper neck-'twuz berry long an' tap rin'; He tuk some tin, an' twisted him a thimble fur to ring it: An' den de mighty question riz: how wuz he gwine to string it? De 'possum had as fine a tail as dis dat I's a-singin'; De ha'r's so long an' thick an' strong,—des fit fur banjostringin'; Dat nigger shaved 'em off as short as washday-dinner graces: An' sorted ob 'em by de size-f'om little E's to basses. He strung her, tuned her, struck a jig,-'twas "Nebber min' de wedder," She soun' like forty-lebben bands a-playin' all toged der: Some went to pattin'; some to dancin': Noah called de figgers; An' Ham he sot an' knocked de tune, de happiest ob niggers! Now, sence dat time-it's mighty strange-dere's not de Ob any ha'r at all upon the 'possum's tail a-growin'; Fur whar you finds de nigger-dar's de banjo an' de South 56. Lizette Woodworth Reese Lizette Woodworth Reese was born January 9, 1856, at Baltimore, Maryland, where she has lived ever since. After an education obtained chiefly in private schools, she taught English in the Western High School at Baltimore. A Handful of Lavender (1891), A Quiet Road (1896) and A Wayside Lute (1909) embody an artistry which, in spite of its old-fashioned contours, is as true as it is tender. A host of the younger lyricists owe much of their technique to her admirable models, and few modern sonneteers have equaled the blended music and symbolism of "Tears." TEARS When I consider Life and its few years A wisp of fog betwixt us and the sun; A call to battle, and the battle done Ere the last echo dies within our ears; A rose choked in the grass; an hour of fears; Ye old, old dead, and ye of yesternight, Loose me from tears, and make me see aright SPICEWOOD The spicewood burns along the gray, spent sky, That whips it all before, and all behind, It is as though the young Year, ere he pass, Frank Dempster Sherman Frank Dempster Sherman was born at Peekskill, New York, May 6, 1860. He entered Columbia University in 1879, where, after graduation and a subsequent instructorship, he was made adjunct professor in 1891 and Professor of Graphics in 1904. He held the latter position until his death, which occurred September 19, 1916. Sherman never wearied of the little lyric; even the titles of his volumes are instances of his fondness for the brief melody, the sudden snatch of song: Madrigals and Catches (1887), Lyrics for a Lute (1890), Little-Folk Lyrics (1892), Lyrics of Joy (1904). A sumptuous, collected edition of his poems was published, with an Introduction by Clinton Scollard, in 1917. AT MIDNIGHT See, yonder, the belfry tower That gleams in the moon's pale lightOr is it a ghostly flower That dreams in the silent night? I listen and hear the chime And out of this flower of Time BACCHUS Listen to the tawny thief, Is the precious draught he asks. Who,-who makes this mimic din Loiters in the dainty room Bacchus 'tis, come back again Louise Imogen Guiney Louise Imogen Guiney was born at Boston, Massachusetts, in 1861. Although she attended Elmhurst Academy in Providence, most of her studying was with private tutors. In 1901 she went to England, where she lived until her death. Traditional in form and feeling, Miss Guiney's work has a distinctly personal vigor; even her earliest collection, The White Sail and Other Poems (1887), is not without individuality. Her two most characteristic volumes are A Roadside Harp (1893) and Patrins (1897). Miss Guiney died at Chirping-Camden, England, November 3, 1920. THE WILD RIDE I hear in my heart, I hear in its ominous pulses, All night, from their stalls, the importunate pawing and neighing. |