(Full well they know that message in the darkness,
Full well return, respond within their breasts, their brains, the sad
reverberations,)
The passionate toll and clang–city to city, joining, sounding,
passing,
Those heart-beats of a Nation in the night.
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TO thee, old Cause!
Thou stern, remorseless, sweet Idea!Deathless throughout the ages, races, lands!After a strange, sad war–great war for thee,(I think all war through time was really fought, and ever will bereally fought, for thee;)These chants for thee–the eternal march of thee.Thou orb of many orbs!Thou seething principle! Thou well-kept, latent germ! Thou centre!Around the idea of thee…
AS if a phantom caress’d me,
But the one I thought was with me, as now I walk by the shore–theone I loved, that caress’d me,As I lean and look through the glimmering light–that one has utterlydisappear’d,And those appear that are hateful to me, and mock me.
THICK-SPRINKLED bunting! Flag of stars!
bloody death!For the prize I see at issue, at last is the world!All its ships and shores I see, interwoven with your threads, greedybanner!–Dream’d again the flags of kings, highest born, to flauntunrival’d?O hasten, flag of man! O with sure and steady step, passing highestflags of kings,Walk supreme to the heavens, mighty symbol–run up above…
THOU who hast slept all night upon the storm,
(Burst the wild storm? above it thou ascended’st,And rested on the sky, thy slave that cradled thee,)Now a blue point, far, far in heaven floating,As to the light emerging here on deck I watch thee,(Myself a speck, a point on the world’s floating vast.)Far, far at sea,After the night’s fierce drifts have strewn the shores…
ON my northwest coast in the midst of the night, a fishermen’s group
Out on the lake, that expands before them, others are spearingsalmon;The canoe, a dim shadowy thing, moves across the black water,Bearing a Torch a-blaze at the prow.
RESPONDEZ! Respondez!
recall;)Let every one answer! let those who sleep be waked! let none evade!Must we still go on with our affectations and sneaking?Let me bring this to a close–I pronounce openly for a newdistribution of roles;Let that which stood in front go behind! and let that which wasbehind advance to the front and speak;Let murderers, bigots,…