silent health to absent friends, their memories are bright! A hearty health to all who keep the feast with us to-night! A health to dear Centuria, oh, may she long abide! A health, a health to all the world—and the solemn ass, outside!
Dear California
(Sing to the old tune: “Araby’s Daughter”)
How bridal thy beauty, O dear California; How lovely and fragrant, how rich and how rare! Like a virgin arrayed for the day of her wedding. Thy face is aglow and thy garments are fair! With snow on thy mountains. With gold in thy fountains. Green fields at thy feet, orange bloom in thy hair. Thou greetest the Sun as thy lover and bride-groom— No land that he looks on with thee can compare.
Thy pines of the north are majestic in measure. Thy palms of the south are a joy to the sight, Thy wheatfields and orchards are fertile in treasure, Thy stars are like gems on the forehead of night. Thy children adore thee, Thy God watches o’er thee. To bless thee and keep thee and guide thee aright. Be great in thy labor and glad in thy pleasure, O dear California, our pride and delight!
Ballad of Princeton Battle
Along Assunpink’s woody bank we left our camp-fires bright, While like a fox with padded feet we stole away by night; Cornwallis watched his Trenton trap, And drained his glass, and took his nap; But the ragged troops of Washington outflanked him in the night— Up and away for Princeton, By a secret road to Princeton— We dragged our guns with muffled wheels to win another fight.
The icy trail was hard as iron, our footprints marked it red; Our frosty breath went up like smoke to the winking stars o’erhead; By Bear Swamp and by Miry Run, Our muskets weighed at least a ton; We shivered, till o’er Stony Brook we saw the sun rise red; Weary we tramped to Princeton; But all of us at Princeton Would follow our Chief through thick and thin till the last of us was dead.
We looked beyond the upper bridge, across the swollen stream, And there along the King’s highway, we saw the redcoats gleam; ’Twas Mawhood’s regiment marching down To finish us off at Trenton town! “Go cut the bridge,”—and Mercer’s men crept up along the stream. But the British turned towards Princeton, Came bravely back for Princeton; And all the rest of that dinner dim hour was wilder than a dream.
They rushed thro’ Will Clark’s orchard, among the naked trees; With horse and foot they hammered hard; their bullets sang like bees; And Mercer fell, and Hasley fell; The bayonets cut us up like hell; The chain-shot mowed a bloody path beneath the twisted trees. It looked all black for Princeton, We lost our hopes of Princeton; We wavered, and we broke and fled as leaves before the breeze.
Then down the hill from Tom Clark’s house, rode Washington aflame With holy hire through smoke and fire, like mighty Mars he came. “Come on, my men, parade with me, We’ll make the braggart redcoats flee.”— And up the hill, against the guns, rode Washington aflame. He turned the tide at Princeton; The land was saved at Princeton; And they who fought, and they who fell, won liberty and fame.
Men praise our Chief for weighty words, for counsel calm and high, For prudence and enduring will, for cool, far-seeing eye: One thing he had all else above— Courage that caught the soldier’s love, And made the soldier’s loyal heart in danger’s hour beat high. We saw it clear at Princeton; ’Twas written here at Princeton: The men who make a nation great are men who dare to die.
Christ Our Comrade
O Comrade of the Human Heart, O Son of Love Divine, Partaker of our Life Thou art And we would share in Thine.
In Thee is manhood glorified. In Thee is God adored; Our heavenly Brother, earthly Guide, Redeemer, Friend and Lord.
To all our learning lend Thy light, To all our work, Thy grace; Help us to honour Thee aright Until we see Thy face.
O Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Who died to make us free, In youth and till our latest breath We’ll trust and follow Thee.
Colophon
Poetry
includes poems published between and by Henry van Dyke Jr.
The cover page is adapted from The Embarkation of the Pilgrims,
a painting completed in by Robert Walter Weir.
The cover and title pages feature the League Spartan and Sorts Mill Goudy
typefaces created in and by The League of Moveable Type.
The volunteer-driven Standard Ebooks project relies on readers like you to submit typos, corrections, and other improvements. Anyone can contribute at standardebooks.org.
Uncopyright
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