Arrow and the Song," by Longfellow (1807-82), is placed first in this
volume out of respect to a little girl of six years who used to love to
recite it to me. She knew many poems, but this was her favourite.
found "The Babie" in Stedman's "Anthology." It is placed in this volume
by permission of the poet, Jeremiah Eames Rankin, of Cleveland (1828-),
because it captured the heart of a ten-year-old boy whose fancy was
greatly moved by the two beautiful lines:
Dogs Delight to Bark and Bite," by Isaac Watts (1674-1748), and
"Little Drops of Water," by Ebenezer Cobham Brewer (1810-97), are poems
that the world cannot outgrow. Once in the mind, they fasten. They were
not born to die.
two stanzas, the very heart of that great poem, "The Ancient Mariner,"
by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), sum up the lesson of this
masterpiece—"Insensibility is a crime."
at the Morn," from "Pippa Passes," by Robert Browning
(1812-89), has become a very popular stanza with little folks. "All's
right with the world" is a cheerful motto for the nursery and schoolroom.
Days of the Month" is a useful bit of doggerel that we need all
through life. It is anonymous.
Royalty" and "Playing Robinson Crusoe" are pleasing stanzas from
"The Just So Stories" of Rudyard Kipling (1865-).
She was Queen of Sabaea—", "") ?>
he was Asia's Lord—", "") ?>
Shadow," by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94), is one of the most
popular short poems extant. I have taught it to a great many very young
boys, and not one has ever tried to evade learning it. Older pupils like
it equally well.
poem (George Macdonald, 1828-) finds a place in this volume because,
as a child, I loved it. It completely filled my heart, and has made every
member of the lily family dear to me. George Macdonald's charming book,
"At the Back of the North Wind," also was my wonder and delight.
the Leaves Came Down," by Susan Coolidge (1845-), appeals to children
because it helps to reconcile them to going to bed. "I go to bed by day"
is one of the crosses of childhood.
Willie Winkie," by William Miller (1810-72), is included in this
volume out of respect to an eight-year-old child who chose it from
among hundreds. We had one poetry hour every week, and he studied and
recited it with unabated interest to the end of the year.
Owl and the Pussy-Cat," by Edward Lear (1812-88), is placed here
because I once found that a timid child was much strengthened and developed
by learning it. It is a song that appeals to the imagination of children,
and they like to sing it.
Blynken, and Nod," by Eugene Field (1850-95), pleases children,
who are all by nature sailors and adventurers.
Duel," by Eugene Field (1850-95), is almost the most popular humorous
poem that has come under my notice. In making such a collection as this it
is not easy to find poems at once delicate, witty, and graphic. I have taught
"The Duel" hundreds of times, and children invariably love it.
(I wasn't there; I simply state", "") ?>
", "") ?>
(Now mind: I'm only telling you", "") ?>
", "") ?>
(Don't fancy I exaggerate!", "") ?>
", "") ?>
(The old Dutch clock it told me so,", "") ?>
", "") ?>
Boy Who Never Told a Lie" (anonymous), as well as "Whatever Brawls
Disturb the Street," by Isaac Watts (1674-1748), are real gems. A few years
ago they were more in favour than the poorer verse that has been put forward.
But they are sure to be revived.
I Had But Two Little Wings," by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834),
is recommended by a number of teachers and school-girls.
Farewell," by Charles Kingsley (1819-75), makes it seem worth while
to be good.
by Felicia Hemans (1793-1835), is the portrait of a faithful
heart, an example of unreasoning obedience. It is right that a child should
obey even to the death the commands of a loving parent.
Captain's Daughter," by James T. Fields (1816-81), carries weight
with every young audience. It is pointed to an end that children
love—viz., trust in a higher power.
"The 'village smithy' stood in Brattle Street, Cambridge. There came a time
when the chestnut-tree that shaded it was cut down, and then the children
of the place put their pence together and had a chair made for the poet from
its wood."
(1807-82) is truly the children's poet. His poems are as
simple, pathetic, artistic, and philosophical as if they were intended to
tell the plain everyday story of life to older people. "The Village
Blacksmith" has been learned by thousands of children, and there is no
criticism to be put upon it. The age of the child has nothing whatever
to do with his learning it. Age does not grade children nor is poetry
wholly to be so graded. "Time is the false reply."
Violet," by Jane Taylor (1783-1824), is another of those dear
old-fashioned poems, pure poetry and pure violet. It is included in this
volume out of respect to my own love for it when I was a child.
Rainbow," by William Wordsworth (1770-1850), accords with every
child's feelings. It voices the spirit of all ages that would love to
imagine it "a bridge to heaven."
Visit From St. Nicholas," by Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863) is the most
popular Christmas poem ever written. It carries Santa Claus on from year to
year and the spirit of Santa Claus.
Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!", "") ?>
Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!", "") ?>
In God is our trust\":", "") ?>
William" a parody by Lewis Carroll (1833-), is even more clever than
the original. Harmless fun brightens the world. It takes a real genius to create
wit that carries no sting.
Nightingale," by William Cowper (1731-1800), is a favourite with a
teacher of good taste, and I include it at her request.
", "
", "center", "70", "5", "5", "[Illustration]") ?>
Frost," by Hannah Flagg Gould (1789-1865), is perhaps a hundred years
old, but he is the same rollicking fellow to-day as of yore. The poem puts
his merry pranks to the front and prepares the way for science to give him
a true analysis.
tchich!' to tell them I'm drinking.\"", "") ?>
Billee," by William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-63), finds a
place here because it carries a good lesson good-naturedly rendered.
An accomplished teacher recommends it, and I recollect two young children
in Chicago who sang it frequently for years without getting tired of it.
Butterfly and the Bee," by William Lisle Bowles (1762-1850), is
recommended by some school-girls. It carries a lesson in favour of
the worker.
Incident of the French Camp," by Robert Browning (1812-89), is included
in this volume out of regard to a boy of eight years who did not care for
many poems, but this one stirred his heart to its depths.
of Lincoln," by William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878), is one of the
finest bird poems ever written. It finds a place here because I have seen
it used effectively as a memory gem in the Cook County Normal
School (Colonel Parker's school), year after year, and because my own
pupils invariably like to commit it to memory. With the child of six to
the student of twenty years it stands a source of delight.
Grimes" is an heirloom, an antique gem. We learn it as a matter of
course for its sparkle and glow.
Boy's Song," by James Hogg (1770-1835), is a sparkling poem, very
attractive to children.
Ironsides," by Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-94), is learned readily.
Children are untouched by the commercial spirit which is the reproach of
this age. "Ingratitude is the vice of republics," and this poem puts to
shame the love of money and the spirit of ingratitude that could let a
national servant become a wreck.
Orphant Annie" certainly earns her "board and keep" when she
has "washed the dishes," "swept up the crumbs," "driven the chickens
from the porch," and done all the other odds and ends of work on a farm.
The poet, James Whitcomb Riley (1853-), has shown how truly a little child
may be overtaxed and yet preserve a brave spirit and keen imagination.
Children invariably love to learn this poem.
Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman (1819-92), is placed here out of
compliment to a little boy aged ten who wanted to recite it once a week for
a year. This song and Edwin Markham's poem on Lincoln are two of the greatest
tributes ever paid to that hero.
by William Shakespeare (1564-1616), is an incisive thrust at
a refined vice. It is a part of education to learn to be grateful.
Ivy Green," by Charles Dickens (1812-70), is a hardy poem in honour of
a hardy plant. There is a wonderful ivy growing at Rhudlan, in northern Wales.
Its roots are so large and strong that they form a comfortable seat for many
persons, and no one can remember when they were smaller. This ivy envelops a
great castle in ruins. Every child in that locality loves the old ivy. It is
typical of the ivy as seen all through Wales and England.
Noble Nature," by Ben Jonson (1574-1637), needs no plea. A small virtue
well polished is better than none.
Flying Squirrel" is an honest account of a live creature that won his
way into scores of hearts by his mad pranks and affectionate ways. It is enough
that John Burroughs has commended the poem.
is never a boy who objects to learning "Warren's Address," by John
Pierpont (1785-1866). To stand by one's own rights is inherent in every true
American. This poem is doubtless developed from Robert Burns's
"Bannockburn." (1785-1866.)
Song in Camp" is Bayard Taylor's best effort as far as young boys and
girls are concerned. It is a most valuable poem. I once heard a clergyman in
Chicago use it as a text for his sermon. Since then "Annie Laurie" has become
the song of the Labour party. "The Song in Camp" voices a universal
feeling. (1825-78.)
Bugle Song" (by Alfred Tennyson, 1809-90), says Heydrick, "has for its
central theme the undying power of human love. The music is notable for
sweetness and delicacy."
Three Bells of Glasgow," by Whittier (1807-92), cannot be praised too
highly for its ethical value. Children always love to learn it after hearing
it read correctly and by one who understands and appreciates it. "Stand by"
is the motto. My pupils teach it to me once a year and learn it themselves,
too.
Three Bells of Glasgow", "") ?>
Three Bells!", "") ?>
Three Bells nearer ran:", "") ?>
Three Bells
Three Bells sent her cheer.", "") ?>
Three Bells, forever,", "") ?>
Three Bells of rescue,", "") ?>
never was a boy who did not like "Sheridan's Ride," by T. Buchanan
Read (1822-72). The swing and gallop in it take every boy off from his feet.
The children never teach this poem to me, because they love to learn it at
first sight. It is easily memorised.
Sandpiper," by Celia Thaxter (1836-94), is placed here because a goodly
percentage of the children who read it want to learn it.
always love "Lady Clare" and "The Lord of Burleigh." They like to
think that it is enough to be a splendid woman without title or wealth.
They want to be loved, if they are loved at all, for their good hearts
and graces of mind. Tennyson (1809-92) makes this point repeatedly through
his poems.
needs no commendation. Hundreds of thousands of children in our
land know snatches of it It is a child's poem, every line of it. One summer
in Boston more than 50,000 people went to take a peep at the poet's
house. (1807-82.)
Daffodil" is here out of compliment to a splendid school and a
splendid teacher at Poughkeepsie. I found the pupils learning the poem,
the teacher having placed a bunch of daffodils in a vase before them. It
was a charming lesson. (1770-96.)
Barleycorn" is a favourite with boys because it pictures a
successful struggle. One editor has made a temperance poem of it, mistaking
its true intent. The poem is a strong expression of a plow-man's love for a
hardy, food-giving grain which has sprung to life through
his efforts. (1759-96.)
Life on the Ocean Wave," by Epes Sargent (1813-80), gives the swing and
motion of the water of the great ocean. Children remember it almost
unconsciously after hearing it read several times.
is customary, every New Year's eve in America, to ring bells, fire guns,
send up rockets, and, in many other ways, to show joy and gratitude that
the old year has been so kind, and that the new year is so auspicious. The
emphasis in Tennyson's poem is laid on gratitude for past benefits so easily
forgotten rather than upon the possible advantages of the unknown and
untried future.
Ben Adhem" has won its way to the popular heart because the
"Brotherhood of Man" is the motto of this age. (1784-1859.)
Farm-Yard Song" was popular years ago with Burbank, the great reader.
How the boys and girls loved it! The author, J. T.
Trowbridge (1827-still living), "is a boy-hearted man," says John Burroughs.
The poem is just as popular as it ever was.
a Mouse" and "To a Mountain Daisy," by Robert Burns (1759-96), are the
ineffable touches of tenderness that illumine the sturdy plowman. The
contrast between the strong man and the delicate flower or creature at
his mercy makes tenderness in man a vital point in character.
The lines "To a Mouse" seem by report to have been composed while Burns
was actually plowing. One of the poet's first editors wrote: "John Blane,
who had acted as gaudsman to Burns, and who lived sixty years afterward, had
a distinct recollection of the turning up of the mouse. Like a thoughtless
youth as he was, he ran after the creature to kill it, but was checked and
recalled by his master, who he observed became thereafter thoughtful and
abstracted. Burns, who treated his servants with the familiarity of
fellow-labourers, soon afterward read the poem to Blane."
Frietchie" will be beloved of all times because she was an old
woman (not necessarily an old lady) worthy of her years. Old age is
honourable if it carries a head that has a halo. (1807-92.)
", "
", "center", "70", "5", "5", "[Illustration]") ?>
and "Lord Ullin's Daughter," the first by Scott (1771-1832) and
the second by Campbell (1777-1844), are companions in sentiment and equally
popular with boys who love to win anything desirable by heroic effort.
Charge of the Light Brigade" (1809-92) unlike "Casabianca" shows
obedience under stern necessity. Obedience is the salvation of any army.
John Burroughs says: "I never hear that poem but what it thrills me through
and through."
are several of Sidney Lanier's (1842-81) poems that children love
to learn. "Tampa Robins," "The Tournament" (Joust 1.), "Barnacles," "The
Song of the Chattahoochee," and "The First Steamboat Up the Alabama" are
among them. At our "poetry contests" the children have plainly demonstrated
that this great poet has reached his hand down to the youngest. The time
will doubtless come when it will be a part of education to be acquainted
with Lanier, as it is now to be acquainted with Longfellow or Tennyson.
Laddie, do you remember learning "The Wind and the Moon"? You were
eight or nine years old, and you shut your eyes and puffed out your cheeks
when you came to the line "He blew and He blew." The saucy wind made a great
racket and the calm moon never noticed it. That gave you a great deal of
pleasure, didn't it? We did not care much for the noisy, conceited
wind. (1824-.)
the Carpenter"—"same trade as me"—strikes a high note in favour
of honest toil. (1848-.)
Globe" gives us the picture of a little golden-haired girl who
covers all Europe with her dainty hands and tresses while giving a kiss
to England, her own dear native land. (1808-79.)
", "") ?>
build the ladder by which we climb" is a line worthy of any poet. J.
G. Holland (1819-81) has immortalised himself in this line, at least.
you been to Woodstock, near Oxford, England? If so, you have seen
the palace of the Duke of Marlborough, who won the battle of Blenheim.
The main point of the poem is the doubtful honour in killing in our great
wars. Southey, the poet, lived from 1774 to 1843.
by William Wordsworth (1770-1850), is placed here out of
respect to a boy of eleven years who liked the poem well enough to recite
it frequently. The scene is laid on Helvellyn, to me the most impressive
mountain of the Lake District of England. Wordsworth is a part of this
country. I once heard John Burroughs say: "I went to the Lake District
to see what kind of a country it could be that would produce a Wordsworth."
are more and more coming to recognise the fact that each individual
soul has a right to its own stages of development. "The Chambered Nautilus"
is for that reason beloved of the masses. It is one of the grandest poems
ever written. "Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul!" This line
alone would make the poem immortal. (1809-94.)
(1809-92) "Crossing the Bar" is one of the noblest death-songs
ever written. I include it in this volume out of respect to a young
Philadelphia publisher who recited it one stormy night before the
passengers of a ship when I was crossing the Atlantic, and also because
so many young people have the good taste to love it. It has been said
that next to Browning's "Prospice" it is the greatest death-song ever written.
Overland-Mail" is a most desirable poem for children to learn. When
one boy learns it the others want to follow. It takes as a hero the
man who gives common service—the one who does not lead or command,
but follows the line of duty. (1865-.)
Per runner, two bags of the Overland-Mail.\"", "") ?>
do you remember when you used to spout "Pibroch of Donald Dhu"? I
think you were ten years old. Sir Walter Scott's men all have a genius for
standing up to their guns, and boys gather up the man's genius when reciting
his verse. (1771-1832.)
Bozzaris," by Fitz-Greene Halleck (1790-1867), was in my old
school-reader. Boys and girls liked it then and they like it now. This
is another of the poems that was not born to die.
Death of Napoleon," by Isaac McClellan (1806-99), was yet another of
the good old reader songs taught us by a teacher of good taste. We love
those teachers more the older we grow.
Flag Goes By" is included out of regard to a boy of eleven years
who pleased me by his great appreciation of it. It teaches the lesson
of reverence to our great national symbol. It is published by permission
of the author, Henry Holcomb Bennett, of Ohio. (1863-.)
Wreck of the Hesperus," by Longfellow (1807-82), on "Norman's Woe,"
off the coast near Cape Ann, is a historic poem as well as an imaginative
composition.
Hesperus,", "") ?>
Hesperus,", "") ?>
can look down on the battle-field of Bannockburn from Stirling Castle,
Scotland, near which stands a magnificent statue of Robert, the Bruce. How
often have I trodden over the old battle-field. The monument of William
Wallace, too, looms up on the Ochil Hills, not far away. (1759-96.)
", "
", "center", "70", "5", "5", "[Illustration]") ?>
man is wrecked and his ship is sunken before he ever steps on board
or sees the water if his heart is hard and his estimate of human beings low.
"The Inchcape Rock" is a thrust at hard-heartedness. "What is the use of
life?" To bear one another's burdens, to develop a genius for pulling
people through hard places—that's the use of life. It is the last
resort of a mean mind to crack jokes that wreck innocent voyagers on
life's sea. (1774-1843.)
a year my pupils teach me "The Finding of the Lyre." By the time
I have learned it they know the meaning of every line and have caught the
spirit of the verse. There is an ancient "lyre," or violin, made in
northern Africa, in the possession of a Boston lady, and I have found
the mud-turtle rattle among the Indians on the Indian reservation at
Syracuse, New York. They use it as a musical instrument in their
Thanksgiving dances. The poem helps to build an interest in history
and mythology while it develops a child's reverence
and insight. (1819-91.)
Chrysalis" is a favourite poem with John Burroughs, and is
found, too, in Stedman's collection. We all come to a point in life
where we need to burst the shell and fly away
into the new realm. (1835-98.)
Burns, the plowman and poet, "dinnered wi' a lord." The story
goes that he was put at the second table. That lord is dead, but Robert
Burns still lives. He is immortal. It is "the survival of the fittest"
"For a' That and a' That" is a poem that wipes out the superficial
value put on money and other externalities. This poem is more valuable
in education than good penmanship or good spelling. (1759-96.)
[1] Coarse woolen clothes. [2] Impudent fellow. [3] Fool: blockhead.
New Arrival" is a valuable poem because it expresses the joy of
a young father over his new baby. If girls should be educated to be good
mothers, so should boys be taught that fatherhood is the highest and
holiest joy and right of man. The child is educator to the man. He
teaches him how to take responsibility, how to give unbiased
judgments, and how to be fatherly like "Our Father who is
in Heaven." (1844-.)
"The Brook" is included out of love to a dear old schoolmate in
Colorado. The real brook, near Cambridge, England, is tame compared to your
Colorado streams, O beloved comrade. This poem is well liked by the
majority of pupils. (1809-92.)
Ballad of the Clampherdown," by Rudyard Kipling, is included because
my boys always like it. It needs a great deal of explanation, and few boys
will hold out to the end in learning it. But "it pays." (1865-.)
Clampherdown", "") ?>
Clampherdown,", "") ?>
Clampherdown,", "") ?>
Clampherdown", "") ?>
Clampherdown,", "") ?>
Clampherdown,", "") ?>
Clampherdown", "") ?>
Clampherdown", "") ?>
Destruction of Sennacherib," by Lord Byron, finds a place in this
collection because Johnnie, a ten-year-old, and many of his friends say,
"It's great." (1788-1824.)
is the dearest of poems.
Eugene Field, above all other poets, paid the finest tribute to
children. This poet only, could make the whole ocean warm because a
child's heart was there to warm it.
His fair face lifts from the sea,", "") ?>
His dear voice calls out to me,—", "") ?>
learned "A Modest Wit" as a reading-lesson when I was a child.
It has clung to me and so I cling to it. It is just as good as it ever
was. It is a sharp thrust at power that depends on externalities.
Selleck Osborne. (——.)
Legend of Bishop Hatto" is doubtless a myth (Robert
Southey, 1774-1843). But "The Mouse-Tower on the Rhine" is an object
of interest to travellers, and the story has a point.
are greatly indebted to Joaquin Miller for his "Sail On! Sail
On!" Endurance is the watchword of the poem and the watchword of our
republic. Every man to his gun! Columbus discovered America in his own
mind before he realised it or proved its existence. I have often drawn
a chart of Columbus's life and voyages to show what need he had of the
motto "Sail On!" to accomplish his end. This is one of our greatest
American poems. The writer still lives in California.
a year the children learn "The Shepherd of King Admetus," which is
one of the finest poems ever written as showing the possible growth of real
history into mythology, the tendency of mankind to deify what is fine or
sublime in human action. Not every child will learn this entire poem,
because it is too long. But every child will learn the best lines in
it while the children are teaching it to me and when I take my turn
in teaching it to them. No child fails to catch the spirit and intent
of the poem and to become entirely familiar with it. (1819-91.)
have an old essay written by a lad of fourteen years on "How They
Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix." I should judge from this
essay that any boy at that age would like the poem, even if he had not
himself been over the ground as this boy had. (1812-89.)
Burial of Sir John Moore" was one of my reading-lessons when I
was a child. A distinguished teacher says: "It has become a part of popular
education," as has also "The Eve of Waterloo" and "The Death of Napoleon."
They are all poems of great rhythmical swing, intense
and graphic. (1791-1823.)
Eve of Waterloo," by Lord Byron (1788-1824). Here is another old
reading-book gem that will always be dear to every boy's heart if he only
reads it a few times.
aged eleven, do you remember how you studied and
recited "King Henry of Navarre" every poetry hour for a year? It was a
long poem, but you stuck to it to the end. We did not know the meaning
of a certain word, but I found it up in Switzerland. It is the name of
a little town. (1800-59.)
Glove and the Lions" was one of my early reading-lessons. It is an
incisive thrust at the vanity of "fair" women. A woman be a "true knight"
as well as a man. Leigh Hunt (1784-1859.)
found the Well of St. Keyne in Cornwall, England—not the
poem, but the real well. The poem is of the great body of world-lore.
Southey (1774-1843).
Nautilus and the Ammonite" finds a place here out of respect to
a twelve-year-old girl who recited it at one of our poetry hours years
ago. It made a profound impression on the fifty pupils assembled, I never
read it without feeling that it stands test. Anonymous.
wonder if the English people appreciate "The Homes of England."
It is a stately poem worthy of a Goethe or a Shakespeare. England is
distinctively a country of homes, pretty, little, humble homes as well
as stately palaces and castles, homes well made of stone or brick for
the most part, and clad with ivy and roses. Who would not be proud to
have had such a home as Ann Hathaway's humble cottage or one of the
little huts in the Lake District? The homes of America are often more
palatial, especially in small cities, but the use of wood in America
makes them less substantial than the slate-and-brick houses of
England. (1749-1835.)
at the Bridge" is too long a poem for children to memorise.
But I never saw a boy who did not want some stanzas of it. "Hold the bridge
with me!" Boys like that motto instinctively. T.B. Macaulay (1800-59).
Planting of the Apple-Tree" has become a favourite for "Arbour Day"
exercises. The planting of trees as against their destruction is a vital
point in our political and national welfare. William Cullen
Bryant (1794-1878).
", "
", "center", "70", "5", "5", "[Illustration]") ?>
"June" (by James Russell Lowell, 1819-91), is a fragment from "The Vision
of Sir Launfal." It finds a place in this volume because it is the most
perfect description of a charming day ever written.
Psalm of Life," by Henry W. Longfellow (1807-82), is like a
treasure laid up in heaven. It should be learned for its future value
to the child, not necessarily because the child likes it. Its value will
dawn on him.
(by Sidney Lanier, 1842-81), is a poem that I teach in
connection with my lessons on natural history. We have a good specimen of a
barnacle, and the children see them on the shells on the coast. The ethical
point is invaluable.
Sweet Home" (John Howard Payne, 1791-1852) is a poem that
reaches into the heart. What is home? A place where we experience
independence, safety, privacy, and where we can dispense hospitality. "The
family is the true unit."
O bella libertà, O bella!—stringing", "") ?>
O bella libertà he sang.", "") ?>
Spare That Tree" (by George Pope Morris, 1802-64) is included
in this collection because I have loved it all my life, and I never knew
any one who could or would offer a criticism upon it. Its value lies in
its recognition of childhood's pleasures.
With Me" (Henry Francis Lyte, 1793-1847) appeals to our
natural longing for the unchanging and to our love of security.
Kindly Light," by John Henry Newman (1801-90), was written when
Cardinal Newman was in the stress and strain of perplexity and mental
distress and bodily pain. The poem has been a star in the darkness to
thousands. It was the favourite poem of President McKinley.
Laurie" finds a place in this collection because it is the
most popular song on earth. Written by William Douglas, (——).
president of a well-known college writes me that "The Ship of State" was
his favourite poem when he was a boy, and did more than any other to shape
his course in life. Longfellow (1807-82).
The Constitution and Laws are here personified, and addressed
as "The Ship of State."
(Samuel Francis Smith, 1808-95) is a good poem to learn as
a poem, regardless of the fact that every American who can sing it ought
to know it, that he may join in the chorus when patriotic celebrations call
for it. My boys love to repeat the entire poem, but I often find masses of
people trying to sing it, knowing only one stanza. It is our national anthem,
and a part of our education to know every word of it.
Landing of the Pilgrims," by Felicia Hemans (1749-1835), is a
poem that children want when they study the early history of America.
main idea in "The Lotos-Eaters" is, are we justified in running
away from unpleasant duties? Or, is insensibility justifiable?
Laddie, do you recollect learning this poem after we had read the
story of "Odysseus"? "The struggle of the soul urged to action, but
held back by the spirit of self-indulgence." These were the points we
discussed. Alfred Tennyson (1809-92).
(mo'ly), by Edith M. Thomas (1850-), in the best possible
presentation of the value of integrity. This poem ranks with "Sir Galahad,"
if not above it. It is a stroke of genius, and every American ought to be
proud of it. Every time my boys read "Odysseus" or the story of Ulysses
with me we read or learn "Moly." The plant moly grows in the United States
as well as in Europe.
Drowned" (1784-1859), "Cupid Stung" (1779-1852), and "Cupid and
My Campasbe" (1558-1606) are three dainty poems recommended by Mrs.
Margaret Mooney, of the Albany Teachers' College, in her "Foundation
Studies in Literature." Children are always delighted with them.
Roseboro, one of our good authors, brought to me "A Ballad for a
Boy," saying: "I believe it is one of the poems that every child ought
to know." It is included in this compilation out of respect to her
opinion and also because the boys to whom I have read it said it was
"great," The lesson in it is certainly fine. Men who are true men
want to settle their own disputes by a hand-to-hand fight, but they
will always help each other when a third party or the elements
interfere. Humanity is greater than human interests.
Quebec.", "") ?>
La Surveillante, which means the watchful maid;", "") ?>
La Surveillante was like a sieve; the victors had no rest;", "") ?>
Quebec was burned and Farmer slain, by us remembered not;", "") ?>
Skeleton in Armour" (Longfellow, 1807-82) is a "boy's poem." It
it pure literature and good history.
(1807-92) "The Revenge" finds a welcome here because it is
a favourite with teachers of elocution and their audiences. It teaches
us to hold life cheap when the nation's safety is at stake.
Revenge ran on sheer into the heart of the foe,", "") ?>
San Philip that, of fifteen hundred tons,", "") ?>
San Philip hung above us like a cloud", "") ?>
Galahad is the most moral and upright of all the Knights of the Round
Table. The strong lines of the poem (Tennyson, 1809-92) are the strong lines
of human destiny—
Name in the Sand," by Hannah Flagg Gould (1789-1865), is a poem to
correct our ready overestimate of our own importance.
", "
", "center", "70", "5", "5", "[Illustration]") ?>
Voice of Spring," by Felicia Hemans (1749-1835), becomes attractive
as years go on. The line in this poem that captivated my youthful fancy was:
The delight with which trees hang out their new little tassels every year
is one of the charms of "the pine family." John Burroughs sent us down a
tiny hemlock, that grew in our window-box at school for five years, and every
spring it was a new joy on account of the fine, tender tassels. Mrs. Hemans
had a vivid imagination backed up by an abundant information.
Forsaken Merman," by Matthew Arnold (1822-88), is a poem that I
do not expect children to appreciate fully, even when they care enough for
it to learn it. It is too long for most children to commit to memory, and
I generally assign one stanza to one pupil and another to another pupil
until it is divided up among them. The poem is a masterpiece. Doubtless
the poet meant to show that the forsaken merman had a greater soul to
save than the woman who sought to save her soul by deserting natural
duty. Salvation does not come through the faith that builds itself at
the expense of love.
Banks o' Doon," by Robert Burns (1759-96). Bonnie Doon is in the
southwestern part of Scotland. Robert Burns's old home it close to it.
The house has low walls, a thatched roof, and only two rooms. Alloway
Kirk and the two bridges so famous in Robert Burns's verse are near by.
This is an enchanted land, and the Scotch people for miles around Ayr
speak of the poet with sincere affection. Burns, more than any other poet,
has thrown the enchantment of poetry over his own locality.
John Burroughs (1837-) had never written any other poem than "My
Own Shall Come to Me," he would have stood to all ages as one of the
greatest of American poets. The poem is most characteristic of the tall,
majestic, slow-going poet and naturalist. There is no greater line in
Greek or English literature than
"Ode to a Skylark," by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), is usually
assigned to "grammar grades" of schools. It is included here out of
respect to a boy of eleven years who was more impressed with these
lines than with any other lines in any poem:
have often had the pleasure of riding across the coast from
Chester, England, to Rhyl, on the north coast of Wales, where
stretch "The Sands of Dee" (Charles Kingsley, 1819-75). These purple
sands at low tide stretch off into the sea miles away, and are said to
be full of quicksands."
Wish" (by Samuel Rogers, 1763-1855) and "Lucy"
(by Wordsworth, 1770-1850) are two gems that can be valued only for the
spirit of quiet and modesty diffused by them.
Anderson," by Robert Burns (1759-96). This poem is included
to please several teachers.
God of Music," by Edith M. Thomas, an Ohio poetess now living.
In this sonnet the poetess has touched the power of Wordsworth or Keats
and placed herself among the immortals.
Musical Instrument" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-61). This
poem is the supreme masterpiece of Mrs. Browning. The prime thought in it
is the sacrifice and pain that must go to make a poet of any genius.
Brides of Enderby," by Jean Ingelow (1830-97). This poem is very
dramatic, and the music of the refrain has done much to make it popular.
But the pathos is that which endears it.
Lye," by Sir Walter Raleigh (1552-1618), is one of the
strongest and most appealing poems a teacher can read to her pupils when
teaching early American history. The poem is full of magnificent lines,
such as "Go, soul, the body's guest." The poem never lacks an attentive
audience of young people when correlated with the study of North Carolina
and Sir Walter Raleigh. The solitary, majestic character of Sir Walter
Raleigh, his intrepidity while undergoing tortures inflicted by a cowardly
king, the ring of indignation—- all these make a weapon for him
stronger than the ax that beheaded him. In this poem he "has the last
word."
by Rudyard Kipling, is a favourite on account of its
sweeping assertion of the individual's right to self-development.
by Edward Dyer (1545-1607). This poem holds much to
comfort and control people who are shut up to the joys of
meditation—people to whom the world of activity is closed. To be
independent of things material—this is the soul's pleasure.
Old Oaken Bucket," by Samuel Woodworth (1785-1848), is a poem we
love because it is an elegant expression of something very dear and homely.
Raven," by Edgar Allan Poe (1809-49), is placed here because so
many college men speak of it at once as the great poem of their
boyhood. The poem caught me when a child by its refrain and weird
picturesqueness. It has never outgrown its mechanical charm.
an excerpt from "The Merchant of Venice," "Polonius' Advice,"
from "Hamlet," and "Antony's Speech," from "Julius Cæsar" (all fragments
from Shakespeare, 1564-1616), find a place in this book because a well-known
New York teacher—one who is unremitting in his efforts to raise the
good taste and character of his pupils—says: "A book of poetry could
not be complete without these extracts."
Choir Invisible" (by George Eliot, 1819-80) is a fitting
exposition in poetry of this "Shakespeare of prose."
World Is Too Much With Us," by Wordsworth (1770-1850), is
perhaps the greatest sonnet ever written. It is true that "the eyes
of the soul" are blinded by a surfeit of worldly "goods." "I went to
the Lake District" (England), said John Burroughs, "to see what kind
of a country could produce a Wordsworth." Of course he found simple
houses, simple people, barren moors, heather-clad mountains, wild
flowers, calm lakes, plain, rugged simplicity.
on His Blindness" (by John Milton, 1608-74). This is the
most stately and pathetic sonnet in existence. The soul enduring
enforced idleness and loss of power without repining. Inactivity
made to serve a higher end.
Was a Phantom of Delight" (by William Wordsworth, 1770-1850)
is included here because it is a picture of woman as she should be,
not made dainty by finery, but by fine ideals—
Written in a Country Churchyard" (Gray, 1716-71). I once
drove from Windsor Castle through Eton, down the long hedge-bound road
which passes the estate of William Penn's descendants to Stoke Pogis, the
little churchyard where this poem was written. They were trimming a great
yew-tree under which Gray was said to have written this poem. The scene
is one of peace and quiet. The "elegy" was a favourite form of poem
with the ancients, but Gray is said to have reached the climax among
poets in this style of verse. The great line of the poem is:
It would almost seem that poetry has for its greatest mission the
lesson of a proper humility.
Ben Ezra" (by Robert Browning, 1812-89). Youth is for
dispute and age for counsel; each year, each period of a man's life
is but the necessary step to the next. Youth is an uncertain thing
to bank on.
"Rabbi Ben Ezra" is a plea for each period in life.
Aspiration is the keynote.
by Robert Browning (1812-89), is the greatest death song
ever written. It is a battle-song and a pæan of victory.
This poem is included in this book because these lines are
enough to reconcile any one to any fate.
Recessional" (by Rudyard Kipling, 1865-) is one of the most
popular poems of this century. It is a warning to an age and a nation
drunk with power, a rebuke to materialistic tendencies and boastfulness,
a protest against pride.
of Egypt," by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822). This
sonnet is a rebuke to the insolent pride of kings and empires. It
is extremely picturesque. It finds a place here because more elderly
scholars of good judgment are pleased with it. I remember an old
gray-haired scholar in Chicago who often recited it to his friends
merely because it touched his fancy.
(by William Knox, 1789-1825) is always quoted as
Lincoln's favourite poem.
First Looking Into Chapman's 'Homer,'" by John Keats (1795-1821).
The last four lines of this sonnet form the most tremendous climax in
literature. The picture is as vivid as if done with a brush. Every
great book, every great poem is a new world, an undiscovered country.
Every learned person is a whole territory, a universe of new thought.
Every one who does anything with a heart for it, every specialist
every one, however simple, who is strenuous and genuine, is
a "new discovery." Let us give credit to the smallest planet
that is true to its own orbit.
Riel" (by Robert Browning, 1812-89) is a poem for older boys.
Here is a hero who does a great deed simply as a part of his day's work.
He puts no value on what he has done, because he could have
done no other way.
Formidable here, with her twelve and eighty guns,", "") ?>
Formidable clear,", "") ?>
Problem" (by Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-80) is quoted from one
end of the world to the other. Emerson teaches one lesson above all
others, that each soul must work out for itself its latent force, its
own individual expression, and that with a "sad sincerity." "The bishop
of the soul" can do no more.
America," included by permission of the Poet Laureate, is a
good poem and a great poem. It is a keen thrust at the common
practice of teaching American children to hate the English of these
days on account of the actions of a silly old king dead a hundred years.
Alfred Austin deserves great credit for this poem.
is quite true that the English flag stands for freedom the world over.
Wherever it floats almost any one is safe, whether English or not.
[Above the portico the Union Jack remained fluttering in the flames
for some time, but ultimately when it fell the crowds rent the air
with shouts, and seemed to see significance in the
incident.—Daily Papers.]