In a small and lonely cabin out of… Sat an old man, bent and feeble, d… And beside him on the table, batte… Lay a banjo, droning forth this re… 'Night is closing in upon us, frie…

I am the mother of sorrows, I am the ender of grief; I am the bud and the blossom, I am the late—falling leaf. I am thy priest and thy poet,

‘LIAS! ’Lias! Bless de Lawd! Don’ you know de day’s erbroad? Ef you don’ git up, you scamp, Dey’ll be trouble in dis camp. Tink I gwine to let you sleep

DE win’ is blowin’ wahmah, An hit’s blowin’ f’om de bay; Dey’s a so’t o’ mist a—risin’ All erlong de meddah way; Dey ain’t a hint o’ frostin’

Temples he built and palaces of ai… And, with the artist’s parent—prid… His fancy saw his vague ideals gro… Into creations marvellously fair; He set his foot upon Fame’s nethe…

HELLO, ole man, you’re a—gittin’… An’ it beats ole Ned to see the w… 'At the crow’s feet’s a—getherin’… Tho’ it oughtn’t to cause me no su… Fur there’s many a sun 'at you’ve…

Wen I git up in de mo’nin’ an’ de… Dey’s a kin’ o’ wa’nin’ shivah goe… Den I says to my ol’ ooman ez I w… 'Don’t you so’t o’ reckon, Lizy,… ‘Go on, man,’ my Lizy answah, 'yo…

SWEETEST of the flowers a—bloo… In the fragrant vernal days Is the Lily of the Valley With its soft, retiring ways. Well, you chose this humble blosso…

O li’l’ lamb out in de col’, De Mastah call you to de fol’, O li’l’ lamb! He hyeah you bleatin’ on de hill; Come hyeah an’ keep yo’ mou’nin’ s…

THE YOUNG MASTER ASKS… Whut you say, dah? huh, uh! chile, You 's enough to dribe me wile. Want a sto’y; jes’ hyeah dat! Whah’ 'll I git a sto’y at?

Out of my heart, one day, I wrote… With my heart’s blood imbued, Instinct with passion, tremulously… With grief subdued; Breathing a fortitude

AFTER READING ‘LEAD,… Lead gently, Lord, and slow, For oh, my steps are weak, And ever as I go, Some soothing sentence speak;

THE cloud looked in at the window… And said to the day, ‘Be dark!’ And the roguish rain tapped hard o… To stifle the song of the lark. The wind sprang up in the tree top…

THE wind told the little leaves t… And chased them down the way, While the mother tree laughed loud… For she thought her babes at play. The cruel wind and the rain laughe…

Prometheus stole from Heaven the… And swept to earth with it o’er la… He lit the vestal flames of poesy, Content, for this, to brave celest… Wroth were the gods, and with eter…