THE FOREST GREETING

  Good hunting!—­aye, good hunting,
    Wherever the forests call;
  But ever a heart beats hot with fear,
    And what of the birds that fall?

  Good hunting!—­aye, good hunting,
    Wherever the north winds blow;
  But what of the stag that calls for his mate? 
    And what of the wounded doe?

  Good hunting!—­aye, good hunting;
    And ah! we are bold and strong;
  But our triumph call through the forest hall
    Is a brother’s funeral song.

  For we are brothers ever,
    Panther and bird and bear;
  Man and the weakest that fear his face,
    Born to the nest or lair.

  Yes, brothers, and who shall judge us? 
    Hunters and game are we;
  But who gave the right for me to smite? 
    Who boasts when he smiteth me?

  Good hunting!—­aye, good hunting,
    And dim is the forest track;
  But the sportsman Death comes striding on: 
    Brothers, the way is black.

THE LILY OF THE VALLEY

  Sweetest of the flowers a-blooming
    In the fragrant vernal days
  Is the Lily of the Valley
    With its soft, retiring ways.

  Well, you chose this humble blossom
    As the nurse’s emblem flower,
  Who grows more like her ideal
    Every day and every hour.

  Like the Lily of the Valley
    In her honesty and worth,
  Ah, she blooms in truth and virtue
    In the quiet nooks of earth.

  Tho’ she stands erect in honor
    When the heart of mankind bleeds,
  Still she hides her own deserving
    In the beauty of her deeds.

  In the silence of the darkness
    Where no eye may see and know,
  There her footsteps shod with mercy,
    And fleet kindness come and go.

  Not amid the sounds of plaudits,
    Nor before the garish day,
  Does she shed her soul’s sweet perfume,
    Does she take her gentle way.

  But alike her ideal flower,
    With its honey-laden breath,
  Still her heart blooms forth its beauty
    In the valley shades of death.

ENCOURAGED

    Because you love me I have much achieved,
  Had you despised me then I must have failed,
    But since I knew you trusted and believed,
  I could not disappoint you and so prevailed.

TO J. Q.

  What are the things that make life bright? 
    A star gleam in the night. 
  What hearts us for the coming fray? 
    The dawn tints of the day. 
  What helps to speed the weary mile? 
    A brother’s friendly smile. 
  What turns o’ gold the evening gray? 
    A flower beside the way.

DIPLOMACY