But it is time that I should leave the American lyrist to make his own appeal, with but one additional word of explanation, namely, that in this introduction Mr. Cawein's narrative poems on medieval themes, and in general his cosmopolitan writings, have been neglected of mention in favor of such nature lyrics as would present him most vividly in his own native landscape, no visitor in spirit to Europe, but at home in that bright and exuberant West--
"Where, in the hazy morning, runs The stony branch that pools and drips, Where red haws and the wild-rose hips Are strewn like pebbles; where the sun's Own gold seems captured by the weeds; To see, through scintillating seeds, The hunters steal with glimmering guns. To stand within the dewy ring Where pale death smites the boneset's blooms, And everlasting's flowers, and plumes Of mint, with aromatic wing! And hear the creek,--whose sobbing seems A wild man murmuring in his dreams,-- And insect violins that sing!"
So sweet a voice, so consonant with the music of the singers of past times, heard in a place so fresh and strange, will surely not pass without its welcome from lovers of genuine poetry.
AT REST 45 AVATARS 61 CLOUDS 59 DEAD LILY, A 40 DEAD OREAD, THE 41 DEFICIENCY 50 DISTANCE 48 DIURNAL 55 DREAMER OF DREAMS, A 24 DRYAD, THE 38 FAMILY BURYING GROUND, THE 57 HEPATICAS 17 HERON, THE 60 IN LATE FALL 72 IN MIDDLE SPRING 12 IN NOVEMBER 71 LILLITA 63 LONGINGS 9 LOVELINESS 4 MIDSUMMER 52 MIDWINTER 79 MIRABILE DICTU 22 MIRIAM 65 MOONRISE AT SEA 69 OLD BYWAY, THE 32 PAN 27 PAX VOBISCUM 43 SOUND OF THE SAP, THE 36 SPIRITS OF SPRING 19 SPRING SHOWER, A 14 STORMY SUNSET, A 29 SWEET O' THE YEAR, THE 10 TWO DAYS 67 TYRANNY 76 WAITING 7 WHAT YOU WILL 77 WITH THE SEASONS 73 WOOD GOD, THE 1 WOODLAND GRAVE, A 30 WOODPATH, THE 34
IN THE GARDENS OF FALERINA ALCALDE'S DAUGHTER, THE 187 AMADIS AT MIRAFLORES 108 AN ANTIQUE 129 BLODEUWEDD 101 EPIC, THE 183 ERMENGARDE 125 EVE OF ALL-SAINTS, THE 164 FACE TO FACE 160 GARDENS OF FALERINA, THE 85 GUINEVERE, A 153 HACKELNBERG 127 HAWKING 117 IN MYTHIC SEAS 193 ISHMAEL 189 JAAFER THE BARMECIDE 131 KING, THE 138 LOKÉ AND SIGYN 197 LOVE AS IT WAS IN THE TIME OF LOUIS XIV 171 MATER DOLOROSA 169 MELANCHOLIA 141 MINSTREL AND THE PRINCESS, THE 185 MY ROMANCE 181 ORLANDO 119 PERLE DES JARDINS 156 PRE-EXISTENCE, A 134 ROMANCE 87 TO GERTRUDE 83 TROUBADOUR, THE 176 URGANDA 112 VALLEY OF MUSIC, THE 90 WAR-SONG OF HARALD THE RED 207 WOMAN OF THE WORLD, A 150 YOLANDA OF THE TOWERS 121 YULE 209