POEMS OF PURPOSE

BY ELLA WHEELER WILCOX

GAY AND HANCOCK, LTD. 54 HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN LONDON 1919

All rights reserved

p. vCONTENTS

PAGE

A Good Sport

1

A Son Speaks

5

The Younger Born

9

Happiness

14

Seeking for Happiness

18

The Island of Endless Play

20

The River of Sleep

23

The Things that Count

25

Limitless

27

What They Saw

28

The Convention

32

Protest

35

A Bachelor to a Married Flirt

37

The Superwoman

40

Certitude

43

Compassion

44

Love

45

Three Souls

46

When Love is Lost

49

Occupation

50

The Valley of Fear

53

What would it be?

55

p. viAmerica

57

War Mothers

60

A Holiday

64

The Undertone

66

Gypsying

69

Song of the Road

71

The Faith we Need

73

The Price he Paid

76

Divorced

79

The Revealing Angels

83

The Well-born

87

Sisters of Mine

89

Answer

91

The Graduates

93

The Silent Tragedy

95

The Trinity

99

The Unwed Mother to the Wife

101

Father and Son

104

Husks

107

Meditations

109

The Traveller

113

What Have You Done?

115

p. viiN.B.—The only volumes of my Poems issued with my approval in the British Empire are published by Messrs. Gay & Hancock.

ELLA WHEELER WILCOX.

p. 1A GOOD SPORT

I was a little lad, and the older boys called to me from the pier: They called to me: ‘Be a sport: be a sport! Leap in and swim!’ I leaped in and swam, though I had never been taught a stroke. Then I was made a hero, and they all shouted: ‘Well done! Well done, Brave boy, you are a sport, a good sport!’ And I was very glad.

But now I wish I had learned to swim the right way, Or had never learned at all. Now I regret that day, For it led to my fall.

I was a youth, and I heard the older men talking of the road to wealth; They talked of bulls and bears, of buying on margins, p. 2And they said, ‘Be a sport, my boy, plunge in and win or lose it all! It is the only way to fortune.’ So I plunged in and won; and the older men patted me on the back, And they said, ‘You are a sport, my boy, a good sport!’ And I was very glad.

But now I wish I had lost all I ventured on that day— Yes, wish I had lost it all. For it was the wrong way, And pushed me to my fall.

I was a young man, and the gay world called me to come; Gay women and gay men called to me, crying: ‘Be a sport; be a good sport! Fill our glasses and let us fill yours. We are young but once; let us dance and sing, And drive the dull hours of night until they stand at bay Against the shining bayonets of day.’ So I filled my glass, and I filled their glasses, over and over again, p. 3And I sang and danced and drank, and drank and danced and sang, And I heard them cry, ‘He is a sport, a good sport!’ As they held their glasses out to be filled again. And I was very glad.

Oh the madness of youth and song and dance and wine, Of woman’s eyes and lips, when the night dies in the arms of dawn! And now I wish I had not gone that way. Now I wish I had not heard them say, ‘He is a sport, a good sport!’ For I am old who should be young. The splendid vigour of my youth I flung Under the feet of a mad, unthinking throng. My strength went out with wine and dance and song; Unto the winds of earth I tossed like chaff, With idle jest and laugh, The pride of splendid manhood, all its wealth Of unused power and health— Its dream of looking into some pure girl’s eyes And finding there its earthly paradise— p. 4Its hope of virile children free from blight— Its thoughts of climbing to some noble height Of great achievement—all these gifts divine I cast away for song and dance and wine. Oh, I have been a sport, a good sport; But I am very sad.

p. 5A SON SPEAKS

Mother, sit down, for I have much to say Anent this widespread ever-growing theme Of woman and her virtues and her rights.

I left you for the large, loud world of men, When I had lived one little score of years. I judged all women by you, and my heart Was filled with high esteem and reverence For your angelic sex; and for the wives, The sisters, daughters, mothers of my friends I held but holy thoughts. To fallen stars (Of whom you told me in our last sweet talk, Warning me of the dangers in my path) I gave wide pity as you bade me to, Saying their sins harked back to my base sex.

p. 6Now listen, mother mine: Ten years have passed Since that clean-minded and pure-bodied youth, Thinking to write his name upon the stars, Went from your presence. He returns to you Fallen from his altitude of thought, Hiding deep scars of sins upon his soul, His fair illusions shattered and destroyed. And would you know the story of his fall?

He sat beside a good man’s honoured wife At her own table. She was beautiful As woods in early autumn. Full of soft And subtle witcheries of voice and look— His senior, both in knowledge and in years.

The boyish admiration of his glance Was white as April sunlight when it falls Upon a blooming tree, until she leaned So close her rounded body sent quick thrills Along his nerves. He thought it accident, And moved a little; soon she leaned again. The half-hid beauties of her heaving breast Rising and falling under scented lace, The teasing tendrils of her fragrant hair, With intermittent touches on his cheek, p. 7Changed the boy’s interest to a man’s desire. She saw that first young madness in his eyes And smiled and fanned the flame. That was his fall; And as some mangled fly may crawl away And leave his wings behind him in the web, So were his wings of faith in womanhood Left in the meshes of her sensuous net.

The youth, forced into sudden manhood, went Seeking the lost ideal of his dreams. He met, in churches and in drawing-rooms, Women who wore the mask of innocence And basked in public favour, yet who seemed To find their pleasure playing with men’s hearts, As children play with loaded guns. He heard (Until the tale fell dull upon his ears) The unsolicited complaints of wives And mothers all unsatisfied with life, While crowned with every blessing earth can give Longing for God knows what to bring content, And openly or with appealing look Asking for sympathy. (The first blind step That leads from wifely honour down to shame, Is ofttimes hid with flowers of sympathy.)

p. 8He saw proud women who would flush and pale With sense of outraged modesty if one Spoke of the ancient sin before them, bare To all men’s sight, or flimsily conceal By veils that bid adventurous eyes proceed, Charms meant alone for lover and for child. He saw chaste virgins tempt and tantalise, Lure and deny, invite—and then refuse, And drive men forth half crazed to wantons’ arms.

Mother, you taught me there were but two kinds Of women in the world—the good and bad. But you have been too sheltered in the safe, Old-fashioned sweetness of your quiet life, To know how women of these modern days Make licence of their new-found liberty. Why, I have been more tempted and more shocked By belles and beauties in the social whirl, By trusted wives and mothers in their homes, Than by the women of the underworld Who sell their favours. Do you think me mad? No, mother; I am sane, but very sad.

I miss my boyhood’s faith in woman’s worth— Torn from my heart, by ‘good folks’ of the earth.

p. 9THE YOUNGER BORN

The modern English-speaking young girl is the astonishment of the world and the despair of the older generation. Nothing like her has ever been seen or heard before. Alike in drawing-rooms and the amusement places of the people, she defies conventions in dress, speech, and conduct. She is bold, yet not immoral. She is immodest, yet she is chaste. She has no ideals, yet she is kind and generous. She is an anomaly and a paradox.

We are the little daughters of Time and the World his wife, We are not like the children, born in their younger life, We are marred with our mother’s follies and torn with our father’s strife.

We are the little daughters of the modern world, And Time, her spouse. She has brought many children to our father’s house Before we came, when both our parents were content

p. 10With simple pleasures and with quiet homely ways. Modest and mild Were the fair daughters born to them in those fair days, Modest and mild.

But Father Time grew restless and longed for a swifter pace, And our mother pushed out beside him at the cost of her tender grace, And life was no more living but just a headlong race.

And we are wild— Yea, wild are we, the younger born of the World Into life’s vortex hurled. With the milk of our mother’s breast We drank her own unrest, And we learned our speech from Time Who scoffs at the things sublime. Time and the World have hurried so They could not help their younger born to grow; We only follow, follow where they go.

p. 11They left their high ideals behind them as they ran; There was but one goal, pleasure, for Woman or for Man, And they robbed the nights of slumber to lengthen the days’ brief span.

We are the demi-virgins of the modern day; All evil on the earth is known to us in thought, But yet we do it not. We bare our beauteous bodies to the gaze of men, We lure them, tempt them, lead them on, and then Lightly we turn away. By strong compelling passion we are never stirred; To us it is a word— A word much used when tragic tales are told; We are the younger born, yet we are very old In understanding, and our knowledge makes us bold. Boldly we look at life, Loving its stress and strife, And hating all conventions that may mean restraint, Yet shunning sin’s black taint.

p. 12We know wine’s taste; And the young-maiden bloom and sweetness of our lips Is often in eclipse Under the brown weed’s stain. Yet we are chaste; We have no large capacity for joy or pain, But an insatiable appetite for pleasure. We have no use for leisure And never learned the meaning of that word ‘repose.’ Life as it goes Must spell excitement for us, be the cost what may. Speeding along the way,

We ofttimes pause to do some generous little deed, And fill the cup of need; For we are kind at heart, Though with less heart than head, Unmoral, not immoral, when the worst is said; We are the product of the modern day.

p. 13We are the little daughters of Time and the World his wife, We are not like the children, born in their younger life, We are marred with our mother’s follies and torn with our father’s strife.

p. 14HAPPINESS

There are so many little things that make life beautiful. I can recall a day in early youth when I was longing for happiness. Toward the western hills I gazed, watching for its approach. The hills lay between me and the setting sun, and over them led a highway. When some traveller crossed the hill, always a fine grey dust rose cloudless against the sky. The traveller I could not distinguish, but the dust-cloud I could see.

And the dust-cloud seemed formed of hopes and possibilities—each speck an embryo event. At sunset, when the skies were fair, the dust-cloud grew radiant and shone with visions. p. 15The happiness for which I waited came not to me adown that western slope, But now I can recall the cloud of golden dust, the sunset, and the highway leading over the hill, The wonderful hope and expectancy of my heart, the visions of youth in my eyes; and I know this was happiness.

There are so many little things that make life beautiful. I can recall another day when I rebelled at life’s monotony. Everywhere about me was the commonplace; and nothing seemed to happen. Each day was like its yesterday, and to-morrow gave no promise of change. My young heart rose rebellious in my breast; and I ran aimlessly into the sunlight—the glowing sunlight of June. I sent out a dumb cry to Fate, demanding larger joys and more delight. I ran blindly into a field of blooming clover. It was breast-high, and billowed about me like rose-red waves of a fragrant sea.

p. 16The bees were singing above it; and their little brown bodies were loaded with honey-dew, extracted from the clover blossoms. The sun reeled in the heavens dizzy with its own splendour. The day went into night, without bringing any new event to change my life. But now I recall the field of blooming clover, and the honey-laden bees, the glorious June sunlight, and the passion of youth in my heart; and I know that was happiness.

There are so many little things that make life beautiful. Yesterday a failure stared me in the face, where I had thought to welcome proud success. There was no radiant cloud of dust against the western sky, and no clover field lying fragrant under mid-June suns, Neither was youth with me any more.

But under the vines that clung against my walls, a flock of birds sought shelter just at twilight; p. 17And, standing at my casement, I could hear the twitter of their voices and the soft, sweet flutter of their wings. Then over me there fell a sense of peace and calm, and love for all created things, and trust illimitable.

And that I knew was happiness.

There are so many little things to make life beautiful.

p. 18SEEKING FOR HAPPINESS

Seeking for happiness we must go slowly; The road leads not down avenues of haste; But often gently winds through by ways lowly, Whose hidden pleasures are serene and chaste Seeking for happiness we must take heed Of simple joys that are not found in speed.

Eager for noon-time’s large effulgent splendour, Too oft we miss the beauty of the dawn, Which tiptoes by us, evanescent, tender, Its pure delights unrecognised till gone. Seeking for happiness we needs must care For all the little things that make life fair.

Dreaming of future pleasures and achievements We must not let to-day starve at our door; Nor wait till after losses and bereavements Before we count the riches in our store. p. 19Seeking for happiness we must prize this— Not what will be, or was, but that which is.

In simple pathways hand in hand with duty (With faith and love, too, ever at her side), May happiness be met in all her beauty The while we search for her both far and wide. Seeking for happiness we find the way Doing the things we ought to do each day.

p. 20THE ISLAND OF ENDLESS PLAY

Said Willie to Tom, ‘Let us hie away To the wonderful Island of Endless Play.

It lies off the border of “No School Land,” And abounds with pleasure, I understand.

There boys go swimming whenever they please In a lovely river right under the trees.

And marbles are free, so you need not buy; And kites of all sizes are ready to fly.

We sail down the Isthmus of Idle Delight— We sail and we sail for a day and a night.

And then, if favoured by billows and breeze, We land in the Harbour of Do-as-You-Please.

p. 21And there lies the Island of Endless Play, With no one to say to us, Must, or Nay.

Books are not known in that land so fair, Teachers are stoned if they set foot there.

Hurrah for the Island, so glad and free, That is the country for you and me.’

So away went Willie and Tom together On a pleasure boat, in the lazy weather, And they sailed in the teeth of a friendly breeze Right into the harbour of ‘Do-as-You-Please.’ Where boats and tackle and marbles and kites Were waiting them there in this Land of Delights. They dwelt on the Island of Endless Play For five long years; then one sad day A strange, dark ship sailed up to the strand, And ‘Ho! for the voyage to Stupid Land,’ The captain cried, with a terrible noise, As he seized the frightened and struggling boys And threw them into the dark ship’s hold; And off and away sailed the captain bold. They vainly begged him to let them out, He answered only with scoff and shout. p. 22‘Boys that don’t study or work,’ said he, ‘Must sail one day down the Ignorant Sea To Stupid Land by the No-Book Strait, With Captain Time on the Pitiless Fate.’

He let out the sails and away went the three Over the waters of Ignorant Sea, Out and away to Stupid Land; And they live there yet, I understand. And there’s where every one goes, they say, Who seeks the Island of Endless Play.

p. 23THE RIVER OF SLEEP

There are curious isles in the River of Sleep, Curious isles without number. We’ll visit them all as we leisurely creep Down the winding stream whose current is deep, In our beautiful barge of Slumber.

The very first isle in this wonderful stream Quite close to the shore is lying, And after a supper of cakes and cream We come to the Night-Mare-Isle with a scream, And hurry away from it crying.

And next is the Island-of-Lullaby, And every one there rejoices. The winds are only a perfumed sigh, And the birds that sing in the treetops try To imitate Mothers’ voices.

p. 24A little beyond is the Isle-of-Dreams; Oh, that is the place to be straying. Everything there is just as it seems; Dolls are real and sunshine gleams, And no one calls us from playing.

And then we come to the drollest isle, And the funniest sounds come pouring Down from its borderlands once in a while, And we lean o’er our barge and listen and smile; For that is the Isle-of-Snoring.

And the very last isle in the River of Sleep Is the sunshiny Isle-of-Waking. We see it first with our eyes a-peep, And we give a yawn—then away we leap, The barge of Slumber forsaking.

p. 25THE THINGS THAT COUNT

Now, dear, it isn’t the bold things, Great deeds of valour and might, That count the most in the summing up of life at the end of the day. But it is the doing of old things, Small acts that are just and right; And doing them over and over again, no matter what others say; In smiling at fate, when you want to cry, and in keeping at work when you want to play— Dear, those are the things that count.

And, dear, it isn’t the new ways Where the wonder-seekers crowd That lead us into the land of content, or help us to find our own. But it is keeping to true ways, Though the music is not so loud, p. 26And there may be many a shadowed spot where we journey along alone; In flinging a prayer at the face of fear, and in changing into a song a groan— Dear, these are the things that count.

My dear, it isn’t the loud part Of creeds that are pleasing to God, Not the chant of a prayer, or the hum of a hymn, or a jubilant shout or song. But it is the beautiful proud part Of walking with feet faith-shod; And in loving, loving, loving through all, no matter how things go wrong; In trusting ever, though dark the day, and in keeping your hope when the way seems long— Dear, these are the things that count.