The Portland daily press., 1865-04-01
POETRY.
tRrom the Attantio Monthly-l
The Mantle Of St. John De Matha.
ILtgsnd cf "Ths Red. y Rite, and S'Ss'" A. ~
ll6l-l8eA

1l6l-l8eA
Ely JOHN WHITTIER.
strong and mighty Angel,
Cain, terrible, and bright;
Upon his mantle Whltei
Two captives by him kneeling,
Each on his broken chain,
Sang praise to God who raiseth
4 he dead TO life again!
Dropping his cross-wrought mantle,
wear this the Angel said;
Take thou, 0 Freedoms priest, its sign
The white, the blue, and red"'
Then rose up John de NJ tina
la the strength the Lord Chris gaYTS sonoa
Aud begged throu iii all the land Oh riaH0'
The ransom of the slave.
The gates Of tower and castle
Before him open flew, ,,e,u
The drawDrdge ut his COMING leit
The door-bo.t backward dIe".
For a,lInen owned his errand,
Aud paid his righteous taxi
Aid he hearts Of lord and peasant
" ere in his hands US WAX
Al last. outbound from Tunis,
MS Bark her anchor weighed,
Fen hted with seven score Christian souls
~ hose ransom lie hau PAID
But, torn by Paynim hatred,
her sails ia tatters hung;
And on the wild waves, rudderless,
A shattered hulk she swung.
God SAFE u.s." cried the captain,
"FCr nou. Int can man avail:
woe bet.de the ship that lacks
Her ludder and her sail !.
Behind us are the Moormen;
AT sea We sink or strand;
Thgre death upon the water,
There's death upon the land"
Then up spoke John de Matha:
Coos errauds never fal!
Take thou the mantle which wear,
Ahd make Of 1t u sail"
They raised the cross-wrought mantle,
The blue, the white, the red;
And straight beiore the wind of-shoro
The ship Of Freedom sped.
"God help u.s." cried the seamen,
''For vain is mortal skill:
{ The good snip on stormy sea
Is drifting a. his will"
Then up spake John de Matha:
- mariners never fear
The Lord whose breath has filled her sail
ay we'll our vessel steerm
: So on through storm and darkness
They drove orweary hours;
AMI 10! the third gray morning shone
On 0stias friendly towers ..f !
And on the walls the watchers
The ship of mercy knew
They knew tar off its holy cross,
TIE led, the white and blue.
And the bells in all the steeples
Rang out In glad accord,
To We come home to Christian soil
The rausomed OF the Lord.
So runs the ancient legend
BY bard aud painter told
And 10! the cycle rounds again, srl
The new is as the old!
With rudder foully broken,
And sails by traitors torn,
Our country, on midnight sea,
Is waiting for the morn.
Before her, nameless terror;
Behind, the pirate foe;
The clouds are black above her,
The sea is white below.
The hope of all who suffer,
The dread Of al who wrong;
Che drifts in darkness and in storm,
low long o Lord! how longi
But courage o my mariners!
Ye shall not suffer wreck
While up to tod the freedman's prayers
Are rising from your deck.
Which God hath blest anew,
The mantle that de Matha wore,
The red the white, the bluel
Its hues are all of heaven
The rod Of sunsets dye,
The whiteness of the moon-lit cloud,
The blue Of mornings sky.
Wait cheerily, then, o mariners,
For daylight and for land;
The breath Of God is in your sail,
Your rudder is His hand
Sail on, sail on, deep-freighted
With blessings and With hopes;
The saints Of old with shadowy hands
Arepulling at your ropes.
Behind ye holy martyrs
Uplift the palm and crown;
Before ye unborn ages send
Their benedictions down.
Takeheart from John de Mathai-
God errands never fail!
Eweep on through storm and darkness,
The thunder and the hail!
Sail on! The morning cometh,
The port We yet shall win;
And all the bells of God shall ring
The good ship bravely in.