The weekly Panola star. [volume] (Panola, Miss.) 1857-1881, 1870-07-30
Mark TwnIn's FIRST and Last Attempt
at Poetry.

When I say that | never knew my aus
tere hthor 10 be enam0rcd ~ but n
poem In all the long half century that he
lived, persons who knew him viii easily
me when ! say that ! have never
composed but n poem In all the long
Of a century that | have lived, per.
mi who know me VIII DO sincerely CRATE
hl and finally. when ! say that the poem
which | composed was not the one which
my hther was enamored Of, persons who
may have known US both win not need 10
have this truth shot into them with a
mountain howitzer before they can re-
ceive II. My father and | we're always
on the most distant terms when ] was q
boy--a sort Of armed neutrality, so TO
speak. At irregular intervals this Q
trality was broken and suffering ensucd +;
but ! will be candid enough to say that
tho breaking and tho suffering were al
ways divided up with strict impartiality
between us--whlch Is 10 say, my father
did the breaking. and | did the suffering.
As general thing | wal q backward,
cautious, unadventurous boy; but once /
Jumped off a two.story stable; another
time / gave an elephant Q plug OF to-
bacco and retired without waiting for an
answer; and stIll another time l pretend
cd to be talking in my sleep, and got of u
portion Of q very wretched original co.
nundrum In hearing Of my father. Let
us not pry into tho result It was of no
consequence TO any n but me.
But the poem | have referred TO az at
tracing my fsthcr's attention and achiev-
ing his hvor, wal "Hiswatha." Some
man who courted q sudden and awful
death, presented him an early copy, and
| never lost faith In my own senses until
/ Aw him sit down and go TO reading II In
cold blood-saw him open the book and
heard him read these following linos, with
the same infloctionless judicial irigidity
with which he always read his charge to
the jury or administered an oath to a wit
ness
Take your how, @ uiawatha,
Take your arrows, Jasper headed.
Take your wat-gun, pnggawpngun,
Ana your mittens, Miniskahwan,
Aud your birch canoe for sailing,
Aud Tho oil OF Mishe4Nama.
Presently my father took out of his
breast pocket an imposing Warranty
Deed" and fixed his eyes upon 1t ant
dropped into meditation, knew what il
was. A Texan lady and gentleman had
given my half.brother, 0rrin Johnson, (
handsome property In a town in the North
III gratitude TO him for having saved theil
lives by an act Of brilliant heroism.
BY and by my father looked toward mt
and sighed. Then he said
"lf | had such q son as this poet, her,
Were . subject worthier than the tradi
lions Of these Indians
IF you please, sir, whoreS"
ain this deed"
"in the-deed "
"Yes-in this very deed,n said IN
father, throw ing IL on the table. "Ther
Ia more poetry, romance, moro sub
Unity, moro splendid imagery hide
away In that homely document than coul
be found in all the traditions of all III
savagcs that live"
"Indeed, sir; could I got Il out, sir
Gould | compose tho poem, sir, do 70
think ="
"Youl"
| wilted.
Presently my fathers face sortene
somewhat, and he said.
"Go and try. But mind. curb foil,
No poetry at the expense of truth. Keo
strictly to the facts"
l said would, and bowed myself GU
and went up stairs.
"Hiawaths kept drouing in my hes
--and 10 did my fathers remarks abor
the aablimity and romance hidden In m
subject, and also his induction TO bewar
OF wassefal and exuberant fancy. l n,
ticed, just here, that ! had heedlessl
brought the deed away with me. Nov
at this moment came TO me one of tho,
rare moods Of daring recklcssnos
such as referred to a viii
ago, Without another thought, an
In plain defiance Of the fact that l kno,
my father meant me to write the roman
tic story Of my h~alf.brother's adyentrr
and subsequent good fortune, | venture
merely to heed the letter of his remark
and ignore their spirit l took the stunt
warranty Deed" itself and chopped
up into Hawaiian blank verse, withoy
altering or leaving out three wogds, an
without Transporting six. 1t require
loads Of courage to 20 down stairs an
face my father with my performance.
started three or four times before | finall
got my courage to where 1t would stiol
But at last | said | would go down an
read 1t TO him II he threw me over th
church for IL stood up 20 begin, an
he told me TO come closer. / edged up
little, but still left as much neutral groun
between us as | thought he would stant
Then L began, IL would he uselosa "a