Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1871-06-07
DECORATION POEM.
BY cHAs. D. MGuFFEY, ESQ.

The choicest flowers of sunny May.
Sad are the thoughts that rise to-day
OF all the past, its fearful strife,
That snatched those manly souls away,
Who died to give our nation life,
Through that dread storm of wrath and woe
That rose scarce ten short years ago.
Ten years agol Ten years ago
Our nations hour of anguish when
Grim war the dragon-teeth did sow,
Which sprang up hosts of armed men.
Can this be all? Ten years ago?
Nay, if we count by hopes and fears,
By blighted hearths, by vanished joys,
By widows signs, by orphans tears,
BY solemn history's stately march,
Traced by the great Jehovah's hand
In letters deep of fame and blood,
When wars fell scorpions scourged our land
Ten short-lived fleeting years? All, mol
A century seems that time ago
Distant and far the scattered homes
Ofthose brave men, whose lifeless clay
Lies side by side, beneath the mounds
We strew with wreathed flowers to-day.
Some empty hearths, full we'll we know,
Where once beside the ruddy glow,
With prattling childhood at his knee,
Sat the fond sire, who, at the call
OF country, left wife, babes, and all,
To trace the long, dim forest path,
Despite the foe or storm-king's wrath,
Il
He stood beneath that starry flag,
And fought his way with comrades brave
Back, only here to find a grave
In his loved home-East Tennessee.
Far to the North, o er grassy plain,
Or where beside the Western main,
Fair CALIFORNIA; vine-boughs Irvine,
BY forests tall of fir and pine;
BY prairie stream or ocean shore,
The widow in her lonely home,
Thinks of the one who left her side
In buoyant hope and joyous pride,
No more, alas to come
The sad-eyed mother, wan and pale,
Signs as the breeZes fan her cheek,
Which whisper of the Southern plain,
Whence that brave boy came not again,
Whose name she sobs to speak.
But oh, what tale of helpless pain,
OF hope new-raised then crushed again
OF longing doubt, more fearful far
Than all dread certainties of war,
Is read upon each humble tone
That bears the single word, Unknown
Unknown r the wife in dreary home,
The longing sweetheart far away
The loving mother fearful watched
For tidings from the recent fray.
Eager the beautiful lists they scanned;
Joyful they missed the one loved nam6;
In trembling hope they waited long
No tidings from the absent came.
Hope fed at last and dark despair
Shrouded in gloom the sorrowing soul;
An empty place, mid shattered ranks,
And missing" on the muster roll
A broken heart, life alone,
A nameless grave inscribed Unknown
Not theirs the victers joyous shout
The bonfire bright the Ginning bell,
The booming lannon's glad salute,
A rescued nations thanks to tell,
Nottheirs long hence by household hearths
In smiling peace as white-haired men,
Mid childhoods wondering mirth to tgh
Each glorious conflict o or again.
Not theirs to live sgsin to soc,
Ger stored Sunters shattered tower,
Our banner floating where it fell,
Mid smoke and hanao in war; first hour
The victory won, the anguish done,
The Great Republic saved and free,
God willed not that the sighSess eyes
Beneath this sod should live to see
Not even theirs the flag half-mast,
The arms reversed and Ter the grave,
The parting volley and the drum,
With muffed beat to mourn the brave.
Wars funeral pageant pomp and pride,
For them such honOrs might not be,
Too dire the haste OF those fell scenes
That set their hero-spirits free.
They fell through war long varying scenes
Mid triumphs joyful paeans some,
And some when dark and dread defeat,
Upon their flag and land had come.
Wrapped in the blue they loved so WE'LL
By comrades laid in hastiest grave,
Or stretched unseen on hill and dell,
offelds they gladly died to save.
Until mourning nation sought
Their lfeless forms and laid them here,
Softer to sleep beneath that flag,
In life and death they held so dear
To strew with flowers their hallowed clay,
On this our Decoration Day.
Perhaps their souls from earth set free
To-day, are lowering round us here,
To view in smiling happy peace
The land whose veal they bought so dear
Long may their sentry spirits guard
The land redeemed, they died 10 save,
And long Columbias hottest shrine,
BE still the hero martyrs grave.
And long through centuries yet 10 be,
May still reverent nation learn,
Her purest lessons by the side
OF every patriot soldiers urn.
And O. er tho graves of those who died