Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-06-01


sweetheart"
When heaven Is dark, or bright or blue,
When trees are bare, or leaves are new,
1t thus sings on-and sings OF you
"Sweetheart!"
What need Of other words than thee
'Sweetheart!"
II should sing whole year long.
Ny love would not be shown more strong
Than by this short and simple song
"Sweetheartl"
/ was pleased with this simple and unstudied
lyric, and did not forget it or the name of the
author which accompanied 1t, and afterwards
when in 1861 l first visited Georgetown, the
knowledge that the singer Of this little song
lived there gave some added sentiment to the
dear 'old place, which already seemed to me
charming enough. / did not happen to meet
him, however, until after had myself resided
two or three years in Georgetown. The song is
doubtless well known to all musical readers
since 1t was set to music many years ago by
Balfe, the English composer. and the music with
Dr. ShOemaker's words has been sung by dis
tinguished vocalists all over the world. The
words. however, as printed on the music sheet
are said to be by Augustus Grevile. an English
man, doubtless. who simply stole the song as
printed in the Home Journal. This was slightly
different from DR.. Shoemaker's manuscript
copy forwarded to the editors, for that con-
tanned three words instead of one as the refrain
thus:
.sThere is a little bird that sings,
And il anybody will take the trouble to read the
song above carefully-the second and fourth
stanzas-it will be seen that as printed the
lyric Is grammatically incorrect, unless, indeed.
the compound word sweetheart" be so divided
in singing or reading as to be considered two
words, Sweet heart" The omission was edi-
tOrial. eff Balfe," the poet once wrote me.
had ever heard our American bird-the mock
ing wren-sing his sweetheart song he (Balfe)
would have been able to make better refrain
toI his music. For, as the refrain is sung, the
word sweetheart is thrice repeated-whicf has
mOnOtOnOus effect nothing like the quick.
lively, joyous song OF the real bird"
Another poet worthy of wider reputation
than he has yet secured ia Mr.. Henry Ames
Blood, who now holds an honorable position
In the diplomatic bureau Of the State depart
ment. He, too, was here in 1861. He is
native OF New Hampshire, graduate OF
Dartmouth. and has been in the government
civil servce-he was for long time in the
Treasury experimentation many years. He has
written much verse; not little Of it of a high
order, showing scholarship as well as genius
His earlier poems had a flavor OF quaintness
with fine Initiative qualities, that attracted my
attention. Several of these were printed by N
p Willis in the Home Journal little later than
the publication of DR.. ShOemakers Sweet
heart Bird Song" and one of them, called ''The
Last Of the Dryads." full of a sort of fairy
dramatic movement, was highly praised in q
letter from Willis. which / remember to have
seen twenty years ago, as worthy of publica-
ton by itself with Illustrations. Another poem
by Mr. Blood entitled ''Sighs in the South"
published in the New York Tribune. in the
autumn OF 1862. was praised by E. C. Stedman
as doubtless the finest poem ever written up to
that date 80 far south in this country as Wash
ington The only piece by Mr.. Blood which
nave at hand as specimen of his work, just at
present, is the following, which is hardly In
ferior to Longfellow's "Excelsior"-the obiec-
ton that may be reasonably made against re-
rains In foreign language is no less applicable
to one poem than the other:
THE SONG OF THE sAvoYARDa
Far poured past Broadway's lamps alight
Inc tumult OF her motley throng,.
When high and clear upon the night
Rose an inspiring song;
And rang above the citys din
To sound OF harp and violin;
simple but manly strain.
AND ending with the brave refrain
Courage! Courage, mon cunaaradei
And now where rose that song OF cheer
Both old and young stood sfil for JOY,
Or from the windows hung to hear
The children OF Savoy;
Ana ANA . %sny e eye Win rapture gSxe
A Al o, feeble souls grew strong again,
C0s1'a0ei Courage. mon camayadeI
Alone with only silence there,
Awaiting his lies welcome close,
sick man lay, when on the air
That clarion arose;
SO sweet the thrilling cadence rang
It seemed to him an angel sang,
And sang to him. and he would fain
Have died upon that heavenly strain
Courage! Courage, mon caDaaradeI
A sorow-strlcken man and wife.
With nothing left them but to pray,
Heard streaming over their sad fife
Aud through Saa, the nsi mist e q happy tears
They saw the promise-laden years,
And in their JOY they sang again
And C0fOlod high the fond rafratn-
Courage! Courage, mon cdnsaradei
TWO artists in the cloud Of gloom
Which hung upon their hopes deferred.
Resounding through their garret-room
That noble chansom heard;
And, as the night before the day,
Their weak misgivings ned away,
And with the burden OF the strain
They made their studio ring again
CO~rd0ei Courage, mon cumarGdei
Two poets who In patience wrought
The glory OF an after-time,
Lords Of an age which knew them not,
Heard rise that nifty rhyme;
And on their hearts It fell as falls
the sunshine upon prtson-walls;
Ana e o the Ss other sp the %sgc strain
Courage! Courage, mon camayadei
And unto one who, tired OF breath
And day and night and name and fame
Held to his lips glass OF death,
That song savior came,
Beseeching him from his despair
As with tae passion OF . prayer.
And hndling In his heart and brain
The valor Of its bleSt refrain
C0NTa0ei Courage, mon comoradef
o thou with earthly Ills beeet.
Call to thy lips those words OF toy.
And never In thy life forget
The brave song OF SavOyt
For those dear words may have the power
10 cheer thee In thy darkest hour;
The memory Of that bleSt refrain
Bring gladness to thy heart againi
Cosa'a0el Courage, mon clmaradel
HENRY AARs BLOOD.
There are other poets In Washington. as
there are other prose writer's, worthy OF men,
| ton and Of illustration. There is VIM D. O'Con-
| nor, for example, for many years, beginning il
1851, connected with the lighthouse board, but
| more recently holding an important position as
assistant superintendent Of the life-saving SER
yice-a great government benefaction OF corr
paratively recent origin aud development II.
O'C0nnor Is one of the most fluent and eloqueas
| takers knew Of. Many years ago he wrote