Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1884-05-29
At The Graves Of Our Nations Dead.

At The Graves Of Our Nations Dead.
In ode dedicated to the Grand Army Of
The Republic.
ny HENRY A. HANCox.
Bring the fairest flowers that bloom.
And lay them on the soldiers tomb.
From every nook, and every spot,
Where bloom the hearts forget-me-not.
From vale, and dell IN beauty drest-
Gather the brightest and the best;
Weave garland and place it there.
With grateful nations prayer.
Circling years may come and go,
With Summers heat and Winters snow;
And Time will hide beneath her leaves.
Many an Auiumn's golden shesves:
Yet loving heart. cannot forget
And countless cheeks the warm tears wet
when the Nation with measured tread
Approaches graves whcrc rest her dead.
Lost the cause tina, fed the flame
OF sectional hate and hope Of gain,
Aud dead the issues that sought 10 bind.
Freedom o, conscience. and growth Of mind !;
But the Past with it, hope and fears.
IT. thrilling record OF grief and tears,
IL smoke. and fame. and struggling fsc>.
Scems-like holocaust OF woe--
To rise through the dust Of years.
a. by these graves We stand TODAY
And draw the curtain Of Time away.
We sce great armies marching by.
While blazing rockets clcayc the sky.
And through darkening clouds Of war.
We hear the cannon's distant roar.
Aud live, or seem TO live again.
Those DAYS 81 full Of doubt and pain.
These sacred graves. unnumbered. vast.
Are footprints Of the mighty past;
\ past when the ship Of state
Wa. struggling in the storms Of hate.
And waves Of treason. ruin and Wreck
Battered her hull and swept her deck.
Who can forget while life shall last.
The solemn lessons Of that Past,
when we forget crimson tide.
Once swept AWAY the nations pride:
FORGET the pam brave hearts can bear.
Forget that home. hold vacant chair,
Forget that widows and orphans tssr-.
Arc harvest, Of the ripening year:
FORGET that era, hair Oft betraN.
How much We live in a single day
Forget that Time with all her art.
Can never heal broken heart:
Forget that wars wide desolation.
Len behind weeping nation:
FORGET the thros- OF diving cau.,.
Forget thc gloom =, the aw ful pause
on the eve ~ ha'ilr, and the Wild alarms
That chilled tho blood =, the cla>h ~ srin-
Fnr.rt. No. forget that the I'M
~ our nation was IN th. strife
with genil. touch III. peaceful YEAR
Have >oothci the psin and dried ID" tear,
And Nature loving hands hNyc ,prcsd.
Her icnierr-i bi1,ic, above our desh;
But IN the sunshine %. TO-DAY.
Tbo.. shadows como AMI pas away.
Dear face gather thick and fat
And ill the pr--~ut with thu pa,i
From on; the gloom with martial tn-ad.
Advance In .i-noa the naiion'- drad.
With rha-ily features. har.ar,l ami worn.
With droopin, hammer. tramrled and torn.
With measured pace. weary and -low.
~ai'y they come. and -o'ilv ihr' 70.
Familiar fsr.. in The train
Thrill eur hcSrf- with lo,c ann psin.
Ana Nemnrs. -huddcrins. hurri'- back.
Down the dark fnr.akrn ;rsrA.
IL. 4 "A.
Robbed our homes io a." the nsiion.
Ne more The tired and breeding -lavr.
Find the iunsl, q welcome -rNve:
No more he cruuch.-. weak " iih fear.
when hc hear, the bloo.Ihound drawing near
or turning, ..ck. the dismal shah.
Ia the fasine-s 81 the rScrgladc:
Their 10 meet IN H. damp rrrr--.
onll another form Of Death.
Hunted and lot. Nho can ten,
The grief that mad" hi bosom swell.
a. b. fclt 10 hi d-cp despair.
That b. Wa bat free. ~ hr,.aih ID" air.
rui-,u-'i ,,ith -. ,niA-ma'- hr-aih.
And charged wiih the dew, ~ death.
When overcome with pain and fright.
There To- ir,mhlc n ever sound.
Thai make the watch fearful round
Their" IN suffer with NJ On. nigh.
Thor to hunger. sud there 70 d..
But .layer, i dad. the .irif-
Thaf gave the Union new l.a-r ~ hfr
And anchored Il On the ."lI rprk
That know no chain. nor suction hlock ~
sven, ~, wiih.rin. cur.r avs,
Ana I'M Il with Ia. dcai ihai iay
IN iho>e green grave. which ". hold d-ar
when spring. sweet harbingrr. sppelr.
Lef' It ~ .lccp while ~. wear, roil on.
Rrrprin- the triumph manhood won.
When BLOOD snd uain and suffering psij.
IN. pric. which Freedom .icrnly laid
t-Ion = nation. ihai siroy. 70 D.
In higher sons. mor- iu.i aud frc-;
IN higher -en-r more true 20 tho-s
who in her bosom sought r,po-'.
-,ors - happy yrar- have frd
>inre dr~; vs. gathered herr oar d,al;
Bright year- that IKE . rivers tide
seemed scarce 20 pas. - win th-y GLIB
AMI % th-ir bank. ~ stand today.
Watching Times shadow. drifi AWAY
Farther anI farther down the stream
tikr ihe phantom. ~ dream.
order from chao- ha- come once more;
'onienimeni 1T. by every door
Wealth spring from the gcncrou, >oii.
And plenty walks hand in hand with toll:
Peace spread. her pinions over all
For the old sword rli~,. on the cottage wall
W, feel the debt ihc nation owe,.
To Those who once suppressed her foes:
We know thai debt No hand can pay.
To tho~e that her, sround u lay:
But while We honor those who died.
some still live. who. by their side,
Net the foe on field and plain.
And though unnumbered with the slain.
Yet deserve an equal part
~ the nations grateful heart.
Veterans 81 the wsr. you stand
To-day d weak. and scattered band;
Each year your broken rank. decrease,
Each year Death brings some one release;
But whether living. or whether dead,
Immortal Fame rests on your head:
And generation. 10 come will read.
ON history. page. your noble deed.
Pehob.eot.
i, may be said with truth that winter
fingers long in the lap Of spring" and Nav
seems more like October than the month OF