Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-12-17
MRS. TOWNsEND's POEM.


organization OF the exposition, and set forth
the great advantages to accrue to the State
and people OF the whole country from the
grand enterprise.
MRS. TOwNsEND's POEM.
~ A poem IN honor Of the exposition, by Mrs,
townsend, known os 'Xariffa." was read bv
Page M. Baker, as follows:
CENTENNIAL POEM.
MARY ASHLEY TOWNSEND.
Though feeling thrill the SOULS profoundest
Though language search among her choicest
boards
Mid scenes, and hours and moments such as
these,
How vain the pomp of pen, the pride of
words
To thoughts unuttered are the victories!
Sublime Inspirer of this wondrous day,
Nnlle continents thy lightest beck obey,
FROM OF his soul the singers sOrcery slips!
Amidst thy triumphs turn to him. and Law
Thy touch divine upon his halting lips.
Oh, Freedom gentle Mother of us all.
What halleiujahs hold our hearts in thrall,
As we to-day behold thy noble grace;
And know the kinglIest crown is, after all,
AS nothing to the glory Of thy face
Sweet Liberty thy blazing torch afar,
From out the desert leads man, as the star
of old the shepherds led to Bethlehem
Shine, till remotest kings their helms unbar,
And bend to kiss thy garments shining
hem!
And may the splendid fervor of this hour
So send thy name from Fame's eternal tower,
Twill echo round the planets widest girth;
IHLdoubtlng nations rise and own thy power,
And Freedoms dazzling temple domes the
earth
Among thy lustrous triumphs be it scrolled,
Thy hand from wOman's clouded destiny
The stone that held her from her rightful
place,
And led her brave feet to thy foremost fold,
Among advancing heroes Of her race!
The rolling drum, the trumpets' noisy blare,
The cOlors wonder. tangled with the air
The pomp of nations and their pageantries-
The splendors that with splendors here COM
pare
Not, these the symbols of mans power-not
these!
The sobbing engines set their psalms to him
The metals, mastered by his lghtest whm,
He with single finger can control;
TIL cold machines, walked from their slum-
So human seem, they only lack a soul.
The depths of earth his eager feet have
pressed;
The loftiest heights his daring arm caressed;
No sphinx so frOwnlng but his lips have
kissed.
And coaxed her secret from her stony breast,
10 SIT hooded falcon on his wrist.
The subtle force he gathers from the skies
And buckles to his strengthful energies;-
The mighty giants that his genius throws,
And fetters to his daring enterprise
These, with their chaplets, bind his gOd-like
brOws,
My gaze l lift above these palaced plains,
where Peace her proudest victory maintains,
Remembering those we never may forget
And as the eye the empyrean gains
De Soto smiles and Joliet and Marquette;
And brave La Sale and IbervIlle are there,
This splendid consummatlOn of their dreams
to share;
They, with BienvilIe greet us from on high
To all the triumphs of this dav CO. heir
such names, such deeds, such heroes never
die.
Here smiles their fair-faced Louisiana, 10!
Mere fraction Of her regal seIf-but OH
A splendid fraction still! Behold. she stands
With lips that with their gladness overflow,
And welcomes for the world in her sweet
hands!
The blood of Spain is warm upon her cheek,
The fire of France is sparkling in her eye,
And tune the witching caGence @ Of her voice.
AS radiant she as Sheha when sbe stood
Before the throne of solomon. the king:
And heauteous as was Miriam, when she
Her joyful cymbals on the Red Sea's shore!
The fabled isle vvbereon TTIvssas roved
A seven years caDtiye to CaIvnsos, ch9rma
Not fairer was than are these frn;tfnI n1ains
Where Louisiana's glowing gardens spread
Their sumDtuous blossoms 10 tba genero,,s
snnI w ''0 e0"0A O'''
Her sweet-sanned cane folds glittar :, tho
light, 'D' -'~'''' 9'''''i III ''''
Their jocund Juices reveIing IN the stalks
Which shake their shining pennons in the
The golden apples of Hesnerides
Their mellow bounty drOD DER every hed0e
TO her majestic live oak man NAV %
To Gull the moss for beautv's Welding couch
Or cut for ponderous shiOs their rugged ribs:
Her Opulent magnolia year by wear,
Rebuilds its ivory villages. and sends
Its pomp of perfume out to freight the air:
world,
Ger regal acres spreads 81 its tso frostess snow snow
The lonely monarch in a wilderness,
Now commerce. crowned, goes sweeping to
the sea.
Past cultured prairies once the cvnress
claimed
And To- her valleys sIeeninp in tho sunI
erIet '-i0-- Wv
Undreamed of treasures hide thano for that
dav -'-''' ''i'i-' 'oA 'A'''O
When Labor. welded to the soil. shall wake
Them all to marriage gIadness and great
And unexampled harvests! And she calls
Calls loud and sweet, with voice of all the
South,
''COme hither, oh, We weary sons Of toll;
Come hither, ye who labor and despair
And spend your strength on unrewarding
stones;
Here bring the hearts that break for want of
work.
Here bring your brains, your sineWs and your
powers.
Come hither, and beneath these generous
Build up your homes, and rear your little
ones:
Let tne JnlcK smoke OF factories strangle vice,
And busy spade and plow turn Oer the glebe,
Illl buried ldleness can rise no more!
Ana when the days sweet laborshall be done,
ana Dalmy eve lies plllOWed on her flowers,
Inc yelloW moon Will LghJ the moss rooted
path
Where you may walk with your beloved, and
wear
On your uplifted brOws contentment's crown!
And still beyond these crystal gates, sweet
lands
Entlcements hold for enterprise to seek
Not only buried cities, and the tOmbs
VI ruined klnguomS ana forgotten kings,
BuG WORDS OF wonder TO reJolce MS eyes.
KL Klch as Inat marveI9us cave OF Eastern tale,
Inc oouthWesJ yonder smiles, scarce out OF
sight,
waiting the voice OF commerce TO ring out
The magic open sesame" that will fling
Inc mystic portals Wlde Tor MIN who seeks!
SO doth she stand upon this festal day,
Our radiant Loulsiana-peerless queen
Crowned, and in all her lOveliest array,
In roses sandaled-robed in living green,
A smile on her red mouth
She stands for North and South
She stands for West and East
For greatest and for least
one or the starry band,
lnmlnnnG q nd