The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-03-13
THE TOLsToI OF TEXAS.

!. Twenty-Five miles UP from the mouth
!. Cedar bayou is the place where Sjolandt
Hives IL is an out-of- the-way spot. twely
miles from the nearest railroad and twenty
9 one miles east from Houston. Here and ther
: you may see a farm house. but not many 70
i the region is only sparsely settled. Sjoland
r ers home is box-like structure. back half
r mile from tho bayou and Nesting in anon
the trees. With his brother, he owns trac
| OF ITO acres. but only twenty five acres ar
lin cultivation. the remainder being heavil
, wooded. The brothers are truck gardener
! and woodchoppers, and live plain, print
tive life Their nelghbors know In only
vague way that one OF the brothers has SOM
8 renown as writer. Few of the tilers OF thu
land in that part of Texas have literar.
tastes .
| Sjolapder is an exile from Sweden II,
was born in a little town called Hudiksvall
in that Kingdom, forty years ago. He
his children and his brother are the last o.
their race. How he comes by his poetic ten
denotes he does not know, for no other mem.
bers of the family were given to versihcation
His forefathers were Laplanders. His father
was driven from Russia because OF his relig-
ious belief. M
/ talked with him about his poems, his
thoughts and his life. He speaks with the
accent OF the Norseman. His language Is
simple and direct. He told me his writing is
his farm duties to indulge in as much as he
might desire.
"a man with hands like these" said he.
showing his rough, knotted palms to me,
wouldn't be expected to do much writing,
but somehow ] find time to do little OF 1t,
| and lately l have had more requests for
| poems that fll.'
| | asked Sjolander when he began his lit
| erary work
81 wrote my first verses said he. when
| / was IA years old. Those verses became
/ I,fNttt
den today. They were called A Winter
| Night | have often thought of translating
| them into English, but it is difficult to make
them Understand in this tongue, for the
| they treat of the spinning wheel and the open
| fireplace and the long winters night.
was anxious to know why Sjolander had
TO leave Sweden He smiled and told me the
authorities there are rigid in their views OF
political writings, and that when he wrote
pssquinade on some of the officials he had
TO leave the country.
Burns. he said, is his favorite poet. OF
poets now living he thinks James Whitcomb
Riley ranks highest. Next to Riley he be-
lieves Eugene Field of the latter day poets,
heart-strings of the people
The first time wrote In English said
Sjolander, was in 1873. Previous to that
time all my poems had been written in Swe-
dish, Danish or German. From 1879 to 1889 |
wrote nothing. was a sailor for a long time.
served three years apprenticeship under the
BRUSH nag, and was a common seaman, |
mate and later got masters papers from the |
English board of trade
siolander came to Texas in 1871 and his |
nome has been at Cedar Bayou since then.
Il love the soil and love the woods" SAID |
he. Il love the wind and l love the waves. |
am perfectly contented. love the life / |
lead and wouldn't change it for any other |
sometimes in the warm summer DAYS Lie
under the trees, and the birds and the winds
sing more beautiful songs to me than were
ever sung by man."
-f..
There is charm about Sjolander's poetry
that is refreshing. especially so when YOU ro.
member his environment Think of a nlain
worker of the SOIL chopper of wood. in
whose brain there turks such dreams as are
Knows no land. no CLINE, no class, no creed.
IL is as strong in the hearts OF the poor as
in those of the rich hN"i 90
dla not ask slolander what led him to \
led him to such Thoughts The
poem is striking example OF tho deIi,aoy
inc tenderness of his sentiment. Here it is:
EILEEN ANDI
Eileen and (ah, we had Just been wed,
], cat hand in hand beside the summer sea
Siieen Leon had two long years been dead.
A., ana a. Marlory was more than dead TO me:
gu. We Eileen and |, had Just been wed
Una bad no thought of dead or more TIM,
dead. ''''ie 'ian
tn az we not planned that day a pIeasant ,,.,
wherein our feet should tread aay Wy
|
mn M waitlng what the others lips would saw
'es. We bpd YES, yes ana seal it with kiss?
M, w, We hau Planned that day a pleasant way
'here death and worse than death sb "aiy; d
never stray. Snouio
We sat, Eileen and T besido Az
fond which the horrid moon w. ,s' v
down. '' was Shipping S
Rnt tH woi, ' : waters shvered-or did weq-
"a "a, wei Know the wide sea wore n fron-, {
H. !
~ f-"een' and she more close to me se"' i
n ans so, close clasp'd. we sat. Eileen anaY
while, "s star sink low the "
n ?, at last We saw II fade and a., n
nd nn ~ ntile silvery, cioudland is,e G
~ We were lovers there Eileen ,., 1,
Ut on! so tlmorous and lrnnr un ana !. =,
And thew w S,nls 10 watch us there was none n
nd So BY stealth pG cap I In the rppled sea;
nd h, Sh Eileen and thought her Mas aone). p
"Leo sn",",el-oiushing. dreaming. siGbed cl
asides the stars IN v,.,, II
nm, '. ans natural lyrics Tho SONG =, ~
udies ..rh ne Rain Frog" are hsa y, the 10
thrice To hs ram Eros" must be read twieo bl
~ simplicity and blossoms in th nosle IN its =,
IN al each reading VI tue imagina- ~
was dry and dusty. ooNN' G
was weak aud weary.
NV . m glad and usty
ANA the earth looks chearv =
o the soaking. u
Mirth provoking
Eaugbter-making rainl m
Soft and silky, =,
Mild and milky, NJ
erows my golden grain. Of
Listen to the laughter - :,
unat my leaves are mak,no CT
Wben the winds come at,sr w
Misses, softly shaking. vi
o health-giving. :.
breathing. living. OF
heaven pouring rain! M
Come, caress me- m
Miss me. bless me, Gu
once and once again! PC
Let your hearts be singing w
real your paeans, peopies7' pa
set the Joy bells singing ov
IN the lofty steeples; CIR
Praises render Sc
To the sender m,
or the Joyous rain ed
or the living. AN
Tho life-eiyiny -