Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1905-12-07
CHAPTER V.

whose walls We're frescoed with paint
lngs OF the great masters, representing
scenes OF war, peace and home life, sat
a man of four score years surrounded by
his wife, sons, daughters and grand
children.
He was busily engaged in instructing
his grandson in the art of poetry. His
beard was of brown color Slightly
tinged with grey, and hung in ringlets
from his cheeks and chin. His fore
head was high, broad and projected
over his shaggy eyebrows. One glance
at his face would depict to the most
casual observer that he was a great
philosopher-an historian-a thinker
a poet. 1t would also disclose that he
was blind.
AT the time we discover him he was
busily engaged in debating to his grand
son sketches of the Trojan war; of the
great warriors Ulysses, Hector and
Achilles, and of the abduction of the
beauteous Helen of Troy by Paris, son
OF Priam, son of A. Gum, and had lust
told of the wooden horse used at the
siege of Troy when he was interrupted
by his grandson asking if that was
where the expression that cit was a
a horse on them" originated?
The sound of gong is heard and
herald enters announcing:
20, thou, most kind and worshipful
master, without our gates is a stranger
of goodly mien and peaceable bearings
who would hold audience with thee.u
Homer raised his hand and babe him
admit the stranger within the portals.
The stranger advanced to the center
OF the room, made a bow, and then OBJ
serving that his host was blind, made
so bold as to say:
II would hold converse with the
great poet-historian of the Heroic Age
of Asiatic Greece-the immortal HON.
err"
Let us observe the stranger more
closely. He was dressed in single
that hung loosely over his
right shoulder leaving his left arm bare
to the shoulder, his right arm bare to
the elbow; his lower limbs were bare
from the knees down; on his feet were
sandals. His head was also bare of hat
and hair, except around his forehead
was a wreath of laurels, denoting the
scholar. He had affected the latest fad
OF curling his beard in ringlets.
Homer had servant bring couch
for his guest to recline on, as they be-
lieved in taking things easy in those
days, and asked wherein he might serve
him and who he was.
II am stranger from strange land,
far to the west, and have travelled afar
seeking wisdom. The fame of Homer
has reached our land. My name is Van
Iant, and | would question thee as to
the origin of a piece Of poetryn
II am pleased to have met thee. Ho!
slave, bring on the feast. We will par
take of wine and refreshments while we
hold converse
The slave entered bearing wines and
fruits on a golden platter which he
placed before the two great scholars.
Most illustrious Homer, bear in
mind | do not accuse thee of writing
the following poem; but methought
thou couldst shed some light upon the
origin of the same"
" am familiar with all the modern
poets, also have storehouse of knowl-
edge of the ancient one. Be so kind as
to repeat the poem SO / may get it's
meter.O
Van braced himself with another
goblet of wine and said: "The poem
that l refer to is possibly of very ancient
origin. 1t starts like this:
Little Willie, thou hast left us,
Thou hast climbed the golden stair,
Thou art now among the angels"
Hold! Enough / recognize the
doggerel. Methought thou said poetry!
By the unlaved heel of Achilles, tits
well thou didst not accuse me of the
crime! Listen! Thou art now among
the angels Bah! feel as if Vulcan's
fires were within my breast! MY stom-
ach heaves with the thought! The
smell of my own breath sickens me!
Instead of Among the angels / would
have said:
He, whose all conscious eyes the world
behold,
Th' eternal thunderer, sits enthroned in
gold;
High heaven the footstool of his feet he
makes,
And wide beneath him Olympus
shakes.
Then see the advantage L would have
to leave to coming generations. None
could ever be able to decipher whether
Little Willie was among the angels or
the god Zeus was angry and hurting
his thunderbolts to earth. BY the gods
Eros and Mars I defy anyone to tell
from my works which be gods and
which be men,"
Van fastened to assure him he had
no notion of connecting sLittle Willien
with the gods-tin or otherwise. And
as Homer sank back after this outburst
asked him as to the origin.
'"That ! cannot tell thee, but from it's
utter lack of gods, system, wisdom,
rythm or meter | would place the crime
at the door of one of those worshipers
of one God, Jehovah-to some dog of
an Israelite. 1t is very ancient; would
say that it had been handed down some
thousands of years. But why the i'm
becilic dwellings of some nincompoop
should be preserved and words of wis
dom lost passeth my comprehension"
Van ventured to remark: "Mayhaps,
friend, it is because every day some are
dying and it is used daily, and so long
as there are deaths the little Willie
poem will breathe"
"Friend Van, thou art indeed
thinker, for nothing short of death
could let such vileness live"