The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1909-08-12
THE LAND WHERE WE WERE DREAMING

THE LAND WHERE WE WERE DREAMING.
BY D. B. LUcUs, WHO DIED JULY "a, 1909.
The following beautiful poem by the
late Judge Daniel Bedinger Lucas of West
written during or soon after the
close of the Confederate War, will live
"while the eternal ages watch and watt
and patriotism has an abiding place in the
hearts of men. Judge Lucas was a dis
tinguished citizen, whose career covered
the history of his State. He was United
States Senator from West Virginia and
member of the Supreme Court of that
State. His career as lawyer, soldier, jurist
and Senator covered the long period from
1860 to the present. "a dramatic incident
of his early career" says the Baltimore
Sun, twas his daring in running the
blockade to Canada to defend Capt. John
Yates Bell, his college friend, who was
tried as spy at Governors Island, N. Y,
and who was condemned and executed in
February, 1885," A gallant soldier and
loyal friend has answered the last roll call.
"The Land Where we We're Dreaming"
will find an echo in many hearts:
Fair were our nations visions, and as grand
AS ever floated out Of fancy-land;
Children were we in simple faith,
But god-like children, whom nor death,
Nor threat Of danger drove from honor's path
In the land where we were dreaming!
Proud were our men as pride of birth could render
As violets our women pure and tender;
And when they spoke, their voices thrill
At evening hushed the whipporwll,
At morn the mockingbird was mute and still,
In the land where we were dreaming!
And we had graves that covered more of glory,
Than every taxed the lips of ancient story;
And in our dream we wove the thread
OF principles for which we bled,
And suffered long our own immortal dead,
In the land where we were dreaming!
Tho in our land we had both bond and free,
Both were content, and so God let them be;
Till Northern glances, slanting down,
With envy viewed our harvest sun
But little rocked we, for we still slept on,
In the land where we were dreaming!
Red meteors flashed across our heavens field;
Crimson the moon; between the Twins
Barbed arrows flew in circling lanes
OF light; red comets tossed their fiery names
Der the land where we were dreaming!
Down from her eagle height smiled Liberty,
And waved her hand in sign Of victory;
The world approved, and everywhere,
Excep where growled the Russian bear,
The brave, the good and just gave us their prayer,
For the land where we were dreaming.
High Ger our heads starry flag was seen,
Whose field banched, and spotless in its sheen;
Chivalry's cross its union bears,
And by his scars each veteran swears
To bear it on in triumph through the wars,
In the land where we were dreaming.
We fondy thought government was ours
Wechaenged place among the world'sgreat powers,
We talked in sleep Of rank, commission,
Until so life-like grew the vision,
That he who dared to doubt but met derision,
In the land where we were dreaming.
A figure came among us as we slept
At first he knelt, then slowly rose and wept;
Then gathering up thousand spears,
He swept across the field of Mars,
From the land where we were dreaming.
We looked again, another figure still
Gave hope, and nerved each individual will;
Erect he stood, as clothed with power;
Self-poised, he seemed to rule the hour,
With firm, majestic sway-of strength tower,
In the land where were dreaming.
AS while great Jove, in bronze, warden good,
Gazed eastward from the Forum where he stood,
Rome felt herself secure and free
So Richmond, we, on guard for thee,
Beheld bronzed hero, god-like Lee,
In the land where we were dreaming.
AS wakes the soldier when the alarum calls
AS wakes the mother when her infant falls
AS starts the traveller when around
His sleepy couch the hrebells sound
So woke our nation with single bound
In the land where we were dreaming!
Woe, woe is US! the startled mothers cried,
While we have slept, our noble sons have died!
Woe, woe is us! how strange and sad,
That all our glorious visions fled,
Have left us nothing real but our dead,
In the land where we were dreaming!
Are they really dead, our martyred slain?
No, dreamers Morn shall bid them rise again;
From every plain, from every height,
| On which they seemed to die for right,
| Their gallant spirits shall renew the fight,
| In the land where we were dreaming!
Unconquered still in soul, tho now o'errun,
I