The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1916-08-03
LEoNAINIE.


Leonainie-angels named her.
And they took the light
OF the laughing stars and framed her
In a smile Of white.
And they made her hair Of gloomy
Midnight and her eyes OF bioomy
Moonshine. and they brought her to me
In the solemn night
In solemn night Of summer.
When rly heart of gloom
Biossomed up TO greet the conner
Like rose In bloom.
All foreboding that distressed me
forgot as Joy caressed me
dying Joy that caught and pressed me
In the arms Of DOOM.
Only spake the little iisper.
In the angel tongue.
Yet /, listening, heard her Whisper
Songs are only sung
Here below that they may grieve you.
Tales but told you TO deceive you.
30 must Leonainie leave you
While her love Is young"
Then God smiled, and II was morning.
Matchiess and supreme
Heavens glory seemed adjoining
Earth with Its esteem.
Every heart but mine seemed gifted
with the voice of prayer and lifted
Where my Leonainie drifted
From me like q dream.
To make this seem more realistic
Riley had a friend write II In the fiy-
leaf of an old book, using diluted ink
to give II q properly ancient appear
ance. Did the public fall" for TT
Did it, "Leonainie" was the wonder
Of a twelvemonth. Like every new
literary discovery, schools of dispu-
tants appeared about II like q chorus Of
katydids. one proclaiming loudly that
she did, the other quite as positive
that she didn't. Men Of eminence In
the world Of letters were sure the
poem had all the unquestionable char
acteristics and genius Of Poe. Years
after the Joke was exposed somebody
Of reputation who should have known
better paraded "Leonainie" as q Poe
poem.
After he himself became famous
Riley was not proud of this feat, al
though 1t abundantly proved his theory
that all his stun needed to give 1t
vogue was the attachment thereto Of
some celebrated name. Whether the
same sort Of thing would work In the
case Of other unknown poets and
would-be's II Is bootless here to In
Quire. 1t worked with Riley, but Riley
would have arrived anyway. Nor
would 1t be quite accurate to say that
the "Leonainie" incident helped him
to arrive.
The writer can remember when "the
Hoosier poet" as Riley was even then
called, began to gain national fame.
1t was by no means q unanimous well
come that greeted him. The literary
sharps Of the superior east were not
pleased with his dialect his step
rhymes, his homely titles and many
other peculiarities that today consti-
tute his chief charms. Even where &C.
copied he was too often patronized
Like every new singer, he had to win
his public and for the most part
against the critics. Fortunately 'the
common people heard him gladly" and
It was for these and Of these that he
sang. At last one big magazine took
him up. and the fight was over. Crit
cism turned to praise. and praise that
was before half hearted or patronizing
became unreserved and enthusiastic.
Riley also wrote prose sketches. but
these were far from equal to his verse
and he later admitted regret that he
wrote them. After his first success
his books appeared at frequent inter
walls, among the best known being:
"The Boss Girl and Other Sketches"
"Afterwhiles." "Old Fashioned Roses"
"Pipes o. Pan at Zekesbury." Rhymes
Of Childhood" Flying Islands Of the
Night" "Green Fields and Running
Brooks" "Armazindy." "a Child
World" "Eeighborly POEMS" Home
Folks" Poems Here at Home" "Ru-