John Marr and Other Poems By Herman Melville _With An Introductory Note By_ HENRY CHAPIN MCMXXII CONTENTS INTRODUCTORY NOTE JOHN MARR AND OTHER SAILORS JOHN MARR AND OTHER SAILORS BRIDEGROOM DICK TOM DEADLIGHT JACK ROY SEA PIECES THE HAGLETS THE AEOLIAN HARP TO THE MASTER OF THE _METEOR_ FAR OFF-SHORE THE MAN-OF-WAR HAWK THE FIGURE-HEAD THE GOOD CRAFT _SNOW BIRD_ OLD COUNSEL THE TUFT OF KELP THE MALDIVE SHARK TO NED CROSSING THE TROPICS THE BERG THE ENVIABLE ISLES PEBBLES POEMS FROM TIMOLEON LINES TRACED UNDER AN IMAGE OF AMOR THREATENING THE NIGHT MARCH THE RAVAGED VILLA THE NEW ZEALOT TO THE SUN MONODY LONE FOUNTS THE BENCH OF BOORS ART THE ENTHUSIAST SHELLEY’S VISION THE MARCHIONESS OF BRINVILLIERS THE AGE OF THE ANTONINES HERBA SANTA OFF CAPE COLONNA THE APPARITION L’ENVOI SUPPLEMENT POEMS FROM BATTLE PIECES THE PORTENT FROM THE CONFLICT OF CONVICTIONS THE MARCH INTO VIRGINIA BALL’S BLUFF THE STONE FLEET THE TEMERAIRE A UTILITARIAN VIEW OF THE _MONITOR’S_ FIGHT MALVERN HILL STONEWALL JACKSON THE HOUSE-TOP CHATTANOOGA ON THE PHOTOGRAPH OF A CORPS COMMANDER THE SWAMP ANGEL SHERIDAN AT CEDAR CREEK IN THE PRISON PEN THE COLLEGE COLONEL THE MARTYR REBEL COLOR-BEARERS AT SHILOH AURORA BOREALIS THE RELEASED REBEL PRISONER “FORMERLY A SLAVE” ON THE SLAIN COLLEGIANS AMERICA INSCRIPTION THE FORTITUDE OF THE NORTH THE MOUND BY THE LAKE ON THE SLAIN AT CHICKAMAUGA AN UNINSCRIBED MONUMENT ON THE GRAVE OF A YOUNG CAVALRY OFFICER KILLED IN THE VALLEY OF VIRGINIA A REQUIEM COMMEMORATIVE OF A NAVAL VICTORY A MEDITATION POEMS FROM MARDI WE FISH INVOCATION DIRGE MARLENA PIPE SONG SONG OF YOOMY GOLD THE LAND OF LOVE POEMS FROM CLAREL DIRGE EPILOGUE INTRODUCTORY NOTE Melville’s verse printed for the most part privately in small editions from middle life onward after his great prose work had been written, taken as a whole, is of an amateurish and uneven quality. In it, however, that loveable freshness of personality, which his philosophical dejection never quenched, is everywhere in evidence. It is clear that he did not set himself to master the poet’s art, yet through the mask of conventional verse which often falls into doggerel, the voice of a true poet is heard. In selecting the pieces for this volume I have put in the vigorous sea verses of _John Marr_ in their entirety and added those others from his _Battle Pieces_, _Timoleon,_ etc., that best indicate the quality of their author’s personality. The prose supplement to battle pieces has been included because it does so much to explain the feeling of his war verse and further because it is such a remarkably wise and clear commentary upon those confused and troublous days of post-war reconstruction. H. C. JOHN MARR AND OTHER SAILORS JOHN MARR AND OTHER SAILORS