For biographical material relating to John Muir, consult: With John o' Birds and John o' Mountains, Century, 80:521 (Portraits); At Home with Muir, Overland Monthly (New Series), 52:125, August, 1908; Craftsman, 7:665 (page 637 for portrait), March, 1905; Craftsman, 23:324 (Portrait); Outlook, 80:303, January 3, 1905; Bookman, 26:593, February, 1908; World's Work, 17:11355, March, 1909; 19:12529, February, 1910. WAITING JOHN BURROUGHS Serene, I fold my hands and wait, Nor care for wind, nor tide, nor sea; I rave no more 'gainst time or fate, For lo! my own shall come to me. I stay my haste, I make delays, For what avails this eager pace? I stand amid the eternal ways, And what is mine shall know my face. Asleep, awake, by night or day, The friends I seek are seeking me; No wind can drive my bark astray Nor change the tide of destiny. What matter if I stand alone? I wait with joy the coming years; My heart shall reap where it has sown, And garner up its fruit of tears. The law of love binds every heart And knits it to its utmost kin, Nor can our lives flow long apart From souls our secret souls would win. The stars come nightly to the sky, The tidal wave comes to the sea; Nor time, nor space, nor deep, nor high Can keep my own away from me. SUGGESTIONS FOR STUDY This poem is so easy that it needs little explanation. It shows the calmness and confidence of one who feels that the universe is right, and that everything comes out well sooner or later. Read the poem through slowly. _Its utmost kin_ means its most distant relations or connections. _The tidal wave_ means the regular and usual flow of the tide. _Nor time nor space_:--Perhaps Mr. Burroughs was thinking of the Bible, Romans 8:38, 39. Does the poem mean to encourage mere waiting, without action? Does it discourage effort? Just how much is it intended to convey? Is the theory expressed here a good one? Do you believe it to be true? Read the verses again, slowly and carefully, thinking what they mean. If you like them, take time to learn them. COLLATERAL READINGS For a list of Mr. Burrough's books, see page 177. Song: The year's at the spring Robert Browning The Building of the Chimney Richard Watson Gilder With John o'Birds and John o'Mountains (Century Magazine, 80:521) A Day at Slabsides (Outlook, 66:351) Washington Gladden Century, 86:884, October, 1915 (Portrait); Outlook, 78:878, December 3, 1904. EXERCISES Try writing a stanza or two in the meter and with the rhyme that Mr. Burroughs uses. Below are given lines that may prove suggestive:--