Poems of James Russell Lowell: With biographical sketch by Nathan Haskell DoleLowell, James Russell
General
Poems of James Russell Lowell: With biographical sketch by Nathan Haskell Dole
Lowell, James Russell
American poetry
Clang the bells in every steeple,
Call all true men to disown
The tradoocers of our people,
The enslavers o' their own;
Let our dear old Bay State proudly
Put the trumpet to her mouth,
Let her ring this messidge loudly
In the ears of all the South:--
"I'll return ye good fer evil
Much ez we frail mortils can,
But I wun't go help the Devil
Makin' man the cus o' man;
Call me coward, call me traiter,
Jest ez suits your mean idees,--
Here I stand a tyrant-hater,
An' the friend o' God an' Peace!"
Ef I'd _my_ way I hed ruther
We should go to work an' part,--
They take one way, we take t'other,--
Guess it wouldn't break my heart;
Man hed ough' to put asunder
Them thet God has noways jined;
An' I shouldn't gretly wonder
Ef there's thousands o' my mind.
[The first recruiting sergeant on record I conceive to have
been that individual who is mentioned in the Book of Job _as
going to and fro in the earth, and walking up and down in
it_. Bishop Latimer will have him to have been a bishop, but
to me that other calling would appear more congenial. The
sect of Cainites is not yet extinct, who esteemed the
first-born of Adam to be the most worthy, not only because
of that privilege of primogeniture, but inasmuch as he was
able to overcome and slay his younger brother. That was a
wise saying of the famous Marquis Pescara to the Papal
Legate, that _it was impossible for men to serve Mars and
Christ at the same time_. Yet in time past the profession of
arms was judged to be κατ᾽ ἐξοχήν that of a gentleman, nor
does this opinion want for strenuous upholders even in our
day. Must we suppose, then, that the profession of
Christianity was only intended for losels, or, at best, to
afford an opening for plebeian ambition? Or shall we hold
with that nicely metaphysical Pomeranian, Captain Vratz, who
was Count Königsmark's chief instrument in the murder of Mr.
Thynne, that the Scheme of Salvation has been arranged with
an especial eye to the necessities of the upper classes, and
that "God would consider a _gentleman_ and deal with him
suitably to the condition and profession he had placed him
in"? It may be said of us all, _Exemplo plus quam ratione
vivimus_.--H. W.]
No. II.
A LETTER
FROM MR. HOSEA BIGLOW TO THE HON. J. T. BUCKINGHAM, EDITOR OF THE BOSTON
COURIER, COVERING A LETTER FROM MR. B. SAWIN, PRIVATE IN THE
MASSACHUSETTS REGIMENT.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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