“Martha, Martha,” He kindly said,
Forego thy troubles and thy care—
One needful thing, a crust of bread,
Is all I ask with thee to share.
“Mary hath chosen that good part,
To hear my word and do my will,
Which shall not from her trusting heart
Be taken.” It shall flourish still.
Dear Mary, in this picture see
Thy own, drawn by a master hand;
Name, face and character agree
Drawn by Saint Luke, an artist grand.
[Impromptu]
To Mrs. Anna C. Baker.
Composed in the top of a cherry tree when the wind was blowing a gale.
In fishing for men, I should judge from your looks
You’ve always had biters enough at your hooks.
And whenever you dipp’d your net in the tide
You had little need to spread it out wide.
To encircle so many you wish’d for no more
And like the old fishers sat down on the shore,
Casting all the worthless and bad ones away—
Preserving the good and the true to this day.
May the promising youth, I saw by your side
All blooming and beaming, your hope and your pride,
Be a pillar of state, so strong and so tall
As to make you rejoice, that you made such a haul.
[Lament for the Year 1887.]
Read before the Jackson Hall Debating Society.
My tale to-night is full of woe,
I would that it were one of gladness;
I would not thrill your hearts, you know,
With notes of grief or sadness.