Idyllic Monologues Old and New World Verses   By: Madison Julius Cawein (1865-1914)

Minor punctuation errors have been changed without notice. Printer errors have been changed and are listed at the end. All other inconsistencies are as in the original.

IDYLLIC MONOLOGUES

Poems by Madison Cawein

OLD AND NEW WORLD VERSES

BY THE AUTHOR OF

"Undertones" "Garden of Dreams"

JOHN P. MORTON AND COMPANY

Publishers Louisville, Kentucky

Copyrighted 1898

BY MADISON CAWEIN

TO MY FRIEND:

R. E. LEE GIBSON

This collection of poems is entirely new with the exception of three or four which appeared in two earlier volumes, published some ten years ago. The reprinted poems have been carefully re written, and so changed throughout as to hardly bear any resemblance, except that of subject, to the original.

CONTENTS

PAGE

The Brothers 1

Geraldine 15

The Moated Manse 20

The Forester 35

My Lady of Verne 48

An Old Tale Re told 55

The Water Witch 65

At Nineveh 70

How They Brought Aid to Bryan's Station 72

On the Jellico Spur of the Cumberlands 77

A Confession 83

Lilith 84

Content 86

Berrying 88

To a Pansy Violet 90

Heart of my Heart 93

Witnesses 94

Wherefore 95

Pagan 96

"The Fathers of our Fathers" 97

"Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin" 99

Her Vivien Eyes 101

There was a Rose 102

The Artist 103

Poetry and Philosophy 103

"Quo Vadis" 104

To a Critic 105

FOREWORD.

And one, perchance, will read and sigh: "What aimless songs! Why will he sing Of nature that drags out her woe Through wind and rain, and sun, and snow, From miserable spring to spring?" Then put me by.

And one, perhaps, will read and say: "Why write of things across the sea; Of men and women, far and near, When we of things at home would hear Well, who would call this poetry?" Then toss away.

A hopeless task have we, meseems, At this late day; whom fate hath made Sad, bankrupt heirs of song; who, filled With kindred yearnings, try to build A tower like theirs, that will not fade, Out of our dreams.

Only One Hundred and Fifty Copies Printed for Private Distribution. A Few Copies For Sale.

IDYLLIC MONOLOGUES

The Brothers

Not far from here, it lies beyond That low hilled belt of woods. We'll take This unused lane where brambles make A wall of twilight, and the blond Brier roses pelt the path and flake The margin waters of a pond.

This is its fence or that which was Its fence once now, rock rolled from rock, One tangle of the vine and dock, Where bloom the wild petunias; And this its gate, the iron weeds block, Hot with the insects' dusty buzz.