Classic Poem

Beside his grave I stand and muse, forlorn,
Upon this glittering morn;
Whilst overhead
White cloudlets drowse upon an azure bed;
And all around
Still woods thrill to the sound
Of joyous bird-song; everything
Pulses with the rapture of the Spring
Upon this flower-like morn
Whilst at his grave I meditate, forlorn.

A heathen-warrior in the bygone day
Over this sun-swept country long held sway;
This lowly peak perpetuates his name,
But newer, more enduring fame
Has come to him—
Sandile grim—
For now his stony hill is crowned
As holy ground,
As the last resting-place
Of one who loved and served the dark-skinned race.

Bringer of Light to those who sat in gloom,
You, in the bloom
Of life's young manhood, wandered many a day
Beside the waters of the tranquil Tay,
And in their gleam
You dreamed your dream:
Oh, not for pomp and power did you ask
But sought a task—
And prayed that your own hands
Might bear the torch of truth to night-bound lands.

—Mourn Africa! How many come to thee
Who trample on thy sons unheedingly;
With force or with ignoble stealth,
They prey upon thy hidden wealth;
To them the suppliant voices of the land are dumb,
Only for self they come.
But ah, for other wealth he prayed and sought
As through the stubborn years he wrought:
To him the life was more than gold,
To him men's souls were gems of worth untold.

See, down below there in the wooded vale
Through which bright Tyumie flows, there lies Lovedale,
There, dark and light, he toiled and prayed;
There, unafraid,
From earth and earthly shadows took his way
Into the Realms of Day.
And even as Tyumie's clear calm waters run
Steadfastly on, whether in shade or sun,
So in that quiet vale
His work shall still continue and prevail.

See, Hogsback rears aloft that rugged crest,
Where weary cloudlets love to cling and rest:
So shall his memory
To us who loved him be a sanctuary,
So shall his steadfast grace
To us remain a resting-place
As we go softly all our years
In joy or tears;
So shall we ever feel his presence near
To guide us on our way, to raise, sustain and cheer.