Page:Poems of Nature and Life.djvu/275

 TO THE SHADE OF SAMUEL ADAMS 265

While he, abashed, quailed thy stern glance beneath, And men scarce dared break silence by a breath, Thou, fixed as fate, resolv'dst on liberty or death.

No less 'tis true that, throughout all the land.

Thou soughtest in one will all men to bind,^ That each by each in brotherhood might stand,

And that, the struggle o'er, thou wast resigned To live obscure ; men needed thee no more. So live the unselfish when, all danger o'er. The world, grown safe, goes back to follies loved before.

Nor less devoted wast thou on that day

When, through the plains of Lexington, thy foes

In many a troop did circumvent thy way.

Bright o'er the hills the beauteous sun uprose ;

Freedom's first gun was fired, and thou didst say

To thy companion, " 'Tis a glorious day ! " 9

He answered, "Yes, 'tis beautiful," but thou saidst, "Nay !


 * ' I meant not that, though every work of God,

'Tis true, is beautiful ; but for this land, I meant, a glorious day. Henceforth the rod

Of tyranny is broke, and we shall stand, As God means man shall stand, self-ruling, free ; Henceforth our country shall a refuge be For all the oppressed on earth whose hearts love liberty."

Perchance the hope of freedom for mankind

Is but a dream, and nations still must be Forever led in blindness by the blind.

If so, still all the more I honor thee, And men like thee, who, though they cannot know Whether our race shall to perfection grow, Ne'er lose their trust in good, but hope it shall be so.

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