Sonnets and Love-Songs, and Irene; a Memoir
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' A SONNETS AND LOVE-SONGS AND IRENE; A MEMOIR, BY GEORGE GRAHAM CURRIE. • :• : ••• : • Press of Dean Publishing Company WoRt Palm Beach, Florida 1001. 7 01 THE UBttA&f 6f\ CONGRESS, I Two Ctwte RcocivcdI OCT. 3rf90?' OLA558 a XXa Mo. 2/277 COPY B. Entered according to Act of Congress^ in the year 1901, by George Graham Currie, in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. PREFACE. At the present moment the greatest desire of my life is to improve and make beautiful the cemetery in which Irene, my bride-wife, was laid away to rest a few months ago. I have already spent money, time and exhortation to that end, and a great deal has indeed been done thanks to the enterprise and earnest efforts of the Ladies^ Cemetery Improvement Asso- ciation, of West Palm Beach, of which Mesdames Burnham, Potter, Stowers, Yarborough and Everett and Miss Potter are the officers. Still it will take a great many more dollars than have yet been raised to satisfy my desire. As I have already taxed my ordi- nary source of income to its utmost the publication of this book suggested itself as a possible means by which I might help to swell the fund still more. The cost of an edition of a thousand copies has been heavy and to become solvent again I will have to dispose of at least five hundred copies. Another two hundred copies will have to be given away for advertising purposes. Yet if I can dispose of the whole edition the cemetery can thereby be improved to the extent of at least $300 and it is with that hope that I publish the volume. If the people of Palm Beach will con- tinue to help me I will not cease my endeavors until Lakeside Cemetery is the most beautiful burying ground in America and surely that is not aiming too high when we remember that Palm Beach is America's greatest winter resort. I have read the j)roof of the book myself in odd moments stolen from a busy law practice, and on looking over the revises I find many typographical errors that have slipped by me. I apologise for these mistakes and hope the public will not conclude from the number of mis-spelled words that I learned to spell at the same school with Josh Billings. In any event the blame is entirely on my own shoulders. In the preparation of the volume I am indebted to many people for many favors. I have used poems that were given to the Montreal Daily Star, the Great Falls, (Montana) Tribune, the Times-Union and Citizen, of Jacksonville ; the Florida Magazine, of Jacksonville ; the Lake AVorth News, of West Palm Beach, and the Homeseeker, of Miami, Florida. For the illustrations I am especially indebted to Miss Grace Lainhart, of West Palm Beach, who did the art work; Mrs. J. Thurston Smith, of Montreal, Canada; Mr. Harry Newble, of London, England ; Mr. John Cairns, of Dublin, Ireland ; Mr. Kobert Eeid, of Glasgow, Scotland, and to Mr. Fred Hand, of Miami, from whom I obtained the photographs. I also feel that my sincere thanks are due to Mr. Ben H. Doster, of AVest Palm Beach, and Mr. Alex 0. Sutcliffe, of Lockport, N. Y., for allowing me to re-publish the kind notices they wrote in different papers at the time of my wife's death. —— ; In conclusion I wish to say that since the copy of ^'Sonnets^' was handed to the printer and classified I have composed one other that I would like to make a part of this publication. It is about the assassina- tion of Mr. McKinley and I composed it to recite at a memorial service held in West Palm Beach on the day of the deceased President's funeral. It is not cus- tomary to use the preface of a book for the purpose of filling in omissions, but in view of the importance of the event which the sonnet chronicles I propose to shock propriety in order to let my sentiments on such a subject be known. The Major gone ! Our President laid low ! Martyred to freedom in this freeman's land ! Slain by a weapon in a weakling's hand, While a whole nation mourns in mighty woe. Dead ! but still living in his people's hearts ; Still quick and active in the laws he planned ; Living in echoes from enprospered marts From homes made happy by his guiding hand. Yes, though we've placed him in the silent tomb To wander listless through the realms of night His voice, still resonant, defies such doom ; Hark ! Hear it calling in the cause of Right. Though envious error took our country's head, We'll long owe homage to McKinley dead. George Graham Cuerie. TABLE OF CONTENTS. SONNETS. Assassination of Mr. McKinley 3 Invocation Sidelights on Man As the Minister Sees Him '' Doctor '* " '^ Lawyer ^' Newspaper Man Sees Him '' Shopkeeper '' Aristocrat ' ^ Woman As His Friend " Enemy As Divinity Woman in Her Infinite Variety. 10 As seen by the Poet " " Misogynist Lover Other Woman ** ^^ Philosopher PAGE In AVestmixster Abbey 13 Introductory, I England's Mighty Dead, II III Poets' Corner, IV Royal Tombs, V YI Finale, YII Democratic Doctrines 16 All Men are Equal Practice what you Preach Are our Motives Pure ? Beware of Militarism Down with the Trusts Silver shall be Free Elect the Senate The Monroe Doctrine Levy an Income Tax Shall we have Peace—or War ? When Other Leaders Fail Ponce de Leon's Mistake 22 Florida's Epitaph on Flagler 23 Canadian Themes 24 Canada Farewell AVell Done Awake ! my Countrymen Our Hero Brotliers By the (jrave of Louis Riel vi PAGR My Choice of Cities 28 The One I Love 28 To Edwin H. Lemare, organist 29 On Tara at Sunrise 30 I II Glasgow University 31 To my Only Sister 32 Annie Besant, the orator Death 33 Life 34 Love Forgiven 35 Sympathy 36 Solitude Mock Modesty 37 Cruelty 38 Remorse Poverty 39 ^ Travel 40 Odysseus Heroism 41 Patriotism 42 Science Truth 43 History 44 Consistency Friendship 45 To my Mistress' Eyebrow 46 Home 227 vii LOVE SONGS. PAGB Lily and the Angel, an allegory 4S Earth Imprisoned by Winter Earth Becomes the Bride of Spring The Birth of Lily, Pansy and Eose The Wooing of Eose by Summer The Wooing of Pansy by Autumn Lily and the Angel A Dream of Fair Women 61 My Love 63 A too One-sided Poet 64 Jealousy's First Pang 65 And so She's Wed 68 While I am With Celia 66 Memories of Millacoma 71 The Storm King 72 The Soul of Beauty 73 Fancy's Vagaries 74 That is All 75 But She is My Cousin 76 The Old Old Story 77 The Lover's Farewell 78 Two Darling Loves 78 I Linger Still 80 Happy at Last 81 The Jilted Maid's Lament 82 I Love You 88 Zetulba 84 vin I'AGE Moments of Musing 85 *In a Song Book 87 Western Zephyrs 88 Only Some Violets 89 Deserted 90 Lovers Dream is O'er 90 To One I Love 91 Was it a Proof 92 Doubt 94 Old Words to a New Tune 95 The Dawn of Hope 96 *Their Yankee Doodle Do 96 A Lesson in Grammar 97 Placentia Bay 98 The Secret 100 Tessie Casey 101 Love on a Eanch 102 Hopeless Love 103 Little Kathy Kind Heart 104 Maggie Thorp 105 nVords to the Wise / 106 The St. Francis 107 A Maiden's Song. 108 *Not Concise Enough 109 My Dilemma 110 Poetic License Ill Religion vs. Love 112 A Study 114 *Katy on Dudes 115 The Skugog 116 Epigrams. ix Beaiity^s Conquest 118 Poor Dolly's 111 119 If I had a Daughter Like You 120 The Politics of Love 121 Flora's Mistake 122 *He Didn't Catch her MeEning 123 *^An Ironical Escort 123 Darling I have Dreamed of Thee 124 A Bachelor's Leap Year Lament 125 My Little Sweetheart Maud 126 Our Vacant Chair 127 Wild Alberta 128 *AHint 128 nVhat's in a Name 128 Elfrida Pyke 129 The Evolution of Nobility 135 The Iron Age The Brazen Age The Golden Age Love 136 *0f Course he Didn't Mind 137 To Be or Not to Be 138 God Knows Best 141 Drifting AVith the Tide 142 ^Subdued 143 The Setting Sun 144 Rejected Love 145 *Osculation 145 A Song of the AVaUz 146 Country Matters 147 Epigrams. *He's Married Though 148 An Autobiography 148 *Nil Desperandum 149 The Typewriter Girl 150 The Boardin' Missis' Smile 152 I'm Going to Wed a Princess 15-3 *Technical Terms 1^6 *Let There be Light 156 ^Cruelty, Thy Name is Man 156 How Times Have Changed 157 ^Thoughts 157 Sunday in Hyde Pakk 158 Morning Afternoon Evening *High Ideals 159 Cupid's Directory 160 *For Scriptural Reasons 162 Catalina 163 (The story of Santa Catalina Island.) The Strange Musician 169 Mount Royal Despair Hypnotised by Music Happy Childhood Ambitious Boyhood Chums Travel Love Moral Epigrams. xi Ikexe—A Memoir 183 AVhere Cecelia Dwells 186 Break, Break Sad Heart 189 To My Muse , 194 My Only Plea 198 I AVill be True 199 My Friend Jack 201 There is Music in My Heart 203 I AVant to be With You Always 205 The Speechlessness of Love 206 An Inscription 208 Cast up by the Sea 209 Carry a High Ideal 213 Nature's Comforters 315 The One I Love 217 Miami's Great Show^ 219 The Grounds Around Fort Dallas 222 The Lovely Irene—a toast 224 Home 227 Keep Climbing 228 The Oversoul 245 In toleration 246 In Memory of Irene 251 Elegy on the Death of a Wife 257 The Land of the Kising Sun 260 Engraved on a Monument 262 Epitaph on Irene ?63 ILLUSTRATIONS.