1 Poetry: Grades 7 & 8 Barter Casey at the Bat The Creation The Crucifixion The Destruction of Sennacherib Do not go gentle into that good night From “Endymion,” Book I Forgetfulness The Highwayman The House on the Hill If The Listeners Love (III) The New Colossus No Coward Soul Is Mine One Art On His Blindness On Turning Ten Ozymandias Paul Revere's Ride The Road Goes Ever On (from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings) Sonnet Spring and Fall Stanzas th th South Texas Christian Schools Speech Meet 2019-2020 7 -​ 8 ​ Grade Poetry ​ ​ 2 The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls The Village Blacksmith The World th th South Texas Christian Schools Speech Meet 2019-2020 7 -​ 8 ​ Grade Poetry ​ ​ 3 Barter Sara Teasdale Life has loveliness to sell, All beautiful and splendid things, Blue waves whitened on a cliff, Soaring fire that sways and sings, And children's faces looking up Holding wonder in a cup. Life has loveliness to sell, Music like a curve of gold, Scent of pine trees in the rain, Eyes that love you, arms that hold, And for your spirit's still delight, Holy thoughts that star the night. Spend all you have for loveliness, Buy it and never count the cost; For one white singing hour of peace Count many a year of strife well lost, And for a breath of ecstasy Give all you have been, or could be. † ​ th th South Texas Christian Schools Speech Meet 2019-2020 7 -​ 8 ​ Grade Poetry ​ ​ 4 Casey at the Bat Ernest Lawrence Thayer The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day: The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play, And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same, A pall-like silence fell upon the patrons of the game. A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest Clung to the hope which springs eternal in the human breast; They thought, “If only Casey could but get a whack at that— We’d put up even money now, with Casey at the bat.” But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake, And the former was a hoodoo, while the latter was a cake; So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat, For there seemed but little chance of Casey getting to the bat. But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all, And Blake, the much despisèd, tore the cover off the ball; And when the dust had lifted, and men saw what had occurred, There was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third. Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell; It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell; It pounded on the mountain and recoiled upon the flat, For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat. There was ease in Casey’s manner as he stepped into his place; There was pride in Casey’s bearing and a smile lit Casey’s face. And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat, No stranger in the crowd could doubt ‘twas Casey at the bat. Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt; Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt; Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip, Defiance flashed in Casey’s eye, a sneer curled Casey’s lip. And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air, And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there. Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped— “That ain’t my style," said Casey. “Strike one!” the umpire said. th th South Texas Christian Schools Speech Meet 2019-2020 7 -​ 8 ​ Grade Poetry ​ ​ 5 From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar, Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore; “Kill him! Kill the umpire!” shouted someone on the stand; And it’s likely they’d have killed him had not Casey raised his hand. With a smile of Christian charity great Casey’s visage shone; He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on; He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the dun sphere flew; But Casey still ignored it and the umpire said, “Strike two!” “Fraud!” cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered “Fraud!” But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed. They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain, And they knew that Casey wouldn’t let that ball go by again. The sneer is gone from Casey’s lip, his teeth are clenched in hate, He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate; And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go, And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey’s blow. Oh, somewhere in this favoured land the sun is shining bright, The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light; And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout, But there is no joy in Mudville—mighty Casey has struck out. † ​ ​ th th South Texas Christian Schools Speech Meet 2019-2020 7 -​ 8 ​ Grade Poetry ​ ​ 6 The Creation James Weldon Johnson And God stepped out on space, And God walked, and where he trod And he looked around and said: His footsteps hollowed the valleys out I’m lonely— And bulged the mountains up. I’ll make me a world. Then he stopped and looked and saw And far as the eye of God could see That the earth was hot and barren. Darkness covered everything, So God stepped over to the edge of the Blacker than a hundred midnights world Down in a cypress swamp. And he spat out the seven seas— He batted his eyes, and the lightnings Then God smiled, flashed— And the light broke, He clapped his hands, and the thunders And the darkness rolled up on one side, rolled— And the light stood shining on the other, And the waters above the earth came And God said: That’s good! down, The cooling waters came down. Then God reached out and took the light in his hands, Then the green grass sprouted, And God rolled the light around in his And the little red flowers blossomed, hands The pine tree pointed his finger to the sky, Until he made the sun; And the oak spread out his arms, And he set that sun a-blazing in the The lakes cuddled down in the hollows of heavens. the ground, And the light that was left from making the And the rivers ran down to the sea; sun And God smiled again, God gathered it up in a shining ball And the rainbow appeared, And flung it against the darkness, And curled itself around his shoulder. Spangling the night with the moon and stars. Then God raised his arm and he waved his Then down between hand The darkness and the light Over the sea and over the land, He hurled the world; And he said: Bring forth! Bring forth! And God said: That’s good! And quicker than God could drop his hand, Fishes and fowls Then God himself stepped down— And beasts and birds And the sun was on his right hand, Swam the rivers and the seas, And the moon was on his left; Roamed the forests and the woods, The stars were clustered about his head, And split the air with their wings. And the earth was under his feet. And God said: That’s good! th th South Texas Christian Schools Speech Meet 2019-2020 7 -​ 8 ​ Grade Poetry ​ ​ 7 God scooped the clay; Then God walked around, And by the bank of the river And God looked around He kneeled him down; On all that he had made. And there the great God Almighty He looked at his sun, Who lit the sun and fixed it in the sky, And he looked at his moon, Who flung the stars to the most far corner And he looked at his little stars; of the night, He looked on his world Who rounded the earth in the middle of his With all its living things, hand; And God said: I’m lonely still. This great God, Like a mammy bending over her baby, Then God sat down— Kneeled down in the dust On the side of a hill where he could think; Toiling over a lump of clay By a deep, wide river he sat down; Till he shaped it in is his own image; With his head in his hands, God thought and thought, Then into it he blew the breath of life, Till he thought: I’ll make me a man! And man became a living soul. Amen. Amen. † ​ ​ Up from the bed of the river th th South Texas Christian Schools Speech Meet 2019-2020 7 -​ 8 ​ Grade Poetry ​ ​ 8 The Crucifixion James Weldon Johnson Jesus, my gentle Jesus, Great Pilate on his judgment seat, Walking in the dark of the Garden -- Said: In this man I find no fault. The Garden of Gethsemane, I find no fault in him. Saying to the three disciples: And Pilate washed his hands. Sorrow is in my soul -- Even unto death; But they cried out, saying: Tarry ye here a little while, Crucify him!-- And watch with me. Crucify him!-- Jesus, my burdened Jesus, Crucify him!-- Praying in the dark of the Garden -- His blood be on our heads.