Item 5: Poetry booklet by unknown, 1827

Item — Box: 15, Folder: 5

Staff Only

Series VII: Poetry, 1827-1941

From the Series: Series VII: Poetry, 1827-1941, is arranged chronologically and features a broad range of mid 19th century to mid 20th century works including poems, booklets, and correspondence of various themes covering the difficult nature of military battles, religious faith, and romance. A main portion of the series highlights poetry and ballads focusing on the natural beauty of the American landscape and contrasting this with the nation's violent past. Featured authors in this series include Fitz-Greene Halleck, an American poet who worked as the personal secretary and advisor to John Jacob Aster, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, one of the most proficient American poets of the 19th century. Halleck and Longfellow's poems cover religious themes that explore the role that faith plays in determination, its relationship to the land, and how it impacts younger generations. William Henry Furness, American poet who was described by his peers as a theologian, transcendentalist, and an abolitionist, is another author in the collection that explores these religious themes without the nationalistic perspective. Finally, the largest outlier of this series is the romantic poem written by a British Major John Andre who was a major in the British Army and head of its Secret Service in America during the American Revolutionary War. Andre’s poem, The Frantick Lover, is included in a larger booklet with an introduction by Howard H. Peckham, historian and an authority on colonial and early American history, who provides background and historical context on the Major and the development of the poem. Central themes of this work include the destructive effect that feelings of jealousy and obsession can have especially when disguised as feelings of love. This work provides an interesting comparison to the other American poets within the collection.

Dates

Created: 1827

Creator

Louder, Josiah (Person)

Disclaimer for Name and Subject Authorities

Some of the name and subject authority tags have been assigned by educated guessing and estimation of persons and subjects by region, age, profession, and familial relationships. They have been thoroughly researched by using primary and secondary sources available digitally, and named in each description, or in some cases linked directly to the person tag.

Access:

All series and subseries within this collection are open for research, with the exception of a few files within the Academia series that are restricted. The Academia series contains financial and sensitive institutional records from Wilkes College, and financial report records from Princeton University that will remain restricted for 80 years upon creation.

Extent

1 items

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Additional Description

Type of Material:

Poetry Booklet

Condition:

Fair. Strong vinegar smell.

Measurements:

9 ¾ in. x 8 ¼ in. (Closed); 16 ½ in. x 9 ¾ in.

Title:

Poem 1: “The Grave” Poem 2: Unnamed Poem 3: “It shall be will with the righteous John iii. 10.” Poem 4: “Prayer for the salvation of Youth” Poem 5: Unnamed Poem 6: Unnamed Poem 7: “Solitude” Poem 8: “In Answer” by Josiah Louder Poem 9: “Need Not For The Children Dead” Poem 10: “VIRTUE”

Description:

A booklet containing various religious poetry and prayers of various lengths, structures, and styles. Josiah Louder is the only mentioned author of poem eight it is unclear if the rest of the works belong to him as well. The date given places the collection around the Great Awakening, a religious revival in the American colonies; these poems could be a potential product of this period. Spanning themes throughout the booklet include the youth’s relationship with religion, the idea of overcoming hardships through virtue, and typical religious motifs of divinity and suffering.

Transcription:

[Page 1] {Poem 1}

The Grave

1st There is a calm for those who weep, A rest for weary pilgrims found, They softly lie & sweetly sleep Low in the ground.

2nd The storm that wrecks the winter sky No more distributes their deep repose, Than summer evening’s latest sigh That shuts the rose.

3rd I long to lay this painful head And aching heart beneath the soil, To slumber in that dreamless bed From all my toil.

4th For Misery stole me at my birth, Any cast me helpless on the wild I perish; O my Mother Earth! Take home thy child

5th On thy dear lap these limbs reclined, Shall gently moulder into thee; Nor leave one wretched trace behind Resembling me

[Page 2]

6th Hark! a strange sound affrights mine ear, My pulse -my brain runs wild- I rave Ah! who art thou whose voice I hear? I am the Grave!

7th The Grave that never spoke before, Hath found at length a tongue to chide: O listen! I will speak no more; Be silent Pride!

8th Art thou a wretch of hope forlorn The victim of consuming care? To thy distracted bosom torn By fell despair?

9th Do foul misdeeds of former times Wring with remorse thy guilty breast? And ghosts of unforgiven crimes Murder thy rest?

10th Lash’d by the furies of the mind, From wrath and vengence wouldst thou ‘flee? Ah! think not, hope not, Fool to find A friend in me

[Page 3]

11th By all the terrors of the tomb Beyond the powers of tongue to tell By the dread secrets of my womb! By Death & Hell!

12th I charge the Live! repent & pray In dust thy infamy deplore The yet is mercy; go thy way, And sin no more.

13th Art thou a Mourner?- Hast thou known The joy of innocent delights? Endearing days forever ‘flown, And tranquil nights.

14th O Live!- and deeply cherish still The sweet remembrance of the past: Rely on Heavens unchanging will For peace at last.

15th Art thou a Wanderer! Hast thou seen Oerwhelming tempests drown thy bark? A shipwrecked mariner hast thou been Misfortunes mark?

16th Though long of winds & waves the sport, Condemned in wretchedness to roam, Live! thou shalt find a sheltering port A quiet home.

17th To Friendship didst thou trust thy fame And was thy friend a deadly foe, Who stole into thy breast, to aim A surer blow?

[Page 4] {Poem 2}

Live! & repine not o’er his loss A loss unworthy to be told! Thou hast mistaken sordid dross For Friendships gold.

Go seek that treasure seldom found, Of power the fiercest griefs to calm, And soothe the bosoms deepest wound With heavenly balm

In woman hast thou placed thy bliss And did the fair one faithless prove? Hath she betrayed the with a kiss, And sold thy love?

Live!- twas a false bewildering fire: Too often loves insididus dart Thrills the fond soul with sweet desire, But kills the heart.

A nobler flame shall warm thy breast A brighter Maidens virtuous charms! Blest shalt thou be supremely blest In Beauty’s arms

Whate’er thy lot-Whoever thou be- Confess thy folly, kiss the rod, And in thy chastening sorrows see The hand of God.

[Page 5]

“A bruised reed he will not break; Afflictions all his children feel: He wounds them for his mercy’s sake He wounds to heal. A Humbled beneath his mighty hand, Postrate his Providence adore ‘Tis done! Arise! He bids the stand, To fall no more.

Now, traveller in the vale of tears To realms of everlasting light Through Times dark wilderness of years Persue thy flight.

There is a calm for those who weep, A rest you weary Pilgrims found; And while the mouldering ashes sleep Low in the ground

The soul of origin divine, God’s glorious image, freed from clay In heaven’s eternal sphere shall shine A star of day.

The sun is but a spark of fire, A transient meteor in the sky; The Soul, immortal as its Sire, Shall never Die.

[Page 6]

{Poem 3}

It shall be will with the righteous John iii. 10.

﹝What cheering words are these! There sweetness who can tell? In time and to eternity, ‘Tis with the righteous well.

﹝In every state secure, Kept by Jehovah’s eye, ‘Tis well with them while life endures; And well when call’d to die﹞

‘Tis well when joys arise, Tis well when sorrows flow; ‘Tis well when darkness veils the sky; And strong temptations blow.

﹝Tis well when on the mount They feast on dying love; And ‘tis as well in Gods account, When they the fumace prove﹞

‘Tis well when at his throne, They wrestle, weep, and pray; ‘Tis well when at his feet they groan, Yet bring their want’s away.

[Page 7]

‘Tis well(?) when Jesus calls:_ From earth and sin arise; Join with the host of virgin souls, Made to salvation wise.” _____________ _______________________________ ______________

{Poem 4}

Prayer for the salvation of Youth

Bestow, dear Lord, upon our youth, The gift of saving grace; And let the sacred word of truth, Enrich the rising race.

Ye carless ones, O hear betimes! The voice of sovereign love; Your youth is stained with many crimes; But mercy reigns above.

For you, the public pray’r is made, Oh! join the public pray’r! For you, the secret tear is shed, O shed yourself a tear.

“We pray that you may early prove, The Spirits power to teach; You cannot be too young to love, That Jesus whom we preach.

[Page 8-9 Blank]

[Page 10] {Poem 5}

Tainted maid, My thoughts of rest with thee in thy cold grave, Though the long wintry night, when wind & wave Rock the dark house where thy poor head is laid. Yet hush: my fond heart, hush! there is a shore Of better promise; and I know at last, When the long sabbath of the tomb is past, We two shall meet in Christ to part no more.

___________ __________ ____________________ _________ ___________

{Poem 6}

In Heaven we shall be purified, so as to be able to endure the spendors of the Deity AMARE, sweet harp of Judah wake, Retune thy strings for Jesus’ sake; We sing the Savior of our race, The Lamb, our shield, & hiding place.

When God’s right arm is bar’d for war, And thunders clothe his cloudy oar, Where, where, oh where shall man retire, To escape the horors of his ire?

‘Tis he, the Lamb, to him we fly, While the dread tempest passes by;

[Page 11]

God sees his Well-beloved’s face, And spares us in our hiding place.

Thus while we dwell in this low scene, The Lamb is our unfailing screen; To him, though guilty, still we run, And God still spares us for his Son.

While yet we sojourn here below, Pollutions still our hearts o’erflow; Fallen, abject mean, a sentenced race, We deeply need a hiding place.

Yet courage - days & years will glide, And we shall lay these clods aside, Shall be baptiz’d in Jordan’s flood, And wash’d in Jesus’ cleaning blood.

Then pure, immortal, sinless freed, We through the lamb shall be decreed; Shall meet the Father face to face, And need no more a hiding place. _____________ _______________________________ ______________

[Page 12] {Poem 7}

Solitude ______________

It is not that my lot is low, That libs this silent tear to flow: It is not grief that bids me moan, It is that I am all alone.

In woods & glens I love to roam, When the tired hedgers hies him home; Or by the woodland pool to rest, When pale the star looks on its breast.

Yet when the silent evening sighs, With hallow’d airs & symphonies, My spirit takes another tone, And sighs that it is all alone.

The autumn leaf is sear & dead, It floats upon the water’s bed; I would not be a leaf, to die Without recording sorrow’s sigh!

The woods & winds, with sudden wail, Tell all the same unvaried tale: I’ve none to smile when I am free, And when I sigh, to sigh with me.

Yet in my dreams a form I view, That thinks on me & loves me too: I start & when the vision’s flown, I weep that I am all alone.

[Page 13]

{Poem 8}

In Answer

But art thou thus indeed “alone?” Quite unbefriended - all unknown? And hast thou then his name forgot Who forme’d thy frame, I fix’d thy lot?

Is not his voice in evening’s gale? Beams not with him the “star” so pale? Is there a leaf can fade & die, Unnotic’d by his watchful eye?

Each flutt’ring hope - each anxious fear- Each lonely sigh - each silent tear- To thine Almighty Friend are known; And say’st thou, thou art “all alone?”

Josiah Louder

[Page 14] {Poem 9}

Need Not For The Children Dead

Weep not for the youthful dead, Resting in their peaceful bed! They are happier than we, Howsoever blest we be.

They have left a doubtful scene, While their hearts were young & green, Ere the stain of guilt was deep; - Therefore, wherefore do ye weep?

They have never known the stings, Which dissever friendship brings; Envy, Hatred, Passion, Pride, All lie buried at their side.

Far across the shipwreck foam, They have found a peaceful home, Where the blessed spirits keep; Therefore, wherefore should ye weep?

‘Tis ye say, a heavy pain, Preying on the heart in vain, Thus to see the green bud froze, When just opening to a rose.

Yet shall Consolation come, Stooping form a starry home, Bringing dew upon her wings, From the deep, eternal springs.

[Page 15]

Ode hath just begun to climb Up the very mount of Time; Weep not his untimely end, If he sunk, ‘twas to ascend.

She was young, & soft, & fair; To her sister seraphs are! Wherefore, then, should Sorrow bow? She is with the seraphs now.

Happy they who die in youth, Ere the fountain springs of youth Have been sullied by the rains, Leaving dark & deadly stains.

Their renown is with the brave, All their faults are in the grave, And the flowers, that round them bloom, Chase the darkness, - hide the gloom.

[Page 16-17 Blank]

[Page 18] {Poem 10}

VIRTUE. 1827

I saw the virtuous man contend, With lif’s unnumberd woes, And he was poor without a friend, Prest by a thousand foes.

I saw the passion’s pliant slave, In gallant trim and gay: His course was pleasure’s placid wave, His life a summer’s day

And I was caught in folly’s snare, And joined the giddy train; But found her soon the nurse of Care, And punishment and pain.

There surely is some guiding power, Which rightly suffers wrong; Gives vice to bloom her little hour, But virtue late and long.

- Transcription End -