Thought throbs

Front matter

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THOUGHT THROBS.

Contents

Morning 1

A Birth 1

An Infant's Griff 2

I

Smooth is the road of life to those To whom Love shows the thorn and rose,

Together growing on one stem ; And proves its care for their welfare, By sheathing thorns whose pricks are bare.

And plucking blooms for them :

n.

But rough that path which winding, trends Among the rocks that life subtends,

To reach a goal in pain, Which faithless pays for all the toils And hardships borne ; the life turmoils

To end — Death to reclaim ! —

III

Let this preamble deck my tale : Which keep in mind ; and if I fail

To tell it as I ought, Fill out the blanks it justifies. And hearken to the plaintive cries

Raised by the victim caught!

IV

Fate destined Tom to find the route That winds among the rocks about.

With ne'er a guiding light !

And when he came^-you see I must Begin my story early : trust

Me then ; I '11 tell it right.

Y.

No prospect grand, nor omen fair, Bespoke for him that he should share

Such peace as love bestows ; A cruel Fate bequeathed him hate, A life of strife, which soon or late

Would end him in its throes!

VI

If Fortune rippled once a smile, Or wicked wag once dofF'd a tile

To welcome him to earth, Such was not known, and true it is, Biography is loath to quiz

Concerning his low birth !

VII

Born in this world, it was his fate To find that he had come too late :

His kind was well supplied !

A narrow sphere it was for all, And others did his place forestall —

This much was well descried !

VIII

Of course this was no fault of his ! Who said it was ? but sure was this :

He suffered all the same I And soon his life was thought de trop, When old Fate cried, "Then let him go !"

And this was how it came.

Then he was put in basket crude, Along with others, mewling, rude,

Whose claws with zeal were used ; Together were they carried off" — None knew the whence, nor dreamed whereof

His life this world abused !

XII

In doubt they lay not very long, Nor in the basket, rude and strong,

But grasped in turn was each ; And lifted from the mewling crew, He felt himself — but yet how new

Experience was, and speech !

XIII. .

Nine days had scarcely come and gone, Since that, to them, eventful morn

Wherein their lives begun ; And now the hapless waifs — oh fie ! Are worthless, judged and doomed to die !

So short their race is run !

XIV

But stop ! Let Tom this story tell ! For this you all must know full well.

It was, withal, his fate !

And this beside, 'twere well to know : He of them all alone reached shore

And can the tale relate : —

XV

" I felt myself with others grasped And held aloft while firmly clasped,

How high, I could not see ; But this I know: The cries below In distance lost much of their woe —

Here blindness aided me !

XVI

" Yes, blindness aided me, for could I then have seen myself I should Have died from fright, I know, Ere there within the pond 1 fell For waves to float and wind propel Me to the distant shore !

XVII

^'Aloft, a whirl was given me, — The arm swung back, and set me free, —

And through the air I went!

Like trifle hurled, or rocket shot Aslant the sky, it was my lot Some whither to be sent!

XVIII

" Whiz ! — went I forth ! My breath I caught ! To hold it hard I knew I ought,

But winds proved stranger yet ; And struggling still, I sank me down — I knew not where ! — but soon I found —

Myself was cold and wet !

XIX

' ' Splash !' — I must say it sounded strange ! But stranger still, cold waves did range

Along my back and played !

It was experience new to me — The which, I think, you '11 all agree !

I 'd strangled if I 'd stayed !

XX

'' But to the surface I did rise, And what was then my glad surprise?

My eyes had open come !

And all the world beheld I there — The earth so green, the heavens fair! —

And I was overcome !" —

Yet why should Tom, like Tantalus, Behold earth's beauties dangling thus?

He had no Gods deceived !

But fruitless now to ask the cause, Or try explain this stranger " clause "

Which Faith has long believed !

XXVI

Too true was this : Tom saw beside The earth so green, the heavens wide,

A restless, rolling deep.

Whose distant shores he scarce could see ! And frightened so, he prayed to be

Rocked in its waves — to sleep !

XXVII

His new-oped eyes he closed again ; To struggle, too, he ceased, and then, —

He thought himself sure lost!

The waves, all careless still, did roll. And on a sandy, barren shoal,

Him there they angry tost.

XXVIII

And there he found himself — not dead ! And bitter tears o'er this he shed,

To think what might have been ! But mocking these there rose the thought, " Had not his whilom friends thus sought^

To drown him in his sin ?"

XXIX

Or if Tom was too young to think And moralize, or e'en to shrink

From Death's eternal sleep; He can but still let us supply Such thoughts as would to heaven cry,

Or sunk in grief, so weep !

XXX

There was he stranded on a shore ; The waves had dashed away with roar,

And left him weak and cold : And lying there upon the sand, In sight of bush and weedy land,

Hours pass'd ; as ages told :

XXXI

The sun looked down upon him there, And dried and bristled up his hair.

And breathed him courage, too; And then there came a pang more rude- It was the stomach's cry for food —

Now what was Tom to do ?

XXXII

He rose to find all nature bare Of sustenance for him to share —

Or so it was there 'round ; But ere despair had settled quite. He ran across a sorry mite —

Some stay had hunger found !

XXXIII

It was a birdling fell from nest And killed below upon the crest

The pointed rocks upheld ; There many ants and insects fed. The which Tom drove away and said:

"I'll try this for a spell !"

XXXIV

This scanty bit to hope gave strength. And body too ; and so at length.

Surrendered full to fate, He then and tliere resolved to fare Upon his fellows, and to care

Alone for self and hate !

XXXV

The lesson taught him bitter was, And shook his faith in Mercy's laws :

The world remembered not That he, as others born to life, Deserved some care, — not all such strife

As fell now to his lot !

XXXVI

Night settled soon in all its gloom — As starless, rayless as the tomb

That life receives at last ; And left the world to shadows dark The fearful soul begets—" but hark !

"Was that the wind's sharp blast?"

XXXVII

The night-hawk screamed aloud his woe. And every shadow was a foe

To fearful soul in doubt ; The trees and rocks all seemed to moan, And deep within Tom, heaved a groan :

Aloud he feared to shout!

xxxvni.

For if he had, who now could say What had become of him when day

Had dawned on earth again ?

Sure wicked ghouls had found him out, And taken him without a doubt,

And lodged him in their den !

XXXIX

So, mute and fearful did he crouch. The chill, damp earth his only couch

Throughout the dark, wild night. The shadows long fell full upon Him there: — and then, the mighty sun

Arose with cheerful light !

XL. The heavens rosy grew and all

The shadows fled that night enthrall ;

The birds began to sing; Night's tear-drop bathed the trembling rose, The Sun's warm rays awoke Repose, —

The woods with life did ring.

XLI

Died with the night, did fancies wild That would the head of any child

Turn white with fearful thought ; And freely once more breathed this waif, Though much that night had left to chafe

A mind to dread new wrought.

XLII

The first night gone Tom wiser grew ; 'T was not the last he fully knew

He had now meanly fared.

If here on earth he wished to dwell — And sure he did, though why — to tell

He neither knew nor cared !

XLIII

Denied a home where he was born, His life itself a thing of scorn.

All frenzied grew his mind ; And eager, too, of Hate to learn ! But what to do, or whither turn

A place of rest to find ?

XLIV

He wandered in the woods, and then He came into an open glen

Where ran a brooklet clear ; About him there some birds did light. And marveled at him, but no fright

Disturbed their wonted cheer.

XLV

The sly deception of his race Stood him in need, and o'er his face

A look of languor stole ; He closed his eyes as though asleep — But naughty thing ! still kept a peep

Upon their actions bold !

XLVI

No breakfast had his lips yet pass'd, And argued he ''To break this fast,

A bird must surely die ! "

And thereupon he made a leap — Alas ! they found him not asleep ! —

One wee bird failed to fiy !