, claiming, devouring the whole,
No more with tender lip, nor musical labial sound,
But out of the night emerging for food, our voice persuasive no more,
Croaking like crows here in the wind.

_Poet_

My limbs, my veins dilate, my theme is clear at last,
Banner so broad advancing out of the night, I sing you haughty and
resolute,
I burst through where I waited long, too long, deafen'd and blinded,
My hearing and tongue are come to me (a little child taught me),
I hear from above O pennant of war your ironical call and demand,
Insensate! insensate (yet I at any rate chant you), O banner!
Not houses of peace indeed are you, nor any nor all their prosperity
(if need be, you shall again have every one of those houses to
destroy them.
You thought not to destroy those valuable houses, standing fast,
full of comfort, built with money,
May they stand fast, then? not an hour except you above them and all
stand fast);
O banner, not money so precious are you, not farm produce you, nor the
material good nutriment,
Nor excellent stores, nor landed on wharves from the ships,
Not the superb ships with sail-power or steam-power, fetching and
carrying cargoes,
Nor machinery, vehicles, trade, nor revenues--but you as henceforth
I see you,
Running up out of the night, bringing your cluster of stars
(ever-enlarging stars),
Divider of daybreak you, cutting the air, touch'd by the sun,
measuring the sky,
(Passionately seen and yearn'd for by one poor little child,
While others remain busy or smartly talking, forever teaching thrift,
thrift);
O you up there! O pennant! where you undulate like a snake hissing so
curious,
Out of reach, an idea only, yet furiously fought for, risking bloody
death, loved by me,
So loved--O you banner leading the day with stars brought from the
night!
Valueless, object of eyes, over all and demanding all--(absolute
owner of all)--O banner and pennant!
I too leave the rest!--great as it is, it is nothing--houses,
machines are nothing--I see them not.
I see but you, O warlike pennant! O banner so broad, with stripes, I
sing you only,
Flapping up there in the wind.

THE DYING VETERAN

(_A Long Island incident--early pa