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Hazel bloom

Chapter 88: Columbus.
By Julia Carter Aldrich
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PoetryReligion/Spirituality

About This Book

A compact collection of lyrical poems and short narratives that meditate on motherhood, faith, and the consolations found in nature. Many pieces recall childhood and domestic scenes, confront suffering and loss, and draw on Christian imagery to offer comfort and moral reflection. The verse moves between contemplative monologue, descriptive nature writing, and occasional narrative sketches, balancing personal feeling with devotional and ethical concerns. Throughout, simple pleasures—flowers, seasons, quiet homelife—are set against questions of destiny, grief, and spiritual hope.

Columbus.

O’er the stormy, pathless seas,
Nobly proud, the Genoese
To a shadowed realm sailed;
With a will to brave and bear,
Sought he chance to do and dare,
’Mid the perils he must share
That Earth’s grandeur be unveiled.
Pilgrims sailed to lighted shores,
Hope and Home with open doors,
But thro’ dusky deeps, unknown,
Boldly this explorer plowed,
Facing danger’s darkling crowd
And Fate’s looming, gestant cloud,
From the waste of waters blown.
Heaven gave to him a soul
Finely fashioned to control
With a wondrous spirit might—
That should sweep of doubt and fear,
Broad and bright, a pathway clear—
By it lift a hemisphere
Into Freedom’s joyous light.
Purpose, daring were sublime—
His the crowning deeds of Time;
Life, for others’ gain, was spent
Opening Earth’s great treasure-doors—
Half a world with Bounty’s stores—
Mountains, rich in precious ores—
Caves with sparkling gems besprent.
Justice gave unquestioned claim
To the highest niche of Fame,
But what recompense was Spain’s?
She, thro’ craven sons of lust,
Honor stabbed, with feigned distrust—
Trampled his great soul in dust,
Scorned and loaded him with chains.
Now she comes to steal his bones:
Earth revile! In thunder tones
Tell the tale of wrong and shame;
Write this edict out in flame—
In the hemisphere he gave,
(Which he begged might be his grave)
She, of Greed, the wasted slave,
Shall have nevermore a name.

Transcriber’s note

Poem titles were originally printed in a stylized, “Gothic”-variety typeface (think New York Times masthead). Fonts which are a reasonable approximation of this, and which this ebook will display if you have them installed, include Old English Text MT, Chomsky, Cloister Black, Old London.

The following probable printer errors were corrected.

  • Page 47, “i ngering” changed to “lingering” (I’m lingering now)
  • Page 89, “Indnite” changed to “Infinite” (lighted with Infinite love)
  • Page 98, “temptest” changed to “tempest” (by sorrow’s tempest shaken)
  • Page 104, “Chrstians” changed to “Christians” (When Christians are one)
  • Page 149, “Queiscent” changed to “Quiescent” (Quiescent in that blest repose)
  • Page 178, “prsence” changed to “presence” (I knew that a presence had surely been there)
  • Page 191, “herafter” changed to “hereafter” (beyond life’s tossing ocean / To the great hereafter)
  • Page 197, “Wtih bannerd” changed to “With bannered” (With bannered glories)
  • Page 198, “rollng” changed to “rolling” (thy rolling, rocking cradle)
  • Page 200, “shrniking” changed to “shrinking” (That we go with shrinking dread)
  • Page 209, “satelite” changed to “satellite” (And protoplastic satellite)
  • Page 209, “unchangnig” changed to “unchanging” (With defined, unchanging place.)
  • Page 210, “Lfited” changed to “Lifted” (Lifted lands from shoreless deep.)
  • Page 211, “migthy” changed to “mighty” (mighty, sea-fed rivers)

Punctuation, hyphenation, and word spacing errors were amended without further note.