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If I Were A Voice

I.If I were a voice, a persuasive voice, That could travel the wide world through, I would fly on the beams of the morning light, And speak to men with a gentle might, And tell them to be true. I'd fly, I'd fly, o'er land and sea, Wherever a human heart might be, Telling a tale, or singing a song, In praise of the right - in blame of the wrong. II.If I were a voice, a consoling voice, I'd fly on the wings of air, The homes of Sorrow and Guilt I'd seek, And calm and truthful words I'd speak... Poems - Post by : pjay10 - Date : September 2011 - Author : Charles Mackay - Read : 20399

The Mowers

AN ANTICIPATION OF THE CHOLERA, 1848.Dense on the stream the vapours lay, Thick as wool on the cold highway; Spongy and dim, each lonely lamp Shone o'er the streets so dull and damp; The moonbeam could not pierce the cloud That swathed the city like a shroud. There stood three Shapes on the bridge alone, Three figures by the coping-stone; Gaunt, and tall, and undefined, Spectres built of mist and wind; Changing ever in form and height, But black and palpable to sight. "This is a city fair to see," "Whisper'd one of the fearful three; "A mighty tribute it pays... Poems - Post by : vall74 - Date : September 2011 - Author : Charles Mackay - Read : 1445

Said I To Myself, Said I

I'm poor and quite unknown, I have neither fame nor rank; My labour is all I own, I have no gold at the bank; I'm one of the common crowd, Despised of the passers-by, Contemn'd of the rich and proud--Said I to myself, said I. I want, and I cannot obtain, The luxuries of the earth; My raiment is scant and plain, And I live in the fear of dearth; While others can laugh or sing, I have ever some cause to sigh; I'm a weary wanderling--Said I to myself, said I. But is this grieving just? Is it... Poems - Post by : essjayar - Date : September 2011 - Author : Charles Mackay - Read : 2228

An Appeal To Paris

1847.BEAUTIFUL Paris! morning star of nations!The Lucifer of cities, lifting high The beacon blaze of young democracy! Medina and Gomorrha both in one--Medina of a high and holy creed To be developed in a coming time! Gomorrha, rampant with all vice and guilt--Luxurious, godless, grovelling, soaring Paris, Laden with intellect, and yet not wise--Metropolis of satire and lampoon, Of wit, of elegance, of mirth, of song, And fearful tragedies done day by day, Which put our hair on end in the open streets--The busy hive of awful memories, The potent arbiter of popular will, The great electric centre whence the shocks... Poems - Post by : robtur6 - Date : September 2011 - Author : Charles Mackay - Read : 2087

Cleon And I

Cleon hath a million acres,Ne'er a one have I;Cleon dwelleth in a palace,In a cottage I;Cleon hath a dozen fortunes,Not a penny I:yet the poorer of the twain isCleon, and not I. Cleon, true, possesseth acres, But the landscape I; Half the charms to me it yieldeth Money cannot buy; Cleon harbours sloth and dulness, Freshening vigour I; He in velvet, I in fustian--Richer man am I. Cleon is a slave to grandeur, Free as thought am I; Cleon fees a score of doctors, Wealth-surrounded, care-environ'd, Cleon fears to die; Death may come, he'll find me ready;--Happier man am I. Cleon... Poems - Post by : shudek - Date : September 2011 - Author : Charles Mackay - Read : 3755

The Little Moles

WHEN grasping tyranny offends, Or angry bigots frown; When rulers plot, for sefish ends, To keep the nations down; When statesmen form unholy league To drive the world to war; When knaves in palaces intrigue For ribbons or a star-- We raise our heads, survey their deeds, And cheerily reply, Grub, little moles, grub under ground, There's sunshine in the sky.When canting hypocrites combine To curb a free man's thought, And hold all doctrine undivine That holds their canting nought; When round their narrow pale they plod. And scornfully assume That all without are cursed of God, And justify the doom,--We... Poems - Post by : Cheese - Date : September 2011 - Author : Charles Mackay - Read : 1290

Let Us Alone

Many--and yet our fate is one, And little after all we crave-- Enjoyment of the common sun, Fair passage to the common grave; Our bread and fire, our plain attire, The free possession of our own. Rulers be wise! and kings and czars, Let us alone--let us alone. We have a faith, we have a law; A faith in God, a hope in man; And own, with reverence and awe, Love universal as His plan. To Charity we bow the knee. The earth's refiner and our own. Bigots, and fighters about words, Let us alone--let us alone. The world is the... Poems - Post by : simplyjond - Date : September 2011 - Author : Charles Mackay - Read : 3488

The Phamtoms Of St. Sepulchre

(It may be necessary to inform the reader unacquainted with London, that the church of St. Sepulchre is close to the gaol of Newgate, and that its bell is tolled when a criminal is to be executed. Few will need to be reminded that the three stories related are not fabulous.) "Didst ever see a hanging?"--"No, not one, Nor ever wish to see such scandal done. But once I saw a wretch condemn'd to die: A lean-faced, bright-eyed youth, who made me sigh At the recital of a dream he had. He was not sane, and yet he was not... Poems - Post by : pedantic - Date : September 2011 - Author : Charles Mackay - Read : 3420

Eternal Justice

The man is thought a knave, or fool. Or bigot, plotting crime, Who, for the advancement of his kind. Is wiser than his time.For him the hemlock shall distil; For him the axe be bared; For him the gibbet shall be built; For him the stake prepared. Him shall the scorn and wrath of men Pursue with deadly aim; And malice, envy, spite, and lies, ShaU desecrate his name. But Truth shall conquer at the last. For round and round we run; And ever the Right comes uppermost, And ever is Justice done. Pace through thy cell, old Socrates, Cheerily to... Poems - Post by : simplem1 - Date : September 2011 - Author : Charles Mackay - Read : 3715

The Lump Of Gold

Part the FirstI. "WHERE shall I hide myself?-- Lost and undone!-- A beggar--an outcast-- Insulting the Sun! Oh! Yesterday vanished! How lovely wert thou;-- The hope in my spirit, The pride on my brow, The firm self-reliance My guardian and friend, The courage unyielding That Fate could not bend; Were mine to support me;-- Oh! Yesterday fair! Come back, oh come back to me, Free from despair! To-day is relentless, My judge and my foe;-- And misery tracks me, Wherever I go. My temples are throbbing With sin unforgiven; Men shall not pity me! Pity me, Heaven!" II. Down came the... Poems - Post by : ecommchick - Date : September 2011 - Author : Charles Mackay - Read : 3020

The Wood-nymph

"Muse des bois et des accords champetres." Far from bustle, strife, and care, 'Mong the woods I've wooed her. And to her secluded nook, By the margin of a brook, And by waters bright and blue, Over meadows wet with dew, Many a time pursued her: And far away in forests lone, Listening to the rugged tone Of the windy weather, She and I, at midnight's time, Have sat and sung together. Poor she is in things of earth, Poor in worldly treasure, But she hath a smile of light. And an eye of hazel bright, Beaming love and pleasure. A... Poems - Post by : promonde - Date : September 2011 - Author : Charles Mackay - Read : 1379

The Maniacs Song To The Wind

Why, O wind of summer. Why that restless moan? Weepest thou for pleasures That are past and gone? Mournest thou for visions That have fled away, Or hopes which only flourished To wither and decay? Hath thy loved-one left thee To misfortune's smart, With a wounded spirit And a broken heart? Grievest thou like Ellen, O, thou moaning wind, For the scorn and pity Of a world unkind? Let us mourn together, O! thou midnight blast, For the joys which wither, For the woes which last! For the scorn and falsehood Which have seared my mind, Weep and mourn with Ellen,... Poems - Post by : Riggie - Date : September 2011 - Author : Charles Mackay - Read : 2740

German Drinking Song

"Rosen auf den Weg gestreut "Und des Harm vergessen." Strew roses on the way, And think no more of grief, Short is the passing day, Short-lived the summer leaf; Short is our mortal span-- Then, ere the minutes die, 'Tis Wisdom's wisest plan To gild them as they fly: The present only is our own, The future dark, and all unknown. Then, O give Grief and Care, O give them to the blast, And make the present fair And brighter than the past! And make the glasses ring, As ye quaff the cheering wine, And a merry chorus sing, Beneath the... Poems - Post by : Jedda - Date : September 2011 - Author : Charles Mackay - Read : 2482

Cool Breeze Of Summer's Eve

COOL breeze of summer's eve, 'Mid leafy branches playing, Oh hasten to her bower, And chide my love for staying: Tell her, with anxious hope My faithful heart is beating, That long, long time hath past The still sweet hour of meeting. Ray of the patient moon, That floatest on the billow, Shine through her lattice high, And beam upon her pillow: Tell her that truth and love A weary round are beating, While Rosa, wrapt in sleep, Forgets the hour of meeting.(The end)Charles Mackay's poem: Cool Breeze Of Summer's Eve... Poems - Post by : PeggyR - Date : September 2011 - Author : Charles Mackay - Read : 2825

The Pilgrims Dog

A TALE OF THE OLDEN TIME. There came a pilgrim to the gate, An aged man was he, And he sat him down upon a stone, And sighed most bitterly: The night was cold,--the fierce winds howled With loud and blustering din, So, to restore his drooping strength, We asked the good man in. "Now sit thee down, thou aged man, "Here's ale an thou art dry, "And tell us now what aileth thee, "And wherefore thou dost sigh."-- The aged man he sat him down, He drank no wine nor ale, But shook the damp dew from his cloak, And... Poems - Post by : punkrocker8687 - Date : September 2011 - Author : Charles Mackay - Read : 1194

The Song Of The Mountaineers

When Morning sheds her ruddy light O'er heath and dusky dell, Away we go to the mountain's height, To chase the swift gazelle; To chase afar the savage wolf, Or light and bounding roe, O'er slippery steep, o'er ravine deep, With merry hearts we go. While Echo still, From some far hill, Repeats our glad hallo! Hallo! Where heart-inspiring danger dwells, With fearless feet we roam, And nimbly bound o'er craggy dells, Where babbling waters foam. O'er trackless wilds, at break of morn, With right good will we go, And merrily wind our bugle horn, And chase the fleeting roe. While... Poems - Post by : webmarketer - Date : September 2011 - Author : Charles Mackay - Read : 2851

Song To The Germans

1832. When your rights are destroyed, and when freedom expires, When your kings and your princes to crush ye combine, O! shall it be said that no vengeance inspires The land of the Oder, the Elbe, and the Rhine! O! shall it be said that the Germans lay still, While their puny oppressors were working their will? Forbid it, O Heaven, that the country of song, The land of the steadfast, the noble, the fair, Should tamely submit to the lash and the thong, Or crouch to the rule which her despots prepare. No! Freedom shall shine o'er the universe yet,... Poems - Post by : richard4231 - Date : September 2011 - Author : Charles Mackay - Read : 3758

Lorenzo Pines In Dungeon Gloom

"LORENZO pines in dungeon gloom, "In chains my gallant lover lies, "A tyrant has pronounced his doom, "To-morrow he is free--or dies! "O Love! if thou hast power below, "Or favour where the angels dwell, "Protect thy maiden votary now-- "Jesu Maria! shield me well!" The maiden doffs her robe of white, And clothes her in the priestly stole, Binds back her locks of auburn bright, And mutters prayers which save the souL .The prison portals open wide, The holy father seeks the cell, Lorenzo sees his destined bride-- Jesu Maria! shield her well! Quickly the destined moments flee, The maiden's... Poems - Post by : Troy_Trump - Date : September 2011 - Author : Charles Mackay - Read : 1284

The Falling Stars

(AFTER BERANGER.)SHEPHERD, thou say'st there is a star Which rules our changeful destinies: Can mortal vision soar so far, Or pierce such mighty mysteries? Shepherd, 'tis said thy mind recals The lore of grey departed seers: say, what is yonder star which falls, Which falls, falls, and disappears? My son, a child of joy expired, Yon was his star which glided by, The friendly feast, by mirth inspired, Has witnessed his departing sigh; He sang of wine and beauty's thralls, Round went his jokes and witty jeers-- There is another star which falls. Which falls, falls, and disappears! My son, it... Poems - Post by : proview - Date : September 2011 - Author : Charles Mackay - Read : 1245

Gipsy Chaunt

When tke sentinel mastiff keepeth guard, And all is dark in the farmer's yard, Ere the early cock hath begun to crow, Abroad with the owl and the bat we go: Thirst is mighty--hunger is strong-- Our sticks are stout, and our arms are long-- Hurra! And woe to the chicken--ah, woe, to the hen That flappeth her wings on our pathway then! Hurra!No cautious latchet--no bolted door, Receiveth at night the gipsy's store; No wealthy hoards hath he to guard-- His only store is the farmer's yard: And to visit that store whene'er he can, Is the roving gipsy's nightly... Poems - Post by : Translink - Date : September 2011 - Author : Charles Mackay - Read : 3871

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