Anti-Slavery Poems and Songs of Labor and Reform, Complete

A WORD FOR THE HOUR.

     THE firmament breaks up. In black eclipse
     Light after light goes out. One evil star,
     Luridly glaring through the smoke of war,
     As in the dream of the Apocalypse,
     Drags others down. Let us not weakly weep
     Nor rashly threaten. Give us grace to keep
     Our faith and patience; wherefore should we leap
     On one hand into fratricidal fight,
     Or, on the other, yield eternal right,
     Frame lies of law, and good and ill confound?
     What fear we? Safe on freedom's vantage-ground
     Our feet are planted: let us there remain
     In unrevengeful calm, no means untried
     Which truth can sanction, no just claim denied,
     The sad spectators of a suicide!
     They break the links of Union: shall we light
     The fires of hell to weld anew the chain
     On that red anvil where each blow is pain?
     Draw we not even now a freer breath,
     As from our shoulders falls a load of death
     Loathsome as that the Tuscan's victim bore
     When keen with life to a dead horror bound?
     Why take we up the accursed thing again?
     Pity, forgive, but urge them back no more
     Who, drunk with passion, flaunt disunion's rag
     With its vile reptile-blazon. Let us press
     The golden cluster on our brave old flag
     In closer union, and, if numbering less,
     Brighter shall shine the stars which still remain.

     16th First mo., 1861.