Project Gutenberg's In the Land of Dakota, by Huldah Lucile Winstead This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: In the Land of Dakota A Little Book of Dakota Verse Author: Huldah Lucile Winstead Release Date: January 16, 2011 [EBook #34982] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IN THE LAND OF DAKOTA *** Produced by D Alexander and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) IN THE LAND OF DAKOTA A Little Book of North Dakota Verse BY HULDAH LUCILE WINSTED BOSTON RICHARD G. BADGER THE GORHAM PRESS Copyright, 1920, by Huldah L. Winsted All Rights Reserved Made in the United States of America The Gorham Press, Boston, U. S. A. TO MY FRIEND MRS. WILLIAM A. ANDERSON CONTENTS PAGE In the Land of Dakota In the East ye struggle for glory 9 The Seasons in North Dakota Spring—and the wild March wind 10 The Deluge—A Berthold Indian Legend Long ago, yes, oh, so long since 11 North Dakota Sunsets Such beautiful tints in the western skies 15 North Dakota—Past and Present Low-lying hills, “bad lands” and rolling plain 16 A Prairie Sunrise Grey and silent is the morning 18 Dakota Land, Dakota Land Dakota land, Dakota land 19 North Dakota’s Mission Pioneers of North Dakota 21 We Who Have Lived in Dakota We who have lived in Dakota 23 MISCELLANEOUS VERSES Guiding Voices Echoes of beloved voices 27 A Prayer Make me gentle, Lord, and kind 28 To a Friend My love for thee, lips cannot tell 29 A Dream It was midnight 30 The Light The way is long, the night is drear 33 Sister Dear, I Love You So Sister dear, I love you so 34 Night Watches In the still watches of night 35 Men Are Three There are all kinds of people we meet 36 Smiles and Tears Swift run the hours on to days 38 Columbia to Shakespeare: An Appreciation We are gathered here 39 The Answer Writ in the skies above me 41 The Immigrant to the Stars and Stripes O Flag, on all the earth the best 41 The Peace of the Woods Oh, oft when I come to the city 43 Keep the Path Clear Oh, do not trifle with friendship 45 IN THE LAND OF DAKOTA IN THE LAND OF DAKOTA In the East ye struggle for glory And power, and wealth, and fame, And time ye expend, and much labor, To trace down your ancestors’ name; But here in the land of Dakota Where the winds sweep over the plains, Is winnowed away much useless “chaff,” And only true worth remains. In the East ye crush out the life-blood Of innocent children, grown old By premature toiling and labor To fill up your coffers with gold; But here in the Land of Dakota Our children are happy and free, And over the plains of its limitless mains Re-echo their laughter and glee. In the East ye build up great mansions And sky-scrapers gaunt and high, That shut out the glory and grandeur Of the infinite tender sky; But here in the Land of Dakota Our eyes look up on high And our souls learn wonderful lessons From the white clouds sailing by. THE SEASONS IN NORTH DAKOTA Spring—and the wild March wind The snow-covered prairies sweep; From North Dakota’s frozen clod The fur-clad Pasque Flowers peep. Summer—and gentle showers, And soft the zephyrs blow; O’er North Dakota’s rolling plains The modest Roses grow. [Pg 9] [Pg 10] Autumn—and burnished skies, And parching, sun-scorched sod; And by the wayside still there blooms The stately Goldenrod. Winter—the flowers are dead And fierce the cold winds blow; Yet ’spite of North Dakota’s snow The flowers of Hope still grow. THE DELUGE (A Berthold Indian Legend) Long ago, yes, oh, so long since,— When the world was young and fair, All the animals were friendly; E’en the bison and the bear Aided man with all their cunning, Helped him with their counsels grave, Helped him as the gods alone can— Made him wise and strong and brave. And the flowers on the prairies Blossomed ever, shy and sweet, For the land of the Dakotas Knew not frost, nor killing heat. But there lived a dread god, North Wind, Cruel was he, with heart of stone, Feared of all and loved by no one, Living to himself alone In the land of snow and blizzard, In the land of deadening cold, Plotting ever some new mischief, Some new ravage, cruel and bold. And one day this mighty North Wind Left his throne of ice and snow, In the cold, far distant northland Where the wriggling ice-worms glow; Southward came he, and the flowers Bent their lovely heads in death, For from out his icy nostrils Came an all-destroying breath.— At the mighty, stately forests Angrily his teeth he gnashed, With one mighty blow he felled them And with chains the rivers lashed; Ceased their laughter and their murmur, Ceased their sweet life-giving flow.— All the birds and beasts in terror Fled, and knew not where to go; Food they found not, and no shelter, Dying were the mortals all, And a slow relentless snow shroud Draped the earth as with a pall.— Death supreme reigned; loud the North Wind Roared defiance to the gods!— Birds and beasts and man in terror Fled, and, dying, called the gods To avenge their death and suffering, To unite them one and all In the holy cause of vengeance, To secure the North Wind’s fall.— [Pg 11] [Pg 12] And the South Wind, fairest maiden Of the gods, took up their cause; Girded now herself for battle, And after a moment’s pause Called unto her loyal brothers, The strong East Wind, and the West, “Help revenge the suffering mortals”— And they granted her request. Strong the fight raged in Dakota ’Twixt the North Wind and his foes, Now one side yields, now the other, Fierce and loud the tempest blows;— Savagely the monster charges Grappling with his unseen foes While a wild, chaotic blizzard, Such as ne’er was seen, arose, Hiding all within its fury, Made the daylight dark as night, For the very gods were grappling In a last terrific fight.— Ages long the battle lasted— Then the maiden fair and lovely, Smiled benignant on her foe, And his very heart was melting (For ’twas made of ice and snow); Loosed the rivers from their bondage, Vanished now the shroud of snow, And o’er North Dakota’s prairies Flowers fair began to grow; With the advent of the flowers Came the birds and beasts and man, Built again their homes and wigwams— And no more they anxious scan The horizon for the North Wind, Knowing that he’s met his fate; But the South Wind, fair and lovely Rules now o’er Dakota’s state. Southward now each year the North Wind Wends his way to see her face, To the land of the Dakotas Where the battle once took place; Smiling sweet, the maiden greets him, Warms again his chilly heart; Satisfied, he briefly lingers— With him, winter’s cold, depart. NORTH DAKOTA SUNSETS Such beautiful tints in the western skies! Purples and gold and the deepest rose, Crimson and scarlet the heavens suffuse Where the sun of the prairies sinks to repose;— Spaces where lingering daylight plays With the skirts of night in her sombre gown, Spaces where gathering mists hang low Ere the shadows of night come drooping down.— Such, North Dakota, thy sunsets are— Spreading their glory near and far, Flooding the soul with a holier peace That lingers long after the daylight shall cease! [Pg 13] [Pg 14] [Pg 15] NORTH DAKOTA—PAST AND PRESENT (The Passing of the Red Man) Low-lying hills, “bad lands” and rolling plain, Stretching afar like billows on the main, With winding rivers seeking distant homes, And leagues of virgin prairie Where stately bison roams. The brave Mandan, the Sheyenne and the Sioux, The Chippewa and the Grosventre too, Along the rivers and the plains did dwell; The land they called Dakota, And methink they named it well. And here they lived for centuries untold, Watching the secrets of the plains unfold; Their homes they built and smoked the pipe of peace, And vowed by the Great Spirit Their friendship would not cease. * * * * Gone are the braves. The papooses and the squaw No longer wait for winter snows to thaw; The tepee’s gone, the peace pipe and the dance, Gone, gone, alas! forever, The Red Man’s fighting chance. For pale face came, and from Dakota’s plain The Red Man drove, and claimed his vast domain; No power on earth could stay the Viking’s son, For “iron men” are born In the land of midnight sun. * * * * Onward they came, these Northmen, feared of old, Bold pioneers, to wrest the hidden gold From North Dakota’s hills and virgin sod; The ploughshare won the land For these “master men” of God. * * * * Their children now look out on well-tilled fields, And garner wealth, that many a rich mine yields; The argosies of earth their treasures bear— For empty rank and title and sham, They little care. * * * * O boys and girls of North Dakota’s Land, Guard, love her well! Pledge her your heart and hand! Where else on earth are seen such sunset fires— What other race can boast More fearless dames and sires! A PRAIRIE SUNRISE Gray and silent is the morning— [Pg 16] [Pg 17] [Pg 18] Shadows like some airy lawn Veil the prairies from our vision; Night is breaking into dawn. Look! Along the eastern heavens Yonder cloud a beacon glows, Touching all with mellow brightness; Gray is turning into rose. Sombre shadows swiftly vanish— Gorgeous are the fiery dyes That adorn the far horizons, Flooding earth, and air and skies. See! The sun is slowly rising O’er the level fields of grain, Restless, golden billows surging On a vast and boundless main.— Hark! A distant sound is breaking Through the stillness deep and calm— O’er the prairies floats the cadence Of sweet Nature’s morning psalm. DAKOTA LAND, DAKOTA LAND Dakota Land, Dakota Land, We love thy rolling prairies; Thy “bad lands” ’yond Missouri’s bed The fertile valley of the Red— Dakota Land, Dakota Land, We love thy rolling prairies. Dakota Land, Dakota Land, We love thy sunset fires; Thy sunny days, thy azure skies, Thy starry nights, thy sunrise dyes— Dakota Land, Dakota Land, We love thy sunset fires. Dakota Land, Dakota Land, We love thy modest wild rose; Thy fields of waving, golden grain, Like billows on a boundless main— Dakota Land, Dakota Land, We love thy modest wild rose. Dakota Land, Dakota Land, We love thy changing seasons; Thy winter’s cold, thy summer nights, Thy blust’ry spring, thy autumn bright— Dakota Land, Dakota Land, We love thy changing seasons. Dakota Land, Dakota Land, We love thy far horizons; No mountains hide the gorgeous dyes That paint with splendour western skies— Dakota Land, Dakota Land, We love thy far horizons. [Pg 19] [Pg 20] [Pg 21] NORTH DAKOTA’S MISSION Pioneers of North Dakota Spread her fame! Bid thy youths and bid thy maidens Guard her name!— Tell them of your dreams and visions— Tell them of your great ambitions;— How you fought to win the land; Tell them of brave Custer’s band. Tell them how you fought the Red Man, How he lost— Tell them North Dakota’s story And the cost!— Can they too, like you, the price pay? Can they too, like you, their lives lay Down, if need be, for their state? Dare they share her every fate?— * * * * To the children of Dakota This we give, First of all, a glorious vision How to live— Them we give our mines and “bad lands,“ Prairies broad and fertile wheat lands Stretching from Missouri’s bed To the Valley of the Red. And the fame of North Dakota’s name Shall rise, Like the never-tiring Phœnix To the skies!— State of promise and of fair play, State where rises bright a new day For the weak and the oppressed, State which millions shall call blest! Men and women of Dakota Who shall say What the fruitage of our efforts Of to-day?— Labor then, nor lose the vision Of this North Dakota’s mission, To free body, soul, and mind, To help all their true work find. WE WHO HAVE LIVED IN DAKOTA We who have lived in Dakota We who have loved her right well, We who have known her, and tried her, Marvelous tales could we tell; Tales of the Sioux and the Mandan, Tales of the Sheyenne as well; Deeds of brave Custer and Sully, Fain unto you we would tell. Hard have we worked, and we’ve conquered, Conquered the Red Man—the sod.— Over the primeval prairies [Pg 22] [Pg 23] Forward and onward we’ve trod. Fought we with sword and with ploughshare, Wresting our bread from the clod— Virgin and untouched we found it As left by the hand of our God. Yes, we’ve weathered the blizzards. Crop failures many we’ve known.— Early and late have we labored, Felt the cold wind to the bone.— Glad we have been when our neighbor Garnered the golden grain, Knowing our mortgage was unpaid, And all of our efforts seemed vain. Glad have we been when the harvest Yielded an hundred-fold— Paying the debt and the mortgage, Lining our pockets with gold. Yes, we still love North Dakota, Knowing she’ll compensate well Those who are willing to try her;— To summer and winter her well. MISCELLANEOUS VERSES GUIDING VOICES Echoes of beloved voices Reach us in the silent night, Sooth the feverish, restless spirit, Bring us messages of light; Messages of love to cheer us Onward still, though dark the way, Whispers fraught with hope and courage For the battles of the day. ’Midst the clamor and the tumult And the din of shop and mill, Still the voices of our loved ones All our vibrant beings thrill With celestial music holy; Quenching lust, and pain and strife, Which are rife where Mammon reigneth All supreme in human life. When the evening shadows lengthen On life’s pathway, as we go, And our sight is getting dimmer And the sands of time run low, “Courage, brother,” still they whisper, “Keep the path, we’ll guide the way, Till thou reach the land where shadows Lose themselves in Perfect Day.” A PRAYER Make me gentle, Lord, and kind; Honest, frugal, pure of mind; Patient, humble, meek and mild; [Pg 24] [Pg 25-26] [Pg 27] [Pg 28] Trustful as a little child. Make me earnest, Lord, and strong; Just and faithful; foe of wrong; Slow to anger; friend of all; Swift to answer duty’s call. TO A FRIEND My love for thee, lips cannot tell, Nor words, nor actions, half as well As my full heart would wish; But sometimes, in another land, When we have reached the Golden Strand I know, you’ll surely understand. A DREAM It was midnight. And those spirits Who men’s destinies control Were in solemn court assembled, Waiting for the bell to toll The final hour of the year; And what happened you will hear: Elves and gnomes and dwarfs came tripping On the light fantastic toe, From their distant caves and castles In the land of ice and snow; And the elf-king, white and hoary, From his throne arose and spoke: “Fellow spirits all, I greet you.” (And just then old Father Time Rang out the old year—1909.) “Friends, I feel our power is waning,— Man, our ward, is now proclaiming Among others, a most curious thing, That in a chair he likes to swing Because his ancestor, an ape, Was very apt to use his tape To swing himself from limb to limb Of trees and vines which on them cling. Moreover, he is now so learnéd That to a fossil he is turnèd, Instead of joining our free band Of spirits, in the fairy land.” Silence reigned supreme a moment; Then an old dwarf, ripe with age, Arose, and all those elves and fairies Bowed their heads a little space For that “grand old man,” whose wisdom In that hall rang loud and clear: “Time has come when man no longer Feels he needs invoke our aid, For creation, now he tells us, By itself was surely made;— Blind he is to Nature’s teachings, And so wise in his conceit That he would forget the lessons [Pg 29] [Pg 30] [Pg 31] Taught by wayside flowers sweet; By the river and the mountain And the myriad things that creep Upon the earth. And this wondrous Human being calls himself but a machine, Classed among the things he fashions From the metals earth doth yield. Ah, his very heart is hardening— Love no longer can hold sway When the heir of all creation Says he’s only made of clay.” * * * * I awoke from my light slumber At the New Year’s earliest beam, Pondering deeply if a lesson Could be learned, e’en from a dream. THE LIGHT The way is long, the night is drear, I stumble on through doubt and fear; My heart grows numb, all hope takes flight; Oh, Father, let me see the light! Was it for me that He has died? Was it for me the Crucified Bore the deep anguish in the night?— Oh, Father, let me see the light! O doubting child, look up and see, It was for sinners, such as thee, Christ conquered sin, and death, and night. Look up, dear child, behold The Light! SISTER DEAR, I LOVE YOU SO Sister dear, I love you so! As the seasons come and go, Dearer still, my friend, you grow. Sister dear, I love you so! Sister dear, I love you so! Ah, forgive each thoughtless blow; Though I’ve often hurt you—oh, Sister dear, I love you so! Sister dear, I love you so! May love’s flame still brighter glow, Friendship’s fires ne’er burn low.— Sister dear, I love you so! Sister dear, I love you so! As your birthdays come and go, Let me whisper, soft and low, Sister dear, I love you so! Sister dear, I love you so! When life’s fires dimmer glow, Take this with you, as you go, [Pg 32] [Pg 33] [Pg 34] Sister dear, I love you so! NIGHT WATCHES In the still watches of night Long ere the dawn comes a-creeping Over the eastern skies, Think of the hearts that are breaking;— Oh, hear the moans and the sobbing— Feel how the pulses are throbbing, Just because some one was thoughtless.— Oh, was that someone you? MEN ARE THREE There are all kinds of people we meet on the road, As we travel along life’s way; And some are surly and some are grave And others are jolly and gay. And some folks are short, while others are tall, Still others are skinny and thin— And some skip along, a-humming a song, But others are simply all in. But where’er they come from, or whither they go, We pigeon-hole each of them so, We group them, and sort them, and label them all, The short ones, the skinny, and tall. There’s the man or the woman, the boy or the girl, That’s always a-wishing a share In somebody’s fortune, or somebody’s fame, Yes, they wish for the moon ’way up there.— Then there’s that group of persons Who talk, talk, and talk, You simply don’t know what they say— From morning till night they keep talking away, And the night is like unto the day.— But quietly along, on the very same road, Walk others, with little to say, And if they have wishes (What mortals have not?), They put them discreetly away. They’re the workers, the lifters of burdens,—who dare To fight for the right if need be, Alone ’gainst a world— And defiance they hurl To all tyrants wherever they be. You have met these three classes of people, I’m sure, As you’ve traveled adown life’s way— The folks with their wish-bone enormously grown, And the “jaw-bones,” who talk all the day.— And I know you have shunned them, As others have done From the day that time began, But you’ve hailed with delight, And you’ve longed for the sight Of the steady, quiet, “back-boned” man. [Pg 35] [Pg 36] [Pg 37] [Pg 38] SMILES AND TEARS Swift run the hours on to days And days to years— And each and every one is filled With smiles or tears. Sometimes the skies are over-cast The live-long Day— But when the sun shall smile again Why, who can say! COLUMBIA TO SHAKESPEARE (An Appreciation) We are gathered here from the ends of the earth, The children of Teuton and Celt; The children, too, of Latin and Slav At Liberty’s shrine have knelt. America is proud to take From out of bondage and strife, And weave them all into one great whole, These strands of human life. She’ll dye them all in the self-same red Of Liberty’s crimson hue; And place them as the glorious stars On Freedom’s field of blue. And we, the children of all the earth, To thee, poet of all times, Bring honor, and laurel, and love as well— And crown thee, king of rhymes. Thou brought us to the very homes Of Saxon, Dane and Moor, And sweetly sang thy choicest lays Alike to rich and poor. Thou didst act well, thy every part, On this brief stage of life; Thou taught us too, our parts to play In peaceful work, or strife. Renowned bard of Albion’s land America bids thee rise Like Phœnix, fabled from of old— Immortal, to the skies. THE ANSWER Writ in the skies above me In sentence of purest gold, In answer to age-long questions: God ruleth as of old! [Pg 38] [Pg 39] [Pg 40] [Pg 41] THE IMMIGRANT TO THE STARS AND STRIPES O Flag, on all the earth the best, Thou emblem of true liberty, We, immigrants from all the earth, Pledge thee our love and loyalty! Thy crimson bars to us are dear, Thy stars with hope our hearts imbue; Thou emblem of fraternity, We will be true, yes true to you! O Flag, thou flag of Washington, Thou emblem of democracy, We’ll follow thee, whate’er befall, We pledge to thee our fealty! Our brain, our brawn, our life, our all— America, we give to you! With heart and hand we pledge anew To God and you, we will be true! We will be true, yes, true to you, O Flag, and all for which you stand: Equality and liberty And happiness throughout the land.— Thy foster sons, America, Will serve thee well—thy daughters too; Their life, their all, they pledge anew, O Stars and Stripes, to you—to you! THE PEACE OF THE WOODS Oh, oft when I come to the city, I long for the peace of the woods; For the sighing of winds in the pine trees And the laughter of running brooks; The chatter of squirrel and chipmunk, The call of the shy wood dove.— Oh, the forest’s the place to listen To that grandest of anthems—Love. Ere the darksome shades of the forest Have vanished, at early dawn, A million happy creatures Are chanting their morning psalm; They sing of the joy of living, In happiness, peace, and love, And gratefully raise their voices To the great All-Giver above. And I, in a gladsome spirit, Join in with the happy throng; Sustained, and strengthened, and soothed, By Nature’s mighty song.— And oft when I come to the city, I long for that song of love, That the forest’s happy creatures Raise to the Father above. KEEP THE PATH CLEAR! [Pg 42] [Pg 43] [Pg 44] [Pg 45] Oh, do not trifle with friendship, I pray, Guard it more closely each swift-flying day; Gifts the most precious, and gold cannot pay For friendship once broken. It’s vanished for aye!— Keep clear the path to your friend’s heart, I pray! Weeds of forgetfulness soon choke the way; Pass that way often; keep polished, I pray, The flagstones that guide you down friendship’s own way! Transcriber’s Note: One minor change has been made (to correct thoughless to thoughtless) for a typesetter’s error; otherwise, every effort has been made to remain true to the author’s words and intent. End of Project Gutenberg's In the Land of Dakota, by Huldah Lucile Winstead *** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IN THE LAND OF DAKOTA *** ***** This file should be named 34982-h.htm or 34982-h.zip ***** This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: https://www.gutenberg.org/3/4/9/8/34982/ Produced by D Alexander and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will be renamed. 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