The Project Gutenberg eBook of Elegy in Autumn

This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

Title: Elegy in Autumn

In memory of Frank Dempster Sherman

Author: Clinton Scollard

Release date: August 22, 2023 [eBook #71471]

Language: English

Original publication: New York: Frederick Fairchild Sherman, 1917

Credits: Charlene Taylor, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ELEGY IN AUTUMN ***

ELEGY IN AUTUMN

IN MEMORY OF
Frank Dempster Sherman

BY
Clinton Scollard

NEW YORK
Frederic Fairchild Sherman
MCMXVII

Copyright, 1917, by
Clinton Scollard

ELEGY IN AUTUMN

I

Brother in song, you who have gone before

Along far incommunicable ways,

Leaving me here upon this mortal shore,

A bondman to the tyrant nights and days,

Across the distance, hail!

Though Time may sever, and we meet no more,

Yet what shall Time avail!

II

’Twas Autumn when we first set hand to hand,

And eye to eye, in loyal comradeship;

Drowsed with a draught of Beauty seemed the land,

As it had raised a golden cup to lip;

But you embodied Spring,

Its harvest hopes, its deeds in joyance planned,

Its brave adventuring.

III

I can recall your buoyance,—can recall

The star-sown hours beneath the Cambridge trees,

When o’er us wheeled the bright processional

Of bold Orion and the Pleiades,

And how we strolled along

Laughterful, and oblivious to all

Save the sweet thrall of Song.

IV

Youth has its visions and its fervors; yours

Were lovingly enlinked with Poesy;

You dreamed the dream that many an one allures,

The vernal dream where life is harmony.

And though the years estranged

Your full allegiance, something still assures

My heart you never changed.

V

What merriment was ours those shut-in nights

When Winter, clamorous at the casement, cried!

What dear association, what delights

As we in friendly emulation vied,

While Aspiration’s cruse

Was brimmed for us, beholding on dim heights

The presence of the Muse!

VI

And then there opened wider paths to tread

When Love, with Song, beguiled you on and on,

While Art around your feet unfaltering shed

Its luminous light, irradiant as the dawn;

Though you saw many part

From deities long worshipped, you were wed

Inalienably to Art.

VII

What though the rigid chains of circumstance

Oft held you in the trammels of the town,

Your heart went woodward where the fairies dance

What time the moon its silvery sheen sifts down.

You loved the reeds and rills,

The sea, the shore, their glamour and romance,

And all the climbing hills.

VIII

And when you made escape, and sensed the wild

Aromas beat about you, when you fared

By tracks unwonted, like an unleashed child

You gleefully your gay abandon shared.

Care from your shoulders thrown,

You seemed an Ariel spirit, long exiled,

Come back unto its own.

IX

With gracious Memory again I go

To tread with you where meads are green and gold,

Where upland slopes are strewn with daisy-snow,

And bee-balm torches light the flocks to fold,

And willow branches wave

Above Oriskany, singing far below

Its liquid summer stave.

X

Now south we sail where stormy currents meet

Round the wind-harassed cape of Hatteras,

Beyond whose beacons, when the tides retreat,

The wide sea-mirror is like burnished glass;

There, ’mid the drowsy calms,

As Ponce de Leon did of yore, we greet

The tall Floridian palms.

XI

Here down the live-oak aisles ’tis ours to stray

With wraiths of many a stern conquistador,

Those vanished warriors of an elder day

When gray San Marco bore the brunt of war;

Here we in revery lean

Upon the ramparts beetling o’er the bay,

And watch the shifting scene;—

XII

The boats that dip and dart like living things,

Seeking the open sea beyond the bar;

The graceful gulls with sunlight on their wings

Up the Matanzas soaring fleet and far

Where inlets deep beguile;

And o’er the waters undulant shimmerings

The low coquina isle.

XIII

Then, at the drooping of the twilight hour,

We wander in the ancient plaza where

We breathe the attar of the jasmine flower

Like incense on the altar of the air;

And list, as music swells

Down drifting from the old cathedral tower,

The arpeggio of the bells.

XIV

We linger by the sea-wall while the tide

Below us murmurs like a sad refrain,

Bearing from outer ocean reaches wide

The lore and legend of the Spanish main,

Nor leave that spot serene

Till Sleep, as with the mantle of the bride,

Wraps fair Saint Augustine.

XV

Days dedicate to rapturous things were these;

It was as though Youth came again, and brought

Past aims, past ardors and past ecstasies,

And toward the shrine of Beauty turned our thought.

And there were after times

Of exultation, prismic harmonies,

When hours ran by in rhymes.

XVI

Once, ’mid cathedral Carolinian pines,

We saw the Springtide, at its radiant birth,

Kindle to fragrant gold the coiling vines,

And make a garden of the wakened earth;

And every morning heard

Within the treetops, melody linked with mirth,

The hidden mocking-bird.

XVII

And while the cardinal through the waving bredes

Of pendulous moss swift flitted like a flame,

Back flooded to our minds the illustrious deeds,

Emblazoned on the honor-scroll of Fame,

When Liberty was won,

Hearkening the Ashley whisper to its reeds

The name of Marion.

XVIII

From Gloucester cliffs and brown Nantucket dunes

The mountains lured you, and the mountain star;

For us the Woodland sang its lyric runes

Where’er we followed it, or near or far,

In sun or shadow cool,

Or loitered through long languorous afternoons

By Dian’s darkling pool.

XIX

Far up the valley Wittenberg’s vast form,

Its summit beckoning, with you I view,

And above sweeping slopes where wild bees swarm

Glimpse timid deer at dawn and fall of dew;

Through Panther Kill we roam,

And mark the purple streamers of the storm

Ascend behind the Dome.

XX

And, too, in bookmen’s mines of dusty ore

Ever shall I remember how we delved,

Plucking from out the musty treasure-store

Rich rarities within the darkness shelved,

Elated if we found

Leaves that some name we long had honored bore

In frayed morocco bound.

XXI

Thus, step by step, we trod adown the years,

Thus, side by side, with ne’er a break between;

We shared our laughter and we shared our tears,

Nor deemed inexorable Fate might intervene

To sever the strong cord

That bound us, Fate with its “abhorrèd shears,”

That is man’s over-lord.

XXII

You that in Autumn came, in Autumn went;

How vain to say the mourning word! how vain

To beat the bars of that arbitrament

That metes to mortals pleasurement or pain!

How vain!—how vain!—and yet

We beat upon them, and we only gain

The poignance of regret!

XXIII

Autumn again with all its loveliness;

Autumn again that brought an end to joy,

Despite the sight of earth in amber dress,

And airs that bear the blitheness of a boy!

Autumn, and leaves that toss

In bright brief triumphing, while they express

The brooding sense of loss.

XXIV

Autumn again down every winding way

That, in the days gone by, our footsteps pressed!—

Instead of woven amaranth would I lay

Above your dust—you gone by paths unguessed—

Love’s deathless asphodel;

Until some happier hour,—when, who shall say?—

Brother in song, farewell!

ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY COPIES
PRIVATELY PRINTED ON ITALIAN HAND-MADE
PAPER DURING OCTOBER MCMXVII

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE:

New original cover art included with this eBook is granted to the public domain.

*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ELEGY IN AUTUMN ***

Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will be renamed.

Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution.

START: FULL LICENSE

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK

To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at www.gutenberg.org/license.

Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property (trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.

1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.

1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when you share it without charge with others.

1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any country other than the United States.

1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:

1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, copied or distributed:

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.

1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™.

1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project Gutenberg™ License.

1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website (www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.

1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works provided that:

• You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.”

• You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ works.

• You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of receipt of the work.

• You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.

1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.

1.F.

1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment.

1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem.

1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.

1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.

1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any Defect you cause.

Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™

Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from people in all walks of life.

Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.

Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws.

The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact

Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with the IRS.

The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate.

While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who approach us with offers to donate.

International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.

Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate.

Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.

Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.

Most people start at our website which has the main PG search facility: www.gutenberg.org.

This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™, including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.