They are neither brute nor human - And their king it is who tolls; And he rolls, rolls, rolls, 5 10 Keeping time, time, time, To the throbbing of the bells — To the sobbing of the bells; To the tolling of the bells, To the moaning and the groaning of the bells. crystalline like crystal. - Runic: the Norsemen had an alphabet of sixteen letters, each of which was called a rune. The word probably meant a mystery, as only a few knew these letters. tintinnabulation: a tinkling sound. —ditty: a song. — euphony: a pleasant sound. - alarum: alarm. — turbulency: disorder. expostulation: earnest reasoning against a thing or course of action. palpitating throbbing. — monody: a song for one voice, generally a mournful song. menace: threat. monotone : a single note. ghoul: an imaginary demon. and joyous song. -pæan: a loud POE'S COTTAGE AT FORDHAM JOHN HENRY BONER JOHN HENRY BONER (1845-1903), an American poet, was born in Salem, North Carolina. After receiving an academic education, he edited papers in Salem and in Asheville. He was reading clerk of the North Carolina Constitutional Convention in 1868, and chief clerk of the North Carolina House of Repre- 5 sentatives in 1869-1870. In 1887 he moved to New York. There he was on the staff of the Century Dictionary, the Library of American Literature, and the Standard Dictionary. He was also literary editor of the New York World and of the Literary Digest. The last years of his life were spent in the civil service in Washington. 10 Some of his poems have already taken their places in our best anthologies and, more significant than this, in the hearts of the people. - HENRY JEROME STOCKARD. Here lived the soul enchanted By melody of song; Here dwelt the spirit haunted By a demoniac throng; Here grief and death were sated; Here wintry winds and cheerless While he whose song was peerless Dreamed the drear midnight through, 5 10 15 20 And from dull embers chilling Here, with brow bared to heaven, He heard suspected powers Shriek through the stormy wood. From visions of Apollo And of Astarte's bliss, He gazed into the hollow And hopeless vale of Dis; And though earth were surrounded Proud, mad, but not defiant, He touched at heaven and hell. Fate found a rare soul pliant And rung her changes well. 5 10 : Alternately his lyre, Stranded with strings of fire, Or flashed with Israfel. No singer of old story Luting accustomed lays, No mendicant for praise, He struck high chords and splendid, Tones that unfinished ended Here through this lowly portal, The mortal went and came. And fate that then denied him, And malice that belied him, Have cenotaphed his fame. Apollo a Grecian god particularly interested in music and poetry. — Astarte a goddess of love and beauty. — Dis: another name for Pluto, the god of the lower world. — dolorous: sorrowful. abyss: a bottomless pit. — Israfel: the angel of music; also the name of one of Poe's poems. mendicant beggar. cenotaphed made into a monument. |