Read Ebook: Diego Pinzon and the Fearful Voyage He Took Into the Unknown Ocean A.D. 1492 by Coryell John Russell

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AND

'LEVEN MORE POEMS

BENJ. F. JOHNSON, OF BOONE

THE OLD SWIMMIN'-HOLE

Oh! the old swimmin'-hole! whare the crick so still and deep Looked like a baby-river that was laying half asleep, And the gurgle of the worter round the drift jest below Sounded like the laugh of something we onc't ust to know Before we could remember anything but the eyes Of the angels lookin' out as we left Paradise; But the merry days of youth is beyond our controle, And it's hard to part ferever with the old swimmin'-hole.

Oh! the old swimmin'-hole! In the happy days of yore, When I ust to lean above it on the old sickamore, Oh! it showed me a face in its warm sunny tide That gazed back at me so gay and glorified, It made me love myself, as I leaped to caress My shadder smilin' up at me with sich tenderness. But them days is past and gone, and old Time's tuck his toll From the old man come back to the old swimmin'-hole.

Oh! the old swimmin'-hole! In the long, lazy days When the hum-drum of school made so many run-a-ways, How plesant was the jurney down the old dusty lane, Whare the tracks of our bare feet was all printed so plane You could tell by the dent of the heel and the sole They was lots o' fun on hands at the old swimmin'-hole. But the lost joys is past! Let your tears in sorrow roll Like the rain that ust to dapple up the old swimmin'-hole.

Thare the bullrushes growed, and the cattails so tall, And the sunshine and shadder fell over it all; And it mottled the worter with amber and gold Tel the glad lillies rocked in the ripples that rolled; And the snake-feeder's four gauzy wings fluttered by Like the ghost of a daisy dropped out of the sky, Or a wownded apple-blossom in the breeze's controle As it cut acrost some orchurd to'rds the old swimmin'-hole.

Oh! the old swimmin'-hole! When I last saw the place, The scenes was all changed, like the change in my face; The bridge of the railroad now crosses the spot Whare the old divin'-log lays sunk and fergot. And I stray down the banks whare the trees ust to be-- But never again will theyr shade shelter me! And I wish in my sorrow I could strip to the soul, And dive off in my grave like the old swimmin'-hole.

THOUGHTS FER THE DISCURAGED FARMER

The summer winds is sniffin' round the bloomin' locus' trees; And the clover in the pastur is a big day fer the bees, And they been a-swiggin' honey, above board and on the sly, Tel they stutter in theyr buzzin' and stagger as they fly. The flicker on the fence-rail 'pears to jest spit on his wings And roll up his feathers, by the sassy way he sings; And the hoss-fly is a-whettin'-up his forelegs fer biz, And the off-mare is a-switchin' all of her tale they is.

You can hear the blackbirds jawin' as they foller up the plow-- Oh, theyr bound to git theyr brekfast, and theyr not a-carin' how; So they quarrel in the furries, and they quarrel on the wing-- But theyr peaceabler in pot-pies than any other thing: And it's when I git my shotgun drawed up in stiddy rest, She's as full of tribbelation as a yeller-jacket's nest; And a few shots before dinner, when the sun's a-shinin' right, Seems to kindo'-sorto' sharpen up a feller's appetite!

They's been a heap o' rain, but the sun's out to-day, And the clouds of the wet spell is all cleared away, And the woods is all the greener, and the grass is greener still; It may rain again to-morry, but I don't think it will. Some says the crops is ruined, and the corn's drownded out, And propha-sy the wheat will be a failure, without doubt; But the kind Providence that has never failed us yet, Will be on hands onc't more at the 'leventh hour, I bet!

Does the medder-lark complane, as he swims high and dry Through the waves of the wind and the blue of the sky? Does the quail set up and whissel in a disappinted way, Er hang his head in silunce, and sorrow all the day? Is the chipmuck's health a-failin'?--Does he walk, er does he run? Don't the buzzards ooze around up thare jest like they've allus done? Is they anything the matter with the rooster's lungs er voice? Ort a mortul be complanin' when dumb animals rejoice?

Then let us, one and all, be contentud with our lot; The June is here this mornin', and the sun is shining hot. Oh! let us fill our harts up with the glory of the day, Any banish ev'ry doubt and care and sorrow fur away! Whatever be our station, with Providence fer guide, Sich fine circumstances ort to make us satisfied; Fer the world is full of roses, and the roses full of dew, And the dew is full of heavenly love that drips fer me and you.

A SUMMER'S DAY

The Summer's put the idy in My head that I'm a boy again; And all around's so bright and gay I want to put my team away, And jest git out whare I can lay And soak my hide full of the day! But work is work, and must be done-- Yit, as I work, I have my fun, Jest fancyin' these furries here Is childhood's paths onc't more so dear:-- And as I walk through medder-lands, And country lanes, and swampy trails Whare long bullrushes bresh my hands; And, tilted on the ridered rails Of deadnin' fences, "Old Bob White" Whissels his name in high delight, And whirrs away. I wunder still, Whichever way a boy's feet will-- Whare trees has fell, with tangled tops Whare dead leaves shakes, I stop fer breth, Heerin' the acorn as it drops-- H'istin' my chin up still as deth, And watchin' clos't, with upturned eyes, The tree where Mr. Squirrel tries To hide hisse'f above the limb, But lets his own tale tell on him. I wunder on in deeper glooms-- Git hungry, hearin' female cries From old farm-houses, whare perfumes Of harvest dinners seems to rise And ta'nt a feller, hart and brane, With memories he can't explane.

I wunder through the underbresh, Whare pig-tracks, pintin' to'rds the crick, Is picked and printed in the fresh Black bottom-lands, like wimmern pick Theyr pie-crusts with a fork, some way, When bakin' fer camp-meetin' day. I wunder on and on and on, Tel my gray hair and beard is gone, And ev'ry wrinkle on my brow Is rubbed clean out and shaddered now With curls as brown and fare and fine As tenderls of the wild grape-vine That ust to climb the highest tree To keep the ripest ones fer me. I wunder still, and here I am Wadin' the ford below the dam-- The worter chucklin' round my knee At hornet-welt and bramble-scratch, And me a-slippin' 'crost to see Ef Tyner's plums is ripe, and size The old man's wortermelon-patch, With juicy mouth and drouthy eyes. Then, after sich a day of mirth And happiness as worlds is wurth-- So tired that heaven seems nigh about,-- The sweetest tiredness on earth Is to git home and flatten out-- So tired you can't lay flat enugh, And sorto' wish that you could spred Out like molasses on the bed, And jest drip off the aidges in The dreams that never comes again.

A HYMB OF FAITH

O, Thou that doth all things devise And fashon fer the best, He'p us who sees with mortul eyes To overlook the rest.

They's times, of course, we grope in doubt, And in afflictions sore; So knock the louder, Lord, without, And we'll unlock the door.

Make us to feel, when times looks bad And tears in pitty melts, Thou wast the only he'p we had When they was nothin' else.

Death comes alike to ev'ry man That ever was borned on earth; Then let us do the best we can To live fer all life's wurth.

Ef storms and tempusts dred to see Makes black the heavens ore, They done the same in Galilee Two thousand years before.

But after all, the golden sun Poured out its floods on them That watched and waited fer the One Then borned in Bethlyham.

Also, the star of holy writ Made noonday of the night, Whilse other stars that looked at it Was envious with delight.

The sages then in wurship bowed, From ev'ry clime so fare; O, sinner, think of that glad crowd That congergated thare!

They was content to fall in ranks With One that knowed the way From good old Jurden's stormy banks Clean up to Jedgmunt Day.

No matter, then, how all is mixed In our near-sighted eyes, All things is fer the best, and fixed Out straight in Paradise.

Then take things as God sends 'em here, And, ef we live er die, Be more and more contenteder, Without a-astin' why.

O, Thou that doth all things devise And fashon fer the best, He'p us who sees with mortul eyes To overlook the rest.

WORTERMELON TIME

Old wortermelon time is a-comin' round again, And they ain't no man a-livin' any tickleder'n me, Fer the way I hanker after wortermelons is a sin-- Which is the why and wharefore, as you can plainly see.

Oh! it's in the sandy soil wortermelons does the best, And it's thare they'll lay and waller in the sunshine and the dew Tel they wear all the green streaks clean off of theyr breast; And you bet I ain't a-findin' any fault with them; air you?

They ain't no better thing in the vegetable line; And they don't need much 'tendin', as ev'ry farmer knows; And when theyr ripe and ready fer to pluck from the vine, I want to say to you theyr the best fruit that grows.

It's some likes the yeller-core, and some likes the red. And it's some says "The Little Californy" is the best; But the sweetest slice of all I ever wedged in my head, Is the old "Edingburg Mounting-sprout," of the west.

You don't want no punkins nigh your wortermelon vines-- 'Cause, some-way-another, they'll spile your melons, shore;-- I've seed 'em taste like punkins, from the core to the rines, Which may be a fact you have heerd of before.

But your melons that's raised right and 'tended to with care, You can walk around amongst 'em with a parent's pride and joy, And thump 'em on the heads with as fatherly a air As ef each one of them was your little girl er boy.

I joy in my hart jest to hear that rippin' sound When you split one down the back and jolt the halves in two, And the friends you love the best is gethered all around-- And you says unto your sweethart, "Oh, here's the core fer you!"

And I like to slice 'em up in big pieces fer 'em all, Espeshally the childern, and watch theyr high delight As one by one the rines with theyr pink notches falls, And they holler fer some more, with unquenched appetite.

Boys takes to it natchurl, and I like to see 'em eat-- A slice of wortermelon's like a frenchharp in theyr hands, And when they "saw" it through theyr mouth sich music can't be beat-- 'Cause it's music both the sperit and the stummick understands.

Oh, they's more in wortermelons than the purty-colored meat, And the overflowin' sweetness of the worter squshed betwixt The up'ard and the down'ard motions of a feller's teeth, And it's the taste of ripe old age and juicy childhood mixed.

Fer I never taste a melon but my thoughts flies away To the summertime of youth; and again I see the dawn, And the fadin' afternoon of the long summer day, And the dusk and dew a-fallin', and the night a'comin' on.

And thare's the corn around us, and the lispin' leaves and trees, And the stars a-peekin' down on us as still as silver mice, And us boys in the wortermelons on our hands and knees, And the new-moon hangin' ore us like a yeller-cored slice.

Oh! it's wortermelon time is a-comin' round again, And they ain't no man a-livin' any tickleder'n me, Fer the way I hanker after wortermelons is a sin-- Which is the why and wharefore, as you can plainly see.

MY PHILOSOFY

I ain't, ner don't p'tend to be, Much posted on philosofy; But thare is times, when all alone, I work out idees of my own. And of these same thare is a few I'd like to jest refer to you-- Pervidin' tha

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