The Poems of Henry Van Dyke Part 33

ODE FOR THE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF PRINCETON COLLEGE

October 21, 1896

I

Into the dust of the making of man Spirit was breathed when his life began, Lifting him up from his low estate, With masterful pa.s.sion, the wish to create.

Out of the dust of his making, man Fas.h.i.+oned his works as the ages ran; Fortress, and palace, and temple, and tower, Filling the world with the proof of his power.

Over the dust that awaits him, man, Building the walls that his pride doth plan, Dreams they will stand in the light of the sun Bearing his name till Time is done.

II

The monuments of mortals Are as the glory of the gra.s.s; Through Time's dim portals A voiceless, viewless wind doth pa.s.s, The blossoms fall before it in a day, The forest monarchs year by year decay, And man's great buildings slowly fade away.

One after one, They pay to that dumb breath The tribute of their death, And are undone.

The towers incline to dust, The ma.s.sive girders rust, The domes dissolve in air, The pillars that upbear The lofty arches crumble, stone by stone, While man the builder looks about him in despair, For all his works of pride and power are overthrown.

III

A Voice came from the sky: "Set thy desires more high.

Thy buildings fade away Because thou buildest clay.

Now make the fabric sure With stones that will endure!

Hewn from the spiritual rock, The immortal towers of the soul At Death's dissolving touch shall mock, And stand secure while aeons roll."

IV

Well did the wise in heart rejoice To hear the summons of that Voice, And patiently begin The builder's work within, Houses not made with hands, Nor founded on the sands.

And thou, Revered Mother, at whose call We come to keep thy joyous festival, And celebrate thy labours on the walls of Truth Through sevenscore years and ten of thine eternal youth-- A master builder thou, And on thy s.h.i.+ning brow, Like Cybele, in fadeless light dost wear A diadem of turrets strong and fair.

V

I see thee standing in a lonely land, But late and hardly won from solitude, Unpopulous and rude,-- On that far western sh.o.r.e I see thee stand, Like some young G.o.ddess from a brighter strand, While in thine eyes a radiant thought is born, Enkindling all thy beauty like the morn.

Sea-like the forest rolled, in waves of green, And few the lights that glimmered, leagues between.

High in the north, for fourscore years alone Fair Harvard's earliest beacon-tower had shone When Yale was lighted, and an answering ray Flashed from the meadows by New Haven Bay.

But deeper spread the forest, and more dark, Where first Neshaminy received the spark Of sacred learning to a woodland camp, And Old Log College glowed with Tennant's lamp.

Thine, Alma Mater, was the larger sight, That saw the future of that trembling light, And thine the courage, thine the stronger will, That built its loftier home on Princeton Hill.

"New light!" men cried, and murmured that it came From an unsanctioned source with lawless flame; It shone too free, for still the church and school Must only s.h.i.+ne according to their rule.

But Princeton answered, in her n.o.bler mood, "G.o.d made the light, and all the light is good.

There is no war between the old and new; The conflict lies between the false and true.

The stars, that high in heaven their courses run, In glory differ, but their light is one.

The beacons, gleaming o'er the sea of life, Are rivals but in radiance, not in strife.

s.h.i.+ne on, ye sister-towers, across the night!

I too will build a lasting house of light."

VI

Brave was that word of faith and bravely was it kept: With never-wearying zeal that faltered not, nor slept, Our Alma Mater toiled, and while she firmly laid The deep foundation-walls, at all her toil she prayed.

And men who loved the truth because it made them free, And clearly saw the twofold Word of G.o.d agree, Reading from Nature's book and from the Bible's page By the same inward ray that grows from age to age, Were built like living stones that beacon to uplift, And drawing light from heaven gave to the world the gift.

Nor ever, while they searched the secrets of the earth, Or traced the stream of life through mystery to its birth, Nor ever, while they taught the lightning-flash to bear The messages of man in silence through the air, Fell from their home of light one false, perfidious ray To blind the trusting heart, or lead the life astray.

But still, while knowledge grew more luminous and broad It lit the path of faith and showed the way to G.o.d.

VII

Yet not for peace alone Labour the builders.

Work that in peace has grown Swiftly is overthrown, When in the darkening skies Storm-clouds of wrath arise, And through the cannon's crash, War's deadly lightning-flash Smites and bewilders.

Ramparts of strength must frown Round every placid town And city splendid; All that our fathers wrought With true prophetic thought, Must be defended!

VIII

But who could raise protecting walls for thee, Thou young, defenceless land of liberty?

Or who could build a fortress strong enough, Or stretch a mighty bulwark long enough To hold thy far-extended coast Against the overweening host That took the open path across the sea, And like a tempest poured Their desolating horde, To quench thy dawning light in gloom of tyranny?

Yet not unguarded thou wert found When on thy sh.o.r.e with sullen sound The blaring trumpets of an unjust king Proclaimed invasion. From the ground, In freedom's darkest hour, there seemed to spring Unconquerable walls for her defence; Not trembling, like those battlements of stone That fell when Joshua's horns were blown; But firm and stark the living rampart rose, To meet the onset of imperious foes With a long line of brave, unyielding men.

This was thy fortress, well-defended land, And on these walls, the patient, building hand Of Princeton laboured with the force of ten.

Her sons were foremost in the furious fight; Her sons were firmest to uphold the right In council-chambers of the new-born State, And prove that he who would be free must first be great In heart, and high in thought, and strong In purpose not to do or suffer wrong.

Such were the men, impregnable to fear, Whose souls were framed and fas.h.i.+oned here; And when war shook the land with threatening shock, The men of Princeton stood like muniments of rock.

Nor has the breath of Time Dissolved that proud array Of never-broken strength: For though the rocks decay, And all the iron bands Of earthly strongholds are unloosed at length, And buried deep in gray oblivion's sands; The work that heroes' hands Wrought in the light of freedom's natal day Shall never fade away, But lifts itself, sublime Into a lucid sphere, For ever calm and clear, Preserving in the memory of the fathers' deed, A never-failing fortress for their children's need.

There we confirm our hearts to-day, and read On many a stone the signature of fame, The builder's mark, our Alma Mater's name.

IX

Bear with us then a moment, while we turn From all the present splendours of this place-- The lofty towers that like a dream have grown Where once old Na.s.sau Hall stood all alone-- Back to that ancient time, with hearts that burn In filial grat.i.tude, to trace The glory of our mother's best degree, In that "high son of Liberty,"

Who like a granite block, Riven from Scotland's rock, Stood loyal here to keep Columbia free.

Born far away beyond the ocean's tide, He found his fatherland upon this side; And every drop of ardent blood that ran Through his great heart, was true American.

He held no fealty to a distant throne, But made his new-found country's cause his own.

In peril and distress, In toil and weariness, When darkness overcast her With shadows of disaster, And voices of confusion Proclaimed her hope delusion, Robed in his preacher's gown, He dared the danger down; Like some old prophet chanting an inspired rune In freedom's councils rang the voice of Witherspoon.

And thou, my country, write it on thy heart: _Thy sons are they who n.o.bly take thy part; Who dedicates his manhood at thy shrine, Wherever born, is born a son of thine.

Foreign in name, but not in soul, they come To find in thee their long desired home; Lovers of liberty and haters of disorder, They shall be built in strength along thy border._

Dream not thy future foes Will all be foreign-born!

Turn thy clear look of scorn Upon thy children who oppose Their pa.s.sions wild and policies of shame To wreck the righteous splendour of thy name.

Untaught and overconfident they rise, With folly on their lips, and envy in their eyes: Strong to destroy, but powerless to create, And ignorant of all that made our fathers great, Their hands would take away thy golden crown, And shake the pillars of thy freedom down In Anarchy's ocean, dark and desolate.

O should that storm descend, What fortress shall defend The land our fathers wrought for, The liberties they fought for?

What bulwark shall secure Her shrines of law, and keep her founts of justice pure?

Then, ah then, As in the olden days, The builders must upraise A rampart of indomitable men.

And once again, Dear Mother, if thy heart and hand be true, There will be building work for thee to do; Yea, more than once again, Thou shalt win lasting praise, And never-dying honour shall be thine, For setting many stones in that ill.u.s.trious line, To stand unshaken in the swirling strife, And guard their country's honour as her life.

X

Softly, my harp, and let me lay the touch Of silence on these rudely clanging strings; For he who sings Even of n.o.ble conflicts overmuch, Loses the inward sense of better things; And he who makes a boast Of knowledge, darkens that which counts the most,-- The insight of a wise humility That reverently adores what none can see.