Jubal sang of the cliffs that bar
  And the peaks that none may crown—­
But Tubal clambered by jut and scar
  And there he builded a town. 
  High—­high as the snowsheds lie,
    Low as the culverts drain—­
  Wherever they be they can never agree—­
    Jubal and Tubal Cain!

THE VOORTREKKER

The gull shall whistle in his wake, the blind wave break in fire. 
He shall fulfil God’s utmost will, unknowing his desire. 
And he shall see old planets change and alien stars arise,
And give the gale his seaworn sail in shadow of new skies. 
Strong lust of gear shall drive him forth and hunger arm his hand,
To win his food from the desert rude, his pittance from the sand. 
His neighbours’ smoke shall vex his eyes, their voices break his rest,
He shall go forth till south is north sullen and dispossessed. 
He shall desire loneliness and his desire shall bring,
Hard on his heels, a thousand wheels, a People and a King. 
He shall come back on his own track, and by his scarce-cooled camp
There shall he meet the roaring street, the derrick and the stamp: 
There he shall blaze a nation’s ways with hatchet and with brand,
Till on his last-won wilderness an Empire’s outposts stand.

A SCHOOL SONG

’Let us now praise famous men’—­
  Men of little showing—­
For their work continueth,
And their work continueth,
Broad and deep continueth,
  Greater than their knowing!

Western wind and open surge
  Took us from our mothers. 
Flung us on a naked shore
(Twelve bleak houses by the shore! 
Seven summers by the shore!)
  ’Mid two hundred brothers.

There we met with famous men
  Set in office o’er us;
And they beat on us with rods—­
Faithfully with many rods—­
Daily beat on us with rods,
  For the love they bore us!

Out of Egypt unto Troy—­
  Over Himalaya—­
Far and sure our bands have gone—­
Hy-Brasil or Babylon,
Islands of the Southern Run,
  And Cities of Cathaia!

And we all praise famous men—­
  Ancients of the College;
For they taught us common sense—­
Tried to teach us common sense—­
Truth and God’s Own Common Sense,
  Which is more than knowledge!

Each degree of Latitude
  Strung about Creation
Seeth one or more of us
(Of one muster each of us),
Diligent in that he does,
  Keen in his vocation.

This we learned from famous men,
  Knowing not its uses,
When they showed, in daily work,
Man must finish off his work—­
Right or wrong, his daily work—­
  And without excuses.

Servants of the Staff and chain,
  Mine and fuse and grapnel—­
Some before the face of Kings,
Stand before the face of Kings;
Bearing gifts to divers Kings—­
  Gifts of case and shrapnel.