Fannie Isabelle Sherrick

[To the memory of Lieut. Wm. W. Wardell, of the First Massachusetts Cavalry, killed May 28, 1864.]


Above his head the cypress waves
    Its dark green drooping leaves;
The sunlight through its branches wide
Where bright birds linger side by side
    A golden net-work weaves.

Within the church-yard's silent gloom
    He lies in quiet rest;
And never more to cold, pale brow,
Or proud lips mute with silence now
    Will loving lips be pressed.

Perhaps even now in death's dark dream
    He sees the deadly strife;
Where brothers fought with blinded eyes,
Forgetting all the tender ties
    That bound them life to life.

Ah! nobly there he proudly rode
    With honest, warm, true heart;
And shrank not from the carnage red,
...

Oh, what would you have, you splendid sun,
    With your restless eyes of fire?
And why do you lean o'er the lilies pale?
    What more can your heart desire?

You've crimsoned the rays in the heart of the rose,
    You've drunk up the dewdrops all;
And down in the meadows your golden light
    Has gilded the daisies tall.

The thirsty flowers that grow on the hill
    Have given their lives to you;
And what do you care, you restless sun,
    As you sail through your seas of blue?

Your rays are so warm, like the glances of love,
    The lily is mad with delight;
And whispers her secret with silent joy,
    As she kisses my face in the night.

What more can you want, O eager sun?
    I've given my all to you;
I've counted my treas...

The sun sinks down in the crimson west,
    Oh, a beautiful sun is he;
With his purple robes and his crown of gold
    And his feet dipped in the sea.

Along the shore where the sea-weeds lie
    Like threads of her tangled hair,
Naomi stands in the amber glow
    Of the mystical sunset air.

Her hair is brown, with a yellow tinge
    That rivals the gold of the west;
Her eyes are dark with the velvety glow
    That darkens the pansy's breast.

A star shines out in the purple east,
    Oh, a beautiful star is he!
With his home in the wonderful azure skies,
    And his throne in the deep blue sea.

There are bars of gold in the crimson west
    And jewels on every bar;
Yet Naomi's soul is beyond the sea,
    And her eyes are f...

The crown of stars is broken in parts,
Its jewels brighter than the day,
Have one by one been stolen away
To shine in other homes and hearts.
--[Hanging of the Crane.]


Each poem is a star that shines
    Within your crown of light;
Each jeweled thought--a fadeless gem
    That dims the stars of night.

A flower here and there, so sweet,
    Its fragrance fills the earth,
Is woven in among the gems
    Of proud, immortal birth.

Each wee Forget-me-not hath eyes
    As blue as yonder skies,
To tell the world each song of thine
    Is one that never dies.

The purple pansies stained with gold,
    The roses royal red,
In softened splendor shadow forth
    The truths thy life hath said.

Oh would the earth w...

Oh tell me not of the lands so old
Where the Orient treasures its hills of gold,
And the rivers lie in the sun's bright rays
Forever singing the old world's praise.
Nor proudly boast of the gardens grand
That spring to earth at a king's command;
There are treasures here in the far great West
That rival the hills on the Orient's crest.

Far from the sight of the dusty town
Like a perfect gem in a golden crown,
Lies a beautiful garden vast and fair,
Where the wild birds sing in the evening air,
And the dews fall down in a silent shower
On the fragrant head of each beaming flower;
While far and near o'er the land sun-kissed,
Hangs the roseate veil of the sunset mist.

Under the shade of the western wall
There's a glimmer of roses fair and tall,

Twin lilies in the river floating,
    Two lilies pure and white;
And one is pale and faintly drooping,
    The other glad and bright.

Twin lilies in the silvery waters,
    Two lilies white and frail;
And one is ever laughing gladly,
    The other, still and pale.

Upon the peaceful gleaming waters,
    They linger side by side;
And one, her head is drooping sadly;
    The other glows with pride.

Twin stars are o'er the river beaming,
    Two stars with silvery light;
And now they look with glances loving
    Upon the lilies white.

Two lilies now are drooping lowly
    Unto the river tide;
While in the wave the stars reflected
    Are floating side by side.

And now the stars are bending slowly
    To kiss ...

A beautiful form and a beautiful face,
A winsome bride and a woman's grace,
So fair and sweet it were heaven indeed
For man to follow where she would lead.

A web of lace and a jeweled hand,
And life is changed by a golden band;
A dream of love and a wealth of gold--
The old new story once more is told.

A wealth of flowers and a robe of snow,
A beauteous woman with cheeks aglow;
A train of satin that sweeps the floor--
And life is altered forevermore.

A beautiful scene on this Christmas eve,
Where all could linger and none could grieve,
A dazzling vision of wealth and pride,
A royal feast and a happy bride.

But turn your steps to the lonely street,
Where fierce winds mutter and wild storms beat;
And come with me to the haunts o...

Under the sea, the great wide sea
    That sweeps the golden shore;
What treasures lie beneath the waves
    Forevermore!

Ask of the winds, the sobbing winds
    That toss the waves on high;
And fling the burden of their song
    Unto the sky.

Ask of the stars, the jeweled stars
    That sleep within the tide;
Like golden lilies floating far,
    And swinging wide.

Ask of the clouds that drift at noon
    In fadeless seas of blue,
And looking down see skies beneath
    Of deeper hue.

Up in the sky, the golden clouds
    Will never make reply;
Deep in the sea, the jeweled stars
    In silence lie.

Under the sea, the great wide sea
    That sweeps the golden shore,
Are secrets hidden from us now
  ...

Under the stars, when the shadows fall,
    Under the stars of night;
What is so fair as the jeweled crown
Of the azure skies, when the sun is down,
    Beautiful stars of light!

Under the stars, where the daisies lie
    Lifeless beneath the snow;
Lovely and pure, they have lived a day,
Silently passing forever away,
    Lying so meek and low.

Under the stars in the long-ago--
    Under the stars to-night;
Life is the same, with its great unrest
Wearily throbbing within each breast,
    Searching for truth and light.

Under the stars as they drift along,
    Far in the azure seas;
Beautiful treasures of light and song,
Glad'ning the earth as they glide along,
    What is so fair as these?

Under the stars in the quiet...

The splendors of a southern sun
    Caress the glowing sky;
O'er crested waves, the colors glance
    And gleaming, softly die.
A gentle calm from heaven falls
    And weaves a mystic spell;
A glowing grace that charms the soul--
    Whose glory none can tell.

Oh, warm sweet treasures of a sun
    Of endless fire and love;
Those dying embers are the flames
    From heavenly fires above.
Unto the water's edge they creep
    And bathe the seas in red;
Then die like shadows on the deep
    With glory cold and dead.

A ship--a lone, dark wanderer
    Upon the southern seas,
Speeds like a white-faced messenger
    Before the dying breeze.
Her masts are tipped with amethyst,
    A splendor all untold;
A crimson mantle wraps h...

The summer queen has many flowers
    To deck her sunny hair,
And trailing grasses, pure and sweet,
    To scent the heavy air;
And upward through the misty sky
    There is a glory too,
Of floating clouds and rifts of gold
    And depths of smiling blue.


Yet winter, too, can boast a wealth
    Of flowers pure and white;
A kingly crown of frosted gems--
    A wreath of sparkling light;
So bright and beautiful, indeed,
    It were a wondrous sight
To see a world of fragile flowers
    Sprung up within a night.

And sometimes there are cast'es, too,
    Of glittering ice and snow,
Piled high upon our window-panes
    'Neath curtains hanging low;
And they are like the castles fair
    Our day-dreams build for aye;
A ...