Poems Class of 29 (1851-1889)

Project Gutenberg EBook The Poetical Works of O. W. Holmes,
Volume 5. Poems of the Class of '29(1851-1889)
#19 in our series by
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
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Title: The Poetical Works of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Volume 5.
Poems of the Class of '29(1851-1889)
Author: Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Release Date: January, 2005 [Etext #7392]
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[Most recently updated: April 22, 2003]
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Language: English

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0. START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK POETRY OF O.
W. HOLMES, V5 ***
This eBook was produced by David Widger [[email protected]
]
THE POETICAL WORKS
OF
OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES
CONTENTS:
POEMS OF THE CLASS OF '29 (1851-1889)
BILL AND JOE
A SONG OF "TWENTY-NINE"

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
AN IMPROMPTU
THE OLD
MAN DREAMS
REMEMBER--FORGET
OUR INDIAN
SUMMER
MARE RUBRUM
THE Boys
LINES
A VOICE
OF THE LOYAL NORTH
J. D. R.
VOYAGE OF THE GOOD
SHIP UNION
"CHOOSE YOU THIS DAY WHOM YE WILL
SERVE"
F. W. C.
THE LAST CHARGE
OUR OLDEST
FRIEND
SHERMAN 'S IN SAVANNAH
MY ANNUAL
ALL
HERE
ONCE MORE
THE OLD CRUISER
HYMN FOR
THE CLASS-MEETING
EVEN-SONG
THE SMILING
LISTENER
OUR SWEET SINGER: J. A.
H. C. M., H. S., J. K.
W.
WHAT I HAVE COME FOR
OUR BANKER
FOR
CLASS-MEETING
"AD AMICOS "
HOW NOT TO SETTLE
IT
THE LAST SURVIVOR
THE ARCHBISHOP AND GIL
BLAS
THE SHADOWS
BENJAMIN PEIRCE
IN THE
TWILIGHT
A LOVING-CUP SONG
THE GIRDLE OF
FRIENDSHIP
THE LYRE OF ANACREON
THE OLD TUNE

THE BROKEN CIRCLE
THE ANGEL-THIEF
AFTER
THE CURFEW

POEMS OF THE CLASS OF '29
1851-1889
BILL AND JOE
COME, dear old comrade, you and I
Will steal an hour from days
gone by,
The shining days when life was new,
And all was bright
with morning dew,
The lusty days of long ago,
When you were Bill
and I was Joe.
Your name may flaunt a titled trail
Proud as a cockerel's rainbow tail,

And mine as brief appendix wear
As Tam O'Shanter's luckless
mare;
To-day, old friend, remember still
That I am Joe and you are
Bill.
You've won the great world's envied prize,
And grand you look in
people's eyes,
With H O N. and L L. D.
In big brave letters, fair to
see,--
Your fist, old fellow! off they go!--
How are you, Bill? How
are you, Joe?
You've worn the judge's ermined robe;
You 've taught your name to
half the globe;
You've sung mankind a deathless strain;
You've
made the dead past live again
The world may call you what it will,

But you and I are Joe and Bill.
The chaffing young folks stare and say
"See those old buffers, bent
and gray,--
They talk like fellows in their teens!
Mad, poor old boys!
That's what it means,"--
And shake their heads; they little know
The
throbbing hearts of Bill and Joe!--
How Bill forgets his hour of pride,
While Joe sits smiling at his side;

How Joe, in spite of time's disguise,
Finds the old schoolmate in
his eyes,--
Those calm, stern eyes that melt and fill
As Joe looks
fondly up at Bill.

Ah, pensive scholar, what is fame?
A fitful tongue of leaping flame;

A giddy whirlwind's fickle gust,
That lifts a pinch of mortal dust;

A few swift years, and who can show
Which dust was Bill and
which was Joe?
The weary idol takes his stand,
Holds out his bruised and aching hand,

While gaping thousands come and go,--
How vain it seems, this
empty show!
Till all at once his pulses thrill;--
'T is poor old Joe's
"God bless you, Bill!"
And shall we breathe in happier spheres
The names that pleased our
mortal ears;
In some sweet lull of harp and song
For earth-born
spirits none too long,
Just whispering of the world below
Where
this was Bill and that was Joe?
No matter; while our home is here
No sounding name is half so dear;

When fades at length our lingering day,
Who cares what pompous
tombstones say?
Read on the hearts that love us still,
/Hic jacet/ Joe.
/Hic jacet/ Bill.
A SONG OF "TWENTY-NINE "
1851
THE summer dawn is breaking
On Auburn's tangled bowers,
The
golden light is waking
On Harvard's ancient towers;
The sun is in
the sky
That must see us do or die,
Ere it shine on the line
Of the
CLASS OF '29.
At last the day is ended,
The tutor screws no more,
By doubt and
fear attended
Each hovers round the door,
Till the good old Praeses
cries,
While the tears stand