Showing posts with label Poetry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poetry. Show all posts

October 16, 2022

When Mother Tucked Us In by L.M. Montgomery

The Farm Journal masthead, January 1907

In January 1907, L.M. Montgomery published the poem "When Mother Tucked Us In" in The Farm Journal, a journal devoted to the farm, orchard, garden, poultry and household economy. The journal's motto was "Practical not Fancy Farming."

Here is a digitized image of the poem scanned from microfilm available at Archive.org:

When Mother Tucked Us In by L.M. Montgomery, Poem in The Farm Journal, January 1907

Here is the full text of the poem:

WHEN MOTHER TUCKED US IN
BY L. M. MONTGOMERY

The sweetest memory of all,
Which time from us can never win,
Comes when the dusking shadows fall
And winds their nightly rune begin,—
The memory of those olden eves
When mother tucked us in.

Tired from our play, and glad to rest
When twilight brought its calm-eyed star,
And in its hush the yellow moon
Rose over purple hills afar
To shine on fields whose dewy peace
No dream of strife might mar.

And yet again we hear the croon
Of winds around the old low eaves
Of the brown house where we were born,
And in the murmuring poplar leaves,—
How sweet and subtle seems again
The spell remembrance weaves!

Upon us fell the gracious boon
Of childhood’s rest; we knew no care,
We only felt a gentle hand
Upon the tangles of our hair,
We only heard in that dim room
A mother’s tender prayer.

And now we walk the busy world
With all its maze of toil and sin,
But still a rescuing talisman
We bear our secret hearts within,—
The memory of those sacred hours
When mother tucked us in.


Reference:
Montgomery, L.M. (1907, January). When Mother Tucked Us In. The Farm Journal. 31(1): 18. Retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/sim_farm-journal_1907-01_31_1/page/18/mode/2up

Created October 16, 2022.

October 15, 2022

Dawn by L.M. Montgomery

The Farm Journal masthead, April 1911

In April 1911, L.M. Montgomery published the poem "Dawn" in The Farm Journal, a journal devoted to the farm, orchard, garden, poultry and household economy. The journal's motto was "Practical not Fancy Farming."

Here is a digitized image of the poem scanned from microfilm available at Archive.org:

Dawn by L.M. Montgomery, Poem in The Farm Journal, April 1911

Here is the full text of the poem:

DAWN
BY L. M. MONTGOMERY

There’s a silken fringe of light
On the ashen skirts of night,
And a fire-shot ruby rim
On the eastern hilltops dim,
And a rare,
Untainted air
Sweet from slopes all crystal dewed,
And many a clover solitude
Where night benedictions brood
At the dawn.

Hark! a burst of winged song
Floats the listening air along—
All the blithesome hush is stirred
By the rapture of a bird!
And the sky
Is clear and high
Over dells astar with flowers
Still begemmed with dewy showers,
Dreaming of the after hours
At the dawn.


Reference:
Montgomery, L.M. (1911, April). My Queen. The Farm Journal. 35(4): 244. Retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/sim_farm-journal_1911-04_35_4/page/244/mode/2up

Created October 15, 2022.

October 13, 2022

My Queen by L.M. Montgomery

The Farm Journal masthead, March 1907

In March 1907, L.M. Montgomery published the poem "My Queen" in The Farm Journal, a journal devoted to the farm, orchard, garden, poultry and household economy. The journal's motto was "Practical not Fancy Farming."

Here is a digitized image of the poem scanned from microfilm available at Archive.org:

My Queen by L.M. Montgomery, Poem in The Farm Journal, March 1907

Here is the full text of the poem:

MY QUEEN
BY L. M. MONTGOMERY

She rules a kingdom small and fair,
Her throne is a worn rocking-chair.
Most gracious and belov'd is she,
With all her subjects at her knee,
And never could a monarch view
Subjects more loyal and more true.

My little queen with holy eyes,
Her rule is tender, firm and wise:
Content and happiness are found
Within her tiny realm's bound,
And no gemmed circlet can compare
With her bright crown of sunny hair.

My little queen with gentle heart,
Within my life she reigns apart;
To make her earthly kingdom dear
And bring the breath of heaven near,
With wifely faith and mother care,
My lady of the rocking-chair.


Reference:
Montgomery, L.M. (1907, March). My Queen. The Farm Journal. 31(3): 166. Retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/sim_farm-journal_1907-03_31_3/page/166/mode/2up

Created October 13, 2022.

October 12, 2022

Milking Time by L.M. Montgomery

The Farm Journal masthead, May 1902

In May 1902, L.M. Montgomery published the poem "Milking Time" in The Farm Journal, a journal devoted to the farm, orchard, garden, poultry and household economy. The journal's motto was "Practical not Fancy Farming."

Here is a digitized image of the poem scanned from microfilm available at Archive.org:

Milking Time by L.M. Montgomery, Poem in The Farm Journal, May 1902


Here is the full text of the poem:

MILKING TIME
BY L. M. MONTGOMERY

Dusking fields that are damp with dew,
Skies of crocus and rose and blue,
After-lights on the far hill rim,
Tremulous twilight in valleys dim,
Brooks atune with a limpid chime—
Down at the bars it is milking time.

Pale-hued clovers with creamy crowns,
Buttercups in their golden gowns,
Wind-blown pines at the pasture bars,
Pearl-white glimmer of early stars,
Breezes lilting a wordless rhyme—
Down in the fields it is milking time.

Brown-eyed lassie and sturdy lad,
Laughter and mirth of hearts made glad,
Loitering couples and lagging feet—
Never an hour of the day so sweet!
Youth and love in the summer's prime
Find each other at milking time.


Reference:
Montgomery, L.M. (1902, May). Milking Time. The Farm Journal. 26(5): 161. Retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/sim_farm-journal_1902-05_26_5/mode/2up

Created October 12, 2022.

October 11, 2022

Indian Summer by L.M. Montgomery

The Farm Journal masthead, October 1902

One hundred and twenty years ago, in October 1902, L.M. Montgomery published the poem "Indian Summer" in The Farm Journal, a journal devoted to the farm, orchard, garden, poultry and household economy. The journal's motto was "Practical not Fancy Farming."

L.M. Montgomery's poem was featured on the first page of the journal. Here is a digitized image of the poem scanned from microfilm available at Archive.org:

Indian Summer by L.M. Montgomery, Poem in The Farm Journal, October 1902


Here is the full text of the poem:

INDIAN SUMMER
BY L. M. MONTGOMERY

In the sun-warm valleys all sweet and low,
Shy, tender murmurs come and go
Among pale grasses; and far away
O’er the calm, blue rim of an upland still
And the peak of a far, light-smitten hill,
Wind-music drifts adown the day.

Perfect peace of a year fulfilled
Cometh now when the world is stilled
And, forgetting its turmoil of springtime days
And its later fever, takes its rest
In a golden completeness no storms molest
While the benediction of autumn stays.


Reference:
Montgomery, L.M. (1902, October). Indian Summer. The Farm Journal. 26(10): 305. Retrieved from: https://archive.org/details/sim_farm-journal_1902-10_26_10/mode/2up

Created October 11, 2022.

January 23, 2022

The Watchman and Other Poems

The Watchman and Other Poems by L.M. Montgomery, 1916 cover, University of Texas at Austin library

L.M. Montgomery published a volume of poetry titled The Watchman and Other Poems in 1916 by McClelland, Goodchild & Stewart. The book is named for the introductory poem, entitled “The Watchman.” This poem is followed by three thematic groups of poems: Songs of Sea, Songs of the Hills and Woods, and Miscellaneous.

All of the poems included in The Watchman and Other Poems had been previously published in magazines according to John Robert Sorfleet [1]. In her acknowledgements, L.M. Montgomery thanked the following publishers and magazines for granting permission to republish her poetry: The Youth's Companion, Forward, East and West, MacLean's Magazine, The Sunday School Times, Zion's Herald, The Outlook, Munsey's Magazine, The New Idea Woman's Magazine, Smart Set, The Ladies' World, The Canadian Magazine, St. Nicholas, The Congregationalist and Christian World, Everybody's Magazine, The Christian Endeavor World, The American Messenger, The Delineator, and Smith's Magazine.

L.M. Montgomery dedicated The Watchman and Other Poems to the soldiers who fought in WWI:

"To the memory of the gallant
Canadian soldiers who have laid
down their lives for their
country and their empire."

I took the photograph pictured above of a 1916 volume of The Watchman and Other Poems that I read from the University of Texas at Austin library.

Reference:
[1] Sorfleet, John. R. "L. M. Montgomery: Canadian Authoress." in L. M. Montgomery: An Assessment. Ed. John Robert Sorfleet. Guelph: Canadian Children's Press, 1976. pages 42–49.

Purchase and read The Watchman and Other Poems and The Poetry Of Lucy Maud Montgomery:

The Watchman and Other Poems by L.M. Montgomery The Poetry Of Lucy Maud Montgomery


Created February 17, 2002. Re-posted online January 23, 2022. Last updated January 23, 2022.

January 07, 2022

Bibliography of L.M. Montgomery

Book Covers, Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, and Chronicles of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery

L.M. Montgomery was a Canadian author who wrote works that have been read by millions the world over. She was a prolific writer throughout her lifetime, penning over 20 books, including fictional novels, a volume of poetry, and short story collections. She also wrote a book of essays with collaborating authors. L.M. Montgomery achieved her greatest popular success in creating the character Anne Shirley of the Anne of Green Gables series.

L.M. Montgomery's bibliography of works published during her lifetime is listed below:

L.M. Montgomery's Publications
Date
Anne of Green Gables 1908
Anne of Avonlea1909
Kilmeny of the Orchard1910
The Story Girl1911
Chronicles of Avonlea1912
The Golden Road1913
Anne of the Island 1915
The Watchman and Other Poems   1916
Anne's House of Dreams 1917
Rainbow Valley 1919
Further Chronicles of Avonlea1920
Rilla of Ingleside 1921
Emily of New Moon1923
Emily Climbs1925
The Blue Castle1926
Emily's Quest1927
Magic for Marigold1929
A Tangled Web1931
Pat of Silver Bush1933
Courageous Women   
(Essays written with Marian Keith
and Mabel Burns McKinley)
1934
Mistress Pat1935
Anne of Windy Poplars1936
Jane of Lantern Hill1937
Anne of Ingleside1939


Created September 1, 1999. Re-posted online January 7, 2022. Last updated January 7, 2022.

April 30, 2021

The Road to Yesterday

The Road to Yesterday by L.M. Montgomery


The Road to Yesterday
by L.M. Montgomery was published in 1974. L.M. Montgomery had originally penned this book under the title The Blythes are Quoted, but the book was not published during her lifetime. After L.M. Montgomery's death, her manuscript was discovered by her son, Dr. Stuart MacDonald. The original manuscript for The Blythes are Quoted was divided into two parts taking place before and after World War I. Each part was composed of short stories interspersed with narratives of evenings in Anne and Gilbert Blythe's household with the Blythe family listening to Anne's poems.

In preparing The Road to Yesterday for publication, the narrative sections were removed along with all but one of the poems. The sequence of the short stories was reorganized. All of the stories included in The Road to Yesterday mention members of the Blythe family.

The Road to Yesterday includes the poem "Canadian Twilight" and 14 short stories, which are listed below:

"Canadian Twilight" (poem)
"An Afternoon with Mr. Jenkins"
"Retribution"
"The Twins Pretend"
"Fancy's Fool"
"A Dream Come True"
"Penelope Struts her Theories"
"The Reconciliation"
"The Cheated Child"
"Fool's Errand"
"The Pot and the Kettle"
"Here Comes the Bride"
"Brothers Beware"
"The Road to Yesterday"
"A Commonplace Woman"


Purchase and read The Road to Yesterday:

The Road to Yesterday by L.M. Montgomery


Created July 25, 2002. Re-posted online April 30, 2021. Last updated April 30, 2021.

March 25, 2021

L.M. Montgomery's Poetry

The Watchman and Other Poems by L.M. Montgomery


L.M. Montgomery is better known for her novels than her poetry though she published approximately 500 poems during her lifetime. In 1916, Montgomery published a volume of poetry entitled The Watchman and Other Poems. The majority of L.M. Montgomery's poems are devoted to nature, particularly the landscape of Prince Edward Island, and rural life on the sea shore. Montgomery's love of poetry is reflected in many of her novels where characters quote poetry or recite poems and ballads. Just one example is Anne Shirley reciting and reenacting Alfred Tennyson's "The Lady of Shalott" in Anne of Green Gables.

Purchase and read The Watchman and Other Poems and The Poetry Of Lucy Maud Montgomery:

The Watchman and Other Poems by L.M. Montgomery The Poetry Of Lucy Maud Montgomery


Created February 16, 2002. Re-posted online March 25, 2021. Last updated March 25, 2021.

March 21, 2021

Spring Song by L. M. Montgomery

Violets by Louis-Aimé Martin from The Biodiversity Heritage Library

Spring Song
by L.M. Montgomery

O gypsy winds that pipe and sing
In budding boughs of beech,
I know I hear the laugh of spring
In all your silver speech.

O little mists that hide and curl
In hollows wild and green,
I know you will come in gauze and pearl
To wait upon your queen.

O little seed of mellow earth
Where rain and sunshine kiss,
I know the quivering joy of birth
Throbs in your chrysalis.

O Hope, you blossom on my way
Like violet from the clod,
And Love makes rosy all the grey
When spring comes back from God.

Poem published in Verse and Reverse by Members of the Toronto Women's Press Club (1922).

Image Credit:
Illustration of Violets by Louis-Aimé Martin in Nouveau langage des fleurs, ou, Parterre de flore : contenant le symbole et le langage des fleurs, leur histoire et leur origine mythologique, ainsi que les plus jolis vers composés a ce sujet (1832). From Biodiversity Heritage Library. Public Domain.


Created February 19, 2002. Re-posted online March 21, 2021. Last updated October 8, 2022.