Out of the silences wake me a song, Beautiful, sad, and soft, and low； Let the loveliest music sound along, And wing each note with a wail¹ of woe²： Dim and drear As hope's last tear； Out of the silences wake me a hymn³, Whose sounds are like shadows soft and dim.

    Out of the stillness in your heart ——A thousand songs are sleeping there —— Wake me a song, thou child of art！ The song of a hope in a last despair： Dark and low, A chant of woe； Out of the stillness, tone by tone, Cold as a snowflake, low as a moan.

    Out of the darkness flash me a song, Brightly dark and darkly bright； Let it sweep as a lone⁴ star sweeps along The mystical shadows of the night： Sing it sweet； Where nothing is drear, or dark, or dim, And earth-song soars into heavenly hymn. In Memoriam （David J. Ryan,C.S.A.）Thou art sleeping, brother, sleeping In thy lonely battle grave； Shadows o'er the past are creeping, Death, the reaper⁵, still is reaping, Years have swept, and years are sweeping⁶ Many a memory from my keeping, But I'm waiting still, and weeping For my beautiful and brave.

    When the battle songs were chanted, And war's stirring tocsin pealed⁷, By those songs thy heart was haunted, And thy spirit, proud, undaunted, Clamored wildly —— wildly panted： "Mother！ let my wish be granted； I will ne'er be mocked and taunted⁸ That I fear to meet our vaunted Foemen on the bloody⁹ field.

    "They are thronging¹⁰, mother！ thronging, To a thousand fields of fame； Let me go —— 'tis wrong, and wronging God and thee to crush this longing¹¹； On the muster-roll of glory, In my country's future story, On the field of battle gory¹² I must consecrate¹³ my name.

    "Mother！ gird my sword around me, Kiss thy soldier-boy `goodbye.'" In her arms she wildly wound thee, To thy birth-land's cause she bound thee, With fond prayers and blessings¹⁴ crowned thee, And she sobbed¹⁵： "When foes¹⁶ surround thee, If you fall, I'll know they found thee Where the bravest love to die."

    At the altar of their nation, Stood that mother and her son, He, the victim of oblation¹⁷, Panting for his immolation¹⁸； She, in priestess' holy station, Weeping words of consecration¹⁹, While God smiled his approbation²⁰, Blessed the boy's self-abnegation, Cheered the mother's desolation, When the sacrifice was done.

    Forth²¹, like many a noble other, Went he, whispering soft and low： "Good-bye —— pray for me, my mother； Sister！ kiss me ——farewell, brother；" And he strove his grief to smother²². Forth, with footsteps firm and fearless, And his parting gaze was tearless Though his heart was lone and cheerless, Thus from all he loved to go.

    Lo！ yon flag of freedom flashing In the sunny Southern sky： On, to death and glory dashing, On, where swords are clanging, clashing, On, where balls are crushing, crashing, On, 'mid²³ perils²⁴ dread²⁵, appalling²⁶, On, they're falling, falling, falling. On, they're growing fewer, fewer, On, their hearts beat all the truer, On, on, on, no fear, no falter²⁷, On, though round the battle-altar There were wounded victims moaning, There were dying soldiers groaning²⁸； On, right on, death's danger braving, Warring where their flag was waving, While Baptismal blood was laving All that field of death and slaughter²⁹； On, still on； that bloody lava³⁰ Made them braver and made them braver, On, with never a halt or waver, On in battle —— bleeding —— bounding, While the glorious shout swept sounding, "We will win the day or die！"

    And they won it； routed ——riven —— Reeled the foemen's proud array： They had struggled hard, and striven, Blood in torrents³¹ they had given, But their ranks, dispersed³² and driven, Fled, in sullenness³³, away.

    Many a heart was lonely lying That would never throb³⁴ again； Some were dead, and some were dying； Those were silent, these were sighing； Thus to die alone, unattended, Unbewept and unbefriended, On that bloody battle-plain.

    When the twilight³⁵ sadly, slowly Wrapped its mantle³⁶ o'er them all, Thousands, thousands lying lowly, Hushed in silence deep and holy, There was one, his blood was flowing And his last of life was going,

    And his pulse faint, fainter beating Told his hours were few and fleeting³⁷； And his brow grew white and whiter, While his eyes grew strangely brighter； There he lay ——like infant dreaming, With his sword beside him gleaming, For the hand in life that grasped it, True in death still fondly clasped it； There his comrades found him lying 'Mid the heaps of dead and dying, And the sternest bent³⁸ down weeping O'er the lonely sleeper³⁹ sleeping： 'Twas the midnight； stars shone round him, And they told us how they found him Where the bravest love to fall.

    Where the woods, like banners bending, Drooped⁴⁰ in starlight and in gloom, There, when that sad night was ending, And the faint, far dawn was blending With the stars now fast descending⁴¹； There they mute and mournful bore him, With the stars and shadows o'er him, And they laid him down —— so tender —— And the next day's sun, in splendor⁴², Flashed above my brother's tomb.