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THE FROZEN GRAIL.
To Peary and his band.
Why sing the legends of the Holy Grail,
The dead crusaders of the Sepulchre,
While these men live? Are the great bards all dumb?
Here is a theme to shake the heart of Song,
And make Fame's watchman tremble at his post.
What shall prevail against the spirit of man,
When solitude, and space, and cold, and hunger,
And the white menace of uncertainty
Prevail not? Dante in his frozen hell
Shivering endured no bleakness like the void
These men have warmed with their own flaming will
And peopled with their visions. The fierce wind
From Arcturus in their faces, at their backs
The whip of the world's doubt, and in their souls
Courage to die- if death should be the price
Of the cold cup that shall assuage their thirst,
They climb, and fall, and stagger toward the goal.
They lay themselves the road whereby they travel,
And sue God for a franchise. Does He watch
Behind the window of the Northern Lights?
In that Grail-chapel of their stern-vowed quest,
Ninety degrees beyond earth's blazing belt,
Will they behold the splendor of His face?
To conquer the world must man renounce the world?
These have renounced it. Had ye only faith
Ye might move mountains, said the Nazarene.
Why, these have faith to move the zones of man
Out to the point where All and Nothing meet!
They catch the bit of death between their teeth
In one wild dash to trample the unknown
And leap the bounds of knowledge. They have dared
Even to defy the sentinel that guards
The doors of the forbidden - dared to hurl
Their breathing bodies after the Ideal,
Document source description
This file contains poems and letters dedicated to Robert Peary and the 1909 expedition to the North Pole. Also included are poems relating to Frederick Cook and his claim of reaching the North Pole first.
Page data
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- Source index
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- Type
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Document data
- ID
- 518258341
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- document
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"ocrText": "THE FROZEN GRAIL.\nTo Peary and his band.\nWhy sing the legends of the Holy Grail,\nThe dead crusaders of the Sepulchre,\nWhile these men live? Are the great bards all dumb?\nHere is a theme to shake the heart of Song,\nAnd make Fame's watchman tremble at his post.\nWhat shall prevail against the spirit of man,\nWhen solitude, and space, and cold, and hunger,\nAnd the white menace of uncertainty\nPrevail not? Dante in his frozen hell\nShivering endured no bleakness like the void\nThese men have warmed with their own flaming will\nAnd peopled with their visions. The fierce wind\nFrom Arcturus in their faces, at their backs\nThe whip of the world's doubt, and in their souls\nCourage to die- if death should be the price\nOf the cold cup that shall assuage their thirst,\nThey climb, and fall, and stagger toward the goal.\nThey lay themselves the road whereby they travel,\nAnd sue God for a franchise. Does He watch\nBehind the window of the Northern Lights?\nIn that Grail-chapel of their stern-vowed quest,\nNinety degrees beyond earth's blazing belt,\nWill they behold the splendor of His face?\nTo conquer the world must man renounce the world?\nThese have renounced it. Had ye only faith\nYe might move mountains, said the Nazarene.\nWhy, these have faith to move the zones of man\nOut to the point where All and Nothing meet!\nThey catch the bit of death between their teeth\nIn one wild dash to trample the unknown\nAnd leap the bounds of knowledge. They have dared\nEven to defy the sentinel that guards\nThe doors of the forbidden - dared to hurl\nTheir breathing bodies after the Ideal,"
}