“Swan Song” of Bichard Realf.

“Swan Song” of Bichard Realf.
416.3

This poem was written the night Realf committed solide
He was born in England in 1831 und died In Oakland, Cal.,
In 1878. He served with distine- ion in an fliinois regiment in the civil war.
Asa Wilter he possessed exceptional talent.
He al- timeted the attention of Lady Byron, wife of the famous poet, when he was 15 years old by some verses written.
That lady, her daughter Ada, Mrs. Jameson, and Miss Mitford, became his
Patronemes, and in 1832 they pubilshed a volume of his poema under the title,
“Guesses at the Beau-‘
De mortius nii nial honum.”
When For me this and has come and I am dead,
And the little voluble, chattering daws of men
Prek at me curiously, let it then be sald
By same one trave enough to sucak the truth:

With big films-silence! he is in his grave.
Greatly be auitered; greatly, too, he erred;
Yet broke his heart in trying to be brave.
Nor did he walt ull Freedom had become
The popular shibboleth of courtiers’ lips:
He smote for her when
God himselt seemed dumb
And all his arching skies were in eclipse.
He was a weary, but he fought his fight.
And stood for simple manhood: and was layed
To see the august broadening of the light
And new earths heaving heavenward from the vold.
He loved his fellows, and their love was sweet- Plant daisies at his head and at his feet.