Transcription Notes:
This Internet file is not an exact copy of the book. Certain liberties have been taken. A very few spellings have been modernized, and typographic errors corrected.
If a more precise rendition is required, a photocopy of the book is available online at Google Books: http://books.google.com/books?id=FM7h04TQHe8C&pg=PA1, but this is a limited preview only.
There was no artwork in this book. There was no Table of Contents, the ToC in this file was compiled by the transcriber. There was an alphabetical index. The MPS transcriber has compiled indexes of first lines, authors, and periodicals cited, which are at the end of this file.
Describing itself in the Preface as a "century of poems", this collection of 92 poems dating from 1730 to 1924 included about 40 that were duplicated elsewhere in the MPS collection, so whenever this occured, we hyperlinked a cross-reference rather than duplicated the text. On a few much-reproduced poems or if we were certain of an earlier publication, we left off the source reference, but as a rule it was left in, if only to establish an earliest date for the writing of each poem.
This volume does not identify the compiler, but it is part of the "Little Masonic Library" series, overall edited by Carl Claudy, so he is presumptively the compiler of this volume.
okl.
MASONIC POEMS
WASHINGTON, D. C.
THE MASONIC SERVICE ASSOCIATION
OF THE UNITED STATES
copyright, 1924
by
THE MASONIC SERVICE ASSOCIATION
OF THE UNITED STATES
Printed in U.S.A.
Preface
Masonry has had more singers than songs to sing! Untold numbers of brethren with the happiness of brotherhood in their hearts and a sincere desire to voice it to the world, have written Masonic verse. Few there are who have written verse which is also poetry.
No lesser poets will take offense if Kipling and the two Bobbies — Burns and Morris — are named here as those whose music has sounded most sweetly in the ears of Masons. Yet there are others, and if the task of culling from thousands of well meant efforts, the hundred here set forth, was difficult, surely the result justifies the work. Few great Masonic poems there are, and none too many which satisfy the critical ear as well as the loving heart. To be metrical, poetic and Masonic at one and the same time is not, apparently, given as a gift to the many!
Yet some have accomplished what is readily seen to be a difficult task. The Editor does not flatter himself that this collection is a complete anthology; nor does he make apology for the lack of arrangement, made necessary by the small size and restricted number of these pages. But here are, indeed, if not all the lovely songs which have been writ of Masonry for Masons, at least a sufficient number to make Harmony for an hour.
Swinburne, cameo artist in words, sped his "Century of Rondels" "out to sea"; no better introduction can be written to this Century of Masonic poems than his beautiful envoy;
- Fly, white butterflies, out to sea,
- Frail pale wings for the winds to try,
- Small white wings that we scarce can see,
- Fly.
- Here and there may a chance-caught eye
- Note in a score of you, twain or three
- Brighter of darker of mould or dye.
- Some fly light as a laugh of glee,
- Some fly soft as a low long sigh;
- All to the haven where each would be,
- Fly.
MASONIC POEMS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
page 1
by Bro. John Edmund Barss
(from The Builder, March, 1916)
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 1
by Mr. Leigh Hunt
Click on the title to find out about this poem.
page 2
An Ancient Masonic Song
This song was first published in 1756
(from The Freemason, London)
'Tis Masonry unites mankind,
To gen'rous actions, forms the Soul;
In friendly Converse all conjoined,
One Spirit animates the whole.
Wher'er aspiring Domes arise,
Wherever sacred Altars stand;
These Altars blaze into the skies,
The Domes proclaim the Mason's Hand.
As passions rough the Soul disguise,
Till Science cultivates the Mind;
So by the rude Stone shapen lies,
Till by the Mason's art refin'd.
Tho' still our chief Concern and Care
Be to deserve the Brother's Name:
Yet ever mindful of the Fair,
Their kindest influence we claim.
Let wretches at our Manhood rail;
But they who once our Order prove,
Will own that we who build so well,
With equal energy can love.
Sing, brethren, then, the craft divine,
(Best band of social joy and mirth,)
With choral sound and cheerful wine,
Proclaims its virtues o'er the earth.
page 2
by Bro. Rob. Morris
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 3
The following ode was composed by Brother J. K. Mitchell, for the occasion of laying the corner stone of the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which took place December, 1854.
Click on the title to view this poem.
page 4
by Bro. Rob Morris
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 5
by Bro. Charles F. Forshaw, M.D.
(from The Freemason's Chronicle)
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 6
"The words of this song were first printed in Watt's Musical Miscellany (Vol.3 of 6), 1730, under the title 'The Freemason's Health.' It appears in many eighteenth century song collections, the tune most commonly used appearing for the first time in Pills to Purge Melancholy, (Vol. 2), 1719. It was popular well into the nineteenth century." — The Builder.
Click on the title to view this poem, under the title 'The Entered Apprentice's Song' by Matthew Birkhead.
page 7
by Bro. Rob Morris
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 8
by Bro. N. A. McAulay
(from The Builder, Oct. 1916)
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 9
"Let There Be Light!"
by Bro. Cummings
(from The Voice of Masonry, 1894)
Brother, kneel before the altar,
In silence grave.
Show no weakness. Do not falter
Like cowan knave.
Honest brethren stand around you,
With heart and hand,
Ready to encourage, aid you,
A noble band.
Here you need not fear deception —
All are true —
Every brother here assembled
Knelt like you.
With throbbing hearts they silent listen
To your voice,
As you tell in earnest whisper,
Your free choice.
Gently loose the new made brother
From his cord,
He is bound by stronger fetters,
On God's Word.
Hearken to the Master's language:
"Pray for Light,"
Responsive voices chant the echo:
"Let there be Light."
Welcome, brother, to our household,
You are Free;
May it ever prove a blessing
Unto thee.
page 10
by Bro. Wilbur D. Nesbit
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 11
by Bro. David Barker
(from Brotherhood, New York City, May, 1916)
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 12
Apprentice Degree
The Travel
Through midnight dark I feebly grope my way
Oppressed with fear;
I dread to go, and yet I dare not stay
With danger near;
Eternal Father! guide my feet aright,
And lead me, step by step, up to the Light.
I do not know the secret path I tread
Thro' scenes unknown,
I humbly wander whither I am led —
Thy power I own;
Eternal Father! guide me through this night,
And lead me, step by step, up to the Light.
The World, its pride and passions, wealth and power,
All, all are gone;
Blind, poor, and weak I trust, in this dread hour,
On Thee alone;
Eternal Father! guide me in Thy Might,
And lead me, step by step, up to the Light.
page 12
Fellowcraft Degree
The Travel
Onward moves the whole Creation,
Working out the eternal plan;
Sun and planet, stream and ocean,
Flower and forest, beast and man,
Never resting, ever going
Forward on their destined way;
Spring to Summer - glory growing,
Morn merging into Day.
Forward, Brother, then be going,
To the might of manhood move;
And thy going be it in growing,
And thy growing be it in love.
page 13
The Master Degree
The Travel
Life's brief moments, swiftly flying,
Speed us near and nearer Death;
Earth and Time are quickly dying,
Passing like a vapor breath.
Earth and all its passions perish,
Time and all its duties cease;
Wealth and power, that mankind cherish,
Bring us here no joy and peace.
Swift, swifter still, at every breath,
Near, and more near, steals silent Death;
Help! help us now, O Thou Most High!
In this dread hour of mystery.
page 13
by Bro. Charles F. Forshaw, M.D., Baltimore House, Bradford, England; August 14th, 1916
(from Masonic Sun, Toronto, Canada; October, 1916)
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 14
by Bro. Rudyard Kipling
(from his Collected Verse)
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 15
Is It Masonry?
by Bro. F. G. Oliver
(from The Builder, March, 1915)
Is it Masonry
To dare to take God's name in vain,
Or be careful of our speech;
From evil thoughts and words refrain,
And practice what we preach?
Is it Masonry
To boast of your fine jewels,
Or purify your heart;
To be a man and Mason
And act a Mason's part?
Is it Masonry
To fail to help your brothers,
Or your obligations fill;
To leave it for the others,
Or mean and say "I will"?
page 16
Bro. Rev. Charles Mackay
(from Masonic Bulletin, Des Moines, Iowa, April, 1915)
Click on the title to view this poem under the title "Old Tubal Cain."
page 18
by Bro. H. L. Haywood
(from The Builder, Dec. 1918)
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 19
There is a very similar poem to the one below on the MPS Toasts page.
okl.
An Old Masonic Toast
- To him that all things understood,
- To him that found the stone and wood,
- To him that hapless lost his blood,
- In doing of his duty,
- To that blest age, and that blest morn
- Wherein those three great men were born,
- Our noble science to adorn
- With Wisdom, Strength and Beauty.
page 20
anonymous
Click on the title to view this poem.
page 21
Unto The Least Of These
by Bro. George Sanford Holmes
(Dedicated to the Denver Orphans' Home)
from The Square & Compass, Denver, Colo., Dec., 1921)
Hail, Craftsman, hail! Canst thou in honor say
Thou hast fulfilled the glory of this day,
Ere thou hast heard the plea of those who miss
A mother's holy love, a father's kiss?
Though from thy lavish hand such riches pour
As even princes had not known before,
Hast thou much given while a Brother's child
Wakes to a dawn on which Christ has not smiled?
If thou hast children, or the memories
Of dear soft lips that once thy cheek didst know,
Give to the orphaned waifs and thou wilt please
The Master who hath said long, long ago:
"As ye have done it to the least of these,
Thus ye have done it unto Me also."
page 22
by Mr. William Herbert Carruth
• • •
To this beautiful conception, Deputy Grand Master Roe Fulkerson, Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, has added the following inspiration:
Click on the title to view these poems.
page 23
(from The Freemason's Repository for 1797)
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 24
by Bro. N. A. McAulay
(from The Builder, Dec., 1916)
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 26
by Bro. Rob Morris
(This poem, written in August, 1854, is the most popular of all written by the Masonic laureate.)
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 27
by "Bobbie" Burns
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page under the title 'The Master's Apron'.
page 28
An Ode to an Ode
by Bro. L. B. Mitchell
(from The Builder, Feb., 1917)
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 29
(from The S.A. Masonic Journal)
Click on the title to view this poem.
page 30
The Apron
by Bro. J. Hubert Scott
(from The Builder, Oct., 1915)
Guard thou this Apron even as thy soul!
High Badge it is of an undaunted band,
Which, from the dawn of a dim forgotten time,
Has struggled upward in the quest of light; —
Light that is found in reverence of Self
Unselfish Brother-love, and love of God.
This light now on thine Apron shines undimmed;
Let ne'er a shadow intercept its beams.
Thine eyes late saw the Sun burst from the East,
Marking the Morn of thy Masonic day,
Calling thee forth to labour with thy peers,
Gird then thy lambskin; nor fail to find
In it a thought of brooks and sweet clean fields,
Haunts of this lamb through many a sunny hour.
Find in it, too, nobler thought of Him
The light ineffable, the Lamb of God,
Immaculate, unstained by shame or sin,
Who dying left ensample to all men
Who would build lives in purity and truth.
In Wisdom plan thy Apprentice task; divide
Thy time with care, thy moments spend as though
Each day were lifelong, life but as a day.
In purity of heart and sheer integrity
Use thou this gavel on each stubborn edge,
Divesting thought of aught perchance might stain,
Or scar, or tear this badge of shining white.
At Midday in the Craft's high fellowship,
Gird round thy life these bands of loyal blue,
Uniting with thee all to thee akin.
Strong in a deepening knowledge, bend thy skill
To leveling false pride in place attained,
To squaring thy foundations with the truth,
To setting each new stone in rectitude.
When in the West the Evening turns to gold
And beautifies what Strength and Wisdom reared,
Pause not, but search thy trestle-board, God's plan;
And ply with solemn joy thy master tools,
Earth's many cementing into heaven's one.
Wear worthily this thy Masonic badge,
While still thy body toils to build thy soul
A mansion bright, beyond the gates of death,
No edifice that crumbles back to clay,
But a glorious house eternal in the skies.
Full soon an unseen Hand shall gently stay
Thine arm; and upon thine Apron, scutcheon bright,
Shall rest the Allseeing Eye, adjudging there
The blazoned record of thy workmanship.
Anon, thy Sun goes out and brothers lay,
With thee, thine Apron in the breast of earth,
Among forgotful archives of the dust.
These, now, be Mason's wages; when from his hands
Forever fall the working tools of life,
Arising, to ascend to loftier work; —
From out the lowly quaries to be called
To labour in the City of the King; —
Glad in the light of one long endless day,
To serve anew the Celestial Architect
And Sovereign Master of the Lodge Above.
Thy portion, Brother, may it be to hear
These welcome words, when the great Judge shall scan
Thy work, "Well done! Thou good and faithful servant,
Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."
page 31
by Bro. Neal A. McAulay
(From The Builder, August, 1915)
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 32
by Bro. Lawrence N. Greenleaf
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 34
This MSA book contained only the first and two final verses of this next poem. This longer version was taken from the Mystic Star magazine April, 1872, with the title "The Masonic Temple." No author was cited, but J.A.Cabell graduated from university in 1873, so the date matches.
okl.
Masonry
by Bro. James Alston Cabell, Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Virginia
(from The Square & Compass, Denver, Colo., July, 1922)
Three thousand years have rolled away
Upon the tide of time,
Since Masonry began her march
Of noble deeds sublime.
And though the angry storms of war
Have swept the earth with fire,
Her temple stands unscathed, unhurt.
With sunlight on its spire.
Old empires, long the praise of men.
Have faded from the earth;
Kings with their thrones have passed away.
Since Masonry had birth.
The sceptered monarch, in his pride.
Has long since met his doom,
And naught is left of his domain.
Save solitude and gloom.
Proud Egypt, with her wondrous arts,
Her mysteries of old
Has slept beneath the tide of time,
As swift his current rolled;
And Greece, with all her ancient wealth,
Of genius and of fame,
Scarce holds amid the nations now
The honor of a name.
The glittering towns of Troy, to which
The foes of Priam came,
To meet a welcome for their deeds
From lips of Spartan dame,
Have long since tottered from their base.
And mouldered to decay:
The glory of that mighty race,
With them has passed away.
Amid the ravages that swept
The cities of the plain —
'Mid crumbling of Imperial thrones —
The fall of power and fame,
Fair Masonry has still survived,
The nation's horrid doom ;
A beacon 'mid the night of years.
To gild the clouds of gloom.
From Oriental climes she came,
To bless the Western World,
And rear her temple 'neath the flag
Which liberty unfurled;
Fair Freedom welcomed to our shores
This maid of heavenly birth;
While thousands of our human poor
Now own her generous worth.
Ten thousand widows in their weeds,
Have blessed her advent here,
And many a homeless heart
has owned her tender care;
Full many a frail and erring son,
To dissipation given,
Has heard the warning voice and turned,
His wayward thought to heaven.
Long may her grand old temple stand,
To light this darkened Sphere;
To gild the gloom of error's night,
And dry the falling tear;
And when the final words of Time
Shall sweep this reeling ball,
Oh, may its glittering spirits be
The last on earth to fall.
page 34
by Bro. L. B. Mitchell
(from Oriental Consistory Magazine, Sept., 1920)
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 35
by Bro. H. L. Haywood
(from The Builder)
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 36
by Bro. Rob Morris
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 37
by Bro. R. J. McLauchlin
(from The Detroit Masonic News, Sept., 1922)
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 38
by Rob Morris
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 40
by John Stuart Blackie
Click on the title to view this poem.
page 41
The Auld Lodge
Written by Bro. George Jack, D.M., of Mother Kilwinning Lodge No. 0, of Kilwinning, Scotland, in 1893, on moving into the new lodge hall.
The auld lodge, the auld lodge,
Auld, auld, though you may be,
There ne'er can be a new lodge
E'en half sae dear tae me,
Oh soon, oh soon, ye'll be nae mair,
The house I lo'ed sae dear,
And naething left tae tell us then
The place where once you were.
Oh, weel I mind when I was young,
My memory still retains
O' brithers that are noo awa'
Tae their lang, lanely hame.
And when I think on former years,
My heart seems tae get foo,
Tae leave yo noo in your auld age —
Na mair tae meet in you.
But we maun leave you, auld lodge,
For ane that's granner noo,
Nae mair tae meet within your wa's,
Nor homage pay tae you.
Sae, fare you weel noo, auld lodge,
Tae you I bid adieu,
Till this life ends on earth below
I will remember you.
page 42
by Owen Meredith
Click on the title to view this poem.
page 43
by L. B. M.[Mitchell]
(from The Builder, March, 1916)
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page, under the title "Geometry".
page 44
by Bro. Lawrence N. Greenleaf
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page, under the title "The Temple Of Living Stone".
page 45
The Habitation Of The Grand Architect
by Bro. Rev. J. Gierlow
(from The Masonic Mirror, Oct., 1872)
God dwells in light!
Before the ocean of unmeasured space
Was islanded with stars serenely bright —
Reflecting back the radiance of His face, —
He dwelt above, in Heaven's immortal bliss,
Thinking into existance that which is.
God dwells in light!
Before He laid the world's foundation-stone
High on the nothing of primeval night,
And in Heaven's centre throned the eternal sun, —
He dwelt above, beyond the far-off sky,
With Angels born of His Eternity.
God dwells in light!
And holds within the hollow of His hand
The universe of worlds which gem the night,
Which, through Heaven's sea, at His divine command,
Freighted with His own smiles, now sail at even,
Fearless of storms, around the sun in Heaven.
God dwells in light!
And where He dwells, there spirits also dwell,
Who drink fresh glory from His face so bright,
As stars drink from the sun's deep golden well
Exhaustless beams, so that they never die,
And thereby show His immortality.
page 46
The Initiation Of The Prince Of Wales
by Bro. William Harvey, Provincial Grand Bard of Forfarshire
(from The Dundee Advertiser)
- The Craft owre a' the land this day
- Adorns the Lodge wi' garlands gay,
- Auld England shouts, in brave array,
- "Hail, Mason-Prince!
- And Scots in canty, couthie way,
- Their hopes evince!
- Our Prince and Brither! Here's our prayer!
- May Boaz build thy Royal chair
- In strength; may peace and pleasure mair
- Then fill thy cup;
- May walth o' years be thine to share
- Our sign and grup!
- In spite o' what the Paip asserts,
- May Jachin in Masonic hearts
- Establish thee, thou lad o' pairts —
- Prince o' the free;
- And loyalty frae o' the airts
- Encompass thee!
- Thou'lt learn the knack o' Rule and Line,
- The Square — the Compasses — the Sign;
- Be tauld what Masons ne'er maun tine —
- Faith, Hope, and Love —
- Their three great symbols o' divine
- Grand Lodge above.
- So, Brither Masons, raise your hand!
- This day the highest in the land
- Joins wi' the humblest: tak's his stand
- At First Degree:
- Let's enter him into our band
- Wi' "Three times three!"
page 47
by Bro. Albert Pike
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 48
by Bro. Johan Wolfgang von Goethe
(Translated from the German by Thomas Carlyle)
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 49
I Am!
Author Unknown
Are you a Mason? Aye, I am! But stay
The mere profession of its principles,
When unsupported by the daily acts
Of duty it involves, proves false the tale,
And Truth, that attribute divine, the sure
Foundation of Masonic heritage,
Shrinks back appalled at such a mockery,
Which, like the barren fig tree, fair to sight,
Is but the semblance of a fruitful tree.
- "Faith without works is dead;"
Profession without practice, dead, also;
A man's a Mason only when he strives
To make his practice quadrate with his creed.
What is a Mason?
- Symbol of a race,
Grand and historic, 'neath whose steadfast hands
The mighty fabric of the Temple rose,
Until in beauty and strength it stood
Harmoniously proclaiming, God is great!
Though — at the dictum of the power to whom
'Twas raised — overthrown and crumbled into dust,
With not a fragment left to mark the place,
Or tell the tale of its magnificence;
The art survives, but not alone
In perishable stone.
- Through faith in God,
And hope of immortality, we build
A spiritual temple to His name;
Founded on Truth and righteous Charity.
Oh, glorious fellowship! Unshackled by
Mortal interpretation of the word
Vouchsafed by God to man, we seek the Truth
In Love, the refulgent essence of all Truth,
Which is of God alone, and God is Love.
He, then, who takes the compasses in hand
To circumscribe his daily life, will find
The center in that Love to God expressed
In deeds of charity and love to men.
page 50
by Bro. Rudyard Kipling
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
[*] To appreciate fully Kipling's stories of India one must have an intimate knowledge of India and Indian peoples. Every phrase contains some pointed remark about Indian life that is occult to all except those that have the key. Very typical of this is his poem, "The Mother Lodge," that describes a certain Masonic lodge in India. No doubt many a Mason has read it, but its significance is more than seems at first sight.
The narrator is an ordinary English soldier of the lower classes, vulgar, dropping his h's and g's but good-hearted at bottom and with a certain dim ideal dawning upon his consciousness. In his Mother-Lodge, there were first several English, himself as Junior Deacon, and then two employees of the Government Railway, another from the army commissariat, a jail inspector, and Conductor-Sergeant Blake, who was the Master. All these were Christians and, though then in India, of the Established Church of England.
There were, however, other nationalities and religions represented. Old Framjee Eduljee, who dealt in goods imported from Europe in his "Europe-shop," is a Parsee by race and a Zoroastrian by religion; Bola Nath, accountant, is an orthodox Hindu, belonging to the writer sub-caste of the third great caste. Then there was the Hebrew, Saul, from Aden, and Din Mohammed, follower of the Prophet of Islam. Babu Chuckerbutty (a Bengalee form of the Sanskrit Chakravarti) is of course a Brahmin and a Hindu of the Hindus; but Amir Singh, though Hindu, follows the Sikh faith, one of the many semi-orthodox off-shoots of Hinduism, and Castro, an Eurasian "half-caste," is a Roman Catholic.
After labor they could not eat or drink, "lest a brother's caste were broke!" but they could smoke, and smoke they did, "trichies" — cheroots made in Trichinopoly in South India, with the cigar lighter (hog-darn) passing from one to another. And while the butler (khansamah) snored without on the "bottlekhana" floor (pantry), the talk would veer to religion, "every man comparin' of the God 'e knew the best." Comparative Religion was no doubt studied in a lame fashion, but still they found it was " 'ighly curious," and when they went home to bed it was with "Mo'ammed, God, an' Shiva changin' pickets in our 'ead."
In the outer world salutation was according to the world's obligations and conventions — "Sergeant! Sir! Salute! Salaam!" but once inside the lodge it was "brother!" And proud-of-race, uncultured Tommy Atkins realized that there was a view of the world wherein there was neither white nor black, Jew nor Gentile but only brothers.
— The Builder, March, 1917
page 53
by Bro. George H. Free
(from The Square & Compasses, New Orleans, La., April, 1921)
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 54
An Apostrophic Ode
by Bro. William Dorsey
(from Masonic Constellation, St. Louis, Mo., Oct., 1909)
- Hail Masonry! thou theme divine,
- Thou source of Light, and Truth, and Love
- Through all the earth thy glories shine;
- Thy secret place the heavens above,
- Where constellations grand
- In beauteous order stand
- To light thy Lodge beyond the skies.
- In all thy symbols we may trace
- The grandeur of thy mystic plan;
- Thy forms, thy lights, thy secret place,
- Thy steps, thine outer door — and man
- Still toiling on through strife
- To higher, nobler life,
- Till faith and sight are merged in one.
- Thy hand first smote the ponderous ore,
- And shaped the curious handicraft
- The polished steel, and proudly bore
- The flashing sword and pointed shaft —
- A last resort to wield
- On freedom's battlefield,
- And stay the strong against the weak.
- Yet more — thy hand hath shaped the plow,
- The axe, the scythe, the reaping hook,
- And stately vessel's cleaving prow —
- Till savage men their wars forsook,
- And commerce ranged the seas
- And freighted every breeze
- With richest stores from every clime.
- All o'er the earth thy temples grand
- With massive pillars, chaplet crowned,
- Like love and solemn epochs stand
- While grander ruins, ivy bound,
- Lie slumbering with the past;
- And long as time shall last
- The world will own their grandeur first.
- Thy Pillars, Square and Trestleboard,
- Teach Wisdom, Beauty, and Design;
- And to the Master, each afford,
- In turn, instruction all divine.
- A symbol too is given
- That leads from earth to heaven,
- By Faith, and Hope, and Charity.
- Nor less sublime thy mighty Gobes,
- With boundless seas and whelming flood
- And glittering skies in starry robes,
- That tell of an eternal God,
- Whose Lodge is o'er all space,
- Whose dwelling every place,
- And working hours eternity.
- Thy Sword, thy Naked Heart, the Eye
- That all the earth and seas survey;
- Thy Sun, and Moon, and Starry Sky;
- Thy Glass, that marks life's ebbing day,
- The Anchor and the Ark,
- The wreck of life's frail barque,
- Proclaim thy origin divine.
page 55
(This poem has been attributed to Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton)
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 56
Masonic Ode [*]
"At the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of the Philippine Islands, held in January, 1920, the following ode was sung. It is a reminder of the troublous times when Free Masonry there was banned, and Free Masons persecuted and slain by the Spanish rulers dominated by the papal power and its friars. That condition ceased with American control."
— Oriental Consistory Magazine, Dec., 1921.
- Faith of our fathers, living still
- In spite of dungeon, fire, and sword;
- O how our hearts beat high with joy,
- When e'er we hear that glorious word!
- Faith of our fathers! holy faith!
- We'll be true to thee till death!
- Our fathers chained in prisons dark
- Were still in heart and conscience free:
- How sweet would be their children's fate,
- If they, like them, could die for thee!
- Faith of our fathers! holy faith!
- We'll be true to thee till death!
- Faith of our fathers! we will love
- Both friend and foe in all our strife;
- And preach thee, too, as love knows how,
- By kindly words and virtuous life:
- Faith of our fathers! holy faith!
- We'll be true to thee till death!
[*] This standard Christian hymn, under its usual title of "Faith Of Our Fathers," really has little to do with Freemasonry. In fact, it originally came from the source which the above introduction cites it as being a pæan of deliverance from! It was written by Fr. Frederick William Faber (1814-1863), a Catholic Priest, in 1849, in response to Protestant persecution of Catholics in England, and originally ended, far from any mention of the Philippines, with the words, "England shall then indeed be free."
This hymn does have a further Masonic connection, though. In 1945 (21 years after this book was published), "Faith Of Our Fathers" was sung at the funeral for Brother Mason Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who died during his fight to free Europe and Asia from the chains of Hitler and his cohorts.
We would have left this one out, as we did with #2, but there are so many variations about that we did want to record which verses were used here. However, this poem is not included in the MPS index.
okl.
page 56
Our Work
by W. H. Darnall
(from The Virginia Masonic Journal, Richmond, Va., Aug., 1910)
Once more we meet — communion sweet —
A Brotherhood of Love;
Our only art, an honest heart,
That seeks the things above.
God give us grace, each in his place,
To meet His holy will;
In ease or pain, in loss or gain,
True service to fulfil.
0ur one great light, to show the right,
The everlasting word;
Our one employ, our one great joy,
To build for Him, our Lord.
When toil is done, and one by one,
We meet with our release;
Beyond the tomb. life's perfect bloom —
The Temple, Heaven, Peace.
page 57
Our Brethren At The Front
(from Brotherhood, New York City, July, 1918)
God of our Fathers, at Whose call,
We now before Thine altar fall;
Whose grace can make our Order strong,
Through love of right and hate of wrong,
We pray Thee in Thy pity shield
0ur Brethren on the battlefield.
Aseep, beneath Thine ample dome,
With many a tender dream of home;
Or charging, in the dust and glare,
With bullets hurtling through the air,
We pray Thee in Thy pity shield
0ur Brethren on the battlefield.
O soon, Thou Blessed Prince of Peace,
Bring in the days when War shall cease,
And men and brothers shall unite
To fill the world with love and light,
We pray Thee in Thy pity shield
0ur Brethren on the battlefield.
The song above was also found in an Anglican hymnal dated 1917.
page 59
The song below was printed in a "Exclamation Point And Capitalization-Intensive!" style, and many 's's are replaced by 'f's, mimicing the old-style 'ƒ'. Unlike the book, which used the same character for lowercase S and F, we've used the curly-f character for some clarity. We've included both the original and a modernized version from a different source here: click your mouse on the text below to toggle to the other version. The first three lines of the second verse are different between the two, as well as an occasional word throughout the rest of the poem.
okl.
Of Masonry: An Ode
by Bro. John Bancks of England, 1738
- GENIUS of MASONRY! deƒcend,
- In mystic Numbers while We ƒing;
- Enlarge Our Souls, the craft defend;
- And hither all Thy Influence bring.
- With ƒocial Thoughts Our Boƒoms fill,
- And give Thy Turn to ev'ry Will!
- While groƒs BATAVIA, wall'd with Mud,
- Thy purer Joys delight no more;
- And winding SEINE, a captive Flood,
- Laments thee wand'ring from his Shore;
- Here ƒpread Thy Wings, and glad theƒe Iƒles.
- Where ARTS reƒide, and FREEDOM ƒmiles.
- Behold the LODGE riƒe into View!
- The Work of INDUSTRY and ART.
- 'Tis grand, and regular, and true:
- For ƒo is each good MASON'S Heart.
- FRIENDSHIP cements it from the Ground,
- And SECRECY ƒhall fence it round.
- A STATELY DOME o'erlooks Our Eaƒt,
- Like Orient PHOEBUS in the Morn;
- And TWO TALL PILLARS in the Weƒt
- At once ƒupport Us, and adorn.
- Upholden thus, the Structure ƒtands,
- Untouch'd by ƒacrilegious Hands.
- For Concord form's, Our Souls agree,
- Nor Fate this Union ƒhall deƒtroy;
- Our Toils and Sports alike are free,
- And all is Harmony and Joy.
- So SALEM'S Temple roƒe by Rule,
- Without the Noiƒe of noxious Tool.
- As when AMPHION tun'd his Song,
- Ev'n rugged Rocks the Muƒic knew;
- Smooth'd into Form they glide along,
- And to a THEBES the Deƒert grew;
- So at the Sound of HIRAM'S Voice
- We riƒe, We join, and We rejoice.
- Then may Our Vows to Virtue move!
- To VIRTUE, own'd in all her Parts:
- Come CANDOUR, INNOCENCE, and LOVE;
- Come and poƒƒeƒs our faithful Hearts:
- MERCY, who feeds the hungry Poor,
- And SILENCE, Guardian of the Door!
- And Thou, ASTREA, (tho' from Earth,
- When Men on Men began to prey,
- Thou fled'st to claim celeƒtial birth,)
- Down from OLYMPUS wing Thy Way!
- And, mindful of Thy antient Seat,
- Be preƒent ƒtill where MASONS meet!
- Immortal SCIENCE, too, be near!
- (We own Thy Empire o'er the Mind)
- Dreƒs'd in Thy radiant Robes appear,
- With all Thy beauteous Train behind;
- INVENTION, young and blooming, there;
- Here GEOMETRY with Rule and Square.
- In EGYPT'S Fabrick Learning dwelt,
- And ROMAN Breaƒts could Virtue hide:
- But VULCAN'S Rage the Building felt,
- And BRUTUS, last of ROMANS, dy'd:
- Since when, diƒpers'd the Siƒters rove,
- Or fill paternal Thrones above.
- But, loƒt to half the human Race,
- With Us the VIRTUES ƒhall revive;
- And, driv'n no more from Place to Place,
- Here SCIENCE ƒhall be kept alive:
- And MANLY TASTE, the Child of SENSE,
- Shall baniƒh VICE and DULLNESS hence.
- United thus, and for theƒe ends,
- Let SCORN deride, and ENVY rail;
- From Age to Age the CRAFT deƒcends,
- And what We build ƒhall never fail:
- Nor ƒhall the World Our Works ƒurvey;
- But ev'ry BROTHER keeps the KEY.
- Genius of Masonry descend,
- In mystic numbers while we sing;
- Enlarge our souls, the craft defend,
- And hither all Thy influence bring.
- With social thoughts our bosoms fill,
- And give Thy turn to every will.
- While yet Batavia's wealthy powers
- Neglect thy beauties to explore;
- And winding Seine, adorned with towers,
- Laments thee wandering from his shore;
- Here spread thy wings, and glad these isles.
- Where arts reside, and Freedom smiles.
- Behold the lodge rise into view,
- The work of industry and art;
- 'Tis grand, and regular, and true,
- For so is each good Mason's heart.
- Friendship cements it from the ground,
- And Secrecy shall fence it round.
- A stately dome o'erlooks our east,
- Like orient Phœbus in the morn;
- And two tall pillars in the west
- At once support us and adorn.
- Upholden thus the structure stands,
- Untouched by sacrilegious hands.
- For concord formed, our souls agree,
- Nor fate this union shall destroy;
- Our toils and sports alike are free,
- And all is harmony and joy.
- So Salem's temple rose by rule,
- Without the noise of noxious tool.
- As when Amphion tuned his song,
- E'en rugged rocks the music knew;
- Smoothed into form they glide along,
- And to a Thebes the desert grew;
- So at the sound of Hiram's voice
- We rise, we join, and we rejoice.
- Then may our voice to Virtue move,
- To Virtue owned in all her parts:
- Come, Candour, Innocence, and Love,
- Come and possess our faithful hearts:
- Mercy, who feeds the hungry poor,
- And Silence, guardian of the door.
- And thou, Astrea, (though from earth,
- When men on men began to prey,
- Thou fledest to claim celestial birth,)
- Down from Olympus wing thy way;
- And, mindful of thy ancient seat,
- Be present still where Masons meet.
- Immortal Science, be thou near,
- (We own thy empire o'er the mind;)
- Dressed in thy radiant robes appear,
- With all thy beauteous train behind;
- Invention young and blooming there,
- Here geometry with rule and square.
- In Egypt's fabric learning dwelt,
- And Roman breasts could Virtue hide:
- But Vulcan's rage the building felt,
- And Brutus, last of Romans, died:
- Since when, dispersed, the sisters rove,
- Or fill paternal thrones above.
- But, lost to half the human race,
- With us the Virtues shall revive;
- And, driven no more from place to place,
- Here Science shall be kept alive:
- And manly taste, the child of Sense,
- Shall banish Vice and Dulness hence.
- United thus, and for these ends,
- Let Scorn deride, and Envy rail;
- From age to age the Craft descends,
- And what we build shall never fail:
- Nor shall the world our works survey;
- But every brother keeps the key!
page 60
by Bro. Charles F. Forshaw, M.D.
(from Tyler-Keystone, Ann Arbor, Mich., July, 1915)
(On seeing the Jewel of a Past Master exposed for sale in a pawnbroker's window.)
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 61
The Mason's Sacred Trust
by Bro. Montgomery M. Folsom
(from The Masonic Constellation, St.Louis, Mo., May, 1908)
- We know not when this earthly form
- May seek its kindred clod,
- But this we know, through sun and storm,
- Tbe deathless spark will be kept warm
- By child-like trust in God.
- The square and compass of our creed
- Shall cause this sin-cursed sod
- To burgeon with a noble deed
- For those who in their time of need
- Preserve their trust in God.
- As blossoms sprout from meanest mold,
- Burst from the plainest pod.
- So, bud as Aaron's rod of old,
- The withered hearts whose sweets untold
- Bespeak their trust in God.
- We walk the thorny path of time
- With fearless feet unshod,
- Because ours is the faith sublime
- Of mankind in the peerless prime
- Of simple trust in God.
- For well we know the ways we tread
- By holy men were trod,
- The strange and mystic stars that led
- To bliss by those who felt no dread,
- But put their trust in God.
- And some day we shall stand with Him
- Before whose slightest nod
- The nations bow, the stars grow dim,
- The tides fall on the ocean's rim,
- But we shall raise that grand, sweet song
- Far-echoing through the aeons long,
- The Mason's trust in God!
page 62
by Carl H. Claudy
(from The Master Mason, Oct., 1924)
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page under the title "The Road."
page 62
The Mason's Word
by Bro. Rev. John George Gibson
(from The Tyler-Keystone, Ann Arbor, Mich., Jan., 1914)
O Mason, pass thy word before the Throne:
The throne of Truth and Light.
Thine Honour pledge to God in Heaven above,
Each day to do the Right.
Then Mason, by the square of Holiest Law,
Test every sweet desire.
Plumb well each plan; then eager forward go
To noblest things aspire.
And Mason, never pass thy word to Man
Save as the Law commands.
But when 'tis right, then in fighting van,
Each Mason faithful stands.
Each Mason's word, though cautiously 'tis given,
Is gone beyond recall;
Though hearts, by tempting afterthoughts, be riven,
For e'er he gives his all.
The word was in the stoneyard plumbed and squared,
'Tis now for aye built in;
The King can never have his courses bared
Sin's wage to win.
What e'er the cost of loyalty may be,
The Mason dares not fail
His Honour's word to keep, and bends the Knee
Before the Mystic Vail.
And thus the Mason's word becomes the sign
Of Honour's Holy Cross;
Of true obedience to the God benign
Who glorifies each loss.
page 63
The Square And Compass
by Bro. Odillon B. Slane
(from The Builder, June, 1917)
Both points beneath the square,
Darkness, doubts, dungeons of despair,
Yet trusting in God who answers prayer,
Follow your guide — nor fear nor care,
Light will come with effulgent glare.
One point above the square,
As yet but partially there
Is light; for more light prepare,
As you ascend the winding stair.
Both points above the square —
Friendship and Morality share
With Brotherly Love, tenets taught where
Masons kneel, and vow, and swear.
page 64
The Eastward Facing Gate
by Bro. Rev. James J. H. Reedy
(from The New Age Magazine, Sept. 1919)
"Then he brought me back by the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary that looketh toward the east." — Ezekiel 44:1.
Three score years and six and more,
Treading mountain, vale and shore,
Wondering what the end shall be —
What the future has for me.
Not alone each place I go,
Marked by painful step and slow,
Visions bright oft seal the day,
Milestones marked upon the way.
One score years and ten and more,
Studying Mason's golden lore;
Such has been my happy lot,
Gaining thence each blessed thought.
Marked by the Master with His Name —
Since this way Himself He came —
Light from Him shall lead us straight
Toward the Eastward-facing Gate.
Fellow-Crafts we still must be
While we sail upon life's sea;
Rudder, compass, pilot He,
Trust in Him our only plea.
Safely landed home at last,
Entrance gained to such repast
As the Master shall provide
Those who Him have ne'er denied.
page 65
Voice Of America
by Josephine B. Bowman
(from Brotherhood, May, 1921)
[also in The Builder, Jan., 1921]
I have taken the breed of all nations,
Barred no religion or race,
From the highest and lowest of stations
They came — and I found them place.
Powers invisible drew them,
Freedom unborn was their quest,
'Til my uttermost borderlands knew them —
The least of the world and the best.
They came with the wisdom of sages,
The darkness, the stain and the dirt,
They came with the glory of ages,
And I took them — my hope and my hurt.
I have gathered the breed of all nations,
Drawn from each caste and each clan;
Tried them and proved them and loved them
And made them American.
Made them a nation of Builders,
Fearless and faithful and free,
Entered them, passed them and raised them
To the Master's Sublime Degree.
Theirs is the task of restoring
The Ancient and Honored Guild —
The work to the Speculative,
The spirit to those who build.
'Til none shall be less than a Master,
And know but one Ruler above,
Bound by the spirit of justice
And the mortar of brotherly love.
'Til the house shall belong to the Workman
And the Craft come again to its own;
And this is your task, oh, my people!
Through you will the Lost Word be known.
page 66
The poem below was presented in Scots dialect, but since that was also available in another file on this site, it was decided to use this as an opportunity to present it translated into modern English (which only consisted in expanding a few contractions with this poem — no words had to be changed for once).
okl.
The Senior Warden
by J. Werge, of Glasgow, Scotland
Of all the seats within our hall
I dearly love the West;
For here the Brethren, great and small,
At parting have been blest;
And memory lends her ready aid
Recalling all the past;
The many times we've met, and prayed
It might not be the last.
Each time we're Brothers, Brothers all,
And every worthy guest,
For here we to the Level fall,
Even Kings are like the rest;
They may be great in Church and State,
Or any other sphere;
The poor, the rich, the low, the great,
Are on a level here.
Assembled in our Sacred hall
We're with our Order blest,
For by the great unerring law,
We're lowly in the West.
Before us we have Wisdom's light
And Beauty shining there,
Here Strength to keep the work aright
By acting on the Square.
This symbol tells us once and all
Who with the light are blest,
How grand and mighty structures fall
And mingle in the West.
When faith must be our password on
To the Celestial goal,
Where Kings and peasants stand as one
On the Grand Master's roll.
page 67
Anonymous
Click on the title to view this poem.
page 68
The Apron
by Bro. O. E. Looney, M.D.
(from The Builder, July, 1917)
Emblem more ancient
Than order is old,
Whose story, fancy
Has never all told.
Culled from the innocent
Pro'type of Christ,
Worn in Fulfillment
To circumscribe vice.
Presented on entrance,
In "Temples of Light,"
To Entered Apprentices,
Whose trust is placed right.
Worn on his journey,
From threshhold to Sanctum;
Heart filled with yearning,
Circumspect, thankful.
Worn by him proud
Through life as a token
Of acts unallowed,
And secrets unspoken;
Placed on the coffin
Of his last remains,
An emblem to soften
Our loss, of its pains.
page 69
by Bro. Fay Hempstead
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 70
Fraternity
by Bro. David E. Guyton
(from The Builder, Oct.,1915)
We build us temples tall and grand,
With gifts we heap our alters high,
Unheeding how, on every hand,
The hungry and the naked cry.
We sound our creeds in trumpet tone,
With zeal we compass land and sea,
Unmindful of the sob and moan
Of souls that yearn for sympathy.
We hurl to hell, we bear above,
With equal ease we loose or bind,
Forgetful quite that God is Love,
And Love is large, and broad, and kind.
O Thou Eternal Largeness, teach
Our petty, shrivelled souls to swell
Till Thou, within their ampler reach,
In every human heart may dwell;
Till Love alone becomes the creed
Of every nation, tribe and clan;
The Fatherhood of God, indeed,
The blessed Brotherhood of Man.
page 70
by Bro. Fay Hempstead
(from Virginia Masonic Journal, Richmond, Va., Dec., 1908)
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 71
Entered — The Light
by Bro. F. H. Sellery
(from The Trestleboard, Detroit, Mich., March, 1916)
The way was dark, no light could I discern —
I knew not whither, east or west, I went;
I did not even know the road would turn —
But I, on seeking "light," was solely bent.
I passed the ones who guard the sacred way
Then I was told to kneel and 'tend a prayer
To Deity, whose mighty power holds sway
O'er all the mortals who assembled there.
And when my heart did quake with sudden fear
That even now I might not find the light,
A soft voice whispered in my ear:
"Fear not!" and all misgivings took their flight.
At last I reached a place — 'twas holy ground;
I knelt before the "Master" on the throne,
While all the other mortals gathered round
To lend their aid and see his will was done.
I humbly asked that I the light might see,
And learned the truth as other mortals had;
And then a voice of great authority
Rang out! I saw the light and I was glad.
page 72
A Mason
by Bro. Carl W. Mason
(from The Virginia Masonic Journal, Richmond, Va., March, 1916)
A Mason's hand is a hand that helps,
That lifts the fallen one,
That comes, in need, with a kindly deed
To him whose strength is gone.
A Mason's heart is a heart that loves
The best that is good and true
He stands the friend, his best to lend,
Under his banner blue.
A Mason's eye is an eye that smiles
And his a cheeering voice;
He spreads the light, dispels the night
And makes the world rejoice.
Over the earth in stranger lands,
Where distant peoples dwell,
The eye, the grip, the life, the lip,
Of love unchanging tell.
page 72
A Creed
by Bro. Herbert R. Grassman
(from Square & Compass, Denver, Colo., June, 1915)
Hark ye, Masons, men of love,
Men of faith and men of fame!
Listen to the muffled cries
Of men in bondage, bound in shame!
Oh, what ignorance rules supreme!
Oh, what darkness hides the Light!
Oppose and fight all things unclean —
You are champions of the Right!
God in all His glory rules,
Watching over us with care;
He sends us wisdom, love and truth
With our fellow-men to share.
Teach men how to see the Light —
Not by word of mouth or pen,
But by deeds so kind and bright
Illuminate life's path. Amen.
page 73
Masonic Jewels
by Bro. John George Gibson
(from The Builder, April, 1917)
Does the square that you wear mean the test by your God
Of the work that you do, and the word that you speak,
Of the will of your mind, the thought of your heart,
Of the Past that is gone, of the Future you seek?
The Compass you wear, does it mean that you move
Within the true bound appointed and sure,
Restricted desire, pleasure defined,
A yielding of self to the bonds that endure?
The Triangle too — great emblem of Him
Who is Maker, and Master, Beginning and End, —
Do you wear it to show that He is to you
The Source and the Aim that all others transcend?
What means the gold Trowel that hangs at your chain?
Does it tell of the mortar of Love that you spread?
Of the joint well cemented with fine brotherly love?
Of the stones that now lie in the well-mortared bed?
If 'tis not so, then take the poor jewels away;
The meaningless bauble will only deceive
Yourself and the others you meet on your way
As meaningless lies which none ever believe.
page 74
Masonic Light
by Bro. Frank W. Reed
(from Masonic Monthly, Philadelphia, Pa., May, 1917)
- When back we look upon the darksome way
- From which we traveled with uncertain mind,
- The selfsame mystic monsters do we find
- Still making dolts their arrogance obey.
- Confusing craftiness seeking to dismay
- Each forward thought; their mental eyes to blind,
- Enthroned deceit yells curses from behind,
- And preaches hell to crutch its dying sway.
- But when at last the will asserts its force,
- And gains release from shackles long endured,
- The phantom doubt dissolves in dawning light;
- And from on high, where freedom gets it source,
- A soul, new-born, of future life assured,
- Finds God is love in each Masonic Rite.
page 74
by Bro. R. J. McLauchlin
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 75
In Fellowship
by Bro. C. M. Boutelle
(from The Builder, Nov., 1915)
My foot to thy foot, however thy foot may stray;
Thy path for my path, however dark the way.
My knee to thy knee, whatever be thy prayer;
Thy plea my plea, in every need and care.
My breast to thy breast, in every doubt or hope;
Thy silence mine too, whatever thy secret's scope.
My strength is thy strength, whenever thou shalt call;
Strong arms stretch love's length, through darkness, toward thy fall!
My words shall follow thee, kindly warning, fond,
Through life, through drear death — and all that lies beyond!
page 76
A Broken Ashlar
by Bro. Seymour Brandes
(from The New Age Magazine, Washington, D.C., April, 1915)
A sense of imperfection round me clings;
I hear an inward voice in deep lament:
Through the dark chancel of my soul there rings
A boding chant, with fear and yearning blent.
Thin as a specter's voice in lonely round:
I cannot tell from whence it came — or why;
It harrows all my thoughts with mournful sound,
Like echoes of a drowning seaman's cry.
The precious pearls of wasted talent thrown
In isolated spots of my life's field:
Its irrecoverable riches sown
As worthless seed that gave a barren yield.
The images of folly, sloth and sin
That flecked with error all my nobler past,
Troop mockingly around with leering grin;
I view with shuddering doubt — I am aghast!
page 76
Original Hymn
(Rendered by Joseph Robbins at the celebration of St. John the Baptist Day, June 24th, 1866.)
Beneath Thy temple's bending dome
We meet, O Architect Divine —
Grand emblems of that brooding care,
Which makes these human temples thine.
Father, as we our altar rear,
Within the over-arching wood,
Oh, do thou raise in every heart
An altar to the True and Good.
Its incense be the love we bear
To every earth-born child of Thine.
Fan with Thy breathing love to flame
The spark of brotherhood divine.
Safe resting on Thy mighty arm,
Guide us through all these earthly ways,
And grant thus in Thy heavenly Lodge
To join in never-ending praise.
page 77
Knight Rose Croix
by Bro. Henry Ridgely Evans
In Twain the temple vail is rent;
The sheeted dead appear;
the Master hangs upon the cross,
And all is dark and drear.
An inky blackness hides the moon;
The waves are tempest tossed;
The mystic cube sweats blood, alas!
The Mason's Word is lost.
'Tis Easter morn! All nature smiles,
The black-winged night has fled.
The Master of All Wisdom has
Arisen from the dead!
Resplendent shines the mystic cube;
The silver trumpets sound.
Wide open are the temple gates, —
The Master's Word is found.
page 78
by Bro. Lawrence N. Greenleaf
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 79
A Mason's Prayer
by Bro. James Perkins Richardson
(from The New Age Magazine, July, 1920)
- Almighty Force, that makes the day
- And gives the stars their course,
- That started life from lifeless clay —
- To Thee, Almighty Force,
- We offer homage, as we should,
- Convinced Thy might is for man's good.
- Eternal Law, that rules the sphere,
- And makes each atom draw
- Each other atom, far and near —
- To Thee, Eternal Law,
- We speak obedience, as we must,
- Assured Thy dictates all are just.
- Unchanging Truth, that fearest naught,
- Though oft by minds uncouth
- Misunderstood, and then mistaught —
- To Thee, Unchanging Truth,
- We bow the mind instead of knee,
- Believing Thou dost make man free.
- Fraternal Love, that fills the world,
- Whose banner floats above
- All lands, all peoples, broad unfurled —
- To Thee, Fraternal Love,
- We pledge the heart and give the hand,
- Proclaiming that with Thee we stand.
- Almighty Force, strong evermore;
- Eternal Law, true still today;
- Unchanging Truth, tried o'er and o'er;
- Fraternal Love, then, now, alway;
- Omniscient Soul, supreme, divine,
- These attributes we hail as Thine.
page 80
Craftsman of Nazareth
(A Christmas Morning Reverie)
by Bro. Robert I. Clegg
(from Palestine Bulletin, Detroit, Mich., April, 1914)
Beside the bench He stood with square in hand,
Around His feet the clinging shavings twined,
Odorous woods sent forth their sweet perfume,
Thoughts sadly pensive weighed down the mind.
There stood the Master Workman, skilled of hand,
While sunlight streamed in at the door,
Its dancing beams lit all the flying dust
And threw quaint shadows on the wall and floor.
At last, with labor and with thought opprest,
The Craftsman straightens up His figure tall.
With outstretched arms, to sun He turns His breast,
His shadow marks a cross against the wall.
Our Knight's Great Light! Thy willing Templar sons
Patrol no more the roads of Palestine,
No longer theirs the implements of war,
But in their hands the tools of trade are seen.
Sometimes we weaken, as we stumble oft.
Eternal grinds the tedium of our days.
All that we see when sunshine brightly streams,
Is shadowed cross — not splendor of its rays.
Grant us more light into our blinded eyes,
Above the shadows lift our errant gaze.
With holy fire touch our Templar throng,
And keep our feet within Thy narrow ways.
Oh, Prince of poverty, exceeding rich!
Today the conscience hears Thy clarion call,
This day we dedicate ourselves to Thee —
Thou Servant of men, Thou Master of all.
page 81
by Bro. Charles F. Forshaw, M.D.
(from Masonic Constellation, St.Louis, Mo., Nov., 1905)
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 82
by Bro. Lawrence N. Greenleaf
(from The Builder, )
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 84
Brother Robert Burns
"One Round, I Ask It With A Tear."
by Bro. John Campbell
(These verses were written for the 1923 celebration of Burns' birthday by his own Lodge — St.James', Tarbolton, No. 135 — the author being Bro Campbell, Secretary of the Lodge. They were printed in The Scottish Freemason.)
If ever was an "honored name,
To Masonry and Scotia dear,"
'Twas his, who gave our Lodge to fame,
And oft has worn the "jewel" here;
Then surely 'tis our duty here,
Whene'er his natal eve returns,
To pledge his memory "with a tear" —
The memory of Brother Burns.
On Coila's plains he first drew breath,
'Twas Coila's maids he loved and sang;
He won the bard's immortal wreath,
Lone, wandering Coila's woods amang.
And Coila's sons shall honor now,
While forest waves or river mourns
The mighty Minstrel of the plow —
Our gifted Mason, Brother Burns.
His songs are sung on Ganges' side,
Zambezi's banks his strains have heard,
Siberia's forests, wild and wide,
Have wondering known of Scotia's Bard.
The broad St. Lawrence hears his voice,
Where'er the Scottish wanderer turns
That name can make his heart rejoice —
The deathless name of Brother Burns.
But here, within our native vale,
On every glen and flowery brae,
On classic Ayr and winding Fail
His fame had shed its brightest ray.
And here shall reign his glorious name,
Until the grave its dead dis-urns,
For every craftsman here can claim
A kindred name with Brother Burns.
Then, brethren of the Lodge St. James,
And sister Lodges gathered here,
One silent round his memory claims —
The round requested "with a tear."
Then be upstanding to the call
Of him — the Bard whom Scotia mourns —
To pledge in solemn silence all
The memory of Brother Burns.
page 85
Closing Hymn
by Bro. Walter Wingham
(from The Masonic Constellation, St.Louis, Mo., May, 1911)
In chosen Israel's favoured land,
A famous temple once did stand,
To Thee, Great Architect Divine
Was raised that vast and holy shrine.
But Thou to us hast given a part,
To build a temple of the heart,
In which to walk with soul erect,
A monument of Thine elect.
Then strengthen our Masonic tie,
Teach us to live, teach us to die,
Enrich our cause with all that's good,
Cement with love our brotherhood.
And ere we close our Lodge this night,
We thank Thee, God of truth and light.
In all our hearts Thy work proclaim,
And praise and bless Thy Holy name.
page 86
by Douglas Malloch
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 87
Burns
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page under the title, "Adieu, A Heart-Warm, Fond Adieu."
page 88
MacBride
(from The Builder, Feb., 1916)
Click on the title to view this poem on the author's page.
page 88
by John H. Sheppard, late of Boston, Mass.
Click on the title to view this poem.
Title Index
(in alphabetical order)
List Of First Lines
In Page-Sequence Order
This list includes only those poems actually in this file;
it does not include those that are hyperlinked to other files.
- 'Tis Masonry unites mankind,
- Foot to foot that we may go,McAulay
- Brother, kneel before the altar,Cummings
- Through midnight dark I feebly grope my way
- Onward moves the whole Creation,
- Life's brief moments, swiftly flying,
- Is it MasonryOliver
- To him that all things understood,
- Hail, Craftsman, hail! Canst thou in honor sayHolmes
- More ancient than the Golden FleeceMcAulay
- Guard thou this Apron even as thy soul!Scott
- Build up your life like the temple of oldMcAulay
- Three thousand years have rolled awayCabell
- The auld lodge, the auld lodge,Jack
- God dwells in light!Gierlow
- The Craft owre a' the land this dayHarvey
- Are you a Mason? Aye, I am! But stay
- Hail Masonry! thou theme divine,Dorsey
- Once more we meet — communion sweet —Darnall
- God of our Fathers, at Whose call,
- Genius of Masonry descend,Bancks
- We know not when this earthly formFolsom
- O Mason, pass thy word before the Throne:Gibson
- Both points beneath the square,Slane
- Three score years and six and more,Reedy
- I have taken the breed of all nations,Bowman
- Of all the seats within our hallWerge
- Emblem more ancientLooney
- We build us temples tall and grand,Guyton
- The way was dark, no light could I discern —Sellery
- A Mason's hand is a hand that helps,Mason
- Hark ye, Masons, men of love,Grassman
- Does the square that you wear mean the test by your GodGibson
- When back we look upon the darksome wayReed
- My foot to thy foot, however thy foot may stray;Boutelle
- A sense of imperfection round me clings;Brandes
- Beneath Thy temple's bending domeRobbins
- In Twain the temple vail is rent;Evans
- Almighty force, that makes the dayRichardson
- Beside the bench He stood with square in hand,Clegg
- If ever was an "honored name,Campbell
- In chosen Israel's favoured land,Wingham
List Of First Lines
In Alphabetical Order
This list includes only those poems actually in this file;
it does not include those that are hyperlinked to other files.
- A Mason's hand is a hand that helps,Mason
- A sense of imperfection round me clings;Brandes
- Almighty force, that makes the dayRichardson
- Are you a Mason? Aye, I am! But stay
- Beneath Thy temple's bending domeRobbins
- Beside the bench He stood with square in hand,Clegg
- Both points beneath the square,Slane
- Brother, kneel before the altar,Cummings
- Build up your life like the temple of oldMcAulay
- Does the square that you wear mean the test by your GodGibson
- Emblem more ancientLooney
- Foot to foot that we may go,McAulay
- Genius of Masonry descend,Bancks
- God dwells in light!Gierlow
- God of our Fathers, at Whose call,
- Guard thou this Apron even as thy soul!Scott
- Hail, Craftsman, hail! Canst thou in honor sayHolmes
- Hail Masonry! thou theme divine,Dorsey
- Hark ye, Masons, men of love,Grassman
- I have taken the breed of all nations,Bowman
- If ever was an "honored name,Campbell
- In chosen Israel's favoured land,Wingham
- In Twain the temple vail is rent;Evans
- Is it MasonryOliver
- Life's brief moments, swiftly flying,
- More ancient than the Golden FleeceMcAulay
- My foot to thy foot, however thy foot may stray;Boutelle
- O Mason, pass thy word before the Throne:Gibson
- Of all the seats within our hallWerge
- Once more we meet — communion sweet —Darnall
- Onward moves the whole Creation,
- The auld lodge, the auld lodge,Jack
- The Craft owre a' the land this dayHarvey
- The way was dark, no light could I discern —Sellery
- Three score years and six and more,Reedy
- Three thousand years have rolled awayCabell
- Through midnight dark I feebly grope my way
- 'Tis Masonry unites mankind,
- To him that all things understood,
- We build us temples tall and grand,Guyton
- We know not when this earthly formFolsom
- When back we look upon the darksome wayReed
Author Index
(in alphabetical order)
Those titles that are hyperlinked are to poems in other files;
those titles that are not linked are actually in this file.
| Author | Title | Page
| | Bancks | Of Masonry: An Ode | 59
|
| Barker | Try The Square | 11
|
| Barss | Mason's Greeting | 1
|
| Birkhead | Freemason's March | 6
|
| Blackie | Orare, Laborare, Cantare | 40
|
| Boutelle | In Fellowship | 75
|
| Bowman | Voice Of America | 65
|
| Brandes | Broken Ashlar | 76
|
| Bulwer-Lytton | Mystic Art | 55
|
| Burns | On The Apron | 27
|
| Burns | Masonic Farewell | 87
|
| Cabell | Masonry | 34
|
| Campbell | Brother Robert Burns | 84
|
| Carruth | Each In His Own Tongue | 22
|
| Claudy | Sonnet | 62
|
| Clegg | Craftsman of Nazareth | 80
| | Cummings | Let There Be Light | 9
| | Darnall | Our Work | 56
| | Dorsey | Apostrophic Ode | 54
| | Evans | Knight Rose Croix | 77
| | Faber | Masonic Ode [Faith Of Our Fathers] | 56
| | Folsom | Mason's Sacred Trust | 61
| | Forshaw | Goddess Of Masonry | 5
| | Forshaw | Builders | 13
| | Forshaw | Pledged! | 60
| | Forshaw | Who Would Not Be A Mason | 81
| | Free | My Ashlar | 53
| | Fulkerson | Each In His Own Tongue | 22
| | Gibson | Mason's Word | 62
| | Gibson | Masonic Jewels | 73
| | Gierlow | Habitation Of The Grand Architect | 45
| | Goethe | Mason Lodge | 48
| | Grassman | Creed | 72
| | Greenleaf | Lodge Room Over Simpkin's Store | 32
| | Greenleaf | Temple | 44
| | Greenleaf | Live on! O Masonry, Live On! | 78
| | Greenleaf | O, Mother Lodge, We've Wandered Far | 82
| | Guyton | Fraternity | 70
| | Harvey | Initiation Of The Prince Of Wales | 46
| | Haywood | God's Freemasonry | 18
| | Haywood | We Are Two Brothers | 35
| | Hempstead | Presenting The Lambskin Apron | 69
| | Hempstead | Let There Be Light | 70
| | Holmes | Unto The Least Of These | 21
| | Hunt | Abou Ben Adhem | 1
| | Jack | Auld Lodge | 41
| | Kipling | Palace | 14
| | Kipling | Mother Lodge | 50
| | Looney | Apron | 68
| | MacBride | Working Tools | 88
| | Mackey | Tubal Cain | 16
| | Mason | A Mason | 72
| | McAulay | Five Points Symbolism | 8
| | McAulay | Apron Symbolism | 24
| | McAulay | Plumb | 31
| | McLauchlin | Cornerstone | 37
| | McLauchlin | Square | 74
| | Malloch | Father's Lodge | 86
| | Meredith | Ebony Staff Of Solomon | 42
| | Mitchell, J.K. | Masonic Ode | 3
| | Mitchell, L.B. | Level And The Square | 28
| | Mitchell, L.B. | Cradle and The Charge | 34
| | Mitchell, L.B. | Acrostic | 43
| | Morris | Mind Of God | 2
| | Morris | Mason's Pledge | 4
| | Morris | Model Mason | 7
| | Morris | Level And The Square | 26
| | Morris | Lodge Welcome To The Ladies | 36
| | Morris | Five Points Of Fellowship | 38
| | Nesbit | I Sat In Lodge With You | 10
| | Oliver | Is It Masonry? | 15
| | Pike | Mason's Holy House | 47
| | Reed | Masonic Light | 74
| | Reedy | Eastward Facing Gate | 64
| | Richardson | Mason's Prayer | 79
| | Robbins | Original Hymn | 76
| | Scott | Apron | 30
| | Sellery | Entered The Light | 71
| | Sheppard | Ah, When Shall We Three | 88
| | Slane | Square And Compass | 63
| | Webb | Let There Be Light | 23
| | Werge | Senior Warden | 66
| | Wingham | Closing Hymn | 85
| | - | Ancient Masonic Song | 2
| | - | Apprentice Degree | 12
| | - | Fellowcraft Degree | 12
| | - | Master Degree | 13
| | - | Old Masonic Toast | 19
| | anonymous | Mason Marks | 20
| | - | Three Great Lights | 29
| | - | I Am! | 49
| | - | Our Brethren At The Front | 57
| | anonymous | To Stretch The Liberal Hand | 67
| |
Index of Magazines Cited
| Title | Published at[*] | Citations[*]
| | Brotherhood | New York City | 3
|
| The Builder | Anamosa, Iowa (National) | 17
|
| The Detroit Masonic News | Detroit, Mich. | 1
|
| The Dundee Advertiser | Dundee, Scotland | 1
|
| The Freemason | London, England | 1
|
| The Freemason's Chronicle | - | 1
|
| The Freemason's Repository | - | 1
|
| Masonic Bulletin | Des Moines, Iowa | 1
|
| Masonic Constellation | St. Louis, Mo. | 4
|
| The Masonic Mirror | - | 1
|
| Masonic Monthly | Philadelphia, Pa. | 1
|
| Masonic Sun | Toronto, Canada | 1
|
| The Master Mason | - | 1
|
| Mystic Star | - | 0 [*]
|
| The New Age Magazine | (Scottish Rite) | 3
|
| Oriental Consistory Magazine | (York Rite) | 2
|
| Palestine Bulletin | Detroit, Mich.[*] | 1
|
| The S.A. Masonic Journal | [*] | 1
|
| The Scottish Freemason | Scotland | 1
|
| The Square & Compass | Denver, Colo. | 3
|
| The Square & Compasses | New Orleans, La. | 1
|
| The Trestleboard | Detroit, Mich. | 1
|
| Tyler-Keystone | Ann Arbor, Mich. | 11
|
| The Virginia Masonic Journal | Richmond, Va. | 3
|
| The Voice of Masonry | - | 1
|