nds,
Noble savannahs, plains of limitless waving green,
Lakes girt with giant forests, continents unseen,
Unknown by these white thieves, where men lived in the way
Of Thy good natural law with Thy free beasts at play
And partners with Thy birds, men who nor toiled nor span,
Nor sowed, nor reaped, nor delved for the red curse of Man,
The gold that kills the soul, who knew nought of the fire
Which in his guns he storeth, naught of the desire
More deadly still concealed in his fire drink of death;
Who went unclothed, unshamed, for garment a flower wreath;
Whose women lived unsold and loved their natural kin,
Nor gave aught to the stranger in the wage of sin;
Who blessed Thee for their babes and through the woods, like Eve,
Wandered in happy laughter, glorying to conceive.
Yea, Lord, and there were others,--shut communities
Of souls still on Thy path and strange to the new lies,
Yet, not as these were, wild, but held in discipline
Of orderly commandment, servants true of Thine
And doers of Thy law, but ignorant, untaught
Save by an inward grace of self-restraining thought
And light intuitive. No shedders they of blood,
But with all creatures friends, with men in brotherhood,
Blameless of wine, of strife. In innocent arts well skilled
But schoolless of all guile as an unchristened child.
To these with mouthings fine come the white gospellers,
Our Saxon mission-men black coated to the ears.
"Which be your gods?" ask they; "Do ye adore the Christ?
"Know ye the Three in One, or walk ye in the mist?"
"Sirs, we have One, not Three. Our poor ancestral wit
"Encompasseth no more." "Then be ye damned for it.
"This is our Bible, read. In the long after-death
"Ye shall be burned with fire. It is God's self that saith."
"We do not live again." "In this life, ye shall live
"According to our gospel, nor profanely wive
"Save with one spouse alone." "Our law hath given us three.
"Three Gods to one sole wife were multiplicity."
"These pagans are blasphemers! Who is on our side?
"See, we have gold to give. We may not be denied."
And they baptise them Christians. Cometh the trader next,
His bible too in hand, its free-trade for his text.
He teacheth them to buy.--"We nothing need." "Yet take.
"The want will come anon and keep your wits awake.
"Here are the goods we sell, cloth, firelocks, powder, rum,
"Ye shall go clothed like lords, like kings of C