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    Magnolia Leaves
    Magnolia Leaves
    Magnolia Leaves
    Ebook122 pages51 minutes

    Magnolia Leaves

    By Mary Weston Fordham and Mint Editions

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    About this ebook

    Magnolia Leaves (1897) is a collection of poems by Mary Weston Fordham. Published toward the end of her life, Fordham’s only collection appeared in print with an introduction by Booker T. Washington, who saw in its author an undeniable gift which could prove “[t]he Negro’s right to be considered worthy of recognition in the field of poetic effort.” Meditating on such themes as morality, labor, maternity, liberty, and faith, Mary Weston Fordham displays not only a mastery of poetic form, but a hard-earned wisdom and talent for observing life in all its forms. “With hands all reddened and sore, / With back and shoulders low bent, / She stands all day, and part of the night / Till her strength is well-nigh spent.” In “The Washerwoman,” Fordham depicts a woman whose life on earth revolves around labor, for whom life after death means the promise of hard-earned rest, to “be found on the other shore.” While many, if not all, of Fordham’s poems revolve around Christian imagery and themes, some, including “Chicago Exposition Ode,” “Stars and Stripes,” and “Alaska,” reflect on the promise of freedom and liberty in the aftermath of the Civil War. Her poems strive to depict the diversity of nineteenth century America, such as in “Atlanta Exposition Ode,” which celebrates the end of war and the coming together of former slaves, Union soldiers, and Confederate forces alike. “Song to Erin” and “Highland Mary” depict the immigrant experience, while “The Cherokee” mourns the murder and displacement of America’s indigenous peoples. In sixty-six poems, Mary Weston Fordham distils the experience of a lifetime and the wisdom of one who has experienced loss and found the strength to move forward. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Mary Weston Fordham’s Magnolia Leaves is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMint Editions
    Release dateOct 12, 2021
    ISBN9781513221533
    Magnolia Leaves
    Author

    Mary Weston Fordham

    Mary Weston Fordham (1862-1905) was an African American poet and educator. Born in Charleston, South Carolina, she was the daughter of Rev. Samuel Weston and Louise Bonneau. As a young woman, she worked for the American Missionary Association as a teacher. Towards the end of her life, Fordham published Magnolia Leaves (1897), a collection of sixty-six poems on African American life during the Reconstruction Era and beyond. While little is known about her life, it is suggested in her poetry that she suffered the loss of six children at a young age.

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      Book preview

      Magnolia Leaves - Mary Weston Fordham

      INTRODUCTORY

      I give my cordial endorsement to this little Book of Poems, because I believe it will do its part to awaken the Muse of Poetry which I am sure slumbers in very many of the Sons and Daughters of the Race of which the Author of this work is a representative.

      The Negro’s right to be considered worthy of recognition in the field of poetic effort is not now gainsaid as formerly, and each succeeding effort but emphasizes his right to just consideration.

      The hope, I have, is, that this volume of Poems may fall among the critical and intelligent, who will accord the just meed of praise or of censure, to the end that further effort may be stimulated, no matter what the verdict.

      The readers I trust will find as much to praise and admire as I have done.

      BOOKER T. WASHINGTON,

      Prin. Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute. Tuskegee,

      Ala.December 6th, 1897.

      PREFACE

      This little volume is launched on the doubtful sea of literature with the hope that the breezes of public opinion may give an impetus to its voyage. I hope that it will be kindly received as simply the harbinger of what may be expected from the generations to come; and shall consider its mission as being fulfilled if it should be the means of arousing and stimulating some of our youth to higher and greater efforts along this line.

      Commending it to an intelligent and impartial criticism,

      I am, respectfully,

      THE AUTHOR

      CREATION

      The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth his handy work.

      O Earth, adore creative power,

      That made and gave to man as dower,

      This world of beauty rare,

      With hills and vales of verdant green,

      With rills and brooks of crystal sheen,

      Lovely beyond compare.

      O Sun, bright ruler of the day,

      When first thy power thou did’st display,

      Earth must have shrunk in fear,

      When like a meteor burst thy light,

      Turning today the long, long night,

      With radiance wondrous fair.

      Thou Moon, pale sister of the Sun,

      When he his daily work has done,

      Thou comest forth a queen;

      A queen in silvery robe adorned,

      With tiara of jewels formed,

      Of starry orbs unseen.

      Ye twinkling stars of milder light,

      Though now ye gleam like sapphires bright,

      Across yon azure dome,

      The day will dawn, that last dread day,

      When from yon heaven you’ll fall away,

      And man to Judgment come.

      Thunder and Lightnings burst and gleam,

      Frightful and fierce to us they seem

      Rending the darkened sky.

      Like giants tread the thunder’s peal,

      The vivid lightnings swiftly steal,

      And men in terror fly.

      O filmy clouds, of purest white,

      With robes of gossamer cased in white,

      Ye floating waters pure,

      Sometimes to burst in cooling showers,

      Sometimes to deluge wintry hours

      With your relentless pour.

      Thou beauteous Rainbow bursting forth,

      With varied hues encircling earth;

      The sign to Noah made.

      I place amid the Clouds my Bow

      To show that I will nevermore

      Deluge with angry flood.

      Mountains and Hills whose snow capped tops

      The vast horizon overlooks,

      Pyramids strong and sure;

      Nor lightnings fierce nor earthquake shock

      Can ever sway, for firm as rock

      Ye ever will endure.

      Thou Ocean vast, oftimes thy breast,

      Is calm and still as if at rest,

      Like one in quiet sleep;

      But soon in anger thou may’st roar,

      And madly toss from shore to shore,

      And human harvest reap.

      Fountains and Rivulets so clear,

      That gush amid the valleys fair,

      With soft and mellow ring;

      As coming forth from glade and wood

      Your babblings whisper God is good,

      Ye make the vales to sing.

      Now when all nature swells the song,

      When beast and birds the strain prolong,

      Shall man from praise refrain?

      Then would the rocks and hills proclaim,

      All nature crying out for shame,

      They who their Maker’s image wear,

      Should shout and sing till rent the air

      With rhapsodies sublime.

      SHIPWRECK

      Night and a starless sky,

      Ship on wild billows tost,

      With tattered sails and opening seams,

      And deck bestrewn with falling beams,

      Swift plunging to her doom.

      Red lightnings round her flash,

      Loud thunders crash and roar,

      And the noble vessel mounts the crest

      Of the reeking waves, then sinks to rest

      Mid carnival of woe.

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