Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). An American Anthology, 1787–1900. 1900.
By RichardBurton1355 Black Sheep
F
Their ways seem harsh and wild:
They follow the beck of a baleful star,
Their paths are dream-beguiled.
Some loftier mountain slope,
And little recked of the country strange
Beyond the gates of hope.
Summoned their feet to tread
Midst the cruel rocks, where the deep pitfall
And the lurking snare are spread.
Of outcast liberty,
They ’re sick at heart for the homely ways
Where their gathered brothers be.
And the hills loom large and dim,
For the shepherd’s voice they mutely hark,
And their souls go out to him.
Safe in the inner fold;
And maybe they hear, and wonder why,
And marvel, out in the cold.