Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). An American Anthology, 1787–1900. 1900.
By ErnestMcGaffey1437 Geronimo
B
In majesty alone he stands,
As some chained eagle, broken-winged,
With eyes that gleam like smouldering brands,—
A savage face, streaked o’er with paint,
And coal-black hair in unkempt mane.
Thin, cruel lips, set rigidly,—
A red Apache Tamerlane.
Yet here he stands like carven stone,
His raven locks by breezes moved
And backward o’er his shoulders blown;
Silent, yet watchful as he waits
Robed in his strange, barbaric guise,
While here and there go searchingly
The cat-like wanderings of his eyes.
Is dull with many a bloody stain,
While darkly on his lowering brow
Forever rests the mark of Cain.
Have you but seen a tiger caged
And sullen through his barriers glare?
Mark well his human prototype,
The fierce Apache fettered there.