Bliss Carman, et al., eds. The World’s Best Poetry. 1904.
II. FreedomThe Little Cloud
John Howard Bryant (18071902)A
The ancient prophet bowed the knee,
And seven times sent his servant forth
To look toward the distant sea;
Scarce larger than the human hand,
Spreading and swelling till it broke
In showers on all the herbless land;
And praise to Israel’s mighty God,
As the sear hills grew bright with flowers,
And verdure clothed the valley sod,—
But now a little cloud appears,
Spreading and swelling as it glides
Onward into the coming years.
Far stretching from the ocean strand,
Thy glorious folds shall spread abroad,
Encircling our beloved land.
The glorious boon of love shall fall,
And our bond millions shall arise,
As at an angel’s trumpet-call.
The wild, glad cry of freedom come
From hearts long crushed by cruel hands,
And songs from lips long sealed and dumb;
And every soul that moves abroad
In this wide realm shall know and feel
The blessèd Liberty of God.