Then the joyous Hiawatha
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* You shall enter all our wigwamsFor the heart's right hand we give you"] All the old men of the village, 110All the warriors of the nation,All the Jossakeeds, the prophets,The magicians, the Wabenos,And the medicine-men, the Medas,Came to bid the strangers welcome; 115"It is well," they said, "O brothers,That you come so far to see us;"In a circle round the doorway,With their pipes they sat in silence,Waiting to behold the strangers, 120Waiting to receive their message;Till the Black-Robe chief, the Pale-face,From the wigwam came to greet them,Stammering in his speech a little,Speaking words yet unfamiliar; 125"It is well," they said, "O brother,That you come so far to see us!"Then the Black-Robe chief, the prophet,Told his message to the people,Told the purport of his mission, 130Told them of the Virgin Mary,And her blessed Son, the Saviour,How in distant lands and agesHe had lived on earth as we do;How he fasted, prayed, and labored; 135How the Jews, the tribe accursed,Mocked him, scourged him, crucified him;How he rose from where they laid him,Walked again with his disciples,And ascended into heaven. 140And the chiefs made answer, saying:"We have listened to your message,We have heard your words of wisdom,We will think on what you tell us.It is well for us, O brothers, 145That you come so far to see us!"Then they rose up and departedEach one homeward to his wigwam,To the young men and the womenTold the story of the strangers 150Whom the Master of Life had sent themFrom the shining land of Wabun. [Illustration: "Then the Black-Robe chief, the prophet,Told his message to the people."] Heavy with the heat and silenceGrew the afternoon of Summer,With a drowsy sound the forest 155Whispered round the sultry wigwam,With a sound of sleep the waterRippled on the beach below it;From the corn-fields shrill and ceaselessSang the grasshopper, Pah-puk-keena; 160And the guests of Hiawatha,Weary with the heat of Summer,Slumbered in the sultry wigwam.Slowly o'er the simmering landscapeFell the evening's dusk and coolness, 165And the long and level sunbeamsShot their spears into the forest,Breaking through its shields of shadow,Rushed into each secret ambush,Searched each thicket, dingle, hollow; 170Still the guests of HiawathaSlumbered in the silent wigwam.From his place rose Hiawatha,Bade farewell to old Nokomis,Spake in whispers, spake in this wise, 175Did not wake the guests, that slumbered:"I am going, O Nokomis,On a long and distant journey,To the portals of the Sunset,To the regions of the home-wind, 180Of the Northwest wind, Keewaydin.But these guests I leave behind me,In your watch and ward I leave them;See that never harm comes near them,See that never fear molests them, 185Never danger nor suspicion,Never want of food or shelter,In the lodge of Hiawatha!"Forth into the village went he,Bade farewell to all the warriors, 190Bade farewell to all the young men,Spake persuading, spake in this wise:"I am going, O my people,On a long and distant journey;Many moons and many winters 195Will have come, and will have vanished,Ere I come again to see you.But my guests I leave behind me;Listen to their words of wisdom,Listen to the truth they tell you, 200For the Master of Life has sent themFrom the land of light and morning!"On the shore stood Hiawatha,Turned and waved his hand at parting;On the clear and luminous water 205Launched his birch canoe for sailing,From the pebbles of the marginShoved it forth into the water;Whispered to it, "Westward! westward!"And with speed it darted forward. 210And the evening sun descendingSet the clouds on fire with redness,Burned the broad sky, like a prairie,Left upon the level waterOne long track and trail of splendor, 215Down whose stream, as down a river,Westward, westward HiawathaSailed into the fiery sunset,Sailed into the purple vapors,Sailed into the dusk of evening. 220And the people from the marginWatched him floating, rising, sinking,Till the birch canoe seemed liftedHigh into that sea of splendor,Till it sank into the vapors 225Like the new moon slowly, slowlySinking in the purple distance.And they said, "Farewell forever!"Said, "Farewell, O Hiawatha!"And the forests, dark and lonely, 230Moved through all their depths of darkness,Sighed, "Farewell, O Hiawatha!"And the waves upon the marginRising, rippling on the pebbles,Sobbed, "Farewell, O Hiawatha!" 235And the heron, the Shuh-shuh-gah,From her haunts among the fen-lands,Screamed, "Farewell, O Hiawatha!"Thus departed Hiawatha,Hiawatha the Beloved, 240In the glory of the sunset,In the purple mists of evening,To the regions of the home-wind,Of the Northwest wind, Keewaydin,To the Islands of the Blessed, 245To the kingdom of Ponemah,To the land of the Hereafter!
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