“The Challenge,” by Gertrude Cancellor

Cancellor, Gertrude. “The Challenge.” 1933. An Anthology of Y. C. Verse: A Volume of Selections from the Verse Contributed by the Young Co-Operators and Published in the Western Producer from 1932-1936. [Saskatoon, SK]: [Western Producer], 1937. 23.

The Challenge

Thundering and roaring
O’er its rocky bed,
Comes the mighty river
From ice-capped mountains fed.
Crashing, surging, roaring,
Throwing foam flakes high,
It throws a daring challenge
Up at the summer sky.
“Nought can stop me going
To the distant sea,
And I will still be flowing,
Through eternity.”

“Left Alone” and “Dreams,” by Maisie Cameron

Cameron, Maisie. “Left Alone” and “Dreams.” Creative Young Canada: Collection of Verse, Drawings and Musical Compositions by Young Canadians from Seven to Twenty Years of Age. Ed. Aletta E. Marty. Toronto: Dent, 1928. 24.

Maisie Cameron’s short poems show remarkable promise for such a young girl.  “Left Alone” was first published in the Toronto Globe when she was 8 years old, “Dreams” when she was 9.  We have a number of “Cameron’s” on our list, but no adult Maisie… perhaps she adopted a less childish name as she matured, and we will yet find her as a more mature poet in our searching…

Left Alone

I left my dollie in a corner,
And ran to get my tea,
And I just thought as I was eating,
What would become of me,
If Mother left me in a corner,
And went to get her tea?

Dreams

I wonder what I’ll dream to-night,
Or if I’ll dream at all;
And I wonder what I’d play,
Or if I’d play at all,
If I were a giant boy or girl,
So large, so fierce, and tall,
I think I know what I would play,
I’d play at “Eat You All.”
I think that’s what I’ll dream to-night,
If I should dream at all.

“Lilies in the Uplands,” by Frances Ebbs-Canavan

Ebbs-Canavan, Frances. “Lilies in the Uplands.” Victoria Poetry Chapbook: A Year Book of the Poetry Group of the Canadian Authors’ Association. Ed. Alan Crawley. Victoria, BC: Canadian Authors’ Association, 1936. 27.

Lilies in the Uplands

(To Marjorie Pickthall)

Again the Spring, and in the cloistered Uplands,
Like silent nuns the lilies palely glow;
In still aloofness seem to wait and listen,
For one whose presence blest them long ago.

For one who lingered in their midst a moment,
The lilies’ beauty in her heart and eyes,
Then passed a tender shadow o’er the grasses,
A lovely cloud across the April skies.

“To R.L.” by Myra Lazeczko

Lazeczko, Myra. “To R.L.” “Young Authors’ Section: Poet’s Corner.” Winnipeg Free Press (18 Feb. 1939): 6.

Another contribution to the Winnipeg Free Press Young Authors’ Section, established to publish “contributions by young people from the age of 13 years and upwards.” A remarkable number of later-to-be well-known poets started their days in these pages. It would be interesting to know who the violinist, “R.L.” was.

“April Moon,” by Garthe (Mona Gould)

This undated poem by Mona Gould is found in her archived papers at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Room at the University of Toronto.

April Moon

There is something strangely wistful—
About an April moon—
Like love that vanished long ago—
A rose that droops too soon—
A half-forgotten little song—
That shatters on a star—
A little dream-house all of gold—
Whose door is left ajar.
O wistful, silver April moon—
You keep within your light—
The vision of another moon—
That shone another night.

“The Six Nations,” by E. Pauline Johnson

I am currently learning to describe and transcribe digital texts using Text Encoded Initiative (TEI) mark-up. The document I am starting on is an article written by E. Pauline Johnson that Dr. Carole Gerson found in the Brantford Expositor. In order for my mark-up to link to the image, the image needs to reside on the web. So here it is, as an unsearchable jpg, granted, but still a fascinating article.
[Addendum: here is a searchable pdf version of the image]
It is obvious from the caption to the “Indian Fair” image that the publication was after October 1895.

From The Canadian Birthday Book, edited by Susan Frances Harrison (“Seranus”): A poem by Ethelwyn Wetherald

Wetherald, A. Ethelwyn.  [Entry for June 2]. Canadian Birthday Book. Ed. Seranus [Susan Frances Harrison]. Toronto: Robinson, 1887.