Rome High School - Roman Yearbook (Rome, GA)

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THE ROMAN And again, again, our faint, sore hearts cried outg The Quest is not for theef' And sad, we saw Afar off-the gleam of lovely, lovely things, Of wealth, of fame, of love, of rest, of peace. And as we reached to grasp, the pleasures rare Fell into dust, and we were left alone, And restless, in a land of no peace-no rest. And thence we dropped into a lonely vale, And to a hermit told our fears-our woe. And there we found the secret of the Cup- In silence in meditative prayer, We saw again shine bright and clear the gleam Of light from the cup of wisdom's bestg Again we heard the voice as bright and clear As when the Wondrous Cup appeared to us- And again we made our vows, and to the gleam We said: Lead on, we follow or we die. So when the sun next broke from underground Out from the cottage lowly we rodeg and armed, Not as before, with sword, but with a love! An understanding love for all mankind. We left the lonely vale of meditation, And thence departed everyone his way. I sought the cup on mountain and in vale, I tried, but seemed to try in vain to find The Cupg and again my faint sore heart cried out: The Quest is not for Thee. And, sorrowlng, I turned my steps to the hill that I had left, And as I neared the gate I rode in sadness- Sadness almost too great for me to bear, And by the road I saw a weeping child, A child, crying as if her heart would break. So near was I to tears-to childish tears That off from my horse I flung, and by her knelt I found that she had lost a copper pence, Apencegher whole possession-a fortune for her. And from my need I gave the child my all- A golden coin much brighter than her pence. I dried her tears- I kissed her tears away- And as she smiled, a radiance shone from her face A radiance not unlike the golden gleam That I had followed over all the world And had not found. She turned and left me there, And as I followed, with my eyes, her form, Between us rose a mist of golden light, And in it then, I saw the Wondrous Cup. And as I reached the gate--rejoicing that I Had seen the Wondrous Cup, and that I knew There in the service to the grieving child, I'd found my greatest usefulness to man!

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THE ROMAN THE QUEST CApologies to Tennysonj Nay, sir! What phantom? I exclaimed The cup, the cup itself, in which the sages Have melted learning of centuries past and gone. The glimpse of which is coveted alway, By those most wise and thoughful today. The cup wherein lies for each who sees, His highest-his greatest usefulness to man. But who has seen the wondrous thing today? Those by whom, I answered, we were told- Our teachersg and if ever a wise hand Could instill our hearts with highest aspirations, A wise band, They saw the cup, and told to us Their vision-how they saw it come. And as they told a mist rose before our eyes, And in the mist, there smote along the wall A beam of light seven times more clear than dayg And down the long beam stole the Wondrous Cup All covered with a luminous cloud, And none might see who bore it, and it past. But everyone beheld his fe1low's face As in a glory, and everyone arose, And, staring at each other like dumb men, Stood, 'till one found a voice and swore a vow. He swore a vow before us all, that he, Because he had not seen the cup, would ride Forever and a day in a quest of it Until he saw itg and many among us sware. When came, in June, the beauties on the hill, When all the ground was covered over green, And new-born flowers sprung around our feet, On the enchanted hill of all our fondest dreams We left the beauties of our Alma Mater, We left her quiet, and strangely still and lone, We took our swords-our diplomas-and we rode Away to search the Wondrous Cup-to keep Our vows-to follow and to gain our Quest. And oft along the road we travelled far Our hearts within us murmured low: The Quest is not for thee -oh, faint heart We often were-and faint of mind and soul. The flowers we'd left upon the hill, we saw No more, and even the gleam grew dim and far away The pleasures we had once enjoyed and dreamed Were not for usffor us who took the vow. The satisfaction of whimsical desire

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THE ROMAN I entered there: and already on the hill Were those that had gone out upon the Quest, Wasted and worn, and but a tithe of them, And those who had not, and when they saw me, As I was last to come, they shouted A'Hail. And And first we looked upon our Alma Mater saw what changes had been made, and then We gazed each upon his fellow's face, And And And read in it the story of his Quest. then we talked, and each his story told: three had found the cup and therein seen, A rhythmical creation of beauty. And half a score had found sweet music there. Another found a painter's highest art And And And And The And one, the career of statesman bold and great. three had seen the fame of orators one had found a builder's glorious dream. some, with me, had found the guiding, the leading, teaching and loving of a little child. all had learned how the Wondrous' Cup is found: In forgetting self, in unselfish acts of love, And from each face there shone a radiance A gleam of light that from the Cup it caught. And what we saw we had known, and loved, and followed. -Emeliza Swain, '2