My father was mighty Vulcan
I am Smith of the land and sea,
The cunning spirit of Tubal Cain
Came with my marrow to me;
I think great thoughts strong-winged with steel,
I coin vast iron acts.
And weld the impalpable dream of Seers,
Into utile lyric facts.I am monarch of all the forges,
I have solved the riddle of fire,
The Amen of Nature to need of Man
Echoes at my desire;
I search with the subtle soul of flame,
The heart of the Rocky earth,
And out of my anvils the prophecies
Of the miracle years blaze forth.I am swarth with the soot of my chimneys,
I drip with the sweats of toil,
I quell and scepter the savage wastes
And charm the curse from the soil;
I fling the bridges across the gulfs,
That hold us from the To Be;
And build the roads for the bannered march
Of Crowned humanity.
