A New Kind of Literary Pulse

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Classics 19th Century 20th Century Native American Literature  1 min

An Indian Love Song

Bertrand N. O. Walker

Bertrand N. O. Walker

Born in Kansas City and member of the Oklahoma band of the Big Turtle Clan, Bertrand N. O. Walker was a Native American author of poetry and folktales. Walker published two books under his Wyandotte name, Hen-Toh, including his collection of short stories "Tales of the Bark Lodges".

Light o' the lodge, how I love thee,
Light o' the lodge, how I love thee,
Mianza, my wild-wood fawn!
To wait and to watch for thy passing.
On hill-top I linger at dawn.
 
Glimmer of morn, how I love thee, 
Glimmer of morn, how I love thee! 
My flute to the ground now I fling,
As you tread the steep trail to the spring,
For thy coming has silenced my song.
 
Shimmer of moon on the river,
Sheen of soft star on the lake!
Moonlight and starlight are naught;
Their gleam and their glow is ne'er fraught
With such love-light as falls from thine eyes.