Does not the Brownie courage check,
And in the mine or in the cloud,
Of their condition they are proud.
Said one: “There ’s pleasure in the task
That gives folks aid before they ask;
’T is well to keep an open eye
To note a want or hardship nigh,
For none can help from Brownies seek,
And we must let our actions speak.
So drive the bolt in overhead,
And turn the nut to tighter thread;
We ’ll give the people round a chance
Without mistake, or fuss, or clatter,
We ’ll never know—but that ’s no matter.
Then speed if ever was required
To bring the finish they desired;
Then blows were doubled, loads increased,
And he did best who said the least.
Some sections tumbled from the top,
And rod and brace together drop,
And working tools—a perilous slip—
That on the frame still held their grip,
And being steel, as now appears,
Increased the Brownies’ toil and fears.
Across the swinging bridge to dance.”
But talk fell in with ringing stroke
And turning wrench, and never broke
Or checked the rush that was begun,
And would keep up till all was done.
And what the Brownies build will stay
In spite of winds that round it play
And whistle in the loudest key
As they come rushing from the sea.
It took long ropes, a pull, a heave
With mystic hands, once may believe,
To check the sinking or the drift,
And sections to their stations lift.
How rivets found their proper place,
And so, too, every rod and brace,
Said one, between the stroke and strain,
To those more given to complain:
“What though we toil, what though we run
To aid mankind till rise of sun?
If blessings come from friendly act,
They fit the better through the fact.”
’T was hard to swim against the tide
With heavy pieces trailing wide,
And long enough to form a span
Of great importance in the plan.
At times, these pieces would break loose
And great confusion would produce,
And in a manner represent
A ship by some explosion rent;
And none could tell where ruin ran,
