Cherokee Phoenix and Indians' Advocate
Wednesday, September 23, 1829
Vol. II, no. 25
Page 4, col. 1a

   POETRY

 From the Worcester Yeoman,

 No, never! we wear not the shackles of slaves,
 And our fathers' stern spirits would start in their graves,
 If they heard in their loved haunts the stranger's proud tread,
 Trampled lightly the grass that waves o'er their bed.

 We own not your laws or your treaties--this soil,
 Shall be ours, till your armies have made it their spoil:
 For 'twas ours by the gift, by the charter of God,
 Long, long ere its wilds by the white men were trod.

 There was strength in the bow of the red hunter then,
 And the foe fled before the stern Cherokee men.
 Then far as the eye now o'er forest can roam
 Was the land of the free, and our own sacred home.

 But wo [sic] to the day when a welcoming hand,
 Spread the bounteous feast for the white man's band,
 They came to our shores, a lone shelterless few,
 They drank of our cup, and they e'er found us true,
 But the serpent we cherished and warmed at our breast,
 Has coiled round our vitals-let time tell the rest.

 -No never: if perish we must from the earth
 Let us die where we've lived, in the land of our birth.
 "Tis in vain we are told of a lovier [sic] scene
 Far away, where the deer rove in forests more green,
 Where the step of the stranger will never intrude,
 And nature still smile in her own solitude.

 You oak, round whose head the red lightnings have play'd
 Till its withering form is scarce traced in its shade-
 Say! would you its beauty and vigor restore
 If you plant it anew on some far distant shore?
 Oh no! while its roots cling to where it once grew,
 It may linger a life which no man can renew.

 It is thus with our race; we can never again
 Repeople the forest, no hope to regain
 The power of the past.  The dark warriors' form
 Is blasted and bowed by the merciless storm,
 Then leave us to die, midst our own native shade,
 Where we grow in our pride- there alone let us fade.

This transcription from the Cherokee Phoenix is presented as part of the historical record, and includes historical materials that may contain negative stereotypes or language reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place including terminology that may not be deemed appropriate today. While an effort has been made to verify the transcription against the original text, complete accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Researchers are urged to match the transcription against the original article to authenticate exact quotes. Issues of the Cherokee Phoenix are available on microfilm. Please check your local library for availability or to inquire about interlibrary loan of a microfilm copy.

Send comments or questions to: George Frizzell
Special Collections . Hunter Library . Western Carolina University . Cullowhee, NC 28723 . 828-227-7474