| Augustin S. Macdonald, comp. A Collection of Verse by California Poets. 1914. | | | | Growth of the Soul | | By James Henry MacLafferty |
| | | CLIMB from the depths of the valley’s chill, | |
| Out of the shadows that lurk below, | |
| Nurse at the breast of the throbbing hill, | |
| Grow in thy day as the tall trees grow. | |
| This, Soul of Mine, be thy constant cry; | 5 |
| This, O my Soul, is to never die. | |
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| Whence camest thou?—Give it little thought! | |
| Whither?—Ah, let this concern thee more! | |
| Into this state thou art blindly brought; | |
| Out of it see but an open door. | 10 |
| Once past the portal, perhaps ’t will be | |
| Growth of today will have made thee free. | | | | |
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