Louis Belrose, Jr.

A Japanese Sword (1891)

I was the spirit of Japan,
I, the ennobler, I, the sword;
Of all her islands I was lord
And with me power to bless or ban.

I made the boor a gentleman;
I taught the striving mass accord
In gentle ways; for my reward
They kept me bright as honor can.

New days are come, old days are dead,
And warriors now no more rely
On valiant steel but worthless lead.

My servant once, the Samurai,
Now wields the yardstick in my stead,
For it is mightier than I.

Louis Belrose, Jr. (1845-96?) was author of the verse collection Thorns and Flowers (Philadelphia, n.p., 1879). ‘A Japanese Sword’ appeared in the Chicago-based monthly Open Court, vol. 5 (1891), p. 2778.