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Spell of the Yukon and Other Poems
Spell of the Yukon and Other Poems | Robert Service
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"There are strange things done in the midnight sun," declared Robert Service as he related the fulfillment of a dying prospector's request. "The Cremation of Sam McGee" was based on one of many peculiar tales he heard upon his 1904 arrival in the Canadian frontier town of Whitehorse. Less than a decade after the Klondike gold rush, many natives and transplants remained to tell stories of the boom towns that sprang up with the sudden influx of miners, gamblers, barflies, and other fortune-seekers. Service's compelling verses populated by One-Eyed Mike, Dangerous Dan McGrew, and other colorful characters recapture the era'sventuresome spirit andvitality.In this, his best-remembered work, the "common man's poet" and "Canadian Kipling" presentsthirty-four verses that celebrate the rugged natural beauty of the frozen North and the warm humanity of its denizens. Verses include "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" ("A bunch of the boys were whooping it up in the Malamute saloon"), "The Heart of the Sourdough" ("There where the mighty mountains bare their fangs unto the moon"), and "The Call of the Wild" (Have you gazed on naked grandeur where there's nothing else to gaze on"). Generations have fallen under the spell of these poems, which continue to enchant readers of all ages."
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LiterRohde
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From “The Spell of the Yukon”

“There‘s a land - oh, it beckons and beckons,
And I want to go back - and I will.”

This is a poem about Alaska, once known as Seward‘s Folly.

📙: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46643/the-spell-of-the-yukon

#QuotsyApr19 | 16: #Folly

📷: Made with Typorama

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KVanRead
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A song from an old sourdough for your Friday #litsypoetry365 pleasure. The rest of the poem can be read here. http://www.poetryloverspage.com/poets/service/three_voices.html @SharonGoforth

LeahBergen I ❤ Robert Service. 7y
KVanRead @LeahBergen Me too! He always makes me think of my dad.❤ 7y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled I ❤ Robert Service too. Soft spot in my heart. 7y
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KVanRead
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#photoadaynov16 There was a time when no Canadian kid made it through school without learning a verse or two of The Cremation of Sam McGee. My father's favorite poet, and one of mine too. #chillyreads @RealLifeReading

Loreen My mother taught this poem to me. She learned it at an elementary school in Mesa, AZ. 🌵🌵🌵😀😀😀 7y
KVanRead @Loreen Ha! Glad to know its popularity extended that far to the south! 👏 7y
LeahBergen Oh, yes! ❤️❤️ 7y
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LeahBergen One of my other favourite poems by him (from when I was 12) is "Dolls". Have you read it? 7y
rubyslippersreads @LeahBergen I just looked up that poem. So sad. 😢😢😢 7y
KVanRead @LeahBergen @rubyslippersreads Just looked it up too. 😥So sad and so true for too many. 7y
Kirstin I used to live in Yukon and went to the Robert Service cabin! Love all his poetry. And if you can find Ted Harrison's illustrated books of his poems, they're awesome! 😊 7y
KVanRead @Kirstin That's so cool! I will have to look for that collection. #dammitLitsy 7y
Dragon Yup we read this poem ❄️ 7y
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