“Forced Landings:” “Metrical Markers Indicating Depressions Made in the Familiar Earth After Attempts to Ride Pegasus Through the Starlit Skies of Poesy” by Noble Warrum is a poetry book that I found among my family’s old books. The book has both a historical significance to the State of Utah and at the same time, it is a family memento.
The author, Noble Warrum, was a member the State of Utah’s Constitutional Convention in 1895 and at Mr. Warrum’s death; he was one of the last surviving signers of the Utah Constitution. He was an editorial writer for the “Logan Journal,” “The Salt Lake Herald,” and the “Salt Lake Tribune.” He published a four volume history of Utah in 1898, which is titled “Utah Since Statehood.” In 1923, he published “Utah and the World War.” In 1936, he published this book of poetry that I am reviewing. Noble Warrum’s history books are available to read and to download on the Internet Archive. As for the poetry book, even though the book is rare, copies can be found from used book sellers for an average price of $15. Some library archives might have a copy of it.
My great grandmother’s family and Noble Warrum’s family were friends. Inside my copy of the book, Warrum Noble signed the book and presented it as a gift to my great grandmother in Salt Lake City – Christmas 1936; the publisher had printed a Limited Edition in 1936 with an imprint that One Thousand Copies of This Book Have Been Printed of Which This is Number: and Mr. Noble wrote the number 35. His wife, Josephine Grissom Warrum also signed the book. Apparently, this happened at the Tribune Building. This book “award” appeared as a newspaper article, which summarized Noble Warrum's book of poems by saying:
“His poems treat a variety of subjects, and many are humorous with a delicacy that does not require either dialect or undue slang to produce the desired effect. There are several which deal with a vacation trip to Idaho, one a tribute to the Snake River, from which we quote:”
SNAKE RIVER
(The news article just picked out one verse, but I am quoting the entire poem)
“Rising in mammoth springs near Yellowstone Park, Snake river dashes over picturesque cascades as it flows thru southern Idaho irrigating millions of fertile acres, once a vast desert of decomposed lava; supplying mines and municipalities with power and light; replenishing its volume from countless springs that line its winding course of the thousand miles to where it helps form the Columbia river in eastern Oregon. Near the source of the north fork, at the Flat Rock Fishing Club, these lines were written in 1921.
In ages gone an ocean dire,
With lurid wave of liquid fire,
Swept o’er the vale and left for dead
Dame Nature on a torture bed;
No cooling draft her thirst to slake
Till came the river called
The Snake.
It braves unto this day the curse
Which threatens Nature and her nurse,
And bears elixir, cool and sweet,
To fever wards from drouth and heat
Where drooping verdure keeps awake
To greet the river called
The Snake.
From crystal springs, it’s alpine source,
Thru sylvan hills it takes a course,
With graceful and majestic mien
To peaceful valleys where, serene,
It oft lies tranquil as a lake –
This mighty River called
The Snake.
At times it rushes, trips and falls
Thru broken gates in lava walls,
As if escaping with the gems
It plucks from mountain diadems
Frail tillers of the soil to stake
Beside the stream they call
The Snake.
From rainbow treasures, we are told,
It carries pots of liquid gold
An pours them out with lavish hand
Upon an erstwhile desert land;
More prodigal than royal rake –
This princely stream they call
The Snake.
As wrought the alchemists of yore
To change the tints and forms of ore
It transmutes silver banks of snow
To golden fields of grain below
Which, minted in the markets, make
The coin of thrift along
The Snake.
From countless tiny mountain rills
It gathers force for mines and mills,
And in the darkness of the night
Its spirit speaks, and there is light;
All this it does, and for the sake
Of those who call this boon
The Snake.
Along its course – a thousand miles –
It flashes back a million smiles;
And songs of industry it sings,
With chorus of a thousand springs
To happy home along its wake,
Whose dwellers call this stream
The Snake.”
From the Forward:
'All my attempts to ride the winged steed, Pegasus, through ethereal realms of Fancy have resulted in “forced landings.” These rhymes which I have never designated otherwise are not printed with any illusions concerning transcendent merit or insistent demands. Their composition has been a sort of harmless dissipation, indulged occasionally to rid the mind of persisting jingles and leave it free for more practical and profitable exercise. After all, one must eat.'
This collection is dedicated to my wife, Josephine Grissom Warrum, who is hereby absolved from all responsibility for imperfections therein found.” Salt Lake City, Dec. 25, 1936 N.W.
TITLES OF THE POEMS
Somewhere, Sweetheart
Song of Sixpence
Fairweather Friends
The Country Dance
Whence and Whither
Life’s Game of Bridge
Seaside Dreams
That Sweet Smile
An Old Love Song
An Angel Always
The Goodnight Kiss
Dreams of Dawn
Woman of My Dreams
Love, Life, Logic
House on a Hill
Your Castle
From Peak to Peak
Little Things
When is Age?
Knights of the Day
Brotherhood and the Graces
Vanished Dreams
Birthday Greetings
Jealousy’s Monologue
Age of Miracles
Poe Cats
Now Tell Us Why
Motion Emotion
Drama of Creation
Man’s Enduring Monument
Wisdom of the Snake
Arrival of Moses
Two Unsolved Mysteries
Story of the Flood
The Hand of Jacob
Harlot of Jericho
What a Man?
The Good Samaritan
Joab and Modern Successors
Reincarnation
Scout Benevolence
Epitaph of a Journalist
Human Vultures
Pests of Earth
Life’s Repertoire
Wizard of the Wasatch
Ho! For Idaho!
Snake River
Night in Targhee Forest
Camp in Yellowstone
Motoring on the Way
Sense, Scents and Incense
Quaking Aspens
My Old Dog “Feller”
Little Brown Chow
Wire Haired Terrier
Dogs and Others
“Good Ship Esperanza”
A Picture Land
Realm of Romance
Fall of Saint Anthony
Un Bocito Campesino
Strained Relations
The Garden of Allure
Gathering of the Ghosts
Outward and Onward
What Say the Stars
An Old Man’s Reverie
The Sleeping Woman
Taxco is Her Tomb
Our Melting Pot
The World in Small
Ships That Pass By Night
Catalina Cruising
Sailing on the “Stranger”
Clues Found on the Wreck
Paleozoic Pastimes
Puzzling the Sages
Four Queens
Picking Flowers
Salome
Phosphor and Hesper
The Knighthood of Boyhood
Up to the Minute
How Wild are Waves?
Slickers and Slackers
Ships that Pass Muster
Should Woman Smoke?
Romantic Polyglot
Her Distinction
Ingratitude Outdone
Why the Cowboy Died
Optismistic Observations
The Thinker
Our Mystic Spells
Up in Fancy, Down in Fact
Love’s Limitations
Inspector George Daniel
Tribute to Harry Culmer
*************************************************************************
The poetry book above has an example of a poem that can teach about the Snake River and it's history and importance to the people who depend on it's water resources.
I would like to recommend a reference/resource book: Project Learning Tree https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7521582727
The particular edition of Project Learning Tree, with which I am familiar, was first published in 1995. The publisher is the American Forest Foundation, Washington D.C. Project Learning Tree is a program of the American Forest Foundation and the Western Regional Environmental Education Council.
I actually took training to use the activities in the book, but for teachers and scout leaders no training is necessary because the descriptions of the activities are very clearly explained. The format of the book is user friendly and there are helpful illustrations. The activities are engaging and even though the activities revolve around teaching content about trees, I've used the activities to teach other science content, like astromony. I highly recomment this resource for enriching environmental education. I have also used the activities with high school students and adults.
For example, one of the chapters that my students found fun and valuable for learning was the chapter titled Poet-Tree. Different types of rhyming and poetry are explained and students are encouraged to write some poetry about trees. This poetry could include facts, feelings about trees, and the environment. They can even create a book of poetry. The poetry reflects what they are learning, so it can also be used as an assessment. This is also a good way to encourage reading in the content area because there are books of science poetry. Including "The Lorax" by Dr. Suess who speaks for the trees!
A copy of the book, Project Learning Tree, can be read on the Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/projectlearningt00amer
