“Meanwhile, I devoured all the poetry I could find. I read Byron’s
poems more than any other’s, because a complete set of his works was
at hand, and as a result of his influence I wrote, when about sixteen,
a very ambitious poem called, ‘A Dream of Chaos.’ This was only one of
my youthful indiscretions in the poetical line. No, I don’t believe the
general public will ever be asked to read them. It has been kind to
me, and deserves fair treatment.”
“But, Mr. Markham, did you not find that your hard farm labor tended to
crush out the poetry, and finer feelings generally?”