The Path on the Rainbow: Along the South Star Trail

Drum-beat, beat of drums,
Pebble-rattle in the gourd,
Pebble feet on drifting sand…
Drum-beat, beat of drums
I have lost the wife-made robe of bearskin…
Take the prize—mine the loss.
Have I lost too the courage of the black bear—
His power, his thunder?
Lul-la-by,
Games' queer lullaby…
O robe of mine!—
O luck of mine!

Drum-beat, beat of drums,
Pebble-rattle in the gourd,
Coyote feet upon the plain…
Drum-beat, beat of drums—
Coyotes crushed the tender ham-string and the bone…
A bull-calf bawls, dies alone.
Where are the herds of buffalo and the hides,
The meat, the tepees?
Lul-la-by,
Man's dread lullaby…
O home of mine!
O life of mine!

Drum-beat, beat of drums,
Pebble-rattle in the gourd,
Horse-hoof beat upon the ground…
Drum-beat, beat of drums
By Wounded Knee ye buried them, buried them—
Red men's flesh, their bones…

By Wounded Knee we buried them, buried them.
The songs we sung, the dreams…
Lul-la-by,
The white man's lullaby…
O race of mine!
O brothers mine!

Drum-beat, beat of drums,
Pebble-rattle in the gourd,
Pulse-beat in the fever…
Drum-beat, beat of drums—
Famine drank from the gourd bottle, ate the gourd;
Left the skin, the bone.
She walked the pathway from the east, of the departed—
Left me forsaken, alone…
Lul-la-by,
Tiráwa's long lullaby…
O blood of mine!
O child of mine!

Drum-beat, beat of drums,
Pebble-rattle in the gourd.
Still feet in the grave-mound…
Drum-beat, beat of drums—
The gourd-rattle handle leads to the sun and life;
Leaves clay, leaves cold.
A purple smoke arises from bowl to float on winds;
Leaves ashes—my ash…
Lul-la-by,
Death's sweet lullaby…
O flesh of mine!
O hands of mine!

Drum-beat, beat of drums,
Pebble-rattle in the gourd,
Dream-feet in the yellow line…
Drum-beat, beat of drums—

One half the feather of Tiráwa's bird is white;
The other black—’tis night;
Tiráwa's song at night is morning star of dawn
Where dance dreams, in light…
Lul-la-by,
The spirit's lullaby…
O soul of mine!
O breath of mine!

Drum-beat, beat of drums,
Pebble-rattle in the gourd,
Calves' feet in starry plains…
Drum-beat, beat of drums—
A sacred herd graze on tips of fair fresh flowers
In garden—Star of Evening's.
A bison drinks mixed all-waters, pure
From Spring; ’tis hers…
Lul-la-by,
All-Life's lullaby…
O land of mine!
O plains of mine!

Drum-beat, beat of drums,
Pebble-rattle in the gourd,
Dance-feet ’round the sun…
Drum-beat, beat of drums—
By the sun see the dancing white men with the red—
By Wounded Knee, a post!
There they blend their songs together, brother-wise;
Here the post, the paint…
Lul-la-by,
The Nation's lullaby…
O race of mine!
O brothers mine!

Drum-beat, beat of drums,
Pebble-rattle in the gourd,

Child feet in the hogan…
Drum-beat, beat of drums—
A child has taught her little spider pet to weave
Bead-work at my door;
A child has taught these dimming eyes to see
Thread-work, star-lit lodge…
Lul-la-by,
Love's own lullaby…
O hogan mine!
O hogan thine!

Drum-beat, beat of drums,
Pebble-rattle in the gourd,
Soul-feet in trail of wind…
Drum-beat, beat of drums—
Hear the great sea-feet, beating on the flint-rock!
Drum-beat, beat of drum—
Hear the beat of distant feet on South Star Trail!
Drum-beat, beat of drum—
Ti-rá-wa!
Earth's great Ti-rá-wa.
O heart-beat thine!
O drum-beat thine!