From “Lincoln, The Great Commoner”
by Edwin Markham

And so he came from the prairie cabin to the Capitol,
One fair ideal led our chieftain on,
He built the rail pile as he built the State,
The conscience testing every stroke,
to make his deed the measure of the man…
So came our Captain with the mighty heart;
And when the step of earthquake shook the house,
Wrenching rafters from their ancient hold,
He held the ridge-pole up
and spiked again the rafters of the Home….
He held his place …
he held the long purpose like a growing tree
Held on thro’ blame and faltered not at praise,
And when he fell in whirlwind,
he went down as when a Kingly cedar green with boughs
goes down with a great shout, upon the hills!