The Dyak chief, and other verses

In Short

This collection of poetry is a vivid, rhythmic travelogue and military diary from the early twentieth century. It is divided into three parts: a central narrative poem about a journey into the heart of Borneo, a series of ballads detailing the life of American soldiers stationed in the tropics, and miscellaneous verse exploring themes of nature, history, and human longing. The work endures as an unvarnished window into a bygone era of global exploration and the gritty, often contradictory realities of imperial expansion as seen by those on the front lines.

The Story

The narrative begins with a journey into the interior of Borneo. The poet-traveler treks through dense, leech-infested jungles, moving beyond Dutch settlements to reach the isolated kampongs of the Dyak tribes. Here, the landscape is one of towering giants and wild cascades, but the atmosphere is heavy with the weight of history. The traveler observes the kampong, a long house perched on piles, where life revolves around the symbols of the past—chief poles and the grisly reminders of old head-hunting battles.

Through the local people, the traveler learns a harrowing story of betrayal and revenge. A white man arrives in this remote valley, wins the love of a local woman, and then abandons her. The tribe captures him, and the narrative turns to a brutal, slow-motion execution. The prisoner is staked to the ground, left exposed to the sun and the swarming leeches, while the narrator watches his agony day by day. This dark episode serves as a haunting pivot for the book, contrasting the exotic beauty of the Bornean landscape with the savage cruelty of human conflict.

The story then shifts from the jungle to the barracks of the American army. The perspective is that of a "buck private," a man who has soldiered in Cuba, the Philippines, and beyond. He describes the daily grind of the rank and file—the boredom, the drinking, the harsh discipline of the "solitary" cell, and the strange, puzzling nature of his mission. He finds himself in a world of mixed loyalties where he is both a protector of plantations and a target of native resentment.

As the verses continue, the scope widens. The poet reflects on the "Philippine Rankers"—the diverse, motley crew of men from New York tenements, Western plains, and cultured homes who find themselves united by the "silken sift" of bamboo and the sudden, careless drift of bullets. The narrative arc moves from specific, localized tragedies toward a broader contemplation of human nature. The poet considers the "Omnipotent," the rise and fall of empires like Rome, and the eternal, restless spirit of the wanderer.

The book concludes with a return to the personal. The poet contemplates his "Loves"—the winds, the seas, and the shifting horizons that have claimed his heart. He writes to an elderly friend, acknowledging the shared burden of those who have seen the world, and offers a final, defiant call to "pack your trunk and go." The narrative ends not with a resolution, but with a sense of perpetual motion, a testament to the "Striver" who, though weary and broken, is still bound for the "Land of Might-have-been."

How It Unfolds

The jungle trek The poet recounts his arduous five-day march through the Borneo interior, detailing the physical toll of leeches and the humid, mossy environment. He captures the transition from the safety of colonial outposts to the deep, silent mystery of the tribal heartland.

The kampong tragedy The narrative shifts to the specific life of a Dyak village, where the traveler encounters the aftermath of a forbidden romance. He vividly depicts the harrowing punishment of an outsider, setting a stark, violent tone for the book’s exploration of human darkness.

The soldier’s reality The scene changes to the barracks of the American military abroad, focusing on the vernacular of the common soldier. The poet highlights the irony of his position, caught between his duties to superiors and the confusing, often contradictory expectations of the local populations.

The global panorama The verse expands to cover various locales, from the streets of Singapore to the temples of Bangkok. The poet ties these distant points together through a shared sense of "outpost" isolation and the common humanity of those who wander far from home.

The final reflection The collection closes by looking back on the journey, balancing the weight of history and empire against the simple, restless wonder of the traveler. The poet finds a final, fragile unity in the shared experience of the road and the relentless pull of the horizon.

The People

The Traveler is the central observer, a man who seeks out the "last least wilderness." He is curious and observant, yet often haunted by the violence he witnesses. He evolves from a mere spectator to a deeply reflective wanderer who carries the scars of his experiences.

The Dyak Chief and his people represent the primal, traditional power of the island. They are defined by their strict codes, their ancestral symbols, and their capacity for cold, calculated retribution.

The White Man (the prisoner) is the tragic catalyst. His faithlessness and subsequent agonizing death provide the book's most visceral encounter with the consequences of colonial intrusion.

The Soldier is the voice of the rank and file. Whether from the Bowery or the West, he is a "buck private" who defines himself by his hardship and his camaraderie. He is often cynical, yet he remains loyal to his "bunkie" and the fraternity of the line.

Father Time emerges as an allegorical figure, the ultimate healer who gathers the "broken clan" of weary travelers at the end of their journeys. He offers a sense of peace that the harsh realities of the soldiers' lives and the cruelties of the jungle could never provide.

In Its Own Voice

"And silent, from the dank brown leaves / As swept my hurrying tread, / The little waiting leeches rose / And caught me as I sped."

The poet describes the relentless physical challenges of navigating the Bornean jungle on foot.

"And we dragged the fettered prisoner forth / To blink at the blinding day."

This line marks the beginning of the brutal, days-long execution of the prisoner in the Dyak village.

"The east-sides of the cities / Are aye foregathered here; / The best sides of the cities / Are come from far and near, / To mix their books and Bibles / With oaths and rotten beer."

The poet captures the diverse, incongruous origins of the men serving in the Philippine army.

What It's Really About

At its core, the book grapples with the tension between the "Dreamer" and the "Doer." It asks how humanity, with its inherent cruelty and capacity for "strife of the thousand sects," can reconcile its existence with a natural world that remains indifferent. The work explores the concept of duty—not just to a flag or an empire, but to the "call" of the unknown. It questions whether civilization is a meaningful progress or merely a "monstrous school" that clouts the brain, and it searches for a "Final Brotherhood" in the midst of the carnage and the "gilded Shwe Dagon."

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the rhythmic, adventurous spirit of Rudyard Kipling will find a familiar, if grittier, voice here. This is a collection for those interested in the "picturesque side" of early 20th-century history, specifically the life of the American soldier in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War. The reading experience is visceral, moving from the lush, terrifying beauty of the tropics to the dusty, beer-soaked atmosphere of the barrack room.

However, the modern reader should be prepared for the period-specific attitudes regarding colonialism and "native" cultures, which are presented through the unvarnished, often starkly judgmental lens of the era. The dialect—the "Bowery" slang and the military jargon—can be a hurdle, yet it provides an authentic, "racy of the soil" quality that keeps the verses feeling alive. What stays with you is the poet’s persistent, melancholic wonder—his "wondering why I’m here tonight"—and his empathy for the "men of the millionth mark" who lived and died far from the comforts of home. It is a book about the restlessness of the human spirit, capturing a time when the world seemed to be getting smaller, yet remained deeply, hauntingly mysterious.