the cremation of Sam McGee

G

george wilson

Active member
hey mike -- i'd never heard of the poem/story --- spent the last few minutes looking it up and reading it

ordered the book for my daughter - little different than the childrens stories she uses in her teaching reading to grade schoolers

i'll add a copy of it to the decoy - tell jim it was made out of wood from the "alice may"-- lol
 
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George,
Robert Service was a favorite of my moms step father. He read the poems to me as a boy and I can still feel the wind blow when I think of the tales of the Yukon. Great stuff to read.
 
yukon mike brought up the poem as we conversed about decoys - as i said i never heard of it and promptly went and look it up and read it - then found a mail order of childrens books were it was being sold - although not the type of story i may have read to my kids - i guess in the yukon territories they may have understood the circumstances and better accepted it -- did get one for my daughter the childrens reading specialist - i'm sure it wasn't in her collection - it will be now

will have to check out other stories by mr. service
 
Boy that brings back memories. Eight grade, A English teacher, Miss Nelson, Old as the Dinosaurs, read that to our class. Every one was spellbound. I use to have it memorized, good story around a campfire.
 
Its funny how many people know that stuff. We had to read it in school because he was a Canadian (At least I think he was?) and Scottish. That's a good combination to be in this country I guess. Even in gr 8 I loved his poems right away.

When Jane and I travelled up here and discovered the country the poems were written about I was elated - I never knew the places ever existed outside the books - him and Jack London. Me and Mac have spent 7 years hunting from the marge of Lake Leberge now and I still think of the Sam McGee poem everytime I walk out on the old dock out there to check the wind before we launch.

There used to be a guy in Dawson City who would recite Service's works, by memory, out in front of an old cabin Robert lived in for a bit. It was free to sit and listen, and then they would pass the hat. I don't know if he still goes there in the summer or not. I haven't been to Dawson in years.

Mike
 
Andy,thanks for the site.I enjoyed listening to the Burning of Sam.It's been a very long time,
and I loved it.
Joe O
 
I dug out my copy of Robert W Service "Best Tales Of The Yukon" last night. For any who have not read his work I highly recommend "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" and "The Spell Of The Yukon" for starters. Many others, and trust me, just like my thick Jack London Unabridged kids will sit and listen in awe about, "The lady that's known as Lou."

Bob Butler,

Stuck down in the lower 48 thinking about Mike and Mack and "The Law Of The Yukon"
 
I have not thought of that poem in maybe 40 years. Thanks for jolting the memory. Sandy had never heard it and loved it too after we listened to it together.
 
[font=Palatino, Times, Serif]Just Think![/font]
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[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Sans]Just think! some night the stars will gleam
t.gif
Upon a cold gray stone,
And trace a name with silver beam,
t.gif
And lo! 'twill be your own. That night is speeding on to greet
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Your epitaphic rhyme.
Your life is but a little beat
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Within the heart of Time. A little gain, a little pain,
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A laugh lest you may moan;
A little blame, a little fame,
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A star gleam on a stone. [/font]Robert W. Service 1912
 
Mike,

After Google-ing it up. I can see why you love Service's poetry.
Here's a stanza of one I loved (The junior god):

The Junior God now heads the roll
In the list of heaven's peers;
He sits in the House of High Control,
And he regulates the spheres.
Yet does he wonder, do you suppose,
If, even in gods divine,
The best and wisest may not be those
Who have wallowed awhile with the swine?
 
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