30 JOHN EEADB ON 



Hale. There we find what the avithor designates " the National Hymn " of the Confederacy. 

 "In every important council of the Iroquois, a song or chant is considered a proper and 

 almost essential part of the proceedings. Such official songs are mentioned in many 

 reports of treaty councils held with them by the French and English authorities. In the 

 greatest of all councils, the song must, of course, have a distinguished place." The 

 Karenna, or hymn in question, which follows immediately upon the address of greeting and 

 condolence, runs as follows : — 



" I come again to greet and thank the League ; 

 I come again to greet and thank the kindred ; 

 I come again to greet and thank the warriors ; 

 I come again to greet and thank the women. 

 My forefathers — what they established — 

 My forefathers — hearken to them !" 



Or, in the metre of Longfellow's " Hiawatha," as given by Mr. Hale, in the " Notes on 

 the Canienga Book" : — 



" To the great Peace bring we greeting ! 

 To the dead chief's kindred, greeting I 

 To the warriors round him, greeting ! 

 To the mourning women, greeting ! 

 These oui' grandsires words repeating, 

 Graciously, O grandsires, hear us." 



The following dirge-like composition, though it forms one of the prose sections of 

 " The Ancient Eites of the Condoling Council," is not without reason considered by Mr. 

 Hale as the commencement of a great historical chant, which he compares to the YSth 

 Psalm or to some of the inspired outbursts of the Hebrew prophets : — 



"Woe! "Woe I 



Hearken ye ! 



We are diminished ! 



Woe! Woe! 



The cleared land has become a thicket ! 



Woe! Woe! 

 The clear places are deserted, 



Woe! 

 They are in their graves. 

 They who established it, 

 The great League. 

 Yet they declared 

 It should endure, 



The great League. 

 Woe! 

 Their work has grown old ! 



Woe ! 

 Thus are we become miserable ! " 



