A History of Kansas (Arnold 1914)

In that half-forgotten era,With the avarice of old,Seeking cities he was toldHad been paved with yellow gold,In the kingdom of Quivira—

Came the restless CoronadoTo the open Kansas plain,With his knights from sunny Spain;In an effort that, though vain,Thrilled with boldness and bravado.

League by league, in aimless marching,Knowing scarcely where or why,Crossed they uplands drear and dry,That an unprotected skyHad for centuries been parching.

But their expectations, eager,Found, instead of fruitful lands,Shallow streams and shifting sands,Where the buffalo in bandsRoamed o'er deserts dry and meager.

Back to the scenes more trite, yet tragic,Marched the knights with armor'd steeds;Not for them the quiet deeds;Not for them to sow the seedsFrom which empires grow like magic.

Thus Quivira was forsaken;And the world forgot the placeThrough the lapse of time and space.Then the blue-eyed Saxon raceCame and bade the desert waken.