 | Poems and dramas of George Cabot Lodge |  |
68
[VIII
I well remember how one yesterday]
I well remember how one yesterdayOf all our lives' intense communion,
He said, “In Death's austere dominion
Only the coin of Truth's device can pay
The price of liberty!—What alien way
Might chance direct us, when oblivion
Sets us adrift from all we were and won?
Or take us from ourselves whither away?
Therefore must we, for our deliverance,
Levy on life the toll of truth!” he cried.
And so he lived indeed—but when he died,
Beyond all proof I seemed to understand
That he, from Death's outstretched and friendly hand,
Received his ransom and recognizance.
| Poems and dramas of George Cabot Lodge | |