Sonnets on the War By Alexander Smith and By the Author of "Balder" and "The Roman" [S. T. Dobell] |
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WAR. |
 | Sonnets on the War |  |
36
WAR.
The husband from whose arms you could not part,Sleeps among hundreds in a bloody pit;
The boy you nursed with fondness infinite
Lies on the hill, a bullet through his heart.
Bewildered Bride! mute Mother! creep apart,
And weep yourselves away as it is fit.
England hath sterner work to do than grieve.
When our best blood hath drenched that distant earth,
What man soe'er in this embattled land
Shall raise a hushing arm, and murmur, “Cease,”
A curse be on him! We conquer, or we leave
A vacant chair at ev'ry English hearth.
The far-off lily of a worthy peace
Can be plucked only by War's bloody hand.
| Sonnets on the War | |