Words by the Wayside By James Rhoades |
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“Romane, Memento . . . Parcere subjectis” |
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 | Words by the Wayside |  |
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“Romane, Memento . . . Parcere subjectis”
When the arm'd might of England shall o'erthrowThe last rude barrier that her course delayed,
Shall baser thoughts by better be o'er-swayed
Nobly to deal with no ignoble foe?
Shall Might and Mercy linked like Graces go
With Justice, naked and yet unafraid,
Or the ripe fruit of war be fruitless made
By retribution boundless as her woe?
Nay, but of all woes this would be the worst,
To taint our tear-springs, desecrate our dead,
Making the cause for which they died accurst:
Strike mute with shame the slanderous mouths which said
“Ye war for gold or empire”: make it true
That England's heart was nobler than they knew.
| Words by the Wayside | |