Classic Poem

Spoke from the stainless azure
Of immemorial veins,
" War for the Right is over,
Battle for bread remains. "

And he carried his bright smile from us,
Our choral of bird and breeze,
To the light of the tideless summers,
The song of the tropic seas.

So far — yet his soul's clear brightness
Drew nearer, and never cold;
Found speech in the sea-bloom's whiteness,
And kisses in fruits of gold.

And sweeter than day-spring's murmur
To the palm when the spice-wind stirs
Were the voices that sang from the summer,
" Your darling has won his spurs! "

And we sang to the voice of the summer,
With a smile that was glad to tears,
" If your sea or your sand yield honor,
Trust to the cavaliers! "

Sang! with the summer stooping
To shatter us, root and crest;
With the lightning to signal " drooping, "
And the thunder to crash " at rest. "

Dumb! and the clouds close o'er us,
And the world reels blank and dim.
Blind! with our hands before us
Beseeching the mists for him.

Christ's soldier! Through all the shadows
One lily of light shall rise —
Not far! though it smiles from the meadows
And summers of Paradise.