AND THEN?

Otago Witness, Issue 3610, 22 May 1923, Page 43

AND THEN?

i. We have honoured our Dead. W e have marcht through the street In soldierly guise ; Our tears we have shed. As was meet —most meet; W'o have ra sed our eyes From the shell-torn flesh. From the blood-bathed earth, From the poppied sward, Thrilling afresh At tile dear lads’ worth; Praising the Lord Of Death, and Life, And the moveless Vast Behind their dance. For the bitter strife That gave at last The yearned-for chance To our light, young In.nil Its careless fun To drop; the whole— Every scattered strand — Of its strength made one, To prove its Soul. 11. Greatly our Land—God bless her!—rose to her destined hour; Greatly she showed what blood ran in each clear, blue vein ; Greatly they fought, and conquered, greatly they fell in the flower Of their youth, her sons; and greatly her daughters bore War’s strain, Whether by stretcher and cot, otr far from the shrapnel hail In sad, cold, man-reft homes, working With hearts serene. Though the tears would sometimes fall, the lips would sometimes fail To stifle the angmsht moan as they thought of what might have been. Greatly she proved her Soul, our beautiful Sea loved State, Shewed herself not alone a creature of song and jest. But deep, strong, true, and loyal to all that makes life great, And knightly swift to follow when God’s clarions cry the Quest. IH. What was the Quest we followed— We and the lads that died? Was’t fantasy? But dreamed we Man thorn-crowned, crucified ? Love, Liberty Did we not see These truly all but swallowed In hate’s foul, foaming tide? Did we not give us wholly, Wo and our darling Dead, That Truth and Right Be known as Might; Nor ever from its bed That child of Night, Brute Strength, to smite Tire simple and the lowly, Again raise evil head? Is that achieved? O, Brothers, Not in the fighting line Alone is won Such quest, is done Such work, howe’er divine Each warrior son, How nobly run Soe’er his course; w'e others Have part in the design. They have but plowed the furrow, Broken the soil anew; ’Tis we indeed Must sow the seed With sacrifice as true As theirs; O, heed— Heed we Earth’s need. Lest their work clean and thorough We wantonly undo. IV. Our Land- is a fertile Land, and fair— Is any on Earth more blest? Her golden grain, and her grains of gold But earnest of riches all untold, Of glory all unguessed. O, here, here surely nor want, nor ache Of starven Soul may be! O, here, here surely with joyo-us mien, With purpose strong, to liis mark clearseen Each maroheth fast and free! O, hero, here surely are never seen Curled lip, and scornful eye— Here, here the echoes are never heard Of mocking laugh, of cruel word That give sweet love the lie ! V. Alas, and alas, ev’n here, ancath Our vault of burning blue, God’s very smile, still want-, still ache Of human hearts anhungered, make Truth’s very self untrue. Alas, and alas, ev’n here we pant And struggle in wild blind strife, Dragging each other down —fear driven: Vainly our gallant lads have striven If fear still rule our life ! They conquered fear, shall we do less ? They graspt- not—they but gave; Shall we not also ope the hand, Climb to their clear height, understand His word Who came to save, And taught—for Truth shall make men free— That but by gift comes gain ; That but by serving men grow great; That but to the joy -maker Fate Giveth surcease of pain? VI. O Brothers, seek we self no more; Swift let us rise above Our past, bid fearfulness begone. See life one—grandly carry on, True to the Dead we love ! So they, on-looking with keen eyes From death’s calm other side As on the tide of goodwill rolls Shall of the travail of their Souls See, and be satisfied. Marsyas.