Martyrs of peace
| Martyrs of peace by |
| From Poems of Optimism (1919) |
Fame writes ever its song and story,
For heroes of war, in letters of glory.
But where is the story and where is the song
For the heroes of peace and the martyrs of wrong?
They fight their battles in shop and mine;
They die at their posts and make no sign.
They herd like beasts in a slaughter pen;
They live like cattle and suffer like men.
Why, set by the horrors of such a life,
Like a merry-go-round seems the battle’s strife,
And the open sea, and the open boat,
And the deadly cannon with bellowing throat.
Oh, what are they all, with death thrown in,
To the life that has nothing to lose or win -
The life that has nothing to hope or gain
But ill-paid labour and beds of pain?
Fame, where is your story and where is your song
For the martyrs of peace and the victims of wrong?
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This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1923.
The author died in 1919, so this work is also in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 80 years or less. This work may also be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works. |
