Sweet Briars of the Stairways
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The Fairy Bridal Hymn→ |
SWEET BRIARS OF THE STAIRWAYS
WE are happy all the time
Even when we fight:
Sweet briars of the stairways,
Gay fairies of the grime;
We, who are playing to-night.
"Our feet are in the gutters,
Our eyes are sore with dust,
But still our eyes are bright.
The wide street roars and mutters—
We know it works because it must—
We, who are playing to-night!
"Dirt is everlasting.—We never, never fear it.
Toil is never ceasing.—We will play until we near it.
Tears are never ending.—When once real tears have come;
"When we see our people as they are—
Our fathers—broken, dumb—
Our mothers—broken, dumb—
The weariest of women and of men;
Ah—then our eyes will lose their light—
Then we will never play again—
We, who are playing to-night."
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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 1931, 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. |
