TO THE MOTHERS
Mothers of men, do you not know
What you gave to the world in your hour of woe?
Born of courage, and doomed to stress,
A man for the tasks of men—no less!
Mothers of women, can you not feel
What all the signs of your life reveal?
You have brought forth love, with its sword and fire,
And love's high crown is the lost desire.
Mothers of men, have you not known
That the soul of the child is not your own?
If God has sealed him for palm and cross,
To hold him close were your bitter loss.
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