Poems (Coolidge)/All Saints

by Helen Elizabeth Coolidge

ALL SAINTS

For all of our belovèd
 We gather here to-day,
Those saints on earth we cherished,
 Those saints we love alway;
The veil is thin, belovèd,
 That from our sight doth hide,
You, who unfurled the banner
 Of Christ the Crucified.

For all of our belovèd
 We can, rejoicing, sing;
The pæean of their triumph
 Shall through these arches ring;
On finite ear, belovèd,
 Faint falls the victor's song,
Yet, 'tis to one great army
 That all of us belong.

For you, our well belovèd,
 The rest His chosen know,
For us, the toil and conflict
 As forward still we go;
Oh, thin the veil, belovèd,
 'Twill soon be rent in twain,
When partings shall be over.
 And "peace be won from pain."

The while we struggle bravely,
 Beloved, witness still,
With tender benediction
 Our fainting spirits thrill;
The veil still hides, beloved,
 Yet march we side by side,
Above us floats the banner
 Of Christ the Crucified.