Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, PEACE, by SAMUEL ELLSWORTH KISER


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

PEACE, by                    
First Line: Let the reign of hate cease
Last Line: Be unclouded and long!
Subject(s): Angels; Peace


LET the reign of Hate cease;
Let the white lily blow where the thistle stood;
Sing a paean of peace
And a song of hope unto God's brotherhood!
The foe that we smote
Is constrained to bow —
Loose the grip on his throat,
Let us succor him now.

O Angel of Peace, in thy garments of white,
The war dogs are leashed — we have led them away;
Thou returnest to witness the triumph of Right
And the dawn of a glorious day!
We have held the red hand of the Demon of Hate,
We have heard the hoarse cries of the minions of Might;
We have threaded the paths where the imps of hell wait —
We have safely emerged from the perilous night;
We have plunged through the flame where the godless are burned,
Where the shrieks of the lost and the hopeless are blent —
We have tasted War's poisonous potion and learned
How sweet is the cup that thou hast to present.
We have culled the red flower
Of glory that grew
From the sod which the shower
Of blood made to bear;
We have followed where Justice hath led the way through,
And planted the seeds of enlightenment there!
We have trod on the tares that sprang up by the way,
We have cut down the thorns — we have sown
God's crops in the fields that were waste yesterday,
And given them back to their own.

O Angel in White,
Sing the paean of hope;
The dawn's welcome l ght
Breaks across the red slope!
Let the clash of arms cease
'Twixt the Wrong and the Strong —
Let the new reign of Peace
Be unclouded and long!





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