God, give us men! A time like this demands Strong minds, great hearts, true faith and ready hands; Men whom the lust of office does not kill; Men whom the spoils of office can not buy; Men who possess opinions and a will; Men who have honor; men who will not lie; Men who can stand before a demagogue And damn his treacherous flatteries without winking! Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog In public duty, and in private thinking; For while the rabble, with their thumb-worn creeds, Their large professions and their little deeds, Mingle in selfish strife, lo! Freedom weeps, Wrong rules the land and waiting Justice sleeps. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...FLUSH OR FAUNUS by ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING DEATH STANDS ABOVE ME by WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR HE WROTE THE HISTORY BOOK,' IT SAID by MARIANNE MOORE UP-HILL by CHRISTINA GEORGINA ROSSETTI THE WOOD OF FLOWERS by JAMES STEPHENS THE VANISHERS by JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER THE SAD SHEPHERD by WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS |