WE are the whirlwinds that winnow the West — We scatter the wicked like straw! We are the Nemeses, never at rest — We are Justice, and Right, and the Law! Moon on the snow and a blood-chilling blast, Sharp-throbbing hoofs like the heart-beat of fear, A halt, a swift parley, a pause — then at last A stiff, swinging figure cut darkly and sheer Against the blue steel of the sky; ghastly white Every on-looking face. Men, our duty was clear; Yet ah! what a soul to send forth to the night! Ours is a service brute-hateful and grim; Little we love the wild task that we seek; Are they dainty to deal with — the fear-rigid limb, The curse and the struggle, the blasphemous shriek? Nay, but men must endure while their bodies have breath; God made us strong to avenge Him the weak — To dispense his sure wages of sin — which is death. We stand for our duty: while wrong works its will, Our search shall be stern and our course shall be wide; Retribution shall prove that the just liveth still, And its horrors and dangers our hearts can abide, That safety and honor may tread in our path; The vengeance of Heaven shall speed at our side, As we follow unwearied our mission of wrath. We are the whirlwinds that winnow the West — We scatter the wicked like straw! We are the Nemeses, never at rest— We are Justice, and Right, and the Law! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...CONTRA MORTEM: THE LEAVES by HAYDEN CARRUTH TO MY NOSE by ALFRED HENRY FORRESTER DRIVING HOME THE COWS by KATE PUTNAM OSGOOD WHAT TOMAS AN BUILE SAID IN A PUB by JAMES STEPHENS THE SAILOR BOY by ALFRED TENNYSON |