O! day thrice lovely! when at length the soldier Returns home into life; when he becomes A fellow-man among his fellow-men. The colours are unfurled, the cavalcade Marshals, and now the buzz is hushed, and hark! Now the soft peace-march beats, home, brothers, home! The caps and helmets are all garlanded With green boughs, the last plundering of the fields. The city gates fly open of themselves, The ramparts are all filled with men and women, With peaceful men and women, that send onwards Kisses and welcomings upon the air: From all the towers rings out the merry peal, The joyous vespers of a bloody day. O happy man, O fortunate! for whom The well-known door, the faithful arms are open, The faithful tender arms with mute embracing. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...MY LADY'S PLEASURE by ROBERT GRAHAM THE WARM CRADLE by LAWRENCE ALMA-TADEMA SONNETS OF MANHOOD: 17. THE CHILD by GEORGE BARLOW (1847-1913) AMBITION by MILDRED TELFORD BARNWELL THE FORMER LIFE by CHARLES BAUDELAIRE THE DAWN PATROL by PAUL BEWSHER JACK FROST AND THE CATY-DID by JOHN GARDINER CALKINS BRAINARD |