THOU that a brave brief space didst keep the gate, Against the German, saving all the West, By the subjection of thy shielding breast To the brute blows and utmost shames of Fate; Thou that in bonds of iron dost expiate Thy nobleness as crime! Even thus oppressed, Is not thy spirit mystically blest, O little Belgium, marvellously great? Thou that hast prized the soul above the flesh, Dost thou not, starving, eat of angels' bread? With every sunrise crucified afresh, Has not this guerdon for all time sufficed— That thou shouldst wear upon thy haggard head The awful honor of the Crown of Christ? | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...WHERE SHALL THE BABY'S DIMPLE BE? by JOSIAH GILBERT HOLLAND L'AMOUR DU MENSONGE by CHARLES BAUDELAIRE THE OLD TRAMP by PIERRE JEAN DE BERANGER THE VEIL by HARRY RANDOLPH BLYTHE THE WIDEST HEARTHSTONE by BERTON BRALEY PHI BETA KAPPA POEM; HARVARD, 1914 by BLISS CARMAN |