Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE LOST COMRADES by MARGARET LOUISA WOODS

First Line: WHEN WE ARE DANCING IN THE FORMER PLACES
Last Line: WHEN I SEE THE SHADOWS ROUND US—THE YOUNG, YOUNG FACES.
Subject(s): LOSS; MEMORY; YOUTH;
WHEN we are dancing in the former places,
Lightly and rosily dancing as before,
Though I am young, I see too many faces—
Young, young faces that will come no more.
Black and white feet twirling,
Pretty skirts a-whirling,
A strong arm sweeping you along the polished floor.
Come the merry hours like the merrier hours before,
But haunted now for ever by the young, young, faces.

Merry were our comrades, boys and girls of Maytime,
Leaping, laughing, the youth in us like wine,
We were sporting with the lads or watching them at playtime,
And waltzing all the night into clear sunshine.
Now for dawn we've noon here,
Maytime's changed for June here.
Our feet are as fleet, we are fairer and as fine,
But the young, young comrades, the merry comrades mine,
Are changed—they are shadows that darken happy places.

Far are they scattered, either lonely lying,
Or on the hard hillside among the ranks of slain;
Long on his fever-bed one has lain a-dying,
One rose up and fell with a bullet in his brain.
Patiently they're sleeping,
And there's no more weeping—
All weeping ends when weeping is in vain.
Soon are their gravestones worn with sun and rain,
And soon are they forgotten, the young, young faces.

But I still remember them, the merry days together
On the links and the lawns, on the summer fields of play:
White shapes in sunshine, the smack of bat on leather—
Is it others who are playing, or is it they?
Strong and light-hearted
As our comrades departed,
Come the new playmates, and find us fresh and gay.
But deep in my heart I know we're old and grey,
When I see the shadows round us—the young, young faces.



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