Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, VICTORY BELLS, by GRACE HAZARD CONKLING


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

VICTORY BELLS, by                 Poet's Biography
First Line: I heard the bells across the trees
Last Line: And home-coming for weary men.
Subject(s): Bells; Holidays; Patriotism; Veterans Day; World War I; First World War


I HEARD the bells across the trees,
I heard them ride the plunging breeze
Above the roofs from tower and spire,
And they were leaping like a fire,
And they were shining like a stream
With sun to make its music gleam.
Deep tones as though the thunder tolled,
Cool voices thin as tinkling gold,
They shook the spangled autumn down
From out the tree-tops of the town;
They left great furrows in the air
And made a clangor everywhere
As of metallic wings. They flew
Aloft in spirals to the blue
Tall tent of heaven and disappeared.
And others, swift as though they feared
The people might not heed their cry
Went shouting VICTORY up the sky.
They did not say that war is done,
Only that glory has begun
Like sunrise, and the coming day
Will burn the clouds of war away.
There will be time for dreams again,
And home-coming for weary men.





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