Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE VIGILANTES, by MARGARET ELIZA ASHMUN


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE VIGILANTES, by                    
First Line: We are the whirlwinds that winnow the west
Last Line: We are justice, and right, and the law!
Subject(s): Cowboys; Justice; Ranch Life; Vigilantes; West (u.s.); Southwest; Pacific States


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!





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