Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, HYMN FOR THE HEALING OF STRIFE, by NEWMAN HOWARD


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

HYMN FOR THE HEALING OF STRIFE, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Heroes of hampden's race, and ye
Last Line: And bind the bonds of brotherhood!
Subject(s): Africa; Fights; Freedom; Peace; Liberty


HEROES of Hampden's race, and ye
The brave of Artevelde's blood,
Twin nations of the Northern sea,
Come bind the bonds of brotherhood!

O long we fought the feud of kin:
Shall pride perpetuate the score?
Who first forgive, they only win:
Let fall your arms and fight no more!
Each would be master, both waxed wroth,
And, hot for conquest flung the glove:
Neither seeks mastery now: let both
Make haste to bind the bonds of love!

One in our faith, in freedom one,
We stand above our heroes' grave:
Shall we the reconcilement shun, --
The proffered hand that weds the brave?
'Twas blow for blow we struck, and you
Gave back our blows as strong men should:
Valiant in fight, in friendship true,
Come bind the bonds of brotherhood!

Around us once the fires of Spain
Burned, but were impotent to quell;
Both grappled with the accursed chain,
Both hurled the oppressor back to hell:
That was the strife of sons of God,
Whom woe may weld and sorrow prove:
Oh, keep the path our fathers trod
And haste to bind the bonds of love!

Forgotten soon the helots' shame,
The raiders' ravine well atoned,
When Boer and Briton both acclaim
Justice by equal laws enthroned.
Manful it is for right to stand,
But base on buried wrong to brood:
Rise up and give the foe your hand!
Come bind the bonds of brotherhood!

Freedom is won, a frontier lost:
For this they died, and not in vain,
Whom now we weep; a valiant host
That don their crown and doff their pain,
Smiling that foemen's heirs may wed
To rear the realm for which they strove,
And build to praise the deathless dead
A living monument of love.

Scions of Wycliffe's race, and ye
The heroes of Erasmus' blood,
Unite your land in liberty,
And bind the bonds of brotherhood!





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