Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE TEACHER, by DOUGLAS MALLOCH


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE TEACHER, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: For half a century, and more
Last Line: Not teaching latin -- teaching boys.
Subject(s): Teaching & Teachers


For half a century, and more,
The feet of boys forever wore
A pathway to the teacher's door.

For fifty years he took his stand,
A Latin grammar in his hand,
And taught the children of the land.

A general, a great divine,
Yea, men whose names with lustre shine,
Learned Latin at that simple shrine.

For often here the great began
To dream, to wish, to hope, to plan;
Today was born tomorrow's man.

And so the teacher grew to gray;
And fifty years have passed away
When someone happens on a day

To pause before the teacher's door,
The threshold that the children wore
A half a century or more,

And asks, as that good man appears:
"Are you not weary, tired to tears,
Of teaching Latin all the years?"

A simple answer he employs
To tell a teacher's holy joys:
"I don't teach Latin -- I teach boys."

God bless the teacher who can look
Above, beyond, the open book,
The one who teaching undertook

Not merely for the Latin's sake
But for the holy chance to make
Tomorrow's man, a soul to wake;

Whom nothing wearies, naught annoys,
Who gladly all his life employs,
Not teaching Latin -- teaching boys.





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