Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, GREATER THAN VICTORY, by WILLIAM A. PHELON


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

GREATER THAN VICTORY, by                    
First Line: Quickly the war-smoke lessens-out through the clearing skies
Last Line: "but the greatest thing of all is this: ""no more of our boys shall die!"
Subject(s): Death; Soldiers; Victory; World War I; Dead, The; First World War


QUICKLY the war-smoke lessens—out through the clearing skies
The conquerors of demons gaze, with brave, exalted eyes—
Long lines of heaped-up corpses tell how the warriors fell
In the ebb and flow of the final fight that saved the world from hell.
We cheer the well-won victory, as we shout each leader's name—
We chant a song of conquest, and we fill the Hall of Fame—
We thunder admiration, as the battle-flags go by—
But the greatest thing of all is this: "No more of our boys shall die!"
Sweet is the hour of triumph, and matchless is the time
That sees our legions' mastery o'er deviltry and crime—
We thrill with rushing memories—we tell again the tale
Of how our regiments' attack cleared wood and hill and dale—
The glory of the old, old flag—the name our soldiers gained,
Where bayonets were thick as grain and plunging bullets rained—
We speak of great deeds, battles won, and with a flashing eye—
But the greatest thing of all is this: "No more of our boys shall die!"





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