Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, MOTHERS, by JANE URQUHART


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

MOTHERS, by                    
First Line: As once that stoic boy of sparta old
Last Line: To keep from men the heritage of fear.
Subject(s): Grief; Love; Mothers; Sons; Sparta, Greece; Sorrow; Sadness


As once that stoic boy of Sparta old
On his torn breast the fox's clawing bore,
Striding his death-doomed way with swagger bold,
Twisting each pang into one grin the more;
So I, head up, through tedious days, forlorn,
Reveal of grief no guilty outward trace
For those less versed in agony to scorn,
But let them whisper as they scan my face.

Though women seem so soft to outward view,
'Twas Spartan mothers taught their sons to smile.
Perhaps from age-old wounds of love they knew
To live with heart-break and yet laugh the while;
Letting no sign of the inward hurt appear,
To keep from men the heritage of fear.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net