I ASK not how thy suffering came, Or if by sin, or if by shame, Or if by Fate's capricious rulings: To my large pity all's the same. Come close and lean against a heart Eaten by pain and stung by smart; It is enough if thou hast suffered, -- Brother or sister then thou art. We will not speak of what we know, Rehearse the pang, nor count the throe, Nor ask what agony admitted Thee to the Brotherhood of Woe. But in our anguish-darkened land Let us draw close, and clasp the hand; Our whispered password holds assuagement, -- The solemn "Yea, I understand!" | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...CONTRA MORTEM: THE MOUNTAIN FASTNESS by HAYDEN CARRUTH THE LAST MAN'S CLUB by JAMES GALVIN HEGIRA by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON TO -, WITH A ROSE by SIDNEY LANIER HOW THE GREAT GUEST CAME by EDWIN MARKHAM DOCTOR OF BILLIARDS by EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON |