Victors are bored, and victims bitterly Bewail the chances that have brought defeat, And break their swords, and on a barren tree Hang up their harps, and hate the bread they eat, The conquerors they serve, the impotence Of their weak arms against the brutal might Of stronger men, and most, the common sense That points a calm acceptance of their plight. When wars are over and the struggles cease, The ugly rage and the dull weariness Are to the once embattled awful peace. Victor and vanquished, in their hearts confess That when the bitter truth at last is said, The only undefeated are the dead. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...UNDER THE CEDARCROFT CHESTNUT by SIDNEY LANIER TO A PRIZE BIRD by MARIANNE MOORE OCTAVES: 16 by EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON AT THE CHURCH DOOR by GEORGE SANTAYANA MY MOTHER LEFT ME by KAREN SWENSON |