I THESE are the dead who caught thy word unspoken, O land of our desire ... and heard thy dumb decree, And hearing, they knew there was no room for other token Save the barrier of their golden youth betwixt the foe and thee. II These are the dead who loved old lore and learning, Valley-lands and mountain-tops ... and there they would have stayed, But girding on their armour and resolutely turning Left they the songs and the dreams they had made. III Loving life's immensities—they knew as they spent them, Not with idle gestures—but humbly—yet with pride, That bodies are but dust, and the wise gods lent them To build anew within the world a hope that had died. IV Hallowed, ever hallowed shall we hold them; we shall cherish The memory of their going while the great seas flow, And we shall look upon them as the acorn-seeds which perish That the green buds break and the strong trees grow. V Raise, then, their temples high that those who come here after, Nurtured in the shelter of the firm, wide oak, Shall pause awhile from singing and from dreaming and from laughter And see above their hearth-fires the chariots in the smoke. IV Steadfast as the morning star, with fire of hope unshaken, Wondrous as an Easter dawn with resurrection light, Shall they flame into the future with each sun that bids us waken To the glory of the heritage they kept within the night. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...A WINTER'S NIGHT by ROBERT FROST SUNSET by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON TO JOHN BROWN by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON |