Bees in Amber: A Little Book of Thoughtful Verse

by John Oxenham

SOUTH

We come from the land of the blazing sun,
From the land that was blacker than night,—
From the white-hot sand of the Great Dark Land,
Where Might was the only Right.
To—the—Night,—
To—the—Night,—
To the darkness and the sorrow of the Night,
Came—the—Light,
Came—the—Light,
Came the Wonder and the Glory of the Light.

There are sorrows still, there is darkness still,
There are still gross wrongs to set right;
There are grim black stains, there are peoples in chains,
To be loosed from the grip of the Night.
To—their—Night,—
To—their—Night,—
To the darkness and the sorrow of their Night,
Take—the—Light!
Take—the—Light!
Take the Wonder and the Glory of the Light!