THE MARCHING FAITH
I HAVE seen the men go marching,
Marching away from life;
Away from love and children
Into a bitter strife.
I have seen the men go marching
With strange high courage shod—
The old, old way of Crusaders
Men who believe in God.
Brown eyes, blue eyes, grey eyes,
Swing of the Highland kilt,
Shoulders of English lordling,
Slight form Eastern built,
Chin of a New York lawyer,
Head of a happy Greek.
I have seen the men go marching,
And I know the thing they seek.
I have seen the men go marching,
And I have no word to say;
They have read their hearts more truly
Than I in my wistful way.
They sprang to an instinct Action,
Though they scorned the path they trod.
Gold help us! we must follow—
Men who go forth for God.
Brown eyes, blue eyes, grey eyes,
Eyes that have laughed with love,
Eyes that have glowed with music,
Indian eyes that rove,
Jaw of a tall Italian,
Teeth of the French Touraine,
Faces full of the tide of life,
That will not come back again.
I have seen the men go marching,
And I know what I must do:—
Never to play them weak or false
Though the news be false or true;
Whatever the Great Endeavor
For body or brain or pen,
I must be true forever
To the faith of the Marching Men!
HOME COMING
[A]"They will fight until the stolen and lost and scattered children return home.”
T’ will be a great day for the Children,
The lost and scattered Children,
When they come home!
I can see now the little faces smiling,
Hear broken words, see baby hands beguiling,
And watch the dear processions straggled filing,
When the Children come.
In all the crushed, insulted, stricken households,
In all the bare and desecrated households
There will be joy.
Mothers will rouse them from their haunted sorrow,
Because their love has given the Tomorrow
A pledge, on which posterity may borrow
From girl and boy.
Mothers will rouse them from their stricken anguish,
Daring to face the future in their anguish,
Because the Children say,
“We have no part in all the hopeless killing;
We are your sacrament, your holy willing;
We are your cups for the glad, new wine-filling
Of a new Day.”