Classic Poem

Some battles we are called to fight
With comrades cheering on,
With certain victory in sight;
But some we fight — alone;
And though the one we cannot share
Is oft the hardest fight,
A martyr's courage makes us dare,
When fighting for the right.

When traitors turn and cowards flee
The forces of the strong,
And leave us with the enemy
To fight a cruel wrong,
The thought that fire makes iron steel,
That the hard blows make it bright,
Makes heroes of us when we feel
We're fighting for the right.

When, too, at length, the " light that failed "
Leaves desolate life's track,
A star thought by the mind unveiled
Will win our courage back;
'Twill bring a glow into the cheek,
And make our dull eyes bright,
To know that, though oppressed and weak,
We fought hard for the right.