LEE'S SURRENDER

Under an apple tree beside the road
They found the Mighty Captain quietly
Waiting the further issue of the morning —
The Sabbath morning of the Ninth of April,
Palm Sunday facing Love's great Eastertide,
God's day at Appomattox Court House, name
Forever blazoned in Time's Hall of Peace.
Quick closing every channel of his pride
Lee rose to greet the envoys of his foe,
And with them rode unto the place of meeting.

It was a simple meeting unsurpassed
In all the ages for significance.
Within a Southern farmhouse near at hand
The great contestants sat in conference.
Each saw the gateway of the other's soul
Swing open and a strange procession pass
Of faith's indulgences, of hope's high yields,
Humiliation rising from the dust,
Submission standing 'twixt Love's priests and seers
In the embrace of Magnanimity.