Classic Poem

I

Bring poppies for a weary mind
That saddens in a senseless din,
And let my spirit leave behind
A world of riot and of sin, —
In action's torpor deaf and blind.

Bring poppies — that I may forget!
Bring poppies — that I may not learn!
But bid the audacious sun to set,
And bid the peaceful starlight burn,
O'er buried memory and regret.

Then will the slumberous grasses grow
Above the bed wherein I sleep;
While winds I love will softly blow,
And dews I love will softly weep,
O'er rest and silence hid below.

Bring poppies, — for this toil is vain;
I cannot guide the rush of life:
A stronger hand must grasp the rein,
A stouter arm oppose the strife,
A braver heart defy the pain.

Youth was my friend, — but youth had wings,
And he has flown unto the day,
And left me, in a night of things,
Bewildered, on a lonesome way,
And careless what the future brings.

Let there be sleep! nor any more
The noise of useless deed or word;
While the free spirit hovers o'er
A sea where not a sound is heard —
A sea of dreams, without a shore.

II

Dark Angel, counselling defeat,
I see thy mournful, tender eyes;
I hear thy voice, so faint, so sweet,
And very dearly should I prize
Thy perfect peace, thy rest complete.

But is it rest to vanish hence,
To mix with earth, or sea, or air?
Is death indeed a full defence
Against the tyranny of care?
Or is it cruellest pretence?

And, if an hour of peace draws nigh,
Shall we, who know the arts of war,
Turn from the field and basely fly,
Nor take what fate reserves us for,
Because we dream 'twere sweet to die?

What shall the untried warriors do,
If we, the battered veterans, fail?
How strive, and suffer, and be true,
In storms that make our spirits quail,
Except our valor lead them through?

Though for ourselves we droop and tire,
Let us at least for them be strong.
'Tis but to bear familiar fire;
Life at the longest is not long,
And peace at last will crown desire.

So, Death, I will not hear thee speak!
But I will live and still endure
All storms of pain that time can wreak.
My flag be white because 'tis pure,
And not because my soul is weak!