Lionel Haweis
The sign of service, mellowed in their faces,
We watched them wondering who should fill their places,
When, and in whatso case, they perished ever.
Our steel roads bore them eastward to the sea,
Our steel ships haled them to their sight of glory;
Godspeed we waved as bright as steel could be;
But when we turned the steel was in our faces . . .
We turned and wondered who could fill their places;
We watched and waited waited for the story.
And there was steel in every inch of it! . . .
As for that other, we knew but dared not own it . .
The wires the burning wires ! But bit by bit
The story trickled through at last . . . our faces—
We watched each others'—others in our places
Places of anguish anguish to have known it.
We could not picture everything we thought . . .
Name after name, and every new name nearer
And dearer for the two or three we sought;
Till there they stared us boldly in our faces,
With all the letters writhing in their places,
Writhing alive, and nothing could be clearer.
And all was said that could be said all done . .
Here was the end our coward hearts had hinted—
A soldier s end our coward eyes would shun . . .
Peace ! Would ye mourn the old familiar faces?
Mourn for yourselves who praised them to their places—
As plain as tears can blur or type could print it!
III
Almighty God, receive them! In Thy Name
Their mighty Mother called them, and they came . . .
And us, who mourn our weakness where they lie—
Teach us to live, Who gavest them to die!
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