The Mothers
Beyond the tumult and the proud acclaim,
Beyond the circle where the glory beats
With withering light upon the mighty seats,
They hear the far-resounding trump of fame;
On other lips they hear the one-loved name
In vaunting or derision, and they weep
To know that they shall never lull to sleep
Those tired heads, crowned with desolating flame.
Beyond the hot arena’s baleful glow,
Beyond the towering pomp they dimly see,
They sit and watch the fateful pageants go
Through war’s red arch, or up to Calvary,
The First Love still within their hearts impearled—
Mothers of all the masters of the world!